BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM

Hypocrites! Are We Amongst Them?

By : Farah Baig

Bismillah

It is sad but what you said in class today is so true.  While doing the tafseer of the ayah below you said that we always find reasons and give justifications for something we don’t want to do.  The reason for this is because, “hamaree niyat main he khot hay” (our intentions themselves have some sort of flaw).  We believe that being born in a Muslim family will automatically fulfill our duties towards our deen and we don’t have to go through any hardship to gain Allah (swt)’s pleasure. We say we have surrendered, but honestly we are among those who are mentioned in this ayah; we are those who have “tazaad” in their “faile” and “amaal.”  In other words we are hypocrites!!!

They (hypocrites) say: "We have believed in Allâh & in the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and we obey," then a party of them turn away thereafter, such are not believers. (Ayah, 47 Al Nur)

Surah Nur is full of ahkammat for us, especially “Parday kay Ahkamaat.”  Despite having read it and understood it thoroughly, we have not yet adopted any of its injunctions.  Why not? Why?  When Islam simply means "surrender (to Allah)"!  Where are we???  The essence of our religion is to surrender or submit, but it requires trust on our part. A trust that Allah (swt) will always be there for us.  A trust that He always knows what is best for us.

Submission to Allah (swt) requires that we put Him before ourselves and that we put our desires second to His desires and we acknowledge that He knows what is right for us.

Very often, such submission is difficult. Sometimes it seems that everything that happens is bad, and we wonder how Allah (swt) could desire this for us.  And sometimes the things He asks of us are difficult to do, either because it seems too much to ask, or because it seems pointless or out of date. In times like this, submission becomes a struggle. We really have to work to find our trust in Allah (swt).  We really have to battle with our souls to admit that what we want or what we think doesn't seem to be what's right or best. Should we even bother? Of course we should!

Allah (swt) tests us.  He sends difficulties our way to see how we cope with them. He wants to see if we will keep trying even when it's a challenge for us. He wants to see if we will maintain our faith in Him, and trust in Him. If we do continue to have faith and to trust in Him, then He may reward us with Jannah for our sabr, InshAllah. Jannah is the everlasting reward.  Any difficulty we face in the world will seem as fleeting as a nightmare when we look back from the Hereafter, and any ease we face in the world will also seem as fleeting as a dream. We shouldn't set these fleeting states as our goal; we should set the ultimate happiness as our goal. And the ultimate happiness is Jannah!!

So if we have hope of Jannah, we should persevere even when it's a struggle for us, and we should keep on trying to perfect our submission to Allah (swt).  This is what our Iman is about: sabr, jihad, and submitting to His judgment!! If Allah (swt) has commanded something from us that we don't understand or don't like, we shouldn't reject that thing. Instead, we should try to seek its wisdom for ourselves so that accepting His command will become more natural and easy.