The First Freedom Fighter

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

She lived in the greatest palace of her time, with many slaves, male and female at her command. Hers was a life of luxury and ease.

Her name was Asiyah bint Muzahim, wife of Pharaoh - may Allah be pleased with her - one woman, physically weak, but she was a believer who was at peace in her palace. The light of faith had dawned in her heart and she challenged the system of ignorance at the head of which was her husband.

She had deep insight and did not care about palaces and luxurious furnishings or having many slaves and servants. Hence, she deserved to be mentioned by the Lord of the Worlds in His Holy Book, where she is given as an example for those who believe, as Allah, the Exalted, says:

And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said: "My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his work, and save me from the people who are wrongdoers.

(Quran 66:11)

The scholars said, commenting on this verse:

Asiyah chose the Hereafter over this world. She also deserved to be mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad (saw) among the perfect women, when he said:

Many men attain perfection, but no women attained perfection except Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh and Maryam bint Imran, and the superiority of Aishah over other women is like the superiority of tharid (bread, meat and broth) over other foods.

This is Asiyah the believer, the lamp that shone in the darkness of Pharaoh's palace. Who could light a lamp for us that shines with such patience and steadfastness, calling us to Allah, the Almighty?

(Dr. A'id al-Qarni)

Wasalaam!

When Things Become Unbearable, Turn To Allah

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Ibn Al-Jawzi (ra) said:

"Something was causing me a great deal of grief and distress, and I started to think long and hard about how to get out of this situation by any means, but I could not find any way out. Then I came across this verse:

".. and whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (of every difficulty)."

(Surah At-Talaq, Verse 2)

I realized that taqwa (piety and fearing Allah) is the way out of every kind of grief and distress. As soon as I followed the path of taqwa, I found the way out".

I say: for the wise men, taqwa is the way that leads to everything good, for calamity happens only as the result of sin, and it can only be lifted through repentance. 

Sadness, grief and worry are punishments for sins that you have committed, by falling short in your prayers, or backbiting about a Muslimah, or taking the matter of hijab lightly, or committing a haram action.

Whoever goes against the laws of Allah, the Almighty, has to pay the price for that shortcoming. The One Who created happiness is the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, so how can you seek happiness from anyone other than Him?

If people had control over happiness, there would be no deprived or grieving person left on earth.

Cast away all discouraging thoughts that make you feel helpless, and focus on success, then you will never fail.

Wasalaam!

La Hawla wa la Quwwata illa Billah

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A young man was jailed and his mother had no one else but him. She could not sleep and distress took hold of her completely. She wept until she could weep no more, then Allah guided her to say, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no power and no strength except with Allah).

She repeated these great words, which are one of the treasures of Paradise, and only a few days after she had despaired of her son ever coming out of jail, he was knocking at the door and she was filled with joy. Such is the reward of one who puts her trust in Allah, calls upon Him constantly and delegates all her affairs to Him.

So you should recite this dhikr, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, for these great words are the secret of happiness and success. Recite them a great deal, chase away the specters of grief and distress with them, and receive the glad tidings that Allah will soon grant you happiness and a way out.

Beware of losing hope or becoming frustrated, for there is no hardship but it is followed by ease. This is how it has always been, and always will be.

Think positively of Allah, the Exalted, and put your trust in Him; seek that which is with Him, and wait for a way out.

Wasalaam!

Do Not Be Afraid

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The world we live in is all consuming. Night melts into day, days slip in and out of weeks, weeks blur as the months go by and, before we know it, another year has passed, and we are wondering where the time has gone.

Everything around us jostles and fights for our undivided attention. Families, friends, work, studies – the demands on our time are seemingly endless. Often, we are so immersed in the mundanity of the everyday, in the demands of our personal lives, that we become inward facing. We begin to feel distant from world events, cut off from the larger battles that are being fought all around us – religiously, socially and politically.

And we forget that we, too, have a part to play in the events that are affecting the Ummah and shaping the societies we live in.

We forget that we are meant to be one body, feeling each others pain, sacrificing for one another, ransoming ourselves and our wealth for the sake of Allah.

We forget that we are supposed to be the best of nations, calling to good, warning against evil, worshipping Allah with every fibre of our being, with every action, public and private.

We forget that we were tasked to be the bearers of glad tidings, that we have been given the honour of carrying this message to the four corners of the earth.

We know how important this work is; we know what is at stake, and we know the prize that awaits us.

But so many of us are afraid.

We hesitate to tell the truth, in case the people turn away from us. We bite our tongues , worrying that we will offend, fretting that our words will wound instead of heal.

Many times, we shy away from the confrontations, from the battles, from the clashes of civilisation and civility that can sometimes accompany this call, this da’wah.

Indeed, many of us feel we don’t have enough knowledge to give da’wah, thinking that this call should be reserved for the experts. It is then that we need to remember that da’wah is not only in giving talks or taking part in debates – it is in the little things we do, too. The da’wah we give with our actions, our manners and attitudes.

For every one of us is a caller. Whether it is with a surah or hadith that is learned and taught, a lesson that is attended, a cause that is supported, a good deed, a kind word, we are all callers. And our call should be a sincere call to the truth; to our families and loved ones, members of our community, to Muslims and non-Muslims.

We should not be afraid.

I invite you to reaffirm your commitment to spreading the message of Islam. Recommit to sharing the beauty of the deen, with everything at your disposal, the resources, gifts and talents that you have been with blessed with.

“If Allah guides a person through you, it is better for you than all that is on the earth” (Bukhari and Muslim)

May Allah make it easy for us to make sincere da’wah part of our regular ibadah and bless us by guiding others through us – ameen.

 (By Naima B. Robert)