by Mohamedarif Suleman (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
A
s we emerge from the nights of Qadr two of which had shared significance owing to the death of Imam ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (AS), it does seem to be ineluctable that we do not ponder about what we have been reciting, or at worst chanting.
The prayers we invoked, the things we wished for, and the pledges we made, have at some point got to be aggregated in our actions. Of course, there are numerous things we wished for but one of the most striking prayers we made (hopefully not unknowingly), was when we recited Ziyaarat Ameenullah, in which the 4th Holy Imam (AS) teaches us to seek something that is so relevant in this day and age – an age of chaos, disruptions (not symbolic of the fondness attached to this word in innovation) and anarchy. A time when the lines between truth and falsehood are so blurred that it sometimes feels innocuous of how we behave in front of others whereas in reality we are trespassing, hurting others or even subjugating them.
??????????? ????????? ??????? ????????????? ?????????? – O Allah, (please do) cause my soul to be fully tranquil with Your decrees,
????????? ??????????? – satisfied with Your acts,
????????? ?????????? ??????????? – fond of mentioning and praying to You
Upon careful examination, what we are asking really is for peace and tranquility in the face of pressures and demands for consumption and at times social compliance to practices that are damaging. Perhaps the most devastating impact of an overpopulated landmass, is that we all have to start accepting a lot of things around us, in fact ignoring them for purposes of self-survival. I remember running a post by a contributor giving an Islamic viewpoint on the whole saga of same-sex marriages a few years ago on this forum. An angry Khoja brother wrote anonymously (although the IP gave away his/her location), from a reputable Jamaat to the moderator. He was enraged that we could be using Islam to condemn homosexuality when the Lord, the Creator even made some animals who practiced the act and so it was in fact quite a natural practice. And it is not my intention to debate or conjecture, however, I was bemused to see how free speech only works one way and how the whole thing about democracies is an illusion. After all, why would one side not be allowed to state its opinions, and whatever happened to healthy debates?
This is just one example of the anarchy we are facing, and in the inevitable arrival of a future filled with dystopia, it is of little doubt now that most people, righteous in their own way, will be staying mum for fear of reprisals.
So we ask the Almighty to grant us that inner peace, be devoid of an embattled mind and remove the rage from our hearts in an ominous world full of reprisals for those who reject popular culture. Like Christianity, Islam has already arrived at a juncture where so many different versions of the faith, as well as the sect, are now available. Al you have to do is search online.
What is conceivable now is to arm ourselves with the understanding, the conviction, and the faith in what we are reciting. That is the only way that du’as can ever be ‘the weapon of a mu’min’. And the zikr of Allah (SWT) can waddle us out of the most pervasive of turbulences, and this will be achieved by the clarity and comprehension of our recitation of Du’a Jaushan a Kabeer, insha-Allah
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