A Dark Way Unfolds Before Me, In It, The Only Source Of Light Is The Lantern Of My īman, Which I Carry

The path of Tawhīd is not always an easy path:

People distance them self from you, because they hear something new, they see that not a lot of people agree with you, they think 'how can this be the truth when most people don't follow it?'... So al-Ghurbah (strangeness) is the result: From brothers being refused in marriage because of their ʿAqīdah to brothers being physically attacked, to brothers losing all their friends and maybe even family, to sisters being isolated in families who have fallen into disbelief, to sisters not finding a Muwahhid husband to protect them... again, it is not an easy path, but wallāh, all of this is nothing, for it is the best Path. It is a sweet path, a clear path and a straight path: the Path of the Prophets. So, hold onto the Path of Ibrāhīm and the Āthār, and smile, for wallāh, you have the best you can get in this world!

Fasting all day and then feeling full after the first bite of food is the perfect example of how temporary this dunya is.

True Value Lies in Iman

While worldly possessions are shared among all, Iman is a distinct honor. This hadith reminds us that true worth isn’t in what we own, but in the faith we’re granted.

Ibn Mas'ud said:

“Allah gives the Dunya to those He loves and to those He does not love, but He grants Iman only to those He loves. So when Allah loves a servant, He grants him Iman.”

[al-Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah]

This was the stance of Shaykh Sulāyman al-Alwān in prison when he smiled and swore:

“By Allah, I am pleased with this trial, and all praise is due to Allah! I see victories unfolding.”

O Allah, free Your servant Sulaymān al-‘Alwān, grant him steadfastness, relieve his distress, and grant him victory over those who have wronged him.

Ibn Rajab رحمه الله said:

يا من ضاع عمره لا شيء استدرك ما فاتك في ليلة القدر فإنها تحسب بالعمر.

O you who have wasted your life, nothing can make up for what you’ve lost except the Night of Decree (Laylatul Qadr), for indeed, its value is equal to a lifetime.

(191)كتاب لطائف المعارف فيما لمواسم العام من الوظائف - ط ابن حزم

The Qur’an is to be acted upon!

When you read the Quran and come across “O you who have believed”, do you think that those who have believed are living on Mars? No, Allah is addressing you! You are among those who believe. And when you come across “O mankind”, do you think mankind is living on Saturn? Pay attention—you are part of mankind.

When commands and prohibitions appear in the Quran, they are not just directed at Abu Bakr and Umar رضي الله عنهم. They are directed at you. These commands and prohibitions are meant specifically for you. The Quran does not only address the Muslim community as a whole—it addresses each and every individual Muslim personally. Every single person is being addressed directly by the Quran.

So when you read these verses, understand that they are messages from Allah to you. Read them as if a servant is reading the commands of his master with purpose and intent. Imagine a slave whose master sends him written instructions—commands and prohibitions in a letter. The worker receives this letter, kisses it, places it on his head, perfumes it and puts it on a shelf. But that’s all he does. He doesn’t follow the instructions.

Now, if the master later asks him, “What did you do with my message?”, and the worker replies, “I received it, kissed it, perfumed  it, placed it on the shelf, and every day I take it down, kiss it again, read it, and put it back.”—what will the master do? He will hit him! He will say, “Did I send this letter just for you to honor it, open and close it, and place it on a shelf? Or did I send it for you to act upon it?”

Likewise, the Quran is not just meant to be recited and admired—it is meant to be followed. That is why the Prophet ﷺ said, “The Quran is either a proof for you or against you.”

So if you read “O you who have believed”, but then act like those who disbelieve, how will you answer Allah when you meet Him? Allah will surely question you about what you recited.

-Shaykh Muhammad Bin Abd-Al Hameed  Bin Abdullah Al Zubaydi

Pitter and patter

In the last third of the night

Pouring torrents,

A breathtaking sight

Lightning and thunder,

Signs of His Might

The bedrooms are dark,

But the hearts are alight

Tearful supplications,

To be guided aright

Cheeks are soaked,

Like the earth outside

Iman swelling,

As if the high tide

If the skies weep in His fear,

My eyes shall do the same

May the sins be washed away,

In the late night rains

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه اللّٰه :

"Each time a charitable person gives, he feels his heart expanding and his breath relieved, as if a robe of iron were loosening for him.

Whenever he gives, it loosens, relaxes and expands; his happiness grows even stronger and his joy increases."

[The Invocation of God | Pg. 38]

I heard someone last night crying, but it wasn’t a normal type of cry. This person was crying in the tashahhud, weeping at “كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم”

This is not to assume someone’s inner state, but a cry like this is from the tightness of the dunyā…

It brought back memories سبحان الله, when I used to cry like this too… my eyes were constantly extremely swollen and I’d cry everywhere, and make no exception of my salāh.

In a way, I wish I cried out of fear for Allāh, the way the righteous do, and their genuine longing to Allāh, not out of the pressure of some dunyā matter. I did long for Allāh in those days, a lot, but did I long for Him during my times of ease in the same way? At the same time, these type of tears taught me that I really had none but Allāh, among many other lessons, and forced me back to Allāh to rectify my affairs between me and Him.

Though, there’s a difference between ورجل ذكر الله خاليًا ففاضت عيناه (or as Rasūlullāh said) and someone who tears up due to a dunyā matter and then redirects that pain to Allāh.

It’s not wrong at all, and actually the servant finds immense sweetness in constantly returning to Allāh, and in times of hardship it has a special sweetness to it. But I say this to remind myself and to keep it in check, my nafs needs to distinguish between the fine line of sincerity and true inābah (in times of ease and other than it) and simply feeling dunyawi pain.

It’s the same thing for wishing for shaهـādah, when do we long for it most? When we’ve got all we want out of this dunyā and have every want and need of ours? Or is it when we’ve been afflicted and want a way out of this dunyā completely? Again, I’m not saying wrong or right or shaming anyone (but myself), but remember that the only condition to be granted the level of shaهـādah even if one dies upon their bed (as in the Hadīth) is: sincerity. Do you think asking for it in the latter situation is more sincere than the former?

May Allāh grant us sincerity and make us among the truthful. May Allāh make us among those who truly enjoy His company in all times.

As we welcome Ramadan, many of our brothers and sisters will be breaking their fast in chains or behind bars....alone, oppressed and forgotten. Their only comfort is their yaqin upon Allah's Promise. And their only strength is in their patience.

O Allah, free the imprisoned, have mercy on their suffering, and grant them victory over their oppressors. Return them to their loved ones, strengthen their hearts, and let their pain be a means of elevation in Your sight.

امين