Competing to Good Deeds: Abu Dujana and the Prophet’s Sword

February 16, 2006 – 12:11 am

Before the battle of Uhud, when the Muslims were preparing and such, the Prophet, peace be upon him, lifted up his sword and said “who will fight with my sword?”

And all the sahaba were like “me, me”, like “pick me”. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) put down his sword. Their emotions were raised.

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) raised it again and said “who will take my sword and give it the haq (right) due to the sword?”

Abu Dujana, may Allah be pleased with him, an Ansar, said “ma haqquha” (what is the right due to it?)

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said “that you fight with it, and bends from the amount of skulls it hits.”

So Abu Dujana (radiallahu ‘an) said “I’ll do it.”

So the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said “take it.”

Abu Dujana (radiallahu ‘an) got up and took the sword. He put on his red bandanna–and there are narrations about it: “when Abu Dujana puts on his red bandanna, it means death for the other army.”

So he put it on, took the sword, and strutted in front of the other companions, like showing off. He said (to the meaning of) “look what I got, you didn’t get it!” and so on.

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) smiled and said “This is a walk hated by Allah, and his messenger, except in this context.”

And they did this in battles–competed for good deeds, for the honour of protecting the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), and so on.

The lesson: compete to good deeds, and inshaAllah the work will grow exponentially. One MSA did this for Islam Awareness Week, and the number of professor sponsorships they got jumped from two the year before, to 90. Subnahallah.

They also competed tribally.

May Allah forgive all the companions and enter them into Jannatul Firdaus, and allow us to benefit from their teachings.

References

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Islamic Work, Sahaba, Seerah | Comments (4)

The People of the Ditch (13): Your Purpose on Earth

February 11, 2006 – 10:24 pm

The king asked the boy to renounce his religion, to which the boy refused. The king said “take him to the highest mountain and if he doesn’t renounce by the time you reach the top, throw him off.”

Why not saw him in half? Because the boy’s useful. He has influence among the poeple. People love him, and if he joins the king, many will follow his example.

So they took him up, and the boy said “O Allah, suffice me against them in whatever way You please”. So the mountain rumbled, and everyone fell off and died. Except the boy.

Sincere dua, immediate response. The boy had yaqeen.

He walked back to the king.

The king said “What happened to your companions?” and the boy said “Allah sufficed them”.

Now, the king’s at a cross-roads: he can realize this boy is special, and follow him, or refuse. And out of arrogance, he refused. His arrogance led to more crime. He ordered another set of soldiers to take the boy to the middle of the sea, and if he didn’t renounce by that time, drown him.

Same thing happened, same du’a, they all drowned except the boy.

He walked back to the king.

Why did he go back? Why not just run away, or go to another land? Because he realized his purpose–to give da’wah to the people, no matter what.

So ask yourself: How can I best serve Allah? Find your purpose on Earth, and stick to it. Don’t run from it.

The boy knew it, and he did exactly that.

Related Posts: The People of the Ditch (14): Belief

References

Ibrahim Hindy. “People of the Ditch.” UTM MSA. University of Toronto At Mississauga, Mississauga.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Da'wah, Islam, Islamic Work, Tafseer, Tazkiyyah | Tagged | Comments (1)

The People of the Ditch (9): Honouring vs. Prophetic Miracles

February 11, 2006 – 6:38 pm

The boy healed the blind and the lepers–the same miracles given to the prophet ‘Isa (Jesus), on whom be peace.

Was he a prophet?

No, he was not.

The difference is: Allah gave the boy karamah, a less intense form of mu’jizah. In a way, karamah mimics mu’jizah, but to a less intense level.

The boy’s powers mimiced the miracles of ‘Isa (alayhi salaam), to a lesser level. And while ‘Isa (alayhi salaam) could resurrect the dead, the boy could not.

A similar incident occurred to a sahaba. When a king apostated, the sahaba gave him da’wah. In return, the king threw him into a fire. But like the miracle of Ibrahim (alayhi salaam), the fire did not burn the sahaba.

When you follow the path of the Prophets, and give da’wah, Allah tests you as he tested them (peace be upon them all). But inshaAllah you get karamah too.

Wallahu ‘alim.

Related Posts: The People of the Ditch (10): Kings Suck

References

Ibrahim Hindy. “People of the Ditch.” UTM MSA. University of Toronto At Mississauga, Mississauga.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Islamic Work, Tafseer | Tagged | Comments (0)

The Best Use of Your Skills for Da’wah

February 11, 2006 – 3:11 pm

If you have multiple skills and multiple interests, how can you determine the best use of your skills for da’wah? Try this method inshaAllah.

  1. Skills: List all your skills.
  2. Ummah: Prioirtize the needs of the ummah (i.e. your community).
  3. Map and Prioritize: Tie each skill to an action, and prioritize according to need.

For example, if your skills are writing, graphic design, and drama, and your ummah needs youth involvement and education, you may decide to:

  • Start a youth-oriented newsletter which focuses on one area (eg. tafseer, stories of companions, etc.)
  • Write and direct short scripts for Islamically-themed skits or movies, such as Halaqa Police
  • Create posters for Islamic events that cater to youth

And so on. May Allah help you in your struggle for His path, ameen.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Islamic Work | Comments (0)

Make Time For Yourself: Avoid Burnout

February 10, 2006 – 11:28 pm

When you get involved in da’wah, don’t forget yourself.

We see many examples of this–people join the local MSA, and spend 40 hours a week to keep it alive. And the next year, you see them in the bar, with their girlfriend or boyfriend. Or others spend months putting together The Biggest Conference Ever, and while it goes on, they miss all the lectures and mill around outside with their friends, or out in the parking lot arguing about lunches.

If you don’t make time for yourself, you’ll eventually burn out, and be worse off then before you started.

Don’t let it happen to you. Make sure you always spend time to learn and grow, even if it’s a little bit of time compared to all the work you do.

May Allah help you along your way and protect you from an evil end, ameen.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Da'wah, Islam, Islamic Work, Tazkiyyah | Comments (0)

Benefits of Sacrifice

February 5, 2006 – 3:34 pm

In Surah Nisaa, Allah says:

وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ اقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ أَوِ اخْرُجُواْ مِن دِيَارِكُم مَّا فَعَلُوهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُواْ مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتًا
وَإِذاً لَّآتَيْنَاهُم مِّن لَّدُنَّـا أَجْراً عَظِيمًا
وَلَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا

Translation: If We had ordered them to sacrifice their lives or to leave their homes, very few of them would have done it. But if they had done what they were (actually) told, it would have been best for them, and would have gone farthest to strengthen their (faith). And We should then have given them from our presence a great reward. And We should have shown them the Straight Way. (Al-Quran, Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:66-68)1

These verses highlight the importance of sacrifice. As Muslims, we were not told to leave our homes or kill ourselves (such as the repentance perscribed for Bani Israeel–see Surah Baqarah). Had it been perscribed on us, few of us would have done it.

About the hadith of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) “Whoever gives something up for the sake of Allah, Allah replaces it with something better,” the scholars say the replacement could be in the dunya and the akhira. Subhanallah.

Although sacrifice seems like it isn’t in your best interests–you sacrifice your wealth, your time, your life, or something else–the results are that it strengthens eman and Allah rewards you for it.

When you sacrifice and see no results, rememeber: it’s for the sake of Allah, and the rewards are in the hereafter. Results are important, but don’t give up if you see no results.

Also, results should get you closer to Allah, not farther. If you find they don’t, Allahu ‘alim, it may be that your intentions are not 100% straight.

Wallahu ‘alim.

References

(1) Pickthall, Muhammad M., trans. Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 28 Dec. 2005 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/quran.html>.

Tafseer by Mawdudi, Sabooni, and Qutb.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Islamic Work, Tafseer, Tazkiyyah | Comments (0)

Storytelling: A Fundamental Da’wah Technique

February 1, 2006 – 5:22 pm

Storytelling is a fundamental da’wah technique. It effortlessly communicates a message in a memorable medium.

Storytelling is so powerful that you see it in the Qur’an (Surah Baqarah and Surah Yusuf, for example), in ahadith (The People of the Ditch).

Among the benefits: storytelling communicates a message without spelling it out. Human beings recall stories more easily then they recall other forms of teaching. With a story, you can continually extract lessons and benefit from it.

Use stories in your da’wah–in your khutbas, your books and your literature, your speeches and your discussions.

References

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Breach of Covenant. University of Toronto, Toronto. May 2005.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Da'wah, Gems, Islam, Islamic Work | Comments (2)

Gender Interaction: Professionalism

January 30, 2006 – 11:40 pm

The key to gender interaction (aka gender relations) is professionalism.

During the lifetime of the Prophet, peace be upon him, ‘Umar said to one woman sahaba in Abysinnia: “We have more right to the Prophet then you”. She said (to the effect of) “nope”. She approached the Prophet and narrated the incident to him, and he said “‘Umar was incorrect. You (Abyssinians) made hijrah (migration) twice, you get double the reward.”

This hadith was more beloved to them then the dunya and everything in it.

The companion spread it far and wide, and taught it to several people, both men and women. If you investigate the event, and other similar events, you will see the companions treated each other, in terms of gender interaction, with professionalism. Never will you see joking around.

This is the key to gender interaction. Keep it professional, purposeful, and limited. Wallahu ‘alim.

References

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki. Life in Mecca.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Islamic Work, Sahaba, Tazkiyyah | Comments (2)

The True Measure of Leadership

January 26, 2006 – 11:14 pm

The true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, and nothing less.

When you can influence people, you’re a leader, even if nobody recognizes you. And when you can’t influence people, you’re not a leader — even if the masjid says so, or the organization says so, or your friends say so, or your car says so.

And remember the command of the Prophet, peace be upon him: Do not covet leadership, for it entails blame, regret, and punishment on the Day of Judgement — except for the just ruler.

References

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Gems, Islam, Islamic Work | Comments (1)

Train Leaders, Not Followers

January 24, 2006 – 10:46 pm

If you want your Islamic work–your project, or organization, or masjid, or whatever it is–to survive you, you need to train leaders, not followers.

When you train followers, they work well, for a time–a month, or two, or a year, or ten, or 20–but without a leader, the project collapses. Instead, train leaders, who in turn train followers and other leaders in your absence, and the cycle perpetuates inshaAllah.

This is also part of what you need to transform your project from a mom-and-pop-style business to an independant self-existing entity. Wallahu ‘alim. More on that soonish inshaAllah.

As examples, most MSAs in North America train the succeeding generation of executives for the next term. In successful universities, such as UTM, MSAs last for decades thanks to this method.

Wallahu ‘alim.

Related Posts: Self-Employed vs. Business System

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Gems, Islam, Islamic Work | Comments (0)