As my mum called me for fajr one early April morning, my cosy warm bed seemed way more appealing than anything else. But as I lay there, half awake and half asleep, a jam of questions sped by…I asked myself, why am I here when the prayer mat waits? Is this the type of muslimah I am? Is this how I show my love to Allah (swt)? What will I answer my Lord on the Day of Judgement? How will attain my goal (Paradise) when the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: Assalaatu miftaahul Jannah (Prayer is the key to Paradise)?
As I lay there, I travelled back 1400 years…the days of the beloved last Prophet of Islam; Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). I remembered him and his faithful companions (radiallahu ‘anhuma); the patience that they had; their perseverance during the Boycott; their love for the beloved Prophet (saw) which was displayed in every battle.
Battle of Badr; the first battle against the disbelievers; a battle where the Muslims were out numbered three to one. Nevertheless, a show of courage, determination and love for Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saw). Even in this state, the believers stood firm believing in the words of their Lord not doubting for a small moment.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an “(Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He caused rain to descend on you from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you the rijz (evil suggestions, whispering etc.) of satan, and to strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm thereby” [8:11]
And…
“and verily, Allah is with the Believers” [8:19].
My dream took me to the time of the Battle of Khandaq (trench) when a group of 10,000 infidels prepared to attack a small army of only 3000 Muslims. Upon the suggestion of an honourable companion of the Prophet (saw), Salman Al-Farisi, the muslims set out to dig trenches as defensive lines.
[With the Prophet (saw) at their head, encouraging, helping and reminding them of the reward in the Hereafter, most actively and diligently started to build a trench around Madinah. Severe hunger, bordering on starvation could not dissuade or discourage them from achieving their desperately sought objective] Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, page 312.
As I watched them digging with stones tied to their barred thin stomachs, I heard the Ansars reciting:
We are those people who
Took the oath of allegiance to Muhammad;
Therefore we shall fight in the way of God
As long as we live.
By God, if God had not enabled us to,
We would have neither been guided
Nor given alms, nor performed prayers.
Send down unto us calmness and tranquility
And make our feet firm if we confront the enemy!
- Bukhari, “Manaqib al-Ansar,” 9, “Maghazi,” 29; Muslim, “Jihad,” 123-5
And here I was, lying on my bed, too lazy to get up, perform my ablution and pray.
I remembered the words of Allah (swt) in the Holy Qur’an that asked the believers to hasten towards the good…
“And be quick for forgiveness from your Lord and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth” [3:133]
“You desire the good of this world, but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise” [8:67].
I realised my mistake…my weak heart…but as I bore in mind the love for my Lord and Prophet (saw), I found the strength…the strength within…to get up and fall in prostration before my Compassionate Lord; Allâh.
. JazakAllah Khayr for posting.
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