Don't Misrepresent Islam

On the last day of a 3-day Jamaat at the Tongi Ijtema Maidaan Masjid in Dhaka, the respected Imaam of the masjid gave some short but invaluable advice for those who are returning home after spending some time in the path of Allah.

To the young guys he said that after returning home, they should try their best in serving their parents. They should wash the clothes for them, and if they say, 'No son you don't have to', they should insist and say, 'No mom, please let me. This is Deen'. And those who are in a responsible position in the family, i.e. the husbands, fathers, elder brothers, upon returning to their families, they should never live among them as Zaalims (oppressors), but should live as the Mazlums (oppressed). They should never treat their family members with scolding, should never be ignorant to their children. And if anyone has any sort of bad relation with another family member, they should learn to forgive them, for the sake of Deen.

He quoted Maulana Enamul Hasan (R) who said that 'No one has any right to misrepresent the Deen (Islam) with their bad behavior'. For those to whom Allah has given some sense of Deen, and have given the privilege to spend time for the sake of Islam, should always try to represent Islam correctly with their attitude, with their behavior towards others.

May Allah give us the strength to act upon these important words. 

On the Path of Revival - Part 2

Ibn Abbas Radiyallahu Anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam said: Today you listen to me about Deen; tomorrow you will be heard. And then it will be heard from those, who heard from you. (Abu Dawud) 

 Although I’ve been acquainted with Tabligh for several years now, but only after going in this jamaat that I finally got to see and participate in the Dawah activities in full swing. The effort that is going on in the name of ‘Dawat-e-Tabligh’ in every corner of the globe now is the effort to re-establish the missing bond among Muslims. Deen cannot be rejuvenated in the hearts of the Muslims without the proper understanding of Allah Subhanu Ta’ala. So our Dawah consisted of just that, to remind the people of Allah’s identity as the controller of the whole creation. The goal of the Dawah is not to preach to others and give Hidaayat, but to acquire Hidayat from Allah for ourselves by preaching the very words that we want to set in our own hearts. Once this purpose of Dawah is clear, you’ll never be disappointed or grow tired in calling people towards Allah. The urge to improve your own Imaan and set your Yaqeen straight will drive you onwards.
So wherever we went in Khulna, we got totally blended in with the local people. We stayed in a total of twelve masjids in and around the main Khulna town, so that’s a dozen different localities. In the period of forty days, me and my Saathis (it’s a norm in Tabligh to call another fellow Tablighi a ‘Saathi’ which means companion in the dialect of the subcontinent) got acquainted with numerous people, and we truly got acquainted with them. I mean we didn’t only get to know their names and whereabouts, but they truly became our brothers. Even when we changed a masjid and went over to the next one, the connection with the people of the previous area were not hampered, we would often visit them, keep in touch over the phone, and often they would come over to our current masjid to join us for lunch or dinner. Even now after almost two months, I call many of them back in Khulna regularly, and they call me as well.
In each of the areas we visited, there was a great stir in the place due to our work there. Thanks to Allah, all the members of our jamaat spent a lot of time in Gasht (preaching walks), talking to people in all sorts of places. Houses, tea stalls, shops, student dorms, you name it, we’ve been there. So within the very first day of our arrival at an area, the local people were well aware of our presence. And I must admit, I loved the people of Khulna. The hearts of the people are much softer compared to the stone cold people of Dhaka that I’ve come to see for all these years. In attitude they are much more cordial and polite, and more importantly they are eager to listen whenever the words of Allah and Islam are spoken to them. The foundation of our bond with the people of those areas was the Dawah towards Allah, and when you love someone for the sake of Allah alone, the bond that’s created is the strongest. So we totally blended into the lives of those people, who were just a few days ago total strangers to us. This is indeed a very basic necessity of Dawah, to create a true brotherly connection with the Ummah. Once that happens, the work of Dawah becomes much easier and fun, and the effect becomes more prominent. Thanks to Allah, through our work there, twenty four people returned with us to Kakrail for the purpose of spending time on the path of Allah at the end of our time in Khulna. Among them were brothers from varying levels like students, businessmen, government officers and even a renowned Mufti of Khulna. So, we went to Khulna sixteen men, and came back forty!

On the Path of Revival - Part 1

How can we correct ourselves if we don’t know what to correct? How can we adhere to Deen Islam if we don’t know what it asks from me? How can we follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (S) if we don’t understand its importance? How can we obey Allah if we don’t love Him? How can we love Allah if we don’t even know Him?

It’s not possible to understand the value of something if there’s no effort behind it. Those who are brought up in rich families don’t understand how precious food is, because they never had to struggle for it, they never knew hunger.

We claim nowadays that just because we have recited the Kalima we’ve become Mu’min. But how strange is our Imaan that it cannot prevent us from an action which we ourselves know is a grave sin, in what level is our Imaan that it cannot improve our behavior, doesn’t make us humble, kind and soft hearted. What kind of Imaan do we posses that makes us arrogant and selfish? What sort of Imaan do we have that it cannot take us to the masjid when the muazzin calls? It is thus evident that the faith that we claim to have is not enough to keep us in the path of Deen, in the path of Allah’s satisfaction. The reason behind this miserable frailty of our Imaan is the simple fact that we have never struggled for it, never put effort for its betterment. Striving in the path of Allah, struggling against diversities to uphold the order of Allah makes our Imaan stronger, and that’s the very thing that we lack. And that’s why it is absolutely necessary now to spend some time in the path of Allah for the improvement our own faith and correct the concepts that we have towards Allah and the Deen Islam.

Since I’m acquainted to Tabligh for several years now, I’ve been raring to go out on a Jamaat for a long period for quite a while. The completion of my BSc presented the opportunity I was looking for. So after getting over my exams and dealing with the thesis papers, I left home for the sake of Deen on 22 March.
The first step is always the most difficult one. And I felt it on the early morning of that day. I got to Kakrail Masjid, which is the Markaz (center) of the Tabligh movement in Bangladesh (and one of the three major centers of the world), and enlisted myself in a Jamaat of 16 men. I have never met any of the other guys in my life, so the first moments were a bit uneasy I must admit. Our Jamaat was designated to work in Khulna city, due south.

For the Sake of Deen

On the 26, 27 and 28 March, I've been out on a 3 day Jamaat of Tabligh. I've been on a Jamaat before, but never for 3 days completely. My father wouldn't allow me to stay over because he cared a little too much for me. This is the first time I've traveled on the path of Allah with my bed on my shoulders and slept in the mosque. The independence day of our country have marked a different sort of independence for me. I've wondered how much difference there can be in staying over and not. Well, I've just found out that there's a huge gap. Whenever you want success, in any aspect of life, there needs to be some sacrifice, the more the sacrifice, the more closer you get to your goal. It goes for studies, profession, everything. Same theory applies for Imaan as well. The more hardship you go through for the sake of Deen, the better is your Imaan and steadfastness on the guidelines of Islam. There needs to be a great amount of hardship and sacrifice to attain the Imaan, which can inspire us to do good deeds and stay away from all evil from within our hearts. That's why it took our Prophet Muhammad (S) and his Blessed Companions (R) 13 years of hardship and effort to attain the eligibility of the complete Deen Islam, and only after that the guidelines of Islam was implemented on them. The noble work of Tabligh is nothing but the same effort as that of the Prophet (S) and the Sahabis (R), to acquire the Imaan which can keep us on the right path. By treading the path of Allah, with our beds and baggages on our shoulders, by leaving the luxurious life we used to live, by leaving our cozy air conditioned rooms, and sleeping on the floor of the mosque with people of all classes, by eating from the same plates and glasses with others, by preaching to people we consider to be low class, by being patient despite the many teases and pushes of the negligent, overall by struggling for the betterment of our Faith, all the diseases by which our hearts and minds have been filled, will slowly but surely be washed away, and in that place dependence on only Allah will be rooted. This is the goal of the work which is called as Tabligh. The blessed person through which this effort has been started again, Maulana Iliyas (Ra) didn't name it Tabligh. He said that if would name it, it would be 'Tahreek e Imaan' or, 'Revolution of Imaan'. Indeed it is so. Due to the strict adherence of the Quran and the Sunnah, this noble work has reached all corners of the globe within just a few decades. By spending some time in Allah's path, ultra moderns youngsters who are used to living life on the fast lane, are taking up the Sunnahs of the Rasul (S), becoming conveyors of the message of Allah, and thus are improving their own Imaan and that of others. If you want to understand how this effort can be such a life changing one, there is only one to find out, and that is by going out yourself.
Two of my friends from AUST, Ruhu and Fahad were with me in this Jamaat. I'm glad that they were there. Most importantly they weren't there only to pass the time of the semester break, but they have indeed learned the how important it is for us to work for the sake of Islam, and they are ready to do the work in their own community with their local mosque.
May Allah accept our efforts for the betterment of Imaan, and may Allah give all of us the understanding and the Tawfiq to give our effort, money and time for the sake of Deen, as we are suppposed to. Ameen.

Ijtema 2008: Flooded with rain, Flooded with Blessings

The days of Ijtema are the most eagerly awaited days of the year to me. Since I came to Uttara I didn't miss attending this grand event. It's a huge opportunity to listen to the elders of Tabligh who come here from all the corners of the globe, inspiring us to work on Allah's path, spread the words of Quran and Sunnah. This year I knew I wouldn't be able to attend all three days, as the classes and exams were too heavily scheduled as we are heading towards the end of the semester. But man desires and Allah decides. Due to continuous rain and chilling winter cold, the Ijtema was cut short into just one day. I saw a glimpse of the misery of the people at Ijtema on Thursday. I went there at Asr and the scenario was totally miserable. It was raining from above, the water dripping down through the canopies. The clay roads were all muddy, making it a huge task to move around. People were finding no place even to put their luggage. At several spots I saw men removing mud using bottles and pots from the ground where they are supposed to stay for three days. I couldn't stay for much longer and headed back home. As I was returning, I could here our very own Maulana Zubair speaking about patience through the hurdles in life. He referred to the Sahabis (Ra), saying that they never prayed for their troubles to be gone, instead they prayed that they would face tougher challenges, so that they can prove themselves in the test of Imaan.
At Friday, the situation was getting even worse. So after the Maghrib prayers, the seniors of Tabligh and two people from each Zilla was called on an emergency meeting, from which the decision came to halt the proceedings of this year's Ijtema after the Isha prayer. The eagerly anticipated so called 'Akheri Munajat' was held at about 8:00 pm.
Apparantly it seems as though the Ijtema has been foiled, that it has failed its purpose. But it might not be so. Maybe this years Ijtema would be far more successful in achieving its goals than recent years. Allah tests the steadfastness of His subjects through all states and conditions, to see how strong they stand on the path of Allah, despite the state they are in. India's Maulana Saad said at the bayaan after Maghrib, that this seemingly failed congregation would bring many times more blessings from Allah than any other, and the far reaching positive effect of this Ijtema would be seen very shortly Inshallah. I guess what he meant is that through this turn of events, people will find new inspiration, encouragement and spirit to work for the sake of Deen Islam.
One immediate example of what Maulana Saad said was observed in the representation of the Ijtema by the media. Most of the times, when the electronic media covers this event, they hugely fail to bring out the true purpose of Ijtema, which is to send out Jamaats of Tabligh throughout the country and the world, to call people towards Allah. This year I was surprised to see a clear difference. I saw the report made by private broadcasters Channel-I on their news after the day Ijtema was terminated. I was really delighted to note that the true goal of Ijtema was indeed brought out clearly enough. In the papers as well, I saw similar changes. Pamphlets distributed by the government sponsored by Grameen Phone, which contained the map of the Ijtema ground, also mentioned the necessity of the work of Tabligh. These things are quite different from the previous years.
So in the same tone as all the Muslims of the country, I pray to Allah that this Ijtema which is apparently flooded by the rain, is in fact flooded by the Blessings of The Almighty.

On Allah's path, with my father

This day was pretty memorable. The Jamaat from our mosque are staying at a mosque in Kuril for three days, starting from Friday. Last night, by Allah's will, my dad suddenly decided to go there and join the great work for a day. I didn't expect him to make such a decision. But no one knows what Allah wishes. So today after lunch, me and my father went to that mosque and joined our Jamaat. After Asr we went out for Gasht (to invite people to the mosque), and my father was there with us. I did the part of inviting. After Maghrib we listened to the discussion. And then after Isha we came back home.
It might not sound much to you, but I know how big this is for me. It teaches me a lesson. We always think that we can predict everything. We judge the future with reference to the present situation, and we forget that Allah can do whatever He wants. He can bring about things we never even imagined, He can make changes to the world within a blink of an eye. All we have to do is have some faith, and never stop praying and trying. May Allah open up our eyes to the Truth. Ameen.

The Wonderful Gathering

From 31 January I had the privilege of being present at the second largest Muslim gathering after the Hajj. Yes, I'm talking about the Tongi Ijtema. I anticipated it since the last one. I didn't stay at night, but I regularly attended the lectures of the elders. The place is huge, infact, if you haven't been there yourself, you have no idea about the magnitude of the place. The huge space is actually not enough for the magnitude of people who stay there. When I look around there, I see people from all over the country, from all fields of work. I see people who work in huge multinational companies, who earn tens of thousands, at the same frame I see people who live from hand to mouth. I see students, doctors, engineers, politicians, beggars, businessmen. But they are all living in the same state there. They are having food from the same plate, drinking water from the same glass, standing in lines to get to the toilet. They are living the same life there. The rich have left their luxurious apartments, their multi-million taka bathrooms and have come here to live the same life as a begger who's sleeping right next to him. People speaking in their various dialects, but speaking the same things, speaking about Tawheed, Risaalat, Aakhirat, encouraging each other to go out in Allah's path. It is assumed that about 20 lakh people gathered there to stay, but there's no hassle, no quarrel, no mismanagement. Everyone has a tendency to listen to others. By being there one actually gets an idea about
how the Muslim brotherhood should've been like. Muslims from rest of the world also were there. Everyone was there sacrificing there time, their luxury, their money only to be there and listen to the advices of the elders and prepare themselves to dedicate their lives for the Deen. I look around, amazed, and feel that yes, this is where I belong, this is where Muslims belong.
Last month I also had the opportunity to work for the Ijtema. There is no particular leader in this massive task. Everybody is a leader, everybody is a worker. All working together, ordinary people, make this huge task possible without any hassle. It shows the power of unity that we lack in our everyday life, which makes our life harder. Listening to the bayaans of the elders of Tabligh is really an opportunity that I cannot afford to miss when it comes by. Their words inspire us to obey the Deen that Prophet Muhammad (S) has shown to us, the Deen which the Sahaabis (R) practiced perfectly. It's not like they tell us to leave everything worldly and only to pray and weep. They preach the actual Islam, which says that anything we do in our life, if we do it according to Quran and Sunnah, it will be counted as worship of Allah. It's about trying as hard as you can and depending only on Allah and not on your efforts. It's possible to write volumes on this issue so I'm not writing any more. These bayaans inspire us to stay on Allah's path 24x7. May Allah give Tawfiq to us all to stay on Allah's path till death.
Ameen.

Take a look around

Bloodshed has been going on in this world since the beginning, but what's this?All the recent massacres have been going on in the name of Islam? The religion nominated by Allah for the human race, established in return of the sacrifices made by our Prophet Muhammad (S) and His companions.All these terrorism going on in the name of this religion?Worldwide misconceptions about Islam are increasing.People of the world, even Muslims themselves are misunderstanding Islam.Why?Because Muslims are moving away from Deen.We are not doing what we are supposed to do.Muslims are not living the life they are meant to live.
The light of Islam spread across the globe within a very short time.Why? Because of the beautiful character of the muslims.Bewildered by the beautiful behavior of Muhammad(S), the Sahabis(R) and the Awlias, thousands of people dedicated themselves to Islam.
From time to time Nabis and Rasools came to the world to remind the people about their creator.The series of Nabuwat started from Adam(A) and ended with Muhammad(S).Now the duty of spreading Allah's words is upon us, the Ummate Muhammadi.
In the Holy Quran, Allah has emphasized on the importance of calling people towards Allah, commanding people to good deeds and preventing them from forbidden things:

'And whose words can be better than his, who calls (people) towards Allah, and performs good deeds, and says "I am one of those who submit to Allah!" '
'O Muslims! You are the best of peoples, who have been selected for the guidance of mankind; you enjoin them to do good deeds, and prevent them form forbidden things; and you have firm faith in Allah' (Surah Aal-e-Imran:110)

In a lot of other places in The Holy Quran Allah The Almighty has emphasized on the work of spreading Islam and guiding the people in the right path.We are the best ummah, and in Surah Aal-e Imran:110 Allah explains why.It is only because we are the Ummate Muhammadi and our duty is to guide people in Allah's direction.
Muhammad(S) and the Sahabas dedicated their lives guiding people in the righteous path.Muhammad (S) has ordered us to perform this duty again and again.
It is reported by Abu Said Khudri (R) that the Holy Prophet (S) said:

"whoever sees a forbidden thing being done, he should prevent it by the use of his hands; and if he has no capability for this action then he should prevent it with his tongue; and if he cannot do this even, then he should at least consider it a vice in his heart, and this is a very low level of one's Faith."

Hazrat Aishah (R) says: "once the Holy Prophet(S) entered the house and I guessed from his face that something of great importance had occurred. He did not talk to anyone, and after making Wudhu he entered the mosque. I stood behind the wall to hear what he said. He sat at the pulpit and after praising Allah, he said, "O Muslims! Allah has commanded you to call people to good deeds, and prevent them from committing sins; otherwise a time will come when you will pray to Him; but He will not listen to you; you will ask your needs of Him, but He will not grant them; you will demand His help against your enemies, but He will not help you." After saying this, he came down from the pulpit."
Many Hadiths have been reported inspiring Muslims to call people to good deeds and prevent them from forbidden things.

Now let's take a look around us.Sins are being performed all around us.People are disobeying Allah 24/7.Yet what are we doing to stop it? It is the duty of the Muslims to prevent people from forbidden things, but are we performing our duty?In these circumstances, the humiliation and punishment for Muslims is unavoidable.Hazrat Jareer bin Abdullah (R) says "I heard the Messenger of Allah (S) saying: "When a sin is committed before an individual or a group and they do not prevent it, in spite of having the capability, then Allah inflicts a severe punishment on them before their death." " (Targhib)
This Hadith alone is enough to explain the current situation of Muslims around the world.
So there should be no doubt at all, that the Muslims position in the world can only be improved by following The Quran and the Sunnah. It is impossible to achieve success by following ways that are contradictory to the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
So now the Muslims of the world should try to understand the true Islam, we should try to perform the duty of guiding people in Allah's path, the duty that has been bestowed upon us by the allmighty Allah.Only then the world could be a better place to live in.