DO NOT DARE QUESTION HIM!

Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem!

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh brothers and sisters.

Do you know the most blessed person right now?

Who could this person really be? Anybody among your family members or friends? Who? Now, if you asked me this; I’d say that indeed you are the most blessed person right now. I believe with all certainty that no one is more blessed than I am and I really think you should believe the same for yourself too (not in an arrogant way though).

The blessings in each of our lives are such that if we were going to concentrate on them, we’d realize that we could not see anyone as blessed as us and then we will find that showing gratitude to Allah, Our Creator and Owner, is easiest today both with our lips and limbs. 

Why You are the One!

Ok, take a seat and do some pondering (I believe in pondering). Start with your body, your mind, your heart, etc and then extend to your environment. You might have some deformities but the moment you are able to read what I am writing, then you couldn’t be more deformed than the person who can only stay in bed and do nothing else (Check out the woman Tayyaba Beg and the situation of her children on facebook). But even that person believes that he or she is blessed because the person has an opportunity of life.

The most amazing of all of the ‘whys’ you are the one is that you have ‘opportunity.’ If you are a Muslim who believes in Laa ilaaha illal Laah Muhammadur Rasu lil Laah, then that is indeed your greatest blessing and your opportunity here is that; you could decide now to truly dedicate your life to its purpose; Worship. That is; no matter what your sin has been before, you could change everything by true repentance: regret, remorse and seeking forgiveness from Allah azza wa jal. That is a blessing compared to no other. If you aren’t Muslim, then you have the opportunity to start believing now so far as you are breathing. That is a blessing that those who are died in their disbelieve never had.

Allah azza wa jal tells us in Surah Ibraaheem ayah 34 that;

‘And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favour of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.’

And if you want to challenge the veracity of what Allah azza wa jal has said; ‘If you want to count His favours on you, you cannot enumerate them,’ then pick a pen and a paper and start making a list of your blessings (something I would not encourage you to do though).

The problem will only be with what you see as a favour from Allah and what you do not see as a favour. If for you, favours are; Posh houses and cars, fat bank accounts, highly paying jobs, etc., then we will definitely have a problem of counting your blessings but if the air you breath, your finger nails and toes, your ability to see and speak and all of that are deemed blessings to you (which should be so) then indeed your blessings will be absolutely uncountable. Trust Allah azza wa jal on that and on anything else.

A Caution

Now, whenever you want to whine, think again about the above and others which are not mentioned here and quickly stop the whining and show gratitude to Allah azza wa jal instead. He tells us in Surah Ibraaheem ayah 7 that;

‘And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'

That says it all for the grateful and ungrateful ones among us. We all know what to expect. May Allah favour us with the ability to show as much gratitude as possible to Him. Aameen.

Now, let’s get to the main issue here (don’t worry, I’m a woman and women are noted to mostly not go straight to the point, heheheee).

Would you question Allah over that which He has given another?

Now, how do you question Allah azza wa jal on such a matter? Subhaanal Laah! Could you really dare do that? Is it really possible that you could tell Allah, Al-‘Alim, that He does not know best to give you and others what He should give you? Nastagfirul Laah! I guess none of us in our right senses will dare trek that route because we do not want to face the consequences at all. But just look at this scenario…

SCENARIO

Ali and Abu are very good Muslim young men of the same age range and they live in the same vicinity. Ali has a very good wife and a child. He has a good paying job, his own house and a car. He lives his life very comfortably. Abu on the other hand lives a hard life. He does not have a wife or a child. He does not have a house or a car. His job pays him only a little and makes it difficult for him to survive.

IMAGINE ONE

Abu is frustrated (perhaps he is even more religious than Ali) as he sees Ali, his mate doing great. He sees himself as a failure in life compared to Ali. He wishes badly that he could have a wife, child, house, car, and job like Ali’s but no matter how hard he tries, it just doesn’t happen to him.

RESPONSE

1.      In Abu’s frustration, he wishes badly that since he could not have all that Ali had, then Ali should lose it all so that they would all become the same. He also wishes that he will be given all that and then Ali will lose it all so that he will become better than Ali. So at any point in time, he is not happy for Ali and all that his heart is filled with is Ali’s downfall.

2.      Abu is patient with his situation. He thanks and praises Allah for his situation and that of his friend. He prays for increase in baraka for Ali and prays that his situation also gets better if Allah wills. He is genuinely happy to hear any good thing that comes on Ali’s way and shares in his joy. He is very sad whenever something bad happens to Ali. He puts into action the saying of the Prophet Muhammad, suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam that;

"Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slave of Allah! Be like brothers with each other. It is not allowed for a Muslim to desert his brother for over three days."

Muslim & Tirmidhi

He does not even believe that Ali is more blessed than he is because he believes, upon all his hardships that; he is the most blessed person. That is because what he considers blessings are beyond material gains; He has true contentment.

IMAGINE TWO

Ali is so pleased with his comfortable life that anytime he saw Abu, he wondered why his life was different. He is happy with all that he has; his wife, child, house, car, job, etc.

RESPONSE

1.      Ali looks down on Abu because of his supposed success in life. He sees himself as more blessed than him. He does not want to have anything to do with him because he believes Abu belonged to the lower class. He begins to think that perhaps Abu is having such a tough time due to some bad that he did to Allah and all.

2.      Ali is very humble and he sees himself as no better than Abu because he believes that what he has are just worldly gains and he knows that true success goes beyond material gains in this life as Allah says in Surah Al-Maaidah, the Table Spread with Food, Chapter 5 ayah 119 that;

"This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) - they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise).

He also believes that his wealth, spouse and child are a blessing in this life for which he must give absolute gratitude to Allah. Anytime he sees Ali who had none of that; he is reminded to thank Allah for giving him all that He had favoured him with and as much as he is able, he tries to help Abu. Allah tells us;

"And it is not your wealth, nor your children that bring you nearer to Us, but only he (will please Us) who believes, and does righteous deeds; for such (people), there will be a double reward for what they did, and they will reside in the high dwellings (of Paradise), in peace and security."

Surah Saba, Sheba, Chapter 34 ayah 37

ANALYSIS

In RESPONSE ONE for both

We see Abu clearly questioning Allah, the Knower of Everything, for making him lack the things that Abu has. He is also making it seem that Allah does not know best how to allocate resources because He gave Ali what he, Abu, best deserves. Nastagfirul Laah! May we never ever have such an attitude. Aameen. 

We also see Ali showing clears signs of arrogance like that of Fir’aun. He does not think too far. He believes that it might be due to his efforts that he has all his blessings which is a grave mistake. He does not know that Allah could change his situation as he did the arrogant man who owned the garden in Surah Kahf (Check it out, Chapter 18). Indeed, we pray against being like this also. Aameen.

In RESPONSE TWO for both

Now, we see true Muslims here. Abu who understands exactly what blessings are does not ‘envy’ his brother for his gains. He is genuinely happy for his success and sad whenever he has a problem. That is what as true believers we should be like. May Allah make us so. Aameen.

Ali also displays the character of a true Muslim. The situation of Abu reminds him of nothing but his need to thank Allah. He is humble and understands that he is not better than Abu and Abu is not better than him except in piety. May Allah make us like that also. Aameen. 

The Prophet Muhammad suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam tells us that;

He has weak faith until that person loves for his brother what he loves for himself.

    

Bukhari

Facts We Must Seek to Understand

There is always someone who will have more of this material world than you. Some of these material things are just glittery and not gold (it isn’t up to you to find that out though). What we have to understand is that we are tests unto one another. 

Looking at the scenario above, Ali’s situation is a test unto Abu and Abu’s situation is also a test unto Ali. If someone has more material gains than you, that person is a test unto you. If you begin to envy that person for what Allah azza wa jal has decided to give him or her, then you have a big problem to deal with. If you however feel happy in your heart for the person, then alhamdu lil Laah. When you have it all too and you see someone who does not have as much as you do, then your test begins. The moment you begin to look down on the person, then there is a big problem. However, if that person reminds you of your blessings and you humbly thank and praise Allah for your favours, then alhamdu lil Laah.

Whatever it is that our test is in this life, we must always remember the saying of the Prophet suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam that;

“How amazing is the affair of the believer. There is good for him in everything and that is for no one but the believer. If good times come his way, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him, and if hardship comes his way, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.”

[Muslim]

May we be among those who apply the gratitude and patience strategy to all that happens to us, good or bad. Aameen.

One of the greatest benefits of seeing yourself as the most blessed and not envying others for what they have of material things is gaining ‘contentment.’ And to me, contentment is the solution to all of our problems. We gain contentment by constantly remembering Allah as He tells us in Surah Ar-Ra’ad, the Thunder, Chapter 13 ayah 28 that;

Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."

And the Prophet suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam said;

“Richness is not having many possessions. Rather, true richness is the richness of the soul.”

Bukhari & Muslim

You’ve had a long read. Jazaakumul Laahu khair. May Allah make us among those who love for one another that which they love for themselves and may He never make us among those who envy others for that which He has given them. Aameen. I love you fiisabi lil Laah and may Allah love us more. Aameen.

Jazaakumul Laahu khair

Islam Forever in shaa Allah

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laah

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu

www.mmahajia.blogspot.com

USE ME AS A TOOL

Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem!

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatul Laah! Alhamdu lil Laah for favouring us with the blessing of Islam.

So, let me go straight to the point today. 

A question: When you pray to Allah, what do you ask of Him?

Do you ask Allah for wealth, children, a job, a spouse, etc? Well, as humans, we are always in need of something from our Creator and Owner. May He grant us that which will be beneficial for us in this Dunya and the Akhira. Aameen.

I once had the opportunity to talk with Dr Katumi Mahama (Do you know her? If you don’t, you might want to find her out) in her house for hours. A beautiful time full of lessons I had with her. She had described this woman who inspired this article as;

‘That woman has faith!’

And I wish I could write it the way she said it; with so much passion and a faraway look. She had gone on and on to tell me about the challenges this woman had been through and how she had witnessed her handle those tough times; with firm faith.

This woman (the inspirer of this article that is) tells me one day long after my encounter with Dr Katumi;

‘Just when I sensed that something bad had happened? I quickly climbed the stairs and went to offer two raka’at…’

That is just a minute bit of the faith this woman has and how she responded to her tests and trials in life. I have, since Dr Katumi had described her as a woman of faith come to witness this faith in her. She might not even have an idea just how much of that faith I see in her. I describe her as;

‘Faith walking.’

And indeed it is true because apart from her, I could say same about a number of people I’ve met. Some people blow your mind with their understanding and practice of the deen so much so that you begin to wonder what it is that you are doing in service of Allah Robbil Arshil Azeem. They are people we need to learn from in detail because serving Allah azza wa jal is the only means to true inner peace and contentment; this I say with certainty.

One day someone made a comment about the seemingly luxurious lives of these women especially this woman who inspired this write-up and I had told him;

‘If you knew this woman as I do, you will know that all of the luxuries you see her with do not go anywhere to define her nature.’

And I had truly wondered; the more reason why we should not judge a book by its cover.

Now, enough of that; that isn’t my interest in this article anyway. One day, at a Halal Talk with a couple of Muslim ladies, a lot of things had come up. We spoke on the issue of Role Modeling and Mentoring of the Muslimah and this woman (Hajia Samia, don’t worry if you don’t know her) was with us the younger ladies (And of course, just call her in the name of Allah and she is coming).

In the course of the talk she said;

‘For me, when I pray, I tell Allah: Use me as a tool.’

Now, wait and let it really seep in. How do you understand this du’a?

My Understanding of the Du’a

I understand this du’a in two ways;

1.      Use me to do your work

Imagine you wanted to cut some vegetables. You enter the kitchen, pick up the knife and start cutting the vegetables. In the end you get your cutting work done with the use of your tool; the knife. 

Allah, Al-Waahid, sent Messengers, Prophets, to teach the people His ways. The Messengers were the tools of Allah azza wa jal with which He does His work; teaching the Aalameen (all that exists) whom He is.

Praying to Allah azza wa jal to use one as a tool for me means that you want Him to use you to get His message across to people; Da’awah. So, would you make it your du’a? Ooooh that would be great! May Allah make it so for you. Aameen.

2.      Use me in any way you please

Let us go back to the knife again. You enter your kitchen, pick up your knife and decide to use it for whatever you want; cutting, stabbing (and what will you be stabbing? lol), etc.

A slave of Allah is totally content to be used in any way Allah azza wa jal pleases so far as he or she does not end up displeasing Allah. This is the aspect in which I see tests and trials of the slave. If Allah azza wa jal is using you as He pleases, He might hurt you in so many ways to see how you would respond as He says;

‘And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return."

Surah Al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 155 and 156

A slave of Allah is however very determined to pass the tests and trials of Allah; from it the slave derives so much pleasure and contentment. 

The Prophet Muhammad suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam said;

“How amazing is the affair of the believer. There is good for him in everything and that is for no one but the believer. If good times come his way, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him, and if hardship comes his way, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.”

[Muslim]

This Hadith says it all for my second understanding of the du’a; ‘Use me as a tool.’

What Kind of Tool are You?

Now, let us talk about you! What kind of a tool are you? Are you a positive tool or a negative one?

Positive and Negative Tool

The knife aids in dishes yet it could cause great destruction; it could even kill. Every human being has the potential of being a source of goodness. A Muslim could be an ambassador of Islam by portraying the right Islam to everyone. You could decide to subject yourself wholly to the sole purpose of your life; worship. That is the positive tool. May we be favoured with the blessing of being such tools. Aameen. You could do otherwise. You could decide to be that Muslim who lives exactly against the rules of Allah azza wa jal and make others believe that Islam is a bad religion. That is being a negative tool. May Allah safeguard us against that. Aameen.

From this woman I learn great lessons and I hope and pray that this du’a of hers has sent a positive message to you today. Taqabbalul Laahu minhaa (May Allah accept from her). Aameen.

May Allah use us as His tools and make us content with that. Aameen.

Never ever settle for a dead heart and remember to always take advantage of your life before your death to worship Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aalaa. I love you fiisabi lil Laah and may Allah love us more. Aameen.

Jazaakumul Laahu khair always!

Islam Forever in shaa Allah!

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatul Laah!

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu

www.mmahajia.blogspot.com

SHE GROANED IN PAIN AND PRAISE

Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh brothers and sisters.

Alhamdu lil Laah for everything. We can indeed never thank and praise Allah enough for His abundant Mercies. He is Allah, the One, the Only, the Eternal, the Truth and our Creator. May we live to serve fully the purpose of our lives which is to worship Him only.

The purpose of our lives being to worship Him alone means that absolutely everything that we do must be directed to that and nothing else. This writing of mine should be directed towards that otherwise it is totally a misplaced priority. When you are on whatsapp, facebook or any other social network, or in any group, you should make sure that at the end of the day, it is all coined to seeking the pleasure of Allah: worship.

Ok, so that was just by the way. Today I am writing about some amazing ladies that I’ve been privileged to know. I’m telling an aspect of their story that inspires me so much and that fill me with admiration for them. I have quite a similar story but I’d reserve my aspect for now.

In Level 100 in the University of Ghana

So, I was in level 100 when I met this Muslimah. I was part of an Islamic Initiative for some students and I met this lady too there. Being the Rubaba that I am, I probably didn’t take notice of her for some time in the course of the project. Then one time, I remember clearly, we’ve boarded the same car after one of our many programmes. I was behind her in the car so the moment the fares were requested, she quickly paid. The same thing happened for a number of times until we became a little close (I can’t recall exactly how we got close). She comes to pay me visits in school and all.

One day, she made me cry my eyes out. She told me that she wanted to tell me something she’s been going through all her life (I was in level 200 then). I had no idea what her story could be. She said that she’s never told anyone about it but since she met me she felt so strongly that I was the right person to talk to plus she had a dream in which she was telling that to me. Well, as curious a person as I’ve always been, I got ready for her story.

Her Story…

Well, I’m not going to tell you what she told me! Smile! Would you like me to make such a thing public if you had been the one? Of course no! Plus that will make me not trustworthy. But what I’d say is that her story hit me in places that hurt so badly the two of us cried. You see me, instead of being strong for her, I rather made her cry it out and I cried too. I could not believe a human being could suffer that much (a young girl of 20 I guess she was then).

Apart from the financial problems that she faced badly from childhood up until now (I mean, today 9th April, 2014), she had series of other problems. Could you believe that during Ramadan, she sometimes took water during suhuur and then the same water for iftaar? And she lived with human beings who could help her if they wanted? Well that is just a very little bit of her problems. And to imagine that she struggled to get money for transportation to the programme and yet she paid my fares sometimes, that was a killer. But could you believe that if you saw her even today, nothing, absolutely nothing will give you the slightest idea that she’s going through all that?

The Groaning and Praising Part

Now, this lady has another problem, that is; ill-health. She ever had an accident involving a close relative and she was never taken cared of properly. So, she still lives with the pain. A very serious pain yet where does she get the financial support to take detail care of her body? And this lady, upon all the temptations to allow herself to be played with by men in order to have the financial support she needs, she still keeps herself intact. I mean she keeps her chastity (virginity) and modesty (Hijab with a proper attitude). She groans in all that pain yet she praises Allah for everything that comes her way.

In Level 200 in the University of Ghana

So, I had met another Muslimah lady whilst I was in level 200 and she was in level 100. I call her today; ‘My Princess daughter.’ She hadn’t really cared much about the deen. But the pace at which she grew in the deen the moment she was set on the path is mind-blowing. The moment she found out something was not allowed in Islam, she stayed away and when it is recommended then she holds unto it. She learns the deen as much as she can and puts what she learns into practice too. This is not what I want to write about though.

The Groaning and Praising Part

She has a health problem. She tells me;

‘Rubaba, I can’t even describe the nature of the pain to the doctor.’

And she truly couldn’t. You don’t want to be a witness to her pains. And she looks perfectly fine on the surface yet she hurts deeply from within. Hospitals and doctors are her companions. But with all the pain, the moment something has to be done for Islam in school, she is in the forefront. My words could probably not describe her situation enough. This lady is her mum’s helper. And when she cried for strength and good health, she did so for her mum.

‘My mum, Rubaba! My mum!’

And then she cries her pain out because she needed so badly to help her mum with her business. But she still tried her best. Even in the pains, she would still go shopping for her mum whenever she needed it without letting her know that she had an attack again. As she groaned in her pain, she does nothing but praises and thanks Allah for her situation.

A Muslimah I Met

So, we had an Islamic programme in another university. That was where I met her. She was looking all good and smiling. Naturally, she got along with everyone from the very first time; I was no different. Soon, we got attached from facebook and due to other friends I knew whom she also knew.

And Oh! She is also that religious and striving to get higher in obedience to Allah. She tells a mum of mine and I about how bad her health condition had been and then she was operated on. Now this surgery had left her a series of problems. One day, when I had found out one of these problems, I had almost cried but suppressed it so she does not start crying. I shook all over even though she seemed to be used to it. Absolutely nothing about her would let you think she could be facing such a challenge in life.

Then one day, I chat with her on whatsapp and she tells me of how much trouble she was facing (a strong young single Muslimah). Then she tells me of how much she feared to go through another surgery even though it seemed to be lurking in the corner somewhere. So as usual, I tried to rain words to cool her heart but behind the computer, I was really thinking hard. This is an admirable Muslimah indeed. With this pain, she goes about helping with Islamic programmes and all. I had told her that she’s inspired an article from me (I was thinking of it already but she put my thoughts in place). As she groaned in pain, she says Alhamdu lil Laah for everything. He knows best!

Tears definitely flow for these ladies. There are more of these people that I have met. I know an extremely active Muslimah who has a problem with her back: pains that won’t simply go away no matter the treatment. Yet, the moment she’s called upon, she comes in cheers ready to serve Allah as much as she could. She simply tunes her mind off the pain because whether she is active or not, the pains would be there anyway.

These are people that when you open my heart, you find in the forefront solely for the sake of Allah. Strong young Muslim ladies who make me think real hard. If you do not do du’a for people like them, then indeed, you have a really hard heart (Heheheee). If any of these people read this article (and I’m going to make them read it), they should know that Allah is with them, Aware of their situation. It is only a test that they must strive hard to pass.

Abû Hurayrah relates that the Prophet suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam said: 

“Allah will ask on the Day of Judgment: ‘Where are those who loved each other for the sake of My glory? Today, - on a day when there is no shade but mine – I shall shade them with My shade.” 

(Sahîh Muslim)

May we love one another solely for the sake and pleasure of Allah so that Allah may favour us with His Shade. Aameen. And I know there are a lot more people who have similar stories to tell whom I don’t know. I just want to remind all of them that indeed Allah does not burden anyone with that which he or she cannot bear so if they are going through all these, they should know that they have the strength to bear them: Allah is our Strength. They should remember this ayah always;

‘And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me.’

Surah Ash-Shuara, The Poets, Chapter 26 ayah 80

Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth, may He fill us up with His Light. He is the friend of those who believe in Him, may He be our Friend. He is the Turner of hearts, may He turn our hearts to Him solely. Aameen.

I love you fiisabi lil Laah and I will always do. May Allah love you and I more. Aameen.

Jazaakumul Laahu khair always!!!

Islam Forever in shaa Allah!!!

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatul Laah!!!

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu

www.mmahajia.blogspot.com