Remember the patience of `Urwah?

`Urwah ibn al-Zubayr came to visit the Khalîfah al-Walid ibn `Abdu’l-Malik. With him was his son Muhammad, who was one of the most handsome of men. The young man had dressed up for the occasion in fine clothes, and had his hair in two plaits or braids. When al-Walid saw him, he said, “This is how the young people of Quraysh look!” and by so saying, put the evil eye on him. Before he left, the young man fell ill. When he was in the stable (preparing for the journey) he fell down, and the horses trampled him to death.

Then `Urwah got gangrene in his leg, and al-Walid sent doctors to him, who suggested that the leg should be amputated, otherwise the gangrene would spread to the rest of the body and kill him. `Urwah agreed, and the doctors began to remove his leg, using a saw. When the saw reached the bone, `Urwah fainted, and when he came around, sweat was pouring down his face, and he was repeating, “La ilaaha illAllaah, Allaahu akbar.” When the operation was over, he picked up his leg and kissed it, then said, “I swear by the One Who mounted me on you, I never used to walk to any place of wrong action or to any place where Allaah would not like me to be.” Then he gave instructions that the leg should be washed, perfumed, wrapped in a cloth and buried in the Muslim graveyard.

When `Urwah left al-Walid and returned to Madinah, his family and friends went to meet him at the outskirts of the city and to offer condolences. The only reply he made was to quote from the Qur’an: “…truly we have suffered much fatigue at our journey.” (al-Kahf 18:62). He did not say any more than that. Then he said, “I will not enter Madinah, for people there either rejoice over the afflictions of others, or else feel envy for their blessings.” So he went to stay in a place at al-`Aqiq. `Isa ibn Talhah came to visit him there and said, “May your enemies’ fathers perish!” and asked him, “Show me the affliction for which I have come to console you.” `Urwah uncovered his stump, and `Isa said, “By Allaah, we were not preparing you to wrestle! Allaah has saved most of you: your sanity, your tongue, your eyesight, your two hands, and one of your two legs.” `Urwah told him, “Nobody has consoled me as you have.”

When the doctors came to perform the amputation, they had asked `Urwah whether he would drink intoxicants to ease the pain. He said, “Allaah is testing me to see the extent of my patience. How could I go against His commands?”

Extracted from Patience & Gratitude,
an abridged translation of `Uddat as-sabirin wa dhakhirat ash-shakirin
by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Your smile is all I see

I look into your eyes and I see
I can’t sleep
I see pain and screaming memories
flickers of hope dying but burning
I see,
I see a child’s struggle for undying amity
I can’t sleep
I can’t dream because all I see
is pain and misery
I see shackles around your feet
Your feet, that tread the path of integrity
pillars of strength, valor and humility
handcuffed wrists, sore but sturdy
I can’t sleep
because I see your smile
your smile, a facade shrouding the agony
screaming memories, my mind they pierce
this smile I see, my safe haven, my sanctuary
my tears blurring, like a rainy scenery
I’ll hold on, hold onto your faith
We’ll rise from this calamity
They can clip our broken wings, but
we’ll hold on, hold onto our faith,
fearless, we’ll keep the flicker alive, they’ll see
we’ll unite, unite in everlasting felicity

The Believing Men and Women, Part I

***

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْقَانِتَاتِ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالصَّادِقَاتِ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّابِرَاتِ وَالْخَاشِعِينَ وَالْخَاشِعَاتِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقَاتِ وَالصَّائِمِينَ وَالصَّائِمَاتِ وَالْحَافِظِينَ فُرُوجَهُمْ وَالْحَافِظَاتِ وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْراً عَظِيماً

“Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allaah in Islam) men and women, the believers men and women (who believe in Islamic Monotheism), the men and the women who are obedient (to Allaah), the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and the women who are patient (in performing all the duties which Allaah has ordered and in abstaining from all that Allaah has forbidden), the men and the women who are humble (before their Lord Allaah), the men and the women who give Sadaqat (i.e. Zakat, and alms, etc.), the men and the women who observe Saum (fast) (the obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the optional Nawafil fasting), the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allaah much with their hearts and tongues (while sitting, standing, lying, etc. for more than 300 times extra over the remembrance of Allaah during the five compulsory congregational prayers) or praying extra additional Nawafil prayers of night in the last part of night, etc.) Allaah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).”

{al-Ahzaab; 35}

This verse was revealed after Umm Salamah radiyAllaahu `anha complained to the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam about the previous revelations being only about men.

It has been recorded by Imam Ahmad that Umm Salamah said: “I said to the Prophet , “Why is it that we are not mentioned in the Qur’aan as men are?” Then one day without my realizing it, he was calling from the minbar and I was combing my hair, so I tied my hair back then I went out to my chamber in my house, and I started listening out, and he was saying from the minbar:

“O people! Verily Allaah says: ‘Verily, the Muslims men and women…’ until the end of the ayah.”

Something that stands out in this verse is the mention of women alongside with men. We see feminists and the western media quick to label Islaam with being a misogynistic religion. Well, this verse being an epitome of equity between the two genders is a slap on their face.

Another lesson that we learn from this is the eagerness of the wives and (female) companions of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam had to compete with men in that which is good for their hereafter. We don’t see them complaining about not being able to work like men, rather, their concern is solely to seek the Pleasure of their Lord. They were women who had a vision and who made sure they had access to every avenue (as men) to gain the ultimate reward from Allaah (i.e. Paradise).

So Allaah mentions ten sifaat (characteristics) that the believers – both men and women – should have in order to achieve His forgiveness and the greatest of rewards, i.e. Jannah. These sifaat are our key to Jannah, so search your soul for them and try your utmost to not only develop these within yourselves but also perfect them.

Now, to derive maximum benefit from every word in this verse, I will dissect it into different parts by going over every sifah individually. The beauty of this ayah is that it starts with the core of everything that our religion is based on: Islaam (الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ) = submission to Allaah and then followed by Imaan (الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ). Only after that does Allaah bring up the other sifaat. There is great wisdom behind this and that is to ensure that our foundation is sound and strong so that it will be easier for us to implement the sifaat that follow in the rest of this verse. Once we submit to Allaah, and believe that there will be a Day of Reckoning, our minds automatically accept every commandment that comes from Allaah, without question or doubt.

الْمُسْلِمِينَ - is from the root س ل م and from amongst its meanings are: security, immunity, submission, obedience, without blemish and so on. Essentially, it means to submit and surrender to the commands of Allaah. The word سلا م which means peace, also comes from the same root. There are two things to learn from here:

1. A person will not attain peace until he submits himself or herself completely to His Creator. We can acquire as much secular knowledge as we want, read as many books on positive thinking or bask in a  mountain of wealth and luxuries, but our hearts will not be at peace until we surrender to Allaah, i.e. we testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam is His Messenger.

2. Secondly, a Muslim as described in a hadeeth mentioned in Kitaab al-Imaan in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, is one from who’s tongue and hands other Muslims are safe [ ‏ ‏المسلم من سلم المسلمون من لسانه ويده]. A grammatical rule of arabic is that when something is mentioned with a definite article, it is indicative of the most perfect meaning of the word. So the word المسلم eludes to the fact that the Muslim is what is described in the hadeeth.  Hence, a Muslim be it man or woman is one who does not harm another Muslim, physically or verbally. We guard each other’s honor, and provide one another safety and security from ourselves (tongues and hands) and others.

In a hadeeth narrated by `Imraan ibn Husayn states that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam said: “I looked into Paradise and I saw that the majority of its people were the poor. And I looked into Hell and I saw that the majority of its people are women.” (al-Bukhaari/ 3241, Muslim/2737)

This is because of our tongues. Very so often this organ prevents us from attaining that which is good and brings us nothing but distress when its void of the remembrance of Allaah. Al-Khattaabi said: “There would be great good in seclusion even were it to bring nothing more than safety from backbiting and from seeing evils which one cannot remove.”

With regards to the first point, we often think that saying the shahaadah is sufficient for entrance into Jannah but we are only deceiving ourselves. The saying of Wahb ibn Munabbih summarizes the above very well. He was once asked: “Is not the testification that ‘none has the right to be worshipped save Allaah’ the key to Paradise?” He replied: “Ofcourse, by every key has its teeth: if you bring a key that has teeth, the door shall open; but if not, it will not.” [Bukhaari, Kitaab Janaa'iz]

Tips for self-betterment:

1. Make a habit of renewing your Imaan every day. Every morning you wake up, renew your commitment with Allaah and every night before going to bed, take your soul and your deeds into account.

2. Be sure to never leave your salaah. Its an act of submission to Allaah so make every effort to pray on time and perfect your salaah. It is the key to improving your connection with your Creator.

3. Repent, repent, repent! You can never repent enough.

4. Avoid backbiting, gossip and unnecessary talk. If you are in a gathering of women thats full of gossip, excuse yourself and leave. Seclusion in a cave is better than sitting in company like that.

5. Some of the righteous Salaf have said that, it is a sign of the slaves fiqh (knowledge of the religion) that he concerns himself with enhancing the status of his Imaan when it experiences a decrease. So identify the things that decrease your Imaan and once you do, stay away from them. Likewise, keepy yourself constantly busy with things that increase your Imaan.

You can also follow my series posted on MuslimahSource.

Lessons from al-Ma`aarij: In Pursuit of Love

One of the beauties of the Qur’aan is that you can be reading any ayah, and just by pondering over it you can derive so many lessons from it. Earlier today, I was contemplating over soorat al-Ma`aarij and came over several verses that really stuck with me. In this series insha’Allaah I will go over some lessons I learnt and hope that it benefits those who read it as much as it benefited me, and that it also encourages the reader to pick up their own copy of the Qur’aan, sneak out into some still and quietness and ponder over the magnificence of this Book. I’m not going to follow a specific sequence in terms of listing the lessons, therefore I will not be going in order of the verses of the soorah, rather I will be writing in order of what affected me the most.

Allaah says:

وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيماً

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ

وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْويهِ

وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ

And no friend will ask of a friend. Though they shall be made to see one another – the Mujrim, (criminal, sinner, disbeliever, etc.) would desire to ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by his children. And his wife and his brother. And his kindred who sheltered him. And all that are in the earth, so that it might save him.

[Verses 10-14]

‘حميم’ is from the root ح م م which means heat/fever and is also used for passion, or love and affection for a very close and dear friend. حمّةٌ can also be used instead of  حبّةٌ where م is the substitute for ب, for instance in this phrase:  هو من حمّةِ نفسي  ‘He is of the beloved of my soul’ [Lane's Lexicon].

بصّر  means to see something and recognize it. Our state on the Day of Judgment would be such that even the object of our love and passion will ignore us despite recognizing us. That is because of the fear and torment of that Day. Everyone will be preoccupied with their own state, their own deeds.

My Reflections:

- Something that struck me hard was the ephemerality of human love. A mother’s love for her child, a wife’s love for her husband, love of siblings for each other, and the love of best friends for one another, is all transient. Our quest for that eternal love is nothing but phantasm, its futile because it doesn’t exist. There’s only One deity out there Who’s Love is forever enduring, and that is Allaah. The verses above teach us our priority in terms of love and relationships. That the common denominator in love in all relationships is Allaah, i.e. it should be solely for the sake of Allaah, otherwise it will bring us little to no benefit. When we say we love so and so for the sake of Allaah, we are essentially saying that no matter what the circumstance, seeking Allaah’s pleasure and fulfilling His rights over us takes precedence over everything and everyone else.

This leads to a further point of benefit and that is: staying away from the illusion of perfect love. There is no such thing as perfect love, therefore expecting perfection from our parents, spouses and friends is wrong. I want to refer here specifically to love between spouses. As humans, we are born with a certain longing in our hearts that we expect other humans to fulfill. And naturally we try to find that in the opposite gender. When we fail to find that perfection in a mere human, we find ourselves feeling utterly devastated and betrayed. What we don’t realize is that this longing belongs to our Creator, the One who nurtured us. We can only seek perfect happiness and love in Allaah, because expecting this from a human is placing a burden on him/her that they can never bear. Realizing that will help us minimize our expectations from each other and help preserve our relationships. I think it was Shakespeare who said:

“Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud;

Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,

And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.

All men makes faults…”

All men make faults, but Allaah is faultless and flawless. He is Perfect, and perfection can only be expected of Him.

To continue..

“Is He not the One Who responds?” Part II

Imaam al-Qurtubi in his tafseer mentions the explanation of الْمُضْطَرَّas such: “It means to be helpless and restless under some necessity, and that happens when someone does not have any support and friends. Hence, الْمُضْطَرَّ is that person who has lost all hopes from everyone and has turned to Allaah as the sole redresser of his woes.”

In his commentary on this verse, Ibn Katheer mentions a narration about a man of Balhajim said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what are you calling for?” He sallallaahu `alayhi wasallaam said:

أَدْعُو إِلَى اللهِ وَحْدَهُ الَّذِي إِنْ مَسَّكَ ضُرٌّ فَدَعَوْتَهُ كَشَفَ عَنْكَ، وَالَّذِي إِنْ أَضْلَلْتَ بِأَرْضٍ قَفْرٍ فَدَعَوْتَهُ رَدَّ عَلَيْكَ، وَالَّذِي إِنْ أَصَابَتْكَ سَنَةٌ فَدَعَوْتَهُ أَنْبَتَ لَك

“I am calling people to Allaah Alone, the One Who, if you call on Him when harm befalls you, will relieve you; and when you are lost in the wilderness, you call on Him and He brings you back: and when drought (famine) strikes, you call on Him and He makes your crops grow.”

A saheeh hadeeth of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam states: “Three supplications are surely accepted, in which there is no room for doubt. One, from an oppressed person, two, by a traveler and three, from a father against his children.”

Imaam al-Qurtubi comments on this hadeeth saying: In all these three cases the situation is the same as the supplication of a الْمُضْطَرَّ because when an oppressed person calls Allaah after having been frustrated from mundane support and help, his condition is no different than that of a الْمُضْطَرّ. Similarly, a traveler is away from his dear ones, hence helpless while in journey. Likewise, a father cannot plead for something against his children because of his paternal love and affection for them, unless he is totally dejected and heart-broken and calls Allaah to save himself from the misery of sufferings.

“..أَءِلَـهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ..”

“Is there any god with Allaah? Little is that you remember!”

An example of a person with a terminal illness comes to mind. When we are sick, the first thing we do is approach the medicine cabinet, without even giving a thought to the One Who cures everything. We rely on medicine, doctors and compassion from people so much that we miss out on the Compassion of the Most Merciful One. If only we had our priorities right, and if our hearts were in the right place, we would save ourselves alot of heartache.

In the next ayah {v. 63}, Allaah says:

أَمَّن يَهْدِيكُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَن يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًاَ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ رَحْمَتِهِ أَءِلَـهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

“Is not He Who guides you in the darkness of the land and the sea, and Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His mercy Is there any god with Allah Exalted be Allah above all that they associate as partners!”

There are two lessons we can derive from this ayah:

1. أَمَّن يَهْدِيكُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ – Allaah has created the stars as signposts for travelers, so even if they are stranded on a pitch dark night, they are guided with the help of these stars.

2. وَمَن يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًاَ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ رَحْمَتِهِ  – It is from the mercy of Allaah that He sends cool breezes before rain, inorder to reassure those who had been suffering from dought and had thus despaired.

أَءِلَـهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

Is there any god with Allah Exalted be Allah above all that they associate as partners!

I find the comparison between darkness and rain (mercy), in relation to distress and relief in these two verses simply amazing. Subhaan’Allaah, seasons change, people change, trials come and go, darkness turns into light and through it all, there is only One constant Being. The Only One who is always there.

اللهم رحمتك ارجو فلا تكلني إلى نفسي طرفة عين ، وأصلح لي شأني كله ، لا إله إلا أنت

O Allaah, I hope for Your Mercy. Do not leave me to myself even for the blinking of an eye.
Set right all of my affairs for me. There is no god but You.

“Is He not the One Who responds?” Part I

Allaah mentions in soorat an-Naml:

أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاء الْأَرْضِ أَإِلَهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Little is that you remember!

الْمُضْطَرَّ is from the root ض ر ر which means damage. الْمُضْطَرَّ is one who’s trust has been damaged to the extent that he/she loses all hope in every living thing. Its that all too familiar feeling of being completely abandoned, where no soul on the face of this planet can comfort you, where even the familiar faces seem estranged. At a time like this, nothing can fill the emptiness within. You come to a point where even `ibaadah seems like a toil, a burden. Your life becomes nothing but a hollow grave.

And then, something inside pushes you to leave the creation and to turn to your Creator, placing your hope in Him, beseeching Him, begging for His closeness. That, is when Allaah responds to our distress. And that is when our hearts can truly taste the sweetness of faith and tranquility. Because turning to Him, the Lord of the Universe, the Most Loving, Most Merciful, guarantees us safety from every evil, every pain, every distress.

Ibn al-Qayyim mentions in his book al-Fawaa’id: “The secret and the reality of trust in Allaah is the reliance of the heart on Allaah alone. The person who relies on Allaah, and not on any other person or thing, will not be harmed.”

Were it not for Allaah’s Mercy, we would have been deprived of this blessing.Like Yusuf `alayhissalaam said in response to the accusation against him with regards to the wife of al-`Azeez:

وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّيَ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“And I free not myself (from the blame). Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” {Yusuf; 53}

How many stories have we heard of people who when they lose all hope, lose their sanity or commit suicide? Countless of them. Alhamdulillaah for His guidance. Alhamdulillaah for the company of Qur’aan.

[to continue..]

Causes that need our help.

I’m writing this post on behalf of Br. `Uthmaan regarding two causes that need help, and since its Ramadaan I’m hoping that people will make an extra effort to dedicate their time and donate where possible insha’Allaah.

1st Cause – Baby Maryam:

She’s a 1 year old baby who was born with multiple organ failures. Amongst other complications she has a failed left kidney and her right one is in bad condition. She has a catheter attached to her and has stitches across her belly due to a number of operations.

She is in Need of constant care. Her father, `Abdur-Rahmaan is the only one who is taking care of her right now as her mother is not mentally stable and thus prevented “legally” from tending to her baby. Her father takes care of her all day long and is in and out of the Sick Kids hospital ever since Maryam was born. We are raising funds for Br. `Abdur-Rahmaan’s mother to come to Canada from Pakistan so that he can work and provide for the family while his mother takes care of the child.

Please make du`aa for her and do what you can in raising funds insha’Allaah.

2nd Cause – War Refugee Shelters:

There are two War Refugee Shelters in Toronto where Muslims are being treated unjustly and discriminated against, and are not getting proper access to food for Suhoor or Iftaar. Sometimes they don’t get any food at all. There’s a young Muslim kid at the shelter who is in need of a wheelchair but the management is refusing to provide him with the means to get one. We’re trying to raise funds for his wheelchair and also for `Eid gifts for the kids at the shelter.

Please help in whatever way you can. This is the last half of Ramadaan wherein our rewards are multiplied manifold. And if there is no way you can donate, or volunteer your time then atleast keep them in your du`aas.

Those interested in helping out can contact me via email at: saima@muslimahsource.org.

Feeling down? Have a listen.

اللهم اجعلنا من الصابرين يارب

:(

“…يا إبن ادم ، مرضت فلم تعدني…”

It has been narrated from Jaabir radiyAllaahu `anh that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam said: “Whoever visited a sick person does not cease to swim in mercy until he returns home, if he was to sit down he would be immersed in it. ” (Musnad of Imaam Ahmad)

“There is not a Muslim that visits another in the morning except that 70,000 angels ask forgiveness for him until the night, and if he visits him at night then 70,000 angels ask forgiveness for him until the morning, and he will have earned a garden in Paradise.” (at-Tirmidhi)

Allaah will say on the Day of Judgment: “O son of Adam I was sick and you did not visit Me. He will say: O Lord how can I visit You.   You are the Lord of the worlds? He says: Did you not know that My servant so and so was sick yet you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him you would have found Me with him?” (Hadeeth Qudsi – Saheeh Muslim).

“…you would have found Me with him”, subhaan’Allaah this hadeeth never ceases to amaze me every single time I read it. This is coming directly from the Lord of the Universe and what could possibly be more beloved to us than the nearness of Allaah?

From the Friday Vault of Deeds.