بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well. InshaAllah.
We have many problems in the Muslim communities--serious marital problems, domestic violence, nasty divorces, children eloping, financial problems, health problems, job crisis, Muslim identity crisis, etc. These problems or similar ones have existed for a long time. So, why don't things change?
People are afraid of change. We don't like change, so we keep things that are familiar. But change can be good. Slavery in America was abolished, and many people resented the change, but it was a good move. Change takes time. Change isn't easy, and it is probably why people don't like it. We like easy things. But change supposed to be difficult. If it wasn't difficult, everyone would do it. The difficult is what makes change great!
Everything will change eventually. It always does, even if things aren't changing. Our children change--just yesterday, it seems, they were this bundle of joy from the hospital, and now they are teaching you how to drive! We, eventually will turn back into dust in our graves. That's the way life goes. But believers know they will one day be brought before Allah to be judged about everything they did in this life and every single action will be displayed to them.
"Upon that Day men shall issue in scatterings to see their works. And whoso has done an atom's weight of good shall see it, and whoso has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it." Qur'an Al-Zalzala/The Earthquake 99:6-8
So we have to make the choice--to change or not to change. If things aren't working for you, change. What change and how do you make the change? The answer is simple, we all know it--Following the religion. We need to put the religion into action. Remember the famous Hadith Jibril which defines the three aspects of our religion--Islam, Iman and Ihsan?
On the authority of 'Umar, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said "While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him.
He sat down close by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, rested his knee against his thighs, and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." Said the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should establish salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakat, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the man), "You have spoken truly."
We were astonished at his thus questioning him and telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about Iman." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in destiny, both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken truly.
Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, " It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about the signs thereof (i.e. of its coming)." Said he, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings."
Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion.""
The three aspects of our religion correspond to the three aspects of our humanity: Islam (Body--external compliance of what Allah tells us to do); Iman (Mind--believe in the unseen that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, has informed us of); Ihsan (Soul--to worship Allah as though you see Him)
Religion transforms us to where we will no longer chained to the world, meaning what other people in the world are looking for, in money, in fame, etc, no other people experience except the ones who are transformed. These are people who are following the footsteps of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Religion brought us things to do--wudu', prayer, fasting, zakat, charity, smiling, pick up garbage, proper marriage and divorce, manners of eating, drinking, sleeping, treatment of people, and everything the Creator wants us to do. Through performing these actions, there is transformation in the heart
"Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him." (Bukhari.)
Someone who fits this description is not a normal person. He might have financial poverty, he might have health issues, he might have serious marital problems, he might have many other problems, but he is also content because he knows whatever happen to him is from Allah. In order to get to this point, you have to change--you have to transform yourself. The first step to transformation is in practicing Islam.
“If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Jibril (on whom be peace) and says: I love So-and-so, therefore love him. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: So Jibril loves him. Then he (Jibril) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah has abhorred a servant [of His], He calls Jibril and says: I abhor So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So Jibril abhors him. Then Jibril calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah abhors So-and-so, therefore abhor him. He (the Prophet peace be upon him) said: So they abhor him, and abhorrence is established for him on earth. (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi).
Alhamdulillah we had a very successful Friday night at our monthly khatam Qur'an and launching of project memorization of Qur'an with over 100 people crowding our small masjid, MashaAllah. Alhamdulillah, there were 15 eager youths who attended the first session the following day. For them to want to spend their weekends in the masjid learning and memorizing the Qur'an (and 3 hours every evening thereafter), in an environment where most young people would rather chat with their friends, watch movies, watch TV or play computer games, or sleep, make these youths very special indeed MashaAllah--they are doing things that many find it difficult--change. May Allah give them tawfiq and make these youths memorizers of Qur'an and leaders of the community and the ummah. Ameen. And to their parents, may Allah reward them well and make it easy for them to raise the future hufadh inshaAllah. Please make du'a for all of them. Jazakallahu khairan.
May Allah bless you and your family. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
