‘Do you like him much?’
‘I told you I liked him a little. Where is the use of caring for him so very much? He is full of faults.’
‘Is he?’
‘All boys are.’
‘More than girls?’
‘Very likely. Wise people say it is folly to think anybody perfect; and as to likes and dislikes, we should be friendly to all, and worship none.’
‘Are you a wise person?’
‘I mean to try to be so. Go to sleep.’
Thoughts of the ‘wiser’ character :‘How will she get through the shocks and repulses, the humiliations and desolations, which books, and my own reason tell me are prepared for all flesh?’
[chapter 3 of Villette by Charlotte Bronté]
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‘Whoever amongst you worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. But whoever worshipped Allah,Allah is alive and will never die.’ [Abu Bakr radi Allahuanhu upon the death of Rasulalah sal Allahu alayhi wasallam]
***
Taqwa can be achieved after having a direct emotional link with Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la. Only what pleases Him, pleases you. And only what displeases Him, displeases you. Nothing and no-one else can budge you from your reference point of calmness except that which concerns Him. Consequently then, these emotions lead you to hastening in doing good deeds and abstaining from that which is prohibited and/or disliked without any distractions. These feelings stem from having fear of Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la or Taqwain your heart. A heart is like any other vessel and despite whatever a Muslimah claims, her heart is either inclined towards her Rabb or towards Dunia. There is no fifty-fifty ratio. There can never be no matter how much we say there is.So out of fear of Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la, she should be careful about the state of her heart. She must not worship the Creations. Either everything/everyone will leave you or you’ll leave them after you die. Therefore, a wise Muslimah focuses on worshipping her Lord because He’s the Ever-living.
‘Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor will remain forever.’ [Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:26-27]
He Subhanahu WaTa’la knows the sorrows in her heart and the silent wishes she’s had for long.
When people asked Abu ad-Darda RA about why he did not engage in poetry (unlike his contemporaries), he replied,
“Man wishes that he is given his desire;
Whereas Allah bars everything except that which He intends.
Man says: ‘My profit! My wealth!’
Whereas fear of Allah (Taqwa) is the best form of profit/benefit.’ [pp.5,Taqwa:The Provision of Believers]
Let’s pick up the story from where we left. When Zummurud married Zinkee and went out of Damascus to attend the wedding party, the corrupt advisors locked the doors of Damascus on her. They exclaimed, ‘You betrayed us and married Zinkee who had attacked us before!’
Zummurud’s new husband Zinkee abandoned her as well. She tried to seek help from the Khalifa(caliph) in Baghdad but she wasn’t able to see him because he too was corrupt and morally weak. She left royalty and went to live in Makkah to spend rest of her life where she ran out of money. There, the Cream of Royalty, ended up cooking, serving, sewing to support herself. Just before she died, she moved to Madinah because she knew the following Hadith of the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam:
At-Tabarani has reported with a sound chain of narration from a woman of Thaqif that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He amongst you who is able to stay until death in Madinah must do so, as I shall be a witness or an intercessor for him on the Day of Judgement."
That is why 'Umar prayed to Allah to cause him to die in Madinah. Bukhari reported from Zaid bin Aslam, and he from his father that 'Umar said, "O Allah! Grant me martyrdom in Your cause, and cause me to die in the sanctuary of Your Prophet (peace be upon him). [Volume 5, Page 136: Excellence of Death in Madinah.]
After people had buried her, her servant told them that it was the Queen of Damascus that they had buried and stated her lineage. People never knew about her nobility before her death. SubhanAllah! Look at the humility of Zummurud! She didn’t tell the whole world what problems she had faced. She didn’t spread hate against the people who had hurt her constantly. She didn’t become bitter towards life and give up living. She didn’t end up ill out of depression and pessimistic attitude. She could’ve exclaimed that she was a failure in that her husband and children did not love her. She could’ve stopped being social because the people she cared about so much, didn’t inquire about her and where she disappeared. She could’ve considered herself a woman who had lost her honor completely because of what her social status was now after being a Queen surrounded by Kings left and right. It is nothing less than amazing how she survived every single test Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la tried her with and we pray to Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la that she gets the highest status in JannatulFirdaus al ‘Ala. Ameen.
All of us can use this story and relate to it. What is it that made Zummurud (R) so steadfast in her Deen? Clearly, her yearning to die in Madinah meant that she was still a devout worship despite those trials right before death. Didn’t she feel lonely? Didn’t she miss her deceased husband all this while? She might’ve felt stuck in destiny. She might’ve felt suffocated. What about the children she had? Surely, she wanted to see them, their wives and her grandchildren. Surely she was like any mother who loved her children to the core. Didn’t she fear unhappiness? Growing in the lap of luxury, how did she feel as she was serving other people to support herself when she had several servants to serve her for several years in the past? How did it feel like? Didn’t it shatter her heart into a million pieces whenever she visited the past and thought what could’ve been or what should’ve been?
Dear sisters, she had nothing but she had everything. Because she had Taqwa. Taqwa only came from knowledge. Zummurud (R) was a human. She might’ve felt sad. There’s nothing wrong with feeling sad.It’s okay to feel sad sisters! But soon after sadness, the fear of Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la should enter the heart and in that fear, a Muslimah mustn’t stop fulfilling her obligations. She mustn’t utter even a single word that displeases Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la. She mustn’t let Shaytan manipulate her and make her worship her emotions in the seemingly lows of her Qadr. Because the Rabb of the Creations, the Healer of the heart has promised her the following if she has Taqwa:
1.an antidote for loneliness and lack of love [Surah Ale Imraan, 3:76]
2.a means of a way out of problems [Surah at-Talaq, 65:2-3]
3.a source of honor [Surah Ar-Rad, 13:13]
4.a means of survival amidst bad news [Surah Yunus, 10:63-64]
5.only in those who have knowledge of Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la [Surah Fatir, 35:28]
Only Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la knows what status we have in His Sight and only He knows what status we would’ve achieved by the time we die. Our concern should be that how much of Taqwadid we have in the twenty,thirty,fourty,fifty years of our lives. Taqwa is God-consciousness. That lingering feeling in your head that you’re not alone as you’re indulged in doing something haram. That sort of feeling some people have when an authority figure is around such as a boss or teacher. The employee and the student try to ensure that they don’t do anything that might displease them. Because displeasing them means terrible consequences.
What does displeasing Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la mean? What does pleasing Him means?
‘And strain not your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to various groups of them (polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh), the splendour of the life of this world that We may test them thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord is better and more lasting.And enjoin As-Salât (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them [i.e. the Salât (prayers)]. We ask not of you a provision (i.e. to give Us something: money); We provide for you. And the good end (i.e. Paradise) is for the Muttaqûn (those who have Taqwa).’ [Surah Ta-Ha, 20:131-132]
Need another proof of His Love, dear Muslimah?
"Yes, if you hold on to patience and piety(has Taqwa),and the enemy comes rushing at you; your Lord will help you with five thousand angels having marks (of distinction)." Allâh made it not but as a message of good news for you and as an assurance to your hearts. And there is no victory except from Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. [Surah Ale-Imraan, 3:125-126].
Could Zummurud have had survived the challenges in Qadr if she did not have firm belief in reward/punishment after death? Where does belief come from? Knowledge of course. How can one protect oneself from the whispers of Shaytan? By having knowledge of your enemy.
SufyaanAth-Thawree (rahimahullaah) said: "The excellence of knowledge is due only to the fact that it causes a person to fear(have Taqwa) and obey Allah, otherwise it is just like anything else." [Related by ibn Rajab]
Therefore, let’s quickly enroll and register in programs which will assist us in seeking knowledge. Because knowledge will lead us to Taqwa and Taqwa will secure our dunia and Akhira inshaAllah. Only Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la’s Promises are true so let’s seek refuge in Him and seek safety of our future through Him. And not through our jobs,loved ones,degrees. People and things come and go.Why depend on things which are bound to change? Can one ever expect to stand firmly on a boat that rocks and keep changing its’ position?
Let’s make an impermeable wall between us and sins today. Let’s fall in love with Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la with fear (Taqwa) and hope. Let’s promise ourselves that we’ll try not to be distracted and will make Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la and our Deen truly our first priority.
May Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la us live and die for His Sake. May He Subhanahu WaTa’la resurrect us amongst the Siddiqeen(Truthful ones), the Prophets, the Shuhada (the martyrs), and the Sawliheen (the righteous). Ameen.
And Allah Subhanahu WaTa’la knows best.
Now that we have a success story to motivate us, inshaAllah in the next article, we will discuss what are some of the steps to achieve Taqwa.
Please remember me in your duaas.
