Allah Calling

It was through sister Navin Siddiqui; a dedicated sister working towards becoming a Niche Hero in areas of money and finance, that I came across a beautiful lecture by Sheikh Navaid Aziz called "He Who Has No One Has Allah". His light-hearted but soul shaking expression and narratives were enough to well up tears of repentance and devotion in my eyes.

He opened the lecture by dedicating it to every individual who has been abandoned by a father, who has loved someone but for some reason was abandoned by the beloved, and to someone who lost someone to death. It was the start of delivering a great perspective on how a person is to address the trials and tribulations pounding down hard upon him in this life and how it is not a curse or a punishment of everlasting doom but it is Allah calling! 

The beautiful points made in the lecture inspired me to write this entry. I shall preserve the stories and examples and the details for you to listen in the video itself because only then can the same emotions be stirred up to melt your heart. However, I shall convey a few personal thoughts here.

Shaytan In The World of Pain & Suffering

The Sheikh said that there are people in this world living in different kinds of pain but it all comes down to the fact that Shaytaan always tries to bring man down and waver him from thanking Allah. That is so true. The world is a place of pain and suffering, really. And there is no soul that has not tasted pain, trials and disappointments. Shaytaan needs not much but a tiny little speck of melancholy, sadness, and depression to launch his fatal attack on Man. Because this is where he catches you off guard.

To Him We Shall Return
At times people are thriving in great joys, great luxury and abundant wealth, fame and fortune. These are not always gifts - these are tests as well. Sheikh Navaid Aziz referenced the jist of a beautiful verse from Surah al Baqarah from the Quran and explained that Allah says in Baqarah that surely we shall test each one with loss of wealth, of life and of profit and blessings of Allah go to those who say “inna lillahi wa inna ilehe rajioun” (Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return) and those people are guided truly. As for those who attach their hearts to the glitz and glam of this duniya; they'd have lots to loose, because they are deaf to Allah (swt)'s call. 

It's About How You Would Die!
A beautiful perspective that formed the central idea of the lecture was the fact that the journey of life that we live and how we live and what we did throughout is not going to matter but the state in which we die is going to make or mar our fate of the Hereafter. Only a true Believer; and someone who had answered the "call of Allah" would die in a prestigious state - no matter how he'd lived his past. And it is in this very state that he will be brought back to life on the Day of Judgment. 

A lighthearted example in the lecture stirs awake the most crude of all realities. A lot of people utter a 4 letter word in case they hit a car. Imagine if you died upon that word? You die in that state before Allah (swt). You always want to pay attention to the last action. How do you react to the Qadar of Allah? Not many of us Muslims stop to ponder over this. We are least bothered about our routines and our lifestyles. We are least bothered about what state would we be in when Allah would make His final call for us.

A very famous quotation that I remember writing as a beginner to many of my high school essays goes: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow" I do not know who said it but the beauty of it is that it is exactly what a Believer should be doing. I remember reading about the lifestyle of Asadullah (Lion of Allah) and the 4th Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talin (r.a.) He narrated that it was only one night of his entire life when he slept in peace. And it was when Rasool Allah (saww) had come to him and informed that "tomorrow" i.e. "the next morning", Hazrat Ali (r.a.) was to go and collect the booty left behind after a war. Such should be the life of a Believer - that he understands the uncertainty of this world and lives as if there is no tomorrow and worries about what state of Imaan he dies in.

Built For The Testing

This world is a labyrinth of trials and tests - it is not a eternal exotic resort where you can cushion your life and dream of a 'happily ever after'. Trials are what Man has been created for. Sheikh Navaid Aziz highlighted the two roads a Believer can opt for. When it comes to trials and tests you can either deal with pain; acknowledging it and believing that only Allah is your saviour, and get closer to Allah or you can delay by seeking help and pity of others and delaying the suffering. I would like to add this a bit about Shirk. I have observed that when people are afflicted by troubles and calamities, for some strange reason they do not address Allah (swt) alone. There are always some intercessors that they tend to associate with Allah (swt) in their dua'a. This is where you fail the test.  

Shaytan's Scheme: Depression and Destruction

Shaytan is always on his toes and on the lookout for calamities to strike us because he knows that this is where we would go weak at our knees and our Imaan would buckle. And this is where he deceives us and diverts us away from turning to Allah (swt) and indulging in self-destructive activities or social Fitnaah. Sheikh Navaid Aziz exemplified that when someone is betrayed by somebody and thinks about dealing with pain then their most probable option is prolonged social isolation! How true is that? Subhaan Allah. We tend to leave the social circle, the family and productive life and isolate ourselves into a hermit shell of depression. This shell begins to grow on us and inside this cocoon of depression and gloom - Shaytaan breeds his fitnaah. He corrupts our Imaan and makes us feel that nothing - not even Allah (swt) - can help us. But that’s Shaytan creating a bigger mess! Also, the women tend to pick up phones and dial their friends and discuss the troubles and problems. It is always healthy to vent but great many a times it is the work of Shaytaan who is broadcasting the tale of our sorrow to the world through our own tongue.

Both; telephone gossips or sharing for social pity and prolonged isolation, are unhealthy options to cope with pain. The best way is to turn to Allah (swt) and feel the connection. The awkward situation between you and Allah when you are on the prayer rug and when you have surrendered yourself guilty before Him and you are repenting from the depth of your soul is the most IDEAL situation you could ever be in.  I absolutely loved the words by Sheikh Navaid when he said that hide the sin, turn to the Quran and turn in to Allah (swt). Death is the easy way out do not turn yourself in. Allah (swt) wants you to turn to Him. He (swt) wants to help you!

Pain Is What You Make of It
It was striking how Sheikh Navaid sorted out pain and suffering to be both negative and positive at the same time. He went on to say that pain and suffering only becomes negative when it creates a barrier between Allah but it becomes positive when it brings you closer to Allah (swt). Truly, what a wise statement. Because I have observed how people; the youth in particular, are whiplashed by their pains and trials and instead of succumbing to Allah (swt)'s mercy they fall prey to self-destruction. Contemplating suicide, self-mutilation i.e. cutting the skin with blades and sharp objects, drugs and alcohol, wasting away and the like ... they are all symptoms of an individual who takes their pain negatively and are misguided towards the worst.

Blessing in Disguise
There was also the beautiful bit about Maslihah in the lecture. Sheikh Navaid went on to say that there is a blessing in trials that we don’t perceive. There is always a hidden blessing in the punishment Allah (swt) inflicts upon us. Allah wishes for us to be purified of some sin committed on our behalf and so He brings forth a punishment which really is a blessing in disguise asking us to turn to Him and seek refuge. 

No Greater Than The Soul Can Bear
The lecture addressed Allah's philosophy of persecution that Allah (swt) does not burden a soul more than it can bear. It may feel like you are being persecuted the most but there is always someone who is suffering more. Sheikh Navaid Aziz quoted statistics and spoke that any individual living in the West is in the 5% elite population of the world. So if you live in the Americas or Europe - know that you have very little to complain about. The rest of the 95% percent drinks brown muddy water and wears shoes that they make out of water bottles.

A Believer's Patience
Umar ibn al Khattab (r.a.) narrated from personal experience how they were grateful when they were inflicted by Allah (swt)'s test and such should be the state of the heart of a Believer. He said that when we were tested we were grateful for this trial wasn’t in our Deen, it was not as great as it could’ve been and Allah allowed us to be patient in that trial! 

Why is patience important? Rasool Allah says that he who is patient in trial incurs the pleasure of Allah and if not then he incurs the wrath of Allah. The patient get the Salawaat and Rahmah of Allah. They are the ones who are truly guided. They are the ones who truly recognize the call of Allah (swt).

So I believe that each one of us should reshape our perspective and instead of whining and complaining and looking for pity or self-pitying we should recognize that it is Allah (swt) calling. It is very easy to blame something or someone for our trials and tribulations. 
"I am cursed!"
"Its black magic; it's voodoo"
"I am a hopeless human being"
"I should kill myself"
"He is nowhere. He is just watching me suffer"
"Why did He give me such a life, death could have been better"
"Cutting helps me ease my pain of the soul"

All of these are statements of Kufr - Disbelief and I sincerely hope none of you wish to be one of them because we believe in the Merciful!