The Purpose Of Our Existence
We know that the One God exists and we know that we are a product of His creation. But we often forget to remember that we were created for a specific purpose. If ten of us try to find out what our purpose is on our own, without considering the Revelation, we might find ten different purposes. However, if we look at the Qur’an, we will find out that the purpose of our lives is clearly defined.
Allah The Most High says, “O Mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (i.e. those who have taqwaa – piety).” Al-Baqarah (2):21
And He said, “And I created not the Jinns and mankind except that they may worship Me (Alone).” Adh-Dhaariyaat (51):56
Allah Ta`aalaa also says in the Qur’an: “Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is able to do all things. Who has created death and life, that He may test which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.” Al-Mulk (67):1-2
These verses where revealed to us by Allah in order to inform us of why we are here on the Earth, what we should be doing and where we are heading. Not to benefit Himself, or because He needs our worship. Rather, because we are in need of Him.
Allah Ta`aalaa says, “O mankind! It is you who stand in need (who are poor) of Allah, but Allah is Rich (Free of all needs), Worthy of all praise.” Faatir (35):15
What is meant by “to test which of you is best in deed”? Al-Fudayl Ibn `Iyyaad said, “The best deed is that which is most devoted and most proper.” He was asked, “How should it be most devoted and most proper?”, and he responded, “For if the deed was devoted but was not proper it would not be accepted, and if it was proper but was not devoted it would not be accepted; the devoted is to be for Allah alone, and the proper is to be in compliance with As-Sunnah.”
We were created for this one reason: to worship Allah and to strive to be the best in deed. It is not only a matter of how many deeds we do, it is also a matter of quality. Should we take for granted that our deeds are accepted or should we strive to perfect them and make them pure for Allah’s sake and in accordance to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
Allah Ta`aalaa says in the Qur’an: “Say (O Muhammad): “Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds?” al-Kahf (18):103-104
And He said, “Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are al-Muttaqoon (i.e. those who have taqwaa).” Al-Maa’idah (5):27
A scholar said, “there are those who think that this Universe has founded itself or it came to exist by co-incidence. This necessitates that man “has no goal to fulfill” because he came into being without a defined goal! Consequently, a moral or a value system becomes meaningless. Accordingly, man is just a responding “tool” for “mother nature” which, according to Darwin himself, “acts haphazardly”! This way of thinking is aimlessness, and it occurs when man does not recognize his relation with the One who had created life and death, the Universe, and everything around man, all in due proportion.”
We have to remember that Allah created death and life so that we may worship Him (i.e. obey Allah Ta`aalaa in all which He commands through the tongue of the Messengers, performing all that Allah loves and is Pleased with from statements and actions – both inner and outer), and perform that worship in the best manner. That is what our objective should be. Instead of contradicting the purpose of man’s existence and acting for the sake of perishable worldly interests, we must fulfill its completion. This worship includes all our acts, our sleep, our studies, our recreation and specific forms of worship defined by the Qur?an and Sunnah. Our period here is short and being slave to worldly gains results in corruption of our souls, constant difficulty, worry and poverty.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah says: Son of Adam: fill your time with My worship and I will fill your heart with richness, and end off your poverty. But if you do not, I would make your hands fully busy (i.e. in worldly affairs) and I would not end off your poverty.” (At-Tirmidhee, hasan hadeeth)
Moreover, Allah has given us choice and has not forced us to do our acts. He says, “Then whosoever wills let him believe, and whosoever wills let him disbelieve.” al-Kahf (18):29
Clearly, we have been informed of our purpose and were shown the way to achieve it. The choice is ours.
Khatam-e-Nabuwat
Tawakkal – Depending On Allah
If we can learn to depend on Allah with due reliance, He will certainly give us provisions as He gives to the birds who leave their nests in the mornings and return with full bellies at dusk.
But what do we need in order to achieve this? We must have firm belief that only Allah can help and benefit us. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever wishes to be strong should rely on Allah.”
Allah the Almighty says: “… Victory will be yours; and put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed.” (Qur’an 5:23)
These words give us strength to face hardships. But at the same time as depending on Allah, we must exert effort and use all the material resources provided by Allah. If we do so we will be obeying His orders. When we sincerely depend on Allah we feel tranquility in our hearts because we know that Allah is on our side. We should try to detach ourselves from always seeking material things and keep in mind that no harm or benefit comes to us without the permission of Allah.
Umar Bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) told us about the birds and how they wake up in the early morning, glorify Allah and go in search of food, (they exert effort) trust in Allah and find sustenance. You may think it strange that birds glorify Allah but the Almighty says in the Qur’an : “The seven heavens and the earth, and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His praise; and yet you understand not how they declare His glory! Verily, He is the Ever-forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.” (17:44)
Even the prophets worked and so did the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but they all trusted in Allah in every aspect of life.
When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was being thrown into the fire, Jibreel (peace be upon him) asked him, ‘Do you need anything?’
But Ibrahim answered, ‘Nothing from you. Allah knows my condition (status).”
Another time, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) took his wife Hajar and his son Isma’il to a place near Makkah.
Allah the Almighty ordered Ibrahim to leave them in the desert, and when Hajar saw him leaving her she wanted to know if it was an order from Allah. Ibrahim answered , ‘Yes’. So she put her trust in Allah and was sure that He would take care of them. Indeed, all help and power are from Allah. Trust in Him! His promise is true.
Hasad Say Bacho
How Can You Achieve Success In Your Life
Allah says in Sura Al Araf V:201: Verily, those who are pious (or God fearing), when an evil thought comes to them from Satan, they remember (Allah) and indeed they then see.
It is known that evil whisperings in one’s heart and bad thoughts can take root in one’s mind and change into willingness and this may change into determinations which can subsequently manifest as action and when done repeatedly becomes a habit. So if these whisperings are blocked at the beginning then one will get rid of the above chain of events thus saving one from all it consequences. But if you accept these whisperings and allow it to develop further then it will eventually lead you to evil action and even if it fails to result in any action it can still create an evil desire in your heart.
It is clear that preventing such evil whispering taking root in the first instance is easier than blocking out established thoughts and preventing the latter is easier than stopping one’s intention and determination to carry out a bad deed and preventing a bad deed is easier than getting rid of a bad habit. Hence priority should be given to prevent the initial steps i.e. evil whispering, bad thoughts and determination.
One’s attitude towards these whispering does determine one’s true character and could either bring you closer or lead you away from your God whom you worship seeking His Mercy. As true happiness and success in life cannot be achieved unless you get closer to Him and gain His pleasure by being obedient to Him and following His instructions. Otherwise by being away from Him one will face hardship and gain the displeasure of Allah .
One of the Mercies which Allah grants to believers is that He will not hold a believer accountable for evil whispering unless it leads to a bad deed. According to Abu Huraiyra (RAA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Verily Allah will not hold my Umma accountable for evil whispering in their hearts unless it manifests into talk or action.
Nafli Ibadat Ki Ahmiyat
Significance Of Performing Tawaf 7 Times
In Islam, there are symbolic acts that represent the Divine Wisdom. We are not required to search for this hidden wisdom. Acts like Tawaf or circumambulating around the Ka’bah are ta’budi in the sense that we must fulfill them regardless whether their immediate benefits are clear to us or not.
Acts like Tawaf, Sa’i, and others, which are related to the category of Ibadaat, are orders of Allah the Almighty.
We believe they have infinite wisdom, for Almighty Allah is the All-Wise. He does not order anything unwise, and yet in order for us not to disrespect Allah the Almighty, the scholars have classified them as ta’budi acts, which means that we cannot pinpoint one particular reason in the sense that if that reason is not there, we can dispense with the act. This cannot be done in case of ta’bud; they are rituals that we must fulfill regardless whether their immediate benefits are clear or not.
Having said this, however, the purpose of Tawaf is to symbolically represent the idea that our life should revolve around thinking and remembering Allah Almighty. The believer is the one who subsumes all his thoughts in one big thought, that is, Allah the Almighty.
The Ka’bah is the center and the focus that we are directed to turn to in our prayers. By making Tawaf we are re-enforcing the centrality of this spiritual focus in our life. It also connects us with the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) who was a perfect monotheist. By performing this rite consciously we are re-enforcing such ideals as Prophets Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad (peace be upon them all) manifested in their lives.
Jumma Mubarak Kay Masnoon Amaal
Advice To Mothers-in-Law
- Bear in mind that your daughter-in-law is a human being with aspirations and feelings. She has made a great sacrifice to come and serve your son for the rest of her life. Treat her like your own daughter. Remember when you were a daughter-in-law. As you desired to be treated, treat her. Remove the jealousy which generally comes into the heart that someone new has come and taken over my son whom I brought up with great pain.
- Give gifts to her. This will create love between you’ll.
- Do not demand control of your son’s money. It is for him to use in an appropriate manner.
- Never compare one’s daughter-in-law with another, or with your daughters. Every person is different and has different abilities. Look at the good in everyone.
- Overlook faults and errors. Your daughter-in-law is still naive. In all likelihood, you made the same errors when you were young.
- If she lives with you, do not expect her to do everything in the house. However, if the kitchen is one, then some ‘ulema, have stated that it will be better if the mother-in-law hands it over completely to her daughter-in-law, if she is happy to accept this responsibility. If not, then rather have turns in the kitchen, because generally problems start in the kitchen. Everyone’s ways and methods are different.
- Think before you speak. What you say to your daughter, you cannot say to your daughter-in-law, since your daughter has natural love for you whereas your daughter-inlaw’s love for you will have to be slowly cultivated. Even if she errs, be careful as to how you correct her. Sometimes, even a wrong word, however innocent it may be, can cause problems. It is a delicate situation.
- Never discuss your one daughter-in-law with the other or discuss them with even your own sisters, daughters or best friends. If a secret cannot stay in your mouth, how do you expect it to remain in someone else’s? Discussing with others is just looking for problems. If you have a problem, speak directly to the one concerned.
- Learn from your mistakes. If you have once said something that created a problem, make sure you never repeat it.
- Be simple. No one is perfect. Do not be unnecessarily fussy about things that are not really a life-or-death situation.
- Be generous in praising their cooking, baking, etc. even though it is not up-to your standards.
- Never drag your daughter-in-law into any disagreement between yourself and your son. If you are upset with your son for any reason, there is no need to pass the message via your daughter-in-law or get upset with her. Speak directly to your son.
By Moulana Abdul Hameed Ishaq, Azaadville