Live Islam

Ramadan! Everyone loves it. It’s the time of year, when people just immerse themselves in the ‘ibadah of Allah. When they want to spend every second of every day reciting Qur’an, praying, trying to make the best of the blessed month, and at the end of it most people are quite chuffed, having spent their time worshiping Allah and experiencing the iman rush that comes with it.

But… (and yes there’s a big but)

…if we compare ourselves to the people of the past, the Salaf, the Sahabah, we are nobodies. Our exertion in worship during Ramadan wouldn’t even compare to one of their days of worship. When you think about it, our worship is like a game compared to theirs. These guys LIVED the deen, the way it’s meant to be. Us, we just pay lip service…

In Ramadan, we get excited if we finish reciting the Qur’an. The Salaf, they finished it every couple of days AND they implemented what they recited! The Qur’an wasn’t just a book for them, that you keep on a high shelf and recited once in a while, they kept it in their hearts! It was the words of Allah that pumped through their veins, so that it dictated their every step and movement, and it showed! In the way they walked, talked, eat, slept…everything!

Do you know Hisnul Muslim, that small book of adhkar that everyone carries in their bag? How many of them have you actually memorised? When was the last time that you said the du’a for entering the masjid, or for when it rained, or for getting dressed? When was the last time you said the adhkar for when you wake up or before you go to sleep, for when you enter or leave the bathroom? There is a du’a for everything but how many of us make the effort to learn them and mention Allah’s name in everything we do?

We don’t realise it, but it’s the little things that make a big difference. It’s what differentiates us from the Muslims from the past. When they learnt a Sunnah, they never left it. Us guys, we learn and we learn, but what does it benefit us? What use is ‘ilm if we don’t implement it?

We all want to memorise Qur’an, learn Arabic, and it’s so hard isn’t it? But just think for a second, why isn’t that knowledge being given to us? Most likely, we’re not worthy enough of such a blessing, cos rather than put it to use we would waste it.

I remember listening to a lecture by Muhammad al-Shareef, in which he mentioned a story about Abu Hanifa (I think). Someone asked him a question, but he forgot the answer, so he got up and prayed some nawafil, right there and then, during his class. After he prayed, he came back to his class and answered the question. When asked to explain he replied that knowledge was withheld from him, due to some sin he had committed. This was one of the giants of Islam and what about us? How many sins do we commit on a daily basis and compare it to how many times, we make sincere tawbah. Pathetic when you think about it huh?

So the point is this. Don’t think you’re good if you do well in your worship; rather thank Allah, cos it’s a blessing. Ask Him to keep you firm and steadfast, so that you maintain your ‘ibadah, rather than it being a momentary iman rush.

Don’t think big, think small. Before you decide you want to wake up every night for qiyam, make sure you are praying your fard salah, properly, with khushu’. Similarly before you try and become a hafidh(ah) make sure you’re worthy of such a blessing. Practice what you learn, implement it into your daily life.

Memorise all the adhkar so that you are constantly mentioning Allah’s name, in everything you do. If you learn a Sunnah implement it. It’s no good reading a hadith and thinking ‘oooh that’s nice’ but not then taking the benefit from it.

Make sure that you’re constant in your tawbah. Like forever! Forgiveness can not be asked for enough times. No matter how small your wrong doing seems, ask Allah to forgive you. Count all your sins in the day , triple the number and then pray/ask for forgiveness that many times… minimum.

And always, always thank Allah. For your parents, your house, kids, water, eyesight, school, friends, rizq, even for the Mars bar you just ate…absolutely everything! Allah wont give us the blessing of (strong) iman if we’re not thankful for it

May He keep us firm upon the deen, make us worthy of the title Muslim and give us the tawfiq to live Islam.