Your Suffering is Nought

Bismihi Ta'ala

1.) The Ambiyaa (AS), including Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) faced the worst of tests and trials. Thereafter the Sahabah – e- Kiraam (RA) and accordingly many others who were close and beloved to Allah Ta'ala.

Their lives offer us consolation and comfort that what we go through is small in comparison.

Their tests were not ‘small’. Their tests were great. ...Our tests are small in comparison.

No one has placed you on hot, burning desert sand, and demanded that you renounce Islam – and that too, repeatedly, day in and day out.

No one is branding your head with a hot iron rod.

No one is dragging your body over smouldering charcoal.

- as was done to the Companions (RA).

2.) The Sahabah (RA) sacrificed their lives for the Deen of Islam – for Islam to reach us. They wrote the history of Islam with their blood. Their whole life was proof of deep love, sincere commitment and humble submission. 

We cannot even sacrifice our sins. And we engage in those sins using the bounties of sight, hearing, health, strength, money – all of which is from Allah Ta’ala. 

There is just no comparison. 

Taken from this post on Sunniforum.

Reminders of Death

Muraqabah (meditation/remembrance) of death is quite easy over here in the masjid. Every week there is at least two janazah salaah that take place. Two days ago was the janazah salaah of an old lady who was here on vacation. Today was the janazah salaah of two twin baby girls, Fatimah and Khadijah. May Allah Ta'aala make the two babies intercessors for their parents on the Day of Judgment, Ameen.

Edit: There was another janazah as well today.

Dr. Nader saheb said...

My father mentioned a quote he heard from Dr. Nader saheb, who was quoting from Imam Ghazaali Rahmatullahi 'Alayh, something to the effect that,

"There are four branches of deen: 

Da'wah and Tableegh (calling towards Islam and propagating Islam)

Dars and Tadrees (teaching and learning)

Tasneef and Ta'leef (writing and publication)

Tazkiyatun Nafs (Cleansing of the heart)

They are all laazim and malzoom ie they must co exist. Without Da'wah and Tableegh, the rest of the three are lifeless. 

Without the supervision of the rest, Da'wah and Tableegh is fitnah."

The above was said by Dr. Nader saheb with the wagging of a finger, and the adding of "Fitnah hai, fitnah!" ie "Fitnah, it is a fitnah!"

Sharing in Caring!

We hear the saying 'sharing is caring' quite often, mostly parents/elders to children.

The other day one student`s mother told me that her daughter checks out my blog and gets to find many other good sites do to the links in the blogroll and good sites section. 

So many wrong sites get shared everyday. If we find something good, we should share it so that other`s can benefit as well, whether they are related to us in any way or not.

That is caring!

Qur'aan School

I am in a school now, as teacher, not student... although I would love to be a student once more; having been both I can easily say it is much easier to learn than to teach.

The school is run by my father, and focuses mainly on correct recitation of the Qur'aan ie recitation with tajweed. From 9 am in the morning until 12:30 the focus is on Qur'aan. After Zuhr is the academic part. The boys  study in the masjid while the girls study in the women section. Boys nine and older are not allowed to come where the girls are.

Before the actual learning starts, we have an assembly. Assembly is basically where the teacher recites Surah Faatihah and the last ten surahs verse by verse, the students repeating, and then a small du'aa. Today a student led the assembly. Masha Allah, his tajweed and recitation was beautiful.

At 3:30 the morning school finishes and we the teachers have 1.5 hour break. 5 pm until 7:30 is the evening Qur'aan classes. By the time we reach home, it is around 8:30 pm. Quite a long day and tiring!

Alhamdu Lillah though, unlike many, many people in the world, our day is spent listening to children reciting the Qur'aan. I honestly cannot think of a more barkat filled day!

This is the online school for anyone who wants to learn tajweed online. All you need is a headset and a microphone!

Haqeeqat- by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel (RA)

Were we to analyse the eras when Muslims throughout the world were dominant, then we will find that they had the haqeeqat (reality) of Islam in their lives; they were living Islam – happily, willingly and enthusiastically. They understood their purpose in this world. They understood that they had higher and nobler objectives to aspire for, because they looked beyond this life.

Before them was their return to their Creator, to Allah Ta’ala; before them was Aakhirah (the Hereafter); before them was Jannah … and so they exerted themselves in the direction of obedience to Allah Ta’ala and securing His Pleasure.

Allah Ta’ala put into the hearts of people, love for these sincere and obedient servants and granted them success. There was a dynamic effect when people met with these Muslims because they not only had the ‘soorat’ (outer form), they had the Haqeeqat as well. People changed their religion, their culture, their dress and their language because they were seeing the beauty and blessing of Islam.

In the early days of Islam, we see how a small number grew to 500, then 700 and thereafter 1500 - which was something of a great and wonderful accomplishment, considering the odds against the Muslims at that time…

Today, we are plus one billion – but what a difference between the early Muslims and us!

In the 1950s, as a young boy, I recall visiting the museum. There were different animals – wild animals, omnivores, carnivores and so forth… but they were all stuffed with sawdust. And there were signs near the animals, which read : ‘PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH.’

Now would we find such a sign in the Kruger National Park when we go on a safari, wanting to see the Big Five…?

When does the king of the jungle require a sign such as : Please do not touch?

Yet, in the museum, this sign was placed next to the lion because there was no life in that lion. There was no haqeeqat (reality). Even if it was the king of the jungle – he was now stuffed with sawdust. Rats too could nibble without fear because there was no life, there was no worry of even a roar.

Looking at the present scenario of the Muslim Ummah – globally, and we see our likeness to those stuffed creatures. …We have lost that power and supremacy which is otherwise reserved for the Believers.

The majority of Muslims today have no reality. …We have ‘stuffed’ our hearts with the love of dunya and therefore our great weakness and overwhelming incapacity – a prophecy which is so clearly manifest today.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi waSallam) said: "The People will soon summon one another to attack you as people, when eating, invite others to share their food."

Someone asked, "Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?"

He replied, "No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be froth and scum like that carried down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts."

Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?" He replied, "Love of the world and dislike of death."

[Abu Dawud and Ahmad]

One billion in number, but how shameful, humiliating and dishonourable that we are subservient to the minority. …Who is influencing the political and economic climate? Who is manipulating global dynamics? … Certainly not the Muslims.

The early Muslims had the reality and spirit of Islam. As such, success and victory was theirs for the taking. On the other hand, we want to conquer the world with soorat (form) or with talks and literature.

Dominance, Supremacy, Power and Authority do not come with soorat. In fact, the majority cannot even be recognized as Muslims – so even soorat seems to fall by the way side.

In one of my trips to Pakistan, I visited someone at his home. There was a bowl of plastic fruit which looked so real – but it was “good for looking”, not good for eating.

Many of us Muslims today are not even good for looking. The plastic fruit was a good imitation - but in our soorat, there is no imitation also… very much like the munafiqeen: neither here nor there.

Success and supremacy come with engendering sincere piety in the heart and living Islam … not selecting what we like and leaving off what our nafs does not incline to.

Allah Ta’ala wants us completely IN Islam.

"O you who Believe!  Enter into the Fold of Islam completely. … "

[Surah Baqarah 2: 208]

This is the recipe of success. But we will have to bring together the correct ingredients to make that “flop-proof” success.