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Tag: revival of Muslims

  • The Revival: First Step — Know Yourself (2)

    The Revival: First Step — Know Yourself (2)

    Editor’s note: The first part of this series is The Revival: Releasing the Dynamism of Islam in Our Lives and in the World. That article examines the pressing need for Islamic revival and making a commitment to begin the journey. Part two of this series explores the foundational need to know the self in order to successfully navigate the journey. Below is part three and it continues the exploration of knowing the self as a foundation for Islamic revival.

    Humans are inclined to ingratitude

    In Surah Ar-Rahman, Allah points out the many favors He has bestowed on us, including the precise orbits of celestial bodies, fruits and grains and flowers with beautiful scents; He has provided fresh water and salt water, and the facility of ships to sail through the sea; He has provided us so many favors in this life and then a reward of endless bliss and pleasures in the gardens and flowing springs of Paradise. So, in this surah, Allah asks us again and again which of the many favors of our Lord would we deny.

    Allah SWT also tells us in the Qur’an, “And if you were to count Allah’s favors, you would not be able to number them; most surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (16: 18). Further, He points out in another verse something so obvious yet so compelling, something that should make us stop and reflect: “It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when you knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections: that you may give thanks” (Qur’an 16:78). And yet we persist in complaining, bickering, resenting, feeling impatient or annoyed! Instead, we should use the phrase “alhamdulillah” for anything and everything we are blessed with — a day of good health or a night of sound sleep; the food we eat, the house we live in, and our loving family; majestic mountains, pastures, wind, and rain; friendships, the ability to communicate with one another, an intrinsic yearning for meaning and purpose in our lives. The list goes on and on.

    When you are grateful in your daily life and look for even the smallest things for which to practice gratitude, it becomes impossible to be ungrateful.  A good practice is this: on a daily basis, when you are annoyed, challenged, impatient, etc., find something that you can focus on, some point for gratitude, to counterbalance or even transform your negative state.

    Humans are prone to disputation

    “And certainly We have explained in this Qur’an for humankind every example, but man is in most things prone to dispute” (Qur’an 18:54). So, man tends to question things, wanting to discuss, debate, and argue. This can be a positive or negative trait.

    Allah has given us free-will and the faculties of reason and logic, aspects of the mind necessary to seek truth and to quest for knowledge. Because of this capacity, we discover the truth of Allah and His deen. Ibrahim (a.s.) is a perfect example. He questioned everything and finally found the truth. If Allah hadn’t given us free will and the yearning for truth and knowledge, then we would be creatures akin to animals, bound by instinct or programmed like angels. Yet, this very nature of questioning predisposes men to dispute things, sometimes in a negative, controversial, or bad-faith manner. Thus, it’s like a double-edged sword and we need to guard ourselves from the harmful side. The Qur’an and ahadith are the “guard,” if you will, to save ourselves from the negative side of man’s questioning nature.

    When Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) came to the realization of the one true God, he disputed with his own father and community about what they worshipped. However, in his arguments with them he used logic and sound reasoning, he was wise in his approach to what he was disputing, he remained throughout respectful, humble, and polite. Ibrahim’s father, after hearing that Ibrahim rejected the stone idols, threatened to kill his son. Yet, Ibrahim, answered him in the most wise and respectful and gentle way: “Peace be upon you! I will pray to my Lord for your forgiveness. He has truly been Most Gracious to me. I will withdraw from you and that which you pray to beside Allah, and I will pray unto my Lord. It may be that, in prayer unto my Lord, I shall not be unblest” (Qur’an 19:47-48).

    The story of Ibrahim illustrates the beneficial sharpness of intellect when it is conjoined with a virtuous heart. There is, however, also the harmful sharpness of the sword. The other side, the harmful side of questioning everything is petulance, or arguing for the sake of arguing, or arguing in bad faith, or being stubborn and needing to be right regardless of what is factual or true or sincere or pious. We want to make sure, whenever we question or debate or argue, that we do so using logic and sound reasoning, that we are wise in our approach (as to the right time and the right place, for example), that we remain respectful, humble, polite; and that we avoid the harmful side — being gratuitously quarrelsome, controversial, egotistic, impious.

    Whenever you get involved in a dispute, whether it is about religious matters or everyday matters or relationship issues, ask yourself if the dispute is due to your own ego, pride, and/or arrogance, or purely for the sake of Allah. If it’s the former, then know that it is from your lower nafs or from Satan. Stop the dispute, ask forgiveness from Allah, reconcile with the one who you were disputing with, and re-commit yourself to good faith, integrity, and good manners, in times of harmony and times of dispute.

    Humans are desirous of wealth

    The Prophet has told us, “If the son of Adam were to own a valley of gold, he would desire to have two valleys… (Sahih Bukhari). We know, therefore, that without reforming and molding one’s character, the lust for wealth and material acquisition can control us. One way to address it is the remembrance of death. The lifespan of a man is not even a blink of the eye compared to the 14 billion years of the universe, and even more finite and fleeting when compared to the eternal life after death. If we can avoid death and live indefinitely in this world, young and healthy, then we may ignore all the signs and warnings and continue doing whatever we want to do. However, that is not the case. And we are reminded of the world’s deception: “And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion?” (Qur’an 3:185). And one of the greatest delusions is the allure of wealth.

    Then how do we safeguard ourselves from the potential pathology of this desire? We have to curb our temptation to have the latest gadget, the latest model of car, the most esteemed office or position, the best house in the neighborhood, etc. If you are already blessed with any of these, then demonstrate gratitude by not showing-off or bragging about them or filling your egoic mind with self-aggrandizement. We can use our blessings to help fellow human beings. And we do well to remind ourselves every day, as a way to stay in a state of ubudiyah, what the Prophet (s) told us: “Wealth does not come from an abundance of things. True wealth comes from a contented mind” (Bukhari and Muslim).

    Now imagine for a moment that each one of us, each and every one of the almost two billion Muslims in the world, revived himself or herself with the richness of Islamic teachings, worked on building character by focusing on and inculcating the following traits: being thorough, systematic, patient, and perseverant in all our actions; taking deeply felt awe-inspiring heed of Allah’s signs; practicing gratitude for all things, big and small; being willing to question and debate but careful not to fall into petulance or arguing for the sake of our ego; and ensuring that the lure of wealth does not encroach upon or compromise our Islamic values, principles, and priorities. We can then work on many other Islamic traits of good character, thus preparing ourselves well for the journey of reviving Islamic civilization.

  • The Revival: First Step — Know Yourself

    The Revival: First Step — Know Yourself

    Editor’s note: The first part of this series is The Revival: Releasing the Dynamism of Islam in Our Lives and in the World. That article examines the pressing need for Islamic revival and making a commitment to starting the journey. This article explores the foundational need to know the self in order to successfully navigate the journey.

    There are many things that we need to do to bring about an Islamic revival, and there are many ways to go about that. The ultimate goal is to be in the state of ubudiyah (servitude to Allah SWT) and follow, to the best of our ability, every command that Allah and His messenger (s) have given to us in the Qur’an and ahadith. However, in a practical sense, our immediate focus should be on the deficits that are evident in the contemporary Muslim ummah. Only then can we utilize our limited resources most efficiently.

    We are the vehicle for the revival of Islamic civilization. Allah tells us in the Qur’an, “Verily, never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (13:11). As the vehicle of our own revival, we must have a clear understanding of ourselves. If we do not know who we are and what strengths and weaknesses we have, both as humanity and as individuals, then how do we begin to change ourselves? For that inquiry, who would be more knowledgeable than our Creator who has designed us and knows everything about us? In fact, He has pointed out human strengths and weaknesses in the incomparable source — the Qur’an.

    Throughout the Qur’an, He has mentioned human weaknesses, and the following are some weaknesses that we should be aware of: human beings are creatures of haste, impatient (21:37); heedless of Allah’s signs (10:92); inclined to ingratitude (10:60); prone to disputation (18:54); desirous of wealth (3:14). Didn’t Allah, however, also mention that we are the best of creatures? Yes, He surely did: “We have indeed created man in the best of molds…” (Qur’an 95:4). So how do we reconcile the many weaknesses of man, as documented in the Qur’an, with Allah SWT saying we are created in the best of molds?

    First, Allah has told us in the Qur’an that He created angels with the sole purpose of worshipping Him and celebrating His praises; and they do not disobey Him. However, humans are given the capacity of free-will which is absolutely unique when compared to the status of angels or any creatures in the animal kingdom on this earth. Human free-will brought about the amazing transformation of the jaheli (ignorant) Arabs who were in a debased state by worshipping idols, killing their own daughters, committing adultery, perpetrating injustice, engaging in perpetual tribal feuds, and more. Yet many were transformed into the best of human beings.

    Take the example of Umar ibn al-Khattab or Khalid bin Waleed, for example. Umar (ra) became one of the khulafa-e-rashideen (the rightly guided khalifs) and ruled over half of the known world at that time. He rose from the lowest state in which he was torturing Muslims and wanting to kill the Prophet (s). Similarly, Khalid bin Waleed (ra) was the sworn enemy of Muslims and killed many companions of the Prophet (s) but transformed over the course of just a few years into a great disseminator of Islam throughout the Persian and Byzantine empires. So, let’s look at the weaknesses listed above and take them one at a time and see how we might know ourselves in a deeper way and, insha’Allah, turn weakness into strength.

    Humans are creatures of haste; impatient

    Allah reminds us through the story of Musa (a.s) and Khidr (Qur’an 18:65-82) that being patient is important to learn and practice, given that we, as humans, have limited knowledge of how or why events unfold as they do, or that the appearance of something might be different from the inner reality of it. Khidr said the obvious, “And how would you stay patient over something your comprehension cannot grasp?” After their journey ended, the lessons from the loss of a boat which was the only source of income for the poor people, the rebuilding of the wall, and the death of a child, made it clear that all the actions had future benefits even though it was incorrectly perceived by Musa (a.s.) as missteps by Khidr. So, how can we implement this realization in our lives?

    When any calamity or challenging incident unfolds, pause and look at it through a different lens and keep in mind that you don’t know whether the ultimate outcome will be good or bad. It could be as simple as missing the exit on a highway or getting stuck in traffic, causing you to miss a very important meeting. Or maybe you miss a job opportunity or a desired promotion at work. We get impatient and stressed because we think these things will damage our success. But the story of Khidr shows that there are often layers of reality and meaning that we are not immediately privy to, that might only become apparent in the long run. In addition, Allah has promised in the Qur’an that the person who practices sabr, patience and perseverance, will be successful, in the deeper meaning of success in this life and the hereafter (3:200), will be able to recognize the Signs of Allah (31:31), will be loved by Allah (3:146), and will get a reward without measure (39:10).

    The Prophet (s) has told us, “…Whoever would be patient, then Allah will make him patient. No one is given a gift that is better and more comprehensive than patience” (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). This is evident in our day-to-day life. When you are patient in the face of frustration, annoyance, or difficulty, you demonstrate God-consciousness, love and fear of Allah, emotional intelligence, and self-restraint. And by practicing patience, you give the situation the best chance for you to come to a balanced and greater insight, and even healing through time. Some factors surrounding you and the situation might change which inevitably opens up new opportunities, or even sometimes makes that very incident, about which you were so worried or worked up about, irrelevant. So, whenever you are faced with an unexpected loss, a challenging situation, or are on the receiving end of someone’s anger, criticism, or difficult behavior, remind yourself of Khidr and Musa and let the instant knee-jerk reaction cool-off. Remind yourself of all the rewards promised by Allah for practicing sabr. This practice should be with small, daily challenges as well as the big ones. If we practice sabr in a committed way, we will slowly but surely experience an Islamic transformation in our lives, insha’Allah.

    Humans are heedless of Allah’s signs

    The signs of Allah are mentioned hundreds of times in the Qur’an. When reading Surah al-Mulk, for example, one is inspired to look at Allah’s creation and ponder. Allah has even challenged mankind to look again and again (i.e., investigate methodically) at His creation to find any flaw in it, but He promises we will be humbled. “Then look again and your vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued” (Qur’an 67:4). The observable universe is rich in His signs, and we are reminded of this in the Qur’an: “Indeed, Allah is the cleaver of grain and date seeds. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living. That is Allah; so how are you deluded? He is the cleaver of daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. And it is He who placed for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darkness of the land and sea. We have detailed the signs for a people who know” (Qur’an 6:95-97).

    In another verse, 16:79, Allah points us to the example of a bird flying high and that it is through the Power of Allah that they stay aloft. If we are so inclined to read about the aerodynamics of bird flight, we realize that a bird uses its strong legs to thrust itself off the ground and then flaps its wings to stay aloft. This is the thrust and lift of aerodynamics which is the study of the way air moves around things, one of the countless facets of physical law fashioned by Allah. And He SWT made the shape of the bird’s wings curved so that the air moves above and below the wings in such a way as to maintain flight. With our current level of knowledge today we can understand so much of His signs, in such detail, and think about how the signs will be that much more clear and compelling as human knowledge progresses. So many verses in the Qur’an remind us to use our senses, to ponder the creation, and recognize Allah’s signs everywhere.

    A way to ponder His signs and deepen eman is to focus on one sign at a time based on your point of interest and reflect on it. For instance, if you’re intrigued by the origin of life and the universe then ponder 24:45 and 21:30; if you are active in advocating for social justice, then ponder 49:11 and 5:8; if anthropology is your wheelhouse, ponder 30:22. These signs of Allah, all around us, humble us and increase our love of Allah.

    Part 3 of this series will continue the focus on specific aspects of our transformation in our personal and collective lives that are required for revival.