Assalaamu alaykum wa
rahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh brothers and sisters in Islam. Alhamdu lil Laah for
the blessing of Islam. Alhamdu lil Laah for the blessing of brotherhood. May
Allah azza wa jal sustain us on this path until the end. Aameen.
Our
Rubb and our Phones
It is a usual thing;
almost a norm now, to hear phones ringing in the Masaajid. We do not care to
put them off or on silence in order to interact with His Majesty. Some of us
put the phones in front of us with the screen facing us even when we put the
phones on silence in order not to miss the one calling us even when we couldn’t
pick and I have no idea what advantage we gain from that. First of all, this
attitude does not help our khushoo (concentration) in sualaat at all. So, if
you are guilty of this; how about you stop that (put the phone off or on
silence and away from you in sualaat) from today so that you and I could gain
some rewards which we are in dire need of? Jazaakumul Laahu khairan in advance.
Is there a linkage between
our phones and what I intend to talk about? Well… Ram Dass says;
‘The quieter you become,
the more you can hear.’
We can analyse this saying
in various ways and each one of us would probably give it a different meaning. I
would look at it in the ‘contemplative sense.’ All of our days seem to be
surrounded with so much activity and noise such that we miss that ‘moment of
quiet’ which I believe we very much need especially as Muslims. Allah azza wa
jal keeps admonishing us in the Qur’an to use our minds: think, ponder,
reflect, contemplate, etc. To do this effectively, we need that moment of quiet
most of the time.
Think
& Reflect
I guess a lot of people
who know me will remember this popular phrase of mine, think & reflect,
which I attach to just about everything I post some time ago and sometimes now
on social media. As I grow, the importance of thinking and reflection also
grows with me. I have always believed that you don’t just hear or see or feel
something and brush it off. You need to give it a thought…a deeper thinking.
When we read the Qur’an, we realize that everything in it is worth giving a
deeper thought. Allah azza wa jal asks us a question;
‘Then
do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?’
Surah
Muhammad, Chapter 47 ayah 24
From this ayah, we realize
that the Qur’an is not just to be read and pushed aside but it is to be
pondered upon. Our lack of pondering on the Qur’an goes to liken us with those
whose hearts are locked up: blind. This is the more reason why I like to use ‘ayah’
instead of ‘verse’ because ayah conveys the real meaning of what everything in
the Qur’an is: ‘signs.’ I do not want to state any specific ayah that demands
contemplation because all of the aayaat do.
Time
for yourself
Al-Fudhayl, a scholar
said;
‘The
speech of the believer is wisdom; his silence is contemplation and his vision
is a lesson (for him). If you are like that, then you will not cease being in a
state of worship.’
Then he read the verse,
“I have not created Mankind or Jinn except to
worship Me.”
Surah
al-Dhariyat, the Winnowing Winds, Chapter 51 ayah 56
Let’s see what I derive
from this saying.
Worship = Speak (Wisdom) +
Quiet (Contemplation (tafakkur)) + Look (Learn)
Since the essence of our
lives is worship, everything we do must be directed towards that. When we speak
wise things as Muslims, we are worshipping Allah. When we ponder on all that
Allah azza wa jal has surrounded us with, we are worshipping Him and when all
that we see serve as lessons for us in our worship of Allah, that is also
worship. Now we concentrate on ‘contemplation.’
Contemplation
There are so many books on
contemplation in Islam and I would recommend one by Sheikh Osman Nuri Tobpas. Contemplation
helps us to not take anything we see or hear for granted because Allah azza wa
jal created everything for a purpose: to teach man to worship Him solely. We
have the land, water, sky, sun, moon, air, diverse nature of humans (their
colours, language, stature, etc), the animals, plants; everything, to ponder
on. They are signs of Allah azza wa jal that we should not sweep under the
carpet.
To contemplate
effectively; we need peace and quiet. It is possible for two or more people to
come together and ponder on these things and derive lessons from them. Most of
the time however, it is best we contemplate alone as it works on our mind
effectively therefore the need for that quiet moment.
Put off the phone,
facebook, whatsapp and all other social media. Put off the TV and the radio and
every other noise making gadget. Look for a place where you could be in
seclusion and give yourself that moment of bliss without any distractions. Be
with only Allah azza wa jal and then talk to Him and study all that He has
surrounded you with even if it is for a good ten minutes of your 24 hours a
day. You could also intensify your contemplative mind by making everything you
see or hear in your day to day activities remind you of Allah azza wa jal which
is the purpose any way.
Why
contemplate?
I believe that
contemplation draws us closer to our Creator, gives us a better understanding
of situations and also helps us in accepting everything that happens in our
lives; good or bad. As we think and reflect on the creation of Allah azza wa
jal, His greatness becomes bare in our hearts, minds and eyes even though we
can never comprehend His greatness in totality. We tend to appreciate the
things around us with all the natural differences and everything that happens
only strengthens our faith and awe in Allah azza wa jal.
Contemplation provides us
with a calm, peaceful and serene heart as we become more aware of Allah azza wa
jal and understand issues best. In a hadith qudsi, Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aalaa
says;
"If
someone draws near to me a hand span, I draw near to that person a forearm’s
length. If he draws near to Me a forearm’s length, I draw near to him the span
of two outstretched arms. If he comes to Me walking, I come to him at
speed."
Bukhari
and Muslim
What more could we ask
for? Let us endeavour to go to Allah, ar-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem, running and
hopping at top speed hoping that we would get something a lot better from Him.
Ramadaan is almost here, what better time to enhance our contemplative minds if
Allah azza wa jal makes us live to see it? Remember me in your du’a always. I hope
I was able to tell you something beneficial. May Allah azza wa jal forgive me
for my mistakes and accept from us. Aameen. I love you fiisabi lil Laah and may
Allah, ash-Shaheed, be a witness to this love. Aameen.
Jazaakumul
Laahu khair always!
Assalaamu
alaykum wa rahmatul Laah!
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