Tabligh

A Simple Thought: Tuesday, 30th May ’17

A simple thought from The Community on Friday:
Alas, the grand period in a Muslim’s year – the Holy month of Ramadhan, has arrived. The month in which our centres are abuzz with activities and programs that aid in uplifting our spirituality, of bringing us together again, and of giving us a chance once more at repentance of our misdeeds.
Now whereas various bodies are trying their best to facilitate an environment of spirituality, our individual salvation lies not in their hands, but in our own.
Perhaps a few footnotes to remind us of how to take full benefit of this most remarkable of months. Let us remember and envision, that the doors of mercy and grace are in reality wide open through His infinite mercy, but unless we take the right steps towards these doors, we may not gain much after all. The choices we make in this month may well indicate what our direction really is. Over indulgence in eating or sports may not be in our best interest, but in moderation it can help us attain the goal of fasting.
Let us remember that longing fir Iftaar or Eid would be righteous only in as far as partaking the blessings of these occasions, or in feeling fulfilled at our achievements, but to feel irritated and agitated and to wish fasting away, will most certainly rob us of a golden opportunity. Deprivation is a means to sincerity and agility in worship, not a punishment for accepting the faith.
Let us remember that the du’as we have inherited from Aimmah (AS) are our biggest shield, our ultimate hope and an unmatched support in times of adversity, let us not breeze through them ritually blocking its understanding in our hearts for this would be the biggest squandered chance at receiving Allah’s help. Let us be wary when we are asking for what in Du’a Iftitah for example rather than wandering off in space thinking of inconsequential mundane things.
Let us remember that Islam is not different from life, it is life. The virtuosity we feel inside the mosque compounds are strong influencers to sway us towards His majesty, but these sentiments must be kept alive in our lives as well. This means that even outside the mosque, we must forgive others the way we beg for our own forgiveness, we must demonstrate generosity, in the way we expect His bounties, we must keep others’ secrets the way He has kept ours, we must give kindness, just as we implore for His kindness, and we must believe He is the only provider, and not succumb to other human powers.
Lastly, let us remember that this may be our last Ramadhan, and that we may never ever receive its blessings if our lives are cut short just like the hundreds of brothers and sisters we have carried to their graves in the last year, and so it would be doubly important for us not to lose these precious moments in fun and frolic. Imam expounds this scenario in this glorious Du’a: “ya rabbi innaka tad’uni fa uwali anka..” O Lord you give an invitation, but I turn down…
This initiative is made possible by the kind courtesy of Bande Khuda Sponsors, Dr Aggarwal Eye Hospital with Abu Baseer Eye Clinic, Meadows Academy, SD Dental Clinic & Ceramic Lab, SokoniAdvertiser and for the ISAALE THAWAAB of Marhum Bachoo Suleman

About the author

Mohamedarif is a marketing professional and educationalist with a penchant for writing as a hobby since childhood. As he experimented writing about sporting events at first and then current affairs, he quickly developed a skill for observation of his environment and began to write on reform topics, especially in connection with the community. To further feed his pursuit of writing, he founded several newsletters and bulletins at his school and at the Husayni Madrasah in the 1980's, all the time learning from others already in the field not just about writing, but also about pre-press and production processes. He was also the editor-in-chief of the Knowledge Magazine in 1995–1996. A decade later, importing a flurry of ideas into his new home, Nairobi, he first founded a two page community newspaper then became a regular writer of the Friday Faculty before establishing the Community on Friday, a fully fledged Madrasah magazine in 1996. And while his writing at the community continued, he simultaneously started writing for a business weekly, pairing in with his newfound role as a marketing professional. During his time in Nairobi, he wrote several speeches for sitting chairmen and presidents while also giving some himself, developing his concurrent role as a public speaker and trainer.

With changing times and a decrease in advertising sponsorship, as well as a fall in overall readership, Mohamedarif transformed this publication into an electronic blog. Thus was born the Community on Friday in its present format.

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