A WORD ON READING
Reading opens the mind, guides one to correct morals, and sharpens one’s ability to think. Reading is a comfort for the lonely, a stimulant for the thinker, and a lamp for the traveler.
To not read makes one limited in one’s speech, thinking, and personality. Most books contain at least some benefit, whether it is in wise sayings, interesting stories, strange experiences, or new knowledge. It can even be said that the benefits of reading are beyond enumeration. And we seek refuge in Allah from one of the greatest of calamities: to have weak determination and will power.
DON’T BE SAD, AND STUDY ALLAH’S SIGNS IN THE CREATION
If you study Allah’s signs in the world and universe you will find such things of wonder that will remove your worries and anxieties: the soul finds delight in the strange, the wonderful, and the bizarre.
Bukhari and Muslim narrated a hadith from Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said, “The Messenger of Allah sent us on a mission and appointed Abu ‘Ubaydah to be our leader.
We were to meet with a caravan from Quraysh. Since he could find nothing else, the Messenger of Allah (bpuh) provided us only with a container of dates for the journey. So from the day we left onward, Abu ‘Ubaydah would give us (each) one date for each day.”
The narrator of the hadith asked Jaabir what they would do with the dates. He said, “We would suck on one of the dates the way a child does. Then we would drink water over it. This was enough for us until the night fell. We would then strike at the leaves of trees with our sticks, wet the leaves, and then eat them. We were hiking on the shores of the sea when we saw something that looked like a huge sand-hill from a distance. As we came nearer, we realized that it was a large sea creature called Al-Anbar (whale fish). Abu ‘Ubaydah said that it was an animal that died without being slaughtered (therefore it was not lawful). He then said, ‘No, we are the messengers of the Messenger of Allah, we are in the path of Allah, and now we are in a dire situation —- so eat, all of you.”’
“We, all three hundred of us, lived off of this creature for one month until we became fattened. I remember how we took spears and thrust them into the eye socket of the creature. From inside the socket we scooped out pieces of fat, the size of a bull. So large was the creature that when Abu ‘Ubaydah asked thirteen of our men to line up in the eye socket of the creature, there was enough space to accommodate them all. He also took one of its ribs and erected it on the ground. Then he found the tallest camel, made our tallest man to ride on it, and they were able to pass underneath the rib. Finally, when we left the site, we took provisions from the meat for the return journey. When we arrived in Madeenah, we went to the Messenger of Allah (bpuh) and told him what happened, and he said,
‘This is sustenance that Allah has taken out (of the sea) for you. Do you have any of its meat with you to feed us from it?’ We sent some to the Messenger of Allah and he ate from it.”’
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
When a seed is placed in the ground, it will not grow until the ground shakes ever so slightly. The Richter scale picks up this minor jolt. The seed then splits and begins to grow:
(We send down water [rain] on it, it is stirred [to life], it swells and puts forth very lovely kind (of growth).) (Qur’an 22: 5)
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
Dr. Zughlool an-Najjar, a researcher in cosmology, mentioned in one of his lectures that there is a comet that began its journey eons ago. Though it travels at the speed of light, it still has not reached earth.
(So I swear by Mawaqi [setting or the mansions, etc.] of the stars [they traverse].) (Quran 56: 75)
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
An amazing incident that was reported by the newspaper Recent Happenings in 1953 is the story of ‘Ona’. Ona, entering Paris guarded by many policemen, was a gigantic Norwegian stuffed whale that weighed more than 80,000 kilograms. Eight tractors carried the mammoth-sized monster, all tied together to a transport trailer. The whale was to be put on display for a period of one month, and visitors were going to be allowed to enter its electrically illuminated belly.
The organizers and police were unable to agree on a venue for the display since the size and weight of the creature posed a threat to the structure of any building or street that it was going to be displayed in.
Despite the young age of this whale (eighteen months) it reached a prodigious length of twenty meters. It was caught in Norwegian waters in the previous year and it was to be transported for display via train from one city to another. Due to the problems of its size and weight, it had to be transported by a special trailer that was thirty meters in length.
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Quran 20: 50)
Abdur-Razzaaq as-Sana’ni related from Ma’mar ibn Raashid al-Basri that he said, “I saw in Yemen a cluster of grapes that was the size of a full load that is placed on a mule.”
(And tall date-palms, with ranged clusters.) (Quran 50: 10)
All trees and plants are nourished by the same kind of water:
(Yet some of them we make more excellent than others to eat.)
(Quran 13: 4)
Every plant is endowed with a defense system that is specific to it. Some are strongly built; some have thorns with which they protect themselves; and yet others are bitter and sting.
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
Astronomers say that the Universe is still expanding little by little, similar to the way that a balloon expands.
(With power did we construct the heaven. verily We are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof) (Qur’an 51: 47)
Others say that while dry land is constricting, the oceans are expanding.
(See they not that we gradually reduce the land [in their control] from its outlying borders?) (Qur’an 21:44)
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
ln 1982, Faysal magazine reported the story of a cabbage that weighed 22 kg and was l m in diameter. In the same farm, they found an onion that weighed 2.3 kg and was 30 cm in diameter, as well as a tomato that was 60 cm in circumference. All of these anomalies were found on the farm of a single Mexican fanner.
(‘Our Lord is He PW1o gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
in the head are four liquids: sweetness in the mouth that mixes well with food and drink; stickiness in the nose that prevents dust from entering; saltiness in the eyes that prevents dryness; and sourness in the ears that protects one from insects and from harm in general.
(And also in your own selves. Will you not then see?)
(Qur’an 51 .21)
(And [Allah] taught you that which you knew not.) (Qur’an 4: 113)
(Allah Has taught man that which he knew not.) (Qur’an 96: 5)
(And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight and hearts….) (Qur’an 16: 78)
(And we taught hint the making of metal coats of mail [for battles]…) (Quran 21: 80)
(Nay, they deny that; the knowledge whereof they could not compass and whereof the interpretation has not yet come unto them)
(Qur’an 10: 39)
(And not an Aayah [sign, etc.] We showed them but it was greater than its fellow.) (Qur’an 43: 48)
(‘Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) (Qur’an 20: 50)
The heart does not feel deserted except when it disobeys its Lord. Hasan al-Basri said: “O’ son of Adam, when Prophet Moosa (Moses) objected to Khidr (i.e., to his actions) on three occasions, the latter said, ‘This is the parting between you and me.’ Then how will it be with you who disobey your Lord many times in a single day? Do you feel so secure (and sure) that He will not say to you, ‘This is the parting between you and Me.”’
O’ ALLAH! O’ ALLAH!
€Say [O’ Muhammad]: ‘Allah rescues you from it and from all [other] distresses….) (Qur’an 6: 64)
(Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave) (Qur’an 39: 36)
Say [O’ Muhammad]: ‘Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and the sea [dangers, like storms]…) (Qur’an 6: 63)
(And we wished to do a favor to those who were weak [and oppressed] in the land) (Qur’an 28: 5)
Allah, the Exalted, said about Adam (may peace be upon him):
(Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance.) (Qur’an 20: 122)
And about Prophet Nooh (Noah):
(We listened to his invocation and saved him and his family from great distress.) (Qur’an 21: 76)
And about Prophet lbraheem (Abraham):
(We [Allah] said: ‘O’ fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrahim !) (Qur’an 21: 69)
And about Prophet Ya’qoob (Jacob):
(It may be that Allah will bring them [back] all to me.) (Quran 12: 83)
And about Prophet Yusuf (Joseph):
(‘He [Allah] was indeed good to me, when He took me out of the prison, and brought you [all here] out of the Bedouin-life…) (Quran 12: 100)
And about Prophet Dawood (David):
(So we forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to us, and a good place of [anal] return [Paradise]…) (Qur’an 38: 25)
And about Prophet Ayoob (Job):
(And we removed the distress that was on him…) (Qur’an 21: 84)
And about Prophet Yunus (Jonah):
(And [We] delivered him from the distress.) (Quran 21: 88)
And about Prophet Moosa (Moses):
(But we saved you from great distress….) (Qur’an 20: 40)
And about Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him):
(If you help him [Muhammad] not [it does not matter], for Allah did indeed help him.) (Quran 9: 40)
(Did He not find you [O’ Muhammad] an orphan and gave you a refuge? And He found you unaware [of the Quran, its legal laws, and Prophethood, etc.] and guided you? And He found you poor and made you rich [self-sufficient with self-contentment, etc.]!) (Qur’an 93: 6-8)
(Every day He has a matter to bring forth [such as giving honor to some, disgrace to some, life to some, death to some, etc].!)
(Qur’an 55: 29)
Very often, a crisis is only a cloud that quickly disperses.
(None besides Allah can avert it, (or advance it, or delay it).)
(Quran 53: 58)
DON’T GRIEVE, FOR CHANGE MUST TAKE PLACE
When Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was imprisoned in ‘Aarim prison, Kuthay’ir said:
“The beauty of the world will not last for the affluent, The harshness of this world is not a fatal blow, For this one and for that one is a period that will finish, And what each has undergone will be the dream of a dreamer. “
Centuries after this occurred do l now reflect over what had happened; and truly, Ibn al-Hanafiyah and the ‘Aarim Prison are both the dreams of a dreamer.
(And how many a generation before them have we destroyed! Can you find a single one of them or hear even a whisper of them?)
(Quran 19: 98)
In an authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:
“The rights shall be paid back to all (on the Day of Judgment); even the sheep that has no horns will get its retribution from the homed (beast).”
BE FAIR
Be fair to your friends and call them by those names that they love most; do not use nicknames that they hate. Would you like it if others did the same to you?
Be fair to your wife. How often is it for a woman, that after an entire day of cooking, dusting, and cleaning. her husband returns home and is blind to her efforts? His indifference does more damage than any talk can do in making her feel inadequate and ignored.
So be attentive to others and thank them for any good that they do. Praise your wife’s appearance if she takes time to look good for you and thank her for her daily devotion to you.
OPTIMISM VERSUS SKEPTICISM
(As for those who believe, it has increased their Faith, and they rejoice. But as for those in whose hearts is a disease [of doubt, disbelief and hypocrisy], it will add suspicion and doubt to their suspicion, disbelief and doubt, and they die while they are disbelievers) (Qur’an 9: 124-125)
When faced with a difficult or harsh situation, the righteous Muslims from the early generations of Islam were positive in their attitude, positive that. though they were facing difficulties, there was benefit to be had, harm to be warded off, and ease to be met with when rounding the corner of time:
(…..and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you.) (Qur’an 2: 216)
Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“I love three things that are hateful to people: I love poverty, sickness, and death. I love them because poverty is humility, sickness is expiation for sins, and death results in a meeting with Allah.”
Some of the Arab poets were extreme in their hate for poverty, as can be discerned from the following line, wherein the poet claims that even dogs hate poor people:
“On a given day, if it sees the poor and indigent one, It growls and shows its teeth in mocking.”
Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) said concerning being imprisoned:
(‘O’ my Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me.) (Qur’an 12: 33)
As for death, there were many among the righteous who welcomed it. Mu’aadh (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“Welcome death — a beloved one has come in time of need. And the one who regrets (his sins during his lifetime) is successful, “
Others, though, fled from death and cursed its approach. The Jews, for example, are the most covetous of people when it comes to life. Allah, the Exalted, says of them:
(Say [to them]: ‘Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you….) (Qur’an 62: 8)
Being killed in the way of Allah is a dream and pleasant wish for the righteous:
Some have fulfilled their obligations [i.e. have been martyred], and some of them are still waiting….) (Qur’an 33: 23)
Meanwhile others hated death and fled from it. A Desert Arab said:
“By Allah, l’d hate to die while being on my bed, so how can l be expected to seek death out in the frontlines.”
Say: ‘Avert death from your own selves, if you speak the truth.)
(Qur’an 3: 168)
(Say: ‘Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death.) (Quran 3: 154)
The story throughout history is one; it is merely the actors who change.
O’ SON OF ADAM, DO NOT DESPAIR
O’ man: man who is bored of life, who finds it difficult to pass the days, and who has tasted the bitter vicissitudes of life, remember that ease follows difficulty, that Allah’s promise is true, and that, if you are true and sincere, victory is near.
([It is] a Promise of Allah, and Allah fails not in His Promise, but most of men know not) (Qur’an 30: 6)
For your dilemma — whatever it may be — there is a cure, and for your difficulty whatever it may be —- there is a solution.
(‘All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has removed from us (all) grief.) (Quran 35: 34)
O’ Man: the time has come for you to remedy your doubts with faith and your deviant thoughts with guidance. You must remove the veil of darkness that covers you so that you can see the brightness of a true sunrise; you must supplant the bitterness of sorrow with the sweetness of contentment.
O’ Man: beyond the dry desert that you are crossing you will find green pasture and fertile soil. The fruits therein grow profusely from all directions.
O’ Man, who because of sleepless nights, screams in the late hours of the night, remember this:
(Is not the morning near?) (Quran 11: 81)
O’ whose mind has wandered in grief, move to action without haste, for upon the horizon of the unseen lies a solution and a way out of your difficulties. O’ you, whose eyes are loaded with tears, repress your tears and give leisure to your eyelids. Relax and know that your Creator protects and aids, and that His Mercy for you will bring you peace. Be peaceful in mind, O’ slave of Allah, for the divine decree is written and all matters have been decided upon. And know that your reward is secure with He Who doesn’t disappoint the one who seeks to please Him.
Be at peace, for after poverty comes wealth, after thirst comes drink, after separation comes a joyous meeting, and after sleeplessness comes sound rest.
(You know not, it may be that Allah will afterward bring some new thing to pass.) (Qur’an 65: 1)
O’ you who are oppressed in the lands, who suffer from hunger, pain, sickness and poverty, rejoice in the knowledge that you will soon be satisfied with food and that you will be happy and in good health.
(And by the night when it withdraws, And by the dawn when it brightens.) (Qur’an 74: 33-34)
Every Muslim must have good thoughts about his Lord and must wait patiently for His favor, for the One who has the power to say “Be” to something and it is, is worthy to be trusted in regards to His promise. No one can bring good except for Him and no one can ward off evil except for Him. For every action He has wisdom: and after every hour He brings ease. He made morning to follow the night and rain to follow dryness. He gives to be thanked and He puts to trial to know — and He has knowledge of all things — those who are patient. Therefore it is in the best interest of the Muslim to strengthen his relationship with his Lord and to ask Him more frequently.
(….and ask Allah of his bounty.) (Quran 4: 32)
(Invoke your Lord with humility arid in secret) (Qur’an 7: 55)
Al-‘Ala’ ibn al-Hadhrami and some Companiors of the Messenger of Allah (bpuh) became stranded in the middle of the desert. Their water supply became depleted and they were tall on the verge of dying. Al-‘Ala’ called out to His Lord, Who is All]-Hearing and who answers the prayer of the one who asks Him. Hi: said, “O’ Most-High, Most-Great, O’ Most Wise and Most Benevolent.” At that very moment, the rain started to pour down. They drink, made ablution, bathed, and gave drink to their animals.
And He it is who sends down the rain after they have despaired, and spreads abroad His Mercy. And He is the Wali [Helper Supporter; Protector; etc.], Worthy of all Praise.) (Qur’an 42: 28)
PAUSE TO REFLECT
Loving Allah, knowing Him, remembering Him, seeking peace in Him, singling Him out for complete love, fear, lope, and dependence — these are qualities that, when combined in .a person, constitute a sort of heaven on earth. They are qualities that bring peace to those who love Allah, a sort of peace that has no comparison in this world.
lf the heart is content and has a strong attachment to Allah, anxiety and grief will be removed from it. And vice versa: no one feels more constricted with grief than someone whose heart is attached to other than Allah — someone who forgets Allah’s remembrance and who is not satisfied with what He has given him.
We can verify this reality by studying cases of those who have passed before us.
Source: Islam Basics By Aaidh ibn Abdullah Al-Qarnee
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John Doe
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John Doe
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