Humbling oneself

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Last week spoke of the one of favours Allah has granted to the believers, and that is the sending of the Messenger . Another beautiful favour He has bestowed upon us is the ability to individually meet with Him.

Even amongst human beings it is sometimes difficult to meet with them. And there is sometimes so much protocol that follows. But look at how favourable Allah has been to us. He has allocated time for each believer everyday for us to meet with Him. He has given us ‘appointments’ where we can worship Him and let Him know of our complaints. This is the great blessing of salaat. Every believer has an appointed time where we speak face to face to the Creator. And there is no big set of protocol to adhere to, just purify yourself before salaat and that’s it.

Salaat has tremendous benefits, both in this life and the next. Unfortunately there are situation where some pray their salaat but they haven’t gotten the true message of it. Salaat is looked at as a sort of ritual. What Allah wants from His servants is for us to lose our identity in front of Him. To demonstrate total submission to Him. If someone is worshipping sincerely and still possesses some traces of arrogance then something is wrong. He hasn’t gotten the true message of prayer. Salaat teaches you humility. For example in sajdah we take the highest part of our body and rest it on the ground, and we acknowledge that Allah is The Highest; ‘Subhana rabbiyal aala’ - Glorified is my Lord, The Most High.

Allah has given us the example of Satan to teach us about arrogance. Satan refused to prostrate when he was ordered to and he was kicked out of the Garden and was forever cursed. Salaat is meant for us to ‘hammer out’ the unwanted qualities we possess in our personalities, and only then one would have benefitted from salaat. Salaat is a discipline and that is why only Muslims are blessed with this institution. The past nations were given this favour but they demonstrated arrogance. For example Allah speaks of the refusal of the Jews to prostrate in Surah Baqara;

‘and remember We said: "Enter this town, and eat of the plenty therein as ye wish; but enter the gate with humility, in posture and in words, and We shall forgive you your faults and increase (the portion of) those who do good.’ (2:58)

Prophet (saw) use to humble himself for an entire night in front of his Lord. And even when he dealt with the disbelievers he demonstrated humility. For example when he encountered to old woman who was leaving Makkah due to the ‘rumoured’ confusion that Muhammad was causing. Not only did he tolerate the words the woman had to say concerning him but he also helped her carry her bags to and from her destination, demonstrating total humility. This is humility we are lacking in our personalities. At the end of the day each of us is going in the same hole. And we can’t ‘carry over’ our wealth and status in the next world. Learn to humble yourself. Forget the ‘I am this’ attitude.

If you are on the spiritual path you have to lose your identity in front of your Lord. The great Masheikh Hazrat Sheikh Juniad once asked Allah how can a person attain closeness to Him. The answer he got was simple; ‘leave your nafs and come’. Control your desires and eradicate your ego. The Companions was the best in demonstrating this and as a result they prospered. They learnt to say ‘Allah and His rasool ’. Even though they knew the answer to a question posed to them, they always replied ‘Allah and His rasool ’. And one time a few of them demonstrated they materialistic cravings during the battle of Uhud and the Prophet (saw) was placed in great danger so much so that he could have lost his life.

When you think only of yourself you will suffer. Allah shows us this with the selfishness and arrogance of Satan. Discipline yourself. Put your affairs in Allah’s care and you will receive so much blessing. This is why the 5th stage in spirituality is called ‘realization’. When you realize that you are nothing and that Allah is everything, you will understand that your importance is solely because of His Mercies on you, and that your success is because He has been gracious to you. He once told Prophet Musa (as), “O Musa! Ask Me for everything, even the mending of your shoelace”.

Every time you think of yourself say or feel some sort of arrogance building say ‘A'udu billahi min-ashaytan-irrajiim’ - I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed’. Put your faith and trust in Him and insha Allah He will take care of your affairs in this world and the next.

The great favour from Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Muslims are a very special group of people; and one reason that alludes to this is that Allah has given the believers a very special Messenger. Allah makes mention of this in Surah Imran;

“Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them an apostle from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.” (3: 164)

He sent a Messenger who taught us how to purify ourselves; how to recite the His Glorious Words, how to understand the Messages contained in the Book, and the wisdom contained in the Verses of the Book. And he further taught us how to use the Book to our benefit in both worlds.

It is part of our Beliefs that Allah sent revealed Books to some of the past Messengers. But where are those books today? Where are the Books of Jesus, David, Moses and Abraham (may Allah be pleased with them)? Not a single authentic copy of any one of the Books previously revealed is available. So that, the followers of those faiths that were given revealed Books are deprived of the opportunity to read what was actually revealed.

But in the case of Islam, today, so many centuries after, the Qur’an was revealed, it is still preserved. Not a single dot has been added or subtracted. And when Allah sent the Book for mankind He sent the best of all creations to teach it, explain it and to live according to its teachings in order that we may be able to apply its teachings in our daily lives.

The Qur'an was sent to take mankind out of darkness and put them into light, but how can a person utilize it without having an expert to teach and explain it.

Take for example Hazrat Umar (ra). He was someone that had considerable knowledge and wisdom. His foresight was recognised by the Prophet (pboh). As an expression of recognition of Umar's capability the Prophet is reported to have said “if ever there was to be Prophet after me surely it would have been Umar”. And even Hazrat Umar (ra) used to go to Hazrat Zaid (ra) and others for the knowledge of the meaning on certain surahs’ and ayats’.

To further emphasize this great favour; Allah has made it that the Sunnah of Prophet (saw) is recorded in the books of ahadith. His daily life, both day and night, is recorded for all of humanity to learn and take pattern from it. And he is the best model and exemplar for us. And following his Sunnah has great benefit. For Example Joseph (as) and his brother Benjamin followed the sunnah of their father Prophet Jacob (as) and his other brothers deviated from that teaching. In the end when all were reunited Joseph (as) said

‘Allah has indeed been gracious to us (all): Behold, He that is righteous and patient, - never will Allah suffer the reward to be lost, of those who do right’. (12:90)

If you don’t see the benefit here you will in the hereafter. He has taught us the wisdom contained it the Qur’an. For example he has told us the benefits for reciting certain Surahs at certain times; he has taught us the consequences of certain actions. And history records the end of those who sincerely follow and obey the Messenger.

Before Islam the Arabs were a barbaric group. So much so that they used to actually bury their baby girls alive. And look at how refined they became. Some of them even knew their faith in the next world. The Asharatul Mubash-sharah; the 10 companions who received the glad tidings of Jannah while still in this world; how did they achieve this? By following and obeying the Messenger .

Today, sadly we see people argue ‘if you don’t love Prophet(saw)you’ll go to hell’. Others argue that ‘following the Prophet(saw)is simply to follow his sunnah’. And unfortunately they will continue fighting. We cannot ‘talk love’. Cherish this great gift Allah has blessed us with. Establish a close relationship with Prophet(saw)and the rewards will be great in this world and the next.

Remember he has said that on the Day of judgement “amongst my followers some will have the status of the Messengers of the Bani Israel.” Prophet Moses (as) struck the rock and water began flowing. Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) ate a chicken and when he was finished collected the bones and blew over it and the chicken came back to life. So even here we see the manifestation of this hadith.

When Allah says that He has conferred a great favour on the believers, He means, in addition to all that is contained in Religion of Islam, the way a believer has to live; for example, the care taken to stay pure and clean, the knowledge available in the verses of the Holy Book; and the focus and goal of life.

It should therefore be the mission of every true believer to get close to the Lord; and one sure way of achieving this is to attach yourself to the things He loves. Allah loves Prophet(saw); there is no doubt in this. One of his names is ‘Habibullah’ – the beloved of Allah . The more you attach yourself to him the higher you will ascend insha Allah.

Remember the higher you ascend spiritually and morally the clearer will be your understanding of Islam as the one who is on the top of the mountain will be able to see further away from the one who is stuck at the foot of it. And the more enlightened you become the more of the Qur’an you will be able to understand and the more guided you will be, as Allah says of the enlightened; they are ‘men endued with understanding’.

Don’t waste life by getting mixed up with those who argue and fight, and those who constantly deny and criticize. Follow the teachings of our beloved Prophet(saw). His life is recorded for us to take pattern. He was able to ascend right up to meet his Lord in this world and he opened the way for those who wish to do the same. To ‘climb up’ to Allah is never easy but falling into the pits is; as it is easier to fall than to climb. Remember, he is a favour of Allah to us.

Beg Allah to make the journey back to Him easy and bearable and may He enable us to pattern the life of the ‘gift’ He has blessed us with, the best of all creations; Hazrat Muhammad Mustapha (saw) .