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!

Prophet Muhammad (saw) - the Patient One

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

In the English language, patience is sometimes defined as the capacity for calm endurance of pain, trouble and inconvenience. 

As an Islamic virtue, patience has an additional spiritual quality to it: To endure hardships for the sake of Allah, consciously making the intention that, by being patient and by not complaining, one will hopefully receive rewards from Allah in the Hereafter. After all, many hardy people in this world calmly endure pain and hardship; but relatively few people do so for the sake of Allah. 

As for the Prophet (saw), he was a paragon of patience. For him, being chosen to be the seal of the Prophets meant, not an easy life, but a life of difficulties and hardships, of trials and tribulations, of pain and suffering. In fact, no one in the history of mankind faced as many hardships as did the Prophet (saw).

Death would have been easier than the personal tragedies the Prophet (saw) experienced throughout his life, and yet he never complained, but instead remained steadfast, patient, and thankful to his Lord.

In being patient, he was obeying his Lord's command:

And endure you patiently (O Muhammad), your patience is not but from Allah ...

(Surah An-Nahl - Verse 127)

He patiently endured being an orphan, being poor and being hungry. He was patient when he was forced to leave his homeland, his house, and his family. He was patient when he was being persecuted, when some of his Companions were being tortured, and when others among his family members and Companions were killed. He was patient when his enemies waged war against him, when Bedouins acted ignorantly with him, when Jews plotted against him, when hypocrites conspired to harm him, when many of his own relatives forsook him and declared war upon him.

He was patient in other ways as well. He patiently resisted the temptations of this world, the allure of riches, and the appeal of being strong and powerful. He turned away from all of the above because, instead of those worldly attractions, he longed only to please His Lord.

In every aspect of his life, and in every stage of his prophethood, the Prophet (saw) was patient. Patience, in fact, was his armour against everything that is harmful in this life. Every time he remembered what his enemies said, he recalled the words of Allah:

So bear patiently (O Muhammad) what they say ..
(Surah Ta-Ha, Verse 130)

Every time a difficult situation became almost too difficult to bear, he remembered the saying of Allah: 

... So (for me) patience is most fitting ..
(Surah Yusuf, Verse 18)

And every time he faced almost certain destruction at the hands of his enemies, he remembered Allah's saying:

Therefore be patient (O Muhammad) as did the Messengers of strong will ..
(Surah Ahqaf, Verse 35)

His was the patience of a man who is perfectly confident that Allah will help him and that Allah will reward him for his hardship and for his patience. His was the patience of a man who knew that Allah was with him and that Allah was all the help he needed in life. As such, nothing - no harsh word, no curse, no rude behaviour, and no physical torture - could shake him, faze him, perturb him, or even annoy him.

When his uncle died, he was patient. When his wife died, he was patient. When Hamzah (ra) died, he was patient, even though Hamzah was killed in an especially gruesome manner.

When he was forced to leave Makkah, he was patient. When his son died, he was patient. When most of his people rejected his message, he remained patient. When his pure and chaste wife was accused of doing a vile deed, he remained patient, seeking help from none save Allah.

When his people labelled him a poet, a sorcerer, a madman, and a liar, he remained patient. When they cursed him, persecuted him, waged war against him, and physically assaulted him, he remained patient.

In short, he was, and continues to remain the leader of those who practice patience, and the ideal role model of those who are thankful.

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!

You Are Better Off Than Millions of Women

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Think of the world as a whole, of the hospitals filled with patients who have been stricken with disease and calamity for many years; and the prisons in which thousands of people are held behind bars, their lives and pleasures ruined; and the asylums and hospitals which accomodate people who have lost their minds and have become insane.

Are there not poor people living in tattered tents and hovels, who cannot find a bite to eat? Are there not women who have been stricken with calamities that took away all their children in a single accident? Or women who have lost their sight or hearing, or whose arms or legs have been amputated, or who have lost their minds, or who have been stricken with chronic diseases such as cancer and the like?

But you are sound in body and in good health, living a life of tranquility, security and contentment. So, give thanks to Allah, the Exalted, All-Merciful, for His blessings and do not waste your time with things that are not pleasing to Him.

Wasalaam!

What is Alhamdulillah?

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

We are the people of Alhamdulillah.

 What does Alhamdulillah mean? It is two things:

1. That you thank Allah

2. Appreciation and praise is for Allah

Thanks and praise are two separate things. You can see a beautiful building, and you will praise it but you will not thank it. You will see a beautiful car, and you will praise it but you won't thank it. 

Sometimes the opposite happens. You may thank someone but you won't praise them. 

Allah says that the Muslim has to be grateful to his parents no matter what, even if his parents are not Muslim. Even if they want you to leave your faith, you still have to be grateful to them. You will not praise their shirk (non-belief), but you will still thank them. 

So, sometimes in life, you can have praise without thanks. And, sometimes in life, you can have thanks without praise.

 Another example of this is Firown. He raised the Prophet Musa (as) in his home. Many years later, Prophet Musa (as) came back to him, and Firown reminded him, saying, "Didn't you live many years here? Didn't we raise you as a newborn in this house?" He was reminding Prophet Musa (as) of his favour. And, obviously, when someone does you a favour, you owe them thanks. Prophet Musa (as) realised the favour, and he did thank him. He thanked Firown but he never ever praised him. 

When we say Alhamdulillah, then we are praising Allah for whatever He is doing, and we are also thanking Him for doing it. There are people of other religions who believe in God, but they don't have Alhamdulillah. Some Muslims don't understand Alhamdulillah. When we say it, we should be grateful from the bottom of our hearts. For all the things that are going wrong in your life, there are more things that are going right. There are so many other things that could be wrong with you. 

Being people of Alhamdulillah, we are constantly grateful and we are constantly positive. If we understood Alhamdulillah, we would never be depressed. A Muslim cannot be depressed. Muslims themselves complain about the state of the Muslims. Allah is the One who can change our circumstances. All we need to do is turn to Him and say Alhamdulillah, and be positive.

May Allah make us the sincere people of Alhamdulillah - Ameen!

Wasalaam!

Endurance and the Heart

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

"I endured because endurance is the best thing to rely upon.  If any advantage could be obtained by impatience, I would have adopted it. I endured many a misfortunes of such intensity that if they were to have fallen on a mountain, it would have been reduced to dust. 

I have exercised full control over my emotions and never shed a tear. Now, they are falling in my heart".

Allah says: "I have given everyone a special form of expression. From him it is praiseworthy, but from you it is blameworthy. From him it is honey, but from you it is poison. 

I do not need neither purity nor impurity, laziness in worship or eagerness in worship.

I have not made worship obligatory in order to make a profit. Rather, I do it as a kindness to My slaves.

I am not made holy by their glorifying Me, it is they who become pure and radiant.

I do not look at the tongue or speech, I look at the inward and the state.

I gaze into the heart to see whether it is humble, even though the words he uses are not humble, because it is the heart that matters".

Wasalaam!

Indeed, Allah is with us

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Do not be sad, O Muslims. Indeed, Allah is with us.

During all these days of negative thoughts and actions, I always remember the Prophet Muhammad (saw), and his Sahabah (ra). The torture and humiliation they went through during their time spent in Makkah, in those early days of Islam - that was their test, and this is ours. Allah never abandoned them, and He will not abandon us.

When you reflect on the examples of the greatest people, you see that even their tests didn't last forever. It took only a moment of true firmness, trust, faith, sacrifice, and then they were saved. The fire was cooled for Ibrahim (as), the sea was split for Musa (as), and a lamb descended to replace Ismail (as), as soon as Ibrahim (as) made the right choice.

Just one moment of firmness, trust, faith and sacrifice, and their opening came.

Just one moment of firmness, trust, faith and sacrifice .. and your opening will also come.

The Imam With A Beautiful End

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,

 "If Allah loves a servant, he will sweeten him". The Companions asked, "What does sweeten him mean?" The Prophet (saw) replied, "It means that Allah will beautify his actions before he dies, and make him die a beautiful death."

In another Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,

"If Allah loves a servant, He puts him through trials."

Put the two Ahadith together - Allah loves those who go through trials and are patient. 

There was an Imam of a mosque in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. He was from Afghanistan and did not have much wealth. He was very simple and humble. 

In the mosque, they used to rotate between Imams. This Imam was fourth in the rotation. Because he was fourth in the line, he would never really get a chance to lead the prayers.

Once, it was the fourth day of Ramadan. One of the Muslims was late for Fajr that morning. When he reached the masjid, he realised that the congregation had already started their first rakat. They were all in sujood, and the fourth Imam was the one who was leading the prayer.

The first three Imams were not present, so the fourth one had to lead the prayer. The Muslim who came late did his wudu, and when he came to stand in line, he realised that the people had been in sujood for longer than usual. 

The man looked closely at the Imam, and saw that he was slouching a little whilst in sajda. He came closer to him, and saw that the Imam had died. 

Subhanallah, Allah had taken away the soul of the Imam whilst he had been in sajda! 

If Allah loves a servant, he tests them, and if he loves a servant, He beautifies their end.

This story was told by Shaikh Bilal Assad, in one of his speeches.