Bismil
Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Assalaamu
alaykum wa rahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh
As
always, I emphasize on showing gratitude to Allah azza wa jal for everything.
Alhamdu lil Laah for the blessing of Islam. My mum is the type who’d always
recognize the minutest of blessings (that is if it is minute at all) and thank
and praise Allah for it and I am trying to learn that as well. You should too.
Are you growing?
So,
when I ask you the question above, what are you going to say? Are you going to
tell me your age? (I guess people aren’t so comfortable telling others their
age, heheheee). Or would you start telling me about the increment in your
height, weight and all (or even the grey in your hair, heheheee)? Well, I did
ask someone this question and she gave me an awesome answer. Do you want to
know the answer she gave? Smiles… I’m going to put someone on our plate for
some dissection… (not in the real sense of the word though). I want us to take
a walk through a portion of her life to see what the growth I’m talking about
is.
When I got to know her
A
fresh level 100 students I encountered. A pretty lady. She dressed just like
any other person (not Hijab). She wears the jeans, skirts, small tops and all.
But one thing I noticed, she kind of ties her hair with a scarf most of the
times I saw her (when I say kind of, then you should know that it wasn’t proper
hair cover, lol. I’m not judging. Trying make a point). And she tells me a long
time after I’d encountered her that even with the hair cover; she was not doing
it when she came the first time to the University. She used to leave her hair
for public scrutiny until a course mate of hers who was a Muslim and who found
out that she was also a Muslim cautioned her against not covering her hair. So
she started covering it. And oh! She used to add artificial hair to her hair
and all.
She started growing
Soon,
she fell in love with Islam and its activities. Then she began to cover her
hair. Amazing, right? It was really lovely watching her grow together with a
very good friend of hers. Her initial style of hijab was that she could wear
tight jeans, a short top with or without long sleeves and then she’d wrap some
small and mostly transparent veil around her head and neck. Then anytime I saw
her, we’d laugh together at how ‘hijabious’ she looked. And oh! Sometimes, when
she needed to be where the hijab seemed a no, she would simply do away with it.
Soon,
her hijab started getting better. She cared for the Hijab details. And that is
just the physical aspect of her advancement in deen. Her interest began
switching from all else to watching and listening to Islamic lectures. And then
when she finds out something isn’t right in Islam, she stops immediately. She
would ask so many questions on what to do as a Muslim on some issues. It was
extremely heart-cooling seeing her progress.
And
now I remember once a facebook sister whom I have grown very close to telling
me;
‘Rubaba, I never knew adding
artificial hair to my own was not allowed in Islam and I’ve been doing it all
these while. I just cut all of the hair right now after finding out.’
Well,
she said it with the kind of remorse that I cannot express in words. And this
woman (Oh yes! She is a mother with kids who is just trying now to get better
because she was never given the opportunity to discover true Islam as a child)
is one of the examples of people I could as well put on our table for dissection.
Back
to the one I was talking about earlier…
She is still growing
If
I should show you this lady we are talking about today and then you knew her
some years back, all that you are going to do is marvel at how Allah azza wa
jal is able to transform a human being as much as He wishes. Studying Islam and
putting its teachings into practice is now her only passion. She would hear of
nothing else.
This
is what I call growth… real growth. Not just an increment in age, height,
weight and all. Those are just physical changes. But real growth is displayed
in this adorable friend and sister of mine. She was in a kind of world that was
exactly at par with Islam and its teachings even though she was Muslim. Then
she took a step on the Islamic ladder and today, she just keeps going higher
and higher the steps. It is my ardent prayer that she gets to the highest in
shaa Allah. Aameen. And I pray the same for myself and for you and for
everyone. Aameen.
Could you grow like that?
Well,
a lot of people have similar stories to tell. Do you remember the Companions of
the Prophet Muhammad suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam and how much they had grown
in faith from the beginning of Islam until their end? It is amazing. Did you
know that Omar ibn Al-Khattab, radiyal Laahu anhu, was on his way to kill the
noble Prophet Muhammad suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam when Allah azza wa jal
blessed him with His guidance unto the path of Islam? Your head will definitely
blow off when you analyze the growth of the man, radiyal Laahu anhu, in Islam,
Imaan and Ihsaan. He was an epitome of Taqwa.
In
that same way, each one of us has an opportunity so far as he or she is not
dead to grow… the real growth. The growth in which one gets better and better.
And of course, in this growth, there are challenges that might draw one
backwards but with Allah azza wa jal as the One and Only Helper, one will
definitely sail through and get back to climbing higher and higher.
All that you need to do
All
that you need to do is du’a. Du’a that is sincerely from your heart. Ask Allah
azza wa jal for guidance unto His path and hope in His positive response in
shaa Allah. May Allah azza wa jal be our Guard and Guide always. Do not forget
that you need to put in a lot of efforts to stop the things that are against
the rules of Islam. You might be used to some so much that you will find it
difficult letting it go but with determination to live as Allah wills, you will
be able to let go if you tried hard.
The answer she gave when I asked
whether she was growing?
Khalida
Jafar says; Yes, she is growing and why she says so is because of the
following:
1.
I have grown and
continue to grow in my understanding of people
2.
Appreciating what
is around me
3.
In being patient
with people though it is my greatest weakness
4.
I have grown and I
am growing in my relationship with Allah
5.
I have grown and I
am growing in my not making this world my focus
6.
I have and continue
to appreciate how insignificant this dunya is
7.
Also, I have grown
and I am growing in finding my sense of self-worth as a human being
Now,
that to me is real growth. What would your answer be? Have you grown and are
you growing in this direction? If no, then you can always start growing now. If
yes, thumbs up and there is more to grow about than you have already grown so
keep it up. If you are rather retrogressing, then we have a major problem.
Retrogressing
So,
we were neighbours in my Hall in level 100 (I am telling a story). She always
dressed decently (not in hijab). Her hair is always covered; her skirts up to
her feet, her tops cover her bosom and all. Soon, she started wearing what was
popularly worn by others. The tight jeans and baby tops. Then it sadly came to
the very short skirts and shorts. And then show your breasts and it kept
getting worse and worse (I am not judging her, I am only telling a story). It
was indeed sad watching someone trek such a path. I never saw her get better
again until now. I hope and pray she retreated. Aameen. But such is the
challenge in our world today. May Allah save us from it. Aameen.
And
there are some who were deep into the deen who have suddenly gone off the path.
They let the Dunya take them for a joke. May Allah azza wa jal safeguard us
from this kind of fate. Aameen.
A Necessity
We
all need to keep assessing our growth. Pick out some bad that you have noticed
about yourself and try to overcome it with du’a and action. You could choose a
mentor to help you in doing that if you deem it necessary. Each one of us needs
to do some self-assessment always and we should never ever think that we are
perfect. There is no one like that at the moment. We all have our shortfalls
and our ability to recognize, acknowledge and work on them is in itself a great
victory for us. We must always think that we are the worst of people in the
sight of Allah in order to get gingered to always do that which pleases Him…growth.
Imagine
how much Asiya bint Muzahim radiyal Laahu anhaa grew in her believe in the
message of Prophet Musah alayhis salaam so much that even when her husband tortured
her severely, she still found solace in Allah and she smiled in her torture
because Allah showed her, her home in Jannah. May we be blessed as she was.
Aameen.
So,
that is a really long story. I just really hope that you have gotten what I am
driving at and you are going to work on growing up from today until the end.
Remember to remember me in your du’a always. May Allah azza wa jal continue to
draw us closer and closer to Him. Aameen.
Taqabbalul
Laahu minnaa; may Allah accept from us. Aameen. And as always, I want to let
you know again with all sincerity that I love you fiisabi lil Laah and will
always do so far as you remain on the deen. And I pray that Allah will be a
witness to this love. And may He love us even more. Aameen. May He sustain us
on His path always. Aameen.
Jazaakumul Laahu khair always!
Islam Forever in shaa Allah!
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laah!
Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu
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