On “Navigation”

I love how I read, listen to or watch something & it doesn’t really settle in my head till weeks later when something else happens & I end up linking them. Al-Lateef in the most subtle of ways. Someone mentioned how leaving uni and starting another part of life should be seen from the perspective of being a baby, and then a toddler and like that till it progresses. And now that I think of it, learning something new in regards to how you should act as a Muslim could possibly be viewed that way too. Sometimes (or most times in fact), we do things because it’s all we’ve known. And even when guidance comes, there’s a resistance because again, it’s all we’ve known.

“Guidance comes to a person & it is upon that person to accept it instantly.

If you focus on your allegiance to the people or your family, that same guidance may come again, but due to initial rejection your heart may not be open as it was the first time and this will be against you on the day of judgement”.

Now imagine how crazy it would be for Allah to ask us what we did with the guidance we received. Because it is one thing to not be guided, as Allah guides whom He wills, it is another to not actively seek knowledge considering it’s obligatory, and it’s a whole notha thing to be guided & still choose to dump it. And I’m not saying that choosing to would be easy. We live in a world where there’s fitnah everywhere, even with things that shouldn’t be as much of a big deal. But this is the card that we’ve been dealt and what other option do we have than to actively fight, while of course seeking the help of Allah?

Luqman 31:22

وَمَن يُسۡلِمۡ وَجۡهَهُۥٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡأُمُورِ

And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good -  then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allah will be the outcome of [all] matters.

The tafsir explains that:

“His face to Allah i.e follows Allah’s religion of Islamic monotheism, worships Allah alone with sincere faith in (1)Oneness of His Lordship (2)Oneness of His Worship (3)Oneness of His Names and Qualities. Allah tells us that whoever submits his face to Allah i.e does deeds sincerely for His sake, submits to His commandments and follows His laws, while he is a Muhsin i.e doing what his lord has commanded and abstaining from what he has forbidden, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. This means he has received a firm promise from Allah that He will not punish him, and to Allah return all matters for decision.”

I’ve read reclaim your heart so many times & yet there are still parts that have spoken to me differently in different seasons.

“Allah (swt) knows we have a nafs. Allah knows we have a heart. Allah knows that these things drive us. However Allah tells us that He is closer to us than even these. So when we reach for other than Him, we are not only reaching for what is weaker, we are also reaching past what is closer, for what is further and more distant. Subhan Allah (Glory be to God).”A perspective.

“He is closer than our jugular vein. Why the jugular? What is so striking about this part of us? The jugular vein is the most important vein that brings blood to the heart. If severed, we die almost immediately. It is literally our lifeline. But Allah (swt) is closer. Allah (swt) is closer than our own life, than our own Self, than our own nafs. And He is closer than the most important pathway to our heart.”

And then:

“And the one, who is sufficed by God, is the richest and most generous of all lovers.”

I’ve read this paragraph so many times but this particular sentence never settled like it did recently. Oh, how wonderful it would be to be a “rich & generous lover”. Chileee, it’s giving what it needs to give.

“Your love will be by Him, for Him, and because of Him. That is the liberation of the self from servitude to any created thing. And that is freedom. That is happiness.That is love.”

A WORDDDD.

Speaking of navigations & internal battles, there’s the internal battle between wondering whether you’re sincerely doing your deeds for the sake of Allah, or deep down there’s a hidden desire to show off or come off a certain way. The battle between wanting to share things knowing no speech is better than Allah’s speech but also not knowing whether or not you’re doing it for the right reasons. There’s an analogy made about different types of soil in relation to humans. The first is the fertile soil. Water goes into it, it holds it and it’s able to produce vegetation. So the one who’s compared to the fertile soil is able to learn, put into practice, come to light and benefit others. The second is the dry soil that can’t absorb water as much but can relatively grow plants. So this person doesn’t benefit himself but benefits others. Meaning the person’s heart holds knowledge, but to practice it? No insight. Lastly, the barren soil that neither holds water nor produces anything. The one that doesn’t like to listen to advice nor offer anything in return.

And then comes the issue of learning how to navigate social media in a healthy way. One that could at least, be a source of sadaqa-jariya as opposed to the opposite, ongoing sins, because of the things you’ve shared which have in some way, facilitated others to do wrong. Fighting the aimless need to scroll instead of using it for the good it has & filling your time up wisely. Because as a human being why are you aimlessly scrolling? Are you a goat? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

And then of course the occasional identity crisis that swoops in for which this has massively helped (Alhamdulillah):

“The life of ‘Abdullãh ibn al-Mubãrak raheema-hullaah holds great insights for us as Muslims because it highlights a particular matter that has come to be viewed as strange or perhaps even impossible in our current era: The ability to be multifaceted in life. In our current day and age we face a phenomenal identity crisis. We are told that when we grow up we should aspire to become something - a doctor perhaps, an engineer, maybe a successful businessman, or even a sports personality. From a young age, this idea of becoming something - one thing - is drilled into us. Yet this is not entirely the problem, as I believe that we should all aspire to great things which hold benefit for us, our families and our communities at large. But in the process of sowing this inspiration, society stealthily streamlines our entire vision. It tells us we can only become talented in one thing, and that we should choose this one thing wisely. But as we can see from the life of Ibn al-Mubãrak raheema-hullaah, this is not always the case.

“We have certainly created man in the best of stature.”[Surah al-Tîn 95: 4]

Allãh the Most High created the human being, and He created him with versatile capabilities. He created in each person a brain and a mind of powerful potential. He gave him intellect. He blessed him with aspirations and taught him right from wrong. He gave him gifts and many talents. He has granted great potential to every male and female. Numerous figures in our history, and indeed throughout all of history, had this realisation dawn on them - that they could excel in not just one thing in life, but a great number of things. So you would see that the doctor of the community was also the most skilled in the arts of war. The judge of the land’s Grand Court was also one of its greatest mathematicians. The mother of seven children was also the founder of a school or hospital, or she would be a narrator of hadîth - and so on. They were multifaceted, multi-skilled and multi-talented in numerous things, and they were experts in each of these fields.”

And my favorite part of course:

“So what then of a person who has been blessed to be multifaceted in life, and he or she has also been blessed to gather numerous righteous intentions for each of those tasks? This is the act of gathering goodness upon goodness, and it is reserved for the intelligent one to take advantage of.

Make your intention so pure and so hidden in the depths of your heart that none knows of it, nor do you become deluded by it.”

There’s also the internal battle between how unapologetic I should be as a Muslim but also not wanting to come off as doing “too much”. I fear so many things, but top of the list has to be being put on a pedestal. I do want to be able to enjoin good while forbidding evil, but not at the expense of acting like there are things I don’t struggle with. But of course for everything we have been though, or are going through, someone else or multiple people in fact, have experienced it.

Luqman 31:17

يَٰبُنَىَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأۡمُرۡ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَٱنۡهَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَٱصۡبِرۡ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَكَۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنۡ عَزۡمِ ٱلۡأُمُورِ

O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination.

And it’s so easy to forget how much of a guide the Qur’an is. We really aren’t as special as we think we are. These are trying times yes, but there have always been trying times. However, it is up to us as Muslims to know that all we need to deal with this dunya &  the akhirah is at our disposal. The list of things to navigate is endless. Be it birthdays, the right way to do weddings, music, tabarruj, dealing with non-mahrams in our everyday lives- school, the workspace. Also realizing that some commandments are easier to follow than others only because “the way you are is just in alignment with Allah’s commands”. Not because you’re actively putting effort. It’s just that easy. Or because of the reality you have where you haven’t been tested with such. So how can you know how you’ll react? Or knowing that, that you’ve passed once doesn’t mean you’ll do well the next. Also deeping that you’ll eventually have to go though the process of re-explaining over and over again why you choose to drop or begin an action,or having to help other people, be it your friends, younger ones, or even your children, navigate such spaces when the time comes.

But it’s comforting knowing that “as long as there’s life to live, there’ll be something to figure out”. That despite all the tests and trials, Allah sees the efforts. That He is aware of how many times your heart has broken due to one test or the other. And yet He mends it back over & over again in such a way that you wonder how you managed to get back up. Al Jabbar. That He knows what you never speak of, the words that never leave your lips except to His ears, as well as the pain that never really leaves that you eventually learn to live with. But Allah knows and it’s so so comforting. Knowing that trying is enough & you may not get it but at least you tried. And despite all of this, Allah still blesses us with the best of things too. Allahu Akbar. Truly. Health, ease in learning, the ability to introspect, a loving family, beautiful weather, tea, good, solid, authentic companionship, just to name a few. Because for everything that Allah tests us with, there are blessings hidden and known that make life not just easier to bare, to survive, but to beautifully live.

Hud 11:88

وَمَا تَوۡفِيقِىٓ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِۚ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ وَإِلَيۡهِ أُنِيبُ......

“.....And my success is not but through Allah . Upon Him I have relied, and to Him I return.”

Always. Always.

+ a couple of things from my favorites album

• “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my short time on earth, it is that you don’t have to look, behave or think like everyone else to achieve. Just be sincere, work hard & Allah will take care of the rest.”

• “Allah  had willed this chain of events after all. My job was to trust that there’s good in it somewhere and that He would bring us through it, just like He had brought us through everything else.”

• “Regardless of whether you perceive yourself to be a seeker of knowledge or not, we must all learn. Make a promise to yourself to continue learning throughout your life, regardless of what may come your way. This is what will put ‘life’ into your life.”

• “Even if past emotions roar as they release, we don’t have to roar back.”

• “Dream your dreams & secure your bags. Spend your coins and dears, enjoy the good things- just make sure you keep all of it in context. And context here looks like- you will be called to account how you earned it and spent it, it has rights that must be fulfilled (sadaqah, zakat, moderation in use), it is a means among Allah’s limitless means,AND NOT THE END.”

“Final words” in Aaliyah’s voice. Make the Qur’an your friend. If it means starting from afresh then trust me, it’s doable. All that matters is starting somewhere & you’ll be so amazed at the amount of barakah your time will have. Make time for Allah because it’s a win both in the dunya & the akhirah. There’s a saying about how if you chase the dunya alone your affairs will be scattered, but if you focus on the akhirah, realizing that the dunya is merely a means, your affairs will be arranged in ways you couldn’t possibly wrap your head around. Despite the tests, there will be a sense of detachment & the actual internalization of “what will be will be”.

Final words fr which aren’t technically my words but still count as final words:

“Is your recollection of the Qur’ãn shaky? Then draw up the strength to memorise passages of the Qur’ãn or indeed the entire Qur’ãn itself, as is the tradition and heritage of Islam. Be from the Huffãdh (memorisers) of this Ummah who the Prophet sallal- laahu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said are the special people of Allãh sub- haanahu wa-ta’aala. “Indeed, Allãh has people from amongst Mankind; the people of Qur’ãn. They are the people of Allãh and His Specialities.” Create a good plan for yourself and stick to it, whilst allowing room for improvement and flexibility. How do you envision the next year, or indeed the next five years? Can you project your vision and see yourself as a better Muslim; how can you get there? Learn the ways, learn the skills, and learn the attitude. “Say: ‘Are those who know, equal to those who know not?’ It is only the people of understanding who will remember.” Sûrah al-Zumar 39: 9]. There is so much to be gained by becoming a person who is open to learning - whether that is learning about your religion or learning a new skill, or learning something in a new field. When you become active in this endeavour, you open yourself up to change and betterment - and that is always a positive matter. Develop yourself because you have no idea how far you can really go.”