DO IT BIL HIKMAH... WITH WISDOM

DO IT BILHIKMAH (WITH HIKMAH)

(First person walks through an isolated area in his community. He sees a Muslimah doing sujud in front of a man. He didn’t know the man and he couldn’t tell who the lady was because she was all covered up and her face was to the ground. She lifts her head and does sujud again. He recognises her. He is surprised because she was a religious Muslimah. He quickly rushed to the town’s Sheikh)

FIRST PERSON: (Panting) Salaamu alaikum Sheikh

SHEIKH: Walaikum salaam warahmatul Laah FIRST PERSON. You look like something is wrong. What is it?

(The Sheikh’s friend comes in).

SHEIKH 2: Salaamu alaikum brothers in Islam.

ALL: Walaikum salaam warahmatul Laah SHEIKH 2. You are welcome.

SHEIKH 2: Thank you.

SHEIKH: FIRST PERSON, what’s wrong?

FIRST PERSON: You won’t believe what I saw right now.

SHEIKH: You are making me anxious. Tell me what it is.

FIRST PERSON: I saw MUSLIMAH doing sujud to a man.

SHEIKH: (He stands up) Subhaanal Laah! She did what?

FIRST PERSON: Sujud to a man. Not even once. I saw her do it twice.

SHEIKH: Call some of the gentlemen and get both of them for me now! Subhaanal Laah! Such shirk! Subhaanal Laah! Sujud to a man? Incredible indeed.

(First Person comes in with Muslimah. She cries as they come. She comes by her own will without him dragging her)

FIRST PERSON: Here she is SHEIKH. (She falls to the ground crying)

MUSLIMAH: Salaamu alaikum

SHEIKH 2: Walaikum salaam warahmatul Laah.

SHEIKH: (Very angry) How dare you even greet us you idol worshiper! Weren’t you taught as a Muslim never to bow to any one? (She is about to speak but he stops her). FIRST PERSON, take her to the guards. She will face the punishment of the one who denounces Islam.

(She tries to speak again but he shuts her up. FIRST PERSON and MUSLIMAH leave)

SHEIKH 2: You are very angry. Why don’t you sit down and calm down. (He sits and heaves a sigh then he smiles). That is good for you. Anger is not a good thing at all.

SHEIKH: You should hear what she did. A Muslim lady! It makes my heart want to come out.

SHEIKH 2: What is her crime?

SHEIKH: She was caught doing sujud to a man! A man! A man!

SHEIKH 2: Subhaanal Laah! Really? Did you see it?

SHEIKH: No. FIRST PERSON saw her and he is trustworthy. She would have denied it if it weren’t true.

SHEIKH 2: But you didn’t give her the chance to explain whether it was true or not and if it is true, what made her do that.

SHEIKH: (Calmly) What explanation does she have to give for committing shirk? She will be punished and that is all.

SHEIKH 2: No. This is not fair at all and you have no right to punish her. You believe just a man for his allegation and you don’t give the accused the chance to speak. That is not just and you know it. I demand that you stop them from carrying out whatever punishment that they are going to mete out to her and call her to say something. She has that right.

(SHEIKH hesitated for a while but seeing the sense and truth in what SHEIKH 2 who was much knowledgeable than he was said, he stood up and went to bring FIRST PERSON and MUSLIMAH)

FIRST PERSON: (Surprised) What is wrong Sheikh?

SHEIKH 2: Nothing is wrong. Tell me FIRST PERSON, did you try to go and find out why she was bowing to the man?

FIRST PERSON: No, SHEIKH 2.

SHEIKH 2: Didn’t you think that she could be in some kind of trouble and that she might need your help?

FIRST PERSON: (Bowed his head) I’m sorry, that didn’t cross my mind.

SHEIKH: Subhaanal Laah! I didn’t think of all these myself.

SHEIKH 2: FIRST PERSON, do you know MUSLIMAH?

FIRST PERSON: Yes.

SHEIKH 2: What can you say about her?

FIRST PERSON: I know she is an exemplary Muslim in this community that was why I couldn’t believe that she could do sujud to any other than Allah swt.

SHEIKH: I know MUSLIMAH. She is a good Muslim woman but it didn’t occur to me that…(He pauses)

SHEIKH: MUSLIMAH, how could you as a good Muslim who knows the impact of shirk actually do sujud to anything other than Allah swt?

MUSLIMAH: (Still crying) I hate myself right now. I regret not choosing the other option he gave me instead of the sujud. But by Allah swt, I know I haven’t committed shirk because my heart never did the sujud.

SHEIKH: (Sadly) How do you mean?

MUSLIMAH: The man came to rob my house and took my husband and daughter with him and said that unless I allow him to sleep with me, he would not let them go. I wanted to get away and ask for help but he would not let us go. All he wanted was to sleep with me and I said it was against my Islamic principles so he could go ahead and kill all of us but he refused. He then told me to do sujud to him three times at a gun point and only then would he let us go. I thought about it and I did it to save my honour and my family. In my sujud, I only praised Allah swt and I forgot I was even in front of him. I was asking Allah swt to forgive me and I know He knows what I conceal and what I reveal. He run away in joy having had me do sujud to him and I was about to go get my husband and daughter from the room he had locked them in when FIRST PERSON came to grab me to this place. Please go and get my husband and daughter before something happens to them. As for me, I accept my fate for you would never believe me but I believe Allah swt is not angry with me and that makes me content.

(All of them were surprised and they had tears in their eyes and they were filled with so much sorrow)

FIRST PERSON: Yaa Allah! What kind of a Muslim am I? I could’ve taken time and I would have figured it all out. Oh Allah! Please forgive me. Please forgive me MUSLIMAH!

SHEIKH: (Crying) How can Allah swt forgive me for being such an unjust ruler. I allowed anger to blind me. Astagfirul Laah wa atuubu ilaihi. Oh my sister! Would you find it in your heart to forgive me for my injustice towards you?

MUSLIMAH: (Crying) I pray to Allah swt for forgiveness all the time. Why would I not forgive my fellow human being? You did what you did because you were trying to protect Allah from being demeaned by a mere creature like me. May Allah swt recognise that and reward you for it and also forgive all of us for where we went wrong.

ALL: Ameen.

SHEIKH: SHEIKH 2, please pardon my ignorance. It is really uncalled for.

SHEIKH 2: It is not in my hand to pardon anyone. May Allah swt pardon all of us. But you see SHEIKH, such is the problem we face. Everyone is trying to be a ruler without knowing the ruling process as dictated by Islam. Knowledge alone isn’t enough. We need the hikmah to go with and it is only Allah swt who gives hikmah so let’s ask for it. The Prophet Muhammad Swallal Laahu alaihi wasallam lived a beautiful life full of hikmah in whatever he did, if we are going to copy him, then we need to pray to Allah swt to give us an abundance of hikmah so that we do not make unfair judgments. May Allah swt give us guidance unto the path of righteousness always. Ameen.

ALL: Ameen.

NB: Verily, in this are lessons for those who THINK & REFLECT!!!

Jazaakumul Laahu khairan wa baraakal Laahu fiikum for reading.

Do some du’a for the writer and all else.