Rarity of time (1) Rarity of an age

The prophet PBUH tells us that “The feet of the son of Adam shall not move on the day of Judgment (i.e. one isn’t going anywhere!) until he is questioned about five things: (1) his life and how he spent it, (2) his youth and how he used it, (3) his wealth and how he earned it (4) and how he spent it, (5) and how he acted upon the knowledge which he acquired.” [1]

The first of those questions pertains to “one’s life” which is followed up with the question as per “one’s youth”. However, isn’t youth part of one’s life?! (more…)

“Scratching the surface”

An idiom is an expression which consists of a group of words that has a figurative meaning. Idioms aren’t to be understood literally but are metaphorical expressions which we commonly use in our day to day conversations. “The devil is in the details” is a common example. “The early bird gets the worms” is a second such example (more…)

On a bubble-bursting mission (3) The “You’re a sinner” approach

Let us take a glance at one last satanic endeavour in shackling down the believer from being active and a person of high aspirations.

The “You’re sinful” approach

He’ll silently whisper: “I agree .. you do have talents .. and yes, you do have a bit of knowledge .. but neither of them will benefit you because you are a sinner! How dare you deem yourself fit for activism whilst you’re a captive of your habits?! You want to advise others?! Advise yourself and no one else!” (more…)

On a bubble-bursting mission (2) The “You’re ignorant” approach

Last week we discussed one of satan’s demoralizing techniques and showed that it’s nothing more than a devilish whisper that bears no weight! Let’s take a look at another one of his entrances:

The “You’re ignorant” approach 

He’ll say to you: “Fine fine .. You do have a few talents. But are you seriously going to start working for the Deen before you learn?! What hypocrisy!” 

We slam the door shut by responding: “Who said that a BA in Islamic studies is a prerequisite to my activity and sense of concern? I will call others, enjoin good and forbid evil according (more…)

On a bubble-bursting mission (1) The “You’re useless” approach

If we wanted to list the top 100 bubble “bursters” of this world, shaytan would lead that list. There isn’t a moment in which you resolve to stand up and do something productive, except that he’ll persuade you to sit back down. You lean over to pick up the luggage of da’wah and invite to the path of Allah within your sphere of friends, he’ll tell you “Leave it where it is! It’s too heavy for you”. You take a step forward in your journey to Allah, he opens up ten doors to the other direction ..

He doesn’t want to see you advance in your pursuits of the hereafter .. and specialises in the manufacturing of obstacles! Since he knows very well that you are a righteous person, he may even sometimes decorates this obstacle with an Islamic decorum .. so that you say:

“Hmmm … you know what … that’s quite a good point!”

For example – He’ll hit you with the “you’re useless” approach

He’ll persuade you that you have no talents to offer; you can’t speak, write, convince, research or do anything for Islam! “At such high levels of uselessness” he’ll say, “who on earth are you going to influence?!”     .. A common one, right?

We respond to him using the words of the scholar of Islam Abu Mu’ath ar-Raazi, when he said:

“Beware of allowing a bird to be better than you …”

What is he referring to? Which bird is this he speaks of?

He is hinting at the account related to us in the Qur’an in the chapter of The Ants, when the prophet of Allah Sulaiman (Soloman PBUH – whom Allah had given the ability to understand the language of animals!) noticed that one particular bird was missing from his assembly ..

The bird finally returns heartbroken, concerned and anxious over what it’s just witnessed. It justifies its lateness by telling Sulaiman PBUH that it flew across a kingdom which was governed by a woman who possessed a mighty throne. The bird complains in agitation that they were prostrating to the sun besides Allah!

The bird cries out: “Will they not prostrate themselves to the One who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal?!” [1]

Do you now see what he meant by “beware of allowing a bird to be better than you?”

This poor little creature is weak in its build, lacking in its means and helpless in many ways, nevertheless, it insisted to use what little it has to be an asset to the Ummah!               …  But you possess much more than a bird!

Do not say: “I lack talents, I lack credentials, I lack ability”. Rather, if we were honest with ourselves and looked truthfully at what Allah has endowed us with as humans, you’d realise that the only thing we lack is .. the drive. Otherwise, you are jam-packed with abilities and credentials, and your duty from today is to pinpoint them and identify how they can be channelled for the cause of your hereafter … Quickly!

Are you multi talented, gentle hearted, yet firm when need be? Then you have an example in Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)

Are you of a strong build, confident and have a presence to your personality? Then you have an example in Omar (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps shyness is your key trait, modesty and humility are your strengths, then you have an example in Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps you’re brave, courageous and in love with self-sacrifice, then you have an example in Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps research and academia is your cup of tea, then you have an example in Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps memorisation is your main strength, then you have an example in Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps you are a gifted linguist, able to express yourself, then you have an example in Hassan ibn Thaabit (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps you’re wealthy, good with the pound and dollar, then you have an example in AbdulRahman Ibn Auf (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps you’re poor, deprived and barely getting by, then you have an example in Abu Tharr (may Allah be pleased with him)

Perhaps my sister, your joy in life is raising orphans and catering for the underprivileged, then you have an example in Zaynab bint Khuzayma (may Allah be pleased with her)

Perhaps my sister, you are of the inquisitive type, sharp and alert, wanting to understand the reality of matters, then you have an example in Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)

Perhaps you seek to succeed in your profession within the remits of Islam, then you have an example in Khadeeja (may Allah be pleased with her)

Perhaps you prefer to dedicate your time and effort to your home, to be at the comfort and aid of your husband, to transform your home into a warm nest which produces a Qur’anic generation of believers to reform the Ummah!

.. then you have an example in all of the wives of Muhammad PBUH

Study their lives and notice how the companions weren’t carbon copies of each other! Nor were they of the view that public speaking was the only facet of Da’wah! Rather, they all possessed different traits which varied from their peers .. and channelled that trait to the service of their own hereafters..

Identify your God-given skill (s)  … and if you find that all you possess is a screw driver, then don’t sigh, but dedicate it to service of your hereafter ..

The battle only seen by me

Whenever a bit of technology malfunctions at our homes, the manufacturer’s manual is always a good place for answers. Likewise is the human being in his travels to Allah: We malfunction. We try to make changes, to break out of evil habits or to get into righteous habits! But the “nafs” or the “self/soul” resists …  it fights back.

This nafs has certain traits, amongst which is:

If you don’t take it by force and pull it to Paradise, it will grab you and pull you to the depths of the fire!

It’s a lifelong battle between you and your “self”. So what do we do? Just as we did above; Resort to its manufacturer’s manual, the Qur’an! For the Creator of this nafs has spoken about its malfunctioning and evil tendencies ..

We find that in the Qur’an, Allah has divided the nafs into three categories. That’s it!

The first is The commanding soul

The second is The blaming soul

And the third is The peaceful soul

The first category is the lowest of them all. This is a nafs which directs its person to the door of every evil. It is a nafs which brings pain to itself, a nafs that commands that you forget your Creator, to ignore the hereafter, to turn to that channel, to light that cigarette, to dress/undress how you wish ….

Allah says in the Qur’an, quoting the woman who attempted the seduction of prophet Yusuf (Joseph) following her repentance:

“And I do not find excuses for myself. Truly, the nafs is always commanding to do evil .. ” [1] 

Yes! This is the soul which excites you to leap at every temptation and to dive deeper into oceans of sins and lusts. This is the first type of souls, but the good news is that …

.. this nafs is receptive to change!

If you do not surrender to its pulling and retaliate by pulling harder, it will eventually loosen. Gradually, it will start following you to every good action, just how sheep obediently follow their shepherd.

Hence, eliminate the idea of: “I just can’t!”, “I’ve been doing this all my life!”, “I’m addicted!”, “I’m just not used to this!” Avoid this mentality, because the first type of nafs is like a child who is being weaned. If no action is taken, the child never breaks free from the chest of his/her mother! But with effort, the child ends up detesting it!

Simply ask any one of our mothers who breastfed us, may Allah reward them: “What did I do the first night you stopped breastfeeding me?” She’d reply: “You screamed all night!!”

Likewise, we did the second night .. the third night .. but the fourth? The Fifth? You’d cry, but a little less .. all the way until the you were totally weaned. Afterwards, if your mother was to try suckling you again, you’d reply: “Kukhh!” [2]

This exactly is how the nafs is.

At first, when you’ve made the firm decision to change your ways, your nafs will scream at you!! “What are you doing? This is so hard!” But after a week, a month, a year, it will soften up and surrender to your wishes and will follow you to every door of good which you take pull it to. After that, if sin is presented to it, it says: “Kukh!”

So after you’ve achieved this i.e. you’ve fought with your nafs, you pulled harder than it and remained patient with its initial screaming .. it now begins to elevate to the second level. Your nafs is now referred to as: The blaming soul.

This is an honourable nafs! A noble and righteous nafs! One which blames you when you engage in wrong. In fact, it’s so honourable that Allah has even taken an oath by it .. to draw your attention to its importance! Allah says:

“I swear by the Day of Resurrection. And I swear by the blaming soul” [3] 

This blaming soul is the soul of a believer! It doesn’t go unaffected following sin, but it feels an inner sore, deep regret and bitterness. The prophet PBUH said:

“Whoever’s good deeds please him and whoever’s sin sadden him, then this is the believer!” [4]

So it’s an honourable nafs. A soul which blames you when you do bad, saying: “Did you have to do that?” and also blames you when you do good, saying: “Couldn’t you do more?” What a beautiful soul it is! A blaming, debating soul.

As for the one who strives to continue ascending the ladder of inner purification, it finally attains the pinnacle, the third and loftiest of levels, may Allah grant us this!

Which nafs is this? It is  …  The peaceful soul.

This is a soul which doesn’t taste the meaning of happiness, comfort, joy, excitement, pleasure or warmth except in its obedience to Allah …

Allah tells us that for such a soul, its resting place shall be in no other place than paradise.

As one is dying and this blessed soul finally departs from the body, it will be announced:

“Oh you, oh peaceful soul. Come out and return to your lord, pleased with yourself and He is pleased with you.

.. Go and enter among my honoured servants. Go and enter Paradise” [5]

Vision of steel

Imagine spending thousands on a university degree only to realise afterwards that there is no demand for your profession ..

Imagine entering a final year exam following torturous hours of preparation only to find that you’ve been revising for the wrong exam ..

Imagine spending a lifetime climbing up a ladder only to find in the end that your ladder was leaning on the wrong wall ..

In the three examples above, where does the problem route back to each time?

.. Vision setting

If the individual at hand had constantly revisited the question of: “What is my vision behind this? What is my objective and purpose in this endeavour?” Then the chances of such catastrophic last minute hiccups would be significantly lessened ..

Now, when you sit down to set a vision for your life as a whole, how can you be sure that you’ve chosen the right one? How do you measure it correctness? Is it, for example, a set amount of money which you seek to accumulate? Is it the status and attention you hope to attain? Is it the happiness which you feel that your job will bring you in the end?

How does one set a vision which s/he won’t regret in the end?

I urge that we all pose this question to ourselves with absolute seriousness for the exact same reason identified in the three examples above  ..  namely:

Imagine that if after all the effort that you’d exerted in this world, you find yourself in the hereafter wishing that you’d spent all that time and energy pursuing a completely different vision on earth, one that would’ve given you a higher status in the hereafter. Wouldn’t that be devastating?

The hussle and bussle of day to day life causes us to overlook this, but on that Day, things will become very clear to us in the starkest of ways! We will witness reality as we’ve never witnessed it before! We will realize how short the opportunity that we had on earth really was ..

Allah says:

“And if only you could see when the criminals shall lower their heads before their Lord, saying: “Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back to the world, that we will do righteous good deeds. Verily! We now believe with certainty” [1]

Yes! On the Day of Judgement, things become ever clear! You now see.

Allah says:

“You were heedless of this! So we have removed from you your curtains, so your sight today is piercing!!” [2]                       .. Ya Allah

The Arabic word which was translated into piercing is “hadeed”, literally meaning: “steel”. Look at this comparison! As if to say that your vision on that Day will be as sharp as piercing steel!

Yes, because it doesn’t matter how awake you may feel as you read these sentences and scroll through their lines, but the real awakening is yet to be experienced. As you stand on the plain of Resurrection awaiting your trial with The Supreme, as you witness the hellfire being pulled forth in the horizon by tens of thousands of angels, as you hear it screaming with rage, roaring with fury  …  as the name calling begins …

Imagine here for a moment how a wealthy individual will feel about his supposedly successful life on earth which he’d lived away from Allah  ..  What once seemed like the ultimate achievement for a human being .. all of a sudden seems like a regretfully wasted opportunity.

And so we ask: How then do we set a vision? A vision which will keep us safe from such regretful endings ..

The answer is from the Qur’an. Allah says:

“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And so whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of deception” [3]

It’s all in this one verse! This is the definition of “success” as defined by the Creator: A protection from the hellfire and admittance to Paradise. In other words, any achievement in this life is worthless if it does not lead to success in the hereafter.

Therefore when talking about vision setting, it shouldn’t be a materialistically centred or career orientated one. “Success” isn’t in becoming a prominent businessman/woman, company director, CEO or Member of Parliament. But the vision of a wakeful Muslim should be a hereafter-orientated one. A vision that leads to maximum achievement in the next world. Every other achievement in this life is viewed as a mere stepping stone towards that ultimate vision ..

On that basis ..

If one finds his commitment to Islam becoming increasingly buried under the rubble of worldly pursuits, then this is your siren!! An alarm which urges you to immediately retreat back to the drawing board and redefine your vision .. before reality sets in

.. and before your vision becomes piercing

A Syrian regime in my home

Allah has endowed the universe with “sunan”, universal laws which are characterized by consistency i.e. fixed laws which typically do not change. When the sun rises, it must set, what goes up, must come down etc. All of these are from amongst these “fixed laws”, the “sunan” of the universe..

A careful study of the history of past nations reveals another one of these profound sunan of Allah, namely:

The end result of the oppressor and wrongdoer is always the same. (more…)

Smiling before an exam?!

Being a perfect way of life that’s based on human nature, Islam has this nature fully catered for and appreciated .. part of which is:

An inherent desire to smile and take it easy at times!

Despite the enormous responsibilities that weighed down his back and the incredible worries that occupied his heart – wives to care for, each having her own requirements and needs, children to raise, friends who are being persecuted, borders to protect, a nation to establish .. and on top of that, the colossal task entrusted to him of delivering God’s message to humanity – but what was truly remarkable about prophet Mohammad PBUH is that ..

… he always found time to make people smile! Now that’s a hard balance to strike! I mean the night before a University exam of ours, we literally cannot be spoken to!

In fact, one of his companions by the name of Abdullah Ibn al-Haarith, said:

“I have never seen anyone who smiled more than Prophet Mohammad PBUH” [1] 

And notice how this breaks the idea that frowning and being miserable equates to righteousness! Radically opposite to this, Prophet Mohammad PBUH would say:

و إن من المعروف أن تلقى أخاك بوجه طلق

“It is from righteousness that you meet your brother with a smile” (!) [2] 

As they travelled back from one of their journeys, the prophet PBUH politely requests his companions to travel ahead .. and so they did. Then he says to his wife Aisha:

“ .. Let’s have a race”

Can it be? The leader of humanity? The seal of the prophets and mightiest of messengers? The one who’d soak his beard at night with tears as he prayed? Whose feet would swell and crack from prolonged standing …  has time to have a race with his wife??       .. Yes, he did. Because he was the most complete personality which humanity has ever witnessed.

Aisha says: “I was young at the time and very light and so I beat him! He didn’t comment on my victory.” On an another occasion as they travelled back from a journey, again, he requests his companions to travel on and then turns to Aisha and says: “Let’s have another race!” She said: “I had put on little bit more weight this time and so when we raced, he beat me” She said: “He smiled and said:

“That one was for last time” [3]          .. One-nil to me!

What is even more amazing is that he would make people smile without telling a single lie, not even jokingly. Imagine a comedian being told at a job interview: “We like you and wish to hire you! But the condition is that .. you don’t tell lies” He’d change profession! Because people usually struggle to make other smiling except via fibs!

The Prophet PBUH was once told: “Oh messenger of Allah! We see that you joke with us!” He replied: “But I only speak the truth” [4]

The prophet PBUH was once sat in his wife’s house, Aisha, between her and another one of his wives, Sawdah. Aisha had made a soup, served it and asked Sawdah to eat from it. She replied: “I don’t like it” Aisha insists: “I swear by Allah that either you either eat or I will cover your face in it!” But Sawdah also insists: “I’m not going to taste it!” The solution?

Aisha dips her hand in the food and smears it on Sawdah’s face!

[It’s almost as if you can imagine a pin-drop silence here! The Prophet of God PBUH is sat between them and watching this behaviour! What is he going to do?!]

The Prophet PBUH didn’t say anything … Rather, he simply lowered his legs. Sawdah very well understood what this means: It’s her green light! So Sawdah dips her hand in the food and covers Aisha’s face in it as well.

Aisha said: “The prophet PBUH was watching us and laughing”

Stephen Covey states that there are 7 habits which highly influential people have, one of which is that: They employ means with the ends in mind.

This is why Prophet Mohammad PBUH never over did it with his humour, because he was the most successful and influential person .. hence for him, humour was not an ends in of itself .. rather, a means to an end. The end which he had in mind was an enormous one, the end was to captivate attention and getting people’s eyes fixed on the bigger picture of life, the objective behind existence, the acknowledging the Oneness of God and giving Him his natural right of worship.

The same way bodies get tired, minds get tired as well! Prophet Mohammad PBUH recognised this and would treat it with humour in order to refresh people and make them stronger .. for the service of the truth. This is why his jokes weren’t excessive like ours, rather he’d apply them subtly   .. as subtle as you’d apply extra salt to food

.. Just enough to bring out the flavour

(3) What about my parents?

After our mother Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) had asked him to describe the most traumatising moment of his life, prophet Mohammad PBUH tells her of a trip he once made from Mecca to Taa’if, a city over 60km away (!!) which he undertook on his very two blessed feet .. for no other cause other than to offer them a life boat .. to gently offer them directions to the shores of safety .. to invite them to Islam.

As he travelled, he met many and would invite them one by one to Islam. Not a single one responded ..  (more…)

(2) What about my parents?

Rabi’ah son of ‘Abbaad ad-Dayli wasn’t a Muslim at the time, but he witnessed a happening which he’d never forget. He says:

“I saw the Prophet PBUH with my own eyes in the market place saying to people: “O people! Say: La ilaha illa Allah and you will be successful!” I saw him passing through its paths and people were gathered all around him. However, there was one cross-eyed person with a bright face who had two braids in his hair, following his every step saying: “He is an apostate! He is a liar!!” So I said to my father: “Who is that man?” He replied: “That is Muhammad ibn AbdilLah (PBUH) who is claiming to be a prophet” I then asked: “And who is the man belying him?” He said:

“ .. that’s his uncle Abu Lahab” [1]

Why is this particular narration of relevance in light of last week’s discussion? Because your Da’wah [2], whether to parents or others, may not always be accepted ..

Despite how wise Ibrahim PBUH was with his father, the logic of the arguments which he presented and the tender manner of this presentation, it met an arrogant heart and the response was likewise. His father bluntly responds and threatens:

“Do you reject my gods, O Ibrahim?! If you do not stop, I will indeed stone you! So get away from me safely (before I punish you)” [3]

Subhan’Allah how this has always been the habit of the arrogant whose arguments have perished and whose logic has been outdone: A resort to violence ..

But not the prophets and messengers. Ibrahim PBUH meets threats with tolerance, ignorance with wisdom and cruelty with mercy    .. and responds:

“Peace be on you .. I will ask forgiveness of my Lord for you [4]. Indeed, He is ever Gracious to me ..” [5]

However, Ibrahim PBUH didn’t consider this the end of his duty! Yes, he may have rejected my Da’wah .. but no way do I consider this an excuse to continue associating myself with the environment of wrong. I must move. Ibrahim PBUH continues:

“And I shall turn away from you and from those whom you call upon besides Allah ..  And I shall call upon my Lord .. and perhaps, by my prayer to my Lord, I shall not be unblessed” [6]

Here we pause. The only ones who can replicate a similar response following such hostility .. is an individual who was honestly calling towards Allah and for the sake of Allah from the beginning. As for s/he who claims Da’wah whilst hiding self-admiration in the bag, the response to such hostility will always be aggressive and proud. “How rude of you!” “I saw ignorance in your eyes from the start”  .. No, not the caller to Allah.

The sincere amongst us are those who invite to piety whilst carrying a mindset of: “I possess no good for myself, let alone others, except by the aid and permission of Allah. I orchestrate nothing and He orchestrates everything. I am so weak. I need guidance more just as much as you do”

Such humility of approach is found within the very words of Ibrahim PBUH after being rejected by his father. Despite being a great messenger, he chooses the words “ … perhaps, by my prayer to my Lord, I shall be not unblessed”

The fruits of such a mentality are brilliant .. in that the caller to righteousness will no longer consider himself, not even for a split second, worthy of any thanks from the invitee or that he possesses any favours over him. Hence, when ones invitation or advice is met with harshness, before responding, the adviser thinks: “My response .. will it be in defence of the truth? .. Or will I be sticking up for my own self and ego?”

If we understand this, then we’ve grasped one of the secrets of the Seerah [7] ..

After the Muslims had suffered a heavy loss in the battle of ‘Uhud at the hands of the pagans, Abu Sufyan (the leader of the pagan army at the time) walks the battlefield with pride and asks three times: “Is Mohammad present?” The Prophet ordered his companions not to answer him.

Then he asks three times: “Is Abu Bakr present?” He received no answer ..

Then he asks three times: “Is Omar present?” He received no answer ..

Abu Sufyan, with utter delight, looks to his companions and says: “As for these three men, there are dead!” Omar couldn’t control himself further and responds: “You tell a lie! I swear, O enemy of Allah, all those you named are alive and are still around to cause you misery!”

In an act of provocation, Abu Sufyan raises his voice in praise of their idol and says: “O Hubal, be high!!”  The Prophet immediately says to his companions: “Why don’t you answer him back?” They said, “O messenger of Allah, what shall we say?” He said, “Say: Allah is Higher and more magnificent!”

Abu Sufyan responds with: “We have the Al-Uzza (a name of their idol), and you have no Uzza!” The Prophet PBUH says to his companions: “Why don’t you answer him back?” They asked: “O messenger of Allah, what shall we say?” He said,“Says Allah is our Helper and you have no helper.” [8]

Notice! He called out 9 times, 3 times to each of Mohammad PBUH, Abu Bakr and Omar, and was ignored all 9 times before being responded to.

Why??

Because Abu Sufyan’s initial calls were pertaining to individuals! No response is needed here, it’s not about us, it’s not about me. However, as for his statement: “O Hubal, be high!” … Here, the Oneness of Allah is being trespassed upon .. So yes, a response is needed and is most relevant.

On the path towards inviting our parents, the sincere amongst us will subject themselves to similar assessments before responding to the abuser: Will I be defending Allah? Is my response needed at this moment? … Or am I now avenging my ego??

What about my parents?

It’s always just a matter of time ..

After this blessed individual has made the decision to embrace Islam, utters the Shahada and spends a few weeks settling in, it’s usually within those opening weeks where the inevitable question is posed by our new Muslim brother/sister:

“ .. My parents?       .. How do I deal with them?”

If your parents have taken a relaxed attitude towards your return to Islam, then believe me (more…)

4 – On a quest for content: Let’s be clear

What was mentioned in the last three reminders under the “quest for content” series mustn’t be misunderstood.

Not for one moment are we suggesting that material gains and worldly pleasures don’t play a role in the pursuit of happiness. In fact, how could we make such an assumption when it was our beloved Mohammad PBUH himself who said:

أربع من السعادة : المرأة الصالحة ، والمسكن الواسع ، والجار الصالح ، والمركب الهنيء . وأربع من الشقاء : المرأة السوء ، والجار السوء ، والمركب السوء ، والمسكن الضيق

“There are four things which are part of happiness (more…)

3 – On a quest for content: Mr Bodley says “It works!”

Islam has equipped the believer with the tools necessary in keeping the “smile” part and parcel of your everyday appearance. Yet, only one of these tools .. on its own .. would be effective enough to halt the rate at which suicide is being opted for as a way out .. if understood and implemented that is.

This one tool is known as … “Satisfaction with the decree of Allah”

And to stress the importance of this divine formula (more…)

2 – On a quest for content: Inner peace in a digital age

The advancement of science and technology has without a doubt delivered many favours to its citizens in the East and West.

When people yesterday would spend half their day in search for clean water, today your shopping for the entire week can be done at the click of a button. When people yesterday would buy material to sow their clothes, today machines does all of that for you in seconds. In medicine, your heart can now be completely detached from your chest, operated on, to then (more…)

1 – On a quest for content: They aren’t equal

We’ve previously discussed that one’s heart has many compartments, voids, each of which requires to be individually catered for and filled .. and the secret ingredient to the settled mind and inner peace resides in the filling of each of these voids in the manner which was prescribed by The Creator SWT .. which will consequently please you too ..

There is a void for food which needs its fill, a void for shelter which needs its fill (more…)

The idol which crept in

The giant who’s slept for many years has finally started to wake up ..

The Ummah of Islam .. It has been a long-awaited and a much-craved awakening. One that cannot be denied except by him whose head is buried deep in the sands of denial.

Muslims are now, by the grace of Allah alone, racing to the pleasure of Allah, enquiring about the avenues of His love and joining the crowds which are engaged in the Islamic work.

But nevertheless, despite our excitement and thrill, we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the diseases which crop up in our ranks along the way. This is because we want to make sure that the “giant” is actually waking up .. and not merely turning from one side to another!

.. The desire of being at the forefront ..

Although we all claim sincerity, but reality argues (more…)

Making sure its two ways

Claiming love of Allah SWT isn’t anything remarkable. It is apparently the goal of every Muslim and therefore it’s no surprise. But do you know what is remarkable?

… To have Allah SWT, The Creator, The Al-Mighty, The First, The Last ..  loving you back!

This is what differentiates one individual from another .. This is what the competitors have been competing for and what the righteous have been struggling for .. This is what counts!

Imam Ibn alQayyim says:

“The love of Allah is the status for which the righteous compete and strive (more…)

I see me in you

Once upon a time, the most precious of gifts which one could offer a Muslim was sincere advice. S/he would express such indebtedness to you! Such gratitude for pointing out his/her mistake! So appreciative that you found time to address his/her slip-up with honest words of wisdom which they’d then take away with the utmost of enthusiasm.

Omar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah have mercy upon him) would say: “May Allah have mercy on those who gift me with my faults”          .. notice, the companions saw it as a “gift”, not as a bullet.

Omar would also go to Huthaifa Ibn al-Yaman (who was given by the messenger of Allah PBUH the names of all of the hypocrites of Madina!) and plead to him, saying: (more…)

Giving it the attention it deserves

“Engaging in good deeds .. abstaining from sins ..”

Wouldn’t you agree with me if I was to say that for many of us, this sentence no longer bears much weight? Of course, nobody disagrees with it in principle! I mean, sins “are definitely bad” and good deeds “are a definite thumbs up!”    .. But generally speaking, it’s not a very moving sentence.

Why is this? Why is it that when we hear: (more…)

You didn’t invite me?

The generation of the companions was one of unmatched simplicity and straightforwardness. Being a people who were raised by the Qur’an and under the watchful eye of Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah, indeed, they were a people who were the most far from artificiality. Theatrical love, plastic smiles, forced invitations, hollow words of praise were things that they simply didn’t recognise ..

Let us make an emergency landing from these heights (more…)

A Jewel from a Qur’anic coast – Mannerism with Allah

One of the many aspects which the prophets and messengers competed over was of their display of ‘Adab / mannerism with their Lord SWT. From their very choice of words in du’ah, to their precise articulation of His praise .. down to their very glances (!) makes it incumbent on ones heart to fill with sheer awe and love for these noble individuals. Peace be upon them all and we ask Allah to join us with them in the highest of abode.

The Qur’an, being that ever-giving and shoreless coast of jewels, is rich with examples of such ‘Adab (more…)

“Rahmaaka ya Allah” – “Your mercy, oh Allah”

Tell me ..

If you were standing in the palace of an emperor whose opened up his gates for those who wish to offer him gifts and presents .. and you see people rushing towards him, carrying the most precious of presents … Gold! Diamonds! Rubies .. you name it!   .. Then out of the blue, you see a weak man, arched back, stained clothes, dishevelled hair .. pushing and shoving past everyone .. until he reaches the king, and pulls out .. a pack of peanuts .. or a dandelion .. or a biro pen .. or anything like this – Not precious at all! But .. it’s all what he has .. (more…)