.:Bullet Proof Read:.

Praying Mantis. Leaf-ing on a prayer… Get it?

I’m a killer. The other day, I accidentally stepped on a praying mantis, crushing it to death. May Allah forgive me. But certainly, even in the most murderous moment, there are lessons. I was reminded of two things in particular…

1. That all of the creatures in the animal kingdom are fully subservient to their Creator, worshipping Him in ways unknown to us.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَابُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ وَمَن يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن مُّكْرِمٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ

Surah al-Hajj: 18 (and this is an ayah of sajdah)

2. Somehow, the ant in the story of Nabi Sulayman ‘alayhis salam.

حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَى وَادِي النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: “O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it.”

Surah al-Naml: 18

When I thought further about the incident though, I made ‘parables’. I likened it to the situation of our nation. How we’re continuously (almost blindly) praying, while we’re being stepped on, trampled upon… crushed. Almost like we’re oblivious to it. You see, it’s a matter of us adhering only spiritually, as if Islam were mere rituals. It’s not about us not praying enough… it’s us not letting the prayer benefit us enough.

Then as I looked to the nature of the praying mantis, how the female may bite off the head of and eat the male (during mating)…. I found it somewhat similar to the disunity of the Muslims. How we bite the hand that feeds us. Once we’ve used each other for our own benefit, we discard each other. It makes us wonder if we’re worse off than these creatures of Allah… As a sister just earlier pointed out to me how Ibn Hazm said that one who indulges in wordly desires is like the animals, or less than them. Subhan Allah.

Well-known problem? I just happened to see it clearly in a deadly episode with a praying mantis. And sigh, I had to share.

Solution, then? It’s hard to pinpoint any one solution amongst the endless possibilities, especially for such a general problem… but the one that applies with wisdom to your particular situation and context, no matter how small it may seem should you start on it… That’s definitely one to go for. May Allah help you and grant you success.

And please, stick to the prayer*. Always, always make du’a. But realise that real action MUST accompany the worship to truly achieve a solution at any given level. That’s real revolving your life around the prayer, and letting it revolve around your life. That’s real living on the prayer.

In any case, if this second part proves less than beneficial (I hear you, not more rhetoric! :S), then at least the first two ayat posted suffice! Alhamdulillah ‘ala kulli hal.

* I clarify this just in case my words get taken out of context like, “Well, EDITOR said we should do away with all these rituals!” God forbid :-/ May He guide us!

_______
Additional interesting facts about the praying mantis:

• Praying mantids get their name from the appearance of their front legs, which they hold in a “prayerlike” manner.
• “Mantid” derives from a Greek word meaning “prophet” or “seer.”
• It protects itself, not only by issuing an offensive brown liquid, but also by mimicking leaves or twigs, hoping to be overlooked. (looks can be deceiving!)
  SOURCE
  

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check out the original pic lol.

Part One
I had this wonderful discussion with a dear sister regarding moderation in Islam, a concept she strongly advocates and rightfully so. This aspect in Islam is often undermined by Muslims… Not because we are ignorant of it but rather due to our lack of proper understanding of it. See, to recognise the moderate way, we need to identify the extreme way. And what do you know! There’s our first mistake - to state the extreme as singular. To find the moderate way, we need to realise that there are two extremes in which one can go. But often times, people are only able to see one extreme and that is the extreme of inaction.

So for example, you have a most noble deed in Islam, spending in the cause of Allah. The extreme most people see is in being miserly and giving nothing at all in charity. But there exists excessiveness even in such a good deed and that is when a person spends beyond what is in accordance, appropriate with his means.

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَاماً
And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes).
Surah al-Furqan: 67

If we think about it, we’d easily figure out the other extreme in just about every simple deed we perform. Some are clearly pointed out for us…

“Do not waste water even if performing ablution on the bank of a fast-flowing (large) river.”
[al-Tirmidhi]

While others are implicit. All can be easily understood as you continously gain and practise with knowledge.

“Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.“
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

May Allah help us in reclaiming our pride of being the Ummah Wasat (middle nation).

Part Two
A beautiful lesson I heard related to this topic (infaq and extremism) too is that the ‘ulama (scholars) have agreed on four groups of people that exist in this world (and there can never be a fifth):

1. Those who work (deeds) only for the akhirah while they only take what is sufficient (basic necessities) from the dunya.
2. Those who work with a balanced objective - half for the akhirah and half for the dunya.
3. Those who work more for the dunya and less for the akhirah.
4. Those who work only for the dunya whilst completely neglecting the akhirah.

It is agreed that the last two groups are wretched and while the first two groups are saved, obviously the first one preceeds the second in righteousness. And the reason there cannot be a fifth group - one that works only for the akhirah - is simply because it is impossible (extremism alert!). One has to turn to the dunya for basic things such as clothes, food and so on in worshipping Allah. How does one pray while he is not covered properly? How does one feed the ones under his responsibility if he does nothing for the dunya? This is why there can never be a fifth group.

Excellent categorisation… And such wisdom can only come with knowledge favoured upon by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. So work towards it…

After-thought :P
Oh and another interesting point. Sorta linked to my moon post.

A lot of people like to take the example of a candle in some analogies. But it can never be applied in the case of knowledge and ‘ibadah. In Islam, when you do good to others, to help others, by physically helping them out or by teaching them… nothing from the good (rewards or the knowledge itself) that you attain is decreased…

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَانٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُم مِّنْ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ
And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in Faith, to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned.
Surah at-Tur: 21

So there is no concept of burning yourself to shed light upon others. On the other hand, harming yourself in the name of helping another in good… That’s an extreme!

And Allah knows best.

All good is from Him and any mistakes are my own.

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People need comfort.
Some people find it in this, some find it in that and some don’t find it at all.
Allah in His infinite Wisdom has designed everything on this planet earth, the universe around and within it to ultimately point to Him.
The signs are everywhere.
Everything points to Him.
You just have to look.

- Not me. Don’t know who… but may Allah have mercy upon them for this beautiful quote.

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I looked up some of my poems and found my favourite. This means a lot to me because I wrote it about a special someone, and had meant it for my dearest, beloved father as well, rahimahullah. Reading it again now makes me realise it fits in many general circumstances too. Presenting my poetry pride…

If I looked over my shoulder
Would I find you staring at me
Watching, gazing, pondering
Awaking memories that sparkle in your eyes.

If I looked over my shoulder
Would I find you praying to the One
Seeking, begging a chance of return
To a moment where nothing failed us.

If I looked over my shoulder
Would I find you tripping, falling
As you chase illusions of me
Grasping nothing but foggy air.

If I looked over my shoulder
Would I find a smile upon your face
A grin so wide it hides all the hurt
But nothing’s concealed as your tears falter.

If I looked over my shoulder
Would I find you
Or would I find myself, alone, lost and trapped
In a future that refused to have existed.

- Om Ahe.

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