Salam/Hello
POSITIVISM:
The Right Mentality
when we possess knowledge, we know that the trials in life
can be passed, since Allah does not place a greater burden
on us than we can bear. With knowledge, we know that
these trails, once passed, will bear fruits in the form of
pleasing our Creator, rising in ranks towards Him, cleansing
us of our sins, and strengthening our Iman further...
Allah’s Apostle (s.a.w) said: “Strange are the ways of a believer for
there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with
anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an
occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for
him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and
endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it.” [Saheeh Muslim]
There is a disease which is consuming the enthusiasm of our youth,
the determination of our elders, the spirit of our mothers. It’s a
disease which has really taken its foothold this century, and grown
rapidly. It’s the disease of pessimism.
The consequence of our pessimism is that we have committed
ourselves to whinging more then acting. A great deal of our talks,
articles, Khutbahs and lessons seem to be concerned with how bad
the West is treating us. How they do not really understand who we
are. How we are being discriminated upon. This feeling of alienation
by the West is disturbing considering that as readers and followers
of the Qur’an, this treatment comes as no surprise and is a
characteristic of the true followers of Allah’s religion.
The Nature of Being a Muslim
Islam raised a despotic people from the clenches of injustice and
spiritual destitution to that of the greatest power the world had
ever seen. But this honour and victory came at a price, for
everything which has worth in Allah’s Eyes has a price. The
companions paid that price with their money and their blood. They
faced persecution from their own family, and bore hunger bravely.
The following incidences provide a useful insight into the positive
attitudes the Prophet (s.a.w) displayed and his companions
adopted.
1- A close companion of the Prophet (s.a.w) Abu Talha, had a son
who was very sick. Abu Talha would each day arrive home and
enquire from his wife as to the health of their son. One day their
son died, and Abu Talha at that time was not at home. When his
wife saw that he was dead, she washed and shrouded him and
placed him somewhere in the house. When Abu Talha came, he
asked about his son’s condition, and his wife said that he was in
peace.
Abu Talha slept with his wife that night. His wife informed him
about the death of their son in the morning. When Abu Talha
informed the Prophet of what happened to them, Allah’s Messenger
said, "May Allah bless you both concerning your night (that is, may
Allah bless you both with good offspring). And indeed, Allah
blessed Abu Talha and his wife with nine sons, all of whom became
reciters of the Qur’an [Saheeh Bukhary].
This story illuminates the patience the Companions had. The wife
bore the death of her beloved son patiently, and furthermore kept
the knowledge of his death hidden from the father for a more
appropriate time. This virtuous act was blessed by Allah, with
offspring who would serve as a blessing for their parents in the
Hereafter.
2- A female companion had a husband whom she dearly loved. He
died however and she was very depressed over his death. So she
sought advice from the Prophet (s.a.w), who taught her to recite a
Du’a beseeching Allah to replace her loss with something better
than it. She obeyed the Prophet (s.a.w), and Allah answered her
call, by providing her with a husband better than any women could
have - the Prophet (s.a.w) himself.
3- Perhaps one of the greatest shows of optimism came after the
Prophet (s.a.w) had been stoned in Ta’if. Bleeding profusely and
emotionally hurt, he was visited by the Angel of the Mountains
which encompassed the valley of Ta’if. He was offered the choice
to have those people who denied his message to be crushed. He
(s.a.w) however refused to assign these people to destruction,
citing that their offspring may become believers. And indeed, this
foresight eventuated.
The Guaranteed Victory
As believers, we are guaranteed victory no matter what our
condition is, and that’s what makes us special. If we become ill, our
sins fall away from us like leaves fall from a tree. If our child dies,
he or she will wait for us in the Hereafter and intercede for us until
we enter paradise. If we fight in a war, we will either win, or die as
martyrs, which is a greater victory in itself.
So the question begs to be answered, why then are Muslims so
pessimistic?
Clearly this stems from a lack of knowledge and trust in Allah. For
when we possess knowledge, we know that the trials in life can be
passed, since Allah does not place a greater burden on us than we
can bear. With knowledge, we know that these trails, once passed,
will bear fruits in the form of pleasing our Creator, rising in ranks
towards Him, cleansing us of our sins, and strengthening our Iman
further. The trust in Allah will make us certain that nothing is lost
with Allah, no fear we experience, nor pain, sadness, anguish or
distress.
Indeed, Allah Says “So verily along with every hardship, is relief”.
This means there has to be hardship, in whatever form it takes, in
the form of death, loss or poverty, divorce, difficult relatives, or
persecution.
Time to Act
If this Ummah persists in complaining rather than acting, we’ll get
nowhere. We already know that the Kufaar hate us, and have
known this for centuries, and have known that they never will like
us. If these people persecuted their own prophets, why wouldn’t
they persecute us today? Allah has already warned us about their
feelings towards us: “And verily the Jews and Christians will never
be pleased with you until you follow their religion.”
And this emotion should be carried forth in all aspects of our lives,
for if the companions had resigned themselves to the trials of life,
they would never have succeeded.
Rather, we should feel delight for the faith we have embraced,
continue our struggle to spread and establish Allah’s Word on this
earth no matter the consequences, and whenever grief hits anyone
of us, remember the Hadith: "Strange are the ways of a believer,
for there is good in every affair of his, and this is not the case with
anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an
occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for
him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and
endures it patiently), then there is a good for him in it.
Jaawan
Till next timeK_I_S_S