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Eid Mubarak: May Allah Makes These Days of True Rejoicing – Eid Message, Reminder, and Free Gift from SeekersGuidance – mp3 of an amazing night of nasheed

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In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful
 
EID MUBARAK
May Allah make these days of true rejoicing
 
Dear SeekersGuidance students, supporters, and friends,
 
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,
 
I pray this finds you in the best of health and spirits. The teachers, managers, and SeekersGuidance team would like to wish you Eid Mubarak. We ask Allah Most High to make these days of rejoicing in the blessings of Allah, worldly and spiritual, and days of returning to Allah through recognition of these blessings.
 
May this be a true Eid for us, insha’Allah. The Early Muslims (salaf) would say: “True Eid isn’t for those rely wearing new clothes. Rather, true Eid belongs to those whose obedience increases.”
 
The root meaning of Eid is, “that which returns, time and again; and rejoicing.”
 
The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “They are days of eating, drinking, and remembrance of God.” [Bukhari]
 
Making Eid a True Rejoicing & Return
 
Make these days of rejoicing and reconnecting with family and friends. Repair strained relationships. Visit and contact friends and family whom you have fallen out of touch with. Do this as a spiritual action, seeking the pleasure of Allah, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that from the best of faith is mending relations.
 
And make these days of rejoicing and reconnecting with Allah Most High. Turn to Him in thankfulness. Turn to Him in love. Turn to Him with a sense of awe and awareness of both His Beauty and Majesty. Look at where you are in yourrelationship with Allah, and do three things: [1] resolve to leave those specific actions you do that are most odious to Allah–of the forbidden actions; [2] resolve to begin doing (or becoming more consistent in) those actions that you are most remiss in–of the obligatory actions; and [3] make a general repentance from all that is displeasing to Allah, and make a general commitment to turn to Allah in life, and to seek His pleasure through making good your submitting to Him, in accordance with the radiant, life-giving example of His Beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
 
 

 

And Allah alone gives success.
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Faraz Rabbani
Executive Director, SeekersGuidance
on behalf of the teachers, managers, and team at SeekersGuidance

 

 


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Qur’anic Reflections: Divine Tests and the Great Virtue of Steadfast Patience

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In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful

Divine Tests and the Great Virtue of Steadfast Patience

 

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Allah Most High tells us in the Qur’an:

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who, when distress strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return.” Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the truly guided.” [Qur’an, 2.155-157]

It has come in hadith from the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him & his folk) that, “Whoever says ‘innaa li’l Llahi wa innaa ilayhi raji`un (We are Allah’s and to Him is our return)’ in distress, Allah will reward them for it and grant them good in exchange.”

It has also come in hadith that once a lamp got extinguished, so the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said “innaa li’l Llahi wa innaa ilayhi raji`un (We are Allah’s and to Him is our return).” A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) remarked, “It is only a lamp!” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) responded, “Everything that displeases the believer is distress.” [Abu Dawud, in his Marasil]

The Meaning of ‘innaa li’l Llahi wa innaa ilayhi raji`un’ (We are Allah’s and to Him is our return)

It is explained in Tafsir al-Jalalayn that this means:

(We are Allah’s) as His property and servants, and He can do with us as He wills. (And to Him is our return) in the Hereafter, where He will recompense us.

Realization of Slavehood

This is a realization of one’s slavehood (`ubudiyya), that Allah is both one’s Creator and Sustainer; that everything is from Allah; and that one’s responsibility and opportunity is to accept things insofar as they are from Allah, and to turn to Him in both ease and distress in the ways most likely to be most pleasing to Him.

The Meaning of “Give good tidings to the patient”

Patience is to remain firm on what is pleasing to Allah.

Ibn Ajiba states:

(Give good tidings to the patient) namely, those who remain resolute in their seeking. They shall attain unto everything that they long for, and will reach that will they set forth for. They are those when faced by obstacles or impediments realize their neediness as servants of Allah, and attach themselves to the Power of His Lordship. So they return to Allah in all matters. And He thereby grants them shelter from all things. This are the ones who have particular concern from their Lord and those whom He draws close. (And it is those who are truly guided) to close proximity to the Beloved. [Ibn Ajiba, al-Bahr al-Madid]

Shaykh al-Islam Abu Su`ud said in his Qur’anic exegesis,

“Patience is not merely uttering this statement of return (“innaa li’llahi…”) with the tongue. Rather, it is to affirm its meaning with the heart (at well), such that one brings to mind what one was created for; that one is returning to their Lord; reminding oneself of Allah’s blessings upon one; and to remember that what remains of these blessings is many times greater than what was lost (in the difficulty). If one does this, then the distress will become easy to bear, and it will return to submission.”

He continues by explaining that the good tidings are what is mentioned after: it is such steadfastly patient individuals are those who are truly guided to all that is correct and true–which is why they surrender, submit, and return to Allah in accepting His Decree (qada’). And it is these people who succeed in attaining their religious and worldly goals, because anyone who attains unto their Allah’s concern, mercy, and blessings will not have missed out on anything worth seeking. [Tafsir Abu’s Su`ud]

Ibn Juzayy states:

A point of benefit: Patience has been mentioned in the Qur’an in more than seventy places, because of the tremendousness of its place in religion. Some of the scholar have said that all good deeds have known reward except for patience, because the reward of patience is beyond measure–because Allah Most High states, “The patient shall be granted their reward beyond measure.”

 

Related Entries:

SG Blog: The Qur’an on Patience, Steadfastness, Resolve, Mindfulness, and Success – 3.200

SG IslamCast: Patience (sabr)–its virtues, reality, and manifestation – Faraz Rabbani – Khutba

Guidance of the Prophet Muhammad on the Virtues of Patience (and Thankfulness) in Tribulation and Hardship

And Allah alone gives success.

Faraz Rabbani