Enthusiasm and Zeal
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Excellence in measured in many ways, one of the most important of which is your confidence and ability to stay on your chosen path. You will find when you do that, that other people will often be scared of your high ideals and goals. To remain on the path and not be discouraged by their lack of confidence is a measure of excellence. I have always measured the strength of my goals from the number of people who they scare the daylights out of. Currently the same is true for my dream of the SBA - it scares the daylights out of a lot of people. To me, it means that I am on the right path. You see, the only path that doesn’t scare the sheep is the path to the pen. I personally have never had a liking to being penned. Especially since every pen has two doors. One towards the pasture and the other towards the abattoir.
Danger is both exciting as well as mostly imaginary. But when we embark on lofty goals which are rooted in integrity, truthfulness and the desire to do something worthwhile, the world - what we know of it as well as what is unseen - conspires to make us succeed. Angels walk with you though you can't see them. Doors open for you where you would not have imagined. People come out of the woodwork to help you not because you asked them to - you didn’t even know that they were there - but because they were sent. The resources that you need to accomplish your goal will flow in your direction.
Very simple principle of physics - water flows down a slope, not up it. So when you are climbing a hill and rain falls, water will flow in your direction. If you are running away and going downhill, water will flow away from you. Your position on the hill doesn’t matter (no matter how far from the peak you are). It is your direction which makes a world of difference and quite simply spells the difference between reaching the peak or not. Many people believe that they can climb a mountain walking backwards. I personally don’t know of anyone who managed to do that. If you want to succeed, you have to face your fears and stare into their eyes until they look away. Not turn your back on them. Especially because what is behind your back becomes even more scary. I was never very good at walking backwards myself.
That is not to say that one must ignore honest feedback or not check one's assumptions against emerging data and change them if necessary. That too is a measure of excellence in itself (see Rasoolullah (SAS)'s conduct in Badr when he agreed to camp in a different place) but the final goal must not be watered down and diluted because of fear. One is to change the approach because someone has a better way. That is good to do provided that other way stands the test of rigorous proof-of-concept. The other is to give up the goal itself because you became afraid. That is to betray yourself.
Remember that we all start in the same place - as idealists. But then we allow others (at least most of us do) to dictate what we will do, how we will live, what goals are 'realistic', what goals are 'worth it' and so on. So the leaping flame of idealism that was in our heart takes a beating and gradually gets reduced and dampened.
When you are idealistic people will initially oppose you and push back and try to discourage you, not because they don’t like what you are planning to do but because in your eyes they see what they were themselves like one day; until they allowed the rest of the crowd to dampen their idealism. But remember also that the spark of idealism lives as long as we are alive. You can dampen it but you can't kill it. So when they meet you, their spark starts to get some energy and that scares them. Their initial reaction is to try to put it back in its 'place' and dampen it once again because that will justify what they did to themselves all their lives. But if you refuse to internalize their fears and are true to your ideals, you will see that their own sparks will start to grow and will once again become the leaping flames that dispel the fears of darkness and light up the world in ways that neither they nor you thought possible.
The key is to remain true to your ideals no matter what the world tells you. That, to me, is a measure of excellence.
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Concerning this point, Satan has many ways and means. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of your necks. He breathes the following into them: 'The night is long so keep on sleeping.' If the person wakes and praises Allah, then one of the knots is unfastened. And if he performs ablution, the second knot is unfastened. When he prays, all of the knots are unfastened. After that he will be energetic and happy in the morning. Otherwise he would get up listless and grouchy."
It is also recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that he said,
"When one of you rises from your sleep he should make ablution. He should rinse his nose three times. For Satan stays in the upper part of one's nose during the night."
Al-Bukhari also records that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about a man who sleeps until the morning comes, that is, after the time of the dawn prayer. He said,
"That is a man whom Satan has urinated into his two ears."
What we have mentioned is from among the ways that Satan hinders the human from doing some actions. He also whispers into the human a love for laziness, postponing or procrastinating actions and thinking about what a long period of time one has for such and such action or work. Ibn al-Jawzi has written on this topic, stating:
How many of the Jews or Christians have considered in their hearts love for Islam. But Iblees always hinders them. He says to them, "Do not be hasty. Look closer into the matter."And they postpone their conversion until they die as unbelievers. In the same way the one who is disobedient to Allah postpones his repentance. He sets his sights on his desires and he hopes he will repent later. But, as the poet said,
How many are determined to do something and then they postpone it. Perhaps a scholar is determined to return to his study. Satan says, "Rest for a while." Or a servant is alerted to the prayer at night and he says to him, "You have plenty of time." He will not stop making people love laziness and postponing of actions and he makes the person rely on hopes and dreams.
It is necessary for the energetic person to take matters into his own hand and act upon his energy. The energetic finds the time to do things and does not procrastinate and he turns away from just dreaming. The one who has a real fear of Allah does not feel safe of punishment. The soul never stops in its dispute about evil and facing the good. But it always expects that it will have plenty of time to complete the good. One of the early scholars said,
"Beware of procrastinating. It is the greatest of the soldiers of Satan."
The serious, non-procrastinating person and the one who rests on his hopes and puts off working are like two who are passing through a city while journeying. The serious, energetic one buys his provisions early and waits for his journey out of the city. The procrastinator says, "I will wait, as perhaps we will stay here a month," and continues to put off buying his provisions and preparing for his departure, until the last minute wherein he becomes rushed and mistake prone. This is how people are in this world. Some of them are prepared and alert. When the angel of death comes, he is not sorrowful. Others are deceived by thinking they can procrastinate and they will despair when the time to move on comes.
It is part of one’s nature to love laziness and dreams but then Iblees comes and builds upon that. This makes it difficult to struggle against him in that matter. But the one who is alert knows that he is in the middle of a battle. He knows that his enemy does not rest. And if it seems that he is resting, it is actually just part of his strategy.
Source: Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbees Iblees, p. 458.
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The status of the Muslim woman in Islaam is a very noble and lofty one, and her effect is very great in the life of every Muslim. Indeed the Muslim woman is the initial teacher in building a righteous society, providing she follows the guidance from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Since adherence to the Qur`aan and the Sunnah distances every Muslim – male or female – from being misguided in any matter. The misguidance that the various nations suffer from, and their being deviated does not come about except by being far away from the path of Allaah – the Most Perfect, the Most High – and from what His Prophets and Messngers - may Allaah’s Peace and Prayers be upon them all – came with.
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "I am leaving behind you two matters, you will not go astray as long as you cling to them both, the Book of Allaah and my Sunnah." [2]
The great importance of the Muslim woman’s role – whether as wife, sister, or daughter, and the rights that are due to her and the rights that are due from her – have been explained in the noble Qur`aan, and further detailed of this have been explained in the purified Sunnah.
The secret of her importance lies in the tremendous burden and responsibility that is placed upon her, and the difficulties she has to shoulder – responsibilities and difficilties some of which not even a man bears. This is why from the most important obligations upon a person is to show gratitude to the mother, and kindness and good companionship with her. And in this matter, she is to be given precedence over and above the father. Allaah the Exalted says:
"And We have enjoined upon man to be good and dutiful to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness upon weakness and hardship upon hardship, and his weaning is in two years. Show gratitude and thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination." [Soorah Luqmaan 31:14]
Allaah the Exalted said:
"And We have enjoined upon man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship, and she brings him forth with hardship. And the bearing and weaning of him is thirty months." [Sooratul Ahqaaf 41:15]
A man came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said: "O Messenger of Allaah! Who from amongst mankind warrents the best companionship from me?" He replied: "Your mother."
The man asked, "Then who?" So he replied: "Your mother."
The man then asked, "Then who?" So the Prophet replied again: "Your mother."
Then the man asked, "Then who?" So he replied: "Your father." [3]
So this necessitates that the mother is given three times the likes of kindness and good treatment than the father.
As regards the wife, then her status and her effect in making the soul tranquil and serene has been clearly shown in the noble aayah (statement of Allaah), in His – the Exalted – saying:
"And from His signs is this: That He created for you wives amongst yourselves, so that you may find serentiy and tranquility in them. And He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in this are signs for those who reflect." [Sooratur Room 30:21]
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (d.774H) – rahimahullaah – said whilst explaining the terms muwaddah and rahmah which occur in the above aayah:
"Al-muwaddah means love and affection and ar-rahmah means compassion and pity – since a man takes a woman either due to his love for her, or because of compassion and pity for her; by giving to her a child from himself…" [4]
And the unique stance that the Prophet’s (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) wife Khadeejah – radiyallaahu ‘anhaa – took, had a huge effect in calming and reassuring the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), when the angel Jibreel (‘alayhis salaam) first came to the cave of Hiraa. So the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) returned to Khadeejah (radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) with the first Revelation and with his heart beating and trembling severely, and he said to her: "Cover me! Cover me!"
So she covered him until his fear was over, after which he told Khadeejah (radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) everything that happened and said: "I fear that something may happen to me."
So she said to him:
"Never! By Allaah! Allaah will never disgrace you. You keep good ties with the relations, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously and assist those who have been afflicted with calamities." [5]
And do not forget about ‘Aa`ishah (radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) and her great effect. Since even the great Companions used to take the knowledge of Hadeeth from her, and many of the Sahaabiyaat (female Companions) learned the various rulings pertaining to women’s issues from her.
And I have no doubt that my mother – may Allaah shower His mercy upon her – had a tremendous effect upon me, in encouraging me to study; and she assisted me in it. May Allaah greatly increase her reward and reward her with the best of rewards for what she did for me.
And there is no doubt also, that the house in which there is kindness, gentleness, love and care, along with the correct Islaamic tarbiyah (education and cultivation) will greatly effect the man. So he will become – if Allaah wills – successful in his affairs and in any matter – whether it be seeking knowledge, trading, earning a living, or other than this. So it is Allaah alone that I ask to grant success and to guide us all to that which He loves and is pleased with. And may the Prayers and Peace of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his Family, his Companions and his followers.
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“By the night when it covers,
And by the day when it appears,
And by He who created the male and the female,
Indeed, your efforts are diverse.
As for he who gives and fears Allah,
And believes in the best (reward),
We will ease him towards ease,
But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need,
And denies the best reward,
We will ease him towards difficulty.
And what will his wealth avail him when he falls?
Indeed, (incumbent) upon Us is guidance,
And indeed, to Us belongs the Hereafter and the first (life).
So I have warned you of a blazing Fire,
None will burn therein except the most wretched one,
Who had denied and turned away.
But the righteous one will avoid it:
He who gives from his wealth to purify himself,
And not giving for anyone who has done him a favour to be returned,
But only seeking the Countenance of his Lord, Most High.
And soon he is surely going to be well-satisfied.”
(Surah Al-Lail, Quran 92:1-21)
This Surah (chapter) of the Quran was revealed in relation to a simple but wonderful incident that happened during the lifetime of the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) and was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim on the authority of Ibn Abbas (radhiallaahu anhu):
There was a Muslim man who owned an orchard full of date palm trees. The branches of one of these trees would overhang into the premises of a poor man and his family. The farmer would frequently come to the poor man’s house in order to gather the dates from this tree but in doing so, a few dates would inadvertently fall onto the floor and be picked up by the children of the poor man. Whenever this would happen, the farmer would quickly descend from the tree and grab the dates from the hands of the poor children. Furthermore, if he caught one of the children having already put a date into his or her mouth, then he would forcefully insert his fingers into their mouths and wrench out the dates.
When this continued for a number of days, the poor man complained to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) about it. The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) met the farmer and offered him a deal. He (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) said: “Give me your date palm tree whose branches overhang into the courtyard of so-and-so and in return I will guarantee you a date palm tree in Paradise.”
However the farmer replied to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam)): “I would have given it to you but the thing is that out of all the many date palm trees that I have, none produces dates as good as this one.” He then went away.
Immediately after, the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) was approached by a man who had overheard his (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) conversation with the farmer. He asked the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam): “Would you offer me the same deal as you offered that man, O Messenger of Allah?”
“Yes” replied the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam).
Therefore the man, who owned many date palms of his own, went to the farmer and said to him: “The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) has offered me a date palm in Paradise in return for the date-palm of yours that overhangs into the courtyard of so-and-so.”
The farmer replied, “I would have given it to him (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) but the thing is that out of all the many date palms that I have, none produces dates as good as this tree.”
“Are you willing to sell it?” the man asked.
“No, except if I receive for it whatever price I ask, but I do not think that anyone will pay that much for it,” replied the farmer.
“So how much do you want for it?” asked the man.
“40 date palm trees,” the farmer replied.
“40 date palms just for this one tree? You are asking for a huge price!” the man exclaimed. He then fell silent for a few moments after which he added, “Ok. I will pay you 40 date palms, so sign a contract with me if you mean what you say.” The farmer called some witnesses and they concluded the sale, so the man then went to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! I have purchased that date palm from the farmer and now it is all yours.”
The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) in turn went to the poor man and said to him:
"That date palm now belongs to you and your family!...” Then Allah the Exalted sent down from above the Seven Heavens, “By the night when it covers,” to the end of the Surah.
Allah is Great!
How deprived was the wretched farmer to refuse the guarantee of a place in Paradise (you cannot be guaranteed a tree in Paradise without actually being there yourself to enjoy it) in exchange for a paltry date palm tree? And how blessed was the other man who bought himself a place in Paradise by paying only 41 date palm trees? This man saw an opportunity to do a good deed that would admit him to Paradise, so he immediately seized the moment. Had he hesitated, or delayed the matter to think about it, he might have missed the opportunity and someone else could have seized it instead.
Abu Bakr (radhiallaahu anhu) encountered many such opportunities and he grabbed every single one of them. When he saw Bilal (radhiallaahu anhu), the black slave, being tortured by Umayyah bin Khalaf, he immediately bought him from Umayyah and freed him. Abu Bakr (radhiallaahu anhu) did this with many Muslim slaves who were being oppressed in Makkah because they had no tribe or family to protect them: he bought them and freed them. When Abu Bakr’s father saw him doing this, he said: “My son, why are you buying these weak slaves then freeing them? Why don’t you at least keep them so that you can make use out of them?”
Abu Bakr replied to his father:
“My father, I am only doing this to seek the Countenance (Face) of Allah.”
Allah The Almighty brings as many opportunities every day but how many of us seize them and how many of us belittle and ignore them? How do we not know that perhaps it is one of those opportunities for doing good deeds that will admit us into Paradise?
Indeed, the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa salam) told us that a man was admitted into Paradise for merely removing a thorny branch from the path of the people; and a prostitute was forgiven for simply giving a thirsty dog some water to drink. And how many people have been admitted to Paradise for freeing a slave or ransoming a captive prisoner?
Never belittle or ignore any good deed, however small or insignificant. Never belittle or ignore any good deed whether it is bringing water to your brother or saying the remembrance supplications after each Salah or helping someone to carry their luggage or smiling in the face of your brother. Or if it is helping to ransom a captive prisoner.
Never belittle or ignore any good deed because that could be the deed that brings you salvation and admits you into Paradise. Scholars said that there should be no hesitation in deeds concerning the Hereafter. Seize the moment today. Before it is too late...
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I wanted to share a moving story that I once heard and will always remember and cherish for its meanings. It’s the story of one of the great Imams of this Ummah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal.
His son, Abdullah, asked his father one day: “Abi when will we ever relax?” His father, one of the greatest revivers of the Sunnah and a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eye and said:
“With the first step we take into Jannah.”
Ya Allah, what a beautiful response!
There are days that come to you and you’re tired, you just want to sleep and relax and “shut off” as they say. Those are the days in which you need to ask yourself a critical question: ‘Where am I going with life?’ If it’s towards Allah and for Allah, then regain your strength and continue your work, for Jannah is precious and must be sought. But if you look into your life and realise that it’s not towards Allah but towards Dunya, then your tiredness becomes a blessing, for it is a reminder that you need to change direction and renew your purpose in life.
I love this story on many levels. For one, it shows you that when someone’s focus is Jannah, their priorities change and their outlook on life is different. What we perceive as difficulty, they perceive as ease. What we perceive as calamity, they perceive as reward. What we perceive as obstacles, they perceive as opportunities for sincere dua. Moreover, when your focus is Jannah, this Dunya and its constant demand becomes small and the least of our concerns.
Also, I love the way the son began his question: “Abi” – a sweet way of addressing his father, and asked: “When will we ever relax?” If you notice, he didn’t say, “when will I relax Dad?” Even though he wanted to relax, he wasn’t selfish and also cared for his father’s condition. This also shows you that the father and son were working hard together. Again, when your focus is Jannah it reflects in your family, children, and those around you and everyone gears up towards that goal.
Our problem today is not that we’re tired, our problem today is that we relax too much. We do everything so that we relax. We cheat, break promises, do not fulfill our vows, lie, take and give bribery, and so on. Why? So we can relax. We don’t stay up for Tahajjud or wake up for Fajr, we don’t fast, or go for Hajj and Umrah… all so we can relax. We don’t walk towards the Masjid or open the Book of Allah so we can understand it, all in the name of “I need to relax!”
Dear brothers and sisters, there’s plenty of relaxation where we’re going, but this is not the time for it. Let’s all work for Jannah and be productive in the path of Allah, and work so hard that one day our children will approach us and ask: “Abi” or “Ummi”: “When will we ever relax?” and you can smile and look them in the eyes and say, “When we enter Jannah inshaAllah”.
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