FADIA BINT ISMAIL

If We Gain All The Knowledge In Islam, And Then Everybody Isolates Himself To His Room Or House And We Perform Only The Rituals Of Islam How Can We Exercise, Develop, Implement, Live, And Obey The Message Of Allah [swt] And The Teachings Of Prophet [saw]? How Can We Function With Society And Obey The Commands Of Allah [swt] If We Alienate Ourselves From The Rest Of Society? What If We Only Engage With Society Depending On Our Mood? When people behave in such a way, they are empty and are in a state of worshipping themselves; they are devoid of the light of Allah, even if they fulfill all the rituals. Rasul Allah (saw) has told us that Allah [swt] sent him to teach manners and good conduct. If We Reflect Over The Verses Of The Quran We Will Find Three Major Elements In Them… Warning For What Will Happen If We Are Happy With The Status Quo. The Sunnah (Way) Of Allah Is To... Trial Us To Check Our Sincerity And Honesty. And The Qualities Of The Believers Which Are Beloved To Allah... "The One Who Struggles!" "Is In A Rush To Please Allah!" "And Is Always Trying To Be Good!" Therefore, if you want to open the door of Rahma (mercy) and the pleasure of Allah [swt], you have to be constantly initiating, sensing, running and hurrying to accumulate any good deeds to please Allah. If you do not do so, the door of calamity will open and Allah [swt] will snatch the Taufeeq (ability) and quality from you, because you denied Him and did not take advantage of the given opportunity. When Allah [swt] abandons a person, He [swt] opens for him the door of duniya [world] and gives him the material life; this brings blindness, and the habit of complaining and blaming others. This shows lack of gratefulness, contentment and thanks; meaning, this life becomes a journey of disgrace in this life and the hereafter. If A Person Surrenders To His Weakness, His Genetic Problems To The Whisper Of Shaytaan Or To The Status Quo Do You Know What It Means? Absence Of Imaan (Faith)! On the other hand, if a person believes in Allah [swt], His power, might and ability; then his sins, weakness, abilities, disabilities, genetics, environment, whatever it is, cannot stop him from intending to do good because Allah [swt] is with him. Again all these topics go back to journey of Imaan, thinking about and hoping to attain the highest place in Jannah [Paradise], pleasing Allah [swt], about fulfilling ones duty on this earth and about being an achiever.

Human Beings Can Attain 2 Major Qualities which are the Fruit of Knowledge: Poverty to Allah: It is the realization that without the help of Allah, we are nothing. It is to recognize the fact that Allah is the owner of all qualities; therefore even the weakness in personality is not a weakness when it caused a person to ask Allah for strength. He SWT has the ability to take any weakness and convert it to strength. Hence, the innate weaknesses such as sins, temptations, desires; or lack of any bounty such as beauty, money, status, or physical ability are in reality qualities because they humble one to reach to Allah SWT and be cured of the weakness and be granted a better ability. Along with a different ability, the person also receives the realization of his weaknesses and strengths in order to have a balanced personality and this allows him/her to be in a state of patience or gratefulness to Allah SWT at any given point. The qualities such as guidance, wisdom, beauty, ability, charisma are all gifts from Allah! Anything That We Lack Requires Patience, Struggle, And Du'a To Allah. And Anything That We Have Is In Reality A Favor Of Allah Upon Us For Which We Have To Thank Him. The fruit of knowledge is to give Allah SWT His just right which is the recognition that He is the One who has granted you all that you have and He is the one who can give you what you are lacking. Therefore, the submission and surrender is given to the rightful owner and not wasted on incapacitated creation. The weakness is given to us to keep us humbled but Allah SWT has provided antidote for us in the form of His names where we can reach Allah SWT and ask Him to alleviate our sickness or weakness and replace it with His qualities. For example, if a person is stingy, he can call Allah SWT with His attribute of generosity until this quality becomes part of his personality or is developed enough to overcome his inherent weakness

Allah swt has created us with shortcomings as a trial in life and he has given us means to overcome this incompleteness in our souls. this is part of mujahada (struggle) every human has to perform in life in order to perfect his faith. Imperfections In Humans Default Weakness: Allah SWT has created every individual with some form of default weakness and he is supposed to struggle against it until he overcomes it. Examples of these weaknesses could be stinginess, anger, laziness etc. Ignorant: Allah SWT says in the Quran: Surah Al Ahzab, Chapter 33 Surely We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to be unfaithful to it and feared from it, and man has turned unfaithful to it; surely he is unjust, ignorant; [Verse 72] Weak: Allah SWT created humans to be weak physically, emotionally, spiritually, their ability to think, comprehend, and achieve hence no human can claim perfection. Only Allah SWT is perfect; we are in constant need of Him, whereas He does not need anything from anyone. Surah An Nisa, Chapter 4 God wants to lighten your burdens: for man has been created weak. [Verse 28] Anxious & Hasty: Humans are by nature anxious and hasty. Allah SWT tells us in Surah Ma'arij, Chapter 70 Surely man is created of a hasty temperament; being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him. Man is in need of moral strength for endurance, lacks courage and strength of purpose and will, and unduly swayed by grief. He is selfish and he is only concerned with his own advantage to the exclusion of regard for others. Argumentative (Jadl): Surah Al Kahf, Chapter 18 And certainly We have explained in this Quran every kind of example, and man is most of all given to contention [Verse 54] Allah SWT has expounded and oriented His revelations in the Quran to circumstances and requirements and has expressed many parables to bring the infidels to their senses but man has always been known to raise captions and frivolous objections about most things and tries to find fault unfairly and without good reason. Disputes & Denies: Surah An Nahl, Chapter 16 He has created man from a sperm-drop; and behold this same (man) becomes an open disputer! [Verse 4] Humans are created with a drop of sperm and yet they are more ready to argue than to obey. They bring forth reasons against Allah with strong, capacious and argumentative minds. Hastiness: Surah Al Isra, Chapter 17 The prayer that man should make for good, he makes for evil; for man is given to hasty (deeds). [Verse 11] If Allah SWT allowed humans complete autonomy over their affairs, they would ruin themselves because most of them act hastily based on emotions without rational thinking and wisdom. It is a mercy of Allah SWT that He decides our affairs and gives us only what is good for us. Stinginess: Surah Al Isra, Chapter 100 Say: "If you were the ones possessing the vaults of my Lord's mercy, you would have held back for fear of spending. And man was always stingy!" [Verse 100] Fakhr (Pride): Allah SWT gives us the examples of Qaroon, Hamaan, Nimrud and others from earlier generations who exulted and believed in themselves over Allah SWT because of their materialistic status. Allah SWT tells us of their horrible end and goes on to explain what pride is in the following verse: Surah Hud, Chapter 11 But if We give him a taste of (Our) favors after adversity has touched him, he is sure to say, "All evil has departed from me:" Behold! he falls into exultation and pride. [Verse 10] Take example of a man who has been afflicted by some calamity and he cries to Allah SWT to alleviate it from him. Allah SWT listens to his prayers and removes the calamity; but instead of showing gratitude and dedicating himself to his Lord, the person forgets about Allah SWT and goes back to self exultation. Another form of pride is when a person receives blessing from his Lord, he believes it to be his right and gloats about it. But if Allah trials him, he becomes ungrateful and complains. Allah SWT says in Surah Fajr, Chapter 89 And as for man, when his Lord tries him, then treats him with honor and makes him lead an easy life, he says: My Lord honors me. But when He tries him (differently), then straitens to him his means of subsistence, he says: My Lord has disgraced me. [Verse 15 & 16] This shows that a person lacks humbleness and humility to receive the decree of Allah and be content with it. Allah gives whom He wills and takes from whom He wills and a slave has no right to question his Lord as we mentioned earlier in the article. Rebellious: Rebellious against destiny and the decree of Allah in both giving and taking. Allah SWT says in : Surah Alaq, Chapter 96 Nay, but verily man is rebellious [Verse 6] Surah Isra, Chapter 17 And when We make life pleasant unto man, he turns away and is averse; and when ill touches him he is in despair.[Verse 83] Ingratitude: Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14 And [always] does He give you something out of what you may be asking of Him; and should you try to count God's blessings, you could never compute them. [And yet,] behold, man is indeed most persistent in wrongdoing, stubbornly ingrate! [Verse 34] Jahood: Denial of truth after bearing witness to it All the creation of Allah SWT points towards His existence. The perfect structures of the atom to the perfect harmony of galaxies prove the perfection of their Lord, SWT. But it is only the humble can actually see and recognize this truth whereas the arrogant are veiled from it. Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14 Most surely man is ungrateful to his Lord [Verse 6] Surah Yunus, Chapter 10 And when affliction touches a man, he calls on Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when We remove his affliction from him, he passes on as though he had never called on Us on account of an affliction that touched him; thus that which they do is made fair-seeming to the extravagant. [Verse 12] Surah Az Zumar, Chapter 39 And when distress afflicts a man he calls upon his Lord turning to Him frequently; then when He makes him possess a favor from Him, he forgets that for which he called upon Him before, and sets up rivals to Allah that he may cause (men) to stray off from His path. Say: Enjoy yourself in your ungratefulness a little, surely you are of the inmates of the fire. [Verse 8] Despair Allah SWT does not like those who despair from His mercy. He SWT says: Surah Al Isra, Chapter 17 And when We bestow favor on man, he turns aside and behaves proudly, and when evil afflicts him, he is despairing. [Verse 83] Surah Al Hijr, Chapter 15 He said: And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord but the erring ones? [Verse 56] All of the above mentioned negative tendencies can be overcome with a strong Iman (faith and belief) in Allah SWT. The stronger the Iman gets and a person becomes closer to Allah, the weaker these qualities become and vice versa. Allah SWT has promised us in the Qur’an that He has provided cure for all sicknesses and Qur’an is the cure for the illnesses of the soul. But this requires us to elevate Qur’an above the level of recitation and blessing, and start taking it seriously as a message from our Lord who knows the deepest & darkest secrets of our hearts. Once we reach this level, then the door of receiving knowledge from Allah SWT will open and we will be able to develop qualities that bring the blessings and victory from Allah SWT, the qualities that the companions of the Prophet SAW had reached.

Allah SWT Sent Us On This Earth With A Very Clear Purpose And That Is To Worship Him And Exalt His Name This worship can be divided into three main categories: To follow the knowledge of Allah SWT To follow His constitution the way He wants it and according to the teachings of His Prophet SAW To implement this constitution until our entire life becomes a reflection of it Along with giving us this clear purpose of our existence, Allah SWT also told us about our enemy, Shaytaan, and what he did. Basically warning us from following his footsteps. The two major diseases that were the roots of destruction for Iblees are: Takabbur (arrogance) Hasad (jealousy) Allah SWT mentions the consequence of these diseases in his heart in the following words: Surah Baqara, Chapter 2 We said: "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. [Verse 38] By His mercy, Allah SWT not only told us the diseases that can cause such immense destruction, He went on to provide the cure and protection from them as well. Allah SWT promises to protect the people who fit the following description: Ibaad-Allah (Slaves of Allah), Al-Mukhliseen (The sincere ones), Al-Mutawakkileen (Those who rely on Allah SWT).

One Of The Most Powerful Outcome Of The Connection With Allah [swt] Through Constant Remembrance Is The Power Spiritual And Physical That A Person Gains! Once we lose our focus, thinking, vision and have no seclusion to develop our relationship with Allah [swt], this power and energy will be diminished and we will be unable to gain anything substantial. Allah [swt] Reminds Us Chapter 59 Hashr He is Allah besides Whom there is no god; the Knower of the unseen and the seen; He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. [Verse 22] Allah SWT goes on to remind His creation who holds the power of everything... Surah Shu’ara, Chapter 26 "Who created me, and it is He Who guides me; [Verses 78] "And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me. [Verses 80] We can see the earlier discussed Arabic variation of the name of Allah SWT in the form of ‘huwa’ in the above mentioned ayahs [verses]. All of these ayahs [verses] remind us of the power of Allah [swt] in our lives. Once we really focus and think, we can’t help but thank Allah [swt] and praise Him for His graces and bounties upon us. The More You Think And Ponder Over The Greatness Of Allah [swt]... The More You Get To Know Him And The More You Know Him The More You Become Closer To Him Focus Is The Fountainhead Of Your Achievement With Your Lord Allah [swt]!!! This relationship gives us adab or manner with Allah SWT and one of the manifestations of this adab is that we don’t question Allah SWT about what He is doing; whereas He SWT holds the ultimate authority to ask us. How Can We Question Allah SWT’s Wisdom When We Have Such Limited Knowledge Compared To Him? Angels, the pure creation of Allah [swt] questioned Him when He SWT decided to create Adam AS; they were concerned about the mischief humans would make on earth. Allah SWT answered them saying: I know what you know not. When Musa AS met Khidr to gain knowledge from him, Khidr reminded him the power of Allah SWT in beautiful words saying that all human knowledge combined is like a drop of water in the ocean compared to the knowledge of Allah SWT. ` Surah Hud, Chapter 11 To the Thamud People (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah. Ye have no other god but Him. It is He Who hath produced you from the earth and settled you therein Then ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance) for my Lord is (always) near, ready to answer." [Verse 61]

This Is Because Muslims Themselves Have Lost The Message Of Islam Islam Has Become An Empty Shell An Empty Shell Of Laws Of Haraam And Halaal While The Fruit Of Spirituality Has Lost... We have become so shallow that half billion Muslims worshipping are unable to produce any substantial difference; whereas one companion of the Prophet Muhammad SAW could change any condition with his/her du’a. When this is the situation, means we lack the understanding of the purpose of our creation along with the creation of earth, Iblees and his powers. Islam teaches us that Allah SWT has the ultimate control so the more we surrender to the one in control, the more we are in control; and the more we get away from Him, the more we are weak and lose control of situations in life. Chapter 48 Al-Fath It is he who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers, that they may add faith to their faith for to allah belong the forces of the heavens and the earth and allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. [Verse 4] Chapter 63 Al-Munafiqoon They are the ones who say, "spend nothing on those who are with allah's messenger, to the end that they may disperse (and quit medina). "but to allah belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth but the hypocrites understand not. [Verse 7]

Thoughts, Ideas And The Ability To Communicate And To Act Upon Them Is What Differentiates Humans From All Other Creations... Allah SWT has given humans the faculty of thinking which is what earned us the level of Ashraf-ul-Makhlooqat or the exalted creation. The best form of gratitude towards Allah for giving us this high status is to utilize this thinking towards Him SWT, to ponder over His gifts and the unlimited amount of mercy He has showered upon us. The more one thinks, the more his heart will focus until it is overwhelmed with the remembrance of Allah [swt], which is the goal in itself. Allah SWT says: Chapter 13 Al-Ra’d "Those Who Believe, And Whose Hearts Find Satisfaction In The Remembrance Of Allah. For Without Doubt In The Remembrance Of Allah Do Hearts Find Satisfaction. [Verse 28] In this stressful, crazed world, peace of mind and heart is an achievement worth attaining. The more one tastes this peace, the higher the desire becomes and the more a person thinks about it. Thus, thinking and remembrance of Allah SWT are intertwined. Chapter 64 At-Taghabun No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of allah. and if any one believes in allah, (allah) guides his heart (aright): for allah knows all things. [Verse 11] This leads us back to the purpose of our creation: Remember Allah, live for Him, live for the propagation of the message of Islam until one is truly the ambassador of Allah and His deen.

Allah [swt] Answers That As Below Chapter 83 Al-Mutaffifeen By No Means! But On Their Hearts Is The Stain Of The (Ill) Which They Do! Verily, From (The Light Of) Their Lord, That Day, Will They Be Veiled. [Verse 14 and 15] It is people’s own doings that prevent them from reaching the guidance from their Lord [swt]. And if they persist in this negligence, it will be very hard for them to return to the right path and it will eventually result in blindness on the Day of Judgment. Allah [swt] said in Surah TaHa, Ayahs 124 - 126: "But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment." He will say: "O my Lord! why hast Thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)? " ((Allah)) will say: "Thus didst Thou, when Our Signs came unto thee, disregard them: so wilt thou, this day, be disregarded." Here Allah [swt] Is Reminding His Slaves That If They Forget To Remember Him, They Will Be Blinded In This Life And In The Hereafter Blindness in this world doesn’t need to be physically manifested, rather it is blindness of a person from doing and gaining things of real benefit

Allah [swt] says in the Qur’an! Chapter 51 Adh-Dhariyat And [Tell Them That] I Have Not Created The Invisible Beings And Men To Any End Other Than That They May [Know And] Worship Me. [Verse 56] In this article, we will explore the importance of focusing our faculties and building concentration in order to have a fruitful relationship with Allah [swt]. Our venerable scholars have interpreted ‘worship’ to know Allah and to understand Him. This is the reason we are created and thus by default this is the command of Allah [swt] for us. But How Can One Love, Worship And Build A Relationship With Someone He Doesn’t Know? This is where the importance of knowing the names of Allah [swt] comes in. Allah summarized most of the knowledge about Him, that He wants us to know, in His own names and attributes. This is the kind of knowledge that if once comprehended, makes following the deen not only practical, but enjoyable. However, in the middle of high speed cyclone of dunya, religion has become very insignificant and of lesser value for people, including Muslims. Even, “Religious” Muslims Are Happy With Some Halal And Haram, Salah, Fasting Or Some Other Aspect Of Islam And Are Contented With Just This Much. Therefore, we are in reality deprived of the actual magnitude of Islam. We Need To Re-Learn Islam As A ‘Message’ From The Creator For All Humanity. We Have To Learn That Islam Is The Status Of The Heart And A Muslim Is Required To Be Surrendered To The Will Of Allah [swt] At Any Given Time. His thinking, desires, emotions, goals, and ambitions all should be according to Islam. This requires a person to be very focused and concentrated, and to be strong enough to not only differentiate between distractions and rightful interests, but be able to instantly make the correct decisions. Power of focus and concentration is not a new phenomenon. Yoga and Zen are well known concentration exercises and there are amazing things that can be achieved through that. Martial arts and the almost super human accomplishments of the artists are known examples of this practice. This Ability To Focus And Concentrate Is An Integral Part Of Our Deen... No Messenger And Prophet Received Guidance And Revelation Without First Mastering The Ability To Focus His Thinking Focus Of Thinking On The Creator! Absence or lack of this focus will result in absence of divine power and energy in a person. In this high speed life, we are unable to have pure and clear thinking. A person always has so much to think about that thinking about one topic clearly becomes impossible. The Inability To Focus With Allah [swt] Results In Preoccupation With Dunya [world], Shaytaan [satan], Nafs [Desires] And The Distractions In Life Keeps Increasing While studying the lives of the prophets and messengers, one will notice the pattern of them spending time in seclusion before receiving revelation from Allah [swt]. This seclusion is what is supposed to develop clear thinking and concentration which spiritually prepares the person to carry the burden of conveying allah’s message to masses.

We cannot control life; we cannot control the changes in weather, health, time, our emotions, places, and condition. If we are not prepared for such changes; then when they occur, will cause us to plunge in a state of despair, anxiety, emotional disability and breakdown. Today, We As Human Beings, Forget Reality... We Forget The Truth! We forget this basic understanding of life that we are unable to control life and are not able to avoid the negatives that it brings our way. With All Their Advancement, Humans Today Are In A State Of Denial And Heedlessness; We Can Also Call It A State Of Blindness And A Lie.

Life is a ride full of unexpected twists and turns. We can never expect things to go a certain way and we cannot demand definitive outcomes in our future since we don’t know what lies there. But One Thing We Can Be Certain Of Is That Life Will Never Be Perfect It Holds For Us Happy Times, Difficult Times, Sad Times, And The Unknown Times... The challenge is how I handle myself and live a positive life regardless of all the pressure and changes. A wise woman once said, Falling Down Is A Part Of LIFE... Getting Back Up Is LIVING; If I don’t try to gain the maximum of my life and leave a mark behind, what good has my life been?

Patience is related to calamities since we exercise patience over things that are hard on us; whereas, Jamaal or beauty is related to things that we like. The glue that joins the two is imaan or faith in the afterlife. Once a person reaches the level where hereafter overshadows the desires and comforts of this world, he is enabled to exercise beautiful patience. When A Person Is In Vigilant State And His Faith Is Alive In His Heart, He Understands Who Has Ordained The Situation For Him, And That This Situation Is Ordained For A Purpose. This allows the person to look at his condition not as a calamity but as a reward because “Allah never takes except to give.” This giving is in the form of qualities such as contentment, happiness, tranquility, ability to forgive etc. Example We have the story of a pious early Muslim woman who while walking on the road fell and broke her leg. People heard it snap and came rushing to her aid only to find her smiling and thanking Allah. They were confounded at this and asked her how she was able to do this while being in such agony. She replied saying that she remembered the promise of RasulAllah SAW: “No Tiredness, Exhaustion, Worry, Grief, Distress Or Harm Befalls A Believer In This World, Not Even A Thorn That Pricks Him, But Allah Expiates Some Of His Sins Thereby.” This is beautiful patience, the ability to smile while suffering; and she was able to do it because she was focused on her hereafter, not her current situation. Key Ingredient The key ingredient here is Iman; it is Iman that allows one to remember the bounty of Allah and to remain focused on who is allowing the situation to happen and why; and to forget the actual calamity-thus granting him the ability to display this beautiful patience which Allah has called the greatest good fortune: Chapter 41 Surah Fussilat And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint- none but persons of the greatest good fortune. [Verse:35] Bilal RA, the moad’hin of RasulAllah SAW left a legacy of patience and endurance for all believers. He was inquired by the Prophet SAW as to how he smiles while others around him cry for his suffering and torture; he said: Every Time I Put The Torture The Unbelievers Inflict On Me On One Side Of The Scale And Put The Bounty Of Guidance On The Other, I Forget My Pain. By This Way, If The Eyes Are On The Prize, The Suffering Becomes Meaningless. Ayub AS’s patience is renowned in all spiritual traditions. He endured immense suffering and loss for eighteen years and when his wife encouraged him to ask Allah to alleviate his suffering he refused saying he is shy to ask Allah for short term relief after enjoying His immense bounties for many years of his life and that he would rather be patient. Chapter 70 Surah Maarij Therefore, [O Believer,] Endure All Adversity With Goodly Patience: Behold, Men Look Upon That [Reckoning] As Something Far Away–but, We See It As Near! (Verses:5,6,7) Allah is consoling His prophet SAW and the believers saying that things that appear far to people are in reality very near which is the Day of Judgment when all matters will be reflected and settled in their true light. Allah is telling us that this life is like a blink of an eye compared to the hereafter so it is really the afterlife that deserves our attention and not the fleeting occurrences of this world. If we remember the hereafter, we forget our calamities but if we forget the hereafter then the calamities seem massive and it is hard to be patient. We Can Compare The Afterlife To The Destination Of A Traveler; If The Traveler Is Excited About Reaching His Destination, The Traveling Hardships Appear Insignificant. But If He Is Dreading His Destination, Every Moment And Experience On The Way Seems Unbearable. If we have Iman in the hereafter and trust in Allah who is the orchestrator of our lives, then we will be able to demonstrate the beautiful patience that Allah expects from believers; but if we lose the faith and trust, we will lose the patience as well. This needs to apply not only in our relationship with Allah but our day to day ventures as well. When We Think With Our Minds Instead Of Trusting The One Who Ordained The Situations, The All-wise And Just Allah, We Become Weak And Lose Control Of Ourselves; But If We Trust In Allah, Then He Will Grant Us The Ability To Handle Whatever Allah Sends Our Way. “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 Patient, And That Is Good For Him.”

Allah also says in the Qur’an: Chapter 2 Surah Al Baqarah On No Soul Does Allah Place A Burden Greater Than It Can Bear [Verse:286] Keeping this assurance of Allah in mind, one finds the courage to face any difficulty and tribulation. This was the practice of the Prophets and all those who followed the truth. We have the story of Yaqub (AS) who saw his own sons inflicting injustice over their brother who was chosen to be a prophet, yet instead of avenging his son he chose to be patient. Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf Jacob said: "Nay, but ye have yourselves contrived a story (good enough) for you. So patience is most fitting (for me). Maybe Allah will bring them (back) all to me (in the end). For He is indeed full of knowledge and wisdom." [Verse:83] It is during the time of trials that a believer realizes the love of Allah for him; that Allah chose to cleanse him in this life rather than punish him for his misdeeds in the hereafter. It Is Shaytan Who Makes Our Hearts Constraint And Exaggerates The Situation Making It Harder For Us To Handle It... The More We Entertain The Thoughts Given To Us By Shaytan, The More The Trials Seem Longer And More Difficult! It is like a joyful night versus a depressed night; when one is happy and enjoying, the night seems to go fast whereas when one is sad, the night seems never ending. This is how a believer’s life is; It is like a joyful night when he is happily awaiting the sunrise which is jannah. True Beautiful Patience Is Reflected In A Person’s Voice And Face... A Believer Has A Content, Happy Face Even When Suffering, And His Voice Does Not Betray The Sad Emotions He Is Dealing With! We Will Meet Allah In The Same State That We Died In And None Of Us Know The Time Of Death! If we die complaining and lamenting over our situation, what face will we stand in front of Allah with? How will we justify our complaint over our misfortune while at the same time we were drowned in immense gifts of Allah? Our happiness and grief is really in our own hands. We can either choose to accept what Allah has chosen for us (Qadr-fate) or keep complaining about it. In either case we can’t change the situation. This Acceptance Of Fate Is What Brings Joy And Beauty To The Face And Keeps A Person Young And Healthy... Whereas... Complaints And Resistance To Fate Brings Misery, Ugliness, And Old Age Upon Us! In other words, remembrance of hereafter keeps us young and beautiful and dunya makes us old. The choice is fairly simple and it is in your own hands: Surrender to the will of Allah and be happy in this life and the hereafter; or be miserable without being able to change what has been ordained for you.

All of this is meaningless unless we have real Iman in Allah as our Rabb, the one who knows what is good for us, and the Day of Judgment. That is why patience is called half of Iman. Chapter 47 Surah Muhammad So patiently persevere: for verily the promise of Allah is true: nor let those shake thy firmness, who have (themselves) no certainty of faith. [Verse:60] We have the examples of Bilaal (RA), Sumayya (RA), Khubaib (RA) and other companions who displayed not only supernatural endurance to immense suffering but joy while in the middle of torture. How Could It Be That They Were Happy While Others Around Them Were Crying Over Their Pain? We can only understand it if we have experienced even a moment of reality of Iman where everything in this life becomes meaningless and the only thing that matters is making Allah happy. These people had reached a level where they were already living in the hereafter and they weighed every situation according to its significance in the afterlife. In this state when a calamity strikes, the person thinks not of the calamity but the One who allowed this calamity to happen and the reward that is waiting. Prophet Muhammad Saw Promised... No Tiredness, Exhaustion, Worry, Grief, Distress Or Harm Befalls A Believer In This World, Not Even A Thorn That Pricks Him, But Allah Expiates Some Of His Sins Thereby. [sahih Al-Bukhari And Muslim] Which believer would not rather suffer harm in this transitory world rather than face punishment in the hereafter? Therefore, any calamity is a source of blessing for the believer who is concerned about his afterlife. This Absolute Belief Generates Calmness In The Heart Which Makes The Trial Not Only More Bearable For The Sufferer And Those Around Him, But It Also Enhances The Beauty Of The Bearer! If a person is in love with someone and the beloved does something that is unpleasant or inconvenient, the person displays patience and even at that time tries not to hurt his beloved’s feelings by complaining. This is the case with believer who is also constantly concerned about making his beloved, allah, happy... who caused a misfortune to happen to him. What Comparison Can We Make Between A Human Being Bound To Make Mistakes And The Orchestrator Of The World Who Loves Us Seventy Times More Than Our Own Mothers? He doesn’t want to hurt us, only elevate us spiritually by cutting our hearts’ ties with this world. This trust and love is what gives the patience its real beauty; and this mystical beauty is confounding to anyone but another believer. Allah Is The One Who Has Created Us With Emotions And Feelings, And He Knows That It Is Not Easy To Be Patient Over The Loss Of A Loved One Or A Dear Object... This is why, Allah has promised immense rewards and re-unification with the loved ones in the hereafter. Not only that, one can reach such high levels as being a wali or friend of Allah based on his Iman and patience, that he can intercede on behalf of his loved ones who might be sentenced for punishment in hellfire.

In Surah Ar-Rahman It Is As If Allah Is Calling Us To Him Saying... O Son Of Adam Come To Me Get The Knowledge About Me And I’ll Teach You Everything You Want Or Need To Know! The more we are ignorant about Allah, the more we are ignorant about everything else. How can I succeed when I act and react to the wrong piece of information or incorrect knowledge? Since Allah SWT is the Creator and He knows what is best for us; if we claim that that the knowledge of Allah doesn’t fit our life, we become sinners, kafir (rejecters of Allah) and full of Shayateen. Now we will never be perfect; but as we stated Earlier It Is Our Intention And Struggle That We Will Be Judged For... We Will Not Be Judged Based On The Results Since... The Results Are In The Hands Of Allah! Allah wants us to exercise on the knowledge that we accumulate and all the knowledge of Allah simmers down to whether we will put Allah first in our lives or others... be they teachers, parents, friends, culture and custom. Allah continues in the next verse:

Allah Wants Action, Even If This Action Is Just A Step, He Wants Me To Make An Effort And Move Towards My Goal... This requires a struggle against things that are preventing me from achieving my goal; feelings, worry, temptation, weakness, arrogance, ego—any of these could be a hindrance on the path. We Will Not Be Judged On What We Have Accomplished In Life; Rather We Will Be Judged According To The Efforts We Make The Stronger A Person’s Emaan, The More Efforts He Will Make And More Wilfully He Will ‘Move’ Towards His Goal... Allah Will Never Give A Person Victory Until He Moves And Carries Out Actions! Just like how you cannot sit in bed and think about a cake and expect it to appear in front of you, you cannot expect jannah or any victory from Allah to just appear in front of you without any effort. You cannot say, Oh Allah give me victory against my enemy while sitting on your bed. No. Allah wants you to make the effort while believing in Him, and He will grant you victory. As a Muslim, I have to believe in the message of Allah located in the Qur’an. Allah says:

A Person Cannot Remember Or Admire Someone Without Knowing Him, The Same Goes For Allah! We know Allah by His names, His attributes, and the wonder of His creation which proves these attributes right. The Most Important Of These Attributes Is The Oneness Of Allah.... It Is The First Knowledge That Is Attained On The Spiritual Path... Once a person gets the knowledge of the oneness of Allah, the rest becomes easy because the goal, inspiration, thinking, and actions will be based on that knowledge and the person will have determined who he is carrying out the actions for.

irst Stage Of The Relationship With Allah Is To Learn About His Oneness! First step of spiritual awakening is questioning yourself and the status quo that you are expected to conform to. It Is Almost Impossible When A Person Is Surrounded In A Whirlpool Of Relationships, Obligations, And Social Demands If we look at the lives of the messengers and prophets, the first stage of their relationship with Allah was to learn about His Oneness. They were all accustomed to solitude where they started questioning life and contemplating about the creation and the Creator. After they internalized the Oneness of Allah, then Allah taught them about who He is. He inspired them or sent revelations on them. From This Point After Achieving The One Of Allah The Actions And Reactions Of The Prophets And Messengers... Were According To The Knowledge Or Inspiration That They Were Receiving From The One They Believed In. The same is applicable to us; once the relationship with Allah is developed, all of a believers’ affairs fall into place. But the question is: what happens when we have mixed companionships, mixed environment, and mixed allegiances in life? Instead Of Being Focused And Productive... We Have Mixed Feelings, Actions, Goals And Useless Actions Without Much Effect! It is the same as wanting to take a northbound and southbound train at once. It is impossible! The only way you can get anywhere is when you make up your mind about your destination! The Same Goes For Our Goal And Purpose In Life; Once We Have Determined That We Will Achieve; Otherwise We Will Be Stuck At A Train Station Forever In order to develop a strong goal, a person needs to have a concrete belief and intention. And the best way to produce that is through solitude and the constant remembrance of Allah.

It Is The Plan Of Allah That Prevails! We humans think that we can conquer fate or Allah’s plan with our knowledge. But Allah has proven us to be wrong over and over again, yet we don’t listen. The Japanese created the most sophisticated system of tsunami and earthquake warning over thirty years ago despite which they have repeatedly suffered major damages. The same was the case with nations like ‘Ad and Thamud that are mentioned in the Qur’an. What Can We Learn From These Nations Who Have Passed Before Us? That We Cannot Win Over The Plan Of Allah... There are two approaches a person can take in life: Either he plans very technically, down to minute details, all according to his thinking, which makes him a kafir (disbeliever in Allah). This is the ultimate arrogance! Or he is so scared that he refuses to do anything or make any kind of plan because he believes he cannot achieve. This is the ultimate defeat! SO HOW CAN WE WIN? We Can Only Win With Allah’s Plan If We Take Allah’s Plan Step By Step We Will Have No Problem And The First Step Is Knowing Him... AR-RAHMAN!

The society that one lives in has a direct effect on one’s life. Hence every person desires for and strives to build a healthy society. Among the aspects that form the bedrock of a healthy society is the institution of Nikah. By means of Nikah one finds solace and comfort which enables one to fulfil one’s duties to Allah Ta’ala. It also provides a lawful avenue to fulfil a basic in-born need. A pure human race flourishes as a result of the bond of Nikah, while countless social evils are dispelled by it. Take away the institution of Nikah and in a short time the society will sink to such depths of moral degradation which are unimaginable. The West has to a great extent abandoned the customary marriage and adopted in its place the “living together” concept. When the partners do not feel like “living together” anymore, they just say “good bye” and part company. The result of this is glaring for all the world to see. Abortion, thousands of illegitimate children, AIDS, teenage pregnancies and suicide are just a few of the many direct consequences of abandoning the bond of marriage. Least Expense Thus the importance of Nikah can never be over emphasised. In the light of what has been mentioned it is much easier to grasp the true implications of the words of Rasulullah who said: “Verily the Nikah which is blessed with the greatest amount of Barakah (blessings) is that Nikah wherein the least expense is incurred.” By stressing the aspect of incurring the least expenditure, Rasulullah paved the way for the Nikah to be easily affordable for the rich and poor alike. When this advice is not heeded, Nikah becomes a costly affair. It becomes a big worry and a huge burden. The very rich will afford it, the middle class will resort to loans (even on interest) in order to make it, while the poor will only dream about it. The matter does not end there. Those who cannot afford it and abstain are prone to becoming victims of the social evils mentioned above and thus every level of society is affected. Wastage However this Sunnah and Ibadah of Nikah has in many cases become just a Kuffaar style wedding. The greatest expense is incurred. Every effort is made to keep up with the trend. To start off with, thousands of rands are wasted on absolutely futile wedding cards (which, as time goes, become more fashionable and expensive in order to impress). The most impressionable and expensive venues are booked. Much more wealth, which is purely a gift and bounty from Allah Ta’ala, is squandered on hiring floral arrangements and other fancy accessories. The “stage” (for the wedding show) is then made up at considerable cost. The wastage list goes on, with many new shocking items being added on. Such weddings are actually setting the stage to destroy all Barakah from the Nikah. The Barakah is totally lost, while the great impression which one sets out to make is also seldom achieved. After having filled their bellies, people generally leave commenting on the wastage and discussing the flaws and defects. Sophisticated Begging While on the one hand thousands of rands are wasted on futile aspects, at the same time some novel ideas have been invented to extract “gifts” from others. Invitations are sent out (with or without the knowledge of the bride-to-be) towards a “bridal shower” which takes place a few days before the wedding. The unwritten rule is that the invited person must come with a gift for the bride. It is unthinkable to attend without bringing a gift along. This subtle way of extracting gifts tantamount to a sophisticated form of begging. People are being invited to “please come along,” and with it goes the unwritten rule, the object of the invitation – “and don’t forget the present!” This is in direct conflict with the Hadith wherein it is mentioned: “The wealth of a Muslim is not permissible except when he gives it whole-heartedly (without coercion or obligation).” Thus it is time to break away from these alien customs and practices which destroy the Barakah from the Nikah. Foundation The Nikah is the foundation of the building that has to be erected upon it – the building of a lifelong marriage. If this foundation is absolutely weakened and deprived of the Barakah from Allah Ta’ala, how much hope can one then have of the building remaining firmly erect on such a weak foundation? Solution The only solution then is to return to the Sunnah – by adopting the guidance of Rasulullah and the Sahaaba . Far from inviting the world, many of the Sahaaba were married while Rasulullah was present in Madinatul Munawwara without Rasulullah being aware of the Nikah. Neither did they deem it necessary that he should be informed, nor did Rasulullah take exception to this attitude. The Nikah in that era was an extremely simple affair. The least cost was incurred. The greatest amount of Barakah was attained. This is the example that we have to keep as an ideal in front of us. Then every attempt should be made to follow it as closely as possible. Shackles VS Natural Freedom May Allah Ta’ala grant us the intelligence and ability to release ourselves from the heavy and burdensome shackles of baseless customs. May He enable us to adopt the wonderful Sunnah so that we may earn His pleasure while at the same time enjoy the numerous benefits of the Sunnah, among which are its absolute ease, elegant simplicity and natural freedom.

In the time of the Prophet, Tasawwuf was a reality without a name, today Tasawwuf is a name, but few know its Reality What is Tasawwuf ? Good character and awareness of God. That's all Tasawwuf is. And nothing more. What is Tasawwuf ? Love and affection. It is the cure for hatred and vengeance. And nothing more. What is Tasawwuf ? The heart attaining tranquility - which is the root of religion. And nothing more. What is Tasawwuf ? Concentrating your mind, which is the religion of Ahmad (peace be upon him). And nothing more. What is Tasawwuf ? Contemplation that travels to the Divine throne. It is a far-seeing gaze. And nothing more. Tasawwuf is keeping one's distance from imagination and supposition. Tasawwuf is found in certainty. And nothing more. Surrendering one's soul to the care of the inviolability of religion; this is Tasawwuf. And nothing more. Tasawwuf is the path of faith and affirmation of unity; this is the incorruptible religion. And nothing more. Tasawwuf is the smooth and illuminated path. It is the way to the most exalted paradise. And nothing more. I have heard that the ecstasy of the wearers of wool comes from finding the taste of religion. And nothing more. Tasawwuf is nothing but Shari'at. It is just this clear road. And nothing more. Tasawwuf is a branch of Islamic knowledge which focuses on the spiritual development of the Muslim. Allah sent His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad , as a source of knowledge for the entire ummah. He was the fountain of Quran, Hadith, tafsir, rhetoric, fiqh, and so on. After the Prophet, the scholars of this ummah carried and propagated each of these branches of knowledge. Because no one person can attain the perfection of the Prophet , who single handedly assumed all of these roles, various branches of the Islamic sciences developed. For example, Imam Abu Hanifah preserved the science of fiqh and after him thousands of scholars continued in his footsteps. Hence these scholars preserved the fiqh of the Prophet . Similarly Imam Bukhari and the other famous scholars of Hadith, preserved the words of the Prophet. The scholars of tajweed preserved the recitation of the Prophet . And, the scholars of Arabic grammar preserved the language of the Prophet . Along these lines, the Prophet was the model of spirituality for the world. His God-consciousness, deep spirituality, acts of worship, and love for Allah were preserved and propagated by an Islamic science called Tasawwuf. The aim of the scholars of this science was purification of the heart, and development of consciousness of Allah through submission to the shariah and sunnah