Do you know being born Muslim
has reduced almost half the effort for you to strive for Jannah? (Say
Alhamdulillah!) Truly, being born Muslim is one of – in fact – the GREATEST
blessing you can ever have, and you can never thank Allah enough for a blessing
as great as this. Some of us are lucky enough to have been guided well on time
and are now on the straight path of Allah too (I’m talking about the ones who’ve
embraced Islam Ma sha Allah). Imagine all the others, who still are lurking in
the dark shadows of Jahiliyyah, awaiting a ray of hope, a light of Imaan. Let us
spare a few seconds to pray for their Hidayah. (Aameen)
We all know that Imaan is not enough. After
‘Iqraarum-Bil-Lisaani-Wa-Tasdeequm-Bil-Qalb’ we need to get in action. We need
to show our Allah how much we believe in Him and how much we love Him. We need
to show the world that we’re Muslims and we need to show them the true and pure
picture of Islam. Or simply, we need to act upon the commands of the Qur’an and
Sunnah and thus clear our path towards Jannah.
I won’t go into the details of all that. All of us know that already. The
purpose of my article is something different. Something new.
As a Muslim, I feel a little apart from the others (non-Muslims) and I think all
my brothers and sisters in Islam should feel it too. I mean, being Muslim makes
us different. It sets us a rank higher than them. No, not in the ‘Takabbur’ way,
but in a different way. What I mean is, when I do something, I should be doing
it in my own distinct and Islamic way, and not in a way of the Kuffaar, if I can
help it. Let me explain.
We come across different situations in life where we’ve to make decisions. More
than one options may be right, and then what we decide shows us who we are and
where we stand. So, if I’m a Muslim and proud of it, I should be thinking that
if it were for my beloved Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم or any of the
Sahaaba Karaam رضی اللہ عنہم in place of me, what would they have done? And then
whatever comes in my mind and gets accepted by my heart, I do it.
For example, what do you do when you’re really happy? If it were any other
person, the answer would definitely be: Shouting and dancing about in joy. But,
if I’m a Muslim, would I do the same? Nope. Because if I feel different as a
Muslim, I should show it too. What would Hadhrat Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم or
the Sahaaba رضی اللہ عنہم have done in such a situation? No shouting and
dancing, I’m sure. One of the things I’ve learnt from my Deen is that a Muslim
is a perfect example of self control and restraint. So if I were happy, I would
try to follow the Muslim example and instead of the mad shouting and dancing, I
would instantly thank Allah for whatever has made me happy and even try to offer
Nawaafil of gratitude. See what I mean?
Browsing through social networking sites, I see how people have become addicted
to music. How they talk about music being their consoler when they’re sad. I
find quotes saying ‘Thank you, music, for being there when there was no one else
for me’ and ‘There are songs that perfectly describe your situation when you’re
sad’ and what not. And what irritates me is when my own Muslim friends update
statuses and posts saying the same rubbish. Isn’t that called being a copy-cat?
And then there are researches on the internet saying that music really
influences a part of your brain that stimulates calm and quiet. That listening
to it is good for your health and so on and so forth. That is what the internet
says. Maybe it is true. Maybe it isn’t. But should we care? What matters is what
WE should be doing as a Muslim when we’re sad. Obviously we wouldn’t turn
towards these sinful sources to seek consolation. (There’d neither be proper
consolation nor reward in that case.) What would we do then?
The answer lies there, on top of your shelf. You will also feel better if you
set down your prayer mat and raise your hands in front of your Lord. A deep,
long and sincere Sajdah to Allah is all that is required and all the heaviness
in your heart fades away like magic.
So if you’re troubled for whatever reason, you know what to do. For other
people: ‘For every problem, there’s a song lyric.’ But for a Muslim: ‘For every
problem, there’s an Ayah of the Qur’an.’ That is what I read on the internet
once, and the phrase moved me completely. And probably it will do you too.
Anger … something hard to control, isn’t it? But here again, a Muslim should be
different. Getting angry is human, but controlling it is Muslim! While others
may dash about in rage and knock and smash down things, a Muslim when angry does
what Rasulullah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم says, sit down if he’s standing and lie down
if he’s sitting. Better still, perform Wudhu, and the he will surely calm down.
Because it’s the Islamic way, and it’s absolutely fool-proof, I assure you.
Then there’s how we girls cover up. Why should we imitate the others in this
regard too? Exposing ourselves to the dirty gazes of people does not strike me
as being broad minded at all. I know my Allah loves me more than I do myself. As
I girl, I’m a precious creation. I’m special. I’m not meant to be used and
played about and disrespected. I’m a jewel. And jewels are always kept where
they’re meant to be. Under cover, and never always displayed!
And there’s this one MAJOR problem that’s been prevalent in our society for
quite some time. The non-Islamic ‘Days’. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s
Day … and so on. I will never understand WHY people celebrate them. The concept
behind these days is good, actually, because expressing your love and affection
for your mother, father, brother, sister; friend or any other relation (as long
as it’s Halaal) is not bad at all. And another thing I’ve learnt from my Deen is
that it’s never bad to copy something from somebody IF it’s good. But then
again, my condition urges me to do differently. So if I follow their example and
yet be distinct, how do I do it? Quite simple.
Let us take the example of Mother’s Day. And, keeping the idea of celebrating
this day in mind, I’ve decided to celebrate it too. But I’m going to do
different. How? They celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May, but I
am going to celebrate this day EVERYDAY … wherever I want, whenever I want. They
have only one day to express all their true feelings for the woman they love
more than any other in the world, but I have all the 365 days of the year.
They’ve limited themselves to a single day of the year, but I have no day limits
to show my love for the woman under whose feet Allah has placed Paradise. Hence
I need not wait for the second Sunday of May to give my mother a surprise by
helping her around in the housework, by giving a gift or a lovely card, and
letting her know how dear she is to me.
People call me narrow-minded because I oppose their celebrating such days. But I
call THEM narrow-minded because their minds fail to understand things as simple
as the ones I’ve mentioned above.
Is this narrow-mindedness that you limit yourself to only ONE day of the entire
year to express your love to your loved ones (your mother in this example) or is
this narrow mindedness that you do not limit yourself to just one day of the
year and make your loved ones feel special more than one times a year?
Do you love them to such a little extent that you do not feel the need to show
it to them as many times a year as you wish to? Are they deserving of such
little love as can be expressed in one single day? Don’t you think they deserve
more, much more than that?
On a side note, if I observe closely, all of this is just a roundabout way of
all that has already been said in our Holy Qur’an about obeying our parents,
respecting our elders, loving children and, in general, observing good conduct
with all of mankind. Only the non-Muslims have found an even colorful and
attractive – hence deceiving – way to say it all. So if I just stick to what the
Qur’an and Hadith says about Huquq-ul-‘Ibaad, I will already be celebrating
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and all such days, and that too, in a much, much
better way than the non-Muslims.
These are only a few examples I’ve cited above.
So now onwards, if ever you face a situation where you have a number of choices
in front of you and it is up to you to decide, do it the Muslim way. Think about
what our Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and his Companions رضی اللہ عنہم
would have done, and do it. Be different, live different. Follow your fool-proof
methods instead of copying others. Show everyone how special our religion is.
Or, in my way, live Muslim!