This life is a one-time opportunity to achieve everlasting happiness in the life hereafter. Allah Almighty is showering countless blessings upon us everyday. Every moment has a great potential to achieve high-ranks in the court of our Creator. Every minute is like a gold coin.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ“ Every soul will taste death” Surah Ali’Imran; 185This ayah however, works its magic differently for me, as on coming to end of the long road of medical treatment for cancer, I can see death more clearly than ever before. On the other hand, the fact that I choose to hold on to my belief in Allah that all cure comes from Him, and in the saying of Prophet Muhammad:“ There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its remedy.” BukhariI am very hopeful of winning this battle inshaAllah.With the arrival of Ramadan and its mercies, abundance, and blessings, I want to benefit more from the recommended acts during this month. As I thought about this, I realized what could be better than to use these acts to find, understand, and fulfill the purpose of my existence and live my days more attuned and in sync with it?From the amount of time that I have lived in this world (a lady never tells her age!) I have learnt through a very hard way how to accomplish these three goals tied to the purpose of our lives.FIND THE PURPOSE OF LIFEوَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ“ And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” Surah Adh-Dhariyat; 56There! The purpose of my existence spelled out for me. 1/3 of the work done.I firmly believe with all my heart and mind in the word of Allah and accept the truth of the fact that my purpose of existence is solely to “worship Allah.”UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF LIFEUnderstanding the purpose was as hard as finding the purpose was easy. Let me show you how!
As my health started slipping rapidly, holding on to hope as part of my faith, became my goal. But hope is a fickle thing. Sometimes it stayed and at times it deserted me. I realized I needed something stronger than just hope to hold onto my faith, as no matter what, I cannot afford to use my faith!I searched for ways which could keep my faith going, and to entice hope to stay longer with me. I turned to Allah for help. And He helped me by drawing my attention towards the example of Prophet Ayub.
I felt that although the magnitude of my tests is much lesser than his ever were, they fell into similar categories. Losing health, battling personal issues; I felt my plate was overloaded to the point of breaking.Struggling to be patient and hopeful at times, I yearned to know how he managed both at all times.
I tried to get to know him more, in the hope of finding his secret to being so awesome. The immense reward he received from Allah, propelled me further. Even if I got a tiny portion of it, it would be so great! I then came across a lecture on prophet Ayub, and as I sat in the hospital bed with chemo coursing through my veins praying it would work, I eagerly listened.Allah gave me what I wanted in His own way. I listened to the lecture in the hope of hearing something new about him, but began to feel disappointed when no new information came up.
Nevertheless, I decided to go on a with it. The secret finally broke through the cloud of drowsiness brought by the chemo meds, and I sat up!It was very simple. He had found the purpose of life and kept his focus on it.
With all of his worldly possessions, his loved ones, and his body gone, the only thing that worked was his heart and tongue. He used the only things that worked to worship Allah, thus fulfilling the purpose of his existence. I had much more things than him that worked for now!I felt light; as if a huge boulder had been removed from my chest. Good health and other blessings are as transient as bad health and misfortunes, and this effects the way I live and feel, as it effects my faith. If I simply moved my focus away from what was currently going on in my life in order to fulfill the purpose of my existence (like Ayub had), then no matter what, I would always be working to achieve this purpose.This is why it is very important to truly comprehend the purpose of our existence.
It helps to keep our focus on the main goal -that is to worship Allah – and not get overwhelmed with either a cascade of blessings or a mudslide of misfortunes. Ayub never lost his focus, but instead worshipped Allah in all circumstances.FULFILL THE PURPOSE OF LIFEUnlike the previous steps, fulfilling this purpose is an ongoing process. It requires focus on the goal, self-introspection, reflection upon the word of Allah and His creation, and innovation to tailor our acts of worshipping Allah according to our current circumstances.Life, with its many distractions and with shaitaan as a persistent enemy, keeping our focus on the goal is not a piece of cake. With our busy schedules, self-introspection and reflection seem time consuming!
And innovation requires creativity.This is why, Ramadan is the perfect time to begin the process of finding, understanding, implementing a plan and getting into a habit of fulfilling the purpose of our existence in this world.For those of you who will fast, each moment that you are fasting you will be in a constant state of worship. We all carve time out to read at least some portion of the Quran, increase our dua’s, consciously make an effort to do good deeds, give charity, and increase our prayers. Use this time to reflect upon the word of Allah, self-reflect and to open your eyes to the magic that unfolds in the creation of Allah each day. Get into a habit of daily dhikr while driving, or even waiting in queues. Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad in Paradigms of Leadership (6)A few months ago, Governor Kay Ivey signed into law House Bill 134, or the Human Life Protection Act, which prohibited all abortion in the state of Alabama except in cases where it was deemed necessary to prevent a serious health risk to the mother. The bill additionally criminalized abortion or any attempt to carry it out in situations deemed non-necessary.
A motion to exempt rape and incest victims from this law was defeated in the Alabama state senate, which give the state the (dubious) distinction of possessing one of the most restrictive abortion laws in America. This move by Alabama to place extreme restrictions on abortion followed a spate of similar legislative moves by other states, such as Georgia, Kentucky, and Mississippi.This escalation in anti-abortion legislation occasioned intense debate within the Muslim community. Muslims who self-identify as progressives chanted the familiar mantra of “my body, my choice” to affirm a notion of personal rights and bodily autonomy in defending a woman’s right to choose. The ideological underpinnings of this view are extremely problematic from a theological perspective, and the practical policies arising from it that sanction even late-term abortions contravene the near-consensus position of classical jurists and is rightly seen as an assault on inviolable human life. For this reason, this essay will not pay any particular attention to this view. Several people pushed back against this permissive attitude by arguing that abortion is essentially prohibited in Islam in all but the direst of situations, such as when the life of the mother is at genuine risk.
This opinion has a sound precedent in the legal tradition and is the mainstream view of some of the legal schools, but it has often been presented in a manner that fails to acknowledge the normative pluralism that exists on the matter in the shariah and rather perniciously presents these alternative opinions as ‘liberal’ or ‘progressive’. Similarly, those who favour the more lenient view found in other legal schools are often seen characterizing the stricter opinion as ‘right-wing’ or reflective of the Christianization of Islamic law. Despite having legal precedent on their side, both groups engaged the abortion question in a manner that was rather superficial and fundamentally problematic.Did Jurists Only Permit Abortion in ‘Dire’ Circumstances?I will begin this essay by offering a corrective to the mistaken notion that classical jurists only permitted abortions in cases of necessity, an assertion that has become very common in current Muslim discourse on abortion in America.
One need not look much further than the Ḥanafī school to realize that this claim is incorrect. Though there are opinions within the school that only permit abortion before 120 days with the existence of a valid excuse, the view of several early leading authorities was that abortion was unconditionally permissible ( mubāḥ) before this period and/or prior to the physical form and features of a fetus becoming clearly discernible. In his encyclopaedic work al-Muḥīṭ al-Burhānī, Burhān al-Dīn ibn Māza (d. 616/1219) presents two main opinions on abortion in the school:(i) It is permitted “as long as some physical human features are not clearly discernible because if these features are not discernible, the fetus is not a child ( walad)” as per Fatāwā Ahl al-Samarqand. Some scholars asserted that this occurs at 120 days, while others stated that this assertion, though incorrect, indicated that by discernibility jurists intended ensoulment.(ii) It is disliked because once conception occurs, the natural prognostication is life and so the fetus is granted this ruling at the moment of conception itself. This was the view of ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Qummī (d.
305/917-18).The first opinion of unconditional permissibility was not a solitary one in the school. It was forwarded by many of the foremost Ḥanafī authorities, such as Ḥussām al-Dīn ibn Māza (d.
536/1141), Raḍī al-Dīn al-Sarakhsī (d. 575/1175), Jamāl al-Dīn al-Ghaznawī (d.
593/1196), Zayn al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 666/1267), ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maḥmūd al-Mawṣilī (d. 683/1284), Fakhr al-Dīn al-Zaylaʿī (d. 743/1343), Qiwām al-Dīn al-Kākī (749/1348), Jalāl al-Dīn al-Khawārizmī (d. 767/1365), Kamāl ibn al-Humām (d.
861/1457), Muḥyī al-Dīn Jawīzāda (d. 954/1547), Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Ḥaṣkafī (d. 1088/1677), and several others. The reasoning underlying this view was that prior to a specific period (whether defined by days or by fetal development), a fetus is not a ‘child’ or ‘person’. Therefore, no ruling is attached to it at this stage.Another opinion in the school, and one that has gained wide acceptance amongst contemporary Ḥanafī jurists, argued that abortion prior to 120 days was disliked and sinful unless carried out with a valid excuse. This view was most famously expressed by Fakhr al-Dīn Qāḍīkhān (d.
592/1196) in his Fatāwā and subsequently supported by the likes of Ibn Wahbān (d. 768/1367), Ibn Nujaym (d. 970/1563), and Ibn ʿĀbidīn (d.
These sources, however, do not define or fully flesh out what constitutes an excuse, sufficing mainly with a single example as illustrative of a case where abortion would be permitted, namely when a woman ceases to produce milk on account of pregnancy and her husband is unable to provide an alternative source of sustenance for their child and fears his or her perishing. Cases of rape, incest, adultery, and other possible excuses are not discussed by most of these authors, and it is not clear whether they would have deemed these valid excuses or not.The Ḥanafī school, therefore, had three main opinions on the issue: unconditionally permissible prior to a specific time period; unconditionally disliked; and conditionally permissible prior to a specific time period. Of the three, the first view seems to have been the dominant one in the school and held by multiple authorities in virtually every century. The view of conditional permissibility was also a strong one and notably adopted by several later jurists. It is also the view that has gained currency among modern Ḥanafī scholars who are generally not seen forwarding the view of unconditional permissibility. Some Contemporary Views on AbortionA wide range of opinions is also found in the discourse of contemporary jurists. Shaykh Muṣṭafā Zarqā (d.
1999) presented a gradated scheme where abortion prior to 40 days was permitted without a “severe excuse”, which included “undertaking necessary travel where pregnancy and giving birth would prove a hindrance, such as for education or for work that requires a couple to move.” He also considered financial strain arising from a child as a valid excuse during this limited time period. According to him, the threshold for a valid excuse would become higher as the pregnancy proceeded beyond 40 days.Muftī Maḥmūd Ḥasan Gangohī (d.
I sit here in the Jordanian heat, with a kufi on and prayer beads in my hand. I watch as young kids play soccer with their kufis and kurtas on in the streets.
They go on and on until the Adhan interrupts their game. I think of how different the kids back home in the United States are.
Due to the rules for living in this quaint Jordanian neighborhood, the kids are not allowed to play video games, use social media, or watch television. This is the Kharabsheh neighborhood on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan.I have spent the past two months living in this community. It is a community so similar to, yet so different from any community I have ever lived in. In many ways, it is just like any other community. People joke around with one another, invite people over for dinner, have jobs, go to the gym, and do other pervasive events of everyday life.
But in many other respects, the community is different from most in the world today. Many of those living here are disciples (mureeds) in the Shadhili Sufi order. Sufism has faced a bad reputation in many parts of the world today. The stereotype is that Sufis are either not firm in their commitment to religious law (Sharia), or lax in their understanding of Islamic theology (aqidah). Far from the stereotype, I have never met any people in my life more committed to the Sharia. Nor have I ever met people so committed to staying true to Islamic orthodoxy.
Just in seemingly mundanes conversations here in Kharabsheh, I find myself learning a plethora of life lessons, whether that be in regard to Islamic jurisprudence, the ontology of God, or the process of purifying one’s heart.I have compiled a list of a few lessons I learned in studying an elementary aqidah (theology) text with a disciple of Shaykh Nuh, who is a scholar of theology and jurisprudence in himself. Without further adieu, here are some of the lessons I learned. 1) If you want to know the character of a man, ask his wife. People may think someone is great, but his wife will tell you how he actually is. One of the greatest proofs of the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad is that he had 11 wives over his lifespan and they all died upon Imaan (faith).2) Humans are never static.
We are always incrementally changing. No one changes in anything overnight. People are either gradually getting better, or gradually getting worse. Every day, you should sure that you are always improving. Do not get worse. If you only pray your Fard(mandatory) prayers, start to pray Sunnah(recommended prayers).
If you are already praying your Sunnah prayers, improve the quality of your prayer or pray nafl (optional prayers).3) Hope in the Mercy of God, and fear of His Justice, are two wings that we need to balance. If one has too much hope, they will become complacent and think they can refuse to follow God’s rules, and do whatever they want, because God is Merciful. If one has too much fear, they will give up. They will inevitably sin (as all humans do), and lose all motivation to better themselves. 4) The believer has great hope in the Mercy of God, while also great fear in His Justice.
It is an understanding of “If everyone were to enter Heaven except for one person, I would think that person is me. And if everyone were to enter Hell except for one person, I would think that person is me.”5) Whether we do something good or bad, we turn to God. If we do something good, we thank God (i.e. Say Alhamdulillah). If we do something wrong, we turn back to God(i.e.
Say Astagfirullah and/or make tawbah).6) Everyone should have a healthy skepticism of their sincerity. Aisha (May God be pleased with her) said: “Only a hypocrite does not believe that they are a hypocrite.”7) You are fighting a constant war of attrition with your carnal desires. Your soul (ruh) and lower self (nafs) battle it out until one party stops fighting. Either your soul gives up and lets your carnal desires overtake you, or your carnal desires cease to exist (i.e. When your physical body dies). Wage war on your carnal desires for as long as you live.8) The sign of guidance is being self-aware, constantly reflecting and taking oneself to task.
The evidence of this is, and thinking well of others. If we find ourselves making excuses for our actions, refusing to, or thinking badly of others, we need to change that.9) The issue with religious people is that they are often tribalistic and exclusivist. The issue with secular people is that they often have no clear meaning in life, and are ignorant of what lies beyond our inevitable death.
One should be able to cultivate this meaning without being tribalistic or arrogant towards others, who have not yet been given guidance.10) There are philosophical questions regarding. But it is ultimately something that is best understood spiritually. An easy first step is to understand the actions of others as predetermined while understanding your response as acts of free will. This prevents one from getting too angry at what others do to them.11) Always think the best of the beliefs of other Muslims. Do not be in a rush to condemn people as heretics or kuffar., and appreciate the wisdom and experiences behind those who may be seemingly strange in their understanding of things.12) Oftentimes, people get obsessed with the problems of society and ignore the need to change themselves. We are not political quietists.
But we recognize that if you want to turn society around, the first step is.13) Do not slam other individuals’ religious beliefs. It leads to arrogance and just makes them more defensive. If you are discussing theology with non-Muslims, be kind to them, even if pointing out flaws in their beliefs. People are more attracted to Islam through people of exemplary character than they are through charismatic debaters or academics that can tear them apart.
As my teacher put it rather bluntly, “Don’t slam Christians on the Trinity. No one can actually explain it anyways.”14) In the early period of Islam, worshipping God with perfection was the default.
Then people strayed away and there was a need to coin this term called “Sufism.” All it means is to have Ihsan (perfection or beauty) in the way you worship God, and in the way you conduct each and every part of your life.
Verily, along with every hardship is relief. Al-Sharḥ 6On my fourth wedding anniversary, two days before our first child was due, my marriage crumbled.
My husband abandoned us without warning, like a thunderstorm that suddenly shifts the winds and darkens the skies on an otherwise clear day and passes just as quickly, leaving in his wake the debris of debt, women, and lies. The next night, I went into labor alone desperately reciting hasbunallahu wa ni` mal wakil, pleading Allāh to save my family, the physical pains of labor engulfed by the sharper, more seething pain of a broken heart. On Friday afternoon, immediately after Jumu‘ah Ṣ al ā h, my son silently entered the world; not a breath, cry or squirm announcing his arrival, prompting a controlled frenzy of doctors and nurses. Although my son survived, my heart died. I sold my house, I resigned from teaching, I struggled to pray. I refused to leave the house for 10 months.Such is the unexpected nature of divorce, splitting asunder the very foundation of a woman’s existence, destroying her confidence, stifling her capacity to love, and paralyzing her faith. It is in this condition that I found myself facing a tremendous test from Allāh – the responsibility of single motherhood.A human being’s instinctual response in the face of tragedy is survival, the struggle to fulfill basic human needs – cleanliness, warmth, sustenance, and sleep.
For a new mother, the needs of her newborn child supersede her own, as she responds to his cries, nursing, changing, and soothing him tirelessly, forcing her into an unfamiliar solitude and causing bouts of anxiety and depression. For a divorced new mother in ‘iddah, the solitude is tenfold, requiring tremendous love, concern, and support from others. Yet, tragedy repels people from the one who suffers. Too numb from my own pain and fatigued from attending to my son, I welcomed the solitude, reflecting on my relationship with Allāh, repenting for my sins, weeping and begging for His mercy. I found solace in the du‘ā’ of Umm Salamah ( ra ḍ yAll ā hu ‘ anha), which she recited after the death of her husband, Abu Salamah, and before her marriage to the Prophet. Oh, Allāh, recompense me for my affliction and replace it with something better.Related Video:youtube 2BQnt33D6KIIn quiet dhikr and reflection, my days ebbed and flowed testing my ṣ abr and building my resilience.Al ḥ amdulill ā h, with time, the fight for survival subsides, the body recovers and grows stronger, as surviving gives way to living. Similarly, a newborn’s dependence advances towards independence – a first smile, the first full night of sleep, first steps, first words.
In response, the mother experiences a catharsis – a flood of emotion that purges her of frustration and fear – and begins to kindle within her genuine love and compassion for the little person emerging before her. It was amongst my son’s firsts that the dam suppressing my sorrow often burst, and the tears gushed forth uncontrollably. In gratitude and humility, the khushū‘ returned in my ṣ al ā h and I began making du‘ā’ with conviction, not yet for myself, but for my son.Just as the surface of a seawall erodes from the ceaseless pounding of salty, ocean waves, so does raising a child soften the hardened edges of a mother’s heart, allowing a peaceful quietude to take root. After returning to teaching, my students and I were discussing Arthur Miller’s ‘ Tragedy and the Common Man’. I hope Allah grants you a husband whom you truly deserve and who deserves you.I remember the days after my marriage had ended.
It was only a few months long and there were no children so it was different and even though alhamdulillah it was a blessing that it ended there was still pain. No one likes to see a sacred union end. There is pain in the ending. So i can only imagine what you must have gone through.Allah tests those whom He loves. Hardships have a way of making our strength come out, our resilience.to make us shine. Assalamualaikum.Your story is very touching.
I have been through an ordeal that has broken me down as well, and those very same verses from Surah Sharh have kept me going. As well as the last verse of Surah Baqarah, the first part which states that Allah does not burden someone beyond which they can bear.Every challenge that we go through is meant to teach us something, make us stronger; wiser; tougher; and humble us.Masha Allah, you have come thus far, and Insha Allah, you will always survive.
With iman.May Allah grant you and your son all the happiness in this world and the hereafter. Insha Allah.Take care. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (may Allah be pleased with him) in the midst of the torture he endured at the hands of his oppressors used to say: baynana wa baynahum aljanaa’iz, which means, “the difference between us and them will show in our funerals.” The man who instigated the ideological deviation that led to his torture was an appointed judge named Ahmad Ibn Abi Du’ad. At the moment of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal making those remarks, it appeared Imam Ahmad would die disgraced in a dungeon but Ahmad Ibn Abi Du’ad would have a state funeral with thousands of mourners. Instead, Imam Ahmad persevered through his struggle, was embraced by the people, and honored by Allah with the biggest Janazah ever known to the Arabs with millions of people pouring in from all over.
Ahmad Ibn Abu Du’ad was cast aside and buried without anyone attending his janazah out of revulsion.Now sometimes righteous people do die in isolation, and wicked people are given grand exits. There are people like Uthman Ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) who was murdered by the people of fitnah, then buried at night far away from the people out of fear of the large numbers that would’ve poured out to his janazah and potentially mobilized against his oppressors. But it may be that Allah inspired Imam Ahmad with the vision to see his victory in this life before the next. To elaborate a bit on his statement though, allow me to reflect:A wise man once said to me. “Always put your funeral in front of you, and work backwards in constructing your life accordingly.”With the deaths of righteous people, that advice always advances to the front of my thoughts. When a person passes away, typically only good things will be said of them. But it’s important to pay attention to 2 aspects about those good things being said:1.
Is there congruence in the particular good quality being attested to about the deceased.2. Are those good qualities being attested to actually truly of the deceased.
The first one deals with consistency of character, the second one with sincerity of intention which is only known by the Creator and His servant. In regards to the first one, take.
Everyone that spoke of her said practically the same thing about how she interacted with them and/or benefitted them. There is complete harmony with all of the testimonies about her. And in that case we all become the witnesses of our sister on the day of judgment, testifying to her good character.For many that pass away, neither the deceased nor the community fully appreciates the way they benefitted others until that day. It was narrated that when Zainul Abideen Ali Ibn Al Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them), the great grandson of the Prophet passed away, he had marks on his shoulders from the bags he used to carry to the doorsteps of the poor at night when no one else was watching. The narrations state that the people of Madinah used to live off his charity not knowing the source of it until his death.How many people will miss you when you die because of the joy you brought to their lives?
How many of those that you comforted when they were abandoned by others? That you spent on when they were deprived by others? That you advocated for when they were oppressed by others?Will your family miss you because of an empty bed in the home or a deep void in their hearts?
Will it be the loss of your spending only that grieves them, or the loss of your smile? Will it be the loss of the stability you provided them only, or the loss of your service and sacrifices for them?But Zainul Abideen didn’t care for the recipients of his charity to know that he was the source of it, because He was fully in tune with it’s true Divine source. He didn’t want to be thanked in this world, but in the next. He didn’t want the eulogy, he wanted Eternity.He understood that if you become distracted by the allure of this world, you may merely become of it. Focus on bettering the future which you cannot escape, rather than the present that you cannot dictate.
Focus on the interview with the One who needs no resume, rather than the judgments of those who are just as disposable as you. اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ خَيْرَ زَمَانِيْ آخِرَهُ، وَخَيْرَ عَمَلِيْ خَوَاتِمَهُ، وَخَيْرَ أَيَّامِيْ يِوْمَ أَلقَاكَ“O Allah, let the best of my lifetime be its ending, and my best deed be that which I seal my life with, and the best of my days the day I meet You.”Which brings us to the second aspect of your funeral,. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “increase your remembrance of the destroyer of pleasures.” Death only destroys the temporary pleasures of this world, not the pleasure of the Most Merciful in the next. Keeping that in perspective will help you work towards that without being distracted.
If it is the praise of the people you seek, that is as temporary as the world that occupies both your worldly vehicle ie. Your body, and your companions in this world who shall perish soon after you.The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned the one who passes away with the people lavishing praise on him that he is unworthy of. In a narration in Al Tirmidhi, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No one dies and they stand over him crying and saying: ‘Oh what a great man he was! Oh how honored he was!’ except that two angels are appointed for him to poke him and say: Is that really you?”But if it is Allah’s praise that you sought all along, the deeds that you put forth shall await you in your grave in the form of heavenly ornaments.
Those that were known to the community, those that were known to only a select few, and those that were known by no one but Allah and you.May Allah give us all a good ending, and an even better eternity. The Quran tells the reader of the in two ways. First, worship, which is the essence of the relationship between man and the Creator, is conditional to gratitude “ and be grateful to Allah if it is indeed Him that you worship” (2:172). The verse suggests that in order for an individual to truly worship Allah then they must express gratitude to Allah and that an ungrateful individual cannot be a worshiper of Allah. The second verse states the following “And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me” (2:152). The Arabic word used, translated here as ‘deny,’ is kufr which linguistically means to cover up. The word was adopted by the Quran to refer to someone who rejects Allah after learning of Him.
Both the linguistic and Quranic definitions are possibly meant in this verse and both arrive at the same conclusion. That is, the absence of gratitude is an indicator of one’s rejection of Allah; the question is how and why? What Does Shukr Mean?Understanding a Quranic concept begins with understanding the word chosen by the Quran. The word shukr is used throughout the Quran and is commonly translated as gratitude. From a purely linguistic definition, shukr is “the effect food has on the body of an animal” (Ibn Qayyim v.
What is meant here is that when an animal eats food it becomes heavier which has a clear and visible effect on the animal. Therefore, shukr is the manifestation of a blessing or blessings on the entirety of a person.
From here, spiritualists understood the goal of shukr and added an extra element to the definition and that is the acknowledgment that those blessings are from Allah. Thus, the definition of shukr as an Islamic spiritual concept is “the manifestation of Allah’s blessings verbally through praise and acknowledgment; emotionally on the heart through witnessing the blessings and loving Allah; and physically through submission and servitude” (Ibid).Based on this definition, the goal of shukr can be broken into five categories. First, gratitude that brings about the submission of the individual to his benefactor. In order for an act to be worthy of gratitude, the beneficiary must conclude that the benefactor’s action was done for the sake of the beneficiary – thus making the benefactor benevolent. In other words, the benefactor is not benefiting in the least (Emmons et al 2004 p. When the individual recognizes his benefactor, Allah, as being completely independent of the individual and perfect in of himself, one concludes that the actions of the benefactor are purely in the best interest of the beneficiary resulting in the building of trust in Allah. The Quran utilizes this point multiple times explicitly stating that Allah has nothing to gain from the creations servitude nor does he lose anything from because of their disobedience (Q 2:255, 4:133, 35:15, 47:38).
Through shukr, a person’s spirituality increases by recognizing Allah’s perfection and their own imperfection thus building the feeling of need for Allah and trust in him (Emmons et al 2002 p. Gratitude in Knowing That Allah Loves UsThe second category is love for the benefactor. Similar to the previous category, by identifying the motive of the benefactor one can better appreciate their favors. “Gratitude is fundamentally a moral affect with empathy at its foundation: In order to acknowledge the cost of the gift, the recipient must identity with the psychological state of the one who has provided it” (Emmons 2002 p. That is, by recognizing Allah’s perfection one concludes that his blessings are entirely in the best interest of the beneficiary despite not bringing any return to Him. In sum, these verses bring light to the crucial role shukr plays in faith. It serves as a means to better know Allah which can be achieved through a series of phases.
First, the individual must search for the blessings which then leads to a shift in perspective from focusing on the wants to focusing on what is available. This leads to greater appreciation and recognition of the positives in one’s life allowing the person more optimism.
Second, the person must link those blessings to the benefactor – Allah – which reveals many elements of who He is and His concern for His creation. Once this is internalized in the person’s hearts, its benefits begin to manifest itself on the person’s heart, mind, and body; it manifests itself in the form of love for Allah and submission to him.
Shukr ultimately reveals the extent of Allah’s love and concern for the individual which therein strengthens the trust and love of the individual for Allah and ultimately their submission to Him.Allah knows best.Emmons, Robert A., and Charles M. “Gratitude and the science of positive psychology.” Handbook of positive psychology 18 (2002): 459-471.Emmons, Robert A., and Michael E.
McCullough, eds. The psychology of gratitude.
Oxford University Press, 2004.Jawziyyah, Ibn Qayyim. Madārij al-sālikīn bayn manāzil iyyāka naʿbud wa iyyāka nastaʿīn مدارج السالكين بين منازل إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين The Levels of Spirituality between the Dynamics of “It is You Alone we Worship and it is You Alone we Seek Help From. Cario: Hadith Publications, 2005.Islamically speaking, it is not befitting to claim that Allah has a psyche or that he can be analyzed psychologically.Download a longer version of this article here.
The Messenger of Allah said that the faith in our hearts wears out the way our clothes wear out. Deterioration, maintenance, and renewal are part of the cycle. That’s life with all that hurts. That’s normal.But what happens when that’s life, but life is not your normal? What happens when it feels like life isn’t normal, hasn’t been normal, and won’t be normal for a foreseeably long time? For some of us, refreshing faith becomes secondary to just keeping it.It’s easier to say Alhamdulillah when you are happy. It’s harder when you’re not.
That’s human nature though. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with what we teach about faith that can leave us unprepared for when Allah tests it. I believe that our discussions about faith tend to be overly simplistic. They revolve around a few basic concepts, and are more or less summed up with. Good Deeds Equals Good Life?Basically, the TLDR is Good Deeds = The Good Life. None of these statements are technically untrue. The sweetness of faith is a joy that is beyond any other gratitude, for any other thing in this world. Righteousness in the sight of Allah will put you on the path to the good life in the afterlife.
Making dua can be the solution to your problems. But when we say these things to people who have true faith but not happiness, or righteous behavior yet distressing hardship, we’re kind of implying that that either Islam is broken (because their prayers seem unanswered), or they are broken (because their prayers are undeserving of answers.) And neither of those is true either.Allow me to elaborate. I think it’s safe to say that there is not a single parent who has not begged Allah to make their sick or disabled child well again. Yet, our Ummah still has sick and disabled children. Through history, people have begged Allah for a loved one’s life, and then buried them – so is prayer not equal to problem solved?Many righteous people stand up, and are then ostracized for their faith. Many of us live with complete conviction, with unshakeable belief in the existence and wisdom and mercy of Allah, and still find ourselves unhappy and afraid of what He has willed for us. Are We Broken?No, but our spiritual education is. In order to fix it, we have to be upfront with each other.
We have to admit that we can be happy with Allah and still find ourselves devastated by the tests He puts before us, because faith is not a protection from struggle.Has anyone ever said this to you? Have you ever said this to anyone else?No one ever told me. It was hard for me to learn that lesson on my own, when I pleaded with Allah to make my son’s autism go away, and it didn’t.
Everyone told me – Make dua! The prayer of a mother for her child is special!
Allah will never turn you down!It was hard trying to make sense of what seemed like conflicting messages- that Allah knows best, but a mother’s prayer is always answered. It was even harder facing people who tried to reassure me of that, even when it obviously wasn’t working.“Just make dua! Allah will respond!”I’m sure people mean well.
But it’s hard not to be offended. Either they assume I have never bothered, or they imply that there must be good reason why Allah’s not granting to my prayers.
What they don’t consider is that allowing my test to persist – even if I don’t want it to- is also a valid response from Allah.I have been told to think back in my life, and try to determine what sin caused my child’s disability, as if the only reason why Allah wouldn’t give me what I asked for was because I was so bad I didn’t deserve it. As if good deeds equaled the good life, and if my life wasn’t good, it’s because I hadn’t been good either. Bad Things Happen to Good PeopleYou can assume whatever you like about my character, but bad things do happen to good people, even when they pray. You can try your hardest and still fall short. You can pray your whole life for something that will never come to you. And strength of faith in that circumstance doesn’t mean living in a state of unfulfilled hope, it means accepting the wisdom in the test that Allah has decreed for you.That’s a bit uncomfortable, isn’t it.
When we talk about prayer and hope, we prefer to talk about Zakariyyah – who begged Allah for a child and was gifted with one long after anyone thought it even possible. But we also need to talk about Abu Talib.The Prophet Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib, and in his mission to preach Islam he was protected by Abu Talib.
But Abu Talib died without accepting Islam, was there something wrong with the Prophet, that Allah did not give him what he asked for? Was he not good enough?
Did he not pray hard enough? Astaghfirullah, no. So if Prophets of God can ask for things and still not get them, why are we assuming otherwise for ourselves? Making a Bargain with AllahIf we can understand that faith is not a contract for which we trade prayers for services, then maybe we can cope better when fate cannot be bargained with. Maybe it won’t have to hurt so bad – on spiritual level – when Allah withholds what we ask for, even when we asked for the “right” things in the right way and at all the right times.Life is not simple.
Faith is not simple. The will of Allah is not simple, no matter how much we want it to be, and when oversimplify it, we create a Muslim version of Prosperity Gospel without meaning to.If you’ve never heard of it, prosperity gospel is a religious belief among some Christians that health and wealth and success are the will of God, and therefore faith, good deeds and charity increase one’s wellbeing. Have faith, and God will reward you in this life and the next. But it’s too simple. Because the belief that Good Deeds = The Good Life doesn’t explain how Ibraheem ’s father tried to have him burnt alive.Yusuf ’s brothers left him for dead in the bottom of a well. He grew up a slave and spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Aasiya – the wife of the Pharoah – one of the four best women in the history of womankind – died from her husband’s torture.Good people are not guaranteed good lives.
Islam is what we need, not a system of practices that we use to fulfill our needs.When we limit our understanding of faith to a simplistic, almost contractual relationship with Allah, then we can’t even explain the things that Allah Tested His own prophets with.Nor can we understand, or even begin to cope with- what He Tests the rest of us with either. We have to be real in our talk about faith, because otherwise we set each other up for unrealistic expectations and lack of preparation for when we face hardship. Faith is not protection from hardship. Faith is part of hardship. And hardship is part of faith.Allah asks us in the opening of Surah ‘Ankabut,Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test? We certainly tested those before them.
And ˹in this way˺ Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.Allah says in Surah Baqarah, ayah 155: “And most certainly shall We try you by means of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of lives and of the fruits of your labor. But give glad tidings to those who are patient in adversity.Allah Tests Everyone DifferentlyAllah tests each of us differently, but in every single case – every single time – a test is an invitation to success.
Hardship is the process through which we prove ourselves. Experiencing it– and then drawing closer to Allah through it –is how faith is tested as well as strengthened.If we can change how we perceive hardship, then we can also change how we perceive each other. On our cultural subconscious, we still see worldly failure as being equivalent to spiritual failure. So when we see people who are homeless, we assume fault. When we see people facing depression or divorce, we assume fault. We even look at refugees and victims and special needs children and we look for fault. Because if it’s that bad then it’s has to be someone’s fault, right?Fault is how we place blame.
Blame is how we know whose mistake it is. But the will of Allah is never a mistake, it’s a test. Instead of faulting each other for what Allah tests us with, we could respect each other for the struggles we all endure. We could see each other with more compassion for our challenges, and less aversion when Allah tests us with dealing each other.So when you’ve done things the right way, but the right things aren’t happening.
Or you’ve been charitable to others, and they’re being evil towards you. Or you’ve earned only halal, but haram- it’s been taken away from you, remember this- your faith is being tested. Allah tests those that He loves.
When He raises the difficulty level, Allah is extending a direct invitation for you to climb higher. So How Do We Succeed When Faced With Failure?The first thing to do is redefine failure. There is only one true failure in this life, and that is dying on the wrong side of Siraat ul Mustaqeem, because if close your eyes and wake up in Jahannam, no success in this life can compensate for that.I find that helpful to remember, when I fail to stay fit because I can’t exercise without hurting myself, when because it’s dangerous for me to do so- when I fail to discover a cure for my family’s personal assortment of medical issues through rigorous internet “research,” none of that is my failure either. And I can feel a lot of different ways about these situations, but I do not feel guilty- because it’s not my fault.
And I do not feel bitter, because my test is my honor. Even when I do feel scared.Being scared in not a failure either. Neither is being unemployed. Being unmarried is not a failure. Being childless is not a failure. Being divorced is not a failure.
Nothing unpleasant or miserable or unexpected is a failure. It’s all just a test, and seeing it as a test means you have the state of mind to look for the correct answers.Not even sin is failure, because as long as you are alive, your sin stands as an invitation to forgiveness. The bigger the sin, the greater the blessings of repenting from it. Everything that goes bad is the opening of the door for good. A major sin can be the first step on a journey that starts with repentance and moves you closer to Allah every day thereafter. Sin only becomes failure when it takes you farther away from Allah, rather than closer to him. Jahannam is the Only FailureAddiction is not a failure.
Depression is not a failure. Poverty is not a failure. Jahannam is the only failure. Everything else is a gap in expectations.You assumed you would have something, but it’s not written for you.
You assumed you’d ask Allah for something and He’d give it to you, but what is that assumption based on again? That good deeds are the guarantee to the good life, and that prayer equals problem solved?Allah has all the knowledge, Allah has the wisdom, Allah is the best of Planners – how are you assuming that your wishes supersede His will?
Even when you put your wishes in the form of a prayer?They don’t. It is absolutely true that Allah may choose to rewrite Qadr itself based on your prayers – but that’s still His choice.
Allah has always, and will always be in control of this world. And that means your world too. If you still think you’re in control, you will find it really, really hard to cope the first time you realize you’re not.When we understand that we don’t get to control what happens and what doesn’t, we can then release ourselves from the misplaced guilt of things going wrong. Lots of special needs parents struggle with guilt.
I meet them often – and every single parent has asked the question- directly or indirectly-What did I do for my child to deserve this?Can you hear the presumption in there? That the parents were good, so why did something bad happen? They were expecting for good deeds to equal the good life.There’s a second presumption in there too, that their life choices were a determining factor of what happened to their child.
That is a presumption of control. And as long as you try to hold on to that presumption of control, there is the constant feeling of failure when it just doesn’t work the way you think it will.I am not proposing that we lose hope in Allah and despair of His Mercy.
I am in no way insinuating that Allah doesn’t hear every prayer, hasn’t counted every tear, and isn’t intimately aware of your pain and your challenges. Allah hears your prayers, and in His wisdom, sometimes he grants us exactly what we want. In His Wisdom, sometimes he grants us exactly what we need.Even if we don’t see it.Even if it scares us.Even if it hurts us – because Allah has promised that He will never, ever break us.Allah Tests Us in His MercyI am proposing that we put trust in the wisdom of Allah, and understand that when He tests us, that is part of his mercy, not a deviation from it. When He grants something to us, that is part of His mercy, and when he withholds something from us, that too is part of His Mercy, even if we don’t like it. Even when we ask Him to take it away.The third thing I would like to propose, is that we correct our understanding of – Fa Inna Ma’Al usri yusraa, Inna Ma’al usri yusra.So verily, definitely, for sure- with hardship there is ease.
Again, Inna – for sure, with hardship there is ease.I’m sure lots of you have said this to people you loved, or to yourself when you’re struggling with something and you’re just trying to get through it. But did you mean that this hardship will end, and then things will be good again?
Like as soon as things have been hard for a while, Allah will make them easy again?Would you believe that’s not really what that means? Ma’a means with, not after. With this hardship, there is ease. And maybe you’re like aww man, but I wanted the ease! I want the hardship to go away and Allah I’m ready for my ease now!But that hardship, will bring you ease. Allah does not tell us what the ease will be, or when it will be- but He says it’s there, so trust Him. Even if you can’t see it right away, or in this life –it will become apparent.I can tell you some of the ease I found with mine.
Learning When It HurtsWhen my son was diagnosed with autism, my husband and I had to drop everything. We dropped our plans to save, to travel, and to live the charmed life of neurotypical parents whose only fears are that their children may grow up and NOT become Muslim doctors. We spent our earnings and our savings and our time and our nights and our tears and Alhamdulillah, we learned patience. We learned perspective. We learned compassion.We really learned what we thought we already knew – about unconditional love and acceptance. We learned to be bigger than our fears, and smaller than our own egos. We learned to give and take help.
We learn to accept what wisdom our cultures could offer us, and respectfully decline what did not. We learn to set boundaries and make rules that did justice by our children and our family, regardless of whether they were popular.
With hardship comes ease.When we couldn’t afford therapy for my son, my husband and I founded a that provided it for my son and dozens of other people’s sons and daughters. Three and a half years ago I left that organization to seek better educational opportunities for my son here in the US, but. The seed that our challenges planted has grown into something beyond us. With our hardship came ease for ourselves and others as well.When, my health issues were upgraded from challenging to permanent. I had to rethink how I lived, how I planned, how I dressed, and even – my relationship with Allah. But if I had never been sick, I would never have started writing. When it hurt, I wrote.
When I was scared, I wrote. When I was lonely, I wrote. And by and by the grindstone of fear and sickness and frustration sharpened my skills. Where I am today both spiritually and professionally – is actually a direct result of both autism and chronic illness. With hardship comes ease.I don’t like my hardships, but I don’t have to. You don’t have to either.
Being a good Muslim doesn’t always mean being a happy Muslim. It just means being Muslim, no matter the circumstances.That means loving Allah and trusting the Wisdom and Purpose in everything He throws your way – even if not loving everything He throws your way. You may hate your circumstances, and you may not be able to do anything about them, but as long as you trust Allah and use your hardships to come closer to him, you cannot fail, even if this life, you feel as if you never really succeeded.Faith Wears Out In Our hearts, The Way Our Cothes Wear Out on Our BodiesThe hardship that damages and stains us is Allah’s invitation to repair, renew, and refresh ourselves. Our test are an invitation, an opportunity, an obstacle – but not a punishment or divine cruelty.
And when we know that those tests will come, and some may even stay, then we can be better prepared for it.Trust Allah when He says that He does not burden any soul with more than it can bear. He told us so in Surah Baqarah Ayah 286. Remember that when you are afraid, and Allah will never cause your fear to destroy you. Take your fear to Allah, and He will strengthen you, and reward you for your bravery.Remember that when you are in pain. Allah will never cause your pain to destroy you. Take your pain to Him, and He will soothe you and reward you for your patience.
Take it all to Allah – the loneliness, the anxiety, the confusion. Do not assume that the only emotions a “good Muslim” takes to Allah are gratitude and happiness and awe. Take them all to Allah, uncertainty, disappointment, anger — and He will bless you in all of those states, and guide you to what is better for you in this life, and the next, even if it’s not what you expected.The struggles in your life are a test, and whether you pass or fail is not determined on whether you conquer them, only on whether you endure them. Expect that they will come, because having faith is not protection from struggle.
Faith is protection from being broken by the struggle.I ask Allah to protect us all from hardship, but protect us in our hardships as well. I ask Allah to grant us peace from His peace, and strength from His strength, to patiently endure and grow through our endurance.Ameen.