Life, by design, is intended to be a struggle and nothing less. If you’re not facing a struggle, then you’re probably not paying attention. But this struggle called life is supposed to be a joyous struggle, not a painful one. Joyous because it’s supposed to be a struggle towards earning the pleasure of Allah. But when we’re distracted with pleasures that are detrimental to this goal, the struggle becomes a painful one because it goes against the nature that Allah has embedded in our souls. So I pray that your struggle is a joyous one, and that the distractions are few and far between, and that the coolness of your eyes becomes a part of your life before your eyes become tainted with the bitterness of the distractions. Insha-Allah.
Tag: Allah
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Life
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Engage, Not Just Condemn
It is great to identify problems, but the issue I have is that, especially in the West, we have fallen into a “culture of condemnation,” in which in order to be exempt from criticism, we simply must condemn “Issue X” or “Issue Y,” and therefore, we have shown, through mere words, that we are “acceptable” or “good” through our condemnation.
I am sorry, I think that is terrible and lazy; it is easy to condemn something, it is far more difficult to change something. Great, you identify a problem, but the larger question is: are you prepared to take the necessary steps to change it?
This is also true for the behaviour by many Muslims that profess to be on a rightly guided path compared to everyone else, then promptly go about condemning others because that’s easier than engaging meaningfully around the specific issue at hand.
It’s also easier to dismiss everything a recognised scholar says just because of where he comes from, or who he may be affiliated with, than it is to understand that scholar’s perspectives and focus on unwrapping that.
The easiest of all is to assume that your level of piety, your level of understanding, or your level of sincerity in practice is greater than anyone else that does not subscribe to your exact school of thought or interpretations, while emphasising the advice about hating for the sake of Allah, and completing neglecting the advice of good manners in speech and moderation.
When faced with the arrogance, condescension, and inconsideration of the majority of Muslims I see these days, both on Tumblr and in real life, my heart sinks, not only because of how steeped we are in our individual piety without any consideration for our collective responsibility, but also because I see more effort applied towards forming divisions and intolerance rather than establishing understanding and unity amongst all who profess the Shahadah.
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The conversation between Allah SWT and a muslim when reciting Al-Fatihah
Muslim: Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds.
Allah SWT: My servant has praised Me.
Muslim: The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Allah SWT: My servant has extolled Me. (praised enthusiastically)
Muslim: The Master of the Day of Judgement.
Allah SWT: My servant has glorified Me – and submitted to My Power.
Muslim: You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help.
Allah SWT: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked for.
Muslim: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you have favoured, not of those upon whom is your anger, nor of those who are astray.
Allah SWT: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked for.
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Raising One’s Hands in Dua
Amongst the etiquette of du’a that is known by all Muslims, young or old, is that of raising one’s hands. Abu Musa al-Ashari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
“The Prophet, peace be upon him, made du’a, and I saw him raise his hands, until I could see the whiteness of his armpits.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari)
Further, Saman al-Farsi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
“Indeed, Allah is Shy and Beneficient. He is Shy when His servant raises his hands to Him (in du’a) to return them empty, disappointed!” (Recorded in Ahmad)
SubhanAllah! The Lord of the Creation feels Shy when one of His servants lifts his hands up to Him to make du’a! Verily, hearts are filled with love and awe at the Generosity and Beneficence of Allah.
It is important that our palms face upwards, and not the back of one’s hands, because it is not befitting to ask with the palms facing down, which is a sign of arrogance.
There are three different types of motions for du’a that are narrated from the Companions. The first type is to point one’s forefinger without necessarily lifting one’s hands. This action is done when one asks for forgiveness, or makes general dhikr or during tashahhud. The second type is to raise one’s hands to the level of one’s shoulders with the palms facing up. This is done for regular dua’s at any time. The last type of action is only done in extremely severe circumstances, such as asking for rain after drought, or seeking protection from imminent enemy attack. In this case the hands are stretched forth towards the sky, without joining the two palms together. When this is done a person’s armpits are exposed due to the severity of stretching.
The general rule is that one raises one’s hands to make du’a, but there are exceptions. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not raise his hands during the Friday khutbah. So for the du’a during the khutbah, it is not Sunnah for the Imam or the people to raise their hands, except if the Imam makes a special prayer for rain. It is also not a Sunnah to raise one’s hands for the various du’as throughout the day.
As to the exact manner in which one’s hands should be raised, it is to the level of the shoulders, hands placed together, with palms towards the sky or one’s own face. The wiping of the face with the hands will be discussed in a later post, inshaAllah.
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In trying to maintain my focus in salaah, I often find myself trying to picture myself standing directly in front of Allah. But given my lack of knowledge regarding what image should be conjured in my mind from such a thought, I’m left with a feeling that me, being a minuscule molecule on a dust ball in the middle of a universe that teems with magnificence well beyond our arrogant imaginations, am not able to present myself before Allah, but only to Allah; whilst Allah, in His infinite grandeur and majesty, is greater than what we can grasp of this universe while others debate what His true form is. Since this universe is part of the created, how much greater must the Creator be?
I consider the scale of creation that allows me to observe the tiniest known particles of creation, and then I consider how much unimaginably greater the scale must be between me and Allah. My nafs will always prevent me from grasping the true meekness of my existence, yet despite this, I have the promise of bliss that even the most elaborate of imaginations will fail to grasp.
I’m often reminded of the description of just the dust of Jannah the beauty of which will leave us standing and marvelling at it for 40 years. That’s just the dust. I cannot imagine myself beholding a piece of dust with such amazement that I would be entranced by it for 40 earthly years, let alone 40 heavenly ones. How futile must it be then to attempt to contemplate the beauty of Jannah or the magnificence of Allah?
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Withdraw from the opinions of people and seek to find the beauty in it all by exploring the truth yourself. If we allow the opinions and tainted excesses of others to shape our thinking, it is inevitable that we will feel suffocated and disheartened because excess goes against our nature, whereas what Allah has deemed fit for us is closest to our nature. Excess in anything, good or bad, will lead to more harm than good. Therefore, choose a path of moderation and awareness.
Don’t be tainted by man and assume that they are a reflection of Allah. That is a flawed perspective on which to approach life. Instead, reflect on Allah and see the true nature of man. The more you seek closeness to Allah, the greater your success at understanding man. The more you understand man, the greater your appreciation of the magnificence of Allah.
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Life
Life, by design, is intended to be a struggle and nothing less. If you’re not facing a struggle, then you’re probably not paying attention. But this struggle called life is supposed to be a joyous struggle, not a painful one. Joyous because it’s supposed to be a struggle towards earning the pleasure of Allah. But when we’re distracted with pleasures that are detrimental to this goal, the struggle becomes a painful one because it goes against the nature that Allah has embedded in our souls. So I pray that your struggle is a joyous one, and that the distractions are few and far between, and that the coolness of your eyes becomes a part of your life before your eyes become tainted with the bitterness of the distractions. Insha-Allah.
