We have gold in our pockets and we’re running after dust.

“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” (57:20)

I once attended a conference in which one of the speakers asked if we all believed in death being a reality and everyone nodded. Then he expressed his shock at how every person believes in death, yet we still fail to prepare for it. We are so well-aware of the fact that EVERY, SINGLE thing in this world will eventually perish and yet we run after it as if it will last forever. He compared this attitude of ours to a beautiful analogy; he said that it’s like we have gold (Islam) in our pockets and we’re running after dust (dunya).

Have we ever thought that what will we do when the angel of death appears in front of us and tells us that our time is over? What will we do at that moment? There will be no second chance then. Or are we so confident about ourselves that we think that the angel of death will come and will give us glad tidings of heaven right away? Are we really that pious? By God, I don’t know how the angel of death will appear in front of me or what will I say when my time will come. I just know that at that point I wouldn't want to say “I’m not ready.”

I say all this because I’m scared of my end and I’m scared of what will happen to the ones around me. This is nothing but a heart-felt cry. Maybe, expecting everyone to become pious is too much to ask for when I, myself, struggle to do the bare-minimum every day. But isn’t it rational to at least expect people to be worried about what they’re doing and where they are headed? It’s not that easy to become pious but it’s the intention and the struggle that matters. What is scary is not seeing people sinning but rather what is absolutely terrifying is when people sin and remain content with their heedlessness.

Have we become so shallow that living a prosperous life is all that we aim for? What was supposed to only assist us in our obedience to Allah Ta’ala has become the sole objective of our lives! The other day this teacher in our university seeing a student all dressed up, inquired about the reason behind it. To that the student proudly replied that he had a job interview at a prestigious company (which by the way is completely acceptable). The teacher unable to contain his emotions, sighed, and said, “I wish we could dress up for Allah like this! I wish!”

Such a reaction was brought about because we are so ignorant of the Presence of our Beautiful Lord, we are heedless of His Presence, His Gaze and His Mercy yet when it comes to the presence of any (remotely) important personality then we are ever so conscious. It is such a mind-blowing contrast and an absolutely devastating one, too. Our lives and our objectives have toppled upside down and it’s high time that we repair them.

I see people rushing through their lives worrying about petty issues. We have become so engrossed in our lives that we completely fail to grasp the bigger picture. Pause for a minute and evaluate your lives; think of the true purpose of our being. Trust me it can’t be as vain as simply having a good time! There’s more to our lives than our minds perceive but Allah Ta’ala has not just put us in this world to figure out everything by ourselves. He has given us the Quran, He has given us the Prophet S.A.W., He has given us the Sahabah (R.A.), He has given us scholars of this religion in the times that have passed and in the present times as well. All we need to do is make a sincere intention and take the first step, Allah Ta’ala through His Mercy and Grace will Inshaa Allah open up all doors for us.

Allah (swt) says: “Take one step towards me, I will take ten steps towards you. Walk towards me, I will run towards you.” [Hadith Qudsi]

False idols

This past Ramadan, our local imam would hold brief Tafsir sessions after Taraweeh prayers, as he has done so in the years before as well. On the night we completed Surat Al Hajj, the following Tafsir was to be a beautiful one indeed, where he discussed the issue grave worshipping. The following is a part of that Tafsir:

 (PARAPHRASED)

“…..What is sad about us is that despite claiming to believe in Allah we let our brothers indulge in disobeying Him, and through that we ourselves end up disobeying Allah by not stopping those at fault, or at least trying to. And yes, they will probably resort to violent means when someone will warn them (grave worshippers/ mazaar parasts) of their wrongdoings." But realize that Allah the Most Merciful informed us of this retaliation ages ago in the Surah we completed today, Surah Al Hajj.

And when Our Clear Verses are recited to them, you will notice a denial on the faces of the disbelievers! They are nearly ready to attack with violence those who recite Our Verses to them. Say: "Shall I tell you of something worse than that? The Fire (of Hell) which Allah has promised to those who disbelieve, and worst indeed is that destination!"  [Surah Al Hajj – 22:72]

This is one of the Marvels of the Quran that our Creator, The Supreme, The Almighty Chose to warn us that yes, your fears are right, but your duties as Muslims are just and await a greater reward for you, that is if you abide by Allah’s Commands. 

But this is not a new lesson. Our beloved Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) saw similar difficulties. In fact, he faced a more grievous task since he was the only one to stand up against his own people, objecting to their idol worshipping so blatantly.

Let me show you a “gift”, if you may call it, that Allah has sent us in the very next Ayah.

O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued. [Surah Al Hajj – 22:73]

At these mazaars, often food items are left at the altar as a sort of “peshi”, that apparently symbolizes the visitor’s devotion, as misguided as it is. Often it is in the form of “mithais” (local sweets). Placing these delicacies by the grave, the visitor then proceeds to ask for his “prayers/wishes” from the resident of the grave (May Allah Protect us from such an evil act. Ameen!) In the Ayah just quoted, Allah gives us a perfect rebuttal to present at such occasions. So listen carefully to this example!

Allah, the All Wise, points out that despite being so small and virtually powerless, a mere FLY is capable of more power than that person who has left this world and from whom these people ask from. So if this fly was to land on the mithai, break off a minuscule piece for itself, and fly away with it, there is nothing that the dead can do to stop it from doing so. Now if they cannot stop a measly, little fly from taking away these precious offerings, then how does one expect to have his wishes be granted from such a powerless entity. 

The only one who can answer our prayers is Allah, the One and Only. The ahl al-kaboor were simply creations of the Almighty, and quite often were devout and righteous people themselves. Invoking them in the name of their piety does not justify the act of shirk. Nothing does! Making dua to Allah is an exclusive act that must be pure of any association to any entity besides Allah Himself.

Just at the end of this Ayah Allah, the All Knowing, makes an eye opening statement. He says that in this act of shirk, it is not only the dead body inside the grave that is weak, but also the one invoking. How unfortunate would it be to be one of these misguided people! May Allah protect us from transgressing and guide us all to the Straight Path. Ameen.

Translations from:

http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/index.html

http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=22&verse=73

And Mufti Taqi Usmani’s translated version of the Quran.

- A. M. K.