Islamic Reflections

Religious Obligations

On the authority of Abu Tha’labah al-Kushanee — Jurthoom bin Nashir (may Allah be pleased with him) — that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Verily Allah ta’ala has laid down religious obligations (fara’id), so do not neglect them; and He has set limits, so do not overstep them; and He has forbidden some things, so do not violate them; and He has remained silent about some things, out of compassion for you, not forgetfulness — so do not seek after them.

Explanation:

This Hadith can be seen as a guide to knowing what our limits are in life. The Prophet (SAW) clearly states that Allah (SWT) put down obligations for us, set limits for us, and stayed silent about certain matters all for our benefit.

Application:

This Hadith can be easily applied to our daily lives - in fact, we already apply it to our lives. As we get older, we learn the importance of following through with what Allah has deemed obligatory for us, such as praying five times a day. Along with learning the importance and proceeding with doing what is obligatory, it is essential that we never neglect what Allah has made obligatory for us. No matter what happens, no matter how tired we get in life, we should never neglect what is made obligatory for us. This is because there is great reward that comes with doing those actions and punishment for not doing them. We also follow through with staying within our boundaries when we eat that which is permissible for us and avoid that which is not. Violating what is forbidden for us is harmful for us so it is best for us to stay within our limits no matter how difficult it may or may not be. There are also certain subjects that Allah (SWT) has remained silent about so we should not look into them. To familiarize ourselves more with that which is obligatory and forbidden, we must look toward both the Quran and Hadith. Even if something is hard to go through we must keep struggling until we are able to do that which pleases Allah (SWT).

Acknowledging Death

Arabic: (Quranic verses, surah and ayah listed below)

{كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ}

[3:185]

{إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْىِۦ وَنُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْنَا ٱلْمَصِيرُ}

[50:43]

English:

[3:185] “Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.”

[50:43] “It is certainly We Who give life and cause death. And to Us is the final return.”

Explanation:

In these ayahs, Allah (SWT) reminds us that He gives life and death and there is no doubt that we will all die one day. He also reminds us that our final return is to Him and our true success will be to make it into Jannah, because this world is only temporary.

Application:

Death is often portrayed as a frightening concept that we should not think about on a daily basis.

Allah says that every soul will taste death and to Him is the final return, meaning we will all eventually die. We know we will die, but we do not know when or how, so it is important to ask ourselves if we are ready for death. Are we victims of this life’s “delusion of enjoyment”?

If we do not feel ready for death, then we should start preparing for it right away; not by digging a grave, but by improving our actions. We should remind ourselves that the joy in this life is only temporary; as Allah reminds us in these ayahs, the real reward comes after death. With that in mind, actions like delaying salah to finish a movie you’re watching or deciding that sleep is more important than Fajr prayer—actions we tend to take lightly—become very significant. Death can strike whenever Allah wills; this means we should take our actions seriously. For example, would you rather die while delaying salah because you wanted to watch the ending of your movie, or while performing salah?

We know death is coming, so although it is not wrong to be scared of it, what’s more important is that we should be prepared for it. The first step to doing so is acknowledging death.

Remembering to make Duaa’

Arabic:

[حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ وَادِ ٱلنَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌۭ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّمْلُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مَسَـٰكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَـٰنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ(18)فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًۭا مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًۭا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِى عِبَادِكَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ(19)]

[27:18-19]

English translation:

And when they came across a valley of ants, an ant warned, “O ants! Go quickly into your homes so Solomon and his armies do not crush you, unknowingly.” So he (Sulaiman) smiled, laughing at her speech and said, “My Lord, enable me that I become grateful to Your favour that you have bestowed on me and on my parents and that I do the good deeds You like, and admit me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous slaves.” [Surat an-Naml, ayahs 18-19]

Explanation:

These ayahs include a duaa’ that was first made by Prophet Sulaiman (A) after he heard the speech of an ant. It asks Allah to make us grateful, able to do good deeds, and by His mercy be among the righteous slaves.

Application:

Prophet Sulaiman (A) was given the unique ability to understand animals and jinn. This part of Surat an-Naml mentions an incident when Sulaiman (A) heard an ant talking. The ant was warning her fellow ants to hurry so that Sulaiman (A) did not accidentally crush any of them. After hearing this, Sulaiman (A) laughed in amusement and made a duaa’.

Sometimes we get swept up in the business of everyday life, and we forget what is most important: fulfilling our purpose, which is to please Allah as His slaves. Perhaps days go by without us really reflecting on what we do. Sulaiman (A) remembered Allah even when he was simply amused at the speech of an ant.

We cannot only remember Allah at the most difficult or most significant moments in our life. Allah is constantly watching us, and the angels are constantly recording our deeds. Before we do anything, we should stop and ask ourselves, “How does what I’m doing right now contribute to my purpose in life?” We are given so many opportunities to do good, but we can only use them if we have the right intentions and see those opportunities. Remember, little things count (and they may not be so little in the eyes of Allah).

We also need to remember to constantly make duaa’. We shouldn’t assume we will make it to Jannah; we should work towards it and at the same time ask Allah to grant it to us. Doing one thing or the other will not work. If we only aim to do good but do not ask Allah for His mercy, then there is no guarantee of Jannah. Likewise, if we only ask Allah for Jannah without working towards it, there is no guarantee that the duaa’ will be accepted because we need to put in the effort. This is similar to the concept of Tawakkul, which is relying on Allah but also doing our part.

We must remember the bigger picture at all times so that we work towards it, and as we do so, consistently make duaa’. This duaa’ in Surah an Naml is a beautiful one, because it encompasses what all believers want to be: grateful, a doer of good deeds, and a righteous slave of Allah. Take the time to memorize it and remember to implement it in your daily life; don’t just say it, mean it, and work towards it.

When Seeing an Evil

On the authority of Abu Sa`eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim]

Explanation:

This Hadith provides insight on what we as Muslims should do whenever we see an evil or an injustice. The Prophet (SAW) basically said that the first thing you should do is make a direct effort to put an end to it. If getting involved is not possible, then the next ideal step would be to speak out against it. Of course there are also obstacles to speaking out about certain matters, so the last step would be to hate it with your heart. This is considered the weakest of faith because you are doing something against the injustice but is relatively small in comparison to other possible ways to fight.

Application:

This Hadith can easily be applied to our daily lives, especially in the time we live in now. There are a variety of social injustices to fight/speak out against and many causes to take up as your own. Even when you see someone getting bullied, that too is considered an evil. There will be moments when you encounter an evil, but are too afraid to get directly involved with it for whatever reason. You should never just give up at that particular point; speak out against it whether it be spreading awareness about it to the general public or just telling someone you trust. Now if even speaking about the matter is difficult, then hating it will all of your heart is the least thing you can do. Do not be discouraged by how it is considered "the weakest of faith" and think there is no point of doing it because it seems so trivial. You will still get rewarded for hating on a matter you cannot do anything about because Allah (SWT) also rewards us for our intentions. The best thing you can do is intend to do better the next time you witness an evil. Another beautiful concept to remember is the power of dua. If you make a dua against an injustice that has greatly impacted you, Allah will accept it out of the sincerity of your dua. So when hating an evil in your heart, remember to make dua for it to be rectified, for Allah may intervene.

Illness and Cures

Arabic: (Sahih Al Bukhari 5678)

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أَحْمَدَ الزُّبَيْرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي حُسَيْنٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَطَاءُ بْنُ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:

{مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ دَاءً إِلاَّ أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً}

English Translation:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.”

Explanation:

According to the hadith, Allah has created a treatment for every disease, even COVID-19.

Application:

Almost a year has passed since the world was struck with the pandemic. Anticipation builds for the end of a time of separation and sickness through COVID-19 vaccines that are proving effective.

Even though medicines and vaccines exist, this hadith reminds us that it is only by Allah’s will that a person can be treated or cured. We may forget this when we are dealing with a minor illness and put all our trust into the medicines we take; however, it is now more crucial than ever that we keep this in mind. The hadith assures us that there is indeed a treatment for this virus, but we will be able to discover and use it only if Allah wills. We must keep making duaa’ to Allah if we expect this pandemic to end, and not simply read the news hoping someone will eventually find a cure.

The vaccines we have today are scientifically proven to be effective, but as Muslims, we should remember that Allah is the One behind the cure, not just scientists and doctors. Insha’Allah, if Allah wills, this pandemic will end soon. In the meantime, sincere duaa’ is the most powerful action we can take to ensure that it might.

Using Tawakkul Against Stress

Arabic: (Excerpts from Quranic verses, surah and ayah listed below)

{وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلْمَـٰكِرِينَ}

[8:30]

{لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ}

[2:286]

{وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَصِيرٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ}

[40:44]

English Translation:

[8:30] “They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of planners.”

[2:286] “Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can handle.”

[40:44] “And I entrust my affairs to Allah. Surely Allah is All-Seeing of [His] servants.”

Explanation:

These ayat remind us that Allah is an overseer to all of our affairs; He plans everything to play out exactly the way it does, while at the same time ensuring that His tests are not too much for us to handle.

Application:

As COVID-19 cases rise, the weather gets colder, and midterms get closer, we may find ourselves under a pile of stress. Sometimes we ask why such tragedies afflict us, and why we have to be stressed all the time. These ayat remind us to take a step back and calm down. As Muslims, we should put our trust in Allah no matter what. Everything that happens, whether good or bad, is part of Allah’s plan—even if things are not going according to our own plan.

Allah would never afflict us with a challenge that we were not meant to be tested with, or that we cannot handle. With this in mind, we can assure ourselves that we have the ability to make it through any hardship that Allah puts us through.

We may feel that Allah has left us to struggle, but we should remember that Allah is the All-Knowing and All-Seeing. He will never abandon us, so we should put our trust in Him and know that He will never leave us when we need Him. We can call upon Him through duaa’ at any time, whether we are struggling or not. This is one example of Allah’s mercy; we can turn to Him whenever and wherever.

Any time that we feel stressed, as if the world is against us, we should remember that Allah is with us. Everything that is happening is predetermined and part of His plan for us. We can combat stress by doing our best and relying on Allah for the rest. This is tawakkul: true reliance on Allah when we feel like we can’t fix a problem on our own. Stress is a test we can all pass with tawakkul.

The Love of Allah and People

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ أَبِي السَّفَرِ، حَدَّثَنَا شِهَابُ بْنُ عَبَّادٍ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْقُرَشِيُّ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ، قَالَ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ إِذَا أَنَا عَمِلْتُهُ أَحَبَّنِيَ اللَّهُ وَأَحَبَّنِيَ النَّاسُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ ازْهَدْ فِي الدُّنْيَا يُحِبَّكَ اللَّهُ وَازْهَدْ فِيمَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ يُحِبُّوكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, show me a deed which, if I do it, Allah will love me and people will love me. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Be indifferent towards this world, and Allah will love you. Be indifferent to what is in people’s hands, and they will love you.”

Explanation:

The Hadith explains how we can gain love from both Allah (SWT) and the people of this world. The Hadith is not telling us to not enjoy life at all. It simply states that in order to win the pleasure of Allah (SWT), our attention should not be focused solely on this temporary life. Instead, we should worry about winning Allah's pleasure and going to Jannah.

Application:

In order to apply this Hadith to our daily lives, we have to stop worrying about the possessions of others or where they are in life. We should appreciate them for who they are, not what they own or their status. One can better understand this aspect by taking it into perspective. It is much easier to love someone who likes you for who you are rather than what you have. Good relationships are not built upon worldly gains, but rather the acceptance of each other's beings. Keeping this in mind will help us love the people we have in our lives in a way that earns their love back. We can earn Allah's (SWT) love by increasing our prayer, our dhikr, and our good deeds. We should try to be the best people that we can be in order to win the favor of Allah and refine our relationship with him (SWT). This can be achieved by following the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah. Inshallah, by doing this we will have won the love of both Allah and the people.

Taking Advantage of Blessings

Hadith in Arabic: (Shu’ab al-Iman 9575, Sahih)

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

[اغْتَنِمْ خَمْسًا قَبْلَ خَمْسٍ شَبَابَكَ قَبْلَ هَرَمِكَ وَصِحَّتَكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ وَغِنَاكَ قَبْلَ فَقْرِكَ وَفَرَاغَكَ قَبْلَ شُغُلِكَ وَحَيَاتَكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ]

English Translation:

Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.”

Explanation:

In this hadith, the Prophet (S) tells us to take advantage of 5 things in order to make the most of our time: our youth, our health, our wealth, our free time, and our life.

Application:

No one knows the future except Allah. We were taken by surprise with this pandemic, but we know that it was Allah’s will. The pandemic can teach us many lessons, and one of them is that there is no guarantee of our blessings lasting as long as we think they will. In this hadith, the Prophet (S) advises us to take advantage of our blessings, such as youth, health, wealth, and our free time, in order to do good and take advantage of the time given to us as our life.

The Prophet (S) is telling us to use our strength while we are young and healthy. Our parents always tell us that time flies; we should take the advice of both our Prophet and our elders and remember to use our time while we are young to do good deeds. The blessing of health is also one we often take for granted, until Allah tests us with ordeals like sickness and this pandemic. We should use our youth and our health to help those who perhaps lack those blessings at this time.

This hadith also mentions that we should take advantage of our riches before our poverty. We should help those less fortunate than us, because we know that it could have been anyone in that situation, even ourselves. Allah may take away the blessing of wealth and we could find ourselves regretful unless we take advantage of that blessing now. That is why gratefulness is also important: to remind us of our blessings and that we should use them as opportunities to do good.

We may feel that we have extremely busy lives, but the truth is, there are many opportunities in the moments when we have free time. Giving our free time to help someone else is a generous act, because time is precious; that is what it means to take advantage of our blessing of free time. The hadith ends by reminding us to take advantage of our life before death, because although we never know when death is coming, we are certain that it will. If we don’t take advantage of Allah’s blessings now, we lose our opportunities to benefit later, both in this life and the hereafter.

Topic: The Response of a True Believer

Hadith in Arabic: (Sahih Muslim)

قال رسولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم:”عَجَبًا لأمرِ المؤمنِ إِنَّ أمْرَه كُلَّهُ لهُ خَيرٌ وليسَ ذلكَ لأحَدٍ إلا للمُؤْمنِ إِنْ

أصَابتهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فكانتْ خَيرًا لهُ وإنْ أصَابتهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبرَ فكانتْ خَيرًا لهُ “ [رواهُ مُسْلِمٌ]

English Translation: (Source: Sahih Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“How excellent is the situation of a believer, unlike all others. If something good befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him.”

Explanation:

The hadith says that the situation, or point of view, of a believer is always from the best possible approach; if he is blessed then he is grateful, and if he is tested then he is patient.

Application:

This hadith praises the believer’s situation, because no matter if the situation is good or bad, the believer does what is best for himself in terms of pleasing Allah. During the time of uncertainty in which we are currently living, we should stop and ask ourselves: is the way we are reacting to our situation the equivalent of the response of a true believer, as described by this hadith? The pandemic has provided trial after trial for all of us. According to the hadith, the true believer’s reaction to hardship is patience, and that is the best possible way to deal with Allah’s tests. Surah Al Baqarah assures us that “indeed, Allah is with those who are patient [2:153]”.

Now think back to before all of this started. We were surrounded by blessings that should have blanketed us in contentment, when instead we took it for granted, finding every reason to complain. Now that we are in this state of lockdown, we should realize that if we are blessed, there is no excuse to forget to be grateful. The hadith explicitly states that the true believer, when blessed, is grateful, and that is the best possible response to a blessing. Too often we are absorbed in the pride of what we have done, while in reality we should be looking out for our shortcomings. We need to stop and think like true believers, so that we remember Allah in every situation, whether good or bad.

Topic: Intention

Hadith in Arabic: (narrated by ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab)

عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْه

English translation: (narrated by ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab)

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say:

“Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.”

Source: Ibrāhīm ʻIzz-ad-Dīn, and Denys Johnson-Davies, translators. “Hadith 1 (Al-Hadith Al-Awwal).” An-Nawawī's Forty Hadith, by Yaḥyā Ibn-Šaraf an-Nawawī, Millat Book Centre, 2016, pp. 26–27.

Explanation:

The hadith states that for a person who intends a purpose for his migration, the migration will most definitely be for the purpose he intended, whether it is for Allah and His messenger or for worldly benefit.

Application:

This hadith is especially important today. As we go through our daily lives, we easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of schoolwork, pandemic news, and politics. This has become a problem with today’s society; we don’t think back to the purpose of our actions and apply them to the bigger picture. We’re too focused on moving ahead, and because of that we lose the passing opportunities that often stare us straight in the face. According to the hadith, intention is the foundation of all that we do. For this reason, we need to take the time to renew our intentions. Are we truly aiming for our ultimate goal, which is to please Allah? We should always be in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure, and our hearts should feel it sincerely. Sincerity is the key to the right intention, and the right intention is the key to the right reward. For example, if you volunteer at a food pantry and your intention is for people to praise you as a hard worker and a good Muslim, then their praise is all the reward you will get. Compared to Allah’s reward on the Day of Judgement, that is nothing. This is more than enough of a reason to renew your intentions. With the right intention, every moment is an opportunity to do good.