Muslim Students in Universities - Part 1 - Intention and Acceptance

Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, many of us are studying in various universities across the globe in widely varying fields. Whether these studies are purely Islamic or seemingly unrelated to Islam, irrespective of our field of education, as Muslim students (or soon to be students) of universities, we have our own unique set of responsibilities which separate us from the rest of the flock. Recently I've been listening to some lectures by respected scholars of Islam about the duties and responsibilities of Muslim university students. I'll share some of the things I've learned in this post. 

• Intention matters most:  First point is to make a firm, pure intention (Niyyah) for the studies. Intention is what sets apart a true Muslim student, from an average student who doesn't understand Deen. 


• • We should always keep in mind that the studies that we're doing is not our goal, but only a means to achieve the goal, which is the pleasure of Allah (SWT) in the Duniya and the Hereafter.  Zaid ibn Thabit Radiyallahu 'anhu narrates, I heard Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam saying, "He whose objective is the world, Allah (SWT) scatters his affairs (he faces worries and anxieties in every aspect) and places the fear of poverty before his eyes; and he receives only that which has been preordained for him. And he whose intention (objective) is the Hereafter, Allah makes all his affairs easy, and  enriches his heart, and the world comes to him humiliated." (Ibn Majah) 
• • The best intention -  to benefit all humanity. 
  • Intention to provide for self, family and neighbors.
  • Our intentions must never be to earn respect from people. Abu Hurairah (R) narrates that Rasulullah (S) said, "He who seeks worldly things, though in a lawful way, to boast, to acquire too much, and to show off, will meet Allah (SWT) such that Allah (SWT) will be very angry with him. And he who seeks worldly things in a lawful way, to keep away from begging, and striving for his family and behaving kindly towards his neighbours, will meet Allah (SWT) on the Day of Resurrection with his face shining like the full moon. (Baihaqi) 

• Seek acceptance from Allah (SWT): Some of us maybe studying in a field in which it doesn't seem possible to benefit humanity like some other fields like medicine. If we make a strong intention to benefit humanity through the knowledge Allah (SWT) has given us, but we don't know how to use it in a beneficial way, we must keep praying to Allah, and be steadfast on Deen. Allah will make a way for us Insha-Allah. 


• • Two things (words) come from the same root, Qaabiliyyah (ability) and Qubooliyyah (acceptance). We must strive to achieve both, but the latter is more important. 
  • The Pharaoh (during the time of Prophet Musa 'Alayhis Salaam) had the ability, but he didn't have acceptance, so he was humiliated. 
  • Prophet Muhammad (S) prayed to Allah (SWT) so that Allah serves Islam through one of the two 'Amr's, meaning Hazrat Umar (R) and Abu Jahl, which shows that they both had ability. But Umar (R) also had acceptance, so he was chosen by Allah (SWT) for the service of Islam, while Abu Jahl was defeated and humiliated, like the Pharaoh. 
  • We must pray to Allah (SWT) that He accepts our abilities. The proof of acceptance would be that Allah (SWT) would make it possible for us to use those abilities for the benefit of the world surrounding us. And that includes ourselves, our families, neighbors, general muslims, non-muslims and even animals.

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• Insha-Allah we will discuss about the importance of productivity in the life of a Muslim student in the next part. May Allah (SWT) give us the Tawfique to practice upon whatever we've learned, and also to spread the message to our brothers as well. 

My Favorite Lectures on YouTube

Assalaamu alaikum! Hope you're in fine Imaan and health. Just wanted to share the link to my YouTube channel with you today. No, I don't have any uploads of my own. The only purpose of my channel is to share some great lectures from various respected Shaykhs. Personally I've found these lectures to be very much beneficial for myself in learning about our Deen directly from the Shaykhs. I would love to attend their gatherings in person instead of watching a video, may Allah (SWT) give me that chance soon and often. But till then, YouTube must do!

Here's the link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/AsifTheWizard/videos. Insha-Allah I'll gradually add more lectures as I discover them. 

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. 

Hadith Sanad of Maulana Tariq Jameel

Mashallah, Maulana Tariq Jameel Saab (DB) describes the complete sanad (line of narrators) of Hadith.

Hadith: Balance in Life and Worship

In our youth, there's always an added sense of enthusiasm in whatever we do. So when a Muslim brother in his youth gives much time in learning the Deen and the ways of The Prophet (S) and the Sahaba (R), he becomes prepared to strive for the cause of Deen and go through any amount of hardship. The spirit of Islam drives away their sleep, they stay up each night in Salat, many fast regularly and keep themselves involved in Deeni works all day. Many young muslim brothers become so much enthusiastic that they lose all sorts of interest in worldly matters like studies, jobs, business, family affairs etc. But it's the Sunnah of The Beloved Prophet (S) to maintain a fine balance between all these things, not to abandon them totally. This can be clearly understood from a beautiful hadith from the Sahih Bukhari:

Anas ibn Malik Radiyallahu Anhu narrates that a group of three (men) came to the house of the wives of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam asking about the worship of Allah by Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. So when they were informed, it seemed less (than their expectation). They said: Where are we, compared to Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam when Allah has forgiven his past and future sins. So one of them said: As for me, I will offer Salat throughout the night forever, and another said: I will fast forever and I will not break my fast. And another said: I will forsake woman, never to marry. Then Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam came to them and said: Are you the ones who have said such and such? Behold. By Allah! Indeed I am the one who fears Allah most amongst you, and the most pious amongst you. Yet (is spite of that) I fast, and break fast, and offer Salat and I sleep (at night) and I marry women, so whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me! (Bukhari)

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.