What is Al Ghuraba? Al ghuraba is an Arabic term which means “the strangers”. There is a hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w.), "Islam came as a strange religion and will leave as a strange religion, so glad tiding to the strangers."
Now take out a few seconds and think about the condition of the Muslim Ummah in this time and age. How many people do you know who are following Islam the way it is supposed to be followed? As sad as it is, we not only don’t follow Islam the way it’s supposed to be followed but we don’t even follow it to the extent that we can rightfully be called as Muslims. I mean we can argue at length about how our salah lacks the khushoo that the prayers of the sahaba karaam and the pious people had, but then again how many of us even pray five times a day? The comparison is as bizarre as that of an ant and a mountain.
Lets look at it with yet another example. You know, there is one student who is like a full bright scholar, who gets no less than A grades and then on the other hand are students who study the subject just for the sake of it, heartlessly and forcefully, that even getting a passing grade is a big deal for them. And there is a further third category of students; the drop-outs, the students who don’t even bother to make an effort and who simply give up.
And SubhanAllah, most of us fall into the third category. That is our state! At least most of ours and so in this age to find a Muslim (I’m talking about an actual Muslim) is perhaps as rare as finding a black and white tv. And whenever people tend to go against the majority, they are dealt with as weirdos or strangers etc. And that is when we’re supposed to go back to the hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w.), "Islam came as a strange religion and will leave as a strange religion, so glad tiding to the strangers." Read the last part over and over again till it sinks in, “…so glad tiding to the strangers.” SubhanAllah, and this time it is not a sarcastic SubhanAllah either.
That should be motivation enough for us to do our best to be actual Ummatis of the Prophet (s.a.w.), to be true Muslims and to strive to attain the pleasure of Allah. Indeed Allah Himself has said that the greatest thing that a Momin should strive for is His pleasure. And why should we be afraid of other people’s reactions in following Islam to the fullest? When we know that people will always say what they have to and they’ll always have criticisms no matter what you’re doing. Plus at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what people say or what they don’t, we are not doing any of this for them anyway, we are doing it for Allah and for Allah alone.
But sometimes the fact that we practice Islam only for Allah and His pleasure is not enough for us and we are overtaken by worldly distractions, one thing that can help us at such a time is to remember death. This does not have a gloomy and dark meaning in any sense, its just that we should remind ourselves about the temporary nature of this life and about the nearness of death to keep ourselves in check. In fact, there is a saying of Hazrat Ali (R.A.) that a person’s death is so near to him that it can be understood by the like of two people running towards each other.
So please never lose hope in the mercy of Allah, and if you're having trouble in following Islam properly then pray to Allah for help. Recite astaghfar often, pray regularly and pray to Allah to join us amongst the strangers. Make it a habit to do dhikr frequently, pray for Allah’s hidayah and always make a sincere effort to practice and promote the deen. And always, always try to attain Allah’s pleasure, for it is only due to His blessings that we are where we are. Be grateful, be humble and be righteous.
May Allah find you all in good health. Please make dua for all of us.
JazakAllah.
