بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Islam is not a new religion. It is a continuation of the legacy of Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam. Allah Most High says in the Quran,
مَا كَانَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَٰكِن كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُّسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿٦٧﴾
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of the polytheists. [Quran, AleImran 3:67]
If we think about Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam, the last thing comes to our mind is easy life. He faced challenges nobody ever had to face. He had to leave his wife and infant son in the middle of the desert and walk away. Before that, as a young man, he had to challenge his father and the entire community and he was thrown into the fire because he believed in Islam. When he got older and his son was old enough that he could finally run around with his son, he saw a dream that he was slaughtering his son over and over again. Those are not easy trials. He was asked to do these things that nobody was ever asked to do.
Allah has never asked another human being to abandon his family or jump into the fire or slaughter his own child. If Allah can make standing up, not only to his father but also to the entire community easy, if Allah can make jumping into the fire easy, leaving his wife and infant son in the middle of the desert easy, if Allah can make him take a knife and put on his son's neck because Allah commanded it easy, then what is Allah asking you? Allah did not ask that from you, He asked much less from you. Allah asked from you to stay away from filthy things and make the good and pure things halal for you, and mandate a few good deeds from you. Just do these few things and stay away from the few bad things, that's all He asked.
وَجَٰهِدُوا۟ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِۦ ۚ هُوَ ٱجْتَبَىٰكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ ۚ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِى هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ ٱلْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ ﴿٧٨﴾
And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah named you "Muslims" before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establish prayer and give zakah and hold fast to Allah. He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper. [Quran, AleImran 3:78]
Allah chose us to be born in this age knowing full
well the trials we are going to have. The best people who are qualified
to struggle in these trials are the Muslims alive today, that's why you
and I are taking a breath right now. Allah has a purpose for us because
He created the skies and the earth with precise purpose and molded us
because we have a purpose to serve. Eventhough it is a challenging
purpose, Allah Himself is not going to make it difficult for you. We have been told by the legacy of Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam that no
matter what difficulty you have, you will never be able to compare
your difficulty with the difficulty Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam was put in and even that, Allah can make that easy. So you have no
reason to wonder or even question that Allah will make easy for you.
Allah is the One who named us Muslims. Muslim means the one who submits calmly. When Allah tells you to do something, you are not agitated by it. You are at ease on the inside and willingly submit yourself to Allah. Whatever Allah says must be good for me no matter what my mind says, what my family says, what my friends say, and what the society says. If you can do that, you are the legacy of Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam.
Calling ourselves Muslims is easy. Being Muslim is not. It's not even about behavior. It's about something very deep internally. It is when you are completely satisfied with what Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam command, you are comfortable with it, you are at ease with it and at peace with the fact that you are obeying Allah. You are not thinking that by obeying Allah, you are going to miss out on something because He is asking you to stay away from pleasures or opportunities that He said they are haram. You are at ease because there is no way anybody who obeys Allah are at loss.
وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ ٱلْإِسْلَٰمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٨٥﴾
And whoever desires other than Islam as
religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter,
will be among the losers. (85) [Quran, AleImran 3:85]
Muslims are the ones who come with comfort before Allah. That's the comfort we want to find before Allah. We are not agitated by the commandments of our religion. When our daughters and women are asked to put on hijab, they are not annoyed by it, and our sons and men are not agitated by the idea that they have to go to pray at the masjid and wake up early for fajr.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ ﴿١٠٢﴾
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]. [Quran, AleImran 3:102]
May Allah make us die as Muslims. Aameen.
www.darannoor.com
No comments:
Post a Comment