Ilm Fruits

We feel the pain. We are hurting. We are crying. Reality has kicked in. Up until a month ago, everything was just a blur, didn’t know the effect and seriousness of the situations around the world. Up until a month ago, don’t even know if I felt for those around the world. However, when it creeps up into your own country, your own city, your own community, your own family–you feel everything. You feel the cries of the orphans, you feel the pain of the oppressed, you feel the anguish of the mothers, you feel the sorrow of the ummah.You start to think, why? Why has Allah put us in these conditions?

Hold up. Is it really Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) who put us in this condition? Or is it us due our neglect and, at times, denial of the commands of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)?

It was narrated that in the days that Musa (عليه سلام) wandered with Banu Israeel in the desert, an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa (عليه سلام) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.

Allah revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Banu Israeel whom disobeyed Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for more than 40 years of his life. ‘Let him separate himself from the congregation,’ Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) told Musa (عليه سلام). ‘Only then shall I shower you all with rain.’

Musa (عليه سلام) then called out to the throngs of humanity, ‘there is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for 40 years. Let him separate himself from the congregation, and only then shall we be rescued from the drought.’ That man waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one.

The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation, all would die of thirst, and that if he stepped forward, he would be humiliated for all eternity.

He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: ‘O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!’

As Musa (عليه سلام) and the people of Bani Israeel awaited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Musa (عليه سلام) asked Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), ‘O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward.’ And Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) replied, ‘O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israeel with water.’

Musa (عليه سلام), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, ‘Show him to me O Allah!’ Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) replied, ‘O Musa, I hid his sins for 40 years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?’

Due to one person–ONE person–Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) didn’t grant them rain. Now, do you think we deserve victory? Forget about one person, more like thousands upon thousands upons thousands, maybe even millions in our day and age. We sin on a daily basis, without any regard, without any fear, without any remorse. Isn’t it about time we give victory to ourselves? Isn’t it about time we stop this?

Well … you can.

Let’s make it a point to ask Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for forgiveness of our past sins and inshallah return to Him. We’ve tried everything else–drugs, cigerettes, girls, clubs, music, the list could go on and on–why not try the sure path, The Straigh Path given to us by Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)? I make du’a to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) that inshallah He, through His Mercy and His Grace, guides all of mankind to The Straigh Path and inshallah reunites us all in Jannah. Ameen!

The Paradise of the believer is surely in the Hereafter, so he will easily sacrifice this world and everything in it for what is to come, as it is everlasting. However, the paradise of the one who neglects the commands of Allah is limted to this world, this life, and surely it will come to an end.

We all are sitting in a world in which the value of knowledge is at its all-time high. Many of us, or our parents, invest a good amount of income towards this so-called “educational system” entitled “University” or “College”. Many of us invest hours upon hours, days upon days, week after week indulged in books and lectures learning about Limits, Laws of Neutrality, Psychological Human Behaviour, or, my favourite, Pareto Optimal (:S). We wake up early in the mornings, get ready, maybe eat a little something, and then spend anywhere from ten minutes to two hours to reach our University/College so we can be among the elite of society who are educated. Mashallah!

Now, lets see, by the looks of it, an average student spends a good amount of his/her time in their studies to basically get a degree, which will inshallah enable them to get that perfect job, which will give them that perfect life they always dreamed of. Right? Inshallah. But oh mannn … hmmmmm … this puts us in a bit of tough spot … if we’re spending sooo much time learning about Physics, Calculus, Pyschology, Accounting, and so on, where do we get the time to learn about our religion, Islam? Will we not be accountable on the Day of Judgement? What will we say to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) when He asks us? We were busy? No time? Studying? Watching TV? Chilling? Girls? What will be our excuse?

It just happened to hit my attention that we all put sooooo much efforts into our studies to achieve that piece of paper, which will help us only in this duniya … and that’s only if Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) wills for it to help us. But how much effort, time, money, etc do we put in to learn about Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and His Religion? Why is it that for University/College we don’t mind travelling for 30 minutes, but when its for the sake of Allah, we hesitate to travel ten minutes? Why is it that we spend thousands and thousands of dollars yearly for tuition and books, but we hold back when its spending $20 to read a little about Islam, or to attend a class or two? Why is it that we devote a countless amount of time, from mornings to nights, and even sometimes to mornings again for university or college, but when it’s an hour or so to learn about Islam, we hesitate. These are questions that we must ask ourselves.

I write this entry in fear and as a reminder to myself first, then to all the brothers and sisters. The time that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) granted us is very crucial to our results on the “Final Exam”, which may be as soon as tommorow … you know. “The Day of Qiyamah.”

I’m not saying that we should just ditch our university/college education, because that itself is a blessing of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). However, we should definately start putting the same efforts we put towards it for the purpose of learning our religion, as we will be accountable for it infront of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

I know time plays a factor, but I’m pretty sure all of us can spare a bit of time out of our chatting fiestas on MSN, talking on the phone, watching TV, listening to music, or even playing video games to learn a little about ourselves, our deen, our religion … AL-ISLAM.

Recall that the acquiring of knowledge was sooo important to the people of the past, that they would travel for dayssss–to what?–to aquire one hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم). Subhanallah! Look at that, for one hadith they would travel for days! Just let that soak in for a second. These people, who understood the value of the knowledge, would travel in the desert lands, in blazing heat, sometimes without much food and water, to attain a small piece of knowledge spoken by our beloved Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم)–and look at ourselves! For an abundant amount of knowledge, we hesititate to travel for even 10-15 minutes to the nearby masjid. Why travel when you got the Internet, right? Wrong! Alhamdolilah the Internet is good, however, to acquire knowledge we must learn from those who are knowledgeable.

Narrated Abu Darda:

Kathir ibn Qays said: I was sitting with Abu Darda in the mosque of Damascus. A man came to him and said: Abu Darda, I have come to you from the town of the Apostle of Allah for a tradition that I have heard you relate from the Apostle of Allah. I have come for no other purpose. He said: I heard the Apostle of Allah say: If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters will ask forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion.