A Dog Honored by Allah: For supporting a righteous cause

 

وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ اليَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَكَلْبُهُمْ بَـسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالوَصِيدِ لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوْلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا 

"And you would have thought (the people of the cave were) awake, whereas they were asleep. And We turned them on their right and on their left sides, 

and their dog was stretching forth his two forelegs at theentrance. Had you seen them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with awe of them." (Surah Al-Kahf 18:18)

In commenting about this ayah of surah Al-Kahf 18:18, Ibn Kathir said, "The blessing (the people of the cave) enjoyed was extended to their dog, so the sleep that overtook them, overtook the dog too. 

This is the benefit of accompanying good people, and so this dog attained fame and stature." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Ash-Shanqiti said, "It should be noted that the Almighty’s mentioning of this dog in His Scripture - the Qur'an - indicates that accompaniment of the righteous has great benefit!

This is also indicated by the Prophet’s statement to one who said, “Indeed I love Allah and His Messenger,” he said, “You will be with those whom you love.”" (Adwa al-Bayan 4/34)

There is a profound lesson in this ayah and the commentaries by Ibnu Kathir and ash-Shanqiti: 

When you help and accompany a noble cause with righteous people, Allah will Honor you. And what greater honour is there from affirmation as helping a righteous cause mentioned in the book of Allah - the Qur'an - which will be preserved until the Day of Judgment? 

Think about it: Even a DOG was granted this honour. 

What I found particularly interesting was that the As-habul Kahf (The People of the Cave) were not "popular" people, by any means. In fact, the people of their time rejected them and threatened to murder them. To choose to accompany these group of young men would have been the unpopular choice, possibly be unfriended by others. Yet this is what wisdom is: to see through the fog of popularity, and 'filter' out the Just Cause to support in accordance to your WHY: your principles and values of your religion, and not the popularity vote or peer pressures.

It isn’t a path of convenience, but a path of conviction: and the means of being honored by your Creator, the Lord of the Universe.

مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّـهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا

"Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allah belong all honour, power and glory!" (Surah Fatir 35:10)

Have you found and supported your just cause?

#WorkFromHome Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, overworked from your day-to-day responsibilities and your chores? Wish you had an extra hand?

This was what Fatimah, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ felt after suffering pains and blisters due to the heavy house chores and working the stone hand-mill. One day, upon receiving news that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had received some prisoners of war out of victory from a battle, Fatimah intended to approach her father – the leader of the state – to request to have some of these POWs as servants to help with her house chores. 

Upon hearing about her request, the Prophet ﷺ went to the home Fatimah and her husband Ali bin Abi Talib, while they were lying in bed at night, about to sleep. He then sat in between Ali and Fatimah, so close to them that Fatimah described that she felt the coldness of his feet on her abdomen. He then provided a solution:

أَلاَ أَدُلُّكُمَا عَلَى خَيْرٍ مِمَّا سَأَلْتُمَا، إِذَا أَخَذْتُمَا مَضَاجِعَكُمَا ـ أَوْ أَوَيْتُمَا إِلَى فِرَاشِكُمَا ـ فَسَبِّحَا ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ، وَاحْمَدَا ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ، وَكَبِّرَا أَرْبَعًا وَثَلاَثِينَ، فَهْوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمَا مِنْ خَادِمٍ

"Shall I direct you to something better than what you have requested? 

When you go to bed (at night), say: “Subhan Allah” thirty-three times, “Alhamdulillah” thirty three times, and “Allahu Akbar” thirty four times, for that is better for you than a servant." 

(Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

What does dzikir have to do with getting extra help, or obtaining a servant?

Ibn Al-Qayyim, when listing the benefits of dzikr (remembrance of Allah), including istighfar (praying for forgiveness), he mentioned an interesting benefit number #61: Dzikr dan increase in one’s PHYSICAL strength! He said:

“Dzikr (remembrance of Allah) gives a person strength so that he can do with dhikr that which he cannot do without it. I saw wonders in the strength of (my teacher) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in walking, speech, courage and writing. He used to write in one day what a scribe would write in a week, or more. The troops saw his amazing strength in war. 

The Prophet ﷺ taught his daughter Fatimah and ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) to recite tasbeeh (glorification of Allah) thirty-three times every night when they went to bed, and to recite tahmeed (praises of Allah) thirty-three times, and to recite takbeer (magnification of Allah) thirty-four times, when she asked him for a servant and complained to him about the hardship of grinding corn, working and serving (her family). He taught her this and said: “It is better for you than a servant.” 

It was said: The one who persists in doing this will find strength in his body that will make him independent of the need for a servant.” (al-Wabil al-Sayyib p. 77)

This echoes the call of Prophet Hud, when he said to this people, the people of ‘Aad, who were known for their great physical strength:

وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ

“And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not turn away as Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah).” (Surah Hud 11:52)

An especially important tip for us who are exhausted and constantly striving to find that illusive work-life balance of #WorkingFromHome.

Now, perhaps one may alao wonder: what does dzikir and istighfar have to do with physical strength – How are these “related” in any way? How does that “make sense”?

Answer: Because Allah is the source of all Might and all Strength. He grants it to those whomsoever He wills; and He has revealed this as one of the means to earn some of that strength. Please the Source of Strength, and insha Allah, you shall be strong!

Implement this every night, put your trust in Allah, and see for yourself!

Tips @ How I developed a Reading Habit: Get A Kindle

 

I used to have a real difficulty getting the habit of reading. I would buy books, knowing how important and beneficial they are... The only problem is that I just couldn’t commit myself to reading them. I would read a few pages in the beginning, get excited and pumped up, only to leave it behind. And when I pick it up back again months later, I start from the beginning again because I forgot what it was all about. In the end, I’d have dozens of books which I just scanned the first 30 pages. A trophy library, that's it.
Every once in a while, I might be able to finish a book – but would take me a year (or more), after exhausting myself completely of my willpower.

Any of you can relate?

A few months back I came across a video from YouTuber Ali Abdaal titled “How I read 100 Books a Year – 8 Tips for Reading More”. And his #1 tip was: Get A Kindle.

Huh. What's a kindle?
Okay wait a minute, I remember those. It’s them peculiar little e-reader devices, bigger than a phone, smaller than an ipad, basically just black and white display (okay technically not white, but a brownish paper-like color) gadget that once in a while I see white people (Mat Sallehs) reading in airplanes and train rides.

"This Ali Abdaal guy read 100 books a year, so he seems to know what he’s talking about: and this was his #1 tip".
I saved up and bought a Kindle Paperwhite over at Shopee back in July 2020.
Since then, I have finished reading thirteen books from start to finish.

Thirteen books in 6 months is a miracle achievement in my books! (Heh, see what I did there). This single device managed to successfully trigger a new habit which I did not think was possible and ignite my newfound passion for reading.

Here are some things I learnt since I bought the Kindle:

1. THE KEY TO BUILDING HABITS: MAKE IT EASY
In his book “Atomic Habits”, author James Clear points out that if you want to build good habits, the trick is to lower the entry barriers and make it easy for you to instill that habit. This "hacks" your mind into believing it is very easy and a "no brainer". If you want to start a workout habit, leave your gym shoes in the car. If you want to stop watching TV, keep it in the store.

And that was the thing about my reading habit: hard copy books made it difficult to do it consistently. Sometimes I would misplace them at the moments I want to read them, and because they tend to be a bit bulky to bring around, you don’t bring them around when you are in those long waiting moments of opportunity, such as queueing up, waiting in line at the bank, or commuting. Sometimes the silliest reason I don’t read is out of frustration when I can’t find my highlighter. With a Kindle, the books are all in a single device, and you can highlight electronically and export them as notes for immediate future references. Just gotta open and read.

But it doesn’t stop there. I realized that once I got into the habit, I find myself reading more of the physical books, too which was a great long-term bonus.

2. KINDLE VERSUS SMART PHONE
Why a Kindle instead of reading an e-book over the phone? Sure, I supposed you could (I also occasionally read e-books from my phone via the Kindle app) – but it just isn’t as productive or focused. As we all know, smartphones aren’t simply “convenience” gadgets or productivity tools. For many of us, they are tools of mass DISTRACTION. I can’t read books properly if I am bothered with a WhatsApp or social media notification every 2 minutes.
With a Kindle, you get zero distractions to get in the zone.
Also, for other ergonomic reasons, namely the form factor: the Kindle feels perfectly sized. Bigger than a phone, smaller than an ipad, and pocketable. Also, because the Kindle’s e-ink display mimics that almost exactly like a book, it’s very easy on the eyes compared to an LCD screen of a smartphone.

3. GETTING RID OF MINDSETS THAT HOLD YOU BACK
I used to tell myself:  “I couldn’t get into e-books. I always prefer physical, hardcopy books that I can feel and touch, and put a bookmark, scribble stuff and highlight. I loved the sight of seeing that book cover on the table, and on my shelf. Why on Earth would you go the e-book route?"

In hindsight, this form-over-substance mindset held me back – and when I broke free from these unnecessary biases, then I could progress.

4. BOOKS: SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE OR MERE TROPHIES ON THE SHELF?
Besides, if I were to honestly ask myself, why do I prefer hard copy books so much, anyway? So what if I can touch it, smell it, put it on display like a medal, if I didn’t actually read it?
I remember a friend of mine saying that he had a habit of buying volumes of books on a shelf. It looks great and all, and I used to marvel at the collection. But he said, “well I haven’t actually read them.”
Wow. That really got me thinking, about this idea of form over substance. What are trying to achieve: wisdom, or a trophy bookshelf?

5. BONUS AWESOME BENEFIT: GETTING RID OF BAD HABITS (i.e. Time-wasting, smartphone habits)
The best thing of all? Because having a Kindle made it so easy to read and build this new habit, it practically replaced a lot of time-wasting habits. Instead of instinctively turning on social media or YouTube when I have some free time to watch another amusing panda video, I whip out my Kindle instead.
In fact, I haven't watched a single movie since I purchased this gadget (without experiencing withdrawal symptoms, either 🤣).
This reminds me of an ayah of Qur’an:
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ
“Verily, the good deeds erase the evil sins” (Surah Hud, 11:114)

6. PURCHASING BOOKS
Books usually cost anywhere between 1 to 15 US dollars in the Amazon Kindle store. Some of them do go on sale from time to time, which is great for cheapskates like me.
Also, another important note: books sold can be region-locked. Many books are unavailable if you set a Malaysian address, perhaps due to certain restrictions on laws and regulations. No worries, it’s a simple fix: just change your Amazon account to have a generic address in USA.

Try it out! Get a Kindle and join the Reading Revolution! 🤓✊🏼

Hanzhalah’s Fear of Hypocrisy when he experiences a slump in his iman and righteous deeds

Ever gone through that uncomfortably difficult feeling that, after experiencing a period of high motivation and inspiration, suddenly you face a major performance drop and go through that uncomfortable feeling of “unproductiveness” and lack of motivation to get back on track?

We go through this in our careers, in our studies, sometimes even in our parenting experience

Spiritually, I’m sure we have all experienced this after Ramadhan or returning from umrah. During Ramadhan, we feel this incredible urge to recite more Qur’an, recite more dzikir, perform more prayers, and when Ramadhan goes, our motivation levels go down. When we perform Umrah, we arrive at Masjidil Haram, we see the Ka’bah, we just feel this intense feeling of emotional motivation to do more good deeds, we feel determined to change, but when we return to our home country….

 

… Life happens.

And we look back at those times reminiscing on our past performance, how we used to do so well, and now because we dropped, we feel really bad about ourselves, as if we are hypocrites or impostors for being unable to consistently sustain that good performance, i.e. we lack in istiqamah. 

This is known as the slump. 

Here’s the interesting thing: even the best of Muslims – the companions of the Prophet ﷺ - used to feel the same. And alhamdulillah, because this happened to the best of Muslims, in the presence of Rasulullah ﷺ, we also get some clear answers to how we can best handle these situations. 

عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ الأُسَيِّدِيِّ، قَالَ - وَكَانَ مِنْ كُتَّابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ - لَقِيَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ أَنْتَ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ قَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ مَا تَقُولُ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَكُونُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُذَكِّرُنَا بِالنَّارِ وَالْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّا رَأْىَ عَيْنٍ فَإِذَا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَافَسْنَا الأَزْوَاجَ وَالأَوْلاَدَ وَالضَّيْعَاتِ فَنَسِينَا كَثِيرًا قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّا لَنَلْقَى مِثْلَ هَذَا ‏.‏ فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ حَتَّى دَخَلْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قُلْتُ نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ وَمَا ذَاكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ نَكُونُ عِنْدَكَ تُذَكِّرُنَا بِالنَّارِ وَالْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّا رَأْىَ عَيْنٍ فَإِذَا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ عَافَسْنَا الأَزْوَاجَ وَالأَوْلاَدَ وَالضَّيْعَاتِ نَسِينَا كَثِيرًا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنْ لَوْ تَدُومُونَ عَلَى مَا تَكُونُونَ عِنْدِي وَفِي الذِّكْرِ لَصَافَحَتْكُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ عَلَى فُرُشِكُمْ وَفِي طُرُقِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ ‏.‏

Hanzhalah Al-Usayyidi, who was amongst the scribers of Rasulullah, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was amongst those who felt like he was going through a slump. He narrated: 

“One day, I met Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. He said: “How are you?” He (Hanzhalah) said: “Hanzhalah has turned to be a hypocrite!” 

He (Abu Bakr) said: “SubhanAllah! Why are you saying that?”

Thereupon he said: “When we are in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), we are reminded about Hell-Fire and Paradise, and becomes so strong as if we are seeing them with our very eyes!

However, when we are away from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) we attend to our wives, our children, our business; we forget a lot of it..” (i.e. we get distracted and are unable to sustain that high iman)

Abu Bakr said: “I Swear by Allah, I also experience the same!”

So Hanzhalah and Abu Bakr went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and narrated to him what Hanzhalah felt. Upon listening to Hanzhalah, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“I Swear by Him in Whose Hand is my life, if your state (of iman) remains (consistently) the same as it is in my presence, as it were when you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the Angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your pathways!

But, Hanzhalah, there is a time for this, and a time for that” 

The Prophet ﷺ said this three times. (Narrated by Muslim)

 

Lessons from this amazing hadith:

1. The companions had a strong sense of self-awareness to know when their levels of iman – the motivation and drive to perform righteous deeds – would be strong, and when they would dip.

Abu Darda, the companion of Rasulullah ﷺ said:

"إِنَّ مِنْ فِقْهِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَتَعَاهَدَ إِيمَانَهُ وَمَا نَقَصَ مِنْهُ، وَمِنْ فِقْهِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ أَمُزْدَادٌ هُوَ أَمْ مُنْتَقِصٌ؟ وَإِنَّ مِنْ فِقْهِ الرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ نَزَغَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ أَنَّى تَأْتِيهِ؟". [أبو الدرداء رضي الله عنه].

“It is from one’s fiqh (understanding) to take care of his iman and what decreases of it. 

It is from one’s fiqh to know whether he has gained or lost (in his iman and good deeds). 

And it is from one’s depth of understanding to know from where the whispers of shaytan come to him” (Syarh Usul I’tiqad Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, vol 5. P. 1016)

2. If you are feeling distressed about a matter, go and seek help and consultation for a solution! Don’t just keep it bottled to yourself; it can only make things worse.

3. Consult to those who are qualified and are better than you. Hanzhalah didn’t just share his personal experience with anyone; he shared it with Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, the man whom the companions unanimously considered as the BEST person among them, the most knowledgeable in religion, and the highest level of iman, and the closest in companionship with the Prophet ﷺ. I can imagine that Hanzhalah would think, that “if there were a person who has a solution to this, it would be Abu Bakr!”

فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

“And ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know” (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:7)

4. Authentically admitting your own weaknesses and shortcomings. There was something quite profound in the reaction of Abu Bakr. Upon listening to Hanzhalah’s fear of hypocrisy, Abu Bakr immediately realized that “oh no! I also feel the same!” And this was a repeated pattern in the behavior of Abu Bakr. Even though he was the best of them – he still felt terribly inadequate. This is what psychologists today label as the Dunning-Kruger effect: those who are very competent and skilled at what they do, always feel themselves inferior and incompetent, when in actual fact they are so much better than the rest. And Abu Bakr was objectively the BEST!

5. There is no shame in admitting “I don’t know”. Many of us have an ego problem when it comes to acknowledging we don’t know something, so we are tempted to just “shoot” an answer from the hip when people ask questions, so that we don’t seem ignorant or incompetent. Yet interestingly, even when it comes to experts in science and engineering, they will readily admit in their academic integrity that “they don’t know” the answer to something. 

Likewise here, Abu Bakr – the most knowledgeable of the Muslims after the Prophet ﷺ - he himself does not know the answer or the solution to this problem, and so he referred it to the Prophet ﷺ himself. 

6. This is human nature. The Prophet ﷺ reassured Hanzhalah that “there is a time for this, and there is a time for that”, meaning that it is perfectly normal to go through phases of high motivation and low motivation. We all feel this, even the best of us! 

This hadith is a practical illustration of how iman increases and decreases, a concept which is agreed upon (ijma’) by consensus of ahlus sunnah. Iman increases when we perform good deeds, and when we are in the company of those who perform acts of righteousness, and iman decreases when we disobey Allah or are in the company of sins and evil acts.

7. This does not, however, mean that it is justifiable for our iman levels to drop to the point that we abandon the basic, obligatory deeds. In another hadith, the Prophet said, 

إنَّ لكلِّ عملٍ شِرَّةٌ، و لكلِّ شرَّةٌ فَتْرَةٌ، فمنْ كانْ فترتُه إلى سنتِي فقدِ اهتدى، و منْ كانتْ إلى غيرِ ذلكَ فقدْ هلكَ

“For every deed, there is a period of high motivation, and a period of low motivation (futur). For those whom, their period of low motivation is upon my sunnah, then he is guided and successful. And for those who is upon other than that, then he is destroyed” (Narrated by Ahmad). 

What this hadith implies for us is that we always have to work to improve our baseline. In your jobs, if you face this slump and are not able to perform at your peak “exceed expectations”, at least don’t abandon your core job, i.e. the minimum requirements to earn your paycheck. 

Whereas in matters of religion, make it a habit to do the obligatory deeds, and gradually, but consistently add a little bit of sunnah (nawafil) deeds. If you are consistent in performing nawafil deeds, at least, if you were to lapse, that one will go first, and will not compromise your wajib.

8. To sustain consistent high iman is praiseworthy! Although we are not expected to have continuously high levels of iman at all times, the Prophet ﷺ did acknowledge that, IF one were able to sustain the high levels of motivation and iman even behind the presence of the Prophet, then the angels themselves would descend from the heavens and shake our hands!

Meaning, we should strive to improve our state of taqwa (righteousness/God consciousness) to the point where as much as possible, we are self-driven and proactive to have strong levels of iman in public and in private, instead of living with the external dependency of others to “motivate us”.

This is why deeds done in secret – such as qiyamullayl (the night prayer) – are so powerful, and very much encouraged in Islam: because these iman-boosting deeds are purely for the sake of Allah. Work towards increasing more good deeds in secret, and it will be gradually easier to sustain a level of consistency. 

9. The Prophet ﷺ did not rebuke Hanzhalah’s family or businesses or blame them resulting in low performance. This is important: Sometimes we may undergo our slumps because of natural, external changes in life. Perhaps we just got married, just had a child, just got a job, or migrated to a new location, and suddenly our new circumstances just don’t allow us the same opportunity to be as productive as we used to be. Don’t blame those things, have a negative perception towards them, or use them as an excuse. 

These are all a part of our life, and in fact, when utilized with the right intention, can be a means of worship to Allah in a different way. What matters most is what we DO with what we have. This is why Allah says: 

إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

Your wealth and your children are only a trial, whereas Allah! With Him is a great reward" (Surah At-Taghabun 64:15)

10. As an extension of the point of self-awareness, we need to understand our “triggers” of productivity and find ways to increase in it, improve it and make it easy for us to instill the right habits to facilitate this for us. Hanzhalah was aware that the presence of Rasulullah ﷺ would increase in his motivation to perform righteous deeds, hence he enjoyed being in his ﷺ company. For us, this may mean being in a certain group of good friends, getting rid of certain gadgets, uninstalling certain apps, showing up for classes, volunteering for positive community-based contributions or da’wah efforts, and so on. 

At the same time we need to also understand our personal weakness and our proverbial kryponites. This could be social media, television, fast food, YouTube or certain WhatsApp groups. Although these may not necessarily be haram, we know ourselves to have a weakness and tendency to drop in performance once we get stuck in them, so it is part of personal discipline to abstain from them to maximize our own productivity.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

 استفت قلبك، الْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ إلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ، وَاطْمَأَنَّ إلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ، وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي النَّفْسِ وَتَرَدَّدَ فِي الصَّدْرِ، وَإِنْ أَفْتَاك النَّاسُ وَأَفْتَوْك

“Consult your heart! Righteousness is that about which the soul feels at ease and the heart feels tranquil. And wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the breast, even though people have repeatedly given their legal opinion [in its favour].” (Narrated by Ahmad and Ad-Darimi)

May Allah help us all recover from our slumps and get us back on track!

Hindsight Bias: “If only I had…”

Reflecting in events of our past can sometimes lead us towards what is known as a 'hindsight bias'. This is defined as “a tendency to believe that negative outcomes should have been predictable.”

This was even more evident throughout 2020 with the #COVID19 crisis, especially on criticisms against what so-and-so should have done “to prevent” something. Like how, my plane ticket to Miri was ironically scheduled to be on the same day that travel restrictions and quarantine requirements were imposed 😅.

Because of incidents such as these, many conversations tend to gear towards these “shoulda, woulda, coulda” wishful thinking statements or hypothetical conversations, blaming other parties, sometimes even themselves reminiscing how things would have been “different”. These expressions usually come in the vein of: “if only I had done (insert regretful action here), then surely, (insert speculative outcome here)” or "I should have.."
In Malay, these statements typically begin with “patutnya”, “kalau tahu..”

Statements and thoughts like these are actually forbidden, as they go against the teachings of the Islamic Aqidah of Tawhid and Iman in Qadar, and are in fact doorways to satanic thoughts. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

وَإِنْ أَصَابَكَ شَيْءٌ فَلَا تَقُلْ: لَوْ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ كَانَ كَذَا وَكَذَا, وَلَكِنْ قُلْ: قَدَّرَ اَللَّهُ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ; فَإِنَّ لَوْ تَفْتَحُ عَمَلَ اَلشَّيْطَانِ
“If something were to afflict you, do not say, ‘If only I had done this, such and such would have occurred’, but instead, say, QaddarAllahu wa masha a fa’al (meaning, ‘this is the decree of Allāh and whatever He wills He does,’)
Because the statement of “if only” unlocks the work of Shaitan” (Narrated by Muslim)

Whatever happened, has happened, and can never be rectified. Dwelling on wishful thinking about “if onlys...” only result in a destructive cycle of regret and unresolvable shame and blame which can spiral out of control. Dwelling on “if only..” isn’t solution-focused – because there is no turning back!

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ مَا أَخْطَأَك لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَك، وَمَا أَصَابَك لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَك، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ النَّصْرَ مَعَ الصَّبْرِ، وَأَنْ الْفَرَجَ مَعَ الْكَرْبِ، وَأَنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
“And know, that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by.
And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.” (Narrated by Ahmad)

So, how do these statements open the door to shaytan?

When we get into “if only..” conversations, this often triggers a string of conversations about completely hypothetical situations how things “could have been better” based on our own judgment, which in turn, makes us question the wisdom of the Qadar (destiny) of Allah: satanic thoughts that, in left unchecked, can make one feel that he knows BETTER than Allah 😱.

The reality is every single thing that Allah has decreed has a wisdom and greater good behind them, sometimes far beyond our limited minds can comprehend. At the very least, the challenges and negative consequences of our decisions can sometimes be very valuable life lessons to shape us into becoming better persons.

And that is why Allah reminded us, that “..perhaps, you may hate something, when it is in fact good for you, and perhaps you may love something, but it is in fact bad for you. Allah KNOWS but you do not know” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:216)

What IS productive, however, is using these past experiences as lessons learned, to channel them into making better decisions should similar obstacles reoccur in the future, all without dwelling on “what-ifs” of the past. This continuous improvement mindset is the essence of hikmah (wisdom) that believers should have, as the Prophet ﷺ said,

لاَ يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ وَاحِدٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ
"A believer is not stung from the same hole twice." (Al-Bukhari)

The hadith forbidding us from making “what if” statement is essentially teaching us is to try our level best to make the decisions based on what we know, OWN UP to our decisions, and take responsibility for the choices that we make, have no regrets and keep moving forward: these are the characteristics of a STRONG BELIEVER, which is actually the beginning of the hadith, wherein the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

اَلْمُؤْمِنُ اَلْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اَللَّهِ مِنْ اَلْمُؤْمِنِ اَلضَّعِيفِ, وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ, اِحْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ, وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ, وَلَا تَعْجَزْ
“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer; and in both there is goodness.
Strive for what will benefit you, seek assistance from Allah and do not give up.” (Muslim)

Finally, Allah says in the Qur’an:
فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
“Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).” (Surah Ali Imran, 3:159)

The Prophet ﷺ describes that with patience, comes victory, relief and ease. Do not allow our life’s challenges or circumstances to make us lose hope. Instead, keep having optimistic thoughts about Allah to provide a way out for those who have patience and trust in Him. In a hadith Qudsi, Allah says:

أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا دَعَانِي
“I am as My slave thinks of Me; and I am with him as he calls upon Me” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

And Allah Knows best.

#TheBarakahEffect #Qadr #IfOnly

What is the Most Important Investment for your Children? #ParentingGoals

In a recent conversation, one of my senior friends told another unmarried friend: “If you want to have children, bear in mind, you need at least half a million ringgit, per child. That’s the minimum you need to expect to invest for a quality degree and good education.”

It’s not uncommon to hear such expressions. Many investment consultants commonly promote their “WHY” of investment: to provide for children’s education.
Same thing with discussions on: Why MUST you buy a house? Why not just rent? Why work hard today?
Also when it comes to the long hours debating the issue of vaccines. Why?

The answers usually revolve around the same reason: “For our children’s future”.

But by far the most inspiring one I have personally heard so far is by Mufti Ismail Menk. A few years ago, in a small gathering, he once told us how his son was doing well in his studies and in sports, but he was lagging behind in his Hifz (memorization of the Qur’an). So, he told his son (to the effect of),
“Son, I see you are doing well in these areas, but please take care of your Hifz. If you excel at school but don’t do well in your Hifz, it’s going to break my heart”.

Wow. It was such a short comment, but it resonated so much with me after all these years, especially now that I have a child of my own. It’s so wonderful to hear examples of a father connecting with his son, heart-to-heart, and clearly laying out his expectations. It’s the kind of relationship that I imagine Ya’qub had with his son, Yusuf as Allah taught us in the beginning of Surah Yusuf.

Interestingly, this is also consistent with a lesson taught by the book “Positive Discipline” – using “i-messages” to express your feelings to your children so you can encourage genuine cooperation and trust, built upon love and respect.

But more importantly, it also made me ponder upon the existential question regarding “working hard for our children’s future”: What legacy do we want to leave behind for them?
Consider the words of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:

إِذَا مَاتَ الإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ إِلاَّ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ ‏
“When a man dies, all of his deeds come to an end, except for three,
1. A recurring beneficial charity, and
2. knowledge (by which people) benefit, and
3. A righteous child, who prays for him (for the deceased).” (Muslim)

The expectations and efforts we put in for our children are an expression of what we – as parents – deem as important. As priority.
What do we deem as important investment? Good education? Nice house? Easy life in this dunya?

What will my legacy be, as a father, if my child grows up in perfect health, had top-notch qualifications, high-profile jobs, shiny mansions and shinier sports cars, but does not pray Fajr – let alone supplicate (make du’aa) for me after I die? Of what avail will all that wealth and knowledge that I left him with be, if it was consumed for selfish reasons, not spent for the sake of Allah for the benefit of others?

Or even if he does pray, make du’aa, recite Qur’an and spend for the sake of Allah, but he learnt all of that from teachers whom I had to “outsource”: and that he did not learn any of that from me, because I was too busy preparing “for his future”?
Am I going to lose out? 😭

Deep thoughts. Ones that we shouldn’t just brush aside, but rather, should mindfully confront and allow them to govern our day-to-day actions.

For our children’s future, of course.

What do you feel is the most important investment for your children?

#Invesment #ForOurChildrensFuture #TheBarakahEffect #CoolnessOfOurEyes

The Bottomless Pit of Desires

In his book “The One Thing: The surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results”, author Gary Keller emphasizes the importance of Living with a Purpose – or else, life will be an unfulfilling, endless pursuit of material possessions:

“One of our biggest challenges is making sure our life’s purpose doesn’t become a beggar’s bowl, a bottomless pit of desire continually searching for the next thing that will make us happy. That’s a losing proposition.

Acquiring money and obtaining things are pretty much all done for the pleasure we expect them to bring. On one hand, this actually works. Securing money or something we want can spike our happiness meter—for a moment. Then it goes back down. Over the ages, our greatest minds have pondered happiness, and their conclusions are much the same: having money and things won’t automatically lead to lasting happiness.

How circumstances affect us depends on how we interpret them as they relate to our life. If we lack a “big picture” view, we can easily fall into serial success seeking. Why? Once we get what we want, our happiness sooner or later wanes because we quickly become accustomed to what we acquire. This happens to everyone and eventually leaves us bored, seeking something new to get or do. Worse, we may not even stop or slow down to enjoy what we’ve got because we automatically get up and go for something else. If we’re not careful, we wind up ricocheting from achieving and acquiring to acquiring and achieving without ever taking time to fully enjoy any of it. This is a good way to remain a beggar, and the day we realize this is the day our life changes forever.” (End Quote)

It is interesting to view this from an Islamic perspective. What the author is highlighting is EXACTLY what has been described by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:

لَوْ أَنَّ ابْنَ آدَمَ أُعْطِيَ وَادِيًا مَلأً مِنْ ذَهَبٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ ثَانِيًا، وَلَوْ أُعْطِيَ ثَانِيًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ ثَالِثًا، وَلاَ يَسُدُّ جَوْفَ ابْنِ آدَمَ إِلاَّ التُّرَابُ ، وَيَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ تَابَ
“If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would desire to have a second one;
and if he were given the second one, he would desire to have a third,
for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives he who repents to Him.” (Al-Bukhari)

In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

لَيْسَ الْغِنَى عَنْ كَثْرَةِ الْعَرَضِ وَلَكِنِ الْغِنَى غِنَى النَّفْسِ
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Richness (wealth) is not in having many posessions; but (true) richness is the richness of the soul” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

How does one attain this richness of the soul?
By having a clear PURPOSE in life.

As author Gary Keller further states:
“A life lived on purpose is the most powerful of all – and the happiest.
I believe that financially wealthy people are those who have enough money coming in without having to work to finance their purpose in life. Without purpose, you’ll never know when you have enough money, and you can never be financially wealthy.
Purpose is the straightest path to power and the ultimate source of personal strength – strength of conviction and strength to persevere.
When you have a definite purpose for your life, clarity comes faster, which leads to more conviction in your direction, which usually leads to faster decisions. When you make faster decisions, you’ll often be the one who makes the first decisions and winds up with the best choices. And when you have the best choices, you have the opportunity for the best experiences.
Purpose provides the ultimate glue that can help you stick to the path you’ve set. When what you do matches your purpose, your life just feels in rhythm, and the path you beat with your feet seems to match the sound in your head and heart.” (End Quote)

As Allah states in His Book:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“And I have not created the jinn and mankind, except to Worship Me Alone” (Surah Adz-Dzariyat 51:56)

Ibn Taymiyyah provides a simple and comprehensive definition on “ibadah” (worship):

"Ibaadah is a collective term for everything which Allaah loves and is pleased with from among the sayings and inward and outward actions."

Recap:
Our purpose in life is THE solution out from spiralling into a bottomless pit of desires.

Let that sink in.

#ONEPurpose #TheBarakahEffect #BottomlessPitOfDesires

Putting Your Trust in Allah in times of calamities: A Lesson from Surah Al-Kahf

 

Amidst recent concerns on the surge of #COVID19 cases and our entry into #MCO #PKP round 2, it’s important to remind ourselves of a lesson and du’aa taught from Surah Al-Kahf, wherein Allah says:

 “When the young men fled for refuge to the cave, they said: 

رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّىءْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا

"Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!''

Therefore, We covered up their hearing in Al-Kahf for a number of years.” (Al-Kahf 18:10-11)

Dr. Bilal Philips commented:

“Allah protected the youths and revived them back as a test for people and a test for the youths themselves, because they were unaware of how long they had slept. The message of the verses being that, Allah answered their prayers by keeping (the harm of the) people away from them while they slept in the cave and causing them to miraculously survive all those years. Allah is the One who can do the unexpected.

 

We have to believe that even though situations may seem hopeless, Allah can always solve the problem. It is a reminder to us of crises in our own lives which seemed to be hopeless, but with Allah’s help we are able to come through. This story in its own way expresses that same concept. If we put our trust in Allah and He will find a way for us as He said:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجاً - وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ

“Whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out and provide for him from where he did not expect it. And whoever trusts in Allah, He will be sufficient for him.” (Soorah at-Talaaq, 65: 2-3)

(Quoted from “Tafsir Surah Al-Kahf”, Dr. Bilal Philips. Tafsir 202, IOU)

May Allah strengthen our taqwa to provide a way out for all difficulties, safeguard our ummah from harm, strengthen our patience and perseverance through hardship, Grant shifaa (healing) and ajr (rewards) to those patient in affliction, and may He ease the fairs of all those in difficulty

#TheBarakahEffect #LessonsFromAlKahf

The Barakah (blessings) of Righteous Parents #AllahJagaAnakKita

We all want what is best for our children; and especially in current times of anxiety due to the #COVID19 pandemic, we all hope in means that Allah preserves and guards them from safety and harm. We talk about investing in them to provide them the best future.

But how? 

In surah Al-Kahf, Allah provides the solution: be a righteous parent. In the third story of the surah in ayah #77 Allah narrates the adventures of Khidr and Prophet Musa:

فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّى إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ اسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَاراً يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ

“Then they both proceeded till when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them, therein which they found therein a wall about to collapse. He (i.e. Khidr, fixed the wall and) set it up straight.”

Despite being treated poorly by the townsfolk, Khidr did them a public service free of charge, and was therefore questioned by Musa: “Why didn’t you demand wages for that hard work?” Ibn Kathir commented: “because they did not entertain us as guests, you should have not worked for them for free”

In ayah 82, Khidr explains:

وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَـمَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنزٌ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَـلِحاً فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ

"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; 

and under the wall there was a treasure belonging to them; 

and their father was a righteous man, so your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord.”

Because the wall was defective, it was feared that if the wall had fallen before the children had reached maturity, the townsfolk would have stolen the treasure. But because the orphans’ father was a righteous man, Khidr explained that ALLAH wanted to preserve their wealth so that they may gain it when they have attained old age. 

Ibn Abbas said: “They were taken care of because their father was a righteous man, although it is not stated that they themselves were righteous.''

Ibn Kathir commented: “(This verse) indicates that a righteous person's offspring will be taken care of, and that the blessing of his worship will extend to them in this world AND in the Hereafter. This will occur through his intercession for them, as well as their status being raised to the highest levels of Paradise, so that he may find joy in them. This was stated in the Qur'an and reported in the Sunnah.

In a touching display of compassionate fatherhood, this is how the companion Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, and the tabi’ee Sa’id ibn al-Musayyab understood this verse: in remembrance of their sons, they were motivated to increase their night prayers and strengthened their relationship with Allah.

Hasn’t the time come we increased ours…? 😭😭😭

#CoolnessOfOurEyes #LessonsFromAlKahf #theBarakahEffect #AllahJagaKita