Holiday and its lessons

Jumaadal-Aakhirah 19, 1422 (August 31, 2001)

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon the noble Prophet, his household and companions.

Brothers in Islaam! Fear Allah as He should be feared for it is through piety that ranks are raised and the stumbling reduced.

Fellow Muslims! Allah created the creatures, ordained for them their fates and decreed for them their appointed time. As the day and night pass, He brings new creatures to life and causes others to die. Life continues with its natures and lessons and among people are obedient and believing ones and the disobedient and disbelieving ones.

Now the holiday has come to an end giving a lot of lessons, admonitions and events of which some people prosper and the lot of some is misery. Some wished that its days may come to an end so that their sorrow and distress may come to an end with it, while others wished that those days might remain forever so that their happiness may be everlasting. The days of holiday are full of different lessons that increase the wise in admonition and awaken the ignorant even from his slumber.

Ar-Rabee’ Ibn Khaytham was asked,

‘How do you start your day?’ He answered, ‘We start our day weak and sinful. We eat our sustenance and expect our appointed time.’

Brothers in faith! The vicissitudes of time should be a stance of lesson and self-examination for man. Let man take a sincere stance on his person and his life. All people will stand before their Lord and account for what they did in this life. Allah says,

“Then surely, We shall question those (people) to whom it (the Book) was sent and verily We shall question the Messengers.”(Al-A’raaf 6: 7)

The truthful people will be questioned, ‘that He may ask the truthful about their truth.’ Those who lived favourable lives will be held responsible.

“Then on that day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world).”

Days and nights pass bringing near the far. In their quick movements is a lesson for the understanding person that his life is fast expiring and his death is quickly approaching. Umar said,

“Call yourself to account when you are in bliss before the reckoning of that severe day; for whoever calls himself to account when he is in bliss will win the pleasure of Allah and happiness and whoever allows his life and desires to make him forgetful and occupy all his attention will regret and lose.”

Fellow Muslims! Pages of the events of the vacation are now closed by the fate. The Prophet said,

“ “People wake up in the morning; among them are those who are selling their lives and there are those who are destroying their lives.”

Some people spent their vacation in search of various kinds of knowledge because of their awareness that knowledge leads to happiness. They therefore exerted their efforts in search of it and endure all difficulties in its cause and earn as a result increased excellent virtues. They are overshadowed by the light of obedience and worship and prefer the everlasting over the mortal. These are the pious, leaders of people on the Last Day.

“Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge.”(Al-Mujaadalah 58: 11)

Those who seek for the good and Paradise are the ones who call to the Way of Allah with sure knowledge, wisdom and good admonitions, those who adhere to the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Messenger, enjoin all that is good, forbid all that is evil, exhorting their children, preserving Allah’s trust on them and endeavour to reform them, in order that they may be of good help to them in this life and treasure for them after their death. Those who do these have taken to the path of glory and actually wish themselves good and safety in matters of their religion.

“And whoever desires the hereafter and strives for it with the necessary effort done for it while he is a believer, then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded (by Allah).”(Al-Israa’ 17: 19)

There are others who engaged their eyes – during their holidays – in forbidden things, they wasted their lives in what will only bring them regret and sorrow. This set of people only earn absolute loss, for they gained nothing of this world and increased not in the reward of the hereafter.

There are others as well who are just back from a journey that poses a danger to Islaamic belief. Those who travelled to these countries contaminated their belief there and wasted their money in forbidden things. Some of them even did wrong to their women, sons and daughters by taking them to that land and making them taste of that misery. They treated sins with levity by engaging in immoral acts forgetting the Word of Allah,

“They will bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection and also the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge. Evil indeed is that which they shall bear.”(An-Nahl 16: 25)

Brothers in faith! It is unwise to treat the blessing of money, health and children that Allah endowed us with by being ungrateful to Him and denying these blessings. It is therefore requested of fathers to reform their children and families for ambiguities and fanciful desires are the basis of man’s corruption in this life and the life to come.

There are some people also who when they are back from those sinful journeys, remove the veil of modesty from their lives because of the abominable sins they have committed outside and they reveal what Allah has concealed for them while their listeners are eager to hear more of those sinful tales, thereby making them proud of their sins. Indeed, speaking about one’s sins with pride is a sign of a dead heart and immorality. The Prophet said,

“ “All of my nation are free of blame except those who talk about their sins openly and proudly.”

Fellow Muslims! There is no sin ever committed in a blessing except that it removed it and never has sin been allowed to overpower a heart except that it destroyed it. Sin destroys the present bliss and prevents the coming one. Endeavour then to examine yourself and beware of fanciful desires, satanic insinuations, and evil ending for every word and glance of yours is being recorded. Reprove yourself on your negligence and thank that He prolongs your life. Hasten to sincere repentance for Allah is happy when His slave repents. Do not postpone your repentance for whoever does that will not do any good deed. Among Luqmaan’s admonitions to his son is:

‘O my son, do not delay repentance for death comes suddenly. Then the prosperous one is he who struggles for his own soul and prepares for his death before it comes.’

Wahb bin Muabbih said,

‘Whoever puts his desires under his feet, Satan will be scared of him.’

Therefore make good use of your time, conquer your whims, call yourself to account, abhor the evil, get prepared for the misfortunes of death and mend your ways for your departure from this world is near. Whoever reforms the remaining part of his life will have his past misdeeds forgiven but whoever continues to sin in what is left of his life will be held responsible for his former and later sins. Remember

“the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil. And Allah warns you against Himself (His Punishment) and Allah is full of kindness to the slaves.”(Aal-‘Imraan 3: 30)

Brothers in Islaam: We have now entered a new academic year. Knowledge as a matter of fact is of different aspects and types; and the best of all areas of knowledge is the one through which one can have peace of mind and that is the knowledge derived from the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Prophet. No knowledge is better than the one that leads to guidance and protects from error and destruction. When the minds and conducts are protected and covered with religion and the belief is firmly rooted, deeds will become reformed.

Further, knowledge cannot be attained except by trial and whoever fails to endure the ignominy associated with the search for knowledge will have to drink from the cup of ignorance all his life. Sincere intention is equally important. The teacher and the student should both be sincere in seeking for knowledge and disseminating it while all should adopt the manners of the righteous predecessors who spread knowledge because of their love for it and for the purpose of putting it into practice. Allah says,

“Be you Rabbbaniyuun (learned men of religion who practice what they know and also preach to others) because you are teaching the Book and you are studying it.”(Aal-‘Imraan 3: 79)

The teacher should also be trustworthy and just in while evaluating his students. Parents should follow up their wards’ educational progress and ensure that they keep good company. It is also incumbent upon them to observe the congregational prayer with Muslims.

Children’s upbringing on Iman, piety and good deeds is a great trust on parents which they will be held responsible for. Therefore, carry out this obligation as due and beware of negligence for you shall be asked to account for all your deeds and rewarded accordingly.

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