Ramadan Reminders; Day 7

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! :)

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah swt be upon you!

Daily Reminder 7:

No, this is not just another post where the ‘male folks’ are going to be blamed for not helping around at home. 

But this is a kind and gentle reminder about how noble a deed it is to help your mothers or wives or sisters at home because this is what our beloved Prophet (saws) did for his wives and daughters!

Once, Aishah (ra) was asked, “What did the Prophet (saws) do in his house?” To this she replied, “He used to keep himself busy serving his family (كَانَ يَكُونُ فِي مِهْنَةِ أَهْلِهِ) and when it was the time for prayer he would go for it.”

[Sahih Bukhari]

What’s important to notice here is the use of the word – مِهْنَةِ

This literally translates to ‘work’ or ‘profession’. This implies that serving family and looking after a home is considered as a profession equal to other professions of this world.

Rasulullah (saws) had the biggest responsibility on his shoulders of setting an example for the entire mankind, the people who lived then and the people who were yet to be born. If he had the time and energy to help at home, who are we…?

Apart from being a noble deed, there are also rewards for following a Sunnah and also earn the duas of your mothers or wives or daughters or sisters! Just imagine the abundant good deeds you would have accumulated during Ramadan (rewards being multiplied)! Subhan Allah!

To the women folks! Don’t nag your sons or husbands or brothers to help you with the chores. Nobody likes to be ordered around. Even if you did get them to work after that, they’re going to remain grumpy and moody all day. 

Instead, speak words of kindness to them. Make them realise how much their help and cooperation means to you. Most importantly, don’t put them down if they don’t get a task done in the right manner. Encourage them and move on! 

Let us make our homes a zone of comfort, peace and contentment In sha Allah!

Verse of Day:

Juz: 7

Surah: Al An’am

Verse: 17

وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ اللّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلاَ كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدُيرٌ

“And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him. And if He touches you with good - then He is over all things competent.”

We’ve probably heard or seen this ayah a couple of times but let’s try to relate this ayah to our everyday life or rather every minute of our lives In sha Allah.

A ضُرّ or adversity is not just limited to a calamity or a problem that hits us. For instance, you’ve hit your foot on the table or you’ve burnt your favourite hijab while ironing it or you’ve hurt yourself while chewing food or somebody ‘accidentally’ broke your favourite mug, or somebody has hurt you emotionally, these are all different forms of ضُرّ. And they wouldn’t have happened without Allah’s will, His permission!

Now, why did this happen to you? What was your fault?

Rasulullah (saws) has said, “No eye quivers and no vein quivers from pain except that it is because of the sins that the servant has committed and Allah pardons much”.

Allah swt does forgives much of our sins but for the rest, we need to give an expiation.

Think about it. All these ضُرّ that we experience have a reason behind them. Perhaps an arrogant thought or a negative thought about an individual would have crossed your mind or your behaviour must have hurt someone or we haven’t invoked upon Allah for a very long time. The ضُرّ are effects of our sins! 

How can we expect to get rid of a ضُرّ without working on the root of the issue…? 

We spend our time complaining about the physical hurt or emotional hurt but why are we hurt in the first place? Because we’ve sinned! And what is the remedy of sin? Repentance.

It is Allah who gave you that ضُرّ. So turn to Him. Ask Him to remove the ضُرّ and fix your situation. Seek His help and His forgiveness. Allah swt will surely respond to you. Because when a person is in a state of difficulty and he calls upon Allah, that difficulty or ضُرّ turns into a stepping stone for him in his journey to Allah. Subhan Allah!

Remember what Rasulullah (saws) said? 

“No tiredness, exhaustion, worry, grief, distress or harm befalls a believer in this world, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allah expiates some of his sins thereby.”

[Sahih Bukhari & Muslim]

May Allah swt provide us ways through which we can get closer to Him, ease all our affairs, forgive our sins and help us become worthy of Jannah! Ameen.

Sunnah Challenge 7:

Lower your gaze!

As human beings, it is extremely natural to get carried away with our sight, and what fascinates us that we often don't see the thin line between seeing and sinning. 

Hadith - Sahih Muslim 5372, Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah (ra):

“I asked Allah's Messenger (saws) about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a non-Mahram). He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes.”

After all, why is such a normal act, such as gazing prohibited in Islam?

We all are naturally attracted to the whims and luxuries of this Dunya. So much that we spend most of our life unknowingly following the Dunya alone!

But we also must know, that as Muslims, all that glitters is not gold!

A Haram sight maybe entertaining or fulfilling for the moment, but imagine yourself, standing in front of Allah on the Day of Judgement and being questioned for the sights you put your eyes through? And this is not a private conversation my friends, but it is in front of every single human being, whoever existed on this earth. Would we then like such a questioning?

Lowering your gaze does not apply to only averting your gaze from a non-mahram, but it also applies to averting your gaze from looking into the houses of people, it also includes averting our gaze from the worldly achievements of other people (status, wealth, family, etc).

Lowering your gaze helps you focus on your own inner self and keep the mind away from wandering into the desires of the Dunya. It disciplines oneself and keeps the heart pure.

Next time you ever feel a little unsatisfied about yourself or your life, maybe the thing you need to change is this - the way you see.

This will completely transform you from within! 

Though it might not seem like a major deed, averting our gaze from the haram makes us a content and a strong person. It also earns respect from those who are around you!

This small act really makes a huge impact in our lives and hence we must keep in mind to follow this Sunnah in our everyday lives In sha Allah!

Assalam Alaykum