Having Empathy and Concern Over Others’ Wellbeing

The unique characteristic of the Qur’an is that, because it is from Allah Who Knows what is in all our hearts, the Qur’an also describes the psychology and inner thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a characteristic not available in other books or biographies and neither one that you won’t be able to observe even if you were a companion of the Prophet together with him. Here Allah describes the Prophet’s feelings over others when they turn away from his guidance, in surah Al-Kahf, verse 6 :

فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا

“Perhaps, you would kill yourself (O Muhammad ﷺ) in grief over their footsteps (when they turn away from you), because they do not have faith/belief in this narration (the Qur’an).”

This is also mirrored in surah ash-Shu’ara verse 3 and in surah Fatir verse 8 :

أَفَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَآهُ حَسَنًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ فَلَا تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَاتٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

“Is he, the one who views his evil deeds and considers them to be good (equal to the one who is rightly guided)?

Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them. Truly, Allah is the All-Knower of what they do”

Allah here is narrating to us the feelings of grief the Prophet felt when people do not have faith or perform righteousness.

This teaches us a very important sunnah as a believer, in having genuine concern over others’ wellbeing, especially with regards to their religion. Even though we will not bear the burdens and are not accountable over others’ sins and wrongdoings, we should have a genuine feeling of empathy over wanting them to be guided, wanting to save them from the Hellfire, wanting them to also be entitled for the Mercy of Allah with Paradise in the Hereafter.

Many of us today, we make some effort to give da’wah, deliver a message, share some knowledge, but when we a rejected, we give up and justify to ourselves, that “okay I’ve done my part”.

Imagine if you see person who is walking towards a pit of fire below; that person cannot see or perceive the fire, but you can see it. The believer should not only save himself, but to endeavour and try his level best to save that person; not just give up and let him walk into the fire after a few warnings.

This is essentially the way of life which drives the message of surah Al-‘Asr

“(I swear) By the Time. Verily, mankind is truly in a state of constant loss. Except : those who believe, and work righteousness, and continuously enjoin others towards truth, and enjoin others with patience and perserverence”

May Allah make us amongst those who develop concern and empathy over others to continuously enjoin others towards righteousness and good.

Reminder: recite surah Al-Kahf today.

من قرأ سورة الكهف يوم الجمعة أضاءله من النور ما بين الجمعتين

“Whomsoever recites surah Al-Kahf on the Day of Friday, will be given a light between the two Fridays (i.e. until the following Friday)”

(Narrated by Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi. Graded “hasan” by ibn Hajar and “sahih” in Sahih Al-Jami’ Al-Albani)

A Little Inspiration Can Go A Long Way

Around the year 725 CE (100 After Hijrah), the great tabi’I scholar ash-Sha’bi walked by the local marketplace in Kufah, Iraq when he noticed a young merchant there in his early 20’s. Thinking this young man was one of the students of knowledge in his study circles, he asked this young man, “Whose classes are you attending?”

To which this young man replied “Nobody’s” – implying that he is a merchant and not a student of knowledge, as the Shaikh thought.

To this, Shaikh ash-Sha’bi responded, “But I see signs of intelligence in you – you should sit in the company of learned men (scholars)”.

Those words moved this young man’s heart, and made him have deep thoughts contemplating his future. Since then, he made the decision to completely undertake the pursuit of knowledge and eventually became one of the greatest scholars of Fiqh in Islamic history.

This young man was none other than Nu’man ibn Thabit – otherwise known as Imam Abu Hanifah: the scholar of whom the Hanafi Mazhab is attibuted to.

Those concise yet encouraging words of ash-Sha’bi had such a profound impact on this man that it triggered him to become the greatest in his field until this day.

In a more recent example, Shaikh Muhammad Al-Arifi, author of the book “Enjoy Your Life”, once gave a talk to a group of school children. He asked the children, did anyone know of a hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) regarding the importance of the prayer. One of the children responded, by accurately quoting the hadith: “Between a man, and disbelief/polytheism is to abandon the prayer”.

Shaikh Al-Arifi was so impressed by his response and enthusiasm, that he instinctively gave his watch to the boy. The incident moved the boy so much that it encouraged him to study more eagerly and memorize the Qur’an as he had developed a feeling of self-worth.

Years passed by and Shaikh Al-Arifi went to a mosque, found out about a young man who was the imam of a mosque, a graduate in Shari’ah college and was working in one of the official courts. The Shaikh didn’t recognize him at first, but this young man then identified himself with the Shaikh on how the Shaikh had an impact on his life : this was the same boy who was gifted with his watch many years ago!

Notice now, that these weren’t  great lengthy speeches, sermons or a lectures – just small words and gestures of encouragement. In fact, even the smallest gestures of kindness can inspire others. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was a master at this – the way he treated his companions, young or  old, rich or poor, family or friend, from the slave to the noble – his choice of words would always have a positive impact and mark on others.

Which should really make us ponder, how much efforts have we done to inspire others?

As parents, husbands, wives, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, friends, teachers, classmates, or colleagues to others – we can all do that extra something to make a difference.

It doesn’t take a great deal of academic knowledge, just a sincere yearning and passion to encourage others around us.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“لاَ تَحْقِرَنَّ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ أَنْ تَلْقَى أَخَاكَ بِوَجْهٍ طَلْقٍ”

“Do not belittle or consider insignificant any good deeds that you do, even if it is to meet your brother with a cheerful face”

(Narrated by Muslim)

Jadi lah عباد الرحمان 'ibadur-Rahman (hamba-hamba ar-Rahman), bukan عباد رمضان 'ibadur-Ramadhan

Istiqamah Selepas Ramadhan

 

Tiada siapa antara kita yang tahu amalan siapa diterima oleh Allah.

Tetapi antara tanda-tanda Allah Terima ibadah kita pada bulan Ramadhan adalah kita terus istiqamah atas kebaikan yang kita tanamkan pada bulan Ramadhan ini dan berterusan mengamalkannya menjelang bulan Syawal dan bulan-bulan lain yang akan datang.. Sama ada anda berjaya:

- Solat Qiyamullayl / tahajjud

- memperbanyakkan bacaan/pemahaman Al-Qur'an

- Banyak solat berjemaah di masjid

- bersabar dan menahan marah

- menahan diri drpd amalan dosa dan/atau sia-sia

- berhenti merokok

- lebih banyak dan mudah memberi sedekah/sumbangan

- mengeratkan silaturrahim dengan keluarga dan hubungan persaudaraan antara sahabat2 islam

- dan sebagainya...

Jangan berhenti situ saja!

Letakkan Azam awal-awal dan berdoalah kepada Allah untuk terus istiqamah selepas Hari Raya melakukan amalan-amalan kebajikan yang sudah terbina sepanjang bulan ini.

Bulan Ramadhan adalah tempoh ‘latihan’ di mana Allah telah mensyariatkan beberapa perkara untuk memudahkan kita membina taqwa; di antaranya :

(a) Syaitan-syaitan dibelenggu agar dicegah pengaruh negatif biskan mereka merosakkan ibadah kita,

(b) Waktu malam disyariatkan dengan solat qiyam berjemaah (Qiam Ramadhan / Solat Tarawih), agar kita memenuhi masa;

(c) pada seluruh tempoh siang kita diwajibkan untuk meninggalkan perkara-perkara yang mana di luar ibadah puasa, asalnya adalah Halal (makan, minum, persetubuhan antara suami dan isteri)

Tetapi selepas berakhirnya satu bulan ini, mulalah sebelas bulan lain, dan sebelas bulan yang baki inilah menunjukkan amalan kita sebenarnya.

Insha Allah dengan Azam ini kita berharap agar Allah Terima dan berkati ibadah kita, dan kita capai matlamat puasa iaitu membina taqwa ke arah menjadi hamba yang soleh, bukan kerana ikut musim..

Semoga Allah menjadikan kita semua Hamba-Nya yang terus istiqamah atas taqwa

تَقَبَّلَ اللهُ مِنَّا وَمِنْكُمْ

“Sesungguhnya, mereka yang mengisytiharkan, “Allah adalah Tuhanku”, kemudian mereka terus ISTIQAMAH (atas pengakuan tersebut),

nescaya akan diutuskan ke atas mereka para malaikat dengan berterusan (ketika saat kematiannya untuk mententeramkan jiwa mereka, dan berkata),

‘Jangalah kamu takut, dan janganlah kamu bersedih, sebaliknya, terimalah berita gembira dengan Syurga yang kamu telah dijanjikan!

Kamilah sahabat-sahabat kamu ketika kehidupan kamu di dunia dan juga di akhirat,

Dan bagi kamu di dalamnya (Syurga) segala-gala yang kamu impikan, dan segala-gala yang kamu minta,

Sebagai hidangan/hiburan daripada (Tuhan yang) Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Penyayang” (Surah Fussilat, ayat 30-32)

Poor health amongst poor famillies

As we were doing our zakat rounds during Ramadhan last year, we noticed that many of the poverty-stricken families were inflicted with various diseases and health problems: Diabetes, High Blood pressure, stroke, gout, etc..
It was particularly surprising at first, considering that most people would consider these diseases to be common amongst the more affluent and wealthy parts of society that would afford more luxury.

As we did our rounds, though, I noticed a similar pattern amongst these families – and many of them are associated with poor bad lifestyle habits: and nothing have to do with the fact that they have shortage of wealth. These habits are
1) Lack of exercise, physical inactivity
2) Not drinking enough plain water
3) A psychologically unhealthy environment
4) Smoking

When these habits drag on for decades it’s no surprise why they would lead to such chronic health issues as they grow older. 

1) Lack of exercise.

A big number of the families live very inactive lifestyles, confined to their houses on entire weekdays and weekends.
Poor or affluent, this issue a serious concern, particularly amongst the Muslims today. I’m no exercise expert, so I’ll just say this: just do it and stick to it. Jog, cycle, take a walk, look up the thousands of simple cardio exercises on YouTube.. there are so many free options.

Enough excuses. Our bodies are a trust – an amanah – from Allah. If we don’t care of something we are entrusted with, that speaks something of our integrity. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said,
نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ ‏
“Two blessings which most of mankind are cheated (i.e. fail to capitalize or make full use of when they still have them) : good health and free time” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)

Be proactive and maintain your health while you still have it. Don’t wait for the doctor to warn you of your cholestrol levels, BMI, or high blood pressure before you dust off those running shoes.

Go go go!

2) Not enough plain water
Another apparent common issue amongst our people is the habitual affinity towards sweet drinks : sirap, milo, teh tarik, ribena – but not water.

When I was a kid I used to wonder why my Chinese friends would carry these huge tumblers of plain water to school (as if our school bags weren’t heavy enough); it looked goofy and inconvenient, and what’s the big deal with water anyway?

Fast forward till today, after several gout attacks at a very young age (which is shocking news even to the doctor), attributed to the high uric acid in the blood and low water diet, it makes perfect sense now.
Again I’m no health expert but suffice to say, an important aspect of maintaining our good health is to drink lots of water every day. ~2 litres a day seems to be the prevalent recommendation.
So keep them flowin.

3) Psychologically unhealthy environment

Sress affects the body in many ways – modern health experts have linked stress with cause for diabetes, heart disease, anxiety/psychological disorders, and even cancer.
In fact it’s interesting to note, many even advise that a happy, positive and stress-free lifestyle can go so far as to cure cancer.

Many of the families we noticed seem to watch TV a lot. A lot. Now, think about what this does to you in the long run : you are aren’t that well off, you don’t go out of the home much, and here you have this machine consistently feeding you with constant advertising, dramas of attractive men and women, fictional stories of fantasy, depressing news (seriously – when is news actually ‘uplifting’, optimistic or motivating?), and ridiculous ‘reality shows’ – what do you think this will do to your overall psychology?

To top that off, many of them aren’t very motivated to alleviate their current conditions, seemingly ‘give up’ on changing their circumstances.
It was interesting to note that, perhaps due to the prevailing negative influences, rarely do we hear positive words being exchanged between their family members.

So make your home environment – in fact every environment that you’re in – a positive and happy one. We can blame the environment as much as we want, but we are part of the environment too – so what impact have we had upon it?

Another startling finding is also a serious lack of spirituality and religiousness amongst these poorer families. Some don’t even perform the obligatory 5-daily prayer (we didn’t speculate, they admitted to it). Some of them smoke during daytime in Ramadhan (fasting) month.

Poor spirituality will eventually effect our psychology. Without anything to look forward to in the Hereafter, this life will seem like a hopeless dead end.

Religion and faith should be a built-in internal mechanism to keep ourselves happy. For Muslims, keep ourselves motivated with our good deeds, and the Qur’an – knowing that we are working towards a beautiful destination – that we look forward to Meet our Lord, to reap the rewards He Promised, and to finally enter His beautiful Paradise.

4) Smoking

Of all the ikhtilaf (differences of opinion) in science, we can all safely say one thing – there is undoubted ijma’ (universal consensus) that smoking is absolutely harmful to our health, in many more ways that one.

So it actually pains us to see these families – who barely earn enough to pay rent or the electricity bill – still continue to waste their money on these health-wreckers… AND infect the little passive smokers living in their small homes, including the infants.

When one diabetic uncle - who recently had his leg amputated - was advised to quit smoking, he replied simply by saying “Smoking has been part of my lifestyle. I can’t stop!”. The year after, when we went to visit hiim again, he was not at home. He died.

Smoking is a serious concern, and the irony is despite national and international fatawa being issued on the fact that it is absolutely Haram (prohibited)- up till today, the big portion of smokers in this country are… well, it goes without saying.





Allahu a’lam… There are other issues, but these are the prevailing 4, that can really be remedied by discipline, and by simply changing our attitude, regardless of our income bracket, and applies to every single one of us.

Brothers and sisters, we need to be serious about taking care of our health. Our health, our bodies, are a trust by Allah. It is with this body that we worship Him and seek His Pleasure, and it is with this body we prove our amanah.

So let’s get out there, get some exercise, drink some water and be happy in this world and the Hereafter.

May Allah make us amongst those who take care of our health - physically, psychologically and spiritually. Ameen.

The Trials and Tribulations of 2015

For many of us, 2015 kicked off on a “bleak” and sour note – with the severe floods across the country with major losses, another plane tragedy, deaths and severe illnesses amongst loved ones..
It is high time for us to reflect on ourselves to ponder upon one wisdom on why Allah has Decreed such tribulations : so we return to Him in humility.

Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
“And verily, We will make them taste the near torment (i.e. the torment in the life of this world: disasters, calamities, etc.) prior to the supreme torment (in the Hereafter),
in order that they may (repent and) return (to Allah).” (Surah As-Sajdah 32:21)

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ
“Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad). And We seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth) and loss in health with calamities –
so that they might believe with humility.” (Surah Al-An’am 6:42)

Hardships and trials should increase a person’s faith –
It should make us come to the realization that our existence in this world can be short lived, and that we WILL meet Allah to answer for our deeds; and if Allah Decrees our early departure, there is none that can prevent it from happening.
It should drive a person to draw a closer to Allah, making him realize that– no matter how much we have invested in this world – at the end of the day, what matters is our good deeds and our relationship with Allah.
It should make us re-evaluate ourselves and our weaknesses as individuals – for “Every son of Adam continuously commits sins, but the best of sinners are those who repent” (Hadith Narrated by ibn Majah and At-Tirmidzi)
It should make us be more proactive about extending help to others. Ponder on what will happen if these trials were to inflict us directly – who will be there for us? So now, what role have we played to support those in need: by our actions, do we demonstrate we love for others what we love for ourselves?

And that regard, we should look at these hardships as a Blessing – had Allah made us remain in our comfort and ease, perhaps our complacency and heedlessness will make us procrastinate again and drift us away from the Reminder to turn to Him and prepare for our meeting with him.

May Allah make us amongst those who turn to Him in repentance, and may He help those in need, and alleviate the suffering and hardships that they are going through.. Ameen.

فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِنْ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not believe with humility? But their hearts became hardened, and Shaitan (Satan) made fair-seeming to them that which they used to do.” (Surah Al-An’am 6:43)

Science, and Sciences of Hadith

Sciences and Science of Hadith

It's interesting that in Science and Engineering, when you read scientific journals - they report and document everything : including failures or non-discoveries. The expectation is that other researchers/acedemicians will pick up their work and refine it further, building upon established findings, advancements in knowledge (at time of new discovery).

Some branches of knowledge eventually reach maturity and yield conclusive results, and have a general consensus of its correctness, but there are many areas that continue remain as 'unknowns' or characterized by inaccurate 'correlations' until today, despite hundreds of years of research.

The beauty of this is one can draw parallels with the development of the Sciences of Hadith (narrations related to the statements and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam),

This explains why some books of past scholars will include Inauthentic, Weak (Dha'eef) and Fabricated (Maudhu) hadith - including books we have today such as Tafsir ibn Kathir, Sunan Abu Dawud, Musnad Ahmad, etc.

Just like scientific journals won't be understood by common laymen outside of the field, likewise the same for some books of the hadith.

Some books are written by scholars, for other scholars - retaining them in hopes that other future scholars will then research on individual narrations to 'filter' out which ones are authentic and which ones are not, in a process called "tahqeeq" (Verification).

It is not because they want people to act upon inauthentic ahadith, but more updated knowledge in the future (e.g. more detailed biography of narrators, other chains of narration with similar content to strengthen) might shed further insight to the potential authentic nature in the future.

While we have a wealth of knowledge on what is definitely authentic (Sahih), and what is definitely fabricated/false, those which hadith scholars generally agree upon, there are still also a huge number of narrations which have yet to be fully checked, in the same way that many scientific discoveries have yet to discover the answers.

It is a job of a Hadith Scholar to refine this 'raw information' and filter it out to be beneficial for use by the common layman; in the same way that a Scientist would interpret all the raw data and discovery to be eventually utilized into something that can be produced for practical use and benefit to society or industries.

So as laymen we should be careful about sharing hadith narrations and not just "copy paste" unless we are sure they are authentic (e.g. scholars generally agree that all hadith by Al-Bukhari and Muslim are authentic), or we ensure that an established Hadith scholar authority has verified it to be authentic (e.g. Al-Albani, ibn Hajr, At-Tirmidzi)

Its interesting to note that while the practice of Scientific journals predates back to the 17th century in England and France, the Sciences of Hadith and its publications of narrations and biographies predates back all the way to the 8th century, since the time of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad. The oldest published narrations that are still in existence today are those written from Hammam ibn Munabbih (written in the 8th century).

The foundations of science established 9 centuries before the first scientific journal.. Allahu Akbar.

May Allah make us amongst those who benefit from this wealth of established knowledge of the hadith of the Prophet, and may He make us amongst those steadfast in living our lives in accordance to how He is Pleased with. Amin.

قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ 






Say (O Muhammad, to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surah Al-Imran 3:31)

A Lesson from Sardines - The Importance of Unity

Allahu Akbar… in observing the marine biology of sardine fish, Allah teaches us a valuable lesson on the importance of unity as a Jemaah (group/congregation).
Sardines by themselves are rather helpless fish, with no real defence mechanisms against their predators – no claws, thorns, sharp tooth, poison secretion, skin change ability, or even swift evasive swim skills. In fact, they are so delicate they cannot live in waters exceeding 20 degrees C.

Their only defense is sticking together in huge, million-sized shoals/schools, and to cleverly take advantage of their shiny scales to reflect off the sunlight. When predators come in,sardine shoals move swiftly in formation with such coordinated and organized evasive manoeuvres, that the massive movement and random lights simply confuse the sharks, as they swim around their prey, ironically unable to get a single bite to eat despite being surrounded in the massive buffet.

The equally interesting lesson in teamwork is how these shoals of sardines eventually get caught and victimized. Where Sharks are more aggressive and stronger, they are also more individualistic and lack in teamwork.
Dolphins, on the other hand, are equipped with radar-like sonar emission abilities, and have the brilliant skills team up among themselves to round up their Sardine prey, isolating the shoals of sardines to small, “hunt-able” sizes, so their confusing defensive manoeuvres become less effective, going for the kill.

When dolphins start the hunt, other predators, including sharks, whales, and the sea-diving gannets, jump the bandwagon to benefit from their great organizational skills to join the frenzy. And when the predators get together, they ignore each other – all focusing on the great sardine feast, gobbling them up by the thousands, as millions get eaten up within a span of minutes.

And amazingly, at the end of the day, despite the great feeding frenzy, more than half of the sardines survive, mostly the ones who are able to stick to the large group.

And subhanAllah what an amazing lesson to reflect on here. In this ocean of life, filled with constant trials and tribulations, of things that distract us from our destination and purpose in life – of God and the Hereafter – it’s easy to get ‘picked out’ by the “predators” and fall prey to temptation and the fleeting delights of this worldly Life, the beautification of this dunya.

But if we stick to our congregation, and help each other – towards righteousness and piety - to stay focused and survive these trials, our chances are survival are much, much increased – even if, like the sardines, we are weak and virtually defenceless (i.e. even if we lack in knowledge).
And just like the dolphins, there are disbelieving folk out there who are better equipped, and very intelligent in strategically disuniting our ummah; and other predators who will jump the bandwagon when they have the chance to attack.

But if we stick close to the main group and play our role help each other out, the predators don’t stand a chance, no matter how well equipped or large their numbers may be.
May Allah unite us as a Jemaah and amongst those who help each other to al-Birr and at-Taqwa.

The Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:
فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ فَإِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُ الذِّئْبُ الْقَاصِيَةَ
“So upon you is (to stick to the) Jemaah* (congregation) – for the wolf eats up a lone sheep that stays far from the flock”
(Narrated by Abu Daud, An-Nasa’i, graded sahih)

*one of the subnarrators of the hadith said, “the congregation here means the congregational prayer (solah in jamaah)”
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ
“And hold on fast, all of you, to the Rope of Allah, and do not be divided amongst yourselves!” (Surah Al-Imran, verse 103)

Dealing with Debtors and Debt..

I am in dilemma when dealing with people who owe me a debt, have passed their commitment deadline, yet fail to pay up or communicate.
On one hand, I would love to seize the opportunity of good deeds, to extend their deadline, or even just let go and forgive the debt with the intention of charity, for Allah said
 
وَإِنْ كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ ۚ وَأَنْ تَصَدَّقُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“And if the debtor is in a hard time (has no money), then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay,
but if you forgive the debt it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but know.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:280)

If Allah said it’s better for us – then we should dive for it!

.. But on the other hand, I also don’t want debtors to take this lightly and just assume “everything is OK”, only to land in another debt sooner or later. The matter of debt is SERIOUS stuff – even the martyr cannot enter Paradise if he is in debt! The Prophet said,

“وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً قُتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أُحْيِيَ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ ثُمَّ أُحْيِيَ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ وَعَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ مَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يُقْضَى عَنْهُ دَيْنُهُ”
“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if a man were to be killed in the cause of Allah (and died as a martyr) then brought back to life, then killed (martyred),
but he owed a debt, he would not enter paradise until his debt was paid off” (Narrated in Sunan an-Nasa’I, graded sahih)

SubhanAllah.. Even two martyrdoms would not save one from being barred from Paradise, because of his debt. This is why it is better to exert one’s utmost effort to strive to resolve his/her own financial difficulties; and the shari’ah discourages people from asking of others, as the Prophet said,

“لأَنْ يَحْتَطِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ حُزْمَةً عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ أَحَدًا، فَيُعْطِيَهُ أَوْ يَمْنَعَهُ ‏”
"No doubt, it is better for any one of you to cut a bundle of wood and carry it over his back  (to sell as firewood),
rather than to ask someone who may or may not give him." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)

Furthermore, neither do we want to encourage people in debt to take creditors for granted… “oh, I borrowed from a Muslim, so he should forgive me to give good deeds”.

This is a disrespectful attitude and shows our lack of concern for those who have acted upon kindness towards us by lending us, showing how we do not care of the possibility of them needing the money. The Prophet said:
‏ "‏ مَطْلُ الْغَنِيِّ ظُلْمٌ ‏"
“For a wealthy person to delay repaying debts, is a form of dzulm (oppression / injustice)” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)


Furthermore, as we have witnessed many times, the state of debt is also a time when a person is most prone to tell compulsive lies and argumentation just to get him out of a tight spot. This is exactly as the Prophet had said,

“إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ إِذَا غَرِمَ حَدَّثَ فَكَذَبَ وَوَعَدَ فَأَخْلَفَ”
“When a person is in debt, when he speaks, he lies, and when he makes a promise, he breaks it.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)


Rather we should have the integrity and professionalism to be paying off our debt in the most timely manner; and have the honesty and transparency to communicate with the creditor, if one is in dire financial circumstance. This is the true etiquette of a Muslim in debt for the Prophet said:
‏ "‏ إِنَّ خَيْرَكُمْ - أَوْ مِنْ خَيْرِكُمْ - أَحَاسِنُكُمْ قَضَاءً ‏"‏
“The best of you - or among the best of you - are those who pay off their debts in the best manner.” (Narrated by ibn Majah, graded sahih)

So to reconcile this, we want the reward of charity and helping our brother/sister in debt to us – without the expense of the debtor taking for granted, or for deliberately ignoring their debts, or to develop negative characteristics (i.e. lying) as a result of their debt. If they are honest and transparent, and are sincerely in difficulty, then that is our opportunity to alleviate their burden by extension or sadaqah.

The verdict
Let us give the benefit of doubt - perhaps the debtor(s) forgot. (WAllahi if they understood the severity of dying with debts, they shouldn’t forget, but what to do, we are human beings.. )

So, we remind them, and may Allah open up paths of goodness for us – as a debtor to pay off in the best of ways, or a creditor with the reward of sadaqah.

Understanding Qur'aan

Alhamdulillah, many amongst us have ramped up our recitation of the Qur’an this Ramadhan. But more importantly is for us to also invest our time and effort to understand, ponder and act upon the Qur’an.

Let’s ask ourselves a very serious honest question : do we really think that the Qur’an – the Divine Message that Inspired the corrupt pagan society of Quraysh, to become the Great Nation of monotheism in the pages of history that would defeat the armies of Persia and Rome – would change a nation merely by reciting and reading without understanding a single word?
Do we really think that the Qur’an – the Message that would reform an idol-worshipping, alcohol addicted, stingy adulterer to eventually become amongst the ranks of the Companions of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam): a believer with the highest of moral standards and an exemplary individual for the rest of history – would change a person by just reciting words one doesn’t understand?

Consider this: We can read Spanish and Dutch – because they’re the virtually the same letters and characters as the English language. But really, is it logically possible to read a Spanish motivational book and be motivated, when we don’t understand anything from it?

While yes, it is true, out of the Mercy and Bounty of Allah, we are granted rewards for the mere recitation of the Qur’aan (even if we don’t understand it), as the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said:

"‏ مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا لاَ أَقُولُ الم حَرْفٌ وَلَكِنْ أَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَلاَمٌ حَرْفٌ وَمِيمٌ حَرْفٌ ‏"‏
“Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward.
I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter."
(Narrated by At-Tirmidzi, graded hasan)

But really, what we need is to focus on how we can bring about a long term benefit ourselves and others from the Divine Guidance of the message of the Qur’an. The Prophet said:
 
خيركم من تعلم القرآن وعلمه
“the best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it” (Narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Allah says:
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا
“And We send down of the Qur’aan that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe, but it increases the Zaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers and oppressors) in nothing but loss” (Surah al-Isra’ 17:82)

Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer said in his commentary on this verse:
Here Allaah tells us about His Book, which He revealed to His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and which is the Qur’aan which “Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise” [Fussilat 42:41- interpretation of the meaning], that it is “a healing and a mercy to those who believe” – i.e., it takes away the diseases in the heart such as doubt, hypocrisy, shirk, deviation and misguidance; the Qur’aan heals all of that.

And it is also a mercy which brings about faith, wisdom and the pursuit of and desire for goodness. This is only for those who believe in it and follow it; for such it will be a healing and a mercy.

But as for the disbeliever and those who wrong themselves thereby, their hearing the Qur’aan only makes them further away (from truth) and increases them in disbelief. The problem comes from the disbeliever, not from the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it (the Qur’aan) is blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place far away (so they neither listen nor understand)” [Fussilat 41:44]

May Allah make us amongst those who understand, ponder, act upon, and spread the message of Qur’aan – ameen.

Fasting and Taqwa

Alhamdulillah, all Praises and Thanks to Allah, as we tread these blessed days and nights of Ramadhan, we should remind ourselves again on the whole objectives and goals of fasting, to stay focused and keep our eyes on the prize before we reach the finishing line on our well-deserved ‘Eid-ul Fitr.

There are those who say that fasting is for empathizing with the poor and the less fortunate; there are those who say that it is to build a sense of gratitude to God; there are those who say that it is a spiritual training to endure some ‘pain’ for the sake of God; etc.

Yes, these things are good - But the objectives and goals of fasting are a lot more comprehensive than all those combined. Allah says in the Qur’an:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ - ١٨٣
“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it has been prescribed to the people before you (i.e. the people of the Book), so that you may attain Taqwa” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183)

The entire goal of fasting is to achieve Taqwa– But what does it mean to have taqwa and how is that achieved through fasting?

One of the companions of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) by the name Ubayy ibn Ka’ab was onced asked, “What is taqwa?”. Ubayy replied by asking him, “Have you ever walked on a path/road that has thorns on it? What did you do (i.e. how did you go about it)?”. The questioner said, "I rolled up my sleeves and I struggled (to avoid stepping on those thorns)”.
Ubay ibn Ka’ab said, “That is taqwa”.

Taqwa is the consciousness to live our lives in such a way that we deliberately avoid what is disliked by Allah, fearing the consequences of “stepping on those thorns” or performing acts which transgress the limits and boundaries set by Allah.

But to take it a step further, taqwa isn’t simply about avoiding the Haram, or avoiding Allah’s Displeasure; taqwa is also about inculcating the consciousness to perform good deeds to seek His Pleasure.

It is an attitude and mindset driven by the consciousness of iman and the belief that one will surely return to Allah and will have to be accountable for every single one of our deeds – big, small, open or hidden:

وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّـهِ ۖ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ - ٢٨١
“And have Taqwa (fear) a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:281)

A consciousness to have genuine fear of the terrible punishment from the All-Just (العدل); yet at the same time, a consciousness to have a yearning and hopefulness of a great reward from the Most Merciful (الرحمن, الرحيم), All-Generous (االجواد, الكريم), the All-Rich and free from any Needs (الغني), King and Possessor of the Heavens and the Earth (المالك).

Beyond that, Taqwa is also a consciousness driven by one’s Love of Allah, one’s thankfulness to Him and one’s genuine mercy and compassion of His slaves.
This is the quality that differentiates a person from true belief and hypocrisy; the one driver that allows one to make the right choice, even in the absence of others, even without ‘enforcement’ or ‘penalties’. The driver that makes one truly sincere in his actions, and in constantly improving oneself to become a better person.


So when Allah prescribes fasting for us, “لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ” (So that you may attain Taqwa), it is implying here that fasting is to achieve a holistic spiritual development to develop our consciousness in Allah. So what’s interesting for us to note is the significance of Allah singling out fasting as a great driver for spiritual development, some of which we may already be aware :

1. Feeling of hunger and pain for the sake of Allah – this directly builds taqwa: how often do we endure a little bit of hardship for the sake of Allah? Compare that to the level of hardship and effort we go through for our worldly matters – our jobs, our education, our businesses, our children, our achievements. Isn’t it more worthwhile to put in that little bit of hardship of His Reward?

2. Build shukr (thankfulness) and Generosity – to realize the difficulty of those less fortunate than us; while ‘empathizing with the poor’ is a rather strong term (because technically you’re not really empathizing when you know you have that banquet feast awaiting you in iftar).
Rather, this realization should also build a sense of generosity inside of us. And that is why in Ramadhan there is always a tendency to give out more charity on top of our obligatory zakat; in fact the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), he himself was described as “the most generous of all the people, and he used to reach the peak in generosity in the month of Ramadan when (the angel) Gabriel met him” (Hadith narrated by ibn Abbas in Sahih Al-Bukhari).

3. Restraint from the Haram (prohibitions) – in fasting, you would restrain yourselves from what is normally halal (food and drink, intercourse with the spouse, etc) – so how silly would it be to do what is already haram anyway, regardless of whether you are fasting or not? Thus in that sense, committing sins during fasting is almost a form of hypocrisy, which should make us more conscious of our deeds.

4. Keeping your deeds secret – no one knows if you’re really fasting. You could always sink your teeth in a chocolate bar when no one’s watching, or when the parents or ‘authorities’ are out of sight. There’s nothing to restrain your actions except the consciousness of God, and this should be a reminder to us, that if Allah knows every morsel of food you secretly swallowed, then every other deed – whether it be in our words or actions – is even more Known to Him, the All-Seer, All-Hearer and All-Knowing.

5. Less vain talk, less gossip – lunch times, water cooler hangouts: the most ripe scenarios to gossip, backbite, slander, and waste our good deeds away as we oppress others with our speech. No more this month.

6. No “hot dates” – the universal method of "picking up" non-mahrams of the opposite gender (“let’s go out for a coffee”, “I’ll buy you dinner”, “lunch is on me”, etc) also becomes conveniently halted. Alhamdulillah

7. More time for the sake of Allah – You might not realize it, but eating and drinking takes up a lot of our time – precious time which can be much better utilized in good deeds and strengthening our taqwa.
It’s interesting to note that some scholars such as Imam An-Nawawi used to survive on the bare minimum food, as they savoured every minute of their lives for benefitting themselves and others around them; eating is considered wasting time, because in eating, you incur loss of productivity from – preparing the food, eating the food, increased toilet time, and increased sleeping time.
And that is perhaps also why the Prophet said, “'The human does not fill any container that is worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat what will support his back. If this is not possible, then a third for food, a third for drink, and third for his breath." (Narrated by At-Tirmidzi and ibn Majah, graded sahih).

And these are just some of the many wisdoms behind how fasting develops our taqwa.

So this Ramadhan, let’s focus on deeds that can build our taqwa. Let’s not just have a ‘capitalistic’ “KPI-driven” quantitative approach to our good deeds – recite superfast Qur’an, or conduct super fast 20-rakaah taraweeh – how can this ever develop our taqwa?
When you recite, recite with tadabbur, with understanding, with genuine sincerity of wanting to understand the words of Allah. When you pray, pray with the consciousness that perhaps this may be your last prayer, and that this is your private time with Allah, Lord of the Universe. When you deal good with others, deal with them with the consciousness, that you want to earn the love of Allah, as our good akhlaq is something pleasing to Allah.

We want to develop ourselves spiritually in such a way that, after Ramadhan, our souls and hearts are ready to defeat the whisperings and temptations of Shaytan when they are released from their imprisonment after Ramadhan.

May Allah grant us a blessed Ramadhan, and may He make us amongst the Muttaqun (people of Taqwa), and may He grant us steadfastness to strive for the best Ramadhan of our lives that He is Pleased with. Amin

A Mothers' Day Message

Today is Mothers' Day. 

But in fact, yesterday was also Mothers' Day. In fact, so is tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. And the day after the day after tomorrow. And next week. And next month. And next 4 months, etc. etc.

If we want to choose a special day to be extraordinarily nice and treat our mothers with the best of love and care, Alhamdulillah - all Praise and Thanks to Allah - we have 365 days in the solar calendar to choose from!

In fact, kindness, respect and love to parents is such a mandatory aspect of Islamic Shari'ah and such a beloved deed to Allah, to the extent that Allah Commanded it immediately after commanding that we worship Him Alone - and the Prophet Muhamad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) described it as the most righteous and beloved deed to Allah, second only to prayer early on time.

So in reality, we need to utilize all 365 days.

Ayuhal Muslimun!

What to implement "Shari'ah"? Start here, by striving to be the best son/daughter – in the same way that our parents strove to be the best mother/father to us.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radhiAllahu anh) asked the Prophet Muhammad :

“Which Deed is most beloved to Allah?”

The Prophet said, “The Prayer (early) at its times”

“And then?”

“To be good and dutiful to your parents”

(Narrated by Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet Muhammad said:

‏"‏ رغم أنف، ثم رغم أنف، ثم رغم أنف من أدرك أبويه عند الكبر، أحدهما أو كليهما، فلم يدخل الجنة‏"‏

"May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced!

May he be disgraced, whose parents, one or both, attain old age during his life time, and he does not enter Jannah (by being dutiful to them)".

(Narrated by Muslim)

A person came to the Prophet and asked, "Who among people is most deserving of my best treatment?"

He said, "Your mother".

He again asked, ''Who next?"

"Your mother", the Prophet replied again.

He asked, "Who next?"

He (the Prophet) said again, "Your mother."

He again asked, "Then who?" Thereupon he said, "Then your father."

(Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٢٣﴾ وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him.

And that you treat your parents with the best (of treatment).

If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them; but address them in terms of honour.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and (pray to Allah, and) say : "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small."

(Surah Isra’ 17:23-24)