Spiritual Insights...Don't miss it!

Relieving Distress of Others

One of the greatest things that will relieve a person's distress on the Day of Resurrection is his efforts in this world to relieve the distress of those who are in distress, and to help those who are in need, and to make things easy for those who are in difficulty, and to overlook the mistakes of those who err. In Muslim it is narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Whoever relieves a believer of distress in this world, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easy for those who are in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the next. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim in this world, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah will help the slave so long as the slave helps his brother." [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/71, hadith no. 204.]

Bukhari narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The Muslim is the brother of his fellow-Muslim; he should not mistreat him or let him down. Whoever meets the needs of his brother, Allah will meet his needs, and whoever relieves a Muslim of some distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and the next." [Bukhari: Kitaab al-Mazaalim, Baab laa Yazlim al-Muslim al-Muslim, Fath al-Baari, 5/97.]

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An-Nisa (The Women)
Chapter 4: Verse 28

Better Substitute
"And Allah desires to lighten your burden, for the human being was created weak."

One of the merits of Islam is that it shows mercy towards people in that whenever it forbids something it provides a better substitute with which to replace it. Islam forbids usury but allows profitable business. Islam forbids gambling, but allows winning prizes in contests of shooting, racing, wrestling, etc. Islam forbids adultery but urges Muslims to marry as soon as they can support a family. Islam forbids drinking alcohol but allows all other good and healthy drinks. Islam forbids what is bad in food but allows what is good and nourishing. The same principle can be traced through all the teachings of Islam. For assuredly, Allah has no desire to make people's lives difficult, narrow, and circumscribed; on the contrary; he desires ease, goodness, guidance, and mercy for them.

Source:
"The Principles of Halal and Haram" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

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Qaf
Chapter 50: Verse 18

Note Takers
"Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it)."

When man stand in the Court of Allah, in addition to the knowledge of Allah about a person's worldly deeds, there will be two witnesses who will produce documented evidence of the person's actions and deeds. It is difficult for us to comprehend the true nature of the documentation. But from the facts that we are witnessing today, it seems certain that the voices and pictures and marks of man's actions and movements are being preserved and imprinted on every particle of the environment in which he lives and works, and each one of these can be reproduced in exactly the same form and voice.

Man is doing this on a very limited scale with the help of his inventions, but the angels of God neither stand in need of these machines nor are bound by any limitation. Man's own body and everything around it is their tape and their film upon which they can record every voice and every image along with its minute and most delicate detail precisely and exactly, and can make man hear, on the Day of Resurrection, with his own ears, in his own voice, those very things which he talked about in the world, and can make him see, with his own eyes, the pictures of all his misdeeds, whose genuineness he would not possibly be able to deny.

Here, one should also understand that in the Court of the Hereafter Allah will not punish anybody only on the basis of His own knowledge, but will punish him after fulfilling all the requirements of justice. That is why an exhaustive record is being prepared of every person's words and deeds in the world so that a complete proof with undeniable evidence becomes available of everyone's life-work and activity.

Source:
"Towards Understanding the Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi

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We Are Not Angels

The Prophet, peace be upon him, kept striving to soothe the consciences of believers who were afraid of their own weaknesses and failings. One day, the Companion Hanzalah al-Usaydi met Abu Bakr and confessed to him that he was convinced of his own deep hypocrisy because he felt divided between contradictory feelings: in the Prophet's presence, he almost saw paradise and hell, but when he was away from him his wife and children and daily affairs caused him to forget. Abu Bakr in his turn admitted that he experienced similar tensions. They both went to the Prophet to question him about the seemingly dismal state of their spirituality.

Hanzalah explained the nature of his doubts, and Muhammad answered:

"By He who holds my soul in His hands, if you were able to remain in the [spiritual] state in which you are when in my company, and remember God permanently, the angels would shake your hands in your beds and along your paths. But it is not so, Hanzalah: there is a time for this [devotion, remembrance] and a time for that [rest, amusement]." (Bukhari, Muslim)

Their situation had nothing to do with hypocrisy: it was merely the reality of human nature, which remembers and forgets, and which needs to remember precisely because it forgets, because human beings are not angels.

Source:
"In The Footsteps of the Prophet" - Tariq Ramadan, p. 112

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Infinite Rewards

Islam undoubtedly attaches great value to constancy in charity and giving alms to the poor and needy as a fundamental aspect of religion; however, Islam in no way restricts charitable deeds to the economic realm. Rather the concept of charity includes every imaginable act of kindness or contribution that one can possibly do for humans or any of God's creatures. Even as the concept of worship in Islam extends to all aspects of life, likewise, the definition of charity embraces all aspects of life.

While emphasizing charity and alms-giving as an important aspect of religion, especially in case of those who are well to do, Islam simultaneously stresses the importance of good works in a general sense. In other words, it reckons every single word or deed one can possibly do with a view to improve the quality of life for God's creatures as a great act of charity meriting infinite rewards.

There are numerous traditions that extend the concept of charity to include every imaginable act of virtue or kindness that humans are capable of performing. Imam Ibn Rajab sums up the Islamic teachings in this regard:

"Human beings are obligated to give thanks to Allah every single day for His blessings on them by performing acts of virtue and charity on a daily basis. Among such acts that we ought to perform are those deeds or actions whose benefits extend to others. These include all acts of benevolence and compassion, helping those in distress or need, treating others compassionately, rendering acts of kindness towards them, protecting them against harm or injury, as well as any act of kindness towards each and every creature of God.

Secondly, there are such works whose benefits affect only the person who is doing them. These include various kinds of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), saying benedictions on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), reading the Quran, walking to mosque, simplicity in manners and conduct and attire, earning one's livelihood in lawful ways, engaging in introspection and self-examination, etc."

It becomes abundantly clear from the above that if anyone volunteers time, money, or energy in whatever beneficial ways in order to improve the quality of life for those around us, it is undoubtedly considered as a noble act of charity in Islam, meriting infinite rewards.

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Good Character

In Islam the value of morality is very high. The fact is that if religion is the name of good conduct between man and man, then on the other hand in its spiritual sense it is also the name of the best relationship between man and his God, and in both these aspects there is the same reality.

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: "Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, has said: 'A slave achieves, by means of the goodness of his character, great position and high honour in the Hereafter, though he may be weak in matters of worship; but on account of his wickedness of character he is thrown in the lowest recesses of the Hell." [Tibrani]

Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, is reported to have narrated: "I have heard the Prophet as saying: 'A Muslim who observes moderation in matter of worship, on account of the goodness of his character and decency achieves the position of that man who observes fast and recites Allah's verses during prayers in the night." [Ahmed]

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, has quoted the Prophet as saying: "A believer's nobility is his religiosity, his tolerance is his intelligence, and his lineage is his good character. " [Hakim]

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Al-Imran (The Family of Imran)
Chapter 3: Verse 191

Appreciating Greatness
"O our Lord, You did not create [all] this without purpose!"

In human nature two qualities are not unknown to us: (1) the admiration of greatness, and (2) the acknowledgement of kindness. When you see a precision instrument or a latest appliance, or an exquisite picture, or an eloquent article, you do not stop talking of its beauty until your praise extends to its creator. The deep wisdom or skill of the individuals makes you bow your intellect to them involuntarily in respect and admiration. Likewise, when someone does you a favor, you always remember it, and your tongue expresses gratitude just as your heart is filled with praise and awe! A poet says: "Your favor has gained you three things from me: My hand, my tongue, and my hidden heart."

The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) came to arouse these two qualities in the hearts of humans towards the One Who is most deserving of them. Do you not admire the greatness and salute its possessor? Do you not appreciate kindness and show gratitude to its doer? You surely admire the inventor of the aeroplane, and every time you see it streaking through the atmosphere your praise of his genius increases. So what do you think, therefore, of the One Who causes the thousands of stars to move in space without stopping or deviating? What do you think of Him Who created the mind of that inventor and deposited intelligence in the folds of his brain so that he could produce such things that arouse our admiration?

Is not your Lord and the Lord of all things more deserving of your praise for His greatness and favors? Why are our hearts so hardened today? When you truly recognize His Mercy and Greatness through the magnificence of His creation and blessings to us, you would be ashamed to attack Him, or disobey Him, or neglect His guidelines for leading our worldly life, or to attribute anything unworthy to Him. You would surely exclaim, together with the people of knowledge and intelligence, the above verse: Rabbana, ma Khalaqta hazha Baatilan!

Source:
"Fiqh-us-Seerah" - Muhammad Al-Ghazali
"Tafsir Ishraq Al-Ma'ani" - Sayyid Iqbal Zaheer

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Tie your Camel: Do your Part

One day Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, "Why don't you tie down your camel?" The Bedouin answered, "I put my trust in Allah." The Prophet then said, "Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah" (Tirmidhi).

Muslims must never become fatalistic. Although we know only Allah is in control and that He has decreed all things, we are each responsible for making the right choices and doing the right thing in all situations of our lives. We must take action. We must work to alleviate the hardships we, our families and our communities face.

Ask yourself the following questions if you are worried about the state of the world: are you part of the peace movement? Is your Masjid part of the peace movement? Are you part of an interfaith group with an agenda of peace and justice? Are you working with a group fighting discrimination? If your answer is no, it is time that you sat down to plan your share of time and money in finding solutions to the problems you face.

Turn each worry into a Dua and each Dua into an action plan. That will show your commitment to your request and will focus your energy in the right direction.

Source:
"25 Ways to Deal with Stress and Anxiety" - Abdul Malik Mujahid