.:Bullet Proof Read:.

An Iron Age grave. If only the bones could speak.

When I was a kid, I was totally ignorant of the true ‘aqidah. I had the vaguest idea of the Hereafter (let alone my Rabb) and would quickly latch on to the ideas presented on TV. One particular movie I remember proposed the belief of rebirth… So this guy died and went through the whole process of rebirth but he’d missed out on the most important part - the “injection” to make him forget about his past life. So he was born into the world as a new person and slowly picked up memories from his previous life. He typically meets his wife, falls in love with her, etc. I kinda thought it was pretty cool… Living different lives, knowing what it was like before. I know. Ridiculous to the T. May Allah forgive me :-/.

Having such ideas running wild in my head without certainty about Islam, I’d start wishing that someone from the dead could just come back and tell us, “YES, Islam IS the true religion!” Years later, as I began taking the deen seriously, learning and implementing, alhamdulillah, I had full conviction that Islam is the Truth, the Straight Path, the Only religion in the sight of Allah… And I dropped all bogus ideas of needing a zombie to come tell me my deen.

But sometimes, in these trying times, when the going gets rough, the little wish for the dead to return with a message would creep up on me again… But this time, to tell me, to warn me, that the punishment in the grave is indeed severe, the true horror of it. Just because… you know… They’ve actually experienced what Allah says in His Book. It’s those times when you feel so low, nothing really moves you, there’s no stopping you from that next sin…

But is that really necessary? Would the fear of Allah increase with such an admonition? I fear not. Allah, the All-Knowing, has given us enough warning. And if such warnings suffice for the best of the believers, it should suffice for us. Certainly, if those words aren’t enough for us, then nothing could move us. We read in the Qur’an how the ones doomed to the Fire will wish to be returned to the earth to do good but how vain will that request be then…

وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيداً ثُمَّ لاَ يُؤْذَنُ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَلاَ هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ
And (remember) the Day when We shall raise up from each nation a witness (their Messenger), then, those who have disbelieved will not be given leave (to put forward excuses), nor will they be allowed (to return to the world) to repent and ask for Allah’s Forgiveness (of their sins, etc.).’
(Surah an-Nahl: 84)

The truth is the Warning has been sent, the Warner sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam conveyed it so clearly… Even they will admit as such.

قَالُوا بَلَى قَدْ جَاءنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ كَبِيرٍ
They will say: “Yes indeed; a warner did come to us, but we belied him and said: ‘Allah never sent down anything (of revelation), you are only in great error.’”
(Surah al-Mulk: 9)

If we keep wishing for the impossible (that the dead could come warn us), we will be like the ones mentioned in the above verses who never found any warning satisfactory. May Allah protect us from that.

But still, you’d find that Allah, the Most Merciful, guides His slaves through such “scary warnings” - through dreams. How many of our brothers are moved to the deen because they had nightmares of how they’d turn out? I remember a brother telling about his dream where he was standing on a field… with many others around. But they were so far away from him, he’d felt so left out, so isolated from the group. It’d felt like the Last Day… And he didn’t belong. Subhan Allah.

These, coupled with certain tragedies like maybe an accident that’s described as “a brush with death”, are the closest you’d ever get to a real glimpse of what is to come.

It’s kinda ironic when you think about it. The modern world attributes certain matters to the “supernatural” and claims such beliefs are backward… But they are the ones still waiting, waiting for that one final warning that’ll come when it’s much too late. How unfortunate then…

So keep a heads up. Turn to the Qur’an, the sunnah, the beautiful writings of the great scholars and you’ll find abundant, more than enough, admonitions. Admonition to rightfully inspire you into action, into protecting yourself and your family from the Fire. Anything else is a lame excuse.

The Poem.
If only the dead could warn us!
The truth of the afterlife
How nothing here
Would matter at all

If only the dead could warn us!
The pain of the underground life
How suffering on earth
Would seem heavenly

But if the dead could really
Would I really
Be spooked to change
Drastic as it may be?

I need the feeling
Sinking,
Heart to the toes
Gets me down on my fore
Realisation, please
Come hit me
Straight
The warnings just
Aren’t what they were
like before.

- Me.

PS. My deepest apologies for the long delay in this post. I’ve been inconsistent in posting (and will be more so in the next few weeks) so please keep your checks to a minimal - to save you the hassle insha Allah, heh :$. I believe sites like Bloglines help you track updates to blogs so instead of having to manually check every blog for new posts, you can simply subscribe to them and be informed whenever there is any update :-). Barakallahu feekum.

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Repeat All. Recycle that knowledge.

Arabic is a most beautiful language. It is the language with which the Word of Allah was revealed, it is the language that the Messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and his companions conversed in (how beautiful it is just to imagine them speak with such faith, piety and humility!) and it is the language that is continuously being studied, kept alive amongst the Muslims. The issue of its deterioration in the community is however unfortunate and we must do our part to learn and help others learn the language, insha Allah.
[check out Arabic Gems for excellent bits and bobs of the language which will increase your love and appreciation for it!]

Part One: Indeed, verily, I must emphasise this.

One of the aspects of the language that I really love is at-Tawkid, the element of emphasis. It is employed through either literal repetition or meaning using letters/words of emphasis. In ‘Ilm al-Ma’ani (part of Balaghah), the level of a statement or khabr is determined by the usage or non-usage of emphasis. There are three levels:

1. Ibtida’i
- No emphasis is used.
- This is where the person spoken to is jahil (ignorant of the matter).
- eg. الإمتحان قريب [The examination is near]

2. Talabi
- Only one element of emphasis is used.
- This is where the person spoken to is in doubt of the matter (taraddud wa shakk).
- eg. إن الإمتحان قريب [Verily the examination is near] Where inna إن is harf tawkid.

3. Inkari
- More than one element of emphasis is used.
- This is where the person spoken to is munkir (informed but defiant towards the information he has).
- eg. إن الإمتحان لقريب جدا جدا [Verily the examination is really very, very near!] where inna, lam at-tawkid and jiddan jiddan are the emphases.

Ok, my explanation might be a bit off and make no sense to those who aren’t learning this part of Arabic. But look to the examples in the Qur’an itself where emphasis is used… And you’d understand the importance of knowing this. Here are just a couple of examples to illustrate the degrees of emphases:

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ لَوَاقِعٌ
Verily, the Torment of your Lord will surely come to pass
(Surah at-Tur: 7)

وَآتَاكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ

And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. Verily! Man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer, - a disbeliever (an extreme ingrate, denies Allah’s Blessings by disbelief, and by worshipping others besides Allah, and by disobeying Allah and His Prophet Muhammad SAW).
(Surah Ibrahim: 34)

Indeed a lot of the emphasis is lost when we simply read the meanings of the Qur’an in a different language. Truly no other language is able to capture the true cadence, eloquence and magnificent beauty and power of the Word of Allah.

What of the literal repetitions then? We know of these examples in a number of Surahs, one that immediately comes to mind is Surah ar-Rahman, where Allah repeats (learn more about such questioning from this blog post):

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?
(Surah ar-Rahman: 13)

Yes, we admire the very sound of such ayat from the Qur’an, just reciting them alone brings awe into the heart… But indeed, we are in a loss if we fail to understand the meaning, fail to understand the implications of why Allah says such and such in such a specific manner. When we lack in the understanding, we will certainly lack in the implementation. May Allah help us.

Part Two: Your point being? Your point being?

So what does repetition do to us? Some of us get bored, you see. I hear brothers complaining that the Friday sermons are alwaaaaaays the same thing. Is it always? And even if it is, have you heard the message enough? Is it in you yet? The honest, genuine answer would be a resounding NO.

If the best of Muslims needed to hear about iman, taqwa, sabr, etc. repeatedly, who are we to say we don’t? Have you ever wondered about the numerous, thousands of ahadith on the same subjects… They happened on different occasions and yet their audience are usually the same group of people. Why do they need to be constantly reminded and not us?

وما سُمي الإنسان إلا لنسيه ** ولا القلب إلا أنه يتقلب
“He’s only called man because of his forgetfulness, and it is only called the heart because it changes so rapidly.”

[Read this blog post for a differing view on the root word of al-insan]

When one gets forgetful or he has a very important matter which he must remember, he would go all out to remind himself of it… He puts a note in his diary, sticks up a post-it in his workspace and maybe even gets a family member to remind him. But when it comes to the deen, all these important matters… We sometimes shun the repeated reminders. “Oh, that lecture has been DONE before.”

Instead, we should remain positive and look out for the new information that is being given at this particular lecture, sermon and so on. It is easy for us to appreciate this more if we learn to humble ourselves before the Creator, the All-Knowing. If we are grateful for that knowledge, Allah will increase us in it and its understanding. And do realise as well, that if we’re failing to receive knowledge… That there might be some deficiency, some wrongdoing that is causing the barrier between us and knowledge.

There’s this hadith class that I truly love because even though the teacher would be speaking on a hadith that I’ve heard of before, his sharh of it contains so much knowledge that it’s as though I’m hearing that one hadith for the first time ever. So look out for those aspects in any similar gathering that has you thinking “Oh man, deja vu!”

And how about the very basics of our life? Our salah in which we repeat the Opening, Surah al-Fatihah at least 17 times on a normal day… There’s so much wisdom in that alone. The dhikr of Allah that we are taught to practise. All this and more become part of training our tongues to say that which is best in our everyday life… and more importantly when death approaches us.

I’ve mentioned before how when we constantly remind others, we find it easier to remember those reminders when we ourselves are in need of them.

فَذَكِّرْ إِن نَّفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَى
Therefore remind (men) in case the reminder profits (them).
(Surah al-A’la: 9)

And I remind and encourage myself, before you, to strive in learning the Arabic language. For indeed, with it lies the key to all knowledge.

In the words of a wise man: “The Arabic is so nice.”

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Lost? Turn to Allah…

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً
So verily, with the hardship, there is relief,إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً
Verily, with the hardship, there is relief.
(Surah ash-Sharh: 5-6)

We know it too well. When someone hits a rough spot, we’re there to remind them, “إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً The relief will come, brother… Have patience.” Indeed, the reminder benefits but why does it become so difficult for us to remember these words ourselves when in need? Why do we fail to realise that Allah will indeed come to our aid if we call upon Him?

What’s missing? Al-yaqin fi ad-Du’a. The certainty that there is only One who can answer your du’a. Before you enter a pitch dark room, you know where the switch is, right there on the wall by the door… Do you then walk around that dark room anyway searching aimlessly for the switch? The certainty that when you make du’a… that Allah will answer it. And Allah has made this Promise to us…

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!”
(Surah Ghafir: 60)

The certainty is blocked by others - humans, Allah’s creations - and our own sins. The heart is absent when making the du’a because of these reasons. Eventually, the soul gives up on and loses faith in calling upon Allah…

Therefore we have to train ourselves to have a greater, the greatest dependency on Allah. How? Through taqwa. Leave the sins, leave the bad, avoid even the greyish matters when possible. Many a times we hear fellow Muslims tell amazing stories of how Allah blesses them with so much good when they decide to leave a sin for His sake. Subhan Allah, when these testimonies come from average folks like ourselves, how can we doubt, how can we despair under the pretext that we’re not good enough, we’re too far steeped in sin? Fear Allah, obey Him and abstain from that which He forbids… This is key to attaining that closeness to Allah, to the realisation that only He can fulfill your du’a. This is as Allah says:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجاً
وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْراً
And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.
(Surah at-Talaq: 2-3)

This is what I’ve learnt with regards to seeing how things work out when we make efforts, when we strive in establishing and strengthening our taqwa in hope that Allah will create that path out for us.

When we have our will for it, Allah will make a way…

1. When the will is to do good, Allah will help us with
a. apparent ease - facilitating the path for us
b. making it a trial for us - to test our faith and patience

2. When the will is to do good but it’s so hard and often times one falls into bad anyway, Allah helps too by…
a. making it hard for them to commit the sin (for eg. he wants to have a drink but the stores are closed, he’s a buck short, etc.)
b. making it easy the path to stop the sin as well as to repent. And in this way (when he repents), Allah loves him more than the one who doesn’t sin at all.

3. When the will is to do bad…
a. one feels constricted. He will be faced with problem after problem, living a difficult life.
b. on the apparent, his path to do bad is easy, his life might be OK. This is when Allah “forgets” that person and leaves him to his own destruction… respite granted. The ulama have said to be wary if your life seems to sail smooth without any trials.
c. Allah has mercy upon the person and guides the person. And we have seen the worst become the best in Islam.

These are general categorisations. But it makes it so much easier for me to see that Allah is always there in His slave’s life… despite him being the worst amongst mankind. He is always there. Always there making these paths, these avenues for the slave. And how unfortunate it is, if the slave is a believer, who knows, who believes that He exists, that He is the Lord, the only God… but fails to turn to Him.

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