Showing posts with label Youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Youth. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
Self-Justification: the whispers of shaytan
A Muslim who grows up in Western society learns how to think and act in a way alien to Islam. Although often brought up in a Muslim household some Muslim youth are unfortunately swayed by the rotten fruits of Western society including drugs, alcohol and illicit relationships. They are tempted by these rotten fruits and end up in a downward spiral growing further away from Islam every day.
Initially the salah is performed now and again, then restricted to Friday and then only to ‘Eid. The degrees to which people go into committing haram differ and everyone knows someone who they perceive as worse than themselves and better than themselves. One of the worst intellectual diseases that people have is that of self justification, it is one of the key issues that allow people to drift away from Islam justifying this to themselves every step of the way. Even though Muslims feel guilty when committing haram actions like drinking alcohol, taking drugs or engaging in haram relationships with the opposite sex, eventually the guilt wears off and they begin to justify these actions to themselves as it becomes a regular habit.
We must realise that self-justifying an action will not make it halal and doesn’t remove the inevitable reality of standing in front of Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgement, with nothing except our deeds. It is the Western concept of individualism (me, myself and I) that breeds the mentality of pure greed and selfishness where people even steal and backstab their own families to achieve their sick version of enjoyment.
TYPES OF SELF-JUSTIFICATION
There are different types of excuses or self–justifications which individuals carry. People normally carry a combination of them. Some of the most common types of self-justifications that people hold are the following:
- “At least I’m better than others”
- “I will change in the future”
- “I’m not ready for it yet, it’s too difficult to change”
- “As long as I’m pure inside, Allah will forgive me”
“AT LEAST I’M BETTER THAN OTHERS”
The individual who holds this idea looks at the extreme actions of people which they consider as ‘bad” such as stealing from Muslims, rape or eating pork and compare their own actions to them. They feel reassured that they are better than those who undertake those actions. When they commit haram or neglect the Islamic duties (fara’id) they think to themselves that at least they are not like others, at least they perform some actions of Islam. If they have haram relations with the opposite sex they say, “at least I have the intention of marriage”. If they don’t wear the headscarf (khimar) they justify it to themselves saying “at least I dress modestly”.
By using this logic you could say, ‘at least a homosexual isn’t a rapist’ and ‘at least an alcoholic doesn’t eat pork’. The problem with this argument is, who defines what type of behaviour is bad and what is good? Allah (swt) is the one who defines the good actions from the bad actions. Allah (swt) views the halal actions as good and all the haram actions as evil. So in the sight of Allah (swt) missing salah, being rebellious to your parents, eating pork, rape, socialising with nonrelated members of the opposite sex, homosexuality, taking intoxicating drugs, drinking alcohol and adultery are all haram and from the munkaraat (evil) actions that lead to the hellfire.
“I WILL CHANGE IN THE FUTURE”
This notion is commonly held by many youth. They believe that they will change in the future when they become older; they will settle down, get married, have children, go to Hajj and begin practising Islam. This excuse allows them to justify all the haram actions to themselves. If it was as simple as that, everyone can act as they please with the hope of changing someday in the future. How many of us know of young people who have died? How many of us know of cases where boyfriend and girlfriend have died in car accidents? Muslims and non-Muslims alike can agree that the most definite thing in life is death. If this is the case, how can we act as if we are going to live forever?
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra), “If you awoke in the morning, do not speak to yourself of the evening, and if you reach the evening, do not speak to yourself of the morning. Take from your life for your death, and from your health for your illness, as you do not know what your name will be tomorrow.” [Bukhari]
Allah (swt) said, “Say: The death from which you flee will truly overtake you: then will you be sent back to the Knower of all things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the things that you did!” [TMQ Al-Jumu’a: 8]
Besides the inevitable reality of death, do we believe that Allah (swt) will accept our good deeds in the future whilst we committed haram during our youth? Do we think that performing salah and avoiding the evil temptations in our old age when it is easier to do so will grant us Jannah?
“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: ‘O my Lord! Send me back (to life), in order that I may do good in that which I have left behind!’ - No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is a Partition until the Day they are raised up. Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another! Then those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose their own selves; in Hell will they abide.” [TMQ Al- Mu’minun: 99-103]
“I’M NOT READY FOR IT YET, IT’S TOO DIFFICULT TO CHANGE”
The true meaning behind this excuse is that people don’t want to leave the haram they’re committing. They have got so used to their lifestyle that they can’t perceive it any other way. The thought of waking up for fajr salah, having to continuously study Islam or not ‘chilling’ with the opposite sex is too much for them. There are obvious contradictions in their behaviour; many of them will spend a lot of time on things they enjoy whether its ‘looking good’, shopping or working out at the gym. In reality these people are lazy when it comes to Islam, they may spend so much effort in fitting in with the crowd and keeping up with the latest trend yet they are not willing to spend effort in staying away from the fire of hell and attempting to gain Jannah and the pleasure of Allah (swt). We need to realise that in order to become Islamic personalities we have to live our life according to the objective that Allah (swt) has set for us. Why is it that many work hard when it comes to their exams, yet pay little attention to the true exam of life? Allah (swt) didn’t create us for play.
Life is not all about ease and acting like spoilt teenagers who have everything done for them. All of us have the capacity to become Islamic personalities. Islam wasn’t revealed for angels, it was revealed for human beings. Allah (swt) says, “Allah does not place a burden upon a person except that which he is capable of.” [TMQ al-Baqarah: 282]
How can one then argue that following Islam is too difficult? Whoever believes this should look at the example of converts to Islam who completely transform their behaviour and may even face hardship from their families. If they can change why can’t we? If we look to the example of many of the Sahabah (ra) they used to be the worst of people and then became the best. Take the example of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra). He was a man that wanted to kill the Messenger of Allah and who had even buried his two daughters alive. When he embraced Islam he became the best of people.
‘Umar (ra) was neither a prophet nor angel; he was a person like us. This type of complete transformation of personalities is not restricted to the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw). There are many examples from Muslims in our own communities in the West who used to be notorious criminals, drug dealers and alcoholics and who became active Islamic personalities working for the return of Islam when they received the Islamic da’wah (call).
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “People are like mines of silver and gold; the best of them in the days of Ignorance (jahilliyah) are the best of them in Islam when they attain knowledge.” [Muslim] This hadith means that no matter how far away from Islam we are, we all have the potential to change and become the best of people.
“AS LONG AS I’M PURE FROM INSIDE, ALLAH WILL FORGIVE ME”
The fact that someone has this delusion proves that they are not pure from inside because they carry this corrupt notion, which contradicts Islam. Being ‘pure inside’ not only means believing in Islam, it also means practising it. What is the point of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) if Allah (swt) is going to enter everyone into Jannah without accounting them for their deeds?
Believing in this idea allows people to gamble their life away. It will be too late to change on the Day of Judgement, when everyone will be worried about themselves to the extent that even the Prophets of Allah like Adam (as), Musa (as) and ‘Isa (as) will be worried about themselves. When the earth will narrate the actions that we performed on it and our own body will speak to Allah (swt) about what we did whilst alive. Every single action small or large will be accounted on that day.
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it.” [TMQ Al- Zalzalah: 7]
The forgiveness of Allah (swt) is not achieved with false prayers, whilst continuing to disobey His commands. Allah (swt) says, “Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds, until death faces one of them, and he says: ‘Now I repent’ nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them have we prepared a painful torment” [TMQ Al- Nisa: 18]
SELF-JUSTIFICATIONS: WHISPERS OF SHAYTAN
Even though many don’t realise it, using self-justifications to follow our own desires instead of following the commands of Allah (swt) is directly following the footsteps of Shaytan. As Allah (swt) said, “Did I not enjoin on you O you children of Adam that you should not worship Shaytan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?” [TMQ Ya-Seen: 60]
“O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the Shaytan (devil).” [TMQ Al-Nur: 21] How can we be believers in Islam if we abandon its rules and follow the Shaytan instead?
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “No one of has real Iman (belief) until his desires conform to what I came with.”
We must avoid the whispers of Shaytan. So every time we feel lazy in praying the salah, we should know that this is from the Shaytan. Every time we are about to answer back in a rebellious way to our parents, we should know this is from the Shaytan. Every time we get the temptation of committing haram with the opposite sex, we should know that this is from Shaytan. Every time we are about to neglect our duty to Allah SWT or perform an action that will anger Him SWT, we should know that this is from the Shaytan.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Shaytan reaches everywhere in the human body as blood reaches in it.”
“Shaytan only seeks to breed animosity and spite among you by means of intoxicants and gambling and to keep you from the remembrance of Allah and from salah (prayer); will you not then desist?” [TMQ Al-Ma’idah: 91]
We should seek refuge from these whispers of Shaytan as Allah (swt) taught us in the Qur’an, “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind. The King of mankind. The God of mankind. From the evil of the sneaking whisperer. Who whispers in the breasts of mankind. From amongst the Jinn and the men.” [TMQ Al-Nas: 1-6]
Many of the youth would not undertake some of their haram actions in front of their parents due to embarrassment or fear, then how can they perform these actions whilst Allah (swt) sees everything they do? We should fear Allah (swt) and be embarrassed in front of Him (swt). It was reported in sahih (authenticated) narrations that when Jibraeel (as) asked the Messenger (saw) about ihsan (perfection), he (saw) said, “To worship Allah as if you see him, and if you do not see him, then he surely sees you.”
BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
Self-justifications allow people to continue living their lives like animals, even though they know deep down that the path they are following is incorrect. Even after all the late night parties, relationships, drugs, music and alcohol many feel an inevitable uneasiness or discontent. This feeling doesn’t easily go away; some learn to live with it while it eats away at their conscience while others decide to use their mind and start thinking about Islam; the only thinking that provides tranquillity and the true answers about life.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Sunday, 29 May 2011
"I am free to do what I want"
In this society many of us really believe we are free to do what we want with our lives. And being a teenager or young adult, brings with it a whole different perspective. As soon as we enter into the world of being a young person in this society, we are tempted to take on a whole outlook on the way we live life. Whether its going out to clubs and pubs, looking for no-strings-attached romance or being typically rebellious with family and authority; the attitude of just living by whatever takes ones fancy or gives one pleasure is a common one for teenagers.
In Western society, the youth have created as well as have been pushed into a niche where responsibility is a far concern as seeking pleasures is the only concern. Thus being sexually active without responsibility has grave consequences – Alfie Patten, the 13 year old who became a father was a shocking example of this. This is no surprise as a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International in 2005 revealed that in the US, 27% 13 to 16 year olds and 41% of 14 to 15 year olds are sexually active. It is therefore no surprise that teenage pregnancies are a significant problem in the West, with the US and Britain having the highest rates.
Although the attitude of doing as one pleases exists in the West, the reality is that we live in a society, not in isolation. Therefore although some of us may interprete freedom in our lives as just trying to get a good job, have a decent career and start a stable family to make ourselves happy, another person may interprete this freedom in a totally different way. So making oneself happy for a rapist has a lot more of a disasterous consequence, although they have acted upon the same idea that we ourselves may hold - the freedom to please ourselves. So if we really believe we all should be allowed to exercise our own freedoms as we live quite a decent and righteous life, then we should not have a problem with a rapist existing in our society too, who also has exercised his freedom.
Are you really free?
This is the question which many of us living in Western societies assume the answer to. However if we really ask ourselves this question we will find the answer to be in the negative. We are not at all really free. Although society promotes sexual freedom to satisfy ones desires, the British law requires that you must be above the age of 16 to do so. Although we believe we are free to dress in whatever way we please, be it a sack even if we chose, the reality is if you decided to walk down the street stark naked, you would be arrested. If you asked a newspaper to report some type of abuse about the Queen you would be told that it was not allowed.
Therefore it is clear we are not at all totally free – We are just free to the extent that society and the Government allow you to be. Therefore the question then begs, that if we are not free, but all live by a set of norms and rules, then what rules should we be following? The norms of a society which human beings have decided for themselves, or the norms and rules of the Creator who created our very bodies and souls?
Freedom causes you to think only about yourself
The desire to exercise their desires before anything else, damn any responsibility naturally fuels a certain mentality within young people. The endless quest to make oneself happy, makes people put their own desires first, above anyone elses.
The idea of individualism in society causes young people to just have fun without limits, without thinking about the impact on other people or on society. Individualism gives boys the licence to behave sexually in whatever way they please, but never intend to commit to the girl they are intimate with. Individualism means a superficial desire of always wanting a pretty size 8 girlfriend, as a woman on a BBC reality TV show about single mothers disclosed, that her partner left her whilst she was 5 months pregnant because he felt she lost her ‘looks’. Individualism means parents who prioiritised their own career success or love life over the wellbeing of their children, as reported by the 2009 Children’s Society report; which has resulted in children being more anxious and unhappy.
The panel which produced the 2009 Children’s society report stated that the current ‘excessive individualism needs to be replaced by a value system where people seek satisfaction more from helping others rather than pursuing private advantage’.
Western societies breed the idea of individualism as an idea people live by in society and you are told it does not matter how your actions affect others – if you are fine that’s all the matters. However this is not at all true as everything people do in society affects others – If a man is intimate with a woman and gets her pregnant and then does a runner, he not only affects the life of the woman who has to survive and bring up a child and fend for herself alone, but he also affects the life of the baby who grows up without having a father figure. Actions by individuals affects society, and this is the idea that must be understood by Western society for it to deal with the current social breakdown that is being witnessed in society.
Islam cares about others around you
There is a Hadith reported in Bukhari, narrated by Nu'man bin Basheer (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said,
"The example of the one who stands for the Deen of Allah and the one who has left it are like the people in a boat, some of whom occupy the upper deck and some occupy the lower deck. Whenever those in the lower deck need water, they have to go to the upper deck to retrieve it. So some of them said, ‘why don't we make a hole in our deck so we do not harm the people of the upper deck?' If the people do not stop them, they will all fall and be failures, but if they stop them they will all be saved"
The Prophet SAW is here aliking the example of the situation of people needing to work together to keep a ship afloat, like people in society – If people just seek to fulfil their own needs and desires without thinking about everyone else, then eventually they will all sink. Islam therefore necessitates that we think about the community and society, as well as our own selves. Under the Islamic Khilafah, the social system of Islam necessitates that the agitation of the sexual instinct is totally removed from society, so that the society and community are protected from the ravages of unrestricted promiscuity which occur as a result of unrestricted freedom.
The Prophet (saw) said:
‘Oh you youngsters. Whoever amongst you who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him more to lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e.chastity). And whoever is not able to marry he should fast, because it will be a protection for him’ (Bukhari and Muslim).
The stability and commitment of marriage is the place for the satisfaction of this instinct, so that it is not let loose in society.
We are slaves of Allah
The idea that we are free to do whatever we want and fulfil our desires in whatever way we want is a total fallacy. If we have no freedom over the number of times our heart beats, how many electric impulses our brain sends and how much oxygen our lungs intake, how can we possibly believe that we are free to fulfil the needs and desires of our body in other respects, as discussed above? Clearly we have been created by Allah and are being kept alive by Allah, so how can we have the audacity to believe that when it comes to the areas of our needs where we have a choice, that Allah has no room to tell us what to do?
Rather Allah swt has clearly told us in the Holy-Qur'an,
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
‘I have created jinn and man for no reason but to worship me’. [TMQ 51-55]
This makes clear that whether it is the involuntary or voluntary needs and desires, everything we do must be in line with what Allah loves, and abstaining from whatever Allah hates, as our very purpose in this world, is for Him.
The Prophet (saw) narrated in a hadith,
‘Any action not based upon our affair will be rejected.’
Therefore there is no room for a Muslim to feel that he has the freedom to choose however to fulfil his desires – Every single action he does must be in line with Islam. This does not mean that a Muslim must pray and fast 24 hours a day and nothing else, but it just means that in the way we have relationships with people, how we buy and sell, how we behave with our parents, where we go in our free-time, must all be in line with the deen of Allah.
This is because as Muslims we know that death is the most definite thing and that after death the Day of Judgement will inevitably come, where we must answer for every single deed that we carried out in this world. This will be the Day when,
فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ (7) وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ (8
‘he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it ,And he who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.’ [surah Zalzalah 7-8]
Thus knowing that Allah will account us for even the smallest error we make in arrogance defying his deen, should make us people who use our minds to always think before we act. The behaviour of doing as we please, damn consequences and whether it is right or wrong, is never for the thinking, mature Muslim.
The thinking, mature Muslim has taqwa, fear and consciousness of his Creator, which ignites within him a desire to continuously remember his Lord in everything he does, so even if she wants to freemix and join in with the other girls with their flirting and college romances, her fear and love for Allah far exceeds her small and human desires.
She remembers that Allah’s promise of the great reward of the Hereafter which will satisfy ones desires beyond imagination, is the best reward to wait for:
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُعْظِمْ لَهُ أَجْرًا
"And whoever fears Allah, and keeps his duty to Him, He will forgive his sins from him and will enlarge his reward." [TMQ At-Talaq 65:5]
Indeed, life in this society is extremely difficult to withstand for the Muslim youth, as they are constantly forced into submitting to their lowly human desires and seek their own benefit. But a Muslim knows that this is simply the path to destruction, in this life and the Hereafter and for the community around them. With the help of their Creator, therefore they are able to seek the higher ground for actions and live purely for Allah over the base desires of human beings:
الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ (63) لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
‘Those who believe and constantly guard against evil, for them are glad tidings in the life of the present and in the Hereafter, no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.’ [Surah Yunus 63-64]
In Western society, the youth have created as well as have been pushed into a niche where responsibility is a far concern as seeking pleasures is the only concern. Thus being sexually active without responsibility has grave consequences – Alfie Patten, the 13 year old who became a father was a shocking example of this. This is no surprise as a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International in 2005 revealed that in the US, 27% 13 to 16 year olds and 41% of 14 to 15 year olds are sexually active. It is therefore no surprise that teenage pregnancies are a significant problem in the West, with the US and Britain having the highest rates.
Although the attitude of doing as one pleases exists in the West, the reality is that we live in a society, not in isolation. Therefore although some of us may interprete freedom in our lives as just trying to get a good job, have a decent career and start a stable family to make ourselves happy, another person may interprete this freedom in a totally different way. So making oneself happy for a rapist has a lot more of a disasterous consequence, although they have acted upon the same idea that we ourselves may hold - the freedom to please ourselves. So if we really believe we all should be allowed to exercise our own freedoms as we live quite a decent and righteous life, then we should not have a problem with a rapist existing in our society too, who also has exercised his freedom.
Are you really free?
This is the question which many of us living in Western societies assume the answer to. However if we really ask ourselves this question we will find the answer to be in the negative. We are not at all really free. Although society promotes sexual freedom to satisfy ones desires, the British law requires that you must be above the age of 16 to do so. Although we believe we are free to dress in whatever way we please, be it a sack even if we chose, the reality is if you decided to walk down the street stark naked, you would be arrested. If you asked a newspaper to report some type of abuse about the Queen you would be told that it was not allowed.
Therefore it is clear we are not at all totally free – We are just free to the extent that society and the Government allow you to be. Therefore the question then begs, that if we are not free, but all live by a set of norms and rules, then what rules should we be following? The norms of a society which human beings have decided for themselves, or the norms and rules of the Creator who created our very bodies and souls?
Freedom causes you to think only about yourself
The desire to exercise their desires before anything else, damn any responsibility naturally fuels a certain mentality within young people. The endless quest to make oneself happy, makes people put their own desires first, above anyone elses.
The idea of individualism in society causes young people to just have fun without limits, without thinking about the impact on other people or on society. Individualism gives boys the licence to behave sexually in whatever way they please, but never intend to commit to the girl they are intimate with. Individualism means a superficial desire of always wanting a pretty size 8 girlfriend, as a woman on a BBC reality TV show about single mothers disclosed, that her partner left her whilst she was 5 months pregnant because he felt she lost her ‘looks’. Individualism means parents who prioiritised their own career success or love life over the wellbeing of their children, as reported by the 2009 Children’s Society report; which has resulted in children being more anxious and unhappy.
The panel which produced the 2009 Children’s society report stated that the current ‘excessive individualism needs to be replaced by a value system where people seek satisfaction more from helping others rather than pursuing private advantage’.
Western societies breed the idea of individualism as an idea people live by in society and you are told it does not matter how your actions affect others – if you are fine that’s all the matters. However this is not at all true as everything people do in society affects others – If a man is intimate with a woman and gets her pregnant and then does a runner, he not only affects the life of the woman who has to survive and bring up a child and fend for herself alone, but he also affects the life of the baby who grows up without having a father figure. Actions by individuals affects society, and this is the idea that must be understood by Western society for it to deal with the current social breakdown that is being witnessed in society.
Islam cares about others around you
There is a Hadith reported in Bukhari, narrated by Nu'man bin Basheer (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said,
"The example of the one who stands for the Deen of Allah and the one who has left it are like the people in a boat, some of whom occupy the upper deck and some occupy the lower deck. Whenever those in the lower deck need water, they have to go to the upper deck to retrieve it. So some of them said, ‘why don't we make a hole in our deck so we do not harm the people of the upper deck?' If the people do not stop them, they will all fall and be failures, but if they stop them they will all be saved"
The Prophet SAW is here aliking the example of the situation of people needing to work together to keep a ship afloat, like people in society – If people just seek to fulfil their own needs and desires without thinking about everyone else, then eventually they will all sink. Islam therefore necessitates that we think about the community and society, as well as our own selves. Under the Islamic Khilafah, the social system of Islam necessitates that the agitation of the sexual instinct is totally removed from society, so that the society and community are protected from the ravages of unrestricted promiscuity which occur as a result of unrestricted freedom.
The Prophet (saw) said:
‘Oh you youngsters. Whoever amongst you who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him more to lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e.chastity). And whoever is not able to marry he should fast, because it will be a protection for him’ (Bukhari and Muslim).
The stability and commitment of marriage is the place for the satisfaction of this instinct, so that it is not let loose in society.
We are slaves of Allah
The idea that we are free to do whatever we want and fulfil our desires in whatever way we want is a total fallacy. If we have no freedom over the number of times our heart beats, how many electric impulses our brain sends and how much oxygen our lungs intake, how can we possibly believe that we are free to fulfil the needs and desires of our body in other respects, as discussed above? Clearly we have been created by Allah and are being kept alive by Allah, so how can we have the audacity to believe that when it comes to the areas of our needs where we have a choice, that Allah has no room to tell us what to do?
Rather Allah swt has clearly told us in the Holy-Qur'an,
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
‘I have created jinn and man for no reason but to worship me’. [TMQ 51-55]
This makes clear that whether it is the involuntary or voluntary needs and desires, everything we do must be in line with what Allah loves, and abstaining from whatever Allah hates, as our very purpose in this world, is for Him.
The Prophet (saw) narrated in a hadith,
‘Any action not based upon our affair will be rejected.’
Therefore there is no room for a Muslim to feel that he has the freedom to choose however to fulfil his desires – Every single action he does must be in line with Islam. This does not mean that a Muslim must pray and fast 24 hours a day and nothing else, but it just means that in the way we have relationships with people, how we buy and sell, how we behave with our parents, where we go in our free-time, must all be in line with the deen of Allah.
This is because as Muslims we know that death is the most definite thing and that after death the Day of Judgement will inevitably come, where we must answer for every single deed that we carried out in this world. This will be the Day when,
فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ (7) وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ (8
‘he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it ,And he who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.’ [surah Zalzalah 7-8]
Thus knowing that Allah will account us for even the smallest error we make in arrogance defying his deen, should make us people who use our minds to always think before we act. The behaviour of doing as we please, damn consequences and whether it is right or wrong, is never for the thinking, mature Muslim.
The thinking, mature Muslim has taqwa, fear and consciousness of his Creator, which ignites within him a desire to continuously remember his Lord in everything he does, so even if she wants to freemix and join in with the other girls with their flirting and college romances, her fear and love for Allah far exceeds her small and human desires.
She remembers that Allah’s promise of the great reward of the Hereafter which will satisfy ones desires beyond imagination, is the best reward to wait for:
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُعْظِمْ لَهُ أَجْرًا
"And whoever fears Allah, and keeps his duty to Him, He will forgive his sins from him and will enlarge his reward." [TMQ At-Talaq 65:5]
Indeed, life in this society is extremely difficult to withstand for the Muslim youth, as they are constantly forced into submitting to their lowly human desires and seek their own benefit. But a Muslim knows that this is simply the path to destruction, in this life and the Hereafter and for the community around them. With the help of their Creator, therefore they are able to seek the higher ground for actions and live purely for Allah over the base desires of human beings:
الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ (63) لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
‘Those who believe and constantly guard against evil, for them are glad tidings in the life of the present and in the Hereafter, no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.’ [Surah Yunus 63-64]
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
A child's prayer can be as brave and bold as this...
To start the theme for the next month, we reflect for a moment how Islam gained honour in the hands of great youth of the past: Mus'ab ibn Umayr, Jafar ibn Abi Talib, Asma bint Abu Bakr, Aysha, Tariq ibn Ziyad and the many more. Could a child's prayer be so simple; to be as brave, ambitious and courageous as them? If a child can only wish and dream, a young person can make it happen.
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