Life is a blessing from the Almighty, the Creator: do not waste it

Islam teaches us that life is beautiful and has been given to us for a sublime purpose. It also teaches us that, sometimes, the circumstances in which we find ourselves may make our existence appear ugly and unwanted. Yes, we will be afflicted by problems and suffering occasionally, making it difficult to survive or, indeed, to appreciate any purpose behind our lives. However, if we remain patient and grateful to God these sufferings will become blessings in disguise and life, once again, will become well worth living.

The Quran speaks of the sufferings caused to people in these words: ‘and We shall subject you to ill and good by way of trials’. S21 V35

Trials cause suffering and the only way out of them is to develop a purpose, a good and sublime purpose, in one's life. For a believer this means pleasing Allah the Almighty in all circumstances and provides a focus in life for those who don’t have one.

The Quran further elaborates this point by saying: ‘Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion of the Universe and Who has power over everything. Who created death and life that He might try you as to which of you is better in deed. He is the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving’.

A life lived in goodness and in the pursuit of pleasing Allah with good deeds, makes suffering rewarding and more pleasurable than possessing all the wealth of this world. Islam lays down a path that makes people happier if they become true followers of Allah’s teachings. The Quran highlights this point by saying: ‘Such are the ones who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Surely in Allah’s remembrance do hearts find rest’. S13 V28 

No situation remains permanent in life if people are willing to take the proper steps to change it. The Quran encourages us to seek change and make our lives better. It draws our attention to this fact by saying: ‘Verily Allah does not change a people’s condition unless they change their inner selves’. S13 V11

Indeed the Quran affirms that after any hardship there is always ease: ‘Indeed there is ease with hardship. Most certainly, there is ease with hardship’. S94 V5-6

Islam lays down a path for people that will engage them in goodness. A good deed brings rewards in this world as well as in the hereafter. It is motivating and fulfilling to do good and benefit oneself and others. A good deed is never wasted and is rewarded by Allah multi-fold. It also causes inner happiness in people, heightens satisfaction and removes greed, the cause of much of the trouble that plagues human life.

Let us have a look at a beautiful hadith that the Prophet Muhammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, gave to us. He said: 'There is no deed that brings you closer to Paradise but I have commanded you to do it. Neither is there any deed that may take you closer to Hell but I have forbidden you from it. No one should see his provision slow in coming to him. Because Gabriel has revealed it in my heart that no one would leave this world until he has completed his provision. So Oh people fear God and take the good way to seek your provision. If anyone see his provision slow in coming, he must not then seek it through the acts of disobedience to Allah, as Allah’s Grace cannot be sought out through His disobedience’. 

The following Quranic verse confirms the positive impact of a good deed on a person's life. It says: ‘Whosoever acts righteously – whether a man or a woman – and embraces belief, We will surely grant him a good life; and will surely grant such persons their reward according to the best of their deeds’. S16 V97

‘A good life’, or rather the Quranic term ‘Hayaatan Tayyibatan’,  beautifully describes the life that we all want to live: a pure life, free of trouble, suffering, impurity and want.

To attain this ‘good life’ we are not asked to climb mountains, but rather to give of our very best throughout our lives. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him said: ‘Do not underestimate the worth of a goodness; be that meeting your brother with a welcoming face’.

In another hadith, the Prophet said: ‘Safeguard yourself from the hellfire, be that through a portion of a date. However, if a person is unable to find even that then be it through a ‘good word’.

In other hadiths even refraining from committing wrongdoing and evil deeds are described as acts of goodness. A person who is conscious of offering goodness to others will find multiple channels for doing good.  Life is full of such opportunities for people and it doesn’t take a lot to see that what we can offer will gain a good life for ourselves.

Life can only be valuable if we truly value it and change the focus of our own lives to make it worth living. If we fail to direct our life onto the correct path and accept that we will be tested, then we will have thrown it away and it will have become a wasteful thing that we don’t need.

Allah created life for goodness and for taking full advantage of any opportunity to do good in our lives.  Allah appreciates our goodness and rewards us for it. He sent down His prophet to remind us about the value of a good deed and said in the Quran: ‘Do good, for Allah loves those who do good’, S2 V195

Further it says in the Surah29 verse 69: ‘As far those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them to Our ways. Indeed Allah is with those who do good’.

Goodness is rewarded both in this life and in the Hereafter. A person who commits an act of goodness can never be deprived of its benefits. Life provides the opportunity for doing good and earning rewards and laying it to waste is always the wrong decision for anyone. Wisdom dictates that life can only be beautiful if we make it so with beautiful deeds.

A successful hajj: Thanks to the Saudi government

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and the logistics necessary to facilitate it are demanding, requiring enormous resources at every stage of its organisation. In blessed contrast to last year, when an unfortunate disaster caused many hundreds of pilgrims to die, this year's hajj ran very smoothly and safely. The Saudi government deserves the thanks and appreciation of us all for organising such a successful hajj event.

The Saudi Arabian government derives enormous pride from their commitments to serve the Muslim community worldwide and it is to their credit that they have never failed to carry them out. However, organising such an event, on such a colossal scale, requires all the resources and backing that only their government can provide. No local authority, or any consortium of Muslim governments representatives, would be capable of putting the necessary finances or infrastructure in place and any such suggestion that they could presents a recipe for yet another self-created 'mess' in the Islamic world.  We, the Muslim community worldwide, stand shoulder to shoulder with the Saudi government in making the hajj as smooth and peaceful as possible, so that the guests of Al-Rahman can perform their pilgrimage in comfort and with total commitment.

Since the Iranian revolution, continual and ongoing efforts have been made to disrupt the smooth running of the Hajj organisation by politicising certain dogmatic beliefs. Actions such as these can only be seen as attempts to divide the Muslim community, destroy the spiritual purpose of hajj and create protest groups for political gain.

This year the Iranians, after their unreasonable demands regarding the hajj were rejected by the Saudi government, decided to ‘boycott’ the hajj.   All Muslims who come to Makkah to perform their hajj, from whatever country, have equal rights in achieving the spiritual purpose of their journey. During one of my own hajj, some years ago, pilgrims were confronted with blocked roads, the chanting of political slogans by Iranian pilgrims, protests, obstructions and noise, all intended to introduce a complete distraction from what everyone else needed in order to fulfil their religious obligations. The Iranian government and its political pilgrims had and has only one purpose: to create chaos in an attempt to distract the attention of all other pilgrims and to divert them from the sublime purpose of their hajj obligations. 

The Iranians, in yet another display of pique, then decided that their pilgrims would be better off performing hajj in Karbala, a place where history records yet another bloody political carnage took place,  in an attempt to cause further disunity among Muslims. Their decision has made it abundantly clear to all true Muslims how little the hajj means to the Iranian Shiites and how eager they are to ignore and change the meaning of it. In complete contrast, the Saudi Government pays full attention to the true meaning of hajj and provides all the necessary and desirable facilities for its successful completion.

Hajj is not about politics. Yes, it is a religious obligation, where Muslims from all over the world congregate in Makkah and share the best values of the religious purpose of their journey. It is the biggest congregation and international gathering of Muslims and seeks to be as brotherly and friendly as possible. Playing politics and misusing the events of hajj purely for political gain, as the Iranians have and continue to do, is contemptible.

Critics have arisen who continually seek to find some method of discrediting the Saudi Government. Indeed, they are quick to infer that the government makes a huge profit from the organisation of the hajj. No doubt these same critics would like to make the money that they are claiming the government of Saudi Arabia is receiving, but would they be as willing to spend the even greater amounts necessary to ensure a secure hajj? Organising the hajj is a hugely expensive exercise, necessitating the employment of hundreds of thousands of people. Security, safety, comfort, the peaceful environment needed, food, water, accommodation and medical facilities, all demand a considerable enlargement of hajj infrastructures. Nothing is taken for granted or left to chance.

It should be recognised that hajj continues to host ever increasing number of pilgrims in modern times. Demands for larger quotas to cater for the increasing number of pilgrims are coming from more and more countries. More people wishing to perform their hajj requires more facilities on the ground and further raises the need for the maintenance of safety and security of pilgrims. The Saudi government dedicates itself for the service of this spiritual cause to the very best of their abilities. We Muslims, worldwide, should be privileged to support the Saudi government and its people, who continue to give of their best in helping pilgrims, who, in their turn, endeavour to accomplish one of the five pillars of Islam, which can only be completed in Makkah.

The Saudi government spends billions of Riyals to facilitate the hajj. They mobilise a huge number of Saudi citizens to come to Makkah to serve the pilgrims, which they do selflessly. The entire government machinery moves to Makkah to make hajj a complete success. We Muslims need to be grateful for the peace and comfort provided and for experiencing the best outcome from our journey for hajj. Do we need to change the way the hajj is run? Do we need to further disunite the congregation of pilgrims from all around the world? We are fragmented enough, thanks to the failed political ambitions of certain groups who are mindlessly destroying the fabric of Muslim society and violating the sacredness of Islamic places.

The Saudi government deserves all our applause for the blessed outcome of this year’s hajj organisation. Credit must be given where due and thanks must be offered where it is deserved. May Allah save this hajj gathering and the successful organisation of it by the Saudi government and its people from the jealousy and evil eyes of its political and religious opponents. Ameen   

The excellence of the ten days in Dhul-Hijjah

The Muslim community is in preparation to celebrate one of its most important pillars of Islam; the Hajj, in this month of Dhul-hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. The first ten days of this month are of utmost excellence and highly recommended for spiritual activities and righteous deeds by the believers. They are only compared with the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan in importance. One has a night that is better than a thousand nights for spiritual dedication; while the other has a day, the day of Arafah, when Allah grants forgiveness for the past sins.

The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, says: ‘there are no other days the righteous deed is so beloved to Allah than these days, (the ten days of Dhul-hijjah). The Companions said: O Messenger of Allah! Not even the jihad in the Path of Allah? The Prophet replied: ‘not even the jihad in the Path of Allah, unless a man went with his soul and wealth and did not come back with either of them.’ Narrated by Imam Bukhari

Islam is a religion of spiritual purification and a path that takes a servant closer to Allah. Islam provides for increased opportunities for devotion to Allah and for earning His rewards and high ranks. A time such as the ten days of the month of dhul-hijjah, just before the happening of one of its five pillars, demonstrates Allah’s mercy and His compassion for people.

As these days are prelude to hajj, one of the greatest displays of tawheed and Allah’s unparalleled sovereignty, it has heightened importance in the Sight of Allah. The importance of these ten days is highlighted as follow:

The Quran says: ‘By the dawn, and the ten nights’. In this verse Allah swears by the importance of the ten nights of these ten days and it only goes to show their significance.

These ten days are also called in the Quran as ‘appointed days’ in the verse 28 of the Surah Al-Hajj. The Quran says: ‘to witness the benefits in store for them, and pronounce the Name of Allah during the appointed days over the cattle that He has provided them. So eat of it and feed the distressed and the needy.’

Further these ten days have within themselves the ‘Day of Arafah’ the Day of hajj, which is the day of forgiveness and the greatest day of hajj and a day of freedom from the Fire.

These ten days also include within their fold the ‘Day of Sacrifice’  Yowm al-Nahr. In a hadith the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, says: ‘the greatest day with Allah is the Day of sacrifice, then the Day following it’.

We should also remember that the Day of Sacrifice is the Day of Eid, the Day the Muslim community, worldwide, celebrate the occasion.

The great scholar Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar says: the apparent reason for these ten days to be distinct among other days seems to be the convergence of essential Islamic obligation in one period of time when it is not so on other occasions; like prayers, fasting, hajj and charity’. Indeed so many pillars of Islam come together in this period and the opportunities for spiritual gains are multifarious.

The season provides opportunities for a believer to perform his Umrah and hajj, fast during the nine days of these ten days for those who are not performing hajj, and increased acts of devotion.

The occasion is one of the remembrance of Allah and pronouncing His greatness. In a hadith the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, says: ‘there are no greater days and the deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days. So increase in these days the pronouncement of ‘Tahleel, takbeer and tahmeed’.

Tahleel is to pronounce that there is no God worthy of worship than Allah.

Takbeer is to say Allah is the greatest. And the Tahmeed is to express gratitude to Allah.

Besides, a believer can read the Quran and learn its teachings. He may increase seeking forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance. He may increase acts of charities and avoid wrongdoing and resist evil acts. Performing what is good and keeping away from the ways of error is also commendable activities in this period.

Imaan: the governing articles of Islamic Faith

Imaan (or eemaan) is the term used to describe 6 essential elements of the Articles of Islamic Faith. For a person to be a Muslim it is important that they believe in all of them. These articles form the basis on which the whole vision of Islam stands and the Creator’s guidance for humanity was revealed. In a nutshell these articles are as follows:

1-                  Belief in Allah as the only God and the Creator of all existence. Nothing exists as partner to Him. He is not manifested in any human bodily form nor is He incarnated in any shape. He is worthy of all devotion and worship.

2-                  Belief in the existence of Angels as God’s messengers. Historically, people have exhibited two main types of attitude towards the existence of angels. Either no belief in their existence, or a belief that is contrary to the notion of Tawheed, i.e. people called them the daughters of God, or feared them or held some other fancy belief regarding them. The Quran confirms their existence as God’s messengers, who act in accordance to the roles designed for them by Allah. They are a creation of Allah, created out of Light.

3-                  Belief in Allah’s Books. This is essential, as His teachings and guidance have, over the millennia, been revealed to certain prophets in the form of scriptures. The known Books are the Torah, the zabur, the Gospel and the Quran.  It is thought that other scriptures may have existed. Indeed many other prophets and Messengers, like Abraham, may have been given Books from Allah, but with the passage of time these have simply disappeared.

 Although Allah is the source of the revealed books and they all preach and provide the guide for a uniform belief system for humanity, the laws and certain rules contained in them may differ from one nation to another.

4-                  Belief in Allah’s prophets and messengers is also an essential element in Islamic belief system. The Quran mentions 25 prophets and messengers within its pages of revelation. These 25 names were familiar to the people of Makkah and to the Jews and Christians and other nations around them. However, the Hadith makes it clear that their number was much higher, as prophets and messengers were sent out to all nations of the world throughout human history. In one hadith the number mentioned is one hundred and twenty four thousand, of which 315 were messengers. The first Prophet was Adam, the father of humanity and the last is the Prophet Muhammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon both of them. Jesus is regarded as one of the prophets and messengers and as one of the five prophets and messengers of Firmness and resolve.

5-                  Belief in the Day of Judgement. This essential belief leads to certain other beliefs; i.e. accountability for one's deeds, Paradise and Hell. It presents a new order where people will be shown and reap the consequences of all their actions and deeds. It plays an important role in the life of a person in terms of their thoughts, actions, dealings with others and in the realm of ethics and morality.  Every good action will be rewarded ten fold and every wrong action will be punished by the like of it.

This belief also demonstrates God’s ability to create a new world, even as He has created the existing one and that all people, from the very first to the very last, will be resurrected and brought to account.

6-                  Belief in destiny, whether it brings good or affects us adversely. Everything takes place with the knowledge of Allah and He is the Creator of all things.

Keeping all the above 6 articles of faith in mind, one needs to understand the following hadith, narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, which says: ‘Imaan is over seventy divisions, the most excellent of it is the saying of ‘laa ilaha illah’  there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah – and the lowest of it is removing harm from the path, and modesty is a division of imaan. By Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim

From this it is clear that imaan is far from being just a passive set of beliefs, but is intended to govern the state of one’s mind in situations where we must make a decision or take action.  Consciously removing all harm and evil from a decision, or an action, makes them more excellent in the Sight of Allah.

Hence, it is part of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamah’s beliefs that Imaan has the ability to increase or decrease and it does so in accordance to our intentions and deeds. The Quran has plenty of examples expressing this. The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him said: ‘No thief steals while he is stealing and he is a believer, and no fornicator while he is engaging in the fornication, he is a believer’. Why, because those acts are contradictory to the state and requirements of imaan!

Imaan sets out a life pattern for Muslims where people increase or decrease in their degree of Faith in Allah in accordance to their following of His teachings. Once this mindset develops in people and they become worried about their decrease or lack of belief in Allah, they will no longer commit any wrongdoing or atrocity.

To sustain an increase in Imaan, Allah has asked people to enlist a consciousness of Him in everything they do. This is called Taqwa. Taqwa always helps people to increase in Imaan and be closer to Allah, but it also helps to purify people’s intentions and focus on what would please Allah. 

Once people dedicate themselves with a greater consciousness of Imaan there will be less evil in their lives and better decisions will be made. A life that is then focussed wholly on the avoidance of wrongdoing and on following the right path will benefit from the pleasure of Allah.