Don't Let Your Guard Down, Don't be Complacent!

In the caving activity, armed with only a headlight, we were tasked navigate into a pitch-black, narrow cave, full of sharp stalagmites and stalactites, with water up to our hips (and for some, water up to their necks) – very hazardous.

The amazing thing was that no one in our groups got hurt throughout the entire caving activity, alhamduilillah.

An amazing lesson we also learnt, however, was what happened AFTER the caving activity: someone had an injury OUTSIDE the cave while on solid, flat ground. Apparently, he was waving at his friend while walking, and tripped over a tree root, fell and slightly injured his knee. 

Let's analyze the situation..
When we navigated through the cave, we were conscious of the fact that we were going to enter a danger zone, so we put super extra care to ensure our safety – we studied our environment carefully, attentively observed where our feet and hands went, we communicated with the people in front and behind us – safe.

Interestingly, this is exactly how the companion Ubayy ibn Ka’ab described “taqwa” – consciousness of God / fear of God's punishment.
Ubayy said to Umar ibn Al-Khattab, "Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it''
`Umar said, "Yes.''
Ubayy said, "What did you do then''
He said, "I rolled up my sleeves and struggled (carefully, to avoid the thorns).''
Ubayy said, "That is Taqwa.''

So we navigated the cave with taqwa. But the minute we exited the cave, as we walked through wide, flat and familiar ground, we felt ‘safe’, so we became lax and complacent, we let our guard down, and *wham*!

Lessons learnt:
اتَّقِ اللَّهَ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ
“Have taqwa (consciousness) of Allah wherever you may be”
(Hadith Narrated by at-Tirmidzi, graded hasan)

Many of us, when we are going to enter ‘dangerous’ environments or places – ones that you KNOW are full of haram and prohibited things – whether its in gatherings of idle talk, ‘parties’, ‘red light’ city areas, dodgy stuff on television, dodgy websites, shopping malls, political-slander articles, etc – we become conscious of our actions, we are more careful in resisting temptations, and fending off the bad stuff.

But when we enter ‘safer’ territory – say, with ‘good company’ of friends or other ‘practicing’ people – we tend to let our guard down, and shaytan takes us for a ride to fall into all sorts of haram. Some very common examples :

Talking about absolutely useless and non-beneficial things for the sake of ‘strengthening brotherhood’,
backbiting other individuals in the name of “safeguarding the Deen from corrupt individuals” or “saving other people from their harm”,
interaction with non-mahrams of the opposite gender “just talking about religion”, private discussions and ‘overly friendly’ (to the point of flirting) with non-mahrams under the guise of “doing da’wah together”,
gossiping with others about a person with the intention that “we actually want to help him and want to find a solution together”,
not having khusyoo’ in prayer because of thinking about your good deeds (e.g. planning your da’wah activity, how to please your mother, what good advice to share on facebook);
When staying at home with the family, there's a tendency to do more useless things and waste time because we think we are 'spending time with the family'..

– the list goes on.

These are areas where we are most vulnerable – especially Muslims who are sincere on being better individuals, but sometimes fall into error. We need to keep our guard up to ensure we don’t get tricked and fall into sin,  yet still be convinced we are doing the right thing. Remember the story of Barsisah.

Remember the advice of the Prophet - have taqwa WHEREVER you may be. Always take a step back, keep your ikhlas (sincerity) in check, be honest with yourself, be honest with Allah and ask Him to guide you, then tread carefully and don't be complacent –

.. and help others if you are seeing them slipping away. Nobody is free from error, myself included.

This is a reminder to myself and to you - Let us help each other towards taqwa and righteousness – in the same way the person(s) behind and in front of us warns us of impending hazards ahead =)





(Your Own Life Observation [YOLO] AK Youth Camp 2013)
#yolo #akyc2013 #akyc

The Morale Effect

If there’s one valuble lesson I learned in the Youth Camp, it’s one thing – the rules of Organizational Behaviour are every bit as applicable to teenagers, as they are applicable to adults in the corporate world, and to a Jemaah as a whole. 
Situations can sometimes get very rough and difficult – and whether we realize it or not, our reactions to different situations have a major impact towards affecting the morale of the team or the organization around us.
The reality is, in these situations, everyone feels tired, pressured, or stressed – the difference is, what we choose to do as a reaction.

And that difference can make or break the team.
When one person starts throwing in the towel, sighs, complains about the situation, it has an immediate effect to those around him/her. Other weaker team members will feel relieved that there is one who is on ‘the same boat’, and just surrenders to the pressure, lose their steam, eventually affecting the entire team’s morale and enthusiasm. But the stronger ones will ignore this and just keep pushing.

On the other hand, when a person, despite the stress, tiredness and pressure he feels, still maintains a positive and enthusiastic vibe, still pulling his weight, still helping to push the team to greater heights, it gives a certain amount of energizing motivation to the team. And other stronger team members can pick this up and show their support – and the team will deliver far beyond what they were originally capable of, achieving results greater than the sum of its parts.


And this is exactly what happens in an organization or company. Your whining and complaining can wear the team down; in the same way that your enthusiasm and determination can motivate the team beyond expectations.

We see exact same examples in the seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam).
An example of negative morale is that of the Hypocrites in the Battle of Uhud (Surah al-Imran 3:154-156).
As the impending threat of war dawned upon them, they started to fear for their own lives, and boldly started out loud to the entire 1000-strong Muslim army:  “we don’t know why should we kill ourselves!”
This immediately had an effect to the army, and ONE-THIRD of them – approximately 300 of them – withdrew and flee from the battlefield. Look how this ‘toxic influence’ really hurt the team.
Now the Muslims were left with only about 700 men to face 3000 men – imagine how much that would have affected their spirits.
But with the Grace of Allah, the remaining 700 believers remained steadfast due to their belief, principles and loyalty to the Prophet (ref Surah al-Imran 3:122).

The best example of a superior source of positive motivation is that of the Prophet Muhammad himself.
Now imagine for a second, the level of stress and pressure he felt – as the final Prophet of Allah, the one responsible to train his followers to deliver the Final Revelation of God to the whole of mankind – who had to worry about impeding invasion from the Quraysh disbelievers, the backstabbing Jews, betrayal of the Hypocrites from within their own ranks, rebellion of surrounding Arab tribes, at the same time to educate complete teachings of Islam within such a short period of time, managing a huge family (and being the best to his family members!), administration of a whole country, sometimes himself being the general of his army, and at the same time staying up almost all night, every night, to Pray.

Quite a stressful situation! Yet how did he appear before his  companions?

Jarîr b. `Abd Allah said: "Since the time I accepted Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) never once failed to notice me - and every time he saw me, he would smile at me."
[Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2809 & 5625) and Sahîh Muslim (4523)]

`Abd Allah b. al-Hârith said: "I have never seen anyone more in the habit of smiling than Allah's Messenger." [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3574)]

When they were digging the trench, he was down there with them - hungrier than them. In war, he was on the front lines.
And yet he never compromised his warmth and loving nature towards his companions.

Profound lessons and food for thought for ourselves – how has our morale affected those around us?





(Your Own Life Observations [YOLO] - Alkhaadem Youth Camp 2013)
#yolo #akyc2013 #akyc

Don't be a victim of circumstance: Make the best out of what you have.

Case Study : Nafi', Imam Malik, ibn Umar 

One of the most prominent teachers of Imam Malik ibn Anas was in fact a 'slave' - by the name of Naafi' ibn Sarjis, the freed slave of companion Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab (radhiAllahu 'anhuma).
 
Some scholars of hadith consider the "golden chain" of narration - the best and most authentic narration - to be that of Malik, Naafi', ibn Umar, and finally the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam).

Amazing! Think about it : Nafi' was a slave - and yet Allah has honoured him throughout the channels of history until the Day of Judgment, in playing a major role in the establishment and preservation of the Shari'ah - the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam).

What we can learn from these great individuals:

1) Nafi' didn't have the defeatist attitude in his state of being a slave - he made the best out of it. He recognized that his master, ibn Umar was one of the prominent companions of the Prophet, so he made most of the opportunity to learn from the best of the best. As a result of his dedicated efforts to learn, he was eventually the teacher to the great scholar Imam Malik, teacher to Imam Ash-Shafi'i.

How many of us are making full opportunity of what we have? How many of us are quick to blame our situation on circumstance and surroundings? How many of us are making full use of Qur'an and Hadith at our fingertips, and classes around us to enrich ourselves and those around us?
If a slave could take initiative, what are we doing?

2) Ibn Umar was a great coach! Imagine if ibn Umar had thought "oh you're just a slave - go do your other chores; this knowledge is for us elites".
How badly do we treat our 'maids' today? Do we even have any consideration of their betterment and improvement?

Ibn Umar developed this individual who would eventually be part of the golden chain of hadith. Now, if this was the level of development his slave had, what more his own children? How much effort have we gone into raising and nurturing our youth?

Children these days are more likely to take Astro, YouTube, and iPads as their coaches and shaykhs, more than their guardians.
Parents today need to re-establish the good old days where they placed importance on values and passing down their legacy and skills, and take a hands-on approach in nurturing the future leaders.

3) Imam Malik, the great scholar and faqeeh of Madinah, would learn from a slave. Imagine it's like a CEO of a great corporation learning values from his office janitor.

While this was very common back then, it's a forgotten virtue in our modern world today - Focus on the MESSAGE, not the Messenger. Whatever agrees with the Truth, if it's good advice, we take it, regardless if the person is an 'ustaz' or not, or whether he regularly appears on TV.

In any case, all three individuals shared one common trait and lesson for all of us - make the best of what you have. You never know where the blessings and barakah of Allah are.
Your circumstance may present opportunities which you never realized - seize them and make the best of them!

Lessons from the Stories of the Prophets in Qur'an

A major role of the Qur’an is a source of MOTIVATION and ENCOURAGEMENT for the believers, where Allah uplifts them and reassures the believers that they are on the right path to keep them focused.

And one of the many ways in which He does this is by narrating the stories of the people of the past. These aren’t folk tales or bedtime mythology, these are actual historical events that took place with ordinary people like you and me.

Let’s take some general yet profound lessons of the stories of the Prophets of the past  :

1. Nothing worth doing in life is easy. If you think your task/job adds value, guess what – the jobs of Allah’s Prophets were the most value adding of all, and it was no walk in the park. Allah Knows your Efforts and how sincere you are, and that’s all that matters.

2. "The Night is darkest before the Dawn" - For His Righteous slaves, Allah will Spare an immediate success for a greater success. “Failure” is relative – so put things in the right relative perspective. In seeking the Ultimate success, people around you might perceive your efforts as a waste, but Allah, ash-Shakur will NEVER let an atom’s weight of your efforts be wasted. Imagine if Nuh gave in when people mocked him as he made the Ark.

4. The Prophets: People who were more skilled and better in conduct than you have met with considerably worst challenges. So don't get cocky or arrogant.

5. Never give up on your people. The Prophets met with people who are much WORSE than the people you’re dealing with – people who rejected and opposed the Message even when the truth was laid bare in front of their eyes. Yet even they, some of the hardest enemies CAN become good people in the end. If you give up now, you might miss out on that one “push” that could tilt the scales.

6. Allah rewards for your EFFORTS, not your RESULTS. There are Prophets who have no followers – but they still are rewarded Paradise.
   
7. A sign that you are on the path of success is to have the integrity to still be persistent and patient despite the nonsense around you. “So hold on - It’s only a matter of time!”

8. Just because you have “facts” and “the truth”, doesn’t mean people are going to support you or like you. So don’t compromise the truth. It just means you might have to try again and again : perhaps with better wisdom.

9. Losing arguments doesn’t mean you are wrong, it just means your opponent is louder or more eloquent. Some people argue for the sake of arguing - and they’ll never surrender.

10.Don’t be disheartened when your opponents use Character assassination against you by attempting to make you look stupid just to block your message or distort the facts. They are using the same tactics as Fir’awn, Namrud, Abu Lahab and others – yet the Prophets never used this, or allowed themselves to be affected by it. Stand your ground and don’t sink yourself to their level.

.. And there’s so much more. The reality is, human nature has always been the same – characters, behaviours and mindset have been constant: only the names change, only ‘technology’ improves. Our job is to derive from this accumulated wisdom and apply it.

So when we recite and learn Qur’an, we shouldn’t just treat it as a ritual – don’t just treat stories as stories: It’s an actual tool for us to keep on track. Allah doesn’t Narrate to entertain us, He Narrates to us to TEACH us. So let’s learn =).

And what a great time to turn to Qur’an on this weekend amongst the first 10 days of Dzul-Hijjah =)


فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿١٧٦﴾
“So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:176)

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ بِمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ ﴿٣﴾
“We relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qur'an although you were, before it, among the unaware.” (Surah Yusuf 12:3)

Should we have Faith without believing in the Last Day, Paradise and Hellfire?

A friend of mine asked an honest question out of curiosity: 

“Is it wrong for me to practice my religion WITHOUT the aspect of Paradise and Hellfire? Not that I don’t believe in them, it’s just that I intend to practice purely out of faith of the religion, knowing that what it prescribed for me is good for me, and what it prohibited for me is bad for me – not necessarily out of seeking ‘pahala’ (rewards) from Allah? Is that wrong? Does that make my faith deficient in any way?”

Didn’t give him a good answer back then, but having time to think back, perhaps this would have been a better response :

Negating the aspect of “rewards”, Paradise and Hellfire will in fact remove a principal aspect of motivation: the drive for us to exert our utmost effort to excel. Without living our lives with the conscious knowledge of something great forward to, or something terrible to fend off from, it’s quite possible we will be complacent and quite content with being “mediocre” as a Muslim – and we have no guarantee of success either. What will drive us the extra mile to refine our character? To ditch that bad habit? To keep calm and patient while stuck in traffic? To make that extra bit of zikir? To give that extra dollar of charity? To advise our friends and family? If we had nothing to look forward to?

Allah Created us with the Knowledge of what motivates us – and in His Final Revelation the Qur’an, Paradise and Hellfire are repeated many times, in many different chapters, in varying descriptions and perspectives. Why, does so many times, when talking about what He Reserved for us in the Hereafter, Allah continuously Praise His rewards – Ajrun Azheem (great reward), Ajrun Kareem (generous reward), Ajrun Kabeer (BIG reward)?

Why would He repeat it, unless it was important to us? After all, He Revealed the Qur’an for our guidance – not for Him.

It’s important to remember that, as we pray a minimum of 5 times a day, in those prayers, lies one verse in Al-Fatihah which we recite at least 17 times daily : “maliki yawm id-deen” (King of the Day of Recompense) – a constant reminder to us that there will be a day of complete and absolute accountability of every single one of our deeds – good/bad, big/small, open/secret.

And wouldn’t I love to see the fruits of my labor? Wouldn’t I love that for every second of effort I did for His Sake, He will reward it with something much greater? Wouldn’t I love that when I walk out of the masjid after Fajr prayers, I have firm and optimistic hopes to a reward that is so great that “if we knew what it was, we would come even if we had to crawl”?
Likewise, on the remembrance absolute accountability, wouldn’t I be fearful of my bad actions, even if they are small or in secret? Wouldn’t I fear that every word of insult I utter in someone’s absence can be a cause for my ruin, or at the very least, ‘withdrawal’ from my account of good deeds and a serious threat to my investment?

It is when we have this constant reminder of Recompense, reward, paradise, and hellfire will life have a much deeper meaning beyond what meets the eyes, and from it will we have the enthusiasm and motivation to excel.

As Imam Bukhari stated, it is an established consensus amongst the scholars that the definition of “iman” is belief in the heart, utterance on the tongue, and action of the limbs – so if we had true iman in the Last Day (a pillar of faith), that belief would be manifest and reflected in our actions.

Live with the End in Mind - “Remembrance of Death puts Life into Perspective”

Your Attitude Towards ‘Failures’, ‘Mistakes’, or ‘Flops’?

What is

IBM once invested $20 million to start up a business division. After several years, the division resulted in massive losses to the company, and management decided to close down the division.
The Head of the division was called up to the CEO’s office; he asked the CEO; “I guess you called me in because you want to fire me”
The CEO said, “Heck no – we have 20 million dollars’ worth of experience in you. And we have to get that back. So we’re not going to fire you at all”

Mirroring that mindset was Thomas Alva Edison who said, “I haven’t failed 999 times, I’ve found 999 ways how NOT to make the electric light bulb.”

It’s a great attitude towards how we should view ‘failures’, or ‘mistakes’. When we, as an individual, or as an organisation – be it on a family, department, company level, etc – fail to learn from mistakes and extract the valuable lessons in them, then in reality we are impeding progress.
Audits, complaints and personal “muhasabah” (self-reflections) are in fact tools for progress – not for us to find fault and criticism.

When we are too bent on penalising failures or mistakes, we are in turn shaping a culture that is stuck in a loop of mediocrity.
When we are too ignorant or oblivious to failures or lack the initiative to learn, this results in complacency and no room for progress.

We should instill the mindset to bite the bullet – to do the right thing and learn from failures; not be hampered by them.

And this is precisely what the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said:
كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ, وَخَيْرُ اَلْخَطَّائِينَ اَلتَّوَّابُونَ
“All the sons of Adam are sinners,
but the best of sinners are those who repent (i.e. perform tawbah) often.”
(Related by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, graded “hasan”, with a strong chain of narrators.)

Without exception, EVERY one of us are guilty of committing sins or making mistakes. The only differentiating quality among us is how much we are willing to take initiative to swallow our pride, admit our faults, have the conviction to correct them.

If we can understand this need towards progress on an organisational level, then - reminding ourselves that we only have “one shot in life” - this  need for progress is even more so on a personal and individual level.

But why is it, there’s a sense of urgency to improve in organisations, but no such urgency on an individual, personal level - to repent, to change, etc?
Because in organisations, delays in progress means loss : loss in quality, loss in profits, loss in competitive edge, competency development, in valuble manpower, etc.

Likewise, this is the state of “loss” (al-khusr) which Allah describes on every single individual who fails to take initiative for continuous improvement. If we truly understood the magnitude and implications for this loss – we will see the urgency.

وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ﴿٣

“(I Swear) By the Time - 
Indeed, mankind is in a constant state of LOSS;
Except those who have faith and work righteous deeds,
And eagerly advise each other towards the TRUTH,
And eagerly advise each other towards patience.”

Scheduled Priority - Work vs. Prayer?

Do we schedule our work to meet our solat (prayer) times, or do we reshuffle our solat to fit our work times?

If we really considered our work / business to be a form of Ibadah, then we would not prioritize our jobs in compromise of the GREATER ibadah – the SOLAT, the first deed that shall be evaluated on the Day of Judgment.
If the definition of “ibadah” - worship – is to seek the Pleasure of Allah, and if we claim that to be our objective, then what kind of discipline are we implementing when it comes to consistency in performing the deed MOST beloved to Allah?

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radhiAllahu anh) asked the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam):
“Which Deed is most beloved to Allah?”
The Prophet said, “The Prayer (early) at its times”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari)

On top of that, wouldn’t we want a super quick and easy way to multiply it by 27 times – simply by praying in jama’ah?
Have we ever thought, what if our boss/client would offer us 27 multiple of our pay, simply by making the effort to find a teammate and work together as a team – yet we ignore the offer. A great loss!
.. So what is our attitude when it comes to this great offer from Allah?

Allah has made His Rewards and His Forgiveness easy for those who put in the effort.

So let’s put things in perspective and prioritize our priorities. May Allah keep us steadfast in performing our prayers with quality and ihsan.

Good Akhlaq to Everyone, at All Levels

If we really considered our work and business as “ibadah” (an act of worship to Allah), we would extend our good akhlaq – character and etiquettes – to everyone, regardless of what position or rank they may be, ‘above’ or ‘below’: bosses, colleagues, the cleaners, waiters, ‘rivals’, mat sallehs and non-mat sallehs, other departments, etc. We do not discriminate who are ‘deserving’ of our good conduct.

There’s always a tendency that we are ‘nicer’ to the bosses, the seniors, colleagues, potential clients and customers; yet we show poor manners to the people who have “no relevance” to us, especially those we view as “lower” in rank. And it gets even worse with the problematic “customer is always right” mentality – waiters, cashiers, reception desks, and security guards unfortunately always experience society’s dark side.

This unveils a major disease in our society today: the materialistic approach and lack of ikhlas/sincerity in dealing with people – “I’m good to you if you can benefit me somehow”.

And this is NOT the mentality of one who believes in Allah and the Last Day. The Qur’an and the Sunnah defined for us an honourable identity of good akhlaq to all levels of society. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said:
إنما بعثت لأتمم مكارم الأخلاق
“Verily, I have only been sent to perfect good characters and manners” (Malik)
This hadith tells us that the holistic objective of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, is to achieve this objective – the perfection of good akhlaq: with Allah, other human beings and all creation.
So how can we claim something to be ibadah if we neglect the fruit and objective of the ibadah by discriminating those who ‘deserve’ our good akhlaq?

The issue of good akhlaq is no insignificant matter. The Prophet was asked what are the things that cause a person to be admitted into paradise the MOST, and he replied,     
تَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَحُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ
“Taqwa (consciousness, fear) of Allah, and good character”
(At-Tirmidzi, Eng Vol 4, Book 1, Hadith 2004, sahih)

On the Day of Judgment, others will bear witness on our character, and all those barriers of rank, race and roles will disappear.

So let’s improve our conduct with everyone around us with ikhlas, the clear intention of developing our taqwa (consciousness and fear of Allah), perhaps that Allah reward our work and business conduct as ibadah in His Sights, and become a means of His Pleasure to enter us into His Paradise.

The Prophet said, "Don't consider insignificant (your) good deeds,
even if it is that you meet your brother with a cheerful face"
(Sahih Muslim, Book #32, Hadith #6359)

Boycott: Restaurants that Serve Alcohol

As Believers in this part of the world, by right we should NOT even bother considering eating at restaurants that serve alcohol & liquor, if we love Allah, His Deen, and our hearts.

This is Why:

1) It’s a supply-demand thing
The past 10 years have seen a rapid rise in restaurants serving alcohol – what happened? Businesses realized, that by serving alcohol in this majority-Muslim country didn’t seem to harm their sales or affect demands from the Muslims and non-drinking market – serving alcohol had a negligible effect on their business, despite restaurants serving alcohol never being eligible for Halal certification.
This reveals that businesses having an underlying lack of respect or sensitivity for the “official religion” of the country. But also, on the part of the consumers, it also displays how careless we are at unintentionally or subconsciously ‘allowing’ this culture to propagate because we are “just eating the food, not the alcohol”

So, by strictly cutting off this ‘demand’ in this economy, we are playing our role in the “cooperation” which was prohibited by Allah:
وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ۚ
“And do not cooperate in sins and transgression” (Al-Ma’idah 5:2)

Now think about this : would you go to a restaurant which serves marijuana, cocaine and heroin, if it’s “legal”?
No, because it’s filthy haram stuff; in fact, we’ll probably boycott with extreme prejudice. Well, if you think about it, these drugs are ‘Haram’ because of Qiyas (analogy) FROM the original ‘Haram’ ruling of Alcohol in the first place.
So if we consider a restaurant serving drugs to be filthy because of something that was Haram “because of Qiyas”, how about restaurants serving substances which have direct Haram from the Qur’an and the Sunnah?

It’s actually absurd when we put things into perspective: people go to great lengths to promote boycotting companies because of ‘suspicions’/'conspiracy' that so-and-so company may be ‘contributing’ to certain parties or countries,
..and yet here we do nothing to play our roles to discourage the rampant and blatant haram in our backyard.

2) You’ll get better food in Paradise
“Life is short. You only live once.”
So often we hear this: now let’s change our paradigm to how we approach it.

Sure, we may think we are ‘losing out’ from not being able to eat this stuff. But have we lost tawakkul and trust in Allah when He says He has reserved for His Slaves what the eye has never seen, the ear has never heard, and the Heart cannot comprehend? (Hadith Qudsy, Narrated @ Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #54, Hadith #467)
If that’s how awesome the food in dunya is, can you imagine how much more awesome will the food in Paradise be?
Keep your eyes on the prize, guys – we’ve got better stuff waiting on the other side – we just gotta there!

The Prophet said, "whosoever leaves something for the sake of Allah, then Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, will replace it with something better than it." (Narrated in Ahmad and An-Nasa’I, with a sahih isnad)

3) There are SO many other Halal alternatives.
Seriously. Alhamdulillah.

4) Many of these restaurants have some food which are cooked with alcohol.
And some waiters don’t know or they just don’t tell you.

5) Protect your faith!
No, we’re not saying that these restaurants are HARAM per se. But just like ‘work’ isn’t just about “not violating company policies”, religion isn’t just about steering from Haram – it’s about performing what’s best and most Pleasing to our Creator, within this limited amount of time in the dunya!

The Prophet said (the meaning of which) there are things which are clearly halal, and things which are clearly haram – and in between are things which are the “grey areas”. If we stay away from the grey areas, we’ve protected our religion and our honour (Al-Bukhari, Muslim).
And is there anything else more worth protecting?

Imagine going to a pharmacy, and you finding out they don’t just serve medicine, they also serve lethal poisons. And you’re no drug expert.
Take the gamble? Or just go to another risk-free pharmacy?

 
So this is our advice from the heart to our brothers and sisters out there: Abandon restaurants that serve alcohol. 

Sure, we may be “only one person”, but big things have small beginnings. And Allah will not change the state of a people until we first change what is in ourselves.
 

Why Bother Outperforming beyond Expectations? - Because Work is IBADAH

If we really considered our work and businesses as “ibadah” (i.e. an act of worship), then we would strive for excellence, to outperform beyond expectations and deliver the best, regardless if whether the boss, the company, the client acknowledges or rewards us or gives us raise/bonus.

All Human beings have limitations and shortcomings, and everyone has individual needs and motivations behind their deeds. Naturally, no human evaluation will ever be perfect.

Instead, we should strive to outperform because we want to please Allah, the Perfect One Who has enjoined us to perform with excellence (ihsan) in all things (16:90), Who will never allow a single atom’s weight of our deeds to be lost (18:30), Who is All-Just and will replace with the BEST of rewards (3:195), Who is All-Aware of all that we do (57:13), one Who his All-Rich and Free from All Needs (Al-Ghany), Most-Generous (Al-Akram), Most Merciful (Ar-Raheem). Allahu a’lam – Allah knows best.

We should be determined to deliver with the confidence that, if His creatures fail to acknowledge your excellence in this dunya, Alhamdulillah, have the conviction of the promise that He has reserved greater rewards for you in the Hereafter, that never fades away.

The Promise of Hereafter isn’t a fairy tale or an academic exercise – this is the Truth of Truths and should be the driving force behind our motivations.

Thus if we were to feel demotivated or burnout because people fail to acknowledge or recompense our performance, or if we lack the motivation for excellent performance, or give good customer service simply because “it makes no difference to my pay anyway”, then we need to question our ikhlas and tawakkul (sincerity and trust) in Allah: are we REALLY taking our “work”/”business” as ibadah, or are we concerned about the cash, the fame, the promotion?

Allahu A’lam, Allah Knows Best.

That being said, nevertheless bosses, managers and superiors should never be negligent in acknowledging or rewarding good performance – that in itself is a trait of ihsan and ‘adl (justice). 

 

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٩٠﴾

“Verily, Allah has enjoined (that you perform with) Justice and Ihsan (excellence),

and giving to kith and kin,

and forbids all evil and filthy deeds,

and all forms of oppression.

He admonishes you, that you may take heed”

(Surah An-Nahl 16:90)

هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ

"Is there any reward for Ihsan (goodness, excellence) other than Ihsan?” (55:60)

Beware the Social Media - from Envy, Kibr and Riyaa

We have to be careful in ensuring that Facebook, Twitter, Blog or any other platform of communication doesn’t become a source of Hasad (envy), Kibr (arrogance), or Riyaa’ (showing off/ostentation).

Envy, when we post pictures or share thoughts which can invite jealousy for those who aren’t granted with the same – be it looks, children, food, cars, wealth, etc.

Arrogance, when we feel superior over others over whatever blessings Allah had granted us, or because we denied and/or forgot that these blessings came from Allah, or when our criticism transgress boundaries

Showing Off / ostentation, when the sincerity our outward public deeds becomes distorted by the pursuit for “likes”, praises and attention, instead of the pleasure of Allah.

Whenever any sort of these feelings start creeping into our hearts, Allah taught us to say  

مَا شَاءَ اللَّـهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّـهِ ۚ

“That which Allah has willed! There is no power except from Allah!” (Surah Al-Kahf 18:39)

This phrase reminds ourselves that every single blessing granted or withheld by Allah is by His Wisdom, Mercy and Justice, and it will not exist if Allah did not Will it. There are specific wisdoms and reasons behind everything; don’t be quick to jump to emotions over what Allah has apparently granted to yourself, or to others – a blessing can be a source of ruin, if not used in the way that Allah is Pleased with.

A reminder to myself and to you, that we may avoid being amongst those whom Allah has said:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ كُفْرًا

“Have you not seen those who have changed the Blessings of Allah into disbelief?” (Surah Ibrahim 14:28)

Envy

وَلاَ يَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي قَلْبِ عَبْدٍ الإِيمَانُ وَالْحَسَدُ

"And two (things) will never be gathered in the heart of a salve: Faith and envy."

(Sunan An-Nasa'i Eng Vol. 1, Book 25, Hadith 3111, hasan)

 لاَ تَبَاغَضُوا، وَلاَ تَحَاسَدُوا، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ إِخْوَانًا‏

"Do not hate one another and do not envy one another. Let the slaves of Allah be brothers!" (Al-Bukhari, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 408)

قَالَ قِيلَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ أَىُّ النَّاسِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ ‏"‏ كُلُّ مَخْمُومِ الْقَلْبِ صَدُوقِ اللِّسَانِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا صَدُوقُ اللِّسَانِ نَعْرِفُهُ فَمَا مَخْمُومُ الْقَلْبِ قَالَ ‏"‏ هُوَ التَّقِيُّ النَّقِيُّ لاَ إِثْمَ فِيهِ وَلاَ بَغْىَ وَلاَ غِلَّ وَلاَ حَسَدَ ‏"‏

"It was said to the Messenger of Allah (): ‘Which of the people is best?’ 

He said: ‘Everyone who is pure of heart and sincere in speech.’ 

They said: ‘Sincere in speech, we know what this is, but what is pure of heart?’ 

He said: ‘It is (the heart) that is pious (taqwa) and pure, with no sin, injustice, rancor or envy in it.’” 

 (Sunan ibn Majah - Eng Vol. 1, Book 37, Hadith 4216, sahih)

Arrogance

وعن عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ “لا يدخل الجنة من كان في قلبه مثقال ذرة من كبر” فقال رجل” إن الرجل يحب أن يكون ثوبه حسناً ونعله حسناً‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ “إن الله جميل يحب الجمال الكبر بطر الحق وغمط الناس” ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏  

 

The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, "He who has, in his heart, an ant's weight of arrogance will not enter Jannah (Paradise)!" 

Someone said: "(What about) A man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?" 

Messenger of Allah said, "Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty (i.e., "there is nothing wrong in that). 

Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people."

(Sahih Muslim)

إن من أحبكم إلي، وأقربكم منى مجلساً يوم القيامة أحاسنكم أخلاقاً، وإن أبغضكم إلي وأبعدكم مني يوم القيامة، الثرثارون والمتشدقون والمتفيهقون” قالوا‏:‏ يا رسول الله قد علمنا “الثرثارون والمتشدون” فما المتفيهقون‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ “المتكبرون” ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏)

"The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners; 
and the most dislikable among you to me and the farthest of you from me will be the pompous, the garrulous, and Al-Mutafaihiqun." 
The Companions asked him: "O Messenger of Allah! We know about the pompous and the garrulous, but we do not know who Al-Mutafaihiqun are." 
He replied: "The arrogant people."
(At-Tirmidhi, who graded it hasan)
 

أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَهْلِ النَّارِ كُلُّ عُتُلٍّ جَوَّاظٍ مُسْتَكْبِرٍ ‏"

"Should I not inform you of the people of the Hell-Fire? 
They are all those violent, arrogant and stubborn people."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Eng Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 440)

Psychological Barriers vs. The Need for Change

Many a times we create psychological barriers against ourselves to give excuses that prevent us from changing towards good. Things like "I'm not ready", "Too busy to seek knowledge", "I'm too sinful and therefore I shouldn't advise others", "My knowledge is too shallow, I'm not ready to do da'wah", "too difficult", "If God has decreed i'm like this, then what's the point?"

Trouble is, excuses like this are only heard when it comes to matters of religion or anything good. But do we make these excuses when it comes to matters of the dunya - like finding a job, starting a business, promoting their sales products, etc?
We don't, because we recognize the NEED for it.

If we recognize the value and the need to do something, we will put in the effort for it and overcome any obstacles that come in between.
If we don't recognize the need, we'll continue fishing for excuses.

If we have true iman and yaqin in the Allah and the Last Day, we will see the need.

A word of advice for tarbiyah of ourselves, and our families.

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ 
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they (first) change what is in themselves.” (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:11)

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ ﴿١٨٥﴾
"Every soul will taste death,
and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection.
So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire].
And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion." (Surah Al-Imran 3:185)

The Disctinction Between "Knowing" and "Believing" - The Essence of Iman (faith)

The water supply disruption recently should have taught us a profound lesson in preparations and provisions. 

More importantly, the difference between “knowing” and “believing”

When we learnt about a water shortage that could last 7 days, we felt worried for ourselves and our family. It was "knowledge" that drove us into action - We dug up our old water containers, stocked up our backup supplies and purchased more. We warned our friends and family of the imminent difficulties that lay ahead, and we helped each other to prepare.

The consequences were very real, and it just knowing about the disruption drove us into action: the power of belief. 

If these were the kind of preparations we made for a 7-day disruption, what effect should it have on our lives from our belief in the Last Day?

The Day lasting 50,000 years (70:4), when we have no water to drink except from the Hawd (pond) of our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), when the sun is so close above us that some will be sweating up to their ears, when every single one of our deeds - no matter how big or small - shall be presented to us (99:7-8)? When we will undergo the one final evaluation that will determine our destiny forevermore (3:185)? When people will be blaming each other, to the extent that they will be fleeing from their own families (80:34-36)? When the criminals would even offer to ransom off their own children to save themselves (70:11)?

How much provisions have we prepared ourselves for this heavy Day? Do we put the effort to the quality of our solah (prayers), knowing that it is the very first deed that will be judged? Do we realize the amazing rewards Allah has promised us for praying on time, in jamaah, in khusyoo - thus we put super extra effort to ensure we have sufficient “backup supply” to aid us?

Do we actively seek His Pleasure, knowing that we can only enter Paradise by His Mercy and Pleasure of us?

Do we put in the effort to be of the exclusive 7 groups of people who will receive Allah's shade from the burning sun? Do we put in the effort to follow the sunnah of the Prophet, so we can be identified as his followers, and be granted permission to drink from his pond? Do we improve our iman and taqwa, knowing that this is the only way we will have sufficient Light to cross a bridge that is thinner than hair and sharper than a razor?

Do we realize that, unlike water disruption, we don't know WHEN this time will come, and thus we find no excuse to delay our repentance (tawbah) and turn to Allah?

Do we constantly remind each other of the inevitability of this Destination, and help each other towards it, just as we do during water supply disruption?

Or do we have the attitude of a smoker: one who knows of the hazards of smoking cigarettes, but doesn’t drive one into action and just ignores the warnings? And only takes heed when the doctor detects something?

Like the one who, only after departing this world and seeing the Reality, cries out to Allah and begs to be returned for a second chance (32:12)?

News of water supply disruption was knowledge that drove us into believers – belief that was reflected in our hearts (fear), our words (to warn others), and our actions (to prepare) - and this is the essence of iman (belief/faith).

So where do we stand with respect to our iman in the Last Day?

Like the smoker, or the believer?

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ ﴿٣٧﴾

“Indeed herein is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind].” (Qaf 50:37)

May Allah make us amongst those who heed His warnings, amongst those who constantly prepare ourselves towards this Day, and to make us amongst those who assist each other towards it.

Let the short and concise surah al-‘Asr be a reminder to us:

وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ﴿٣﴾

“(I Swear) By the Time - 

Indeed, mankind is in a constant state of loss

Except those who have iman, work righteous deeds,

And eagerly advise each other towards the TRUTH,

And eagerly advise each other towards patience.”