A Glowing Flame

Salaam and Peace to you all

Recently, I've been thinking about the epitamy of 'life' and the meaning of true happiness. Unlike many other aspects of life these are entities which do not have 'universal' definitions. So, with this in mind, I decided to look up the word 'happiness' in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2nd ed).

It states: "Happiness - the feeling of being happy"

... hmm, not exactly what I had in mind...

If you were given a list of words from which to choose and describe happiness, which three would you choose?

For me, happiness is not a state of living, for it is neither material nor is it tangible, rather, I hold it as a state of being. For happiness lives in the heart, mind and soul; uncaptured by words or expressions; born of an untainted inner realisation, with an existence truly only known, not to the seeker of happiness, no, rather to the receiver of happiness.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (rahimahullah) states, there are three signs of happiness: "Grateful when you are given, Patient when you are tested, Repentful when you are disobedient". [Taken from, 'The Four Principles of Shirk']

Undeniably, happiness is a thought that fills the mind, occassionally roaming the fields in search of - no, rather in need of - the sweet tasting seeds that once pollunated a weak heart. Enabling it to forever remain, as it once was...

a glowing flame shielded from the harsh winds of life.

Hikmatullaah - Al Hakeem: The Wisdom of Allah - The Wise

The situation of our sisters and brothers in Philistine has completely overwhelmed me… Across Saudi Arabia, sisters and brothers are sending awareness of the reality of the situation by informing others about companies, from the west, that need to be boycotted in every shape, manner and form. This is coupled with the active participation from university students, flocking together to donate countless of money towards their suffering families in Gaza.

I've contemplated this inconceivable reality during sleepless nights; reflected upon it; pondered over it; questioned... questioned... and questioned some more. My questioning is not of the situation, but rather of my own actions. ‘How am I, a supposed 'Muslim' behaving in the sight of Allah (Subhaanahu wa ta'ala)?’ ‘What does my Lord, azza wa jal, want me to learn from this devastating situation, all of which is under His control?’ and ‘Am I really doing enough?’ As these questions continued to overflow, I suddenly remembered a very beautiful reminder I heard at a sisters' circle last week: situations occur as a means of testing people, thus though such events may not directly be linked to individuals, their final destination in the Aakhirah may very well depend upon it.

"When I wake up, I do not care what happens to me; whether it is good for me or bad for me, for I neither know whether it is good or bad. [And I trust in the decree of my Lord (Swt)]."

[A saying attributed to Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiAllahu anhu)]

As we continue to discuss this heartbreaking reality; make sincere du’a; collect countless of money in donations and shed heart-felt tears like never before, let us not forget... those that have passed us by - dying in the name of Islam have met their destiny, completed their tests and returned to Allah (Subhaanahu wa ta’ala)… For surely to Jannah are its inhabitants. The enemies have our Lord to answer to, their evil deeds to account for, Allah (Subhaanahu wa ta’ala) to face… And surely to Jahannam are its inhabitants.

For those of us that are left watching… reflecting… pondering … and questioning, let us be reminded that our Lord (Subhaanahu wa ta'ala) Sees and Knows ALL things. Thus, just as hardships may elevate a people and abase others, they are also an unequivocal means of testing others… those that are left behind.

"You may like a thing that is bad for you, and dislike a thing that is good for you, Allah Knows and you know not."

[Surah Al-Baqarah (2):216]

May Ar-Rahman aid the believers in passing this test by running to the aid of our sisters and brothers, as a means of seeking Allah’s pleasure, ameen.

Yaa Al-'Afuww shower Your forgiveness upon our sisters and brothers of Philistine, ameen. Yaa Rabbi grant them Your peace, security and refuge for truly You are As-Salam; Al-Muhaymin. Yaa Rabbi, grant our sisters and brothers refuge from Your Punishment, for verily You are Al-Jabbar. Yaa Al-Qadir, make for them a way out of their sufferings and deal with our enemies in the way that they deserve, ameen.

“Allahumma munzilal-kitaabi, saree’al-hisaab, ihzimil-ahzaaba. Allahumma ihzimhum wa zalzilhum”.

Ameen.

“Oh Allah, Revealer of the book, Swift to account, defeat the groups. O Allah defeat them and shake them”. Ameen [Imam Muslim(rahimahullah)]

Ameen Allahumma, ameen.

“Oh Allah You are Mightier than Your creation, there is none worthy of worship but You”. [Imam Bukhaari(rahimahullah)]

"Subhaanahka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ashadu alaa ilaha illa anta, wa astagfirooka wa atoobu ilayk."

"Glory be to You Oh Allah, I bear witness there is no god but You, and I seek Your Forgiveness and turn repentant to you."

The eyes may cry and the heart may feel sadness, but the tongue does not utter anything displeasing to Allah...

With du'a as our weapon and Al-Qawiyy (The Most Strong) as our Protector, who and what else could we possibly need? Alhamdulillah.

A Beauty of Islam

The expression on her face was almost one of disgust. As she entered the doorway, she stood, stroking her straight blond hair, its length just above her shoulders. Her presence was one of formality; confidence and professionalism clearly evident in her stance. Though her appearnace was one of a casual form; a fitted white t-shirt coupled with straight black trousers somehow only emphasized her formality. I easily imagined her questioning the stupidty of my attire, my naive reluctance to accepting whatever excuse 'he' (probably assuming I were married) had given me for why I must be dressed as I was. Of course these words were not uttered; but having heard more than my share of 'innocent comments', I could pretty much sense what was coming next... "So tell me something?" She began. "Why do you have your face covered and she doesn't?" She looked towards my colleague, who was wearing a hijab (headscarf) and jilbab (outer garment) and then back at me. I knew whatever answer I gave, I'd most certainly have to speak with wisdom, or ... remain silent...

Through her short time with me and my colleagues, all of whom wear the Islamic attire, she smiled, joked and laughed. Realising that we teachers; Muslim teachers were just as sociable as any other teacher, she said: "I really like you guys, you're all really lovely". Suddenly our "costumes" and the difference in our beliefs seemed not to be a barrier, on the contrary, it was a means of comfort to both parties.

... Just before leaving, she turned towards me, waiting for an answer to her question. Eyes gazing at me, as though she'd been waiting for this opportunity for some time now. "Well you see," I began. "Imagine a teacher said to her students 'if you complete questions 1 to 10, I'll be so pleased with you'." I paused, wondering whether the 'teacher-student' scenario would work with her. "However," I continued "if you attempt questions 1 to 20, I'll be even happier'." I gave her time to follow my train of thought before concluding. "Well ... I'm the student doing questions 1 to 20". As I ended my explanation she smiled, letting out a small sound of laughter. As I returned the smile, she begun to nod her head in agreement, somehow satisfied by the response. I accompanied her on her way out, not forgetting to shake her hand and give her a warm hug, customary amongts us 'sisters'. And, with such a sincere embrace, I thanked Allah (Swt) for granting me this opportunity to show what often goes unseen - good character - a beauty of Islam.