Where Are You Right Now?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

The problem with many of us is that we like to live in the past or the future and we forget to live in the present. But it is this present moment that we are being taken to task. The ordinary human being is torn between all sorts of illusionary considerations. Feeling regret about things in the past, worrying about things in the past, living in the past, reliving the glories of the past or more frequently, we live in terms of the future, of things that we want to do, places that we want to go.

We may have heard people say or it might have come across our mind this too, "I wish I live in the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and it would have been easy to follow his Sunnah." Would it really be easy for you if that is the case? Let's hear what one of the great Companions said about it.

One day a group of people were sitting with Hudhaifa ibn Al-Yamman (may Allah be pleased with him) when someone said to him, "Had I met the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) I would have fought fiercely and sacrificed my life."

Hudhaifa said, "Would you really have? I have seen the time one night during the Battle of Al-Khandaq (the Trench) when we were sitting in rows with the army of Abu Sufyan outside Madina and the Jews of the Banu Qurayzah inside Madina. We feared that they would attack our families. We had never before experienced a night that was darker than that night nor a night in which the wind blew more fiercely. The wind made sounds resembling thunder and the darkness was so intense that we could not even see our fingers.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked, "Who will go and see what the enemy is doing?" No one stood up because of the intense fear, hunger and cold that everyone was suffering.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked the second time, "Who will go and see what the enemy is doing and return with the news?" No one stood up.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked the third time, "Who will go and see what the enemy is doing and return with the news?" and added, "I shall make du'a to Allah that he should be my Companion in Jannah." No one stood up.

There were 3000 Companions, including the great Companions who were among the ten promised Paradise, Abu Bakar, 'Umar, 'Uthman and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), but no one stood up. The Companions were paralyzed by the fear, hunger and cold.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said the same thing to us. We can be his companions in Jannah if we follow his Sunnah, obey your parents, take care of the orphans, give people their due rights, take care of your womenfolk, be good to your neighbor, etc. But no one stood up. At least the companions had a reasonable excuse--they couldn't even see their fingers.

What is your excuse? We are not standing up and follow the command of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), out of our laziness or fear of embarrassment. You don't put hijab because you are afraid you will lose your friends or lose your opportunities at work. You don't pray because you are afraid people will look at you funny. You don't pay attention to what you eat if it is halal or haram. You eat at non-halal restaurants and buy meats from non halal section-- because your friends are doing the same or because you couldn't be bothered to check. And when problems come, some couldn't understand why and some blame the One God.

Suddenly, "Hudhaifa! I want you to bring me some information from them," said the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Hudhaifa continued his story, "Although I was the most frightened at the time and feeling the coldest, I left. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "O Allah, protect him from the front, from the back, from the right, from the left, from above and from beneath." I swear by Allah, that (after this du'a) every bit of fear and cold in me then left and I experience none of it.

Hudhaifa had no choice but to follow the command of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), when he was called. We too have the commands of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and we have no choice but to follow the commands.

Abu Sufyan (Allah be pleased with him) who was the leader of the kuffar at the time, decided to leave the battlefield and he was going to give the command but before that he said to his people, "Everyone should check who is next to him." This was make sure there was no one spying.

Hudhaifa who was now among them, began to feel the fear but he remembered the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) had made a strong du'a for Allah to protect him. Hudhaifa instantly asked the one to his right, "Who are you?" He said, "Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan." He asked the one to his left, "Who are you?" He said, "Amr ibn Al-'As." He pretended as if he was one of them that Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyanand Amr ibn Al-'As forgot to ask him who he was.

The smartest three people in the Arab history were Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, Amr ibn Al 'As and Mughirah ibn Sho'ba. But Hudhaifa, the most frightened one, was able to fool the smartest people in the Arab history. Why? This is because he came with the Light of Allah, followed the command of Allah, and put himself under the du'a of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Amr ibn Al 'As (may Allah be pleased with him), in later years said that, "Every time I saw Hudhaifa and remembered what he did to me (during the battle of Ahzab), I laughed."

The spiritual path is one of getting in the present moment, being where you are. It is being aware of the situation you are in, being aware of yourself, your breaths and everything else about you; being aware of people that are with you, the needs of people with you and around you; being conscious of your breaths, that in every breath you take, there is a special destiny just in that breathing. You didn’t create that, but Allah created that for you, and you acquired it. It has the spiritual effect of anchoring you in the present moment. It is living in the present moment. It is not living in your dreams, your ideas, your fears, your expectations, or anything else. That is really important. That means also to be thankful for what you have now, instead of when I get this, when I go there, when this time is up, things will be so good. No. Where are you right now?

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ فِي سَمْعِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ فِي بَصَرِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ مِنْ تَحْتِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ مِنْ فَوْقِي نُورًا وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا وَعَنْ يَسَارِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ أَمَامِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ خَلْفِي نُورًا وَأَعْظِمْ لِي نُورًا

O Allah, place light in my heart, and place light in my hearing, and place light in my seeing, and place light beneath me, and place light above me, and light on my right, and light on my left, and place light in front of me, and place light behind me, and make the light greater for me.

Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.

Wassalaam