~Zaria~
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Assalamu-alaikum dear brothers and sisters.
I wanted to share a extract from a talk that I had recently listened to by the late Sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki.
Alhamdulillah - if only we can take the time to reflect and internalise these sorts of messages -
then insha Allah, we too can become Aashiq-e-Sawdiq (True Lovers of Allah-Ta'ala; and His Rasul (sallahu alaihi wasalam),.
then, we will realise our purpose in this dunya - and live our lives, actually reflecting this.
then, every possible minute and second will be spent in zikr - and in longing to meet our creator, our Rabb.
Ameen.
" We, the human race, living on this earth, are under the perception that we belong here.
That this is our residence and home.
We don’t know, and we don’t want to know the fact that we are on a train.
And the train is going through stations – to another final destination.And this world is only one of these stops, and one of these stations.
But we do not belong here.
We have a ticket that has 3 slips.
We live in the womb for 9 months, and then when we come out – one slip is thrown away from the ticket.
And then we live in dunya for a while, and this station, and when we are dying the second slip of the ticket is torn out.
And then we have one slip left – and that will be torn out either in hell-fire or jannah….and that will be the final destination.
We do not belong here.
We are travelling.
And that is why the prophet (sallahu alaihi wasalam) said:“Be in this world as if you are a traveller”.
And rasullal Allah says the analogy of me in this dunya is like somebody who is travelling in the desert, and then saw a tree. So he took some shade under this tree and took some rest, and then continued with the journey.
That is dunya.
We spend a few moments under this tree, and then we keep on moving.
Can we stop time?
Time is revolving and is eroding off our existence.
The movement of time is an erosion of our existence in this dunya.
It is ripping away and tearing apart from our own existence.
With every second that passes by – it has taken part of us.
We do not belong here.
And we need to believe in the fact that we do not belong here.
And we need to prepare for death.
What are the objectives of talking about Al-Aakhirah?
Number one – it is part of imaan.
It is a pillar of faith.
Second reason – why do we have all of these problems around us?
Why do we have a muslim who drinks?
And a muslim who commits zina?
And a muslim who deals with riba?
And a muslim who lies?
Why?
What are we missing?
Listen carefully, very carefully…..to this saying of Sayidinna Aisha (ra) – in this short sentence she is giving us a programme of individual and social change.
In one sentence – if we were to apply, we would see immense/ huge change in our lives.
Sayidinna Aisha (ra) says: “If the first thing revealed in quraan was – Do not drink, the people would have said – we are never going to stop drinking. And if the first thing that was revealed in quraan, was telling the people not to commit fornication and adultery – the people would have said, we are never going to stop fornication and adultery.
But the first things that were revealed in quraan was that which mentions hell-fire and paradise.”
Until the hearts were attached to Allah (subahana wataála) – then the orders of halaal and haram came down.
Until all of these veils of darkness were lifted from in front of our eyes…..then the orders from Allah (subhanawata’ala) came down on halaal and haram.
We are not suffering from a problem of ignorance only.
That is not the only problem….even though it is a problem, it is not the only problem…..
Because everyone knows that alcohol is haram.
Why do some people drink it?
Everyone knows that interest/ riba is haram.
Why do people deal with interest?
Everyone knows that the importance of salaah and fasting…..how come some people don’t do it?
Everyone knows the importance of ful-filling the pillar of haj…..how come the people are not doing Al-haj?
It’s not only a problem of ignorance.
A major problem is Insufficient imaan.
The heart is rough – like a rock.
The hearts are not soft.
And what will soften these tough and harsh and rough hearts is Al-Aakhirah….talking about the unseen.
Because Rasullal Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasalam) says: “If you know what I know – you will cry a lot, and laugh a little.”
…..if you know the reality of Al-Aakhirah.
Ali ibn Talib said: “It wouldn’t make a difference if I see jannah in front of me – I wouldn’t love it more. And even if I see hell-fire in front of me – I wouldn’t fear it more.
What he is saying, is that he has absorbed the meaning of jannah and jahannum so much – that even if he sees it, it wouldn’t make a difference.
He is living in dunya, as if he is seeing Jannah in front of him, and hell-fire in front of him.
I wanted to share a extract from a talk that I had recently listened to by the late Sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki.
Alhamdulillah - if only we can take the time to reflect and internalise these sorts of messages -
then insha Allah, we too can become Aashiq-e-Sawdiq (True Lovers of Allah-Ta'ala; and His Rasul (sallahu alaihi wasalam),.
then, we will realise our purpose in this dunya - and live our lives, actually reflecting this.
then, every possible minute and second will be spent in zikr - and in longing to meet our creator, our Rabb.
Ameen.
" We, the human race, living on this earth, are under the perception that we belong here.
That this is our residence and home.
We don’t know, and we don’t want to know the fact that we are on a train.
And the train is going through stations – to another final destination.And this world is only one of these stops, and one of these stations.
But we do not belong here.
We have a ticket that has 3 slips.
We live in the womb for 9 months, and then when we come out – one slip is thrown away from the ticket.
And then we live in dunya for a while, and this station, and when we are dying the second slip of the ticket is torn out.
And then we have one slip left – and that will be torn out either in hell-fire or jannah….and that will be the final destination.
We do not belong here.
We are travelling.
And that is why the prophet (sallahu alaihi wasalam) said:“Be in this world as if you are a traveller”.
And rasullal Allah says the analogy of me in this dunya is like somebody who is travelling in the desert, and then saw a tree. So he took some shade under this tree and took some rest, and then continued with the journey.
That is dunya.
We spend a few moments under this tree, and then we keep on moving.
Can we stop time?
Time is revolving and is eroding off our existence.
The movement of time is an erosion of our existence in this dunya.
It is ripping away and tearing apart from our own existence.
With every second that passes by – it has taken part of us.
We do not belong here.
And we need to believe in the fact that we do not belong here.
And we need to prepare for death.
What are the objectives of talking about Al-Aakhirah?
Number one – it is part of imaan.
It is a pillar of faith.
Second reason – why do we have all of these problems around us?
Why do we have a muslim who drinks?
And a muslim who commits zina?
And a muslim who deals with riba?
And a muslim who lies?
Why?
What are we missing?
Listen carefully, very carefully…..to this saying of Sayidinna Aisha (ra) – in this short sentence she is giving us a programme of individual and social change.
In one sentence – if we were to apply, we would see immense/ huge change in our lives.
Sayidinna Aisha (ra) says: “If the first thing revealed in quraan was – Do not drink, the people would have said – we are never going to stop drinking. And if the first thing that was revealed in quraan, was telling the people not to commit fornication and adultery – the people would have said, we are never going to stop fornication and adultery.
But the first things that were revealed in quraan was that which mentions hell-fire and paradise.”
Until the hearts were attached to Allah (subahana wataála) – then the orders of halaal and haram came down.
Until all of these veils of darkness were lifted from in front of our eyes…..then the orders from Allah (subhanawata’ala) came down on halaal and haram.
We are not suffering from a problem of ignorance only.
That is not the only problem….even though it is a problem, it is not the only problem…..
Because everyone knows that alcohol is haram.
Why do some people drink it?
Everyone knows that interest/ riba is haram.
Why do people deal with interest?
Everyone knows that the importance of salaah and fasting…..how come some people don’t do it?
Everyone knows the importance of ful-filling the pillar of haj…..how come the people are not doing Al-haj?
It’s not only a problem of ignorance.
A major problem is Insufficient imaan.
The heart is rough – like a rock.
The hearts are not soft.
And what will soften these tough and harsh and rough hearts is Al-Aakhirah….talking about the unseen.
Because Rasullal Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasalam) says: “If you know what I know – you will cry a lot, and laugh a little.”
…..if you know the reality of Al-Aakhirah.
Ali ibn Talib said: “It wouldn’t make a difference if I see jannah in front of me – I wouldn’t love it more. And even if I see hell-fire in front of me – I wouldn’t fear it more.
What he is saying, is that he has absorbed the meaning of jannah and jahannum so much – that even if he sees it, it wouldn’t make a difference.
He is living in dunya, as if he is seeing Jannah in front of him, and hell-fire in front of him.
That is IMAAN – when you reach to this level."
From the lecture by Shaheed, insha Allah - Anwar Al-Awalai: The Hereafter