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Twenty Lessons from 2020

Ali (Allah be pleased with him) once was asked: “How have you recognised your God?”

He (Allah be pleased with him) answered: “I recognised God through revoking the determinations and breaking the intentions. When I determined and I was prevented from achieving my determination, and when I intended and fate contradicted my intention, I realised that the Administrator was other than me.”

And so this uneventful year draws to a close and I find myself thinking how much history 2020 made. Be it the pandemic, racial tensions or presidential campaigns across the pond, 2020 has been one long rollercoaster.

Life is full of surprises and if anything, this year has shone a light on how amazingly resilient Allah has created us all. Just when we are about to put our feet up and become a little complacent with our routine in life, the setting suddenly changes and we’re forced to recompose, reshuffle the pieces and refocus the lens a little. And in the midst of this restructure, our unsteady walk exposes us, we trip, we fall and we fail…but we brush ourselves off and stand back up. A quote of JK Rowling comes to mind that ‘It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.’ This year has been a year of ‘falling’ for many of us but with the tradition of reflection (Muhasabah – account ourselves to ourselves) maybe we can transform the ‘falls’ into life-changing goals.

The biggest lesson that was manifested this year is that ‘Allah never tests a soul more than it can bear’ (Quran, 2:286). There are so many beautiful lessons to learn from this verse alone that could put this whole year into perspective for many of us. This world is a test and each and every one of us will be tested in various ways. A utopian society does not exist and 2020 has very clearly shown us that. Once we truly understand this, we can start to formulate that as Muslims, it is crucial we believe that Allah tests us to make us, not break us. When total fear ensued in March, Allah’s powerful promise in the Quran should have been our zen and reassurance amidst the chaos. Our goal for 2021 is to place our complete trust in Him SWT and His plan. He SWT doesn’t leave us, but we leave Him. He doesn’t move an inch away from us and is closer to us than our jugular vein.

As Ramadhan drew closer and it dawned on us that the Masajid would remain closed and Taraweeh Salah will have to be performed in the homes, a heart-breaking sadness cloaked us. Who will be leading? What will be prayed? How much Qur’an do we know? Will it even feel like Ramadhan? As these questions were being discussed in every household up and down the country, a new lesson was emanating. Alhamdulillah, many homes echoed with the confident recitations of their Huffadh but the hard truth is that there still remained a huge number of us who hadn’t prioritised reading and learning the Quran enough to be able to stand up and confidently take on the musalla. We were always so reliant on the Ulama and the Huffadh that we had become complacent with our own learning journey.  This reminded me of how I will be alone in my grave, just me and my deeds – no Hafidh to fall back on, no Alim to rely on, no one. The closure of the Masajid and the emptiness that came with it threw us into frantic jeopardy but ‘A believer is never stung from the same hole twice’ (Hadith) and so Ramadhan 2020 taught us to never stop learning. Know 10 Surahs from Juz Amma? Make it your goal to learn another 10 this year. Learn Surah Yaseen. Learn Surah Mulk. Learn Surah Rahman. Never stop learning. Create an insatiable hunger for learning. When you get to the end of your life, you want to be able to tell yourself that I spent every year of my life learning something new from the Qur’an and didn’t stay stuck on ‘Madrasah Mode’ from my teenage years.

2020 brought out some of the ugliest faces yet the most soul-soothing actions. Whilst on the one hand racism hit another high, unity in the face of tragedy outshone. The pandemic may have thrust us into isolation but it brought a sense of togetherness that was not seen before. Communities came together, putting aside creed, caste and religion, to help the elderly, vulnerable, isolated with food packages, medicines, shopping and that’s just the tangible needs. Neighbours checked in on one another, more phone calls were made to friends and family, messages dropped in asking how we’re doing. Let’s make it our mission to continue this fulfilling deed. Send that text message, make that two-minute phone call, and don’t just call someone when you need them. Mother Teresa once said, ‘Loneliness is a terrible poverty’ and there are millions of people suffering from that lack of friendship. In these difficult times, make someone feel heard. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ said, ‘You won’t be able to take care of everyone financially; instead, let your cheerful face and good manners take care of all of them’ (Musnad Bazzar).

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Now we are at the suggestive, somewhat enticing, light at the end of the tunnel stage of the pandemic, we are tested once again. The vaccine is available and whatever side of the fence you sit on, remember that Allah is the Controller. Everything truly belongs to Him alone and he holds authority over everything and everyone. One Quran verse frequently came to mind at different times this year.  Allah says, ‘لمن الملك اليوم، لله الواحد القهار ‘For whom is the dominion today? For Allah, the One, the Supreme’ (Quran, 40:16).  Allah gives and Allah takes. Let’s not talk as if this year has been a year of just the revolutionising scientists against the evil virus, forgetting all along that Allah is the Master, the Withholder, and the Bestower of all things.

It has been a challenging year but for the intelligent believer, no challenge comes without changes.  We may want to be quick to forget all that 2020 put on our plate but let’s remember the lessons it taught us and the goals it guided us to make. 

Constantly ask Allah for ease

Ismail ibn Nazir Satia (one who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure)

15 Jamada al-Awwal 1442

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Spirituality

The Death of ‘Inna Lillah wa Inna Ilayhi Rajioon’ With the Birth and Rise of Smartphones.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم


We are living in very sad times, on a daily basis, we are hearing about the death of loved ones. Sometimes you may know the person and sometimes you may not. 


In Islam, we are always told to have empathy and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. With the rise of Social Media, many Muslims have lost empathy and dignity.  Happiness is shared with emojis which are half-hearted and meaningless. Sadness and grief are shared with a quick emoji but the person could be smiling on the other side. 


In short, Social Media has made us fake, plastic, and artificial. Nothing is heartfelt. And what breaks my heart is someone’s grandmother passes away and someone’s father passes away, the message is forwarded to groups, but the reply is:
I L W I R
WHAT.IS.THAT?
You think the opposite person received sympathy with your ILWIR. No dua, no words of comfort, and half-hearted replies. Nowadays, people have gone one step ahead with GIFs.


Learn to be compassionate and merciful, it’s NEVER about the time and minutes, you need a drop of mercy in your heart (and there’s always predictive text which makes it easier). 


Ismail ibn Nazir Satia (one who is in dire need of Allah’s mercy, forgiveness and pleasure)

Categories
Current Affairs articles

A Point of View

There are a lot of people saying mosques should be closed completely; no Jumuah Salah and no daily congregation in place and we must seize all activity. As precautionary and sensible as this sounds, we need to be mindful of many factors before such extreme measures are taken.

What role does the Masjid play in the Muslim community?

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلُّهُ الإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ، وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ، وَرَجُلاَنِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ طَلَبَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ‏.‏ وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ أَخْفَى حَتَّى لاَ تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ ‏”‏‏.‏

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah will give shade, to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears.”

For many of us, the Masjid is our fortress, our sanctuary, a safe haven for others, I would call it the Muslim man’s castle.

We all know what the doctors and medical professionals are advising, we are all well versed with the statistics of the media, but in all of this, doesn’t Allah matter? Doesn’t the Prophet ﷺ matter? Doesn’t the Quran mean anything? Doesn’t the Hadith mean anything? We need to strike a balance.

Like most things in the Muslim community, we have two extremes; the doctors and medics are saying, “Close all the masajid!” And certain Imams and Muftis are insisting to keep open, with restrictions.  Please refer to the Hadith above where it clearly shows attachment to the Masjid is a sign of Iman. Either way, we should be upset at the Masajid closing, not apathetic or hasty.

Where is the balance?

We need to have restrictions and be firm with the people and if that means sending certain people home, do it for everyone’s benefit. Some Masajid are being too lenient, they have rules, but don’t implement them. If the elderly are told not to come, stay vigilant in this even if it means sending them back home. Same applies to those with symptoms, they should be sent home with a firm warning.

It’s not an easy decision closing Masajid and this is why people are getting emotional. Remember the Hadith when the Prophet SAW was forced to leave Makkah?

Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The Prophet (Allah be pleased with him) said, addressing Makkah: “How good you are as a land and how dear you are to my heart! Had your people not forced me out of you, I would have never come out and left you and would have never resided in any other city but you.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Personally, the decision should come from those who actually attend the Masjid regularly, whether they are a doctor, an Imam or a Mufti. It seems insensitive to have these decisions regulated by someone who doesn’t come to the Masjid frequently or simply attends for Jumuah Salah. This may sound unreasonable to some people, but some of us rely solely on the Masjid and its activities for our Iman, be it Salah, Adhkar, Dua and Bayans. Safeguarding Iman is also important, just like preserving our health, we don’t hear this [balance] from people who are saying close the Masajid. If a brother or sister doesn’t feel safe coming to the Masjid, because they are more prone to illnesses or vulnerable or have weaker faith, then they are advised to stay at home, but let others continue to come with restrictions in place.

Did the Prophet pray at home in Rain?

Once, on a cold night, Ibn `Umar (Allah be pleased with him) pronounced the Adhan for the prayer at Dajnan (the name of a mountain) and then said, “Pray at your homes”, and informed us that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to tell the Mu’adh-dhin to pronounce Adhan and say, “Pray at your homes” at the end of the Adhan on a rainy or a very cold night during the journey.” (Bukhari)

This Hadeeth is authentic, but what needs to be remembered here is that this was for one night or two. This wasn’t the ruling for several weeks or months. 50,000 Sahabah (Allah be pleased with them) died from the Plague of Amwaas. How many Masajid were closed? When Uthman (Allah be pleased with them) was made Shaheed, was the Masjid shut? Despite people rebelling and threatening lives. Let’s be fair, instead of cherry-picking Hadeeth and shopping for Fatwas.

Contagious Diseases in Islam

Bukhari (5776) and Muslim (2224) narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no ‘adwa (transmission of infectious disease without the permission of Allah) and no tiyarah (superstitious belief in bird omens), but I like good omens.” They said: What is a good omen?” He said: “A good word.” 

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “There is no ‘adwa” are general in meaning, thus the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) states that there is no contagion (without the permission of Allah). 

‘Adwa (contagion) refers to the spread of a disease from a sick person to a healthy one. What happens in the case of physical diseases may also happen in the case of psychological diseases. Hence, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that a bad companion is the like one who operates the bellows: Either he will burn your clothes, or you will notice a bad smell from him. 

The words “there is no ‘adwa” include both physical and psychological diseases, even though it is more apparent with regard to physical disease. 

This does not mean that these things do not happen, because they do happen. Rather it is a statement that they do not have any effect. The One Who causes things to happen is Allah. If any of these things has a known effect then that is valid and real; if any of them is imagined to have an effect, then that is invalid and false. Thus, the hadeeth demonstrates that if there is a valid effect, it cannot be attributed to that thing itself (rather the One Who causes it to happen is Allah). If the effect is merely imagined, then this hadeeth is stating that it has no effect in the first place. 

With regard to the words “no contagion (‘adwa)”: contagion is something that happens, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “Do not put a sick one with a healthy one” i.e. the owner of a sick camel should not bring it to the owner of a healthy camel, lest the contagion be transmitted. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: “Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.”, Leprosy is a serious disease that is transmitted quickly and kills the one who catches it. It was even said to be a plague. Hence, the command to flee from the leper so that the disease will not be transmitted from him to you. This is an affirmation of the effect of contagion, but its effect is not inevitable in such a way that it affects people by itself. The command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to flee and not to bring sick camels to where healthy camels are, comes under the heading of avoiding the means (that lead to sickness), not attributing the effect to the means themselves. The means do not affect anything themselves, but we should avoid the things that may be a cause of the the calamity, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And do not throw yourselves into destruction” [al-Baqarah 2:195]

We cannot say that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was denying the effect of contagion, because contagion is something that is proven to exist in real life and is mentioned in other ahadeeth. 

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said “there is no ‘adwa”, a man said: “O Messenger of Allah, the camels may be healthy like deer, then a mangy camel comes and mixes with them and they all get the mange.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “And who infected the first one?” meaning that the disease came to the first one with no contagion, rather it came from Allah. By the same token, if it was transmitted by contagion, then it was transmitted by the command of Allah. A thing may have a known cause or it may not have a known cause. The mange of the first one does not have a known cause, apart from the fact that it happened by the will and decree of Allah, and the mange that came after it does have a known cause. But if Allah wills the camel will not become mangy.  Hence, sometimes a camel may get the mange but then it recovers and does not die. The same happens with the plague and cholera; they may enter a house and some may get sick and die, while others are not affected at all.

We HAVE to put our trust in Allah and depend on Him. It was narrated that a leper came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he took him by the hand and said, “Eat,” i.e., eat of the food that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was eating– because of the strength of his trust in Allah. This trust counteracts the causes of contagion. 

What we have referred to above is the best way of reconciling between the ahadeeth. 

Based on this, what is meant by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “no ‘adwa (contagion)” is that disease is not transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one by itself, rather it is transmitted by the will and decree of Allah. If a sick person mixes with healthy ones this is one of the causes of the transmission of disease. But this does not mean that it will inevitably happen, rather it only happens if Allah wills it. Hence we often see a sick mother give birth to a healthy child, but the disease is not transmitted to the infant. 

Conclusion

Before closing the Masajid, the above points must be taken into consideration, exactly what Islam says about contagious diseases and the role the Masjid plays. When calamities arose the Prophet actually turned to the Masjid and turned to Allah, here we are, doing the opposite and saying Ulama and Muftis are narrow-minded and have the backward mentality. It’s because many people saying these things are not regular goers to the Masjid, they are armchair critics. I reiterate the people attending the Masjid MUST make the decision for Masjid closure, be it, Imam or health professionals. And please take it in steps, rather than complete lockdown. Cut down Salah in the Masjid, from 5 to 4 to 3, etc. Rather than 5 to 0. Allah grant us all ease, hope and mercy in these testing times, Allah grant us his light and generosity in these dark times.

Ismail ibn Nazir Satia (one who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure).

25 Rajab 1441