Self Reflection - Reading the Signs

[muhammadali]

Excerpt from khutbah 'Being Steadfast after Ramadan':

One of the things we should learn in the process of introspection is to learn to read the signs. Allah (SWT) reminds us of our current state in many different ways and it is only those whom Allah grants true insight and wisdom that they are able to read these signs in a manner to draw them nearer to Allah (SWT).

Imam Abu Hanifa once went to perform hajj. While performing one of the rituals he accidentally stepped on the toe of a young person. That person became furious and said to him “Do you not have any fear of Allah”. When Imam Abu Hanifa heard this he fainted. When he regained consciousness the people surrounding him said “this was only a young person you didn’t have to take him seriously”. What Imam Abu Hanifa said in response was very profound. He said, “I feared that Allah had put these words in his mouth.” In other words Imam Abu Hanifa read it as a sign that Allah was reminding him to have fear of Him. So he read the sign in a very different manner than many of us would have read, in a manner that did not reflect his ego but reflected his inner state of nearness to Allah (SWT).

It is related that one day Imam Malik went to Masjid An-Nabawi after ‘Asar. Rasulullah (SAW) had commanded that no one who enters the Masjid should only sit until he first prays two rakaats of Salah, commonly known as Tahiyatul Masjid or salutations to the Masjid. But Imam Malik was of the opinion that Rasulullah’s forbiddance of praying after ‘Asar took precedence and so he would teach his students to not pray the tahiyatul masjid if they entered between ‘Asar and Maghrib prayers.

However, the moment Imam Malik sat down a young boy said to him: “Get up, and pray the two rakaats of tahiyatul masjid!” Imam Malik dutifully stood up and began praying the two rakaats. After he completed the salah, the students swarmed around him and asked him if he had changed his opinion. Imam Malik said, “My opinion has not changed, nor have I gone back on what I taught you earlier. I merely feared that had I not prayed the two rakaats as the young boy commanded, Allah might include me in the ayat which stated:

And when it is said to them, ‘Bow (in prayer)’, they do not bow. [77:48]

So again, Imam Malik read the sign in a manner that his heart drew him nearer to Allah (SWT). Now how are these stories relevant to our lives? I’d like to mention another example to relate this to our personal experience. During the month of Ramadan, we follow the hadith of the Prophet to try to seek Laylatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. There is another hadith of the Prophet (SAW) wherein he said:

Whosoever is deprived of it, is deprived of all good; and none is deprived of its good except an unfortunate person. (Ibn Majah)

Now imagine a person who makes his intention to get up earlier in the morning, sometime before his regular time for suhoor so he could spend some time worshipping Allah (SWT). So goes to sleep on the first night and sleeps through the night and is not able to get up. Then he makes a similar intention for the following odd nights yet misses the worship during the other odd nights as well. Now there are two ways one could look at this. You could have a person who says: well I made the intention yet was not able to get up so there isn’t much I could do about it. Another way of looking at this would be that maybe I’m involved in some kind of practice that is displeasing to Allah (SWT) and because of that Allah did not allow me to benefit from this night. Now this may be a very frightening thought but it is only through an honest assessment of our inner condition with Allah (SWT) that we’ll be able to rid ourselves of the diseases of heart and will be able to take up a course of action that would help us draw nearer to Allah (SWT). This is what introspection is all about; this is what self-reflection is all about.

[Waleed]

Nice...If anything this should be posted up on the YM blog thing and advertised