Becoming the Servants of the Most Merciful Series

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV

A true believer stands for something greater than his or herself.

The modern secular approach to morality has greatly plagued our society over the last half century. Hearts are hardening and people are not concerned with moral values anymore. People stand by en masse and watch the blatant spread of debauchery, lewdness, and other forms of widespread societal corruption without apprehension. We promote and entertain ourselves with corruption in our movies, television, music and video games. It has gotten so bad that social iniquity is accepted as normal in mainstream American and European society. With the globalization of western values, this iniquity is an international reality. The question is – how do the true servants of the Merciful react?

This brings us to our next characteristic of the servants of The Merciful.

“Do not give witness or credence to falsehood or immorality and if they happened to pass by vain or harmful speech they pass by with honor and dignity.” (Qur’an, 25:72)

Since the early generations our scholars have differed slightly over the meanings carried in this verse. The above translation attempts to lump them all into one general category. The first underlined part is the translation of the word ‘yash-hadoona Az-Zoor.’ Our scholars tell us that what is meant here is that the servants of the Merciful do not attend, give witness to, affirm or give credence to any falsehood. Al-Zoor is specifically referring to falsehood which has been made to look good or desirable. All sin and immorality basically falls under that category. Some of the great scholars from the early generations said Al-Zoor specifically refers to polytheism, which means that a Muslim would not go to, take part in or support a polytheistic ritual. Similarly we would never show acceptance to or validate polytheistic beliefs.

That being said, we are still obliged to not offend or insult people’s beliefs as the latter part of the above verse indicates, “if they happened to pass by vain or harmful speech, they pass by with honor and dignity.” This is a general rule for preserving one’s faith and setting a strict standard in favor of monotheism. Note that taking part in interfaith dialogue is a specific exception which has its benefits and can be discussed in a separate article.

Another explanation for the word Al-Zoor is lying. A true servant of God would not be in the company of people who often lie and they definitely would not lie themselves, particularly when giving their testimony over a disputed matter. Others contend that Al-Zoor means “the party scene” – the bar or dance club. They say that the gatherings where music and alcohol are found fall under Al-Zoor. So according to this interpretation it is definitely not appropriate for a true servant of God to be at a place where alcohol, drugs or un-Islamic music is prevalent.

The second underlined part of the verse “if they happened to pass by vain or harmful speech” is the translation of ‘Itha marroo bil-laghwi.’ We have translated it as “if they happened to pass by” rather than “if they passed by” because as the commentators mentioned the linguistic connotation of this verse is that they did not or would not intend to witness ‘Al-Laghw,’ which we translated as vain or harmful speech. The exegetes mentioned that Al-Laghw refers to the rude and disrespectful attacks of the disbelievers upon the believers. Others said that it refers to all foul language and evil talk such as lying, backbiting, evil poetry, evil songs and slander. The later commentators kept with the basic linguistic meaning of al-Laghw which is vain or foul talk.

The last underlined part of the verse “with honor and dignity” is a translation of ‘kiraamaa’, which means noble, honorable and dignified. Our scholars said this verse means that if we happened to be verbally abused – as is quite common these days – we should exercise wisdom, kindness and pardon others. So we should either be silent (if that is best), respond with a clear non-antagonistic refutation or outright forgive and show kindness to the ignorant person who has bad character. Similarly if we hear lies, backbiting, slander or other foul speech we should advise the people against it in a kind, yet unyielding manner and be on our way.

This verse carries a lot of guidance and teaches us how to deal with social iniquity with honor and wisdom. When we look at the meaning of the last part of the verse “[pass by] with honor and dignity,” we see how many Muslims are clearly not in-line with this Islamic behavior. An example of this is the rioting, burning of flags or effigies of politicians as a response to anti-Islam campaigns in western media. This is not how we stand for something greater than ourselves.

This verse is about hearts with spiritual life that stand against all forms of evil, especially when it comes to evil that is made beautiful, appealing and acceptable. When the Prophet ﷺ told us that Islam came as a stranger and it will return strange, he was informing of us of the very reality we find ourselves in. In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, sin and corruption were norms which he and his companions stood against. They embraced these divine set of morals – self-respect, honesty and integrity – that put their human desires in check and regulated them for something better in the long run.

We pray God Almighty bless us to be like those strangers who revive spiritual and moral integrity as a societal standard. May we do this so that we may earn His pleasure and become true Servants of the Merciful! Ameen.

Using Honored Titles When Addressing Him

Through reading the Qur’an, we will instantly realize that when addressing His Prophets and Messengers, Allah (swt) calls upon them directly by name. For example, He says ‘”O Noah, indeed he is not of your family…” [Qur’an 11: 46] and He says, “O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My words [to you]…” [Qur’an 7:144] When we address someone, it is a sign of respect that we take their name when calling upon them as opposed to saying something like, “Hey man.” However, when we want to address someone with an even higher level of respect and mannerism, we don’t address them by their name, we address them by their respected title. For example, we say, “Mr. President” or “Mr. Senator” indicative of the respect given to them because of their high position. Likewise, Allah (swt) when He addresses the Messenger ﷺ, does not address him directly by name – rather He addresses the Messenger with the honorific title and position that he ﷺ holds, “O Messenger” and “O Prophet”.

In this is a lesson to the believers of the mannerism of speaking to (and by extension about) the Messenger ﷺ. Indeed, elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah (swt) rebukes some of the Bedouins that came to the Messenger ﷺ and called out to him from behind his apartments, “O Muhammad, come out to us,” by saying that ‘most of them have no intelligence’. Allah (swt) is teaching the believers a lesson about the level of manner and respect required when addressing the Prophet ﷺ and by extension his sunnah (traditions) and ahadeeth (narrations) which are what are with us today. If Allah (swt) does not address His Messenger directly out of respect, but chooses to address him ﷺ with honor, the believers need to pay attention and take a lesson from this and adopt a similar level of respect towards him ﷺ.

Sometimes, in our haste to quote the Messenger ﷺ, we tend to forget the level of respect that is imperative. There are multiple instances in the Qur’an where Allah (swt) has commanded the believers to watch how they speak to the Messenger ﷺ and, specifically, to lower their voices when addressing him ﷺ. For example, Allah (swt) says in Surat an-Nur, “Do not make the calling of the Messenger between yourselves as the call of one you to another…” [Qur’an 24:63] and in Surat  al-Hujurat , “O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.”[Qur’an 49:2]. This does not mean that we don’t mention his hadeeth or anything like that; rather, it is teaching us the mannerism that ought to be present when doing so.

The early Muslims when deciding to take ahadeeth from an individual would look, in addition to everything else, the mannerism that he would show when narrating the hadeeth towards the Prophet ﷺ. It is known that Imam Malik (rahimahu allah, may God be pleased with him) would not narrate hadeeth to his students until he had bathed, dressed himself in his best clothes and perfumed himself out of respect and honor towards the Messenger ﷺ. As such, we should aim to instill this adab in our hearts as well.

Do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger

Allah (swt) addresses the believers in Surah al Hujurat saying,

[O you who believe, do not put yourselves forth before Allah (swt) and His Messenger…] [Qur’an 49:1]

In this ayah, Allah (swt) is giving the believers a command that they do not place themselves, either by their speech or actions, ahead of Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ. This is a warning to the believers to understand their position in relation to Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ, that they do not hastily lead themselves to saying something or doing something before Allah (swt) has commanded it or against what has been commanded. However, if we reflect upon this ayah, it leads to the question that, how can an individual place himself before Allah (swt) at all? After all, Allah (swt) is the Lord of the heavens and the Earth, and therefore it is inconceivable that an individual would be able to do anything that Allah (swt) is unaware of. If anything, it is conceivable that an individual can put himself before the Messenger ﷺ, intentionally or unintentionally – so why mention Allah (swt)? The scholars of tafseer (exegesis) explain this beautiful point by saying that the reason Allah (swt) is mentioning Himself first is to honor the Messenger ﷺ by placing his name ﷺ alongside Allah’s name. Meaning that, just as you would not put yourself before Allah (swt), likewise you are not to put yourself before the Messenger ﷺ. By mentioning Himself with the Messenger ﷺ, Allah (swt) is elevating the status of the Messenger ﷺ and equating disobedience to him ﷺ as disobedience to Allah, as Allah (swt) says elsewhere in the Qur’an, [whoever obeys the Messenger, has obeyed Allah]. [Qur’an 4:80]

“Your Lord has not forsaken you nor is He displeased”

In the early part of the seerah (biography of the Prophet ﷺ), after the Messenger ﷺ received the first revelation, there was a period in which revelation completely ceased for a period of time. This time was difficult for the Messenger ﷺ as he was afraid that since nothing further had come down, Allah (swt) might be displeased with him ﷺ. This led him to worry for a period of time.

To console His Messenger ﷺ, Allah (swt) sent down Surah Duha and through it, He consoled the heart of the Messenger ﷺ. Out of the entire surah, the ayah that strikes the heart is the subtlety of the third one when Allah (swt) says, “Your Lord has not forsaken you nor is He displeased.” [Qur’an 93:3]. Allah (swt) here is informing His Messenger ﷺ to not worry because Allah (swt) has not forsaken him and that He has not left him alone. If we reflect on the second part of the ayah, Allah (swt) says, “nor is He displeased.” The obvious question would be, displeased with whom or displeased with what? The ‘who’ or ‘what’ has been left out and the scholars of tafseer give us the reason for it. The surah itself in its entirety is addressed to the Messenger ﷺ – yet in this particular part of the Surah, where Allah mentions His Displeasure, He (swt) leaves out addressing the Messenger ﷺ directly. This is out of respect and honor towards the Messenger ﷺ because Allah (swt) does not even want to mention the Messenger ﷺ close to mentioning His displeasure. So He simply says, “nor is He displeased” and leaves it at that because out of His immense love for the Messenger ﷺ, it is inconceivable that Allah (swt) will be anything but pleased with him ﷺ.

There are many, many other instances in the Qur’an where this love and respect to the Messenger ﷺ is shown and each is a lesson on its own. Allah (swt) has a truly special way of addressing His beloved Messenger in the Qur’an. What we should try to take away from this is implementing the adab and respect in our own lives towards the Messenger ﷺ whenever we speak about him ﷺ, mention his seerah, or quote ahadeeth. This is what we have from him ﷺ today and it is equivalent in the level of adab and respect it requires. Sometimes we might get carried away and start quoting hadeeth to each other back and forth to prove a certain point or refute someone – but when was the last time that we thought about the mannerism we are employing when quoting the statements of the Messenger ﷺ? If Allah (swt) Himself addresses His Messenger ﷺ with such respect, it is only imperative after all that we too show the same level of respect and honor when we mention him ﷺ.

Why We Love Shazia

Shazia is an amazing member of our WebbCommunity for many reasons. Perhaps her most distinctive trait is her wonderfully fluid, elegant writing style—even her emails read like poetry! As editors, she makes our job easy. Her warm writing voice and impeccable adab (character) are refreshing and enlightening. Whenever we read her emails, we walk away reinvigorated by her grace and warmth. She truly brings coolness to our eyes.

When Shazia sets her mind to doing something, she always finds a way to accomplish it. She is continuously suggesting cool series or articles and then making it happen by working with the rest of the website team. Some of our best series have come from her hard work. It goes without saying that, in order to do this, she is super-organized and always on top of things. When working online, these traits are crucial. Thank you, Sr. Shazia, for always being an amazing example of what it means to be an online Islamic worker!

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The following interview with Shazia Ahmad was conducted by the WebbEditors.

On VirtualMosque.com, what do you write about and why those topics?

I’ve written mostly on spirituality, women and women’s issues, and usul al-fiqh [Islamic legal methodology]. Why these topics? Spirituality and nurturing our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is such an important topic that I don’t think enough can be said about it. I think it’s something particularly important to focus on in our times, when our discourse often gets overwhelmed with debates on the details of rulings, especially the Five Famous M’s—mawlids [birthdays], madhabs [schools of thought], moon-sighting, music and meat. 🙂

As for talking about women, I think our community really needs to discuss and explore ideas related to Muslim women in serious depth. We often hear the same anecdotal stories and narrations about women and women’s rights in Islam, but are sometimes lacking in real, insightful research into topics from a perspective that balances faithfulness to sacred law with a consideration of modern-day realities.

Finally, usul al-fiqh is a subject that has always captured me, and that really gives me an appreciation for the beauty of Shari`ah and the mastery of our scholars, so I love trying to share that with others.

Where do you live, where are you from originally and what’s your family background?

I currently live in Cairo, Egypt with my husband and three year old son.  I was born and raised in upstate New York, though my family is originally from India.  I’m the youngest of four kids.  Everyone in my family is very attached to Islam, alhamdulillah  (all praise be to God), though they each have unique views when it comes to practice and methodology, so it always makes for some interesting discussions and debates around the dinner table!

How did you get involved with VirtualMosque.com? What positive feedback/experiences have you had and what do you hope to accomplish with your writing now?

We moved to Cairo after living in Damascus for about two years, and it was in Cairo that I first met and studied with Imam Suhaib Webb.  I was very inspired by his evident sincerity and his teachings, which emphasized making Islam relevant and approachable while staying true to its legal dimensions and rulings.  This balance is such a unique find, when many people fall into a progressive laxity or a stifling rigidity that does not give Islam the proper grounding to grow in people’s hearts and lives.

I had written one or two short translations in my first few months in Cairo, which Imam Suhaib posted on his blog.  This was at the time when the blog had some amazing posts but would often make me think, “If only they had an editor!”  Shortly thereafter a number of people became involved in VirtualMosque.com to make it a more organized endeavor and I was asked formally to become a writer for the site.

Alhamdulillah, my involvement with VirtualMosque.com has been a real blessing, and I feel that it has given me a chance to grow both in terms of thinking (through discussions with the other Authors) as well as in writing.  My writing before this had been relatively informal (mostly reflections, poetry etc), so trying to write proper articles and convey what I want to say on a more rational rather than emotional basis has certainly been a learning experience.

Do you have an interesting anecdote, personal story or similar trivia that you’d like our readers to know about?

It’s always interesting and somewhat humbling to meet someone who says, “I read one of your articles!”  But I’ve also gotten credit for things I haven’t written—especially since there is a scholar who writes for SunniPath with my same name—Shazia Ahmad.  I often have to clarify that I am not that erudite and obviously very learned sister, though I hope that any supplications made for “Sr. Shazia” can be shared between us. 🙂

Which of your articles do you feel have been the most influential?

The article that I’ve received the most personal responses to was the Q&A “Taking Off the Hijab”.  I had a number of sisters tell me that they found it encouraging at a difficult time in their spiritual path.  I ask that Allah accept from us and make anything we write a means of reward for us on the Day of Judgment.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

This is not very exciting, but it would probably be to sleep and multitask at the same time! I’m sure all parents want this superpower considering how sleep deprived one can get with a little one at home.  It would be great if I could sleep and check my email, read a book, make cookies, do laundry and write my next VirtualMosque.com article all at the same time.

If you could hang out with a person from history who is not a religious or Islamic figure, who would it be and why?

Most of the literary figures I admire were amazingly talented but had pretty tragic lives.  This probably made their writing all the more poignant and beautiful, but I’m not sure how fun it would be to spend time with them 🙂  I guess I would say Charlotte Bronte (author of Jane Eyre) and her sisters.  My sister and I always joke that we are like the Bronte sisters with me being more like Charlotte, who wrote the darker more twisted stuff.  So it would be interesting to meet (and maybe collaborate?) with them.

In our upcoming series “Honoring Our Authors”, our readers will have the opportunity to get to know a little more about the voices and personalities behind the articles we share, inshaAllah.  Each month, we hope to share some interesting tidbits and more about the talented people who contribute to VirtualMosque.com and help makes it a place of benefit for so many.

May Allah bless the authors and staff and make their time, efforts and writings a means of reward for them on the Day of Judgment.

“Oh man, these girls are a fitnah!”

“If a guy looks at you more than once, you aren’t covering properly.”

“If a guy likes you, then you are a fitnah in the community.”

“If you’re causing fitnah at school, it is better for you to leave the school.”

“Cover properly, so that you aren’t a trial for the guys!”

Such comments strike at the insecurities, religious aspirations, and self-esteem of our sisters in a way Islam never ever meant. This environment can only result in a few endings. One, a person will decide that she wants nothing to do with a practicing version of Islam and will leave practicing circles, deciding to strike her own path. Why would anyone want to be in a judgmental environment? Second, she may buy into this version of “Islam” and develop insecurities and issues that a natural, Prophetically-guided, scholarly approach to Islam would never allow.

In Islam, hijab is not demanded of women by men. Hijab and modesty is ordered upon women by the Merciful Ever-Living, Ever-Watchful God, as a protection and a barrier. A means of interacting in society while holding the line against anyone who would seek to harass, hit on, annoy, or irritate them. It is an outward symbol of an inward spiritual reality and aspiration. It is not a political flag for the Islamic state, it is not a sign of women’s subjugation to men, it is not a litmus test for religiosity, and it is not a measure of a woman’s piety, family background, or sign of her upbringing.

It is one act, a result of one of God’s commands. Everyone tries to obey Him, all of us fall short. As one of the `ulama (scholars) in Chicago once taught: “A person’s public sin is no worse than your private sin.”

The attitude that hijab and Islamic dress codes exist to protect men are an utter and total fallacy.  How do we know that? Let us approach the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He):

“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Qur’an 33:59)

This verse comes with the cause or ‘illa behind the commandment: “so that they may be known and not abused.” Notice that the verse does not come with any mention of men. This is about the protection of women’s physical safety and presence from men, not the protection of men’s spiritual state from women. The fact that this protection may occur is a benefit of the Hijab for the community, not its purpose. From this, we can take four points that are critical to a healthy Islamic understanding of hijab.

1. Hijab is not there to protect men. If you think it is there to protect you as a man, we have turned an act to be done for Allah (swt), into an act to be done for us. It is there to protect women, so do not pervert the purpose of this command of God (swt).  There is no doubt that we come across immodesty on TV, at school, work, and all over. We should not use the fact that a sister is dressed in a way that does not fit God’s commandments (or our personal interpretation of God’s commandments) into a reason for having bad manners, a lack of respect, and a lack of humility.

For brothers, we should lower our gazes and move on. We don’t need to comment about how this is such a fitnah or loudly say, “Astaghfirullah (I seek refuge in God),” so our boys can hear us and see how “pious” we are.

For sisters, if you want to advise someone about hijab, ask yourself, am I advising because it makes me feel pious? Or am I advising because I care about this person and want to be a good friend and sister in calling her towards the pleasure of Allah (swt)? Most of the sisters who decide to wear the hijab in adulthood don’t do it because someone yelled at them or taunted them. They do it because they were able to recognize its beauty after spending time with people who wore it with dignity and showed modesty not just in their clothing, but also in their character.

2. Men should frame the issue of the fitnah of women in their environment as a factor of their own closeness to God. We know the society we live in and the schools we go to. That was never a surprise. Taqwa (God consciousness) is the key protecting us, so focus on that.

There are so many gender-relations talks and seminars in Muslim communities that it almost baffles the outsider. How can a group of people who claim to have the guidance and the path to Paradise laid out for them by the Best of Mankind ﷺ (peace be upon him), have trouble understanding the basics of how to interact with one another professionally and with respect?

The issue of struggling with the base desires, as mentioned in Imam al-Ghazali’s book, “Breaking the Two Desires,” is one that is closely tied to one’s relationship with God. The soul is something that was created by God, and in order to get it to grow and defeat the base desires of the body, it must be fed. As Shah Walilullah wrote, something that is created out of the spiritual world, cannot be fed with the material of the physical world. If we want to curtail the desires of our body (for sex, comfort, food), and increase the spiritual discipline and awareness of God in our own souls, the key is developing a relationship and connection to the Book of God, the houses of God, the people of God, and the remembrance of God. Complaining about how some women in our environment do not dress appropriately and so we are having spiritual struggles is a cop out.

As many of our spiritual masters have said over the centuries, the first step in gaining nearness to God, is to understand that one must blame his or her own soul, and acknowledge his or her own deficiencies, before seeking the One who is Free From Deficiencies. This is put into action through tawbah – turning towards God in repentance.

3. Hijab is about the Fiqh (Law) for Women, not the Tazkiyyah (Spiritual Purification) of Men

We should make no mistake. The legal opinion of normative Islam, from the time of the Prophet ﷺ till today, is undivided in the view that women should cover their hair and dress modestly in the presence of non-familial men. The scholars are also undivided in the fact that you and I should not yell at our parents, swear at the weather, treat people harshly, drink alcohol, miss prayers, speak meanly to others, backbite, or judge other human beings without knowing their situations.

Muslim men should focus on their spirituality through good company, prayer, and all the other practices we are ordered to do, while allowing this to remain an issue’s of women’s fiqh (law), and not of men’s spirituality.

Because of the judgmental comments and harshness, and sometimes, sly, torpedo-in-the-water comments directed towards our sisters, many imams, da`ees (people who call others to Islam), teachers, and well-meaning advisors have trouble approaching the topic of hijab. Anyone even discussing it is often painted with the paintbrush that he is “judgmental.” This occurs even when the da`ee or teacher is doing so in the best of manners and with sound knowledge. This fault is on all involved of course – those of us responsible for spreading an environment of harshness, and those responsible for judging all religiously-oriented figures as being harsh and difficult to deal with.

The bad manners of some of us in “enjoining good” have made it impossible for our teachers and people of knowledge to enjoin it correctly, as people paint all of those who open their mouth on this and other issues with the same brush. This allows those who actually try to claim that the hijab is not a part of Islam to have their ignorance heard, while keeping the knowledgeable scholars from having their knowledge spread. 

4. Men should advise the women of their family and encourage them on this topic in a way that befits the Prophetic character.

No one should take this to mean that hijab is not an important part of a Muslim’s woman’s obligations towards God. But that is the key. Towards God. Hijab should not become inflated as a symbol that boosts the religious standing of a woman’s family, nor a flag of political Islam, nor a tool to show off her piety, nor a cloth of guilt that makes her hate it.

It is instead, a command from God that comes in the most beautiful manner, for her own protection, her own elevation, and her own dignity.

Conclusion

As a closing note, we should remember that if we are doing something that is good, and are enabled to do it – we should not cast off that good deed just because we may have suddenly realized that our original intention was not solely for the sake of Allah (swt). Even if we are wearing the hijab, praying regularly, speaking well, giving charity, or doing any other good deed and originally began it with an intention that wasn’t healthy or focused on Allah (swt), we should not let Shaytaan (the Devil) trick us into ceasing the good deed. Instead, we can turn towards our Lord, ask him to purify our intention, and dedicate our deed towards Him.

This is a religion that is about community. As our Lord states in Surat al Hujurat (The Chapter of the Rooms, Qur’an 49), we are nothing but brothers and sisters to each other. We should advise each other towards good, but do it with a sound understanding of the legal basis of what we are calling to, as well as a sound understanding of the manners that befit our message.

As we grow up, especially here in America, it seems as if we develop a sense of independence and self-reliance. We like to do things for ourselves – we enjoy setting our own schedules and determining what the most appropriate thing to do is. We are often disenchanted with authority and restrictions; this can lead to tension during those hormone-driven teen years.

It hit me just now that it is not my parents who lose in our relationship when I leave, but me. It is simply amazing and unfortunate that we are often so blind as humans that we underestimate and overlook the blessings in our lives until we lose them or are about to lose them.

As I prepare to move out of my house for the last time, I cannot help but feel an empty void. My parents have always been there for me in the worst of times and best of times. Sure there might have been those communication mishaps where care and love leads to frustration and anger, but in reality those were only small bumps and potholes along the road. Compared to the many times my dad and I “fixed” things around the house together or chatted endlessly on world affairs, or the times my mom and I prepared meals together or discussed social affairs, those strained moments seem like simply nothing. In fact, looking back, one can really see that any difficult times were founded in deep care for one another.

“And your Lord decreed that you should worship none but Him and that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both attain old age in your life, then do not say to them ‘uff‘ (a word of disrespect), nor shout at them, rather address them in terms of honor. And lower for them the wing of submission and humility through mercy. And say, ‘My Lord! Grant them Your mercy as they brought me up when I was small.” (Qur’an, 17:23-24)

This is just a reminder to my fellow brethren (especially the younger ones) to kick it with your parents. Find all the small things that make your parents happy and just do them! Buy your mom flowers (even if it’s just once!) and do something for your dad that he really appreciates. Why? Simply to make your parents happy. When we go out of our way to make our parents happy we are obeying Allah in being dutiful to our parents and we get a glimpse at what their lives have been like; it allows us to appreciate all that they have done for us. Every stage in life has a sweetness to it, and without a doubt one of the sweetest things is being with and learning from your parents. Do not miss out!

To my parents: jazakum Allahu kulli khayran (may Allah reward you with good), may Allah `azza wa jal (the Mighty and Majestic) reward you both because I cannot come close to repaying you. I love you.