Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Assalaamu
alaykum wa arahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh brothers and sisters in Islam. May
Allah, Al-Wahhab, favour us with the ability to fulfill the purpose of life
before we ever exit this Dunya. Aameen.
Today,
my title is in Hausa; ‘Gaara Haka,’ and I pray that this article will be
beneficial to all of us. The problem however is; I am finding some little
trouble trying to translate the Hausa phrase ‘Gaara Haka’ to English.
Interesting huh! But of course! I’ll try just for you.
A friend tells me a funny story
There
was a great scholar who was popularly known for a phrase he liked to say very
often; ‘gaara haka.’ The closest meaning being; ‘It is better that it is so.’
Whenever anything happens, bad or good, this Sheikh in expressing his joy or
sorrow will say; ‘gaara haka,’ ‘It is better that it is so.’ One day, the chief
of the town lost his only son. It was such a blow to him and he felt so much
sorrow at his loss. As always, the sheikh went to the chief’s palace to express
his condolence. Knowing what the sheikh was definitely going to say and being
annoyed at the thought of hearing that phrase from him in such trying times in
his life, he sharpened a knife and kept it in his smock with the intention of
stabbing the sheikh in case he told him that nonsense.
Soon
the sheikh came to the palace and headed towards the seat of the chief. He had
to climb a number of stairs before he could get to him. The chief stared at him
as he came in readiness to strike him if he dared said what everyone expected
that he would say. Suddenly, the sheikh tripped and fell over. Then the people
gathered around him trying to see whether he was ok. He told them that; ‘Gaara
haka.’ For him it was better that he fell. Then the chief stood up angrily and
said;
‘Wallaahi (By Allah)! Gaara haka.
Because if you had gotten to me and told me that nonsense, I would have sent
you to your grave.’
This
story sounded funny yet it is full of lessons worth pondering upon. Hassan
al-Basri said;
‘'Do not resent the calamities that
come and the disasters that occur, for perhaps in something that you dislike
will be your salvation, and perhaps in something that you prefer will be your
doom.'
That
sounds like the ayah of the Qur’an that says;
‘'...and it may be that you dislike a
thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you.
Allah knows but you do not know.'
Surah Al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2
ayah 216
A key lesson in the story
The
sheikh believed that with everything that happens, it is better that it is so
because worse things could have happened. That was proven when he fell over the
stairs because definitely, that was better than the sharpened knife that was
awaiting him. You could derive more lessons. Let me tell you another popular
story that brings out this same lesson.
The king and his Personal Assistant
This
king liked one particular person a lot so much that he would want him around
him all the time. This man who was like the king’s PA had a popular phrase just
like the sheikh above. His saying was; ‘Whatever Allah does is perfect’ and the
king loved him for that until one unfortunate day when the king hated him for
that same saying. Could you believe? One day, the king who loved to hunt had
gone out into the forest with his PA and an animal had bit off a part of the his
finger. The king screamed in pain and annoyance and all that his PA could say
as he helped dress his wound was;
‘Whatever Allah does is perfect.’
If
you were the king, what would you do? Well this king could not believe that
someone he loved so much considered his misfortune as something ‘perfect.’ He
got so annoyed that he made them lock his PA up in a dungeon to suffer for the
rest of his life. Was that wicked? Interesting enough, when the king had
pronounced that judgment, the PA had said calmly;
‘Whatever Allah does is perfect.’
To
the king, that was incredible and vexing. Since he had no PA now and he didn’t
want anyone else, he started going to hunt alone. One day, as he was hunting,
some wild people caught him and sent him to their dwellings. They needed to
sacrifice a human being for one of their festivals. Unfortunately, they could
not use him because he had a part of his finger missing and that was an omen to
them. They set him free.
After
going through such a tumultuous time in his life of almost being at the edge of
being a sacrificial lamb to some bunch of people from the wild, he thought
deeply. He imagined what it would have been like if he had not lost a part of
his finger on that unfortunate day. Then he remembered his PA who had been
locked up for a long time. He brought him out to apologise. After explaining to
the PA all that happened and the fact that he had now understood what he meant
by; ‘whatever Allah does is perfect,’ he began to apologise to him about how
short-sighted he had been to put him away. Then the PA said;
‘Whatever Allah does is perfect.’
Now,
that was the peak of it. The king could not believe that his PA thought of his
time in that nasty dungeon as perfect. The PA explained that if that had not
happened and they had gone to the forest together, instead of the king, the
people would have used him for the sacrifice because he was intact. Then the
reality of that saying dawned on him.
A key lesson in the story
Just
like in the first story, we see the saying of this PA proven in the fact that
both the PA and the king got their life spared because the king did not qualify
for the sacrifice and the PA was locked up in a dungeon. The Prophet Muhammad
suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam says something very beautiful and inspiring. He
says;
‘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.’
Sahih
Muslim
I
believe that this is all that we need to know in order to enjoy our lives as it
comes. It is however interesting that as humans as we are, when we are going
through moments of trials, we forget the fact that it could be as the sheikh
says; ‘Gaara haka’ and as the PA also
says; ‘Whatever Allah does is perfect.’
It seems it is that very difficult to accept this.
Alhamdu
lil Laah, I have come to trust a lot in these sayings due to some of the tests
and trials that I have passed through. I learnt in all of that that indeed, it
is true that Allah tests those who say they believe in Him. What I realized
that these tests do if we took the attitude of the sheikh and the PA is that at
the end of these tests (and if they don’t end at all), we are drawn closer to
Allah, Al-Mujib.
This
happens when we recognize Allah, As-Samad, in the trials. If we made sure that
we were not doing anything bad to warrant such a trial and then we believed
that Allah, Al-Alim, knows best why He is putting us through those trials and
then we call unto Him to aid us pass the trials, then we get closer to Him.
Tests and Trials
So,
what I have learnt with time is that at any point in time, we are undergoing
one test or the other that is whether something bad or good is happening to us.
Sis. Yasmin Mogahed would say that the greatest test is actually when all is
going well with us because the chances of one forgetting to acknowledge Allah,
Al-Rahmaan, for the good that he or she is enjoying is very high but the one
who is going through bad times finds it a lot easier to turn to Allah (that is
if the person believes He is the only Helper). Think about it.
We
see that a lot of people were put to the test by Allah, Ar-Raheem. Prophet
Ayyub alayhis salaam being one of the key examples. He stood through this trial
with patience and forbearance because He knew that Allah azza wa jal knew about
him and that was sufficient to make him stand the test. The same was for
Aasiyah alayhas salaam. She could stand all of her husband’s torture because
she believed that Allah azza wa jal knew about her and she was content with that.
The stories are uncountable. We also see the test of Fir’aun and how much he
failed miserable in it. Allah gave him power and he failed to recognize that
fact but rather he became rebellious and thought himself equal to Allah,
Al-Waahid, Al-Ahad, subhaanahu wa ta’aalaa.
I
do not want to write about tests and trials much here because it is something
that has to be dealt with in detail. What I want to achieve with this article
is to make the brothers and sisters, who are in a particular situation that
they think is not good enough which is due to no fault of theirs, understand
that indeed ‘Gaara haka,’ and ‘Whatever Allah does is perfect.’
This
understanding will help you to move on with strength, patience and firm trust
that Allah is aware of your situation and will do for you that which is best.
At the end of the day, all that matters is that you should not sway from His
path.
‘And (Allah) will provide for him from
where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient
for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for
everything a [decreed] extent.’
Surah At-Talaaq, the Divorce, Chapter
65 ayah 3
So,
that says it all. It is my ardent prayer that Allah azza wa jal will favour us
with the ability to understand that indeed every situation we find ourselves in
are only because He willed it so. May Allah the Owner of guidance guide us unto
His path till we exit this Dunya. Aameen. I love you fiisabi lil Laah and may
Allah be a witness to this love. May He love us most. Aameen.
Jazaakumul Laahu khair always!
Trust in Allah forever in shaa Allah!
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laah!
Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu
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