The Timely Reminders

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

I wrote this last night but didn’t end up publishing it. Just a reflection on the reminders that Allah sent my way in the last few days.

————————————————————————————————————-

This is probably a bad time to blog about this… Since I have college test tmrw for which I have hardly studied and also the fact that it’s one of the blessed night where I need to be searching of Layla-tul-Qadr. But I had to write about this!

Last few days haven’t been easy.. and as I fact I am not expecting anything different from the days that follow. I wont lie but my Ramadan hasn’t been as good as it could have. The only thing I am glad I have done this month is attend the Taraweeh prayers. Other than that there is nothing much that I am happy about and can say I have put an effort to work for to make best use of this blessed month. May Allah forgive me and accept the little efforts that I could put in. May He accept my night prayers and grant me forgiveness atleast because of it!

Back to what I wanted to share. Like I said I have tests tmrw and I have loads to study still! In the midst of studying from notes which are on my laptop, I have a habit of taking breaks and surfing net in the middle. While I am doing that and while at the same time my mind is actually messed up about this xyz matter… I get a new msg notification. I check to see it’s one from my dear friend Nasmira .. She sent a msg which reads —

“Remember this is the night in which Allah decrees your rizq (provisions) for the coming year, so implore Allah; cry your heart out as they say so that He may give you what you desire. Don’t think what you’re asking for is too much for Allah, nothing you ask will decrease His dominion. You want money ask Him, you want a wife/husband ask Him, you want a job ask Him, you want children ask Him, you want peace of heart ask Him, anything you desire ask. Remember that you must focus and concentrate when you pray and make dua.”

SubhanaAllah.. the message struck the right chord with my heart for all the right reasons.Soon after having a short conversation with her I sign out and decide that I will study for the test for sometime and when I am tired and want to take a break I’l make dua, read namaz and do other ibadat, inshaAllah.

I do that. In the meanwhile I hear this conversation between a few family members downstairs from my room…it’s about this matter, the discussion about which doesnt seem to end. It’s about reading Witr with the imaam, etc etc.. Without going into the details (because I do not have the time to now :P) the conversation turns to me.. and I hear my dad saying that how I try to find answers to issues on he net…and how it’s not the right thing to do.. as much as I agree with him.. but it’s not like I go about searching for fatwas on google. I first find search for it on islamqa.com .. which as far as I know is an authentic website, I also make sure I ask my practising friends and only then decide what to do! But khair, these conversations in my house off late are not something that make me feel very good.. and so after listening to this conversation I am hurt again and suddenly unsure of what I am doing. I cry to myself and plead to Allah to show me if I am right or wrong and if I am wrong to guide to do right things because at the end of the day whatever I do is ONLY for His pleasure and for His sake ALONE!!

I try to put my head back into books.. (laptop in my case) and study for sometime… eventually out of habit (:/) I end up surfing net again. I find that a friend of mine has shared one article, which I open and start reading. Wallahi, I am blown away by it’s message. Here’s the article from SuhaibWebb.com.

In his autobiography, Imam Hasan al-Banna narrates the following incident, which occurred shortly after he began giving regular lessons in a small, local masjid:

One of these nights I felt a strange feeling, a feeling of disarray. I saw that the listeners were separated between themselves, even in their seating, and I had barely started speaking when I was taken off guard by a question.

“What is the ustadh’s (teacher) opinion on tawassul (praying to Allah through an intermediary)?”

So I said to him, “My brother, I do not think that you want to ask me only this one question. You also want to ask me about saying salat (blessings) and salam (peace) on the Prophet  ﷺafter the athan (call to prayer), and about reading surat al-Kahf on Fridays, and about saying sayyidina (our master) before the name of the Prophet ﷺ during tashahhud (the sitting after prostration in the second and last units of prayer), and about whether or not the Prophet’s parents are in Hellfire, and about whether or not the reward of reciting the Qur’an reaches the deceased, and whether the Sufi orders are a sin or praiseworthy…”

I began to list to him all the areas of disagreement that have existed in the past and which have been major areas of conflict between the people. The man was shocked, and he said, “Yes! I want the answer to all of these questions!”

I said to him, “My brother, I am not a scholar. I am just a simple teacher and civilian. I have memorized some verses of the Qur’an, some ahadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), and some rulings from my readings in books. I am voluntarily teaching the people what I know. So if you ask me outside of what I know, then you have placed a burden upon me, and whoever says, ‘I don’t know,’ then they have given theirfatwa (legal opinion). So if what I say pleases you and you see that there is good in it, then you are welcome to listen. However, if you want more details, then you should ask someone else from the noble scholars and specialists who will be able to answer your inquiries. As for me, this is all that I have, and Allah does not burden a person with more than they can bear.”

The man was taken aback by my response, and through it I was able to defuse the situation.  Most of the listeners were pleased and laid at ease by my response, but I did not want to lose the opportunity. So I turned to them and said, “My brothers! I know for certain that this brother and many of you did not want from this question except to know what the background of this new teacher is (referring to himself). Is he from the group of Shaykh Musa or from the group of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Sami’? This knowledge is of no benefit to you, and you have spent the last eight years in this fitna (tribulation). Eight years is enough. These issues have been areas of disagreement between the Muslims for centuries, and they are still in disagreement about them. Allah, Blessed and Glorious is He, wants from us love and unity and dislikes for us enmity and separation. I hope that you will all make a covenant with Allah right now to leave these issues and will instead focus your efforts on learning the foundations of your faith together with your brothers, on upholding the character, manners, and agreed-upon guidance of our faith, and on carrying out our obligations and recommendations. We should put aside excessiveness and delving into details until our hearts become pure and we all desire nothing other than the truth, rather than inquiring merely as a means of upholding an opinion that we have. At that point, we can all study together in an environment of love, trust, unity, and sincerity.”

Subhan’Allah (perfect and exalted is Allah). How much time has been wasted in our communities and on the internet arguing with one another in the name of Islam. Some may try to make themselves feel good by acting as if they are going to solve disagreements that have existed for centuries when in reality they may have just started praying only six months ago, and their accumulation of knowledge is still yet shallow. It’s time for us all to start focusing on the bigger things while not neglecting the “smaller” ones. It’s time to start focusing on the areas of agreement and respecting one another, especially when we have acceptable, scholarly disagreements.

Let’s all pick up the phone and call someone that is from a different “group” than us and see how our brother or sister is doing. There’s no difference of opinion on the importance of that.

The part I have marked in red, SubhanaAllah, it felt as if it was directed right at me. It was like Allah was telling me do not make things hard on yourself. Focus on making your heart pure for now and do not burden yourself more than that!!

A few days back, again due to the same little difference of opinions on issues, which I was just debating with myself  about, I found myself so disturbed that at one point I just started crying and asking for help from Allah… while I opened a random page of the Quran and read the verses that followed I reached this verse which said:

“And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper!” (Surah Al-Hajj:78)

and under the commentary was this hadith:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights.” (See Fath-ul-Bari, Page 102, Vol 1).

{Volume 1, Book 2, Number 38: Sahih Bukari}

I just ended up reading those verses again and again for as long as I can remember while tears just kept flowing from my eyes! Felt so much better, alhumdulillah!

Source:Google Images

Don’t you just love such timely reminders?! Alhumdulillahi Rabbil Aalameen!! ❤ ❤