Living Without Purpose

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Living Without Purpose

Allah Almighty says, which means:

He gives life and causes death, and to Him you will be returned

[Quran, At-Tawba 10:56]

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

[Quran, Adh-Dhariyat 51:55]

When your purpose in life is to worship Allah, the byproduct of that is happiness. When this purpose is missing, the smallest thing becomes your purpose. The most miserable people in this world are those who are running after happiness.

When you are pursuing Allah’s words, you are engaging with purpose. And Allah says, which means,

 ...in that let them rejoice...

[Quran, At-Tawba 10:58]

 Because when you engage with the Quran, you have actual substance in your life and you are learning from someone who gets you inside and out.

May Allah grant us a sound understanding of the Quran. Aameen.

Who Are The Awliya’ (Allies/Friends) of Allah?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

The Awliya’ of Allah are people of Faith and piety, who are constantly aware that Allah, Exalted is He, is watching them in all their affairs, so they adhere to His commands and heed His prohibitions. The degree of wilayah [being a an ally of Allah] varies according to a person’s Faith and fear of Allah (taqwa). 

Allah says, which means, 

Unquestionably, [for] the allies [awliya’] of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. [Quran, Yunus 10:62]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) who said: “Allah says: ”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.” It was related by Bukhari.

Death & Preparing For It

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Death & Preparing For It

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,’ meaning death.”

‏"‏ أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ ‏"

[Ibn Majaah]

The Importance Of Witing & Preparing Your Will

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Abdullah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & grant him peace) said: “It is not befitting for a Muslim who has something to make a Will of, to remain for two nights without having one’s last Will and testament written and kept ready with one.” [Bukhari]

The narrator stated after hearing this from the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace):

“I did not let even one night pass by except that my Will would be kept by me.” [Musnad Ahmad])

Making a Will becomes even more important in non-Muslim countries, such as the United Kingdom and US. Failing to leave a valid written Will can result in the law of the land deciding on how your estate is to be distributed and how your funeral is going to be conducted, not to mention it can cause disagreements and conflict among those you will leave behind, which may delay your burial and the distribution of your estate.

Therefore, it is imperative that all Muslims leave a valid written Will. Those who have not made a Will should haste and prepare a Will (or update your existing Will regularly). Writing a Will is not only for old people, rather all those who have reached puberty should quickly get their Will prepared, because death can come at any time and at any place. Prepare for it for good in your next life and to ease some of the emotional burdens of those who you will leave behind.

Understanding ourselves through the Story of the Youths of the Cave in Surah Al-Kahf

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Understanding ourselves  through the Story of the Youths of  the Cave in Surah Al-Kahf

The youths retreated to the cave to escape the fitnah of the unIslamic society they were in.  These youth decided that they are not only going to accept Islam but to live up to it in a society that hated Islam. They could stay silent and not tell anyone. But Allah gave them the courage that they stood up to challenge. This an act of treason and they were about to be persecuted but Allah inspired them to retreat to the cave. Allah put them to sleep for 300+ years and protected them. Their story is told in the Quran and people continue to benefit from their story till the end of time.

Understand that we are helpless. We can’t help ourselves but Allah is the One who provides protection. Allah controls life and He can save you in ways you can’t even imagine. 

This is our Iman (Faith in Allah). This is the power when we say 

 إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ 

Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.