Reflections from October 31, 2006

"That man can have nothing but what he strives for ;( 39) that (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight: (40) and afterward he will be repaid for it with fullest payment;" (41) [An-Najm: 39-41]

Striving for What?
Allah mentions in these verses that every person will be given according to what they strove for, and shortly that striving will be seen.
I wonder, what am I striving for? What are my efforts going towards? What is taking my energy? And I also wonder, if I was to see it, this thing, that occupies my day and leaves me exhausted, will I cringe, will I be ashamed to see what I have given importance to in my life?
Before I lie down to sleep if I was to write about what I did today, what has made me tired, what would be on that list? Household chores, mindless conversations, unnecessary trips to the mall, overeating, over socializing... How would I feel for this to be analyzed and looked upon by Allah and every person on the Day of Judgment?
What does my striving show about me as a person? Am I deluded by this world, do my actions and my efforts show that I do not really have conviction that Allaah will raise me, show me what I have done, and question me? Am I satisfied with the comforts and small pleasures in this life...because it would seem everything that we give priority and work for is a means of betterment for ourselves in this world, or for extra comfort and luxury. We work hard at school/college/university so we may get good jobs, earn money live well, be given respect. We clean our houses with vigor and decorate for our own comfort here. We socialize and buy many things to fill the void within ourselves, to make ourselves 'content'.
If only we could remember death, that our life is short, one that is reaching towards the end. If only we could have yaqeen (conviction) in what Allaah will give for our efforts for the Akhira, that it will be real, that it will last forever and that it will be far superior to anything in this world.
May Allaah make us focused in our lives, and help us to spend or energy and efforts in that which will benefit us ultimately. Aameen.
- Samera Nawaz (London)

You have to strive to survive. This has been the concept today and since the beginning of time. When one gives up striving he then becomes a loser. In day to day life we have to strive to live, strive to earn, strive to support. You get paid because of how much you strive at work. This is a cycle of this dunya. To get the best, you always have to strive. You know you have to strive to pass classes in school, get scholarships, get good jobs, and be successful in life. What about your Akhirah? You can’t just slack off and expect to get Jannah. You have to strive to get Jannah, strive to get Allah's pleasure, strive for Allah's mercy; you can’t just sit there and expect it all. Just the way you strive in this life to make your dunya, strive to make your Akhirah. Remember you only get what you strive for.
- Ayesha Ahmed (Texas)

In Surah An-Najm verses 39-41, Allah (s.w.t) is reminding us that; there shall be nothing for a man except for what he strives for, his effort will be scrutinized, and he shall be fully recompensed for it.
When we went over these verses in tafseer class, lots of questions arose. What it is that we are striving for? This temporary life? Where is our effort being put? We work hard, and get tired at the end of the day; Why not add something to those efforts that will last us an eternity?
Do we really believe that it is Allah that will reward us? Are we willing to wait for that? Or would we rather be immediately 'rewarded' (with praise, high status in society, etc.) by other humans? Will that be of any use to us when we stand before Allah?
What part of our efforts have we saved for the Hereafter? When our efforts from this life are scrutinized, how much will be left for Allah to reward us with?
The reason Allah (s.w.t) created us, is to test us. To see how much, who will strive, and in what direction? We need to step back, take a look at ourselves and re-think our purpose in life. With how much conviction do we believe in the Hereafter? Where and for what have we been striving for? And InshaAllah from now on what will we be the striving for? Once we are convinced that we must work for the next, eternal life and that it is our Creator that will reward us, InshaAllah we should be headed in the right direction.
- Ayesha Baig (California)

What do you strive for... what do you work for... what do you sweat for......
- Nabila Naz (New Jersey)

Man will get what he has strived for! What do I strive for? For worldly things, we are willing to give up our lives. Studying for university we can spend sleepless nights, give up outings with friends, forget about food, nothing matters... because we have a goal in front of us and we are so focused on it that we don't even realize what exactly we are giving up. But the minute it comes to Quran, we think of all these things first. Why have we lost our focus, why are we so reluctant to give up even a small thing for Allah. The answer is...we need to have full YAQEEN that Allah will surely and definitely give us reward for our efforts. So lets start and change something today, and do it Only and Solely for Allah.
- Saba Paracha

That to thy Lord is the final Goal; [An-Najm: 42]
Are we striving to achieve the final goal… success in the hereafter?
People have different goals in life. Some give their profession their priority, some keep making money as their aim, and some live for their families and so on. Their lives revolve around all this. They have very limited approach towards their lives. They either do not have any concept of the hereafter or it’s vague. Their busy involvement in other aspects of life makes them forget about the biggest and most obvious fact; which is that they will die one day.
Our goals set our directions. If it’s not akhira based, would it lead us to success? As is said in surah Al-Kahf: 103-105."Say: shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life. While they thought that they are acquiring good by their works. They are those who deny the signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him {in the here after}: vain will be their works. Nor shall We, on the day of judgment, give them any weight."
- Ayesha Asad (Etobicoke)

"As for those who avoid the [truly] grave sins and shameful deeds - even though they may some­times stumble behold, thy Sustainer is abounding in forgiveness. He is fully aware of you when He brings you into being out of dust, and when you are still hidden in your mothers’ wombs: do not, then, consider your­selves pure - [for] He knows best as to who is conscious of Him."[An-Najm: 32]
The problem with us is that we want to look good in the sight of others, we want to get people's praise, and we want every one to be impressed with us… For this desire of acceptance, we go about doing anything… We sometimes force ourselves to do the things which can get us people's praises...
All this striving for satisfying our Nafs...
Why can't we put the same amount of efforts to make us worthy of angel's praise and Allah's pleasure?
- Maryam Saeed (Mississauga)

Allah knows us since...
Allah knows me since I was created from the earth!, I have known this reality for many years, but reading this verse with word to word translation in class and at home sort of brought the reality into a real image in front of me...He knows me before a part of me was a chromosomal unit inside my mum's body, He knows my "ingredients"... He knowsmy structural constituents...in fact upon His command was I formed in the form of a zygote and onwards, He must've said "Be" and I became...and one day [that He has already written in His book] upon His command I shall cease to be!...Is it sanely conceivable then that I should live the period between the 2 commands in His disobedience...? I keep giving myself reminders but I keep falling into oblivion as well....simultaneously.How foolish of me then to try and "provide" Or "present" an image of my Iman... even when I make dua in a dark corner in my room with no one but Him listening and seeing me... let alone in the presence of others. He knows us inside out... that's a very complex reality, but the more I think about it, I feel as if that's the only most powerful motivator for us to rise above our weaknesses and weave the fabric of our character thicker andstronger... upon Taqwa.
He knows us from before day 1... It’s promising too! He would know then wherewe are coming from when we "flee towards Him"... and will reward for every inch! As much as its embarrassing to look back at how we've lived far from the required "momin" criteria, and how we've portrayed ourselves in front of the whole world, it’s also kind of comforting that He knows what went into making us, what we are, and what we were, and that as in verse 40: "And indeed his efforts/ deeds will be seen"May Allah help us keep striving for the sake of His Pleasure Aameen.
- Aasiya Amir (Mississauga)

Learn to Cry
That [Last Hour] which is so near draws ever nearer, (57) [although] none but God can unveil it. (58) Do you, perchance, find this tiding strange? (59) And do you laugh instead of weeping, (60) and divert yourselves all the while? (61) [Nay,] but prostrate yourselves before God, and worship [Him alone]! (62) [An-Najm: 58-62]
These Ayahs talk about Qiyamah... that it is very close and is drawing near... people question much about it, they make fun, not taking it seriously, and some actually want to see it!!... Today, each time I did my lesson, ayah 60 caught my attention and I had to stop each time with stress 'Do you wonder at this revelation, and laugh instead of weeping?'...why is it that we think there is time! That Qiyamah is far! The major signs have not appeared yet! Do we really have time? What about the previous generation who passed away!! Do THEY still have time?? NOO… our time, our Qiyamah is when we die...Qiyamah may apparently seem too far and will come with warnings, but our death is surely near and uncertain. What is it then that makes us so relaxed and negligent of our END [result]… isn’t it time to make ourselves cry?...time to train our hearts to cry out of Allah's fear and over our sins?
- Salma Ghansar (Mississauga)

Sincerity
Have you then seen him who turns his back? And gives a little and (then) withholds. [An-Najm: 33-34]
When things are going well and according to our own desires we find it very easy to do good. However, as soon as the situation starts to become a little difficult or against our wishes, we tend to become lazy and the motivation to do good decreases. Furthermore, when there is no appreciation or praise from others, one starts getting even more discouraged and may even stop doing good deeds all-together. Why does this happen? This is a result of weak Iman. A real Mu’min does not care about these petty issues, rather, whatever good he does is only for the sake of Allah and he wants his reward only from Him. Thus, he does not despair if he meets hardships along the way or people don’t appreciate his efforts, rather, he remains steadfast in doing good – no matter what. This is a huge test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala – to see that in times of both hardship and ease who will continue to keep his duty to Him. We have to accept the fact that nothing in this dunya is perfect and everything will not always be according to our own wishes. If our Iman is strong and we truly have the desire to do good purely for the sake of Allah, then Allah will make it easier for us to do good and we will InshaAllah overcome any obstacles and hardships that come our way. This is the attitude of a true Mu’min who’s Iman is firm.
- Maryam Hameed (Ottawa)

Sincerity
What is sincerity? if you look it up in the dictionary it will tell you freedom from deceit, hypocrisy, or duplicity; probity in intention or in communicating; earnestness.Who or what are we sincere for? For people or for Allah? If we were to be honest and upright in our intention don't you think we would be a little bit more focused? There would be no double standards. If we were sincere we would look for deeds, not wait for them to come to us, our eyes would be open, and we would be alert on our toes to do good. We will remember that only the sincere deeds will earn us the mercy of Allah. We will try our very best to be like Abu Bakr (r.a.), Sabbaaq.Imam Shafai said:" a sincere person is always in the state of worry" .Are we?
- Sada Mohsin (New York)

A Letter to Ustaza
“Then which of the favors of your Lord do you doubt? This [Prophet (SAW)] is a Warner from [i.e., like] the former warners. The Approaching Day has approached. Of it, [from those] besides Allah, there is no remover. Then at this statement do you wonder? And you laugh and do not weep While you are proudly sporting?!* So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him].” [Surah An-Najm, ayahs 55-62]
*Additional meanings are “singing [with expanded chest],” ”heedless,” or lost in vain amusements.”
Dear Ustazah,
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

When you explained to us that “ Samidun” also referred to the chirping of birds as the Quraish of Makkah sought to cause distraction during recitation of Qur’an, a chill went down my spine, and this is why: There is a cell phone ring that sounds like birds chirping AND I HAVE HEARD IT GO OFF IN CLASS, JUST AS OTHER CELL PHONES TOO HAVE GONE OFF IN CLASS. I am not saying that people are deliberately causing disruption. But is it not ghaflat on the part of a talib-ilm, if we can even call ourselves that, to leave the cell phones on?
I had a university professor who told us in no uncertain terms that he turns his phone off before coming to class and that we were to do the same. He even went so far as to say that a man whose wife was pregnant and could deliver at any time should STAY OUT OF HIS CLASS RATHER THAN RISK HIS CELL PHONE GOING OFF IN CLASS.
All this adab, for a mere gathering of dunya ilm. What’s more, if a cell phone goes off in a movie theatre, people object. But when it goes off in a Masjid, no one cares. How can this be?
We have read in our Kitab-ul-ilm class that we should REMOVE the hardships from others but I am sad to say that we CAUSE hardships for others instead. Why is it that we give so much importance to completing our notes WHILE THE TAFSEER IS GOING ON? I am not saying that it isn’t important to have neat, color-coded notes, complete and with references, what I am saying is that the price is very high. If the sea was ink and the trees were pens, the words of our Rabb would not finish: get what you can and ABSORB the rest, let Allah’s guidance sink in to your soul, refresh your heart and enlighten your mind.
This is why previous talib-ilms would not use kalams that scratched and sat in such a way that birds would sit on their heads. They knew, they understood the majesty of what they were learning, the honour of the one teaching them, and the glory of Allah (SWT) who had sent this for them.
We have now read more than 26 paras – and surah an Najm was severe scolding. Why then we were so casual after class? Why were our hearts not shaking? Our eyes not weeping? Our mouths not silent?
How well Allah knows us: “… He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him” (part of ayah 32, surah an-Najm)
How well Allah knows us, how little we fear Him, how well Allah knows us, how little we know Him.
InshaAllah next we will read in Surah al-Qamr: “We have indeed made the Qur’an very easy to understand the admonition: but is there any one who would take admonition?” (Ayah 17)
Ya Allah – please forgive us, please give us another chance, and please make us of those who take admonition. Ameen.
Wassalam
- Talat Nazir (Mississauga)