Dont Just leave It, make It Better!

Some words never fade away with time. They are like Gold always remaining valuable and always useful in whatever situation. Such are the words of my mother. may Allah bless her.

Since childhood she had always rang these particular words in our ears;

 "Always Leave A Place Better Than You Met It".

Many times she would use them to correct us, when we would take things and replace them carelessly, or when we would disarrange some place we met well arranged.
Soon we had learned and we tried to keep things back in their place, the way we met them or make sure that we arrange a place just the way we met it when we were about to leave. That was okay. But that was not the instruction actually. she could have said "Always leave a place the way you met it" but instead she said "BETTER".
I have only come to understand and  appreciate the wisdom behind these words. Alhamdulillaah.
It goes far beyond the obvious, it doesn't only require a physically visible effort on a physically visible  place, but rather, it encompasses a whole lot more than that.

it is infact a reflection of what as Muslims, we should all have in our minds.
It means not only to NOT worsen a situation, but to make it even BETTER. Whatever it is.

Imagine a society or a world, where everyone is trying to make things better. Where we have everyone trying to make an addition and improve on the status quo...not just trying to remain indifferent and keeping from worsening the situation (which is good), but making even more effort to make things better. 

This draws from our relationship with people all the way down to circumstances requiring our physical or mental effort.  Whenever we meet people for example, we should always want to leave them in a better state than we met them. It could be by making them happier, reducing their burden or assisting them with something, enlightening them with something from what we know (sharing our knowledge with them), so that we make an addition to their current state in one way or the other (bi idhnillah).  

If it is at our workplace for example, we employ our mental and physical effort to make a positive impact and add value to the place. For the society at large, we should always be thinking of ways we can benefit one another in goodness, how we can make things better. That should be our mindset.

And in our homes, with friends, our immediate environment, it begins from there…we need to practice this.

If every one of us would do this, then we would all be collectively working towards betterment.

I read a quote sometime ago, “do everything as if it makes a difference”…I would like to add, “because it does, even if it doesn’t (seem to)…it does :)” 

"...the best of people are those who bring the most benefit to mankind" -Muhammad (salAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam)

Strange Whispers in My Ear

Strange are the whispers that I hear…
Strange indeed, the whispers in my ear…
So relentless he is; the one who persists in calling me towards that which I fear…
beautifying it, glorifying it…something I know is so clear…as wrong.
He’s right there when I’m feeling down, reminding me of how much I have suffered and how I should despair…
He says “all hope is lost, don’t you see…it’s so clear!”
He’s right there when I feel I have been wronged, ever so ready to amplify that wrong…
He says “why do you forgive, do you not want this to end?!”
He is right there when I am about to go out, telling me how much better I could look if I let a few strands of hair out or my clothes a bit slimmer…
He says “you’ll still look modest, have you seen others out there??”
He is right there when I’m in a gathering and someone asks about a person,
He says “do you forget to mention, she does this wrong and that?...you wouldn’t be backbiting it is just plain information or warning”
He is right there when I intend to do something good, reminding me of how many times it went unnoticed or unacknowledged…
He says “do you persist, can’t you see that no one cares?”
He’s right there when I’m invited to do something wrong,
He says “o you silly, it wouldn’t hurt, its just this once!”
And if I do refuse to follow in the wrong act,
He says “you are better than them you see, how pious you must be!”
He’s right there when I’m feeling angry, encouraging me to speak or act on it
He says “give them a taste of their own medicine too, its only what they’ve done to you”
He’s right there…every time and everywhere…because his goal is to deceive…
So relentless, ever persistent and his words do our ears receive…
But then again, they are only whispers and that’s the height of what he brings…
"All praise and thanks are Allah's who has reduced his (shaytan) intrigue to (evil) whispering)"
And if there comes to you from Shaytaan an evil suggestion, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing” [Qur’an 41:36]
May Allah grant us victory over the whisperings of shaytaan and enable us to ignore them and not act on them. Aameen.

The Little Extra Efforts...

Ever tried taking off a stain from a shirt? For those of us who do our laundry with our hands….certainly when it comes to that point where the stain is prominent we put in some little extra effort to take it off once and for all…it’s a little “temporary” effort…but very necessary….because without it, the shirt would still remain unclean….

Now let us relate this to a larger perspective….our lives in this Dunya,…we all know we are here for a relatively short period of time and our stay here is only temporary…with all the trials that come our way and the obstacles we encounter, all we need is that “little (temporary) extra effort”

This comes in play in several aspects of our lives;

#When we need to refrain from talking bad about people, even when it is true (backbiting)

#When we need to remain steadfast in doing good without getting acknowledgement from the people (doing things only for the sake of Allah)

#When we need to forgive and still want good for the people, even without getting their apologies  (compassion)

#When we need to seek forgiveness from others even when we think we are right

#When we put the needs of others and go out of our way to help them for the sake of Allah, even when we have never received helped from them when we were in similar situations.

#When we need to stand for the sake of Allah at night or keep up with other acts of ibaadah (obligatory and voluntary) out of love for Allah and in hope for His mercy even when our schedules seem tight.

#When we need to stand up against that which is wrong, even when we would be the only ones standing.

#When we need to place our trusts completely in Allah and believe in His decree and accept His decree even when it is contrary to our desires.

#When we need to call others to this beautiful path of islam with our words, and our actions, while knowing that guidance comes only for Allah…and remain good to them and keep praying for them when they do not accept it.

And these little extra efforts are only temporary because just as our lives in this dunya are short-lasting, so is everything inside of it…so they are wrapped up in the gift box of “Patience”, knowing that our reward is with Allah and that these would earn us His pleasure as well.
 ‘..And whoever is blessed with patience has indeed been granted a great Gift’. May Allah grant us patience.

These are what we need to make, over and again in all aspects of our lives if we really want to be of those who attain success (bi idhnillaah).
Those who would return to Allaah with clean hearts. May Allah make us of these people. Aameen.

Qalbin Saleem

The day of Qiyaamah was described as:  “yauma La yanfa’u maalun wa Laa banuun, illaa man Ataa Allaahu bi Qalbin Saleem-The day when wealth and children will not benefit anyone except he who will come to Allah with the Qalbin Saleem (A pure heart)” [Suratul Shu'ara 87-89]

This then is our Ultimate Goal...as it has been identified as that which will be of benefit to us, (when every other thing will fail)..Attaining the Pure Heart.
But what does it Mean to have a pure heart??
Certainly A question worth asking ourselves…

We were not given a direct english translation for this phrase, as the Ulama have interpreted it in different ways based on their understanding…

*Abdullah bin Abbas, Mujaahid, Qataadah, Ibn Sireen and many others (Radiy’Allaahu Anhuma) are of the opinion that ‘Qalbin Saleem’ is a heart that is absolutely free from Kufr (disbelief) and Nifaaq (hypocrisy).A heart free from Kibr (pride), Hasad (jealousy) and Hiqd (hatred).
*A Calm, Clean heart, that Has not engaged in association of partnership with the Maker” [mufti menk]
 * A Khaalis (sincere) heart [Qurtubi]. This heart has also been described as a heart which, due to extreme  love for Allah and His Rasool (Sal’Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam), leads to total obedience to Allah and the teachings of His Rasool.
Sa’eed bin Musayyab explains that the Arabs very often used the word ‘Saleem’ in the meaning of ‘Ladeegh’ (one who was bitten by a snake or scorpion) and this is exactly the case in the phrase Qalbin Saleem. The heart which, due to extreme fear for Allah, is like the heart of a person who has just been bitten by a scorpion.
In the words of Abu Bakr ibn-ul-Arabi, it is a heart that is “burnt and stung with fear (for Allah).
Some commentators of Hadith claim that the group of people who will enter Jannah because “their hearts are like the hearts of the birds” (Muslim) refer to people whose hearts are overwhelmed with fear for Allah.
So, clearly, The Criteria for attaining this purity of the heart are (as mentioned previously);
The heart should be Devoid of:

#  Kufr.

#  Hypocrisy.

#  Hatred.

#  Jealousy

#  Pride

And lastly, A Criterion that summarizes all the others listed…The heart Should be ‘Sincere’ (Khaalis)…to Allaah, to Oneself and to Others, free from falsehood…True and Real…

     














How Amazing it would be to possess this kind of heart, subhanAllaah.

A certain individual was Described to have Possessed this type of Heart…Nabi Ibrahim (Alayhi Salaam)…The Prophet with the Highest Status after Muhammad (SalAllaahu Alayhi wa Sallam)…Perhaps we could Journey through his life someday and pick up the many priceless gems he has left behind for us as a legacy…those that made Him Qualified to be Called “khaleelullaah-the friend of Allah”..and one who possesses a Qalb As-Saleem.

But do you know what, Allaah Subhanahu wa ta’alah in His infinite mercy, has granted every child a ‘Qalb As Saleem’ (A sound heart).
This means that we were all given Sound hearts upon birth. It is whenever we disobey Allaah, that we slowly destroy that sound and pure heart, slowly injuring it, until in the it gets killed completely! SubhanAllaah…But upon repentance, the injury of the heart starts to recover, and it takes some time till its fully recovered…(and that is what we all hope for in sha Allaah; full recovery of our hearts that they become Sound and pure again) In other words, the more we disobey Allaah the more injury we cause to our hearts. None of us disobeys Allaah except that He is killing his own soul,…its like suicide and we do not even realize it…we are slowly killing our souls daily by the sins that we accummulate and the only Cure is sincere Taubah, Repentance, and then avoidance of the Sins.
All what has been mentioned previously add up to form what will ‘make or break’ our hearts…(In their presence or absence). So it is upon us to make the necessary efforts to nurture our hearts so that they may become pure and sound again…good enough to meet Allaah.
And The Salaf (pious predecessors) used to say:  “The heart is the king of the limbs and the rest of the limbs are its soldiers; they always obey him by implementing his instructions and they never disobey him in any regard.  (Remember) when the king is pious, his soldiers will also be pious.  Similarly, when the king is sinful, his soldiers will also be sinful.” (Jaami-ul-Uloom wal-Hikam)

We ask Allaah to Grant us Hearts that are Submissive to His will, Firm, Clean, Soft and Pure Hearts, ‘Quloub As Saleem’. Aameen