Seize The Moment!

Work for this life as though you are going to live forever; and

Work for the Next life as though you will die tomorrow.

~Imam Ali (as)

It is often said that our lives can be summed up in three days: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Yesterday is that which has past, as no longer of any use to us, except to learn from it. Tomorrow is the future, and it is uncertain if we will get to it since we have no control over the time of our death. But for now, we have today, and today is the only thing that you own and have control over.

If we were to remember this constantly, we would spend our lifetime a lot more wisely. In the words of Rasul (s) as quoted by Abu Dharr al Ghiffary he says: 

"Take advantage of five opportunities before five other things:

Your youth before your senescence, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your leisure before your haste, and your life before your death."

Today, we have our health of body and mind (alhamdulillah), are we using it in the correct way? Or do we waste it on doing wrong, or doing  nothing? If we have the means to make a difference in the lives of others, are we using it for that, or do we spend it all on this world's frivolities, giving just enough to ease the guilty conscience that casts a shadow on our excesses. For example, if you can afford to go for Hajj every year, and ziyarah five times a year, do you think the Prophet or the Aimmah (as) would be happy with you visiting them every year, yet you do nothing to ease the affliction of those around you in life. You leave their followers to starve, go unclothed, remain unmarried or homeless because of lack of a means of livelihood, and then go to their tombs and cry: "O Master, Here I am, ready to assist you and sacrifice my life in your way!" Their way?? Their way fed the orphans, and looked after the needy, and clothed and sheltered the homeless. Of course, if you are able to assist others and go and visit the holy sites, you are doubly blessed and should be grateful for this bounty by making use of the opportunities He (swt) has made available to you.

Tomorrow, or the future is not yours for sure. At a moment, your life could end, so it becomes an exercise in futility to spend your lifetime planning for the future. Do what you can now, plan for the everlasting future with urgency, because you may well be breathing your last breaths as you read this, or I, as I write this. Imam Ali (as) says:

"If man perceived his death and its speed towards him, he would certainly detest the world and its hopes."

Today, the moment for repentance for our yesterday is ours. We are well aware of our deeds and misdeeds, yet we postpone repenting for them, putting it off for a tomorrow that is not certain. Rasul (s) has warned us about the effects of such a postponement. He says: "The sigh of the people of Hell is mostly because of the postponement of repenting." [Al Mahajjatul Baydhaa]

Imam Ali (as) also warns us against this where he says: "Do not be among those people who want to gain good returns without working hard for them, who have long hopes and keep on postponing repentance and penance." He further says: "How numerous procrastinators there are who postpone (repenting and doing good deeds) until when death overtakes them!"

Another effect of selling our next life for this world is that we will most certainly lose in this world too. Take the example of an alcoholic who gave in to the desires of this world not caring about the next; what is his end? As Imam Ali (as) says: "He who sells his next life for this present life in this world, loses both of them!"

In order to effectively make use of our today, we must eliminate all traces of love for this world from our heart. Love of this world has only negative effects. Imam Sadiq (as) warns us: "He who devotes his heart to this world will be subjected to three conditions: endless grief, unquenchable desire, and futile hope."

In addition, we must make sure that our today is better than our yesterday. The Holy Prophet (s) says: "He whose two days (of life) are the same (making no spiritual progress) is at loss." What major spiritual progress have we made in the years that are now part of our yesterday?

As Shahr Ramadhan approaches, we must ask ourselves, how was my Shahr Ramadhan of yesterday (yesteryears)? We all know of so many who were with us in the last season, and will not be fasting with us this year, either because they have gone before us to meet our Maker, or because health does not allow them to fast this year. Learning from this lesson, how can we best utilise the bounties of our Lord in benefiting from this Shahr Ramadhan of today, as it may well be our last. We have no assurance that we will be there for the next one, or if we will be in the state of physical or mental health to be able to reap from its bounteous mercies.

A final piece of advice: Learn from, and repent for your yesterday as you make use of your today, and plan for your tomorrow.

May Allah (swt) grant us success in His way.

A Humble Prayer

O Allah. You Who have clothed us, Your weak servants, with the dress of existence, through Your grace and favour and pure mercy and generosity, prior to any service and worship on our part, and without needing our worshipping and servitude. You have bestowed upon us diverse kinds of spiritual and corporeal favours, and different sorts of internal and external mercies, although our non-existence causes no flaw in Your power and strength, nor our existence adds anything to Your greatness and prestige. Now that the headspring of Your beneficence gushed forth, and the sun of Your Beautiful Beauty effulged, drowning us in the seas of mercy and illuminating us with the lights of Your Beauty, make up for our shortcomings, sins and failures with the light of internal success and Your secret help and guidance, and relieve our fully attached hearts from mundane attachments, and make them cling to Your Holy Might.

O Allah, our unworthy worshipping expands nothing of Your domain. Our disobedience decreases nothing of Your kingdom, and torturing and punishing the sinners benefit You not a bit, and forgiving the fallen and having mercy upon them lessen nothing of Your power. The immutable essences of the sinners implore for mercy, and the dispositions of the imperfect ask for perfection. You Yourself treat us with Your comprehensive kindness and disregard our inefficiency.

"O Allah, if I am unworthy to receive Your mercy, You are worthy of granting me of Your vast favour. O Allah, You have covered for me in this world sins which I need more to be covered in the Hereafter. O Allah, grant me to be completely devoted to You, and light our hearts' eyes with the light of witnessing You until the hearts' eyes penetrate the veils of light, to reach the source of greatness." -Munajaat Sha'baaniyyah

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Tough Times

Imam Sadiq (as) is reported to have said: "The Messenger of Allah (S) said, `A time will come upon the people wherein political authority will not be attainable without bloodshed and tyranny, nor wealth without usurpation and stinginess, nor affection without discarding religion and pursuing lust and desire. Whoever lives in such times and bears patiently with poverty despite possessing the capacity to become rich (illegitimately), and bears up with hostility despite being capable of acquiring favour and affection, and bears with humiliation despite possessing the capacity to acquire honour, God will give him the reward of fifty truthful ones, of those who confirmed me.' "

Often times it is said that tough times call for tough measures. In a time when holding on to faith is like holding on to a piece of hot coal, a time when vice has become virtue and virtue vice, a time when one of the greatest struggles is to eat/live on that which is halaal, tough measures will certainly be the only way to go for anyone who jealously wishes to safeguard his faith.

It must be remembered also that one cannot overnight adapt tough measures, especially against their very own self. It is easy to impose standards and limitations on another (to an extent) but how easy is it to leash a soul/self that had been left to its desires so long, it can no longer restrain itself. Imam Ali (as) says in sermon 16 of Nahjul Balagha:

"Beware that sins are like unruly horses whose reins have been taken away and which plunge with their riders into hell-fire. But taqwa (piety) is like a trained steed whose reins are in the hands of its rider and enters with its rider into Paradise."

Allowing yourself to sink into sin and make it a part of yourself will only make it that much harder for you to first turn away from a life of sin, and then to be able to restrain yourself, and finally to achieve immunity from sin. While achieving restraint is in itself a formidable task, it is not yet the achievement of Taqwa (piety). Taqwa is immunity, not restraint. 

In the words of Imam Ali (as), he describes Taqwa thus: 

"Let it be known to you, O servants of God, that taqwa is a formidable fortress, whereas impiety and corruption is a weak and indefensible enclosure that does not safeguard its people, and does not offer any protection to those who take refuge in it. Indeed, it is only with taqwa that the tentacles of sins and misdeeds can be severed." (Sermon 157)

He (as) shows us that one who has achieved taqwa has achieved safety from the power of the enemy to infiltrate and enter his soul, mind, body, heart. The pious one becomes averse to sin and waywardness and is only attracted to and interested by that which is virtuous, right, and pure. The result of taqwa is thus one which is of benefit in both worlds: In this world, it is a shield and a safeguard, and in the hereafter, it is the path to paradise. (Nahjul Balagha, sermon 101)

The impact of taqwa on the body and soul is profound. It is a mutually beneficial relationship, such that one who develops his/her taqwa achieves salvation from sin, awakening of the heart, and in safeguarding from sin and awakening the soul, taqwa is developed. Imam Ali (as) says in this regard: 

"Turn your sleep into wakefulness by the means of taqwa and spend your days in its company. Keep its consciousness alive in your hearts. With it, wash away your sins and cure your ailments ... Beware, guard your taqwa and place yourself under its guard." [Nahjul Balagha, sermon 191]

He further says in the same sermon:

"O God's servants, I advise you to cultivate the taqwa of God. Indeed, it is a right that God has over you and it is through it that you can have any right over God. You should beseech God's help for guarding it and seek its aid for (fulfilling your duty to) God."

As Shahr Ramadhan approaches, the time is now ripe for us to take tough measures with our souls. It is a time of spring for the souls, and a time when it is easier to stay away from doing wrong and falling into sin, a time when the open enemy is subdued, and you have an opportunity to battle the enemy within and subdue it forever. In such a spiritual season, abstinence and restraint from sin can be developed and nurtured to the next level: that of immunity from sin; of achieving piety.

May Allah inspire us to piety, and grant us success in His way.

Wa billahi tawfeeq.

Role Models

"Look at the people of the Prophet's family. Adhere to their direction. Follow their footsteps because they would never let you out of guidance, and never throw you into destruction. If they sit down, you sit down, and if they rise up you rise up. Do not go ahead of them, as you would thereby go astray and do not lag behind them as you would thereby be ruined."

~ Imam Ali (a) ~

Lessons from Lady Zaynab (as)

If you search through history you will find very little about Bibi Zainab before the tragedy of Karbala, when she was at the age of 55.  There are vague accounts of Bibi teaching Tafseer-e-Quran but no detail about her actual teachings.  Apart from this there are a small number of narrations attributed to her such as about the going of Bibi Fatima to Masjid-e-Nabavi to demand her rights to Fadak. A large part of Hazrat Zainab’s life is veiled in secrecy just as Bibi herself was veiled. This character of Bibi shows the upbringing and nurture of Hazrat Fatima to her children.

Yahya Mazni says: “For 12 years I lived as a neighbour of Hazrat Abdullah, yet not once did I see the shadow of any lady, nor did I ever hear an echo of the voice or footsteps of Bibi Zainab.“  It is this same Zainab who came forward in a new light on the eve of Ashura. She protected the message of her grandfather, upheld the justice of her father, defended the rights of her mother, carried the banner of Islam after her brothers and rescued the Imam of the time from the burning camps.  Her sermons in Kufa and Shaam were of utmost perfection leaving the sermons of her father behind.

To realise the true personality of this great lady it is essential to look at the calamities and tragedies that she faced.  Her ability to withstand these great anguishes led her to being known as Ummul-Masaib (the mother of grief).  If we look at ourselves, we would not be able to tolerate just a single one of those woes which Bibi had to endure.

Which of her many heartaches can we narrate? Leaving her homeland.  Separation from her husband.  The dangers of facing the enemy.  Hunger and thirst.  The loss of loved ones. Sleepless nights and the most distressing the loss of her Chador.  Bibi saw the ark of Hussain drowning in a sea of thirst and brought it to shore. 

Allah says: “Those who convey the message of Allah and fear Him, do not fear anyone except Allah.”  Lady Zainab acted on this to the full, shouldering the responsibility of conveying this message, tolerating difficulties whilst doing so.  In her actions, she left behind a legacy of patience and the upholding of truth.    She taught that with strong faith and remembrance of Allah any difficulty can be undertaken, any crisis can be tackled without losing heart. 

Bibi Zainab had two great missions to reveal the truth.  One was to show the true face of Yazid and his followers, and the other was to uncover who the Ahlulbayt really were and what their importance was.  At every step of her long journey she fulfilled these two missions, ready to abandon everything to accomplish them.  After her sacrifices, Bibi became a verification of the following words of Allah; “Those who believed and migrated and strived hard in Allah’s way with their possessions and their lives are far higher in rank in Allah’s view. They are those who achieved salvation.”

In countless occasions in the past, the servants of God have faced great barriers to spread the word of Allah. Ibrahim faced the burning fires of Namrud, but continued to raise the voice of truth. Musa accepted having to flee his homeland, but carried on the message, “There is no God but Allah.” The seal of the Prophets, withdrew from the holy city of Mecca, but the cries of “Say there is no God but Allah. You will succeed.” continued on through the ages.

When the nation of Muhammad lost their way, the world heard the echoes of the truth, the message of the prophets from the mouth of Hussain, the son of Ali and Fatima. Imam Hussain preserved the message of the Prophets, from the first to the last, and became Waarithul Ambiyaa (the inheritor of the prophets). In the past, it was the sacrifices of Hajra, the support of Khadija, the assistance of Fatima that kept the message of those servants of God alive.

For Hussain, it was none other than that great lady, Janab-e- Zainab who became the saviour of his message. This daughter of the household upon whom Allah had bestowed the mantle of purity in Surah Ahzab, sacrificed her cloak to protect the withered tree of Islam from the fierce gales of disaster. In the face of calamities, she appeared a mountain of strength.

A valuable lesson which can be learnt from the actions of Bibi Zainab, as she was paraded unveiled, through the streets of Shaam and Kufa, is that those who place their full trust in Allah will receive the help of Allah, in some form. As Allah says in the Quran, “And do not lose heart, and do not grieve, for you shall have the upper hand if you are true believers.” (3:139)

In the midst of troubles, Bibi never lost trust in Allah. Her praise for him remained strong. Each sermon began with “All praise be to Allah.” Regardless of the difficulties she faced, her faith remained firm. When Ibne- Ziyad asked her in the courts of Kufa how she regarded the shameful defeat Allah had made her brothers face, Zainab replied, “I see nothing but the beauty of Allah.” 

The spirit of Zainab (A.S.) will live forever. Her courage, forbearance, and submission will continue to inspire those who hear her story for all time to come. She will remain a beacon of light, a role-model, for men and women alike, till the day of judgement. We must try to gain as much inspiration as possible, and try to live our lives, in submission to Allah, and with full trust in Him, like this brave lady did.

She became a benefactor of Hussain, and she was not afraid to sacrifice everything she had for the sake of Islam, like Hazrat Asiya in the time of Firawn. Allah took into account Hazrat Asiya’s sacrifices, and said in the Quran, “Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his works; save me from the transgressing people."

In the same way, those who follow the examples of great personalities, such as Asiya and Bibi Zainab, will be rewarded. As Allah says in the Quran, “Verily the angels descend on those who say ‘Allah is our Lord’ and then remain steadfast saying: Do not fear, nor grieve. Receive the glad tidings of the garden which was promised to you.” (41:30).

Salutations to Lady Zainab, whose patience and firm spirit broke the tyrant’s will. We must learn from the lessons of Bibi Zainab, and take care that our faith is not only on our lips, but embedded in our hearts, and embodied in our lives and characters. Lady Zainab’s example will live on forever, to inspire those who believe.

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Patience

...And be patient and persevering, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.

(Qur'an, 8: 46)

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a) said:

“Verily, sabr is to faith what the head is to the body. The body perishes with­out the head, and so also when sabr goes, faith also disappears.”

One may ask, how then does one achieve sabr? One must always remember and keep in mind that this world is a believer’s prison. Gather all the strength at your command and be patient and forbearing throughout its ups and downs. With courage and fortitude, stand against adversities and calamities. Make yourself understand that the agitation and anguish inside you, aside from involving a great disgrace by themselves, are futile in confrontation with sufferings and calamities. Be happy with God and don’t complain in front of creatures about His irresistible decrees and inevitable ordainments. During the times of hardships, turn your heart's attention to the focal point of Absolute Perfection (God) and you will witness its effects in this world itself and your heart will attain such an expanse that it will become the realm of the manifestation of God's sovereignty. Richness and contentment will then pervade your heart such that everything related to this world will become worthless in your eyes.  Sabr, forbearance and restraint bring fair, plentiful rewards and have sublime and beautiful forms in the world of Barzakh (purgatory). If you have faith in God and you believe that all the affairs lie in His mighty hands, you will not complain before God Almighty of the hardships of life and the adversities that strike you. Rather, you will accept them willingly, fulfil your duties and thank Him gratefully for His bounties. [Adopted from Al-Khumayni, Forty Hadith, chapter 16, ‘Sabr’]

Patience is one of the ways to achieve victory ~Imam Ali (as)

In the Hot Seat

One day Bahlool arrived at Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid's palace and saw that the throne was empty. There was no one to stop him, so he unhesitatingly and fearlessly went and sat in Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid's place. When the court slaves saw this, they immediately started whipping him and took him off the throne. Bahlool started crying.

Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid came and saw this; he asked those nearby why Bahlool was crying. A slave told him the whole story. Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid scolded them and tried to cheer Bahlool up.

Bahlool said he was not crying at his condition, but at Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid's condition. "I sat on the seat of Caliphate wrongfully for a few seconds and received such a beating and endured such misfortune; but you have been sitting on this throne all your life! What troubles you must receive, yet you still don't fear the consequence."