To Those with Time,

You may be not used to this. Always being so busy with work and responsibilities, suddenly you find yourself with a lot of time, as a result of working from home or even not having work during this period.

This might be a stressful time. A confusing time. And it is easy to distract yourself completely with the abundance of social media apps.

Or perhaps, in some way, it is an opportunity. While the pandemic is affecting people differently, you find yourself suddenly having to contend with solitude. You are healthy, thank God, relatively youthful, and with more free time. The Prophet ﷺ reminds us to:

“Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.” (Sahih)

It is important to take care our mental and emotional health, of course, and part of it can be through different activities, keeping in contact with loved ones, or learning something new. Another even more important priority is strengthening our relationship with God. The Prophet ﷺ said,  “Those in seclusion have raced ahead.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, who are those in seclusion?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “They are men and women who remember Allah often.”

In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said, “They are those absorbed in the remembrance of Allah.” (Muslim)

While this time carries different meanings for different people, perhaps for you in particular, Allah subhanahu wa ta`la (exalted is He) wanted to give you the time you needed to come back to Him. Perhaps you got so distracted with life that you rushed your prayers, were not able to read the Qur’an, and found it hard to wake up for the night prayer or even fajr (the dawn prayer). There was no time for solitude or reflection.

This period might be difficult, but nothing lasts forever. The Qur’an tells us that in numerous places, and we see its proof all around us. We are put in different situations and adapt our faith to what is best at the time. And now is the time to build or re-build that relationship with Allah (swt). Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī said: “Choose solitude over people, for they distract you from worshipping Allah.” Many of us do not choose solitude, at least not for the purpose of connecting to God, and this is a time when we have been given solitude. Ibn Ataillah said, “Nothing serves the heart better than a reclusion (ʿuzla) through which it enters the fray of thought.”

Thus, this is a time to reflect on life, priority and purpose. Allah (swt) tells us,

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Qur’an, 51:56)

We know that the Prophet ﷺ would go to the Cave of Hira to reflect before he received the first revelation. Many righteous people would apportion time for seclusion and reflection. Ahmad Al-Shuqairi wrote a book of forty lessons and reflections on life during a forty-day seclusion exercise, but he recommends that people take out some time every day or every week to be alone with Allah. It may be for a set period during their day, or a few days every so often. These are some things that those of us with extra time can do:

1- Recite Qur’an every morning: “O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.” (Qur’an, 10:57) Particularly with Ramadan coming up, this is an especially good time to reconnect with the Qur’an.

2- Pray and/or reflect in the evening, talking to Allah (swt): God describes the people of understanding as those, “who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Qur’an, 3:191) This is an amazing time to establish this practice of reflecting and talking to Allah (swt).

3- Work on your daily prayers: Many of us are guilty of rushing prayers and being unable to truly connect with Allah (swt). This is the time to focus and take each prayer slowly. The Salah series was written for this purpose, and can be found here.

4- Learn: The Prophet ﷺ said, “If anyone pursues a path in search of knowledge, Allah will thenby make easy for him a path to paradise.” (Abu Dawud) Many Islamic institutes have online courses and classes, and there are plenty of beneficial lectures online (this recent one is my favorite). You can also catch up with reading.

5- Limit distractions, but let yourself rest: We all need to take care of our emotional and mental well-being, so we should do what is best for us. We do not need to necessarily cut off social media apps, but ensure that our time is not dominated by them. We can have time for Instagram without going overboard. The Prophet ﷺ said, “time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to the hereafter)” (Muslim)

6- Set a time for the daily morning/afternoon remembrances, and understand their meanings: Ibn al-Qayyim stated, “In the heart there is hardness which can only be softened by remembrance of Allah. So the slave must treat the hardness of his heart with the remembrance of Allah.”

7- Set a time for seeking forgiveness: The Prophet ﷺ told us: “The one who (regularly) seeks forgiveness, Allah will relieve him of every burden, and make from every discomfort an outlet, and He will provide for him from (sources) he never could imagine.” (Abu Dawud)

These are some of the things that we can do if we find that we have time. Of course, we may also be dealing with other things, and we will discuss them in another letter insha’Allah (God willing). But if we find ourselves with an abundance of time, we can start by returning to Allah (swt).

Yours sincerely,
Someone with (a little more) time

By Shaykh Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi

www.CambridgeIslamicCollege.org

This Ramadan I had the good fortune to be able to do the retreat in the last 10 days of the month. Throughout those days I recited the Qur’an and reflected on it and many things came to my mind fresh. For example, I read that God will reward a good deed 10 times over or more than that. As for a bad deed, there is only a single punishment the equivalent of that deed. But then when I read more closely, I noticed that God has said that with that punishment there is humiliation (ذلة). At once I understood why there is no need for God to punish a bad deed with more than its equivalent — the sinner is punished in the conscience of his failure to have avoided that bad deed and done some good instead. I also understood afresh the reality that this Qur’an is indeed the word of the One who created man’s nature, who knows the inside and the outside of it, who knows the good it can do and enables that good, and who teaches and guides us on the straight path. There is no sin that does not become a means of good through repentance and seeking forgiveness. And God is ever ready to forgive. In retrospect therefore, but only in retrospect, a sin is itself a good thing if and when, but only if and when, it leads to the virtue of repentance. The Creator is the all-Merciful, and His guidance through the Qur’an and through the teaching of His Messenger is a mercy also.

That being the case, when we turn to the Qur’an and to the teaching of God’s Messenger, we should do so confident that the guidance we find therein is sufficient for us to live our lives in the way that produces good for ourselves and for our communities, here and now, and over the long term, meaning in what we leave behind for the next generations and what we carry forward to the judgment in the hereafter. The Qur’an and the teaching of God’s Messenger are not obstacles, they are not hindrances that we must use our clever wits to find a way around. Our clever wits and our energies are not to be used for that sort of “interpretation.” The Qur’an and Sunnah (prophetic traditions) are not burdens that we must strive to throw off, or to lighten in ways that are not already envisaged in the Qur’an and Sunnah (prophetic traditions). In the Qur’an and the teaching of God’s Messenger taken together there are both the general principles and the practical example we need to take good decisions in how we train our consciences and order our affairs. In other religious communities — to a limited extent also among the Shi`a (sect of Muslims) — the believers take to producing images and icons of their first-teacher as a way of focusing respect and reverence. In the mainstream Islamic tradition however, that energy was devoted, instead of building statues or painting icons, into collecting and transmitting a detailed record of what God’s Messenger said and did, what he approved and disapproved. The result of that effort is the great body of prophetic traditions which are the basis of the norms and rules that guide the life of the Muslim individual and the community. In my work on the women scholars of Islam, I have tried to record their dedication as students and teachers in preserving and transmitting that body of traditions. I have found that there is no difference in the degree of obligation, as between men and women, to study and teach that guidance. I have found that there is no difference in the degree of authority that men or women have as teachers of that guidance. I have found that there are very few if any limitations, either in principle or in practice, that distinguish between what men can do in the service of Islam and what women can do in the same service.

The Diploma in History of Female Scholarship in Islam has already begun but people can still sign up for the course. Recordings will be provided for all previously missed session. For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.cambridgeislamiccollege.org/course/diploma-in-history-of-female-islamic-scholarship

It is true of every human institution that, over time, the reasons for the founding of that institution, and the energy that went into it, become obscured and weakened in many respects. This has certainly been true of the institutions related to the teaching of Islam. That is why the greatest of Islamic scholars have always emphasized, again and again, over and over, that we must check all derived judgments by reference to the sources. ‘By the sources’ is meant the textual sources of the Qur’an and the prophetic traditions, and to a lesser extent the historical record of the practice of the earliest generations of the Muslim community. Let me give you an example of what happens when, instead of checking with reference to the sources, we simply adhere to rules or habits we have inherited. During my retreat in Ramadan, which I did in my local mosque, sometimes men would come over to me and ask questions. One of the things I was asked was whether it was permissible for women to enter into retreat in a mosque. People became very disturbed, even annoyed, when I said that it was permissible. Some people insisted that it was not. Of course, that was not the time and place to get into an argument with anyone, and so I excused myself and asked to be permitted to return to my silence. However, there are very clear and authenticated traditions from `A’ishah, radiAllahu `anha (may God be pleased with her), and other Companions that confirm that, during the lifetime of God’s Messenger, women were not prevented from entering into retreat in the mosque. So, you see the importance and the necessity of turning to the sources, and therefore the importance and the necessity of preserving, transmitting and referring to the traditions of God’s Messenger.

The differences that there are, and perhaps there will always be, among Muslims can only be resolved in a peaceful way if, as the Qur’an itself clearly commands, we allow the issue in hand to be resolved by the arbitration of God’s Messenger and, in addition to that, we accept that arbitration without rancour, without resentment.

Now, in the time and place that we are living in, it sounds very agreeable to the dominant culture that Muslim women are allowed to do something that Muslim men are allowed to do. Okay. But what then, when the same body of prophetic traditions teaches us, with the same clarity, and the same certainty, that there are some things that men are allowed to do but women are not, and vice versa? That is when as Muslims we find out whether what we are striving to do is our own will, or God’s will. That is when we discover whether we truly believe that the judgment of God’s Messenger is better than our judgment. As a Muslim I believe, and as a scholar it is my duty to teach and explain, that the merciful Creator of mankind, of women as well as men, knows what is most appropriate for the well-being of mankind, of women as well as men. God sees the well-being of mankind from his absolute and universal perspective, so this human well-being encompasses not the momentary happiness of particular individuals but the well-being of their relationships with other people near them and far from them, with other people in their own time and in the future, with the rest of the natural world in their immediate and their future environment, and above all in their relationship with their Creator. So it is the case that when men (or women) settle on norms and rules and habits that are not soundly based on the guidance of God and His Messenger, for example by developing restrictions on what women can learn and what activities they can pursue, the natural potential of individuals and societies is damaged. But so also it is the case that when men (or women) say that they will just live the way that seems pleasant and right to them, with no regard whatever for any religious tradition, then also, alongside what seems pleasant and right, there will be profound and long-lasting damage to the natural potential of both individuals and societies. And I do not know, except in the hope of God’s mercy, how then we can recover from the social or environmental breakdowns that our lifestyles provoke, or how much harder it will then become even to see, let alone follow, the straight path to God’s forgiveness.

The great Muslim women that I have written about in the Muhaddithat were Muslims before and above anything else. I neither find it agreeable nor useful to think of them as a sort of feminists, engaged in some kind of social or political battle to win their rights against the abuse of those rights by men. Such abuses exist; injustices against women exist; they are a real fact of life in Muslim societies as in others, perhaps more so. And no doubt the battle for rights, for justice, must be engaged. But my work has not been, and is not, about that battle. It is primary a historical study of the role and authority of women in the Islamic tradition. This authority was shared with men, even if in terms of numbers, men dominated the field.

Mohammad Akram Nadwi

Cambridge Islamic College

We often judge yoga, mindfulness, and meditation as being “new age” or “hippy”, without really trying to understand the benefits such exercises can have on our practice of Islam, if practiced within the boundaries of Shari`ah (Islamic law). In fact, such concepts are firmly rooted in our religion. Prayer itself is a form of meditation if performed correctly, and the more one studies mindfulness, the more one is reminded of the character of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him).

Prominent Australian Muslim teachers, such as the founder of Benevolence Australia, Sister Saara Sabbagh, have also been moving towards teaching mindfulness in Islam. Furthermore, one of the courses about Prophetic Medicine by Sheikh Nuh focuses on the importance of Kundalini Yoga and Chi Kung in order to strengthen the connection between ourselves and Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He).

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is defined by therapist and writer Dr. Russ Harris as a “mental state of awareness, focus and openness – which allows you to engage fully in what you are doing at any moment.”

One only needs to look at the example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as someone who was always engaged in the present moment. He gave everyone he spoke to his full attention. Furthermore, it is reported by the sahaba (companions of the Prophet ﷺ) that when the Prophet ﷺ prayed tahajjud, he would recite Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Ali `Imran and Surah An Nisa’ in a deliberate and slow manner. One can only imagine how long he would spend with Allah (swt) in prayer. It is reported that his feet would swell and crack. He was so connected to Allah (swt) that he would lose track of time. It is no wonder that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called prayer the coolness of his eyes.

How is Mindfulness related to Inner Jihad?

Dr Russ Harris further explains mindfulness by stating that “in a state of mindfulness, difficult thoughts and feelings have much less impact and influence over you”.

The process of spiritual jihad (struggle/striving in the way of God) consists of becoming aware of our nafs (soul), and acting in the way which is most aligned with our values despite temptations and inner desires. Islam teaches us a number of values—compassion, justice, fairness, contribution to society, equality, generosity, honesty, respect, courage, self-discipline, and the list goes on. One only needs to look at the way the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ conducted his life to see an embodiment of all these values.

The whispers of the nafs are referred to in the Qur’an in Surah Qaf, Verse 16: And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.

Think of the last time someone said something to really push your buttons; your instinctive reaction was most likely to get offended, take it personally, to shout at them or argue with them. However, if your values are to have peace and serenity (sakinah: سكينة‎), patience (ṣabr: صبر‎) and compassion (raḥma: رحمة ), you can be mindful of your instinctive reactions, and engage in a spiritual jihad by acting against those instincts, and addressing the person in front of you in a calm yet assertive manner. We cannot control what is happening around us. All we have control over are our own reactions. It is also our actions, and not our thoughts, for which we will be judged when we stand before Allah (swt) on Judgment Day.

The importance of acting in accordance with our values despite our nafs is clearly noted in Verse 34 of Surah Fussilat: And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.

People engaging in mindfulness are able to deal with difficult situations without becoming argumentative, defensive or hostile. Instead, they meet difficult situations with a relaxed, comfortable, non-defensive attitude and are able to even throw in a bit of light humour. They are comfortable with criticism thrown their way because they are self-assured and self-confident. One only needs to study the seerah (life of the Prophet) to understand how the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ embodied such an attitude.

Mindfulness is a way in which we can become more aware of ourselves, our thoughts and our feelings, and act in a way which is in accordance with Islam despite our nafs and desires. Furthermore, the concentration encouraged by yoga and meditation can be incorporated into our daily salat to make our prayer the coolness of our eyes, as opposed to a burdensome obligation which we rush through without connecting with Allah (swt).

I pray that Allah (swt) bless us all with sakinah in our hearts.

For more information about mindfulness, see: http://www.actmindfully.com.au and https://www.headspace.com/.

________________________

Maria Bhatti is an Australian Muslim. She is a lawyer currently doing her Ph.D. on the intersection between Islamic law and International Commercial Law.

“It’s taking a long time to get to jannah” was our five-year-old daughter’s refrain over the past year. During this time, she had been exposed to the terms “jannah” (heaven), “`umrah” (the minor pilgrimage in Islam) and ‘Mecca’, among others, and had learned about many of the rituals of her faith, including the noble acts of Prophet Ibrahim ‘alayhi as-salam (peace be upon him). ((Umrah is considered Islam’s lesser pilgrimage, which involves: donning the ihram (sacred state with requisite clothing into which a Muslim must enter to perform hajj or `umrah) with its restrictions, tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah), drinking zamzam (holy water), praying at Maqam Ibrahim (the station of Prophet Ibrahim), sa`i (running from Mount Safa to Mount Marwa to commemorate Hajar’s struggle), and hair shaving for men and hair cutting for women. `Umrah, which may be completed in a couple of hours, stands in contrast to Hajj, the greater pilgrimage, for which the rituals are longer, taking place over the course of 5-6 days. Note, however, that two of the forms of hajj involve the rites of `umrah as well. Situated in Mecca, the Ka`bah was built originally by Prophet Ibrahim (`alayhi as-salam) believed by Muslims to have been visited by many other prophets and the direction (qibla) toward which all Muslims orient their prayer. The Ka`bah is the geographic center of Islam and the physical representation of the house of God.)) At first I thought that she had inadvertently interchanged “jannah” and “`umrah”/“Mecca” especially since many of her classmates had recently performed `umrah, and travelled to Mecca. Later, though, especially after her elder brother and I had described the differences and she persisted with “jannah”, I came to the conclusion that she may actually mean what she said, and that it was taking a long time to get to heaven.

There are many ways to perceive hajj, the major pilgrimage. One such lens is that it also takes a long time to get there: the time to arrive at the destination in Saudi Arabia, perform the rites, and then to fully appreciate them. One may make the intention, sign up with a hajj tour company, buy a ticket, obtain a visa, receive the requisite vaccinations, prepare one’s bags, seek forgiveness from family and friends and draw up one’s will (among the standard preparatory steps), but actually arriving there and experiencing hajj seems to happen in an entirely different span of time. We returned home 48 hours ago from hajj, but I would argue that we are still experiencing the journey, and God willing, will continue to do so throughout our lives. We pray that our hajj is accepted by God (hajj mabroor) and that the experience and underlying lessons of hajj are unending.

The lessons and observations are multi-fold. Among the greatest for me has been the constant pull between the collective and the individual. The pinnacle of hajj is the day of Arafat, when we stand on a desert plane between Dhuhr (noon) and Maghrib (sunset), following the example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him), seeking forgiveness and to know God. Yet this intimate exchange happens amidst millions. We are shoulder to shoulder with those we may know and those completely unfamiliar to us. We can hear the supplications of others, see their tears, witness their joy, and yet our own experience remains intimate and singular, as though we each have a direct, dedicated line. Awareness of the millions does not diminish our experience; rather, I would argue it actually heightens the awe we experience, as we come to understand that the very God we call upon is hearing the prayers of the millions in our midst as well as those afar.

This interplay between the collective and the individual unfolds throughout the rites of hajj, including during tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah), when rather than standing, as on Arafat, we are moving with millions at our side, all in perpetual prayer, as we orbit the Ka`bah. At times, movement is impeded because of the crowds. We may even move backward. It is here that patience, along with trust in God, emerges as the most essential ingredients. Eventually the crowd releases and the seven units of circumambulation are completed.

It is not just the sheer number of people, but also the diversity that is stunning. In the largest annual ritual on earth (estimated at 2.1 million participants), people have come from every corner of the world to participate. As the crowd advances, I am pushed up against brothers and sisters in faith from West Africa, the Baltic states, South East Asia and South America. Initially, I try to discern country origin, but then I stop seeing the borders, and focus instead on the common thread of humanity. It is this diversity cum unity that finally prompted Malcolm X to discard racism in 1964 during his hajj and continues to challenge every form of racism today. ((See The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1987).)) Each worshiper is sacred in this act of collective and individual devotion. No man, no woman, no child has a status greater than another, each judged individually by piety alone (Qur’an 49:13).

A similar effect may be felt during the stoning of the jamarat (walls), where the crowds amass around one pillar, pelt it with small pebbles and then move on to the next (of three). Although intended to be a symbolic act of stoning the devil, here there has always been the possibility for the collective act to actually overwhelm the individual, more so than in any other hajj ritual. Over the years accidents, sometimes fatal, have occurred as overzealous pilgrims rush to the pillars with their pebbles. Fortunately, increased awareness, supervision and infrastructure improvements have nearly put an end to all accidents. Thus, amidst the millions, one has a singular, unique experience, reaffirming faith in the good, in God, and in rejecting that which is evil. That dedicated, direct line, as felt on Arafat, remains open.

Aside from the critical lessons in forbearance and perils of jamarat, there remain social and environmental challenges to hajj that cannot be overlooked. This perhaps may be for me the second greatest lesson and observation of hajj. There are countless people on hajj who after performing each of these rituals went back to sleep on the streets, while others enjoy five star amenities. Food wastage for some is rampant, while others pick up scraps from the ground. Environmental degradation is at its peak, with trash discarded everywhere, during a time when the laws of ihram taught that nothing should be damaged or hurt. Hence there is a constant struggle between spiritual highs and social and environmental lows.

We will each be judged by our piety, but in not only the largest but also one of the most profound series of religious rituals in the world, impiety abounded. It is important that this second lesson/observation not be interpreted as a complaint per se, but a sincere concern for the plight of those less fortunate and the natural environment. Efforts are underway, from uniform box lunches to provision of universal tents for all, but I would argue that it is incumbent on each hajji (pilgrim) according to his/her capacity to serve as an ambassador and to do more to ease the social and environmental suffering which is so widespread during the days of hajj. As one sheikh instructed though, our impact in Mecca may be limited. The real value of this second lesson is in returning to our communities and ensuring we are relevant, engaged custodians there. ((The author is indebted to the insights of Sheikh Omar Suleiman and Brother Munir Elkassem. ))

A third and final lesson and observation from hajj relates to the journey itself. For two and a half weeks, we do not stop moving: first Medina, then Mecca, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, back to Mina and Aziziyya. The minute we acclimate to a time or place, we are on the move again. Bags are constantly being shifted and downsized, as each subsequent part of the trip allows less luggage. At times, we are permitted to bring almost nothing, relying on faith alone to get us through a passage.

We live under the impression that our homes are permanent, but what hajj helped clarify is that nothing is permanent and that the journey is perpetual. Hajj is in fact in many respects like life accelerated, in which we meet our Maker on the day of Arafat, dying a spiritual death before our physical death, with the hope that we will be reborn in peace, harmony, and free of sin, with a true orientation toward faith and piety. Our tawaf is our physical and spiritual reorienting, putting God at the center of that journey.

So what next? How do you return home with these lessons and observations and make them meaningful? As indicated at the outset, I am 48 hours into that experience, home now with a cold, like many hujjaj (pl. hajji). There are action plans related to daily devotions which hopefully will be incorporated, but on another level, there is a much greater awareness of the collective humanity to which we are connected, and the imperative to share our resources with that collective. No man, woman or child is ever an island, as seen time and again on the hajj. As returning hujjaj we are in fact called to serve and to continue to live following the footsteps of the prophets. And that call to serve is intimately connected to our tawaf: namely putting God at the center of our lives. I pray that our hearts remain pure, open and connected, and the hajj dwells eternally within us. It may take a long time to get to jannah, but the journey continues, God willing, always, in that direction.

Photo: Aphrodite

Da`wah Reflection Series: Part I | Part II

In the name of Allah, the All Hearing, the All Knowing

In 2012, Dr. Ihsan Baghby republished the 2011 report The American Mosque ((Retrieved (2014) from: http://faithcommunitiestoday.org/sites/faithcommunitiestoday.org/files/The%20American%20Mosque%202011%20web.pdf)) . In that research piece which seeks to map the growth, tendencies and leadership structure of the American Muslim community, there are a number of points to which I will call your attention as the subject of this da`wah (invitation to faith) reflection.

• Mosques are under-staffed. Only 44% of all imams (Muslim religious leaders) are full-time and paid. Half of all mosques have no full-time staff. Program staff such as youth directors and outreach directors account for only 5% of all full-time staff.
• Mosques are under-financed. While mosque attendance is higher than that of other American religious congregations, mosque budgets are less than half the budgets of other congregations. The median income for mosques is $70,000, whereas the median income of all congregations is $150,000.
• The role of the imam in the mosque is evolving. In 26% of all mosques, the imam is not considered the leader, in 55% of mosques the imam is considered the leader, and 19% of mosques do not have an imam. This is a significant change from 2000, when in 40% of mosques the imam was not considered the leader, and in 41% of mosques the imam was considered the leader.

Key Points:

We can gather a number of important themes from the report as quoted above.

1. The roles of the imam and the mosque are evolving.
2. The mosque for the most part is understaffed and underfunded.
3. The Muslim community lacks in effective, qualified leadership.

Reflection:

Dr. Baghby’s research has chronicled major trajectories that draw our attention to the manner in which the Muslim community has grown in the US. Coupling the report with grass root experience, we gain new insights into the form and shape the community is taking. Much of the Muslim community has grown without solid leadership and with few resources for understanding of Islam. Of interest is the reality that most communities do not have a spiritual-religious guide (for lack of a better term).

The role of the imam is diminished in the overall community and increasingly, the mosque resembles a religious center more than a Prophetic institution. The days of the “strong-man” grass roots imam that was the hallmark of the Muslim African-American community have faded, and in many places they are a thing of the past. Today many communities are instead governed by the “strong board” composed of professionals with little to no Islamic training. And let us face the reality that many of our institutions are locked in a political grind that is not very productive. Couple that scene with the lack of collaborative, visionary leadership on the da’wah scene, and then we are ready to ask a series of questions.

Before moving forward I want to add a few more layers to the scenario being built here. Along with an evolving mosque lacking in funding and leadership and a da’wah platform lacking in collaborative, visionary leadership, we find our youth struggling to make sense of the world around them. A growing professional community left to itself, sincere but lacking roots in Islamic learning, and a cry for reform in the way we interpret Islam in regards to women, society, culture and other religions puts us in a very awkward space. There is no question that we are aiming to redefine ourselves and make sense of life in a new space we now call home–and seeking to do so with integrity.

The responsibility of those on the da’wah platform is to guide this process or at least guide the discourse by seeking to answer the question: Where are going? Put differently, into what are we evolving? For most of us, our responsibility is to open up the platform to engage this dialogue. But before doing so we must commit ourselves to studying Islam and the life of the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) and to holding his model as a paragon for evolving the community. Without mature dialogue, humility, learning, guidance and leadership rooted in knowledge, piety and wisdom our community is headed for an evolution based on circumstance and whim.

In the Qur’an we learn the importance of dialogue among those of varying status, for Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala – exalted is He) allowed the angels to engage a dialogue with Him (swt). According to scholars of Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir) this indicates that Allah (swt) teaches us to dialogue with others regardless of the station they hold in relation to us, and by extension, this teaches us the very spirit and principles of leadership.

And [mention, O Muhammad] when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” Allah said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.” (Qur’an, 2:30)

In a Prophetic tradition narrated by Bukhari and Muslim with their chains of transmission on the authority of Umar (radi Allahu `anhu – may God be pleased with him), the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Actions are guided by intentions…” From this we learn that an end should guide all action. Imam ibn Abi Zaid al-Qayrawani (ra) teaches us that all actions and intention should be rooted in the Qur’an and sunnah (traditions of the Prophet ﷺ), thereby teaching us the centrality of revelation in our life on earth.

We lack a transparent vision(s) that makes clear what principles and evidences are guiding our thinking and action. In the last reflection it was mentioned that Abu Bakr (ra) as a leader had clear principles to guide his leadership. The question of leadership for that generation was highly pertinent. The question of continuity of the community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ preoccupied the community not solely for political reasons but more so from the angle of keeping the effort of Prophecy alive–that is, to guide people to the best life, to Allah (swt). In the moment of intense crisis Abu Bakr (ra) illustrated the qualities of a leader concerned with the community’s well being, and hence he is remembered today as the only companion to be recognized as the amir (leader) of the Believers and the vicegerent (khalifa) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

In the struggle for definition and existence as we aim to find a space within the broader American culture, we are tending toward loosing a sense of what a life lived as a Muslim means and entails. And we witness this reality in many adults and youth. In an environment where debate, illiteracy, conflict and confusion reign right alongside sincerity, hard work, knowledge and sacrifice, we would do well to reflect on the reality that our community was governed by volunteerism and sincerity for so long before us. Now we are in need of knowledge, mentorship, organization, wisdom, sacrifice and investment. Until that moment is seized we need to strengthen ourselves and families and support our friends in the Muslim life lived in the 21th century. And that begins with drawing near to Allah (swt), learning, practicing, being good to others and encouraging the good for others and in others. Pray and work so that we evolve into a community of iman (faith), a community of deeds and testimony, a guide for others and ourselves.

Da`wah Reflection Series: Part I | Part II

“O you who believe! Betray not the trust of Allah and the messenger nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to you.” (Al-Anfal 8: 27)

“Each of you is a guardian, and each of you will be asked about his subjects.” (Al-Bukhari)

“O People of Da`wah, Da`wah is a trust to be cared after!”

Introduction

The Muslim community faces a number of challenges as it seeks to find itself and make sense of its life outside of the Muslim world, while in the diaspora. The history of Islam in North America is vague, long and varied, but the structure of the community to date lacks solid leadership, vision and rootedness. The rootedness desired is one based in a forward looking holistic vision, strong organization and a dynamic principled scholarly understanding of Islamic sources informed by a culturally nuanced scholarly reading of life in the United States and its people and institutions. We are need solid leadership that is focused on the health and direction of the community and makes that a priority.

To the dismay of many a Muslim is the lack maturity present on the da`wah (spreading the word of Islam) scene at times. The thinking and emotion with regards to life lived Islamically in the contemporary world is a major point of disruption and confusion in contemporary Islamic American discourse. It could be argued that this is a world-wide phenomenon, but that is not the scope of this reflection. The cause of our problem in the Americas can be traced to lack of vision for the community, seasoned unified leadership and a knowledge deficit. These realities mentioned manifest in our institution and thought which can be characterized as shallow and weak. The critique is intended to be constructive and as advice to us all.

There are issues that need to be addressed systematically on the da`wah platform because they cloud our understanding and jade our perception and stunt our practice. Here are a few:

1. The yearly strife over the start of Ramadan, is it a fiqh (jurisprudence) difference or a matter of Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet)?
2. The role of women and youth in our communities.
3. The place and function of culture and custom in our consideration of fatwa (Islamic rulings) and practice.
4. Understanding how to practice the Sunnah and its importance of the Sunnah
5. Coming to an understanding of differences and common ground in schools of Aqida (Islamic theology).
6. What is the role of our scholarly heritage and ijtihad in Islamic discourse? We find little solace in the way we address the issues we confront. Again the challenge before us returns to lack of vision and want of leadership and scholarship.
7. Political Participation in non-Muslim countries—is it kufr (disbelief) or or not?
8. Is all Sufism bid`ah (innovation)?
9. Does taqlid of a madhab (Islamic school of thought) mean not being able to take any other opinion other than my school?
10. What is our commitment to society and to the Ummah (Muslim community)?
11.  How do we deal with differences in fiqh and over hadith (sayings of the Prophet)?
12. What is bid`ah and why do the scholars differ on defining and classifying it?

We need platforms for da`wah leadership to collectively engage despite their differences, a space that allows systematic scholarly discussion on heated issues in an open forum that is guided by principles and etiquette in which the da`wah representatives with a scholarly background can communicate their position while following the injunctions of Islam governing debate and speech. Leaving discussion solely to the Internet and in the corner of our mosques is destructive. Lives have been shattered due to not properly addressing the needs of the community to understand Islam in a principled scholarly manner.

In the Qur’an we find the principle of authority and the criteria governing leadership and difference:

“And those who respond to their Lord and establish the prayer, and their rule is to take counsel among themselves, and who spend out of what We have given them.”

“O you who have believed obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.”

Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Kandahlawi (r) relates from Imam al-Bayhaqi (r) who reports from Ibn Ishaq that Abu Bakr (r) delivered a Khutba (sermon) in the orchard of Bani Sa’idah in which he said:

“It is not permissible for the Muslim to have two leaders. For indeed when this happens dissension springs up in all their affairs and in the rulings they issue. Their Jam’ah (congregation) is splintered and divided and they begin to internally differ. Then the Sunnah is forsaken and bid’ah emerges. Fitna becomes intense and increases. And under these conditions there is no benefit for anyone.” (Translated from the edition of the Muhaddith Bashar al-Awad of Hayat as-Sahaba, v.1)

Da`wah efforts should focus on some consistent themes that we all agree on.

• Centrality of the Qur’an
• Systematic Understanding of the Sunnah
• Foundational Fiqh
• Building our institutions on clear organizational polcies and responding to issues with a clear procedure

Building a Mature Da`wah Platform

Centrality of the Qur’an

To focus on solutions and the possibility of a new future for us let us look to Islamic history in hope of deriving some guidance from the practice of those who came before us. In the early period of Islam the practice of the Companions was to focus their attention on the care of the Muslim populace and educate the people on the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Qur’an then was the central point of focus and attention in Islamic learning. This was the case till this current age in the West where little emphasis is placed in our communities on Qur’anic literacy (reading and understanding). Qur’anic education was foremost about adab (manners), adab with Allah and adab with others. The Qur’anic teacher was the guide to Qur’anic culture and morality.

The centrality of the Qur’an in the earliest sense needs to return to da`wah given that the Qur’an is the foundation of Islam and that which gives the Sunnah its justification and purpose as we learn from Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi, Ahmad, Shatibi and Ibn Taymiyah, may Allah be pleased with them. Even Sufis like Ibn Arabi saw the Qur’an as central to Islamic life and thought. It’s good to see the younger generation of the people of da`wah focus on highlighting the Qur’an, but we need a Qur’anic literacy movement the likes of what hit Libya wherein overnight almost 100’s if not 1000’s of people memorized the Qur’an and began to study it. Huffaz of the Qur’an is great but we need to understand as well. This was the method of the Companions to learn a few ayat (verses) at a time, how to read them and what they entailed as far as actions and then practicing them.

Systematic Understanding of the Sunnah

So much is to be said regarding the Sunnah in contemporary Islamic American discourse. After making it clear that we need to give high priority to the study of the Qur’an, we need to emphasize the importance of approaching the Sunnah in a systematic manner. The Sunnah without the Qu’ran makes little sense given that the Sunnah explicates, and clarifies the Qur’an teaching us how to translate the Qur’an into practice. And for our intents and purposes we are thinking of the Sunnah as is understood by the scholars of Usul al-Fiqh and Hadith. Consequently, we not only need to understand the ways and means the Sunnah relates to the Qur’an but also that the Prophetic biography too is an essential part of the Sunnah, and perhaps the easiest part to understand with little study of hadith sciences.

So central to a proper understanding of the Qur’an and Islam overall is a good grounding in the Prophetic biography. The dealing of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and our ability to visualize that by way of authentic transmission well that is something to boast of. There is no other Ummah that can claim to have such intimate detailed knowledge of their Prophet except the Muslims. But in this we lack that is familiarity with this aspect of the Sunnah reading it academically and spiritually and as a source of fiqh and spiritual guidance. Leaders need to emphasize the reality that the Sunnah needs to be understood in light of Hadith sciences and Usul al-Fiqh rather than interpreted whimsically and the Sunnah needs to be implemented with correct understanding. The early generation focused mostly on the Qur’an and narrated only a few narrations this was to ensure the community was grounded in the Qur’an and understood how to properly deal with hadith.

A Principle To Understand the Sunnah

Imam Ahl as-Sunnah Abi Zaid al-Qariwani, radi Allahu ‘anhu (May Allah be pleased with him), narrated that Imam Ibn Uyanah from the scholars of hadith (ra) said:

“Ahadith are misleading except to the people of fiqh,” meaning that others may interpret a thing according to its obvious meaning but it may have an interpretation which derives from another hadith, or it may have an indication which is hidden from one, or it may be a hadith which is abandoned, the reason for that only being comprehended by someone who is very extensive in his knowledge and in his fiqh.”

The Need for Foundational Fiqh 

Unfortunately, we still have another level of confusion to contend with and that is how to practice the knowledge of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Alhamdulillah (Thanks to God) in today’s age we have fiqh texts written in a number of different manners. The least amount of knowledge to be gained from the study of a fiqh text, whether that text is rooted in a madhab or the fatwas of contemporary scholars or otherwise, is a few hundred rulings. These texts are translations of the demands of the Qur’an and Sunnah on our lives. So to study them is in fact to study an important aspect of tawhid (Oneness of God) and that is tawhid of worship. Because fiqh in its limited definition as a collection of rules related to worship and social transactions, (among other things) is an elaboration of tawhid uluhiyah as some categorize it to dismiss its study is indirectly to be deficient in practicing tauhid uluhiyah. Some books of fiqh are written with evidences listed and others are referenced so as to make clear the sources used and still others have none of that but are known to be reliable books taught by scholars through the ages. The companions had a main person for fatwa in every location where the Muslims lives outside of the Hijaz the matter of fiqh was systematic and not left to whim and desire. In today’s time we need fiqh counsels, group research and a body of scholars to follow. This was the method of the Companions (ra) and that of the likes of Abu Hanifa and his students (ra).

The Need for Clear Organizational Procedures

This brings of to the case of Abu Bakr (ra). He is a figure of interest for he symbolized not only a great historical persona in the history of Islam but a model for intellectual, spiritual and political leadership, and it is this holistic form of leadership that we are in serious need of in our communities. We lack a leadership, which shepherds the people, a people who refuse to be a herd but yearn for understanding, a leadership which operates in unity at least functional unity.

When we look at Abu Bakr (ra) we see that he exemplified the best of Prophetic education. He understood the need to organization, leadership and unity. Understanding the manner in which Abu Bakr (ra) modeled various procedural practices to keep the integrity of the community in tact is essential for us Muslims in the West today. Comprehending the importance of procedural structure and scholarly authority in the life of the Muslim community is the initial step toward growth and maturity.

We gain from the life of Abu Bakr (ra) a number of key insights. Abu Bakr (ra) developed a grounded problem solving structure that he followed in addressing the needs of the community of Islam. The historians of Islamic fiqh note that Abu Bakr (ra) resorted to peruse through the Qur’an and his knowledge of the Sunnah when investigating an issue. If the matter was not resolved with the knowledge he possessed he sought knowledge of the Sunnah from the Companions. In cases wherein the matter was still not clear he convened the Companions (ra) to investigate the matter and from there developed the concept of consensus (ijma). On the occasion wherein they achieved unanimity of opinion, it became a legislative consensus (ijma shar’i). In the event that a consensus was not attained Abu Bakr (ra) would resort the position of the majority of the Companions. If this was not sufficient then he resorted to his own ijtihad (scholarly position).

In reading this model we learn that Abu Bakr (ra) as a leader worked in coordination with the Companions on those matters that were not clearly addressed in the Qur’an and Sunnah and only resorted to personal opinion when there was no recourse to a consensus or majority opinion. What we need from those engaged in da`wah today is to learn to work together on and care for the community through functional unity. The da`wah in the American Muslim diaspora lacks clear procedures for engaging issues, procedures that are transparent and known. We lack solid fiqh counsels, and our institutions tend toward a school of thought and da`wah rather than allow Islamic sciences to dominate. Still plagued by the divisions of 15 or more years back the da`wah needs leadership that will guide the community to growth. Each leader in da`wah would do well to consider that Abu Bakr (ra) led but in giving opinion consulted with others and in the case of need only gave his personal opinion. This was also the method of Imam Malik (ra) in the Muwatta and the opinion of Imam Shafi and Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ahmad. They resorted to presenting what is clear before dealing with issues that open up to multiple positions or are controversial.

Closing Remarks

We need a leadership that can clarify a path for the community it is guiding and work together. We need a da`wah platform which works on decreasing the amount of bickering and controversy that is witnessed today, and we need a leadership that is grounded in knowledge but sensitive to the conditions of the people ready to guide and knowledgeable about that which is unchanging and that wherein there is flexibility. We need a leadership that thinks of we rather than me and shows it cares and that it is organized. Da`wah needs strategy, it needs people, it needs money, it needs skill and knowledge—but it also needs for our leaders to decrease fitna and that they learn to work as units if not a unit. In short we need a da`wah platform that models the essence of what we find in Abu Bakr. At this point it means presenting to the people a clear procedural method for addressing issues that is used by people in da`wah to achieve an end result in comprehending issues. Before we asked for dalil, now we ask for methodology and order.

We need consistent themes in da`wah, themes that will build our community and raise literacy, themes such as:

• Centrality of the Qur’an
• Systemtatic Understanding of the Sunnah
• Foundational Fiqh
• Building our institutions on clear organizational polcies and responding to issues with a clear procedure

With a solid grounding in the Qur’an and Sunnah and fiqh we can begin to develop a lifestyle that is grounded in Iman, Islam and Ihsan but first we need a change in the culture of da`wah and to see a higher degree of unity and brotherhood among the people of da`wah.

Principles of Da`wah:

The Qur’an instructs us that part of Iman is to settle our differences in knowledge and cooperate to practice Islam:

“And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.”

Cooperate, support one another in Al¬Birr and At¬Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not cooperate and support one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Severe in punishment.

“We should cooperate on what we agree and consult the Qur’an and Sunnah on what we differ over.”

Years ago Shaikh Abdullah Ibn Bayyah advised us regarding the type of institutions we need in the West. We have yet to see them built but would do well to reflect on the advice.

In order for us to come to a point where we can work together in spite of our differences, or with our differences, we need three institutions.

1.) The first one is the institution of fatwa. Fatwa is a non-binding legal opinion. It is not binding on all the Muslims. It is binding on those who ask for it, but it is a non-binding opinion, and there is room for differences and other opinions. The mufti is somebody who gives legal opinions based on the understanding-on the ijtihaad-of all of the different areas of need in the sharia’, such as marriage, the rules of buying and selling, the rules of prayer, and the rules of tahaara (cleanliness and purification). The mufti is involved in all of these different things. So, we need a muassasa that deals with this for the Muslims. They need a sound source for guidance when these issues occur in which there are differences.

2.) The second institution we need is an institution of tahkeem, which is an institution that issues rulings. In this culture, it is called people’s court. A people’s court is where the state does not get involved with the case. The parties that are differing agree to go to somebody who will listen to both sides and then make a judgment, and that judgment becomes binding upon them based on the prior agreement of the two. This has been done already in the United States in Texas, so there are Muslims that are doing this, and we should be competing with them in good.

3.) The third institution we need is the sulih. An institution that deals deals with sulih, which is [arbitration and] reconciliation. It deals with bringing people together. Somebody brings the differing groups together and reconciles between them so that they can work together or work separately in peace; thus, they are not fighting each other, undermining each other’s work.

All of these institutions are necessary, but it is impossible to get these without having the least amount of respect and desire to bring this about. There has to be a desire for this, and if the desire is not there, then it is a disaster. Furthermore, setting up these particular institutions is not different from setting up other organizations such as those that are created for social issues, for helping the needy, and for doing all the other different things that organizations do. These three institutions are necessary for us in order for us to move on and to resolve a lot of the things that are causing disruption.

Every person in this world has a life that’s an epic story, full of joys and sadnesses, challenges and opportunities, and ‘defining moments’ – moments in which a person comes to a realization, a deep awareness about themself, and decides to change something inside.  Such moments are when a person makes an intense resolve from their heart; they make a commitment, an oath to themself, and ‘turn a new leaf’, and their life becomes very different than it was before, by God’s leave.

We find that Allah Most High gives us ample opportunities in our lives for these moments – these chances to turn to a fresh page and a fresh start.  Ramadan is one of them, and perhaps even the best of them.  It is a time for us to sit with our own selves and ask, “How long will you be happy with dry eyes and heart-less prayers?  Why – when you think about reading the Qur’an – is the cover of that Book so heavy, as if it’s cover weighs a thousand pounds or more?  How long will you keep convincing yourself that the sins you commit have no effect and don’t touch your heart, when it’s been so long since you’ve felt His Nearness?”

Ramadan is here, brothers and sisters, and it’s telling us: make this your defining moment.  Isn’t it time?  Hasn’t Allah the Exalted said, “Has not the time come for the hearts of the believers to submit and humble themselves?”

Make this the month that we come back to Allah, no matter how far we’ve gone, and how distant we are from His company and nearness.  A poet said, “Come wanderer, O lover of leaving… Ours is not a caravan of despair.”  No matter how far we are from Him, and how long we’ve been away, know that Allah giving us life to witness this Ramadan is a sign that He has left the door open for us to turn back to Him.  Your sins are great, and mistakes and weaknesses are many, you may say – but His mercy, compassion and loving grace to His servants are far greater and far more vast.  Ours is not a caravan of despair, or of giving up; ours is a caravan of loving mercy and continuously turning back to Him.

This is the month in which we can strive to overcome the weights our nafs put down on us, that make going to the masjid so heavy and difficult, that make opening the Qur’an and reading it an impossible task, that make prayer so burdensome.  This is the month in which we can bring life to these acts, and in which Allah facilitates and makes them easy for us to help us taste their sweetness.

A poet said, in a loving welcome of Ramadan,

Peace be upon you,

O month of fasting

Month of night vigil

Month of Qur’an

Month of forgiveness

Month of security

Month of glowing lanterns

Month of sleepless eyes

Month of scented pulpits

Month of burning hearts

We welcome you O blessed month, month of opportunity, redemption and hope.  May you be the means for our lives to change, our faith to be rekindled and our hearts illumined in His Nearness. Ameen.

We’ve all had intense moments. For me, one such moment happened while standing on the rooftop of Masjid al-Haram. Above me was only sky, below me, the most beautiful view of the Kaba’a and an acute sign of Allah, this life, and the life to come. I was surrounded by an overwhelming crowd – that exists nowhere else on this earth – but, for me, it could have been that I was standing completely alone. With Allah.

I brought with me to that rooftop so much heartache, confusion, and doubt. I came with so much weakness, human frailty, and pain. Standing at a crossroads in my life, I brought with me fear of what was to come, and hope in what could be. So, as I stood on that roof, I remembered the story of Musa (`alayhi assalam – may Allah be pleased with him) standing at the Red Sea. His physical eyes saw nothing but a wall of water, entrapping him as an army approached; but his spiritual eyes saw only Allah, and a way out so certain it was as if he had already taken it. While the voices of his people – bereft of trust or hope—spoke only of being overtaken, Musa (as) did not waiver.

As I stood there, I heard the distant voices warning me of what was to come – but my heart heard only, “Inna ma’iya rabee sa yahdeen…Truly my Lord is with me, He will guide me through.” (Qur’an, 26:62)

But seeing through the illusions of hardship, confusion and pain that surround us can only happen when we allow our heart to focus. The foundation of Islam is tawheed (Oneness). But tawheed is not just about saying that God is One. It is so much deeper. It is about the Oneness of purpose, of fear, of worship, of ultimate love for God. It is the oneness of vision and focus. It is to direct one’s sight on one singular point, allowing everything else to fall into place.

One of the most beautiful traditions of the Prophet ﷺ captures this concept perfectly. He ﷺ said: “Whoever makes the Hereafter his preoccupation, then Allah places freedom from want in his heart, gathers his affairs, and Dunya (worldly life) comes to him despite being reluctant to do so. And whoever makes Dunya his preoccupation, then Allah places his poverty in front of his eyes, make his affairs scattered, and nothing of the Dunya comes to him except that which has been decreed for him.” [At-Tirmidhi]

If you’ve ever seen a “magic eye” picture, you can see a wonderful metaphor of this truth. At first glance, the picture looks like nothing but a collection of shapes, with no order or purpose. But if you start by bringing the picture right up to your face, focusing your eye on one singular point, as you move the picture slowly away from your face, the picture suddenly becomes clear. But, as soon as you take your eyes off that singular point of focus, the picture disappears and again becomes nothing but a sea of shapes.

In the same way, the more we focus on the dunya, the more our matters become scattered. The more we run after the dunya, the more it runs away from us. The more we chase wealth, ironically, the more poverty we feel. If money is the focus, you will find that no matter how much money you have, you will always fear losing it. This preoccupation is poverty itself. That is why the Prophet ﷺ says about such people that poverty is always in front of their eyes. That is all they see. No matter how much they have, there is no contentment, only greed for more and fear of loss. But, for the ones who focus on Allah, the dunya comes to them, and Allah puts contentment in their hearts. Even if they have less, they feel rich, and are more willing to give from that wealth.

And when such people feel trapped by life, by financial hardship, by pain, by loneliness, by fear, by heartbreak, or sadness, all they have to do is turn to Allah, and He always makes a way out for them. Know that this is not some feel-good theory. It is a promise. A promise made by Allah Himself, who says in the Qur’an:

“…And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out, And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him…” (65:2-3)

Allah is sufficient for them. Allah is enough. For those who make Allah their primary concern, there is only peace, because whatever happens to them in this life it is good and accepted as the will of Allah. Imagine having only good in your life. That is the state of this type of believer, as the Prophet ﷺ says: “Wondrous are the believer’s affairs. For him there is good in all his affairs, and this is so only for the believer. When something pleasing happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him; and when something displeasing happens to him, he is enduring (has sabr), and that is good for him.” [Muslim]

And so in the heart of such a believer is a sort of paradise. That is the paradise that Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, spoke of when he said: ‘Truly, there is a Heaven in this world, [and] whoever does not enter it, will not enter the Heaven of the next world.’

And in that heaven, complete peace is not something of a moment. It is a state, eternal.

—–

We buried a man today. And here I am now on my way home in the caravan of the living. For now.

For now, you and I are in the caravan of the living. But not because we’re headed for a separate land. Not because they’re going and we are not. Only because our caravan lagged behind. Right now we’re driving back to our homes, our beds, our TVs, our stereos, our jobs, our exams, our friends, our Facebook, and Gchat. Right now we’re driving back to our distractions, our idols, our deceptive illusions. But that’s just it. I’m not driving back to my home, my bed, my TV and my stereo. I’m not returning to my job, my exams, my friends, my Facebook and Gchat. I’m not on my way back to my distractions, illusions and idols. I’m driving back to where I began. I’m driving now to the very same place he went to. I’m on my way to the same place. I just don’t know how long my drive will take.

I’m driving back to where I began: with God. Because God is Al-Awal (the Beginning) and God is Al-Akhir (the End).

My body is taking me there, but it’s only a vehicle. When I get there, it will stay behind. As he did today. My body came from the ground and it will go back to the ground, as it came. It was only a shell, a container for my soul. A companion for a while. But I’ll leave it here when I arrive. Arrive—not depart. Because that’s my home. Not this. That’s why when Allah (swt) is calling the back the righteous soul, He says, ‘irjiee’: return (Qur’an, 89:28).

The beautiful, noble soul that we buried didn’t depart from life today. He just entered a higher—and God willing—better level of it. He only arrived home. But the body is made of the material world and so he had to leave it here. The body is of the lower world. The world where we need to eat and sleep and bleed and cry. And die. But the soul is of the higher world. The soul has only one need: to be with God.

And so while the body cries and bleeds and feels pain from the material world, the soul is untouched by these things. There is only one thing that can cut or stab or hurt the soul. There is only one thing that can kill it: depriving it of its only need: to be close to its Originator. To be near God. And so we should not weep for the arriving soul—It isn’t dead. We should weep instead for the one whose body is alive, but whose soul is dead because of its alienation from that which gives it life: God.

And so the believing soul races home, even while in this life.

O Lord, make my soul a sanctuary, a fortress within. That no one and nothing can disturb. A place of calm, silence, serenity, untouched by the outside world. The soul that Allah (swt) calls al-nafs al mutmaina (the reassured soul) (Qur’an 89:27). The soul that Allah (swt) calls back saying:

“(To the righteous soul will be said:) ‘O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back thou to thy Lord – well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter thou, then, among My devotees! Yea, enter thou My Heaven!’” (Qur’an, 89:27-30)

This serenity is absent in our everyday lives. We live life stressed; constantly worrying about what everyone else thinks of us, how to make a billion dollars, how to marry someone attractive…and we start to live in the image of people. We start to live our lives as others expect of us, rather than by what actually makes us happy. This seems so contradictory to the tranquility of wildlife.

Once while in the midst of Allah’s creation, I was reciting some verses from Surat ali-`Imran and I came across the following verse:

“So is it other than the religion of Allah they desire, while to Him have submitted [all] those within the heavens and earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?” (Qur’an, 3:83).

How amazing and incredibly true! We seek other than the way of al-Hadi (the Guide) when we run after our desires and the material world. We exchange the endless bounties of al-Razzaq (the Provider) in this life and the next for temporal fame and material gain. In our arrogance we chart out the way we think is best to attain happiness, but end up failing. Even after seeing so many people who have it all yet still are not happy, we still run after the same things. When was the last time we did something because we knew that someone would think of us highly because of it? When was the last time we sold out our friends, family or even our honor and dignity for a grade or some pennies? When was the last time we gave preference to someone over Rabbana (our Lord) at the time of salah (prayer)?

The nature we see around us has submitted itself to the One, the Creator, in all of its complexities and intricacies, and as a result lives in absolute harmony. Imagine the peace of soul and mind when you become detached from the wants and desires of others, only seeking His pleasure. Imagine the serenity that can be found in not chasing after our desires as is championed by this society. Imagine simply living the most perfect life possible in this world. This is exactly the reality of the creation around us and the tranquility and harmony that are manifested are proof of its success.

But wait – isn’t the human being the best creation of Allah? I wonder what we could accomplish if we actually do exactly as He tells us…