In the Name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful
MY GOD & MY IDEAL
Allah is my God and my God
is everybody’s God; and Prophet Muhammad (S),
The Most perfect Man on
earth, is my ideal and model for all
Allah is MY
God: This is a very simple but an
extraordinary challenging statement to all the prevailing concepts of God
–against the concept of personal God of Jews [O God of Israel!], Christianity
that sacrificed His “supposed son” on cross and made “him” the God of Christians
with a confused concept of Trinity and the pagan world that hinges on His
various “incarnations” on earth, worshiping, them as gods in human shape ,as
idols and His “manifestations” in various inanimate objects of nature. But my
God, the original God is different from all these humanly created gods. He is
the Creator, Sustainer, Law-giver, Unique, Eternal, Omni-potent, “Al-Samad”,
Benevolent and Merciful. He knows the past, the present, the future and knows
what is in our hearts and what is in our mind.
My
Ideal, is the life pattern of Muhammad,
the Prophet of Allah [May Allah bless his soul and peace be upon him]. My love
for Muhammad (S) is above everything of this world, including myself and my
parents. He (S) is the Model for everything that he (S) did, lived by, dealt
with, said and advocated on this earth, the most perfect, the most truthful and
the most inspiring character that ever came or will come as human. He (S) told
me and to everyone that there is “ALLAH” and I accepted it with all conviction
that he (S) had always spoken Truth and nothing but Truth, under the
ever-vigilant guidance of Allah. So, he (S) is “My Ideal” and I will share his
(S) life pattern in the second part of this paper that why he (S) is so dear to
me and to all who accept Allah as their Lord, the Creator and Sustainer and him
(S) as a man and the Messenger of Allah, but first “My
God”.
I. MY
GOD:
To
ascertain as “Who is my God”, I have
to go to the origin of man and this universe and observe that “My God” is the
same as He was in the beginning, what He is today and will remain the same till
eternity? It is essential that at the very outset I evaluate the facts that
throw light on the subject as why He is “My God” and convince the readers to
comprehend what I want to communicate onward.
1. When there was nothing, only my God was
there and when there will be nothing only my God will be there; He is open,
outward, everywhere as He is inward:
“He is the First and the Last, and He is the Outward as well as Inward, and He
has complete knowledge of everything.” [The Qur’an: Al-Hadeed - 57: 3]
*
His sovereignty is absolute, indivisible, inalienable, all-comprehensive and
prevails over everything that is in Heavens or on earth. “There is nothing
like Him” (Ref” Al-Shurah: 11)
and all and everything is to return to Him. The Qur’an elaborates this concept
of His total sovereignty in a very comprehensive manner:
“God – there is no deity except Him, the Ever - Living
[the Eternal], the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being; neither slumber overtakes
Him, nor sleep. He is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who
is there that could intercede with Him, unless it is by His leave? He knows all
that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot
attain to ought of His knowledge save that which He wills [them to attain]. His
eternal power overspreads the heavens and the earth and their upholding wearies
Him not. And He alone is truly exalted, tremendous.” [The Qur’an: Al-Baqarah:
255]
Say: “O God,
Lord of all dominions! Thou grantest dominion unto whom Thou willest, and takest
away dominion from whom Thou willest: Thou exaltest whom Thou willest, and
abassest whom Thou willest. In Thy hand is all good. Verily, Thou has the power
to will anything.”
“Thou makest the night grow longer by shortening the
day, and Thou makest the day grow longer by shortening the night. And Thou
bringest forth the living out of that which is dead, and Thou bringest the dead
out of that which is alive. And Thou grantest sustenance unto whom Thou willest,
beyond all what he/she will do on earth. reckoning.” [The Qur’an. Al-Imran -3:
26-27]
2. The first
and the foremost thing that Allah designed and created by “Himself” was the
“man” within His image with all the complexities, intricacies and delicacies in
his frame that man will go on discovering through his scientific efforts till
doomsday. God created man with three strong human urges [of hunger/thirst,
sleep/rest and sex] and one freewill
*
Allah ordains: “And We created you [humans], then fashion you, then told the
angels: fall ye prostrate before Adam! And they fell prostrate, all save Iblis
[Shaytan], who was not of those who make prostration.” [The Qur’an. Al-Airaf. -
*
“He said: O Iblis! What hinders thee from falling prostrate before that which I
have created with both My hands?” [The
Qur’an. Sad - 38:
75]
3. After the
creation of man, sometime somewhere in His infinite kingdom, Allah gathered
together the spirits of all humans that were to come or born on earth as Adam’s
progenies and asked them who is their Lord? With one voice they confirmed that
“He is their Sustainer” and Qur’an narrates it:
“And remember when thy Sustainer brought forth from the
children of Adam, from their reins, their seed and made them testify of
themselves (saying): Am I not your
Lord? They said Yea, verily. We testify (That was) lest you say at the Day of
resurrection: Lo! Of this we were unaware” [The Qur’an. Al-A’Raf: 172].
4. Qur’an
narrates this story as a part of human history that is obscured and shows that
every individual human being stands committed to worship and obey the Lord of
the universe and it is embedded in him/her much before their physical birth on
earth. Thus, every individual who is
born on earth has his or her separate individual gene, a separate character, a
separate identity and a fortune especially allotted to each with a clear
commitment by his/her unborn “individual identity” that he/she will obey only
his/her Lord of this cosmos. This commitment he/she is supposed to carry out
consciously after birth and getting maturity. It must be clarified at
this stage that what he/she will do on earth. is the knowledge of the
Creator and Sustainer but what
he/she does on earth is his/her fate as he/she lives on earth as per his/her
freewill and for that he/she will be held responsible on the last Day of
Judgment. His or her individual “freedom” is thus, totally maintained on
earth. Otherwise, the entire concept of accountability in Akhirah would have
become meaningless.
In
fact, every individual is born “independent” with his/her lot as a
“Muslim”, obedient to his/her Creator
and Sustainer by birth. However, it is the society, the environment in
which he/she is born, the family traditions under which he/she grows and the
parents who care/nurse him/her make him/her Muslim, Jew, Christian or pagan.
Now, while living on earth, he/she is to recognize his/her Lord through knowledge and understanding as what
guidance he/she is to follow on earth. By making rightful decision one is to
recognize his/her Creator and Sustainer and become a conscious Muslim and Muslimah
through his/her own freewill or free
choice. If he/she fails to recognize “God” as his/her Creator and Sustainer,
he/she uses His universe and His bounties ungratefully. He lives on his own,
behaves like an arrogant and irresponsible creature and fills the earth with
disbalances and chaos both in personal and collective life. So, man has to live
on earth as His “servant”, follow the Guidance that came from Him consciously
and live by the model presented by His appointed Messenger.
5. After the creation of man, God created this universe for man and
harnessed it for his use and benefit. He made the earth habitable for man
through gradual evolutionary process and provided every thing on earth that was
essential for the growth and sustenance of man till doomsday.
*
“Don’t you see how Allah (had created and) harnessed for you ( made subservient
to you all) whatsoever is in the sky and whatsoever is in the earth, and has
lavished upon you His blessings, both outward and inward? [The Qur’an. Luqman – 31: 20]
*
“He it is Who has created for you all that is on earth and has applied His
design to the heavens and fashioned them into seven heavens: and He alone has
the full knowledge of everything”.[Al-Baqarah 2: 29]
*
“My God” is Al-Rahman and Al-Raheem [Extremely and eternally
Kind, Merciful and Benevolent], the two characteristics of God with extreme
sense of exaggeration in their concept. He is “Al-Rahman” in the style of Arabic
measure “Faalan” that carries the
sense of “bursting up” with extreme kindness and so He created this cosmos for
Humans. But, equally, God is “Al-Raheem” in the Arabic measure “Tafyeel” that carries the sense of
“permanency” in the manifestation of His extreme kindness. So He is maintaining
and sustaining this universe for the benefit and utilization of humans. By
virtue of these attributes, He is “Rabbunnas”, “Malikunnas” and “Ilahunnas” [Sustainer of people, Master
of the people and Lord of the people]. Allah claims obedience from man as He is
not only the Creator, but because He is the Sustainer. He is the “Rabbul-Alameen” [Sustainer of the
worlds] that takes care of me and every
living soul and living creature on earth.
So, He is “my God.” He is very kind and
benevolent to me. He provides me what I need and I implore from Him what I want.
He is very watchful of me. He is everywhere with me wherever I am. Rasulullah
(S) advised his (S) one of the most beloved companion Abu Zar Ghaffari (RA) that
you ask from Allah alone whatever you need even it may be the lace of your shoe
or the lash for driving your camel.
*How
beautifully, Prophet Abraham implores, attributes and recalls His personal
favors to him: “[The Sustainer of all
the world] who has created me and is the One who guides me; and is the One who
gives me to eat and drink; and when I fall ill, is the One who restores me to
health and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life – and
who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the day of Judgment.” O my Sustainer!
Endow me with the ability to judge [between right and wrong], and make me one
with the righteous, and grant me the power to convey the truth unto those who
will come after me, and place me among those who shall inherit the garden of
bliss! And forgive my father – for verily
he is among those who have gone astray – and do not put me to shame on
the Day when on which neither wealth will be of any use, nor children, [and
when] only he [will be happy] who comes before God with a heart free of
evil.” [The Qur’an. Al-Shura – 26: 79 to 89]
PERSON_TO_PERSON CONTACT WITH GOD:
*
The foregoing categorically confirms that God, in His infinite mercy, favors
every individual on person to person basis, attends his needs and prayers as and
when he/she calls. There is no intermediary between man and his God. There is no
concept of priesthood in Islam. An individual can call Him anywhere and at any
time when he/she is in distress or needs His help. Qur’an
declares:
“And if my servants ask thee [O Muhammad] about Me –
behold, I am near: I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls
unto Me: Let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might
follow the right way.” [The Qur’an.
Al-Baqarah -2:186]
*
His response to my prayers and
supplications is prompt, immediate, direct and
adequate:
*
SALAH: When I offer Salah and recite
Al-Fateha, the “Sab-e-Mathani” [often repeated seven Verses], His response comes
forthwith with every verse as the Hadith-e-Qudsi goes: It is quoted by Muslim and narrated
by Abu Hurairah (RA) from Rasulullah (S): Allah says: “I have divided the Salah
between Me and My slave, half is for Me and half is for My slave. When My slaves
says, “ Alhamdulillahe Rabbil A’lameen [All praise is for Allah, the Sustainer
of the worlds], Allah’s response comes immediately, “ My slave praised Me”; And
when he says, “Al-Rahman Al-Raheem”, Allah responds, “My slave adored Me”; and
when he says, “Malikey-Yumuddin” {Master of the Day of Judgment], the response
comes from Allah, “ My slave glorified Me”; and when he says, “Thee alone we worship Thee alone we ask
for help”, the response comes from Allah:
this is between Me and My slave and My slave will get what he asked for;
and when he calls: “ Show us the
right path, the path of those whom Thou has favored; not (the path} of those who
earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray”, the response comes from Allah: This is for my slave and My slave
will have what he asked for:” [How
personalized the opening Chapter, Al-Fateha of the Qur’an is - a direct
‘conversation “between me and my God.” It tones down my total surrender to Allah
and rightfully sets my position to Him from the very outset of my Salah as every
Rakah starts with it and I repeat this extreme sense of devotion and commitment
“consciously” at least 17 times in my obligatory Salah every day.
Every Muslim must feel like that]
*
SAWM: My fasting is purely personal
for Allah as Hadith says, “Al-Sawm is for Me and I will give its reward to My
slave” [in proportion to the quality of Sawm.] When I fast in Ramadan or observe
Qayamul lail [night vigilance] with [a constant] sense of Iman and that of its
accountability, Allah pardons my past sins. It develops secret, personal contact
between me and my God. A constant month long fasting along with non-obligatory
fasting throughout the year keeps me ever closer to Allah, creating Allah’s
consciousness {Taqwah] in my heart causing everlasting influence on my
character, my actions and deeds,
reminding me always that Allah is there and He is watching me and I am under His
“active” vision and supervision. [This
is my conviction as that of others who are living as conscious Muslims and
Muslimah]
*
HAJJ: Hajj to the House of Allah is an
extraordinary individual Ebadah with total devotion and commitment to
Allah. It is obligatory on every Muslim and Muslimah once in life provided one
has the means to bear the cost and health to sustain the hardship on its way. It
is in response to the call given by our forefather Abraham on directives from
Allah: “And proclaim unto mankind
the [duty of] pilgrimage: They will
come unto thee on foot and on every [kind of] fast mount. Coming from every
far-away point [on earth], so that that they might experience much that shall be
of benefit to them, and that they might extol the name of God on the days
appointed [for sacrifice], over whatever heads of cattle He may have provided
for them [to this end]: eat, then, thereof
and fed the unfortunate poor.” [The Qur’an. All-Hajj- 22: 27-28]
It
is in response to that universal call of Prophet Abraham (AS), Muslims from
every nook and corner of the world go to Makkah, where the House of Allah is
situated, reciting loudly, when reaching its bounds and clad in Ehram, with
total devotion to Allah:
“Labbaika,
Allahummah labbaika, labbaika la sharika laka labbaik, innal hamda wannimata
laka wal mulka, la Sharika lak” [Here I
am O Lord, here I am O Lord, You have no partner. Here I am, surely praise,
blessings and the kingdom are for You. You have no partner]
Hajj, in fact, is a scenario of total devotion to Allah
for five days, from the eighth to twelfth of Zul-Hajja, in commemoration of what
is attributed to Abraham, his devoted wife Hagar and equally his most obedient
son Prophet Ismail about extreme personal sacrifices that they rendered for
Allah while re-building His House in the wilderness of Makkah more than 4000
years ago. The way each of them sacrificed in the way of their Lord what He
ordained them to do, every Muslim and Muslimah must always be prepared to
sacrifice all that he/she possesses in their respective life time for the sake
of Allah in His way. It is the prime most personal Ebadah when one performs
“Tawaf” of Haram, makes “Sayee” and reaching “Mina” prays to Allah, sitting or
standing around the Mount of Arafat, He pardons all the past sins and grants the
prayers that one is begging from Him in all humility.
My
God is very magnanimous, kind and Merciful. He has prescribed the formats of
personal Ebadah of Salah, Sawm and Hajj to cement and maintain my individual
relation with Him always afresh round the clock, throughout the year in
life-long pursuits to seek His pleasure on earth. Through this process of
continuous personal Ebadah, my God provides me immense opportunity to build my
relation with Him on a constant “personal” basis as His devoted and
most dutiful Abd, the very
axis on which hinges the Falah and success in the world Hereafter.
If we treat
the human life on earth in the form of a triangle with three cones: I hold one
cone – and at the other two cones: at one cone Allah is there and the other cone
is occupied by human beings. The
personal Ebadah as elaborated above strengthens my “personal relation” with my
God. For cementing “relation with human chain” that lives on earth, Allah (SWT)
has prescribed another form of Ebadah and it is “Infaq-fi-Sabil-Allah” –
spending in the way of Allah.
WA MIMMA
RAZAQNAHUM YUNFIQOON: [They spend
(in the way of Allah) out of what (He) provides them]
The
growth of human society is very uneven. It is full of rich and poor, haves and
have-nots, sick and incapacitated, affluent and deprived. There are able bodied,
intelligent and people of means, whereas there may be millions in each society
that suffer from hunger and diseases, living in the world of God which is full
of His bounties. It is Allah’s planning that men of means must take care of
those who are less fortunate in means, health and talents. It is His planning
that humans who can afford and have plenty must come to the help of the poor,
the needy and the incapacitated on the principle of “mutual-help”. However, Allah has made the “helping
others” as a personal Ebadah and made incumbent on each Muslim to share his/her
means with others to the extent possible even with a “Qitmir” [the white
skin over a date pit]. He ordains it as the specific character of Muslims who
spend in the way of Allah for His pleasure.
* “And in
whose wealth there is a due share acknowledged [by them], [for help] for the
beggars and the deprived [destitute]” [The Qur’an. Al-Ma’arij – 80: 24-25]
*
“And in their wealth, the beggars and
the deprived had due share” [The Qur’an.
Al-Dhariyat – 51: 19]
*
Allah (SWT) describes this character, the habit of Mumineen, in Verse # 274 of Al-Baqarah: “Those who
spend their wealth by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily their reward
is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they
grieve”. See how eager a Muslim is to spend his/her wealth, day and night,
openly and secretly for the poor, the needy and the have-nots with the
commitment form Allah that he/she will have no grieve and no fear will overcome
him/her. But they spend their wealth
without expecting any reward or favor from anyone. How categorically Qur’an
confirms it: “Those who spend their wealth for the
cause of Allah and afterward make no reproach and injury to follow that what
they have spent; their reward is with their Lord and there shall no fear come
upon them, neither shall they grieve”.
[The Qur’an. Al-Baqarah – 2: 262]
As
in the case of personal Ebadah, the reward in each case of spending in the way
of Allah is manifold. Just think of a society where every individual is spending
day and night, openly and secretly, for his/her brothers and sisters, for
his/her countrymen and women, the have-nots, the suffering humanity, the
underfed and who are in distress at every nook and corner of the society, will
there be anyone left hungry, unfed, unclad, uneducated, shelter less and without
medical care? This is the arrangement of my God and as an individual I am to
perform this bountiful egalitarian job out of my personal wealth that Allah has
given me with no favor to anyone. In fact, Allah has categorically put his/her
share in my lot and now it is my responsibility to find the have-nots in the
society around me and with all
humility I am to hand over their share with no favor to
them.
*
This magnanimous program of sharing wealth with others on voluntary basis does not end here.
At the end of each year, I am to take stock of my wealth, cash, kind and stock
in trade with gold and silver that I have, and work out “Zakatul mal” @ of 2 ½ percent if the
total accumulated wealth increase the fixed Nisab of 52 tola of silver or 7 ½
tola of gold or both and find out the brothers and sisters who have less than
the Nisab and hence are entitled to accept the Zakatul mal for the fulfillment
of their basic needs of life till the rehabilitation of their personal economy
comes to the stage that they themselves reach the status to pay Zakah on their
own. This is my personal Ebadah
and I am to do it regularly every year, if there is no Islamic state to
collect Zakah and distribute it under an organized plan to rehabilitate the
economy of the have-nots of the society and ultimately from the Ummah at large.
This process is the integral part of the self-sustained,
self-motivated and self-controlled Social Welfare System of Islam and my
God accomplishes it through our individual efforts as personal Ebadah. This
spending of the personal wealth in the way of Allah is limited only by the
definition of “Al-Afwah” - that is
spending what is left over after meeting the legitimate expenses of self and
family (Ref: Verse 219 of Al-Baqarah).
*
Over and above this, paying of Zakah every year on the
accumulated wealth, every Muslim becomes boon for his/her society, in
removing poverty and creating/sharing “welfare” for all. The Islamic State comes
in picture only to distribute it justifiably in an organized manner and
with the vision to spend it only on the fixed eight heads of disbursement of
Zakah as spelled out by Allah Himself in Verse # 60 of Chapter Al-Tawbah, in
order to eliminate the uneven economic condition of the Islamic society... The
system ultimately distributes/ shares the left over of his/her wealth with legal, “close” heir/relatives,
immediately after death, completing the personal account of every Muslim as soon
as he/she closes his/her eyes for good.
* A
Muslim or Muslimah must think that how magnanimously “my God”, [equally the God of others]
has given full fledged importance to individuals in personal Ebadah and personal
spending in His way, in molding and building one’s character, making him/her
always mindful of His presence with every moment of time, remembering Him always
with every gesture of life, irrespective of the fact whether he is in Qayam,
Ruku, or Sajud, reciting the Qur’an, contemplating over the most inspiring
character and deeds of our beloved Prophet (S) and his (S) devoted companions,
while eating, sleeping and enjoying His blessings and bounties or spending in
His way. He/she is never alone, while
receiving and enjoying the Barakah of his bounties. It makes him/her ever
Allah-conscious, thinking always
that He is “my God” and I am doing all for Him alone, depending always under
each and every condition of life, the zenith of Tawakkal Alallah and
expecting the best reward from Him in both the worlds.
This process
of “personification” of God conceptually in actions is perhaps now the only
process for Muslims to rediscover them as a living Ummah that Allah raised on
earth for the betterment of humanity and delivering justice and fair play to all
and malice to none. So “my God” is Eternal and looks after “me” wherever
I am and whatever I am doing. When every member of Muslim Ummah will be behaving
and practicing like that, the revival of Ummah will not be impossible in the
present context of the world. The concept of “my God” will keep every Muslim in
“upright” position wherever he/she is and what he/she is doing. The effect of
“Allah-consciousness” reaches to new bounds when it is supplanted with extreme
supplication, imploring and begging from Him alone round the clock and with
every moment of our life.
PERSONAL SUPPLICATION:
Al-DU’A - THE ESSENCE OF EBADAH:
[AL-MUKH-KHUL EBADAH]:
“My
God” loves the hands of His slaves that
are stretched before Him with all humility, imploring Him to grant his/her
prayers. “My God” feels shy of
returning those supplications unanswered and unattended. Hadith of Rasulullah
(S) confirms it. It is narrated by Salman Farsi ® .Rasulullah (S) said, “Allah
is modest as well generous. When His servant spreads his hands before Him [for
prayers], He feels shy to return them empty handed” [From Abu Dawood, Tirmizi. and Ibne
Ma’ja]. His response comes in three ways: Either He accepts, or differs or sheds my
sins or elevates my position in Akhirah.
When I pray to my God, loudly or in the heart of my
heart, with choking voice with all devotion and concentration to Him, I put
before Him all that is within me and what I urged from Him consciously, He
listens and responds forthwith graciously. The recitation of Al-Fateha at the
very outset fixes the tone and submission of my imploration before Him in all
humility:
-
I beg from Him to keep me/ (us) on
the straight-path of those whom He honored and not of those
whom
He condemned and is gone
astray;
- O my
Lord! Condemn me/ (us) not if I forget or miss the mark;
- O my
Lord! Lay not on me/ (us) such a burden as Thou did lay on those before
us;
- O my
Lord! Impose not on me/ (us) that I/ (we) which have no strength to bear
- Pardon
me/us, absolve me/us and have mercy on me (us); Thou are the Protector and give
us victory over
the
infidels. [Verse 286 of
Al-Baqarah]
- O my God! All my acts of worship, and
my sacrifice, and my living, and my dying are for my God
alone,
the Sustainer of all the worlds. [Ref: Ayah 162 of Chapter Al-Ana’m]
- O my
God! I seek Thy protection from
degradation and laziness, from cowardice, old age and miserliness, and I seek
Thy refuge from the punishment of grave and the trials of life and death, from
debts and dominance of men. [Bukhari
& Muslim: Narrated by Anas Bin Malik (R)]
- O my God! I seek Thy refuge of the evils of my hearing, from the
evils of what I see, from the evils of my tongue [what I speak], and the evils
of my heart (what it desires and nurtures). [Tirmizi & Abu Dawood: Narrated by
Shakal bin Humaid (R)]
- O my God! I seek Thy refuge from immoral behavior, from evil
deeds, and from evil fantasies [From
Tirmizi: Narrated by Qatbah bin Malik]
- O my God! I seek Thy refuge from the trial of fire and from the
evils of affluent and poverty [Tirmizi
& Abu Dawood. Narrated by A’yeesha Siddiqa (RA)]
- O my God! I seek Thy refuge from hunger as it is the worst thing
for a person to live with for the night, and from embezzlement as it is the
worst ailment of heart, [From Abu
Dawood: Narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA)]
- O my God! I seek Thy refuge form the knowledge that is not
bountiful, and from the heart that has no fear of Thine, and from the
supplications (Du’a) that are not heard (or not responsive) [From Muslim Narrated by Zaid bin Arqam
(RA)]
- O my God! I seek Thy refuge from the evil of deeds that I
performed and that of which I could not. [From Muslim, narrated by A’yeesha Siddiqa
(RA)]
[All these personal prayers, seeking refuge from Allah
are from Chapter “Mauvezat” Vol. VIII: Tafheemul Ahadith – Sayed A A Maudoodi
(RA]
These extremely personal prayers thought by my beloved
Prophet Muhammad (S) motivate me to live constantly under the ever-lasting vigil
and protection of my Lord, bringing me closer and closer to Him. And I pray with
greater devotion: O my Lord! “You are the Creator of the
heavens and the earth! You are my protecting friend in the world and the
Hereafter: Make me to die submissive
(unto Thee), and join me to the righteous” [Ref: Verse # 101Of Chapter Joseph];
And I beg from Allah: O my Lord! Give us the best of this
world and the best of the world Hereafter and save us from the doom of fire [Ref. Verse 201 of Surah Al-Baqarah]
*In the concluding prayers at night in “Witr”, every Muslim recites “Qunut”, a symbol of total submission
and unconditional surrender to His authority:
-
“O my Allah: We seek Your help and
ask Your forgiveness and we believe in You and trust in You. We praise You in
the best way and we thank You and we are not ungrateful and we cast off and
forsake him who disobeys You. O
Allah! You alone we worship and to You we pray and before You we prostrate,
to You we turn in haste, and hope for Your mercy and fear your punishment. Thy
punishment overtakes the unbelievers”
Rising head
from Ruku, it is followed by extremely personal prayers before going to Sajdah,
while standing and crying before Allah in all humility with hands raised and
stretched towards Him:
- O
Allah! Guide us and count us amongst
those whom You have guided;
Save us and count us among those whom You have saved;
Protect us and count us among those whom You have
protected;
Bless us and count us among those whom You have blessed;
Give Barakah in what You have favored us;
Save us from the evil effect of what You have resolved;
Because You
are [the authority] to enforce decision and none can enforce [his] decision on
You;
One
cannot get honor whom You count as Your enemy;
And
he will never be disgraced who becomes Your friend;
Most blessed! You are, my Lord, You are most exalted; we
seek Your pardon and turn back to You with repentance.
- O Allah!
Pardon the sins of Muslims and
Muslimah, Mumineen and Muminah, polish their mutual relations, fill their hearts
with love [for each other] and help them over Yours and their enemies.
Verily, You
have the power to do all and every thing. [From
Qunut-e-Nazilah]
- O Allah!
I beg You with [giving] the witness
that verily their is no deity except Allah: You are One, You are Al-Samad who
begets not nor was begotten and there is none comparable to You [Ref: Tafseer of Surah Al-Ikhlas – Ibne
Katheer]
- O Allah! I
beg from You: Perfect health, Tongue that always
glorify You, knowledge that is bountiful, heart that is contented filled with
[Your] fear and honest provision that is Halal, Tayyeb and in abundance.
- O
Allah! Fill my heart with Noor [Your
light], and my eyes with Noor, and my insight with Noor, and my right side with
Noor, and my left side with Noor, and Noor above my head, and Noor beneath me,
and Noor in my front, and Noor at my back, and grace me with Noor on the Day of
Judgment [when I would be in its dire need]
- O
Allah! Include me amongst those who are
steadfast, and those who are truthful, and those who are obedient, and those who
spend [in your ways], and those who beg (Your) pardon in the morning hours of
night. [Ref: Verse # 17 of Chapter -3,
Al-Imran]
- O Allah!
I seek Thy protection from [the
condition of] helplessness and indolence, and cowardice, and miserliness, and
burden of debt, and dominance of people. [From Bukhari & Muslim, Narrated by
Anas Bin Malik (RA)]; O Allah! Make me to die as Muslim and make me one with
the Saleheen [the righteous people] Ref: Yusuf: 101
- O my
Sustainer! Open my heart [to Thy
light], and make my task easy for me, and loosen the knot from my tongue so that
[my addressees] fully understand my speech [Ref: Verses 25 -28 of Chapter 20 -
TAHA]
- O my
God! Endow me with the ability to judge
[between right and wrong] and make me one with the righteous [Ash-Shua’ra: 83], and make me one with
the “Al-Qaleel” [Ref: Al-Waqiah:
14}
Amen! Ya
Rabbul A’lameen!
SUMMATION: The scenario
of personal Ebadah - submission, supplication to Allah (SWT) and spending in His
way day and night, openly and secretly, irrespective of the fact where I am and
what I am doing, in fact, depicts the life of a Muslim and the way he/she should
live on earth as His devoted “Abd” [slave] for all times till he/she breaths
his/her last. This sets the requisite tone of life that we are ever to live,
act, behave and die for Him,
seeking help only from Him, begging always His pardon and Rahmah for His eternal
bliss in both the worlds, while making every effort to establish the authority
of Allah on self, family and the society in which he/she lives in an organized
and continuous process till the Deen of Allah becomes dominant all around or one
gives up his/her life in that pursuit. One who lives like that is a Mumin and
the entire universe is for him/her. And when a team of such Muslims and
Muslimah is available on earth, only then Allah will prepare the ground to
entrust the reign and management of this world to it. Till then only
ignominy and disgrace is our fate. It is we who are responsible for our
disgraceful condition not the “Aghyar” [the outside world - whom we always blame
foolishly].
Truly
speaking, nothing belongs to me or to anyone, specially the Muslims who have
already bargained their life and wealth with Allah in lieu of Jannah and they
have to live with that commitment for the whole of their life. Only then Allah
will fulfill His commitment with Muslims/Mumineen. The verdict of the Qur’an is
extraordinarily clear in this respect. It is the highest bargain towards success
[Falah] that I and every Muslim have struck with Allah (SWT). It goes as
follows:
“Behold: Allah has bought of the
believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return,
[and so] they fight in the way of Allah, and slay and are slain: a promise which
is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. And who could be
more faithful to his covenant than Allah? Rejoice, then, in the bargain that you
have struck with Him: for this is the supreme triumph”
“[Triumphant] are those who turn [unto
God] in repentance [whenever they have sinned], and who worship and praise
[Him], go on and on [seeking His goodly acceptance], and bow down [before Him]
and prostrate themselves in adoration, and enjoin of doing what is right and
forbid the doing of what is wrong, and keep to the bounds set by Allah. And give
thou [O Prophet] the glad tidings [of God’s promise] to all believers,”
[The Qur’an: Verse # 111 -112 of Surah
At-Tawbah]
The
life of a Muslim begins with the aforesaid covenant between him and his Allah:
He/she is to struggle for the whole of his/her life in His way for His pleasure,
spending his/her life - time, talents and resources for the Iqamah of Allah’s
Deen on earth. And then Allah will fulfill His commitment and give His Jannah in
lieu of his/her life-long sacrifices and who can be better than Allah to fulfill
His promise? This is what verse # 111 recalls. Verse# 112 reflects the effects
of this commitment in his/her life. If
he/she fulfills it, his/her character will be the true embodiment of what is
described in this verse. This would transform his/her life into a vibrant Da’ee
Ilallah on all counts. This is the ideal that “my God” wants from “me” and from
each Muslim and Muslimah on earth. Our success in this world lies only through
this way.
Individually, every Muslim and Muslimah will fulfill
this solemn covenant practically in the way I have depicted above as an inherent
demand and devotion to “My God”,
building a contented soul on earth as His slave and servant round the clock and
whole of the life. Allah (SWT) will address only to this contented soul
on the Day of Judgment as: “O the contented soul! Return thou unto thy
Sustainer, well pleased [and] pleasing [Him]: Enter, then, together with My
[other true] servants. And enter thou in My paradise” [The Qur’an: Surah Al-Fajr
– Verses # 27 -30]
What a great
personal success we will find in waiting on the Day of Judgment if we
serve the God of this universe as “my God” with love, devotion and total
surrender in every phase of life. I
have elaborated the concept of “my God” in detail only to give an idea to our
Muslim brothers and sisters as how to live, act and behave on this earth in
utmost submission to mine/yours God as briefed under “Summation” above.
Only then, we would be able to change the world as Allah ordains and His
Messenger struggled for the whole of his (S) life.
II. MY
IDEAL:
“My
God” is very kind and magnanimous in
showering His limitless bounties on His slaves through the personal prayers the
way I have elaborated above. In His infinite mercy, He did not left me and the
humanity to grapple in dark as how to accomplish His demand of total surrender
and obedience to what He ordains in every field of life. AS such, He appointed
the most beloved human being of all times, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah of
Makkah as His Messenger to deliver His message through the Qur’an and
demonstrate to mankind as how to live, act and behave on this earth both
individually and collectively. In him
(S) I got the most perfect model of
what I am to do. He (S) is my ideal in every phase and every
department of my life: in Ebadah –
offering Salah, observing Sawm, performing Hajj, paying Zakah; in doing
Infaq-fi-Sabil Allah; in rendering social and humanitarian services to the poor,
the needy, the destitute and the have-nots; in dealings with our neighbors,
relatives and the fellow citizens; in dealing with kids, women, orphans, labor,
servants [slaves]; in treating parents, wife, children and nears and dears; in
fulfilling the right of countrymen and women and the humanity at large. The life
of Rasulullah (S) is the truthful model of what he (S) did in his (S) personal
and public life; as a father, as a husband, as a businessman, as a Murabbi and
Muzakki, as a statesman, as a general, as an ambassador of peace, as the head of
the state and the way he delivered Al-Adl wa Qist [justice and fair play] to the
suffering humanity. You think of his (S) behavior in any form, his (S) model is
there and humanity could not and cannot produce any better ideal than that. In fact, humanity got perfection in all the
manifestation of its virtues in his (S) life-pattern till eternity. History
has preserved and protected it in its minutest detail
The
most important thing is that it is he (S) who said that there is God and we
accept it as he (S) was always known as “Amin and Sadiq” [trustworthy and
truthful]. He (S) truthfully delivered to us what was revealed to Him from
Allah, openly and secretly. During his (S) long twenty three years of
Prophethood, he (S) struggled day and night with all the means of men and
material at his(S) disposal in glorifying his (S) Lord, in establishing His
authority on self, family and building
a society and a state accordingly. He (S) was kind, merciful to all who
came in contact with him (S). He (S) was full of compassion for the oppressed,
the weak, the have-nots and the down trodden. Even animals used to approach him
(S) against the cruelty of their masters. For the whole of his (S) life, he (S)
stood for the commitment, the covenant, promises and treaties he (S) made with
individuals, tribes and nations within and outside his (S)
domain
Prophet Muhammad (S) was not only the center of extreme
love and devotion from his companions when he was alive and living with them, he
(S) is the center of extraordinary love and affection for all times, afterward,
today and will remain so till eternity. His (S) benevolent character, the
perfect model life-pattern and our unquenchable love for him (S) are the center
of gravity of Muslim Ummah. His (S) fascinating human character miraculously
attracts the people to enter into fold of Islam and adhere to it meticulously.
That is the reason the Kuffar and idolaters have always been attacking his (S)
position as Rasulullah (S), and willfully have tried and are trying even to this
day to raise fingers on his (S) unblemished character that was always
acknowledged as spotless even by his (S) adversaries, right from the very outset
of his (S) Prophethood in Makkah. However, the Jews and Christians were
extremely prejudiced and were not prepared to believe that the Qur’an is from
Allah and alleged that some one is helping him (S) as he was not literate.
Unfortunately, these false and baseless allegations are going on till today by
Jews and Christians missionaries’ day in and ay out, poisoning only the minds of
their respective followers
Jews, Christians and the Pagan world could not produce
any model like him (S) in the past, nor they can do it today or till the
doomsday. However, their individual and collective false propaganda is going on
ruthlessly through western media, personal nonsensical twisted and out of
context allegations and distorted historical events of his (S) life in the from
of a heinous campaign. However, his (S) life-pattern is tremendously attracting
millions of humans every where. The sustained love and devotion of about 1.5
billion Muslims on the surface of the earth is the most glorious tribute that
Muslim Ummah is offering him (S) day and night. Thus, he (S) holds the most
blessed position that Allah promised him (S): “Wa Rafaana laka Zikrak” [And (have We
not) exalted thy fame – The Qur’an. 94:
4] If Muslims become true
models of his (S) life pattern, the world can still be turned into a worldly
paradise for humanity, both for the affluent and the
have-nots
The
life-pattern of Rasulullah (S) is “My
Ideal” and I am trying my utmost to follow his (S) pattern in every walk of
life, day and night and every moment of my life and advocating the same to be
observed and followed by all the Muslims around the world. Only by following Rasulullah (S), the
Muslims will follow Allah as ordained by Him in Verse # 80 of Surah Al-Nisa.
Only then Muslims will be able to fulfill their commitment to Allah and Allah in
turn will fulfill His commitment [Ref:
Verse # 40 of Surah Al-Baqarah]
CONCLUSION:
I follow “My God” and trying to
strive hard for what He demands from me by following through “My Ideal”, the life-pattern of Prophet
Muhammad (S) as its model. Rasulullah (S) followed and practiced what Allah
directed him(S) to do openly and secretly in its most perfect form. It is, thus, incumbent upon me to follow
him (S) throughout my life and the same I have depicted above in all humility as
my life-long pursuit. Equally, the life pattern of Rasulullah (S) is the ideal
for every Muslim and Muslimah on earth. They are to follow him (S) meticulously,
the way I have elaborated in the foregoing under the captions: “My God & My
Ideal”. Only then the fate of the Muslim Ummah can be revived sooner than later
we expect. Allamah Iqbal has correctly summarized the entire situation very
beautifully in the following capsule.
“Afrad key
hathun mein hai aqwam ki taqdeer <> har fard hai millat key muqaddar ka
sitara”.
Translation:
Destiny of a people lies in the hands of [its] individuals; every individual is
the guiding star of the Millah.
May
Allah give Tawfeeq and courage to me and every Muslim and Muslimah to follow “MY
GOD & MY IDEAL” the Way I have elaborated above! Amen!
Shamim A
Siddiqi
May 3,
2006