by Sabeen Mansoori

The light is red. It seems to have been red for an eternity. The minutes tick slowly forward as the heat of the sun mercilessly beats down. Is it broken? You are so late! Not a single vehicle is passing through the intersection. It seems to be red for everyone. The empty intersection shimmers like a mirage before your eyes. Surely it must be malfunctioning. The person in the car next to you mouths a curse and as if on a cue you complain, “It’s never going to turn green.” The instant the words leave your lips, as if by magic, the light turns green and you are free to go.

How many times do we try our best not to complain but the circumstances seem truly impossible and whining just seems the natural, acceptable thing to do? We rarely question these slips of the tongue, especially because everyone around us is doing the same. But these sighs, eye rolls and snippets of ingratitude chip away at our iman (faith). They are a subtle form of arrogance. The thought process behind the complaints is that I am so special that all lights should turn green as I approach. The carefully crafted car commercials are a true indicator of what our hearts desire. In the commercials there are rarely any stop lights.  The cars zoom by or climb to heights that no mortal can actually drive to; leaving all the ordinary people in the dust. Confetti falls and flags wave in the breeze as music blares in the background.

This message of hedonistic self-fulfillment is the greatest trap of Shaytan (Satan). When he promised Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (may He be glorified and exalted) that he would take us down with him to hellfire his strategy was already set. He did not ask for a few years to operate. He asked for our entire testing period.

“(Satan) said, “Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.”  (Qur’an, 7:14)

What worked for him would work for humans, since we are mere mortals crafted from clay. If he could make us arrogant and ungrateful, than the descent to moral depravity and the fall from the favor of Allah (swt) would be simple. There are those, however, who escaped from his devious designs and made it safely through this life and were guaranteed Paradise. Most eminent among them was the second Khalifah `Umar bin Khattab radi Allahu `anhu (may Allah be pleased with him).

The Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “O Ibn Al-Khattab! By Him in Whose Hands my life is! Never does Satan find you going on a way, but he takes another way other than yours,” (Sahih Bukhari). Subhan’Allah—glory be to God—the life of Umar (ra) is an amazing story of the love of Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ. That love is stamped forever on the pages of history through his success in this world and in the Hereafter. But why did Shaytan consider him a hopeless case? Why was the Shaytan, who whispers to us day and night, afraid to even go near `Umar?

`Umar (ra) was a source of strength for the Muslims from the day he accepted Islam to the day he returned to his Lord.  Verses of the Qur’an were revealed that agreed with his opinion. During his ten years as the khalifah (caliph) the Muslim state grew to an unprecedented degree as the empires of Persia and Rome toppled. `Umar (ra) had much to be proud of, but he never let arrogance taint and destroy any of his deeds. He led a simple, humble life and even at the moment of death asked his son to put his face on the ground.

If we look into his achievements as a sahabi (companion) and as a khalifah and then we read his words his greatness becomes apparent. From `Amir ibn Rabi`a: “I saw `Umar pick up a straw from the ground and say, “Would that I were this straw! Would that I were nothing! Would that my mother never bore me!”

He walked the streets of his city for fear that Allah (swt) would hold him to account. From Dawud ibn `Ali: “If a sheep dies on the shore of the Euphrates I fear lest Allah ask me to account for it on the Day of Resurrection.”

Once `Umar (ra) called people to the Masjid and when they all assembled, `Umar stood on the pulpit and said, “I had some aunts and I would take their goats or sheep to this valley and I would come back at the end of the day and they would give me a handful of dates or raisins and I would have a miserable day.” Then he came down from the pulpit. Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf (ra) said, “You haven’t done more than belittle yourself.” `Umar (ra) replied, “Woe to you son of ‘Awf! My nafs [lower self] was telling me that you are Ameer ul-Mu’mineen so who is better than you? So I wanted to teach myself a lesson and let it know who it is.”

How could Shaytan influence his nafs when he never let it stray for a moment? He reined in his ego before it had a chance to become inflated. It is reported that `Umar ibn al Khattâb (ra) said: “Bring yourselves to account before you are brought to account, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed,” (At-Tirmidhî).

It would have been so easy for `Umar (ra) to let his achievements instill in him a sense of false pride but he always considered himself nothing but a slave of Allah (swt). Presidents and kings rule for a few years and have memorials and statues built in their honor and books written eulogizing on their greatness. They write memoirs listing and elaborating on their terms in office. `Umar (ra) who was assassinated while in salah (prayer) was worried about completing his salah even as the blood poured out of his body! He was irritated with Ibn Abbas (ra) because while trying to comfort him Ibn Abbas (ra) used words of praise. `Umar (ra), whose example we can only read about and tremble at his greatness, was with his last breaths anxious about being saved from the fire:

“When `Umar was stabbed, he showed signs of agony. Ibn `Abbas, as if intending to encourage `Umar, said to him, ‘O Chief of the believers! Never mind what has happened to you, for you have been in the company of Allah’s Apostle and you kept good relations with him and you parted with him while he was pleased with you. Then you were in the company of Abu Bakr and kept good relations with him and you parted with him (i.e. he died) while he was pleased with you. Then you were in the company of the Muslims, and you kept good relations with them, and if you leave them, you will leave them while they are pleased with you.’ `Umar said, (to Ibn “Abbas), ‘As for what you have said about the company of Allah’s Apostle and his being pleased with me, it is a favor Allah did to me; and as for what you have said about the company of Abu Bakr and his being pleased with me, it is a favor Allah did to me; and concerning my impatience which you see, is because of you and your companions. By Allah! If (at all) I had gold equal to the earth, I would have ransomed myself with it from the Punishment of Allah before I meet Him,’” (Sahih Bukhari).

Shaytan was smart enough to realize early on that it would be useless to waste time trying to deceive `Umar (ra). Shaytan’s time is much better spent riding with us. Ibn Qayyim described Shaytan as patient. He can wait for years till his whispers convince someone to boast about an act of goodness they had done. Sadly for many of us he only has to wait a few seconds before we utter some words of arrogant impatience.

The reality is that we can only pay lip-service to the greatness of `Umar (ra). There is little chance that we will adopt his ascetic lifestyle and attain the high stature of humility that he achieved.  One small step that it is possible for us to take is to eliminate the whining from our lives and become content with what Allah (swt) has blessed us with. This could be as simple as accepting the seemingly interminable thirty seconds at the light, or the greater challenges that we face in our relationships, finances and health. We cannot convince Shaytan to take another street but we can gradually nurture our level of patience so that we make his journey as miserable as possible. If Allah (swt) wills, the light will still turn green and opportunities to do good will open up before our eyes.

We often  go out seeking guidance and get ahead of ourselves—perhaps by turning to the wrong people or by giving ourselves too much credit. We may gather knowledge to simply acquire it. We may skip the basics because we ‘already know all about it’ and busy ourselves with superogatory acts while the fard acts, that we must fulfill, fall short. We may live life seeking the ‘high’ that we feel when we are proud of ourselves for worshipping Him or working in His cause, rather than worshiping Allah (swt) for His sake. We build our lives on a faulty foundation—a foundation that is bound to crack and send all that was built on top of it crashing down. It is at times like these that Allah (swt) allows us to be broken. He allows us to loose grip with everything we ever felt we knew, so that we can turn to Him in the correct manner. And once we turn to Him, He then grants us the opportunity to build a foundation that is stronger than anything we ever had; and on that strong base, we then proceed to build our faith in Him and fulfill our life’s calling. Even though the position we find ourselves in after the break may not seem as high and as great as it was before, in reality  it is firmly rooted and perhaps even more genuine than we could have imagined.

While the break for different individuals can and is quite different, one thing is consistent: darkness. It is during this struggle of regaining ground after being broken that things become quite dark and hard to comprehend. It may feel that each step we take towards Him doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere—that between us and the light is a tall brick wall and we are left banging our head on it out of despair—reaping nothing but loud noise and a bruises to prove our weakness.  It’s at times like these that we are at the lowest point. As Shaytan (satan) sees this, he will not hesitate to begin his whispers and his tricks on us. It is at this time that we should try to be conscious of where our thoughts and feelings are coming from, and flee to Him for refuge from them. Remember that Shaytan is our enemy. If we let him take over our life, we have let him win. His weapon is to make us despair, but we have been equipped with an even stronger weapon: du`a (prayer).

Whilst seeking advice, I was once gifted a gem that sums up the plight of Shaytan and the method of combat which should be employed when dealing with him:

The word ‘Iblis’ has its [origin] in ‘balasa’ which is to despair. He is the one who makes you despair, and he himself is in despair, because he knows his own time is short. When you overcome your despair, you have overcome Shaytan and dealt him a serious blow – this is the best way to war with Shaytan. To have hope. Allah (swt) is hope. Shaytan is despair.

We should never allow ourselves to submit to our oppressor if we can fight back; and with the aid of Allah (swt) we can always fight back against Shaytan and attain success. Remember that Allah’s rahma has superseded His wrath and that He is more merciful to His servant than a mother is to her child. It was said that Prophet Dawud (ra) asked Allah (swt), “Where can I find You?” Allah (swt) responded, “You will find me at those whose hearts are broken and humbled for me.” We should take joy in this. Take joy in the fact that despite our wrong doings, our wrong judgments, and our broken hearts, Allah (swt) is with us and constantly watching over us. The poet, Rumi, has a beautiful line of poetry which reflects the benefits of the break. He says:

“Don’t turn your head. Keep looking at the bandaged wound. That’s where the light enters you. And don’t believe for a moment that you’re healing yourself. ”

Turn to Him. Raise your hands and ask Him. And when the tears begin to fall, don’t stop them. Let them fall for His sake and know for a fact that He would never do except that which is best for you, and He is the All-Knowing. Know that out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls and that the most massive characters are seared with scars.

“Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart, and learn to love the questions themselves.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

Check it out: we all mess up, subhan’Allah (Glory be to Allah). Adam (may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala send His peace upon him) was told by Allah Himself not to go near the tree:

“And O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.” (Qur’an, 7:19)

And yet Adam (`alayhis salam) still fell. Adam was not commanded by a parent, a boss, or a spouse; it was Allah Who gave this order to Adam (peace be upon him) directly. And yet Adam still ‘messed up’. So what about you and I?

Look, we all sin and we all massively fall; we feel a tremendous decrease in our iman, an enormous distance in our once-close relationship with Allah, and we begin to find ourselves slipping away from the sweet connection we once had with Allah in a downward spiral which seemingly has no way up. However, let us not despair! There is major hope!

Allah, the Most High, has told us in a Hadith Qudsi:

“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind.  O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.”

Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest)!

We have a Lord Who loves for us to turn back to Him when we keep making mistakes! Our mistakes are opportunities for us to turn back, revamp and ignite our relationship with Allah ‘azza wa jal!

Here’s an idea: let’s stop dwelling on the fact that we feel lightyears away from Allah. Let’s stop lamenting the sins we keep accumulating and the time we keep wasting and the mistakes we keep making. Instead let’s just snap out of it and turn to Allah right now! Let’s say:

Allahumma anta rabbee la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtanee wa-ana AAabduk, wa-ana AAala AAahdika wawaAAdika mas-tataAAt, aAAoothu bika min sharri ma sanaAAt, aboo-o laka biniAAmatika AAalay, wa-aboo-o bithanbee, faghfir lee fa-innahu la yaghfiruth-thunooba illa ant.

‘O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am Your servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You.’

Do you know what the reward is for saying this supplication? The Prophet ﷺ has told us that, “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it and dies before the morning he will be from the people of Paradise.”

Allahu Akbar. Let’s just move forward!

Once we have realized and regretted our mistake[s] and have asked for the forgiveness of Allah ‘azza wa jall, let us overload on good deeds to wipe out the bad deeds, insha’Allah. Below are just a few easy-to-do actions which insha’Allah will fill our scales with an enormous amount of brownie points:

• Ask Allah to forgive your brothers and sisters: “Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing woman, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.” [at-Tabarani, classed as hasan by al-Albani]
• Du`a’: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever says subhanAllah wa bi hamdih (praise and glory be to Allah) 100 times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam on the sea.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
• Dhikr: If a person says “SubhanAllah” (glory be to Allah) 100 times, a thousand good deeds are recorded for him and a thousand bad deeds are wiped away. [Muslim]
• Remember Allah when you go shopping: “Whoever enters a market and says: ‘Laa ilaha illallah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu yuhyi wa yumeetu wa huwa hayyun laa yamoot, bi yadihil khair, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shayin qadeer’. [There is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, to Him belongs dominion and praise, He causes life and death and He is the Living and does not die. In His Hand is all the good, and He is over all things competent]. Allah will write for him/her a million good deeds and erase a million bad deeds and raise him a million levels. [at-Tirmidhi, classed as hasan by al-Albani]
• Make the following du`a’ after eating: Alhamdullilahelathi ataamani hatha, wa razaqnihi, min ghayre hawlin minny wa la quwah. All praise is for Allah, who fed me this and provided it for me without any might or power from myself. From the benefits of this dua: The person’s past sins will be forgiven [Tirmithi and Ibn Majah]

Finally, let us always think the best thoughts of Allah!

Allah Most High tells us in a hadith Qudsi, “I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” Let us have certainty that Allah will forgive us if we are sincere, and let us know that when we take steps towards Allah, Allah will come to us and bring us close to Him.

As Imam Suhaib once reminded us, “You might be far from Allah, but, He is close to you! Turn to Him and you will find Him.”