A GIFT OF LOVE

Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh brothers and sisters in Islam. Allah is the Gafuurur Raheem; the All Forgiving and Merciful. We pray that Allah azza wa jal favours us with the blessing of His forgiveness whiles we live this life, in our death and on the Day that we would stand before Him to give accounts of our lives; which is a surety. Aameen.

On this Day of Accounts which has been given various names worth pondering upon, we are told by the noble Prophet Muhammad suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam that Allah azza wa jal will ask us a question. This is related by Abu Huraira radiyal Laahu anhu who reports that the Prophet said;

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

Saheeh Muslim

I need and want so badly to have this favour on this Day and I pray that all of us are blessed with this favour in shaa Allah. There are ahaadith that talk about the favour of Allah azza wa jal upon those who love one another truly and solely for His sake but the one that blows my mind most is found in Sunan Abu Dawood which states;

The Prophet suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Among Allah’s servants are people who are neither Prophets nor martyrs, but whom the Prophets and martyrs will deem fortunate because of their high status with Allah.”

They asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Inform us of who they are.”

He said: “They are people who loved each other for Allah’s sake, without being related to one another or being tied to one another by the exchange of wealth. By Allah, their faces will be luminous and they will be upon light. They will feel no fear when the people will be feeling fear and they will feel no grief when the people will be grieving.”

Then he read the ayah: “Behold, on the friends of Allah there shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (Surah Yunus, Chapter 10 ayah 62)

Now, that is just enough motivation for you and I to start loving as much as we could others (without being related to one another or being tied to one another by the exchange of wealth) fiisabi lil Laah. If you are doing so already, then keep the fire burning. If you are not, then this could be the time.

There are a thousand and one ways to show love to a brother or sister fiisabi lil Laah and this show of love should be directed towards one goal: enjoining that which is right and discouraging from that which is wrong. In this article, I want to look at one aspect of ‘love fiisabi lil Laah’ that I believe we should intensify among us.

We are in an era where we are challenged with lots of external (outside of the Muslims) problems and then internal ones (within the Muslims) as well. In this era, it is getting a lot tougher to genuinely show your love for a brother or a sister fiisabi lil Laah because even sometimes those people put question marks to your show of love. Think deeply about that. That should not discourage us anyway since our sole purpose is to attain that status that Allah azza wa jal talks about. The Prophet suallal Laahu alayhi wa sallam said:

“A Muslim’s supplication for his brother in secret is answered. At his head an angel is appointed, and whenever he supplicates for his brother with something good, the angel appointed to him says: ‘Amîn, and likewise for you’.”

Saheeh Muslim  

    

So the aspect of loving fiisabi lil Laah that I want to emphasize on is in the hadith above: ‘Supplicating for one another.’ For me, this is one of the best ways for us to show love for one another for Allah’s sake and it is the easiest as well. This type of love could be given to the poor by the rich and the rich to the poor. Du’a is the best form of love for Muslims who know or don’t know one another (and might never know one another until the end).

We face diverse problems in our lives. We have various needs and fears and our greatest weapon in dealing with these things is du’a (seeking Allah’s aid). Allah azza wa jal tells us;

‘And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you...’

Surah Ghafir, the Forgiver, Chapter 40 ayah 60

Allah, al-Mujeeb, has assured us that He is ever ready for ‘our call,’ ‘our du’a.’ He again says beautifully that;

‘And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.’

Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 186

Alhamdu lil Laah! Alhamdu lil Laah! Alhamdu lil Laah! Feel it! Say it! Act it because most definitely we are blessed to be Muslims. May Allah sustain us on this beauty. Aameen. This is how much Allah, al-Mujeeb, is ready to listen to us. It will be unfortunate on our part to let the opportunity of Allah hearing us pass us by. It is even more loving, per my understanding, if we call on Allah azza wa jal to tell Him about the needs of a brother or a sister or simply ask Allah to bless them with His guidance and love and all the goody goodies.

Sometimes we know the specific problems that some of our brothers and sisters face so we can seek specific things for them from our Rubb. Where we don’t know of their challenges in life (and everyone has a challenge unless the person does not know), then we give them general du’a.

We could also cultivate the habit of doing du’a for others just about any time when the need arises and not necessarily after our sualaat or tahajjud prayers. Imagine we made seeking the guidance of Allah our core du’a for people we see doing things that are against the Deen as we try to talk them out of it; that will be awesome. That is not to say that we should think they need the guidance more than us; we all need it. 

The hadith above makes the whole situation of making it a habit to do du’a for others even more rewarding. That is because for every good that you ask Allah to do for a brother or a sister, an angel seeks the same from Allah for you. That is enough motivation to keep it up if we are already doing that or to start if we aren’t.

So I make an appeal to you by this article to remember others in your du’a always (they don’t need to know or ask you for it or thank you for it). Do this with the hope that on that Day, Allah azza wa jal may bless you with His shade and the Prophets and martyrs will deem you fortunate. But of course, please do not forget me in your du’a and I pray that Allah azza wa jal does for you an uncountable number of whatever you ask Him for me. Aameen.

We are still warming up for Ramadaan; you could do this best during this holy month provided you are alive to witness it. Alhamdu lil Laah for everything. I love you fiisabi lil Laah and may Allah, ash-Shaheed, be a witness to this love. Aameen.

Jazaakumul Laahu khair always!

Love fiisabi lil Laah always!

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laah!

RMRS; www.mmahajia.blogspot.com

Warming up for R

WARMING UP FOR R

Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatul Laahi wa barkaatuh brothers and sisters in Islam. Alhamdu lil Laah for everything that Allah azza wa jal has blessed us with and for everything that He has deprived us of. May we pass all of the tests and trials He put in our way until our end. Aameen.

I am going to be doing a Ramadaan series in shaa Allah and before Ramadaan, I’d like us to be pondering on some few issues and this article discusses one such issues.

Ramadaan, the Month of al-Qur’an

Allah azza wa jal tells us that He revealed the Qur’an in Ramadaan as a guidance and a criterion for judging between right and wrong for mankind. He says;

‘The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion between right and wrong...’

Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 185

In the month of Ramadaan therefore, we should all endeavour to take a journey through the Qur’an in order to know what Allah’s guidance is for us and then we learn to live by that guidance as much as possible.

A Scholar’s Analysis on Guidance

I once read a commentary of Surah al-Fatihah and the commentator said something that got me thinking real deep. He said that; when we recite Surah al-Fatihah, we are seeking guidance onto the path of righteous from the Creator of the Universe and all that it contains, Allah. Allah, al-Alim, teaches us to say;

‘You alone we worship and from You alone do we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight Path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not the path of those who earned Your anger nor of those who went astray.’

Surah al-Fatihah, the Opening, Chapter 1 ayah 5-7

The commentator links these last aayaat of Surah al-Fatihah to the beginning aayaat of Surah al-Baqarah, which is the next chapter after Surah al-Fatihah where He says that Allah azza wa jal answers our questions directly. Allah says;

‘Alif Laam Meem! This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaquun (the people of taqwa (those who are conscious of Allah)).’

Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 1-2

That to me was an amazing linkage he did. What about you?

The Essence of Ramadaan

The fasting of Ramadaan has a purpose that Allah azza wa jal outlines clearly to us. He says;

‘O you who believe! Observing the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may become Al-Muttaquun (explained above).’

Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 183

From this ayah, we see that at the end of the day fasting could make us ‘al-Muttaquun.’

Who are the al-Muttaquun?

They are the people of ‘Taqwa.’ Taqwa has been defined as ‘the state of being conscious of Allah.’ Meaning at any point in time, the Muttaquun have Allah and His interests in their minds and they work towards pleasing Him solely. Allah azza wa jal tells us explicitly who the Muttaquun are. He says;

‘Those who believe in the unseen and perform as-Sualaat, and spend out of what We have provided for them. And who believe in that which has been sent down to you and in that which was sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. They are on true guidance from their Lord and they are the successful.’

Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 3-5

Do you have all or any of these qualities? We must all ponder and strive towards worshiping Allah to the best of our abilities.

The people of Taqwa, Allah tells us, are the best of people. He says;

‘O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that believer who has Taqwa (the most pious of you). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.’

Surah Al-Hujuraat, the Dwellings, Chapter 49 ayah 13

It is only wise that all of us will yearn to be among the best of people to Allah azza wa jal Who alone is worthy of our worship and praise.

From all that has been said above, I could deduce something beautiful. 

1.      Allah sent us the Qur’an (our guidance) in the month of Ramadaan

2.      When we fast during this month seeking this guidance, we attain Taqwa

3.      Attaining Taqwa makes us the best of people before Allah

So, this thing is like a training session for us. It is like wanting to turn a cup of maize grains into dough. You take it through a number of processes to achieve this and that is exactly what Allah azza wa jal does with us. To turn us into the best of people, He takes us through these beautiful steps. Indeed, He is ‘Merciful’ and His Mercy truly surpasses His Wrath.

If we are able to go through the month of Ramadaan whilst fasting it with this kind of understanding, then bi iznil Laah, we grow from strength to strength with each Ramadaan that Allah in His infinite Wisdom allows us to witness. May Allah favour us with a blessing of His taqwa. Aameen.

What Does Taqwa Do to You?

Taqwa as we understood it above is ‘the state of being conscious of Allah at all times.’ We could say that it is the ‘Remembrance of Allah azza wa jal always’ which is termed as dhikrul Laah. Allah tells us how dhikr of Him benefits us even in this world. He says;

‘…verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.’

Surah Ar-Ra’d, the Thunder, Chapter 13 ayah 28

Rest as used here means a lot of things to me: ‘Peace,’ ‘Tranquility,’ ‘Calm,’ ‘Serenity.’ So I have grown to appreciate so much ‘inner peace, calm, serenity, tranquility’ which I will equate to ‘inner rest’ ‘heart at rest.’ 

Amir Mukhtaar who was known as Loon before his reversion to Islam was a top time international musician who confesses how he had yearned for inner peace whilst he wasn’t Muslim. Among his strategies for wanting inner peace was buying the latest and nicest of everything yet he still felt that void deep within. Alhamdu lil Laah, he found that in Islam.

Allah azza wa jal also describes the people of taqwa as successful. He says; 

‘They are on true guidance from their Lord and they are the successful.’

Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 ayah 5

What kind of success do you think Allah azza wa jal is talking about? Is it that they are the wealthiest in terms of material possessions or that they have contentment or both? I will leave you to ponder on that. 

May Allah azza wa jal make us among the Muttaquun who are the best in His sight and who attain ‘rest at heart’ and are the ‘successful.’ Aameen. I love you fiisabi lil Laah and may Allah be a witness to this love. 

Jazaakumul Laahu khair always!

Islam forever in shaa Allah!

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu

www.mmahajia.blogspot.com

GAARA HAKA

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

www.mmahajia.blogspot.com