THE MAN WHO CAME RUNNING...

‘Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.’

Surah An-Nahl, the Bee, Chapter 16 ayah 125

We are commanded by Allah, the Supreme, to call people unto His way, which is Islam. We are however cautioned to do so with ‘wisdom’ and ‘fair preaching’ and even though we could argue with those who have not accepted Islam in any manner at all, we are required to do so in a ‘way that is better.’ Subhaanal Laah! How great is our religion Islam! Do you and I then follow these simple rules of ‘calling unto the path of Allah?’ Do we not just pick up our bags of knowledge and throw it at anyone in any way that we please? Well, Allah, the Exalted, says; ‘bil hikma’ ‘with wisdom.’

Allah, glorified be He above all else, tells us something beautiful as Muslims. He says in Surah Al-‘Imraan, the Family of ‘Imraan, Chapter 3 ayah 110 that;

‘You are the best nation produced for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah...’

The condition for our being the best is that; ‘we enjoin that which is right in the sight of Allah and forbid that which is wrong in His sight and then we believe in Allah ourselves.’ It sounds simple but upon deep thinking, we realize that we do require a lot in order to belong to the best nation. In this ayah, we see again, the element of calling one another towards Allah’s path ‘Islam.’ That goes to confirm how very important that is in worship.

Now we go to a section of Surah Yaa Seen where Allah, the One and Only God, tells us the story of people who had disobeyed the Messengers He sent to them as guidance.

THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS...

ALLAH: And put forward to them a similitude; the story of the dwellers of the town, when there came Messengers to them. When We sent to them two Messengers, they belied them both, so We reinforced them with a third and they said...

THE MESSENGERS: Verily! We have been sent to you as Messengers

THE PEOPLE: You are only human beings like ourselves, and the Most Beneficent (Allah) has revealed nothing, you are only telling lies

THE MESSENGERS: Our Lord knows that we have been sent as Messengers to you and our duty is only to convey plainly the Message.

(And Subhaanal Laah! The people threatened these noble messengers with a painful torment from them who are only humans. Yet is Allah not ‘the Severe in Punishment?’)

THE PEOPLE: For us, we see an evil omen from you, if you cease not, we will surely stone you, and a painful torment will touch you from us.

THE MESSENGERS: Your evil omens be with you! Do you call it "evil omen" because you are admonished? Nay, but you are a people who are transgressors.

Ayah 13 to 19

Interesting enough, a man who had been far away from this noble Messengers of Allah, had heard about them and he had ran to them to hear their beautiful message and to submit himself to the worship of his and everyone else’s Creator. He did not just do that, he also did as stated in the ayaats above. He enjoined his people who were even closer to the Messengers than he was, to the path of Allah and forbade them from wrong. He reminds me of the father of ‘Allah’s Sword’ ‘Saiful Laah’ ‘Khalid Ibn Al-Walid.’ This man, Walid Ibn Al-Mughira, was being convinced by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to accept Islam and he showed reluctance. But a blind and poor man, Abdul Laah Ibn Ummi Maktum, had come pressuring the noble Prophet to tell him about Islam.

Note: I learnt that the man who was being convinced by the Prophet was Walid Ibn Al-Mughira from a lecture by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi entitled, ‘Khalid Ibn Al-Walid.’

So let’s go back to what Allah, the All Knowing, tells us about this servant of his who came running for his own goodness.

ALLAH: And there came running from the farthest part of the town, a man, saying:

THE MAN:

ü  My people! Obey the Messengers

ü  Obey those who ask no wages of you for themselves, and who are rightly guided

ü  And why should I not worship Him Who has created me and to Whom you shall be returned?

ü  Shall I take besides Him gods? If the Most Beneficent intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use for me whatsoever, nor can they save me

ü  Then verily, I should be in plain error

ü  Verily! I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me

ALLAH:  It was said to him: "Enter Paradise."

THE MAN: Would that my people knew! That my Lord has forgiven me, and made me of the honoured ones!

Ayah 20 to 27

Subhaanal Laah! Subhaanal Laah! This story does not cease to fascinate me. The man’s words are so piercing. They are so very true and apply to each one of us. How many scholars have not cautioned us against the bad that we do and then we turn deaf ears to them? Yet how many people are there who go miles in search of the truth so that they do not say ‘had I known in the end?’ Allahu Akbar! Allah is indeed great beyond our imagination. Do you know the story of ‘Salman Al-Farasi?’ - The young boy who was so dear to his father that he locks him up so that he doesn’t lose him. Yet this boy had run in search of truth, ended up as a slave but finally found the truth and he become one of the companions of the Prophet.

Subhaanal Laah! What are you and I doing? Isn’t it time to wake up from our long slumber? Isn’t it time for us to start walking in the paths of people like this man who came running and the likes of Salman Al-Farasi?

Well, truth indeed has come and falsehood has perished but the choice to walk on the right path and to enjoin people to goodness and forbid them from wrong is solely ours to make. Let’s make the right choice before death comes to us all of a sudden like it did come to Fir’aun and then we are unable to repent. Allah says;

‘And spend from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous." But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is acquainted with what you do.’

Surah Al-Munaafiquun, the Hypocrites, Chapter 63 ayah 10-11

Thinnnnnnnk and do some reflections. In that lies a lot of understanding. May Allah, the All-Seeing, make us among those who run to seek His way and work with it. Ameen thumma amen.

By Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu