Living for Allah, Dying for Allah

Bismillahr-Rahmaanir-Raheem

Living for Allah, Dying for Allah

Allah Ta’ala instructed Nabi Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam: “Say: Verily my Salaah, my sacrifices, my living and my dying is for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.”

Nabi Salallahu alayhi Wasallam made Du’a: “O Allah, become mine and make me Yours.”

The above Ayah drips with information for the sincere seekers of Allah’s Friendship.

The First quality mentioned in the above Ayah is Salaah.

There are two, three and four Rak’aat Salaahs mandated by the Shariah. There are Salaahs to be performed at dawn and dusk. There are Salaahs to be performed at mid-day and in the dead of the night. There are Salaahs to be performed at times of joy, fear and storms.

Other than the five times daily Fardh Salaah, a Muslim has been given open access to Allah’s Court. He is free to directly engage with Allah. If he requires something he will perform Salaatul-Haajaat; if he is in need of advice, he will resort to Salaatul-Istikhaarah. If he has sinned, he will make Salaatut-Taubah and if he wishes to really have a good spiritual scrub, he will hasten to Salaatut-Tasbeeh. If he has an urge to fill his account with the Thawaab of a Haj and an Umrah, he will perform Ishraaq Salaah. To ward of sicknesses he will give Sadqah on behalf of every joint in his body by performing Chasht Salaah. To offset the disadvantage of the very, very limited span of this life, he will accumulate twenty years of Thawaab by performing Awwabeen Salaah. If he seeks to enter into Jannah without any reckoning then he will be punctual with his Tahajud Salaah. Sometimes, a Muslim is so flooded and overpowered with gratitude for his good fortune that he simply has to bow to His True Benefactor and what does he do besides  perform two  Rak’aats Salaatus-Shukr.

As a community we turn to Salaah-ul-Istisqa when we affected with is a severe drought. When we fear and observe Allah’s immense Power at the time of a solar or lunar eclipse then we are expected to perform Salaatul-Kusoof or Salaatul-Khusoof. When we celebrate Eid, then we perform Eid Salaah and when we are in the midst of a Jihaad then we perform Salaatul-Khuaf.   And then there is that last “Salaah”, after which there is no other “Salaah”. This is called “Salaatul-Janaazah”!

A Muslim goes for Me’raj on the “Buraaq” of his Musallah as often as he wants to. What a Ni’mat is Salaah not for a Muslim. What a gift is Salaah not from Allah, Most High.

The Second part of the Aayah refers to Sacrifices

A Muslim – a true Muslim is constantly sacrificing for the Pleasure of Allah. Sometimes he sacrifices his anger when unjustly provoked. Sometimes comfort is sacrificed in order to assist another human or a fellow Muslim. At other times a true Muslim sacrifices his innocence and takes the life of an animal. A true Muslim happily stays hungry and sacrifices his food by fasting. Upon hunger he dines. A true Muslim sacrifices his wealth by going for Hajj and bears the separation from his children with a bleeding heart. A true Muslim sacrifices his sleep: Does he not wake up for Sehri and does he not stand for Taraaweeh? Does he not toss and turn in bed with the restless anticipation of Fajr Salaah? Sacrificing for a true Muslim to please his Beloved brings him more joy than  cool water on a hot summer’s day. To a Muslim, castigation and criticism in the Path of Allah, Thikr for his soul. Taunts and mockery merely strengthen his Love for Allah. Sacrificing for his Allah is what gives a Muslim comfort.

The Third part of the Aayah makes mention of “Living”

Animals live, Non-Muslims live. Animals sleep and eat. Non-Muslims sleep and eat. A Muslim does all of this but he does it differently. His living is for Allah and Allah alone. In order to show him how to live, Allah Ta’ala sent Nabi Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam as an example. Did Allah not inform us: “Verily in the Messenger of Allah, there is an excellent example for those who  yearn for Allah and the Day of Qiyamah and who remembers Allah in abundance.”

From Nabi Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam he learns how to laugh and love, how to grieve and celebrate, how to give and take, how to be brave and how to be beautiful. He learns how to avoid pride and malice, how to detest jealousy and the World. From Nabi Salallahu alayhi Wasallam a Muslim learns on what to focus upon when living. For after the soul has been separated from the body, all that exists is a corpse and a memory.

People who don’t truly yearn for Allah or people who don’t truly look forward to Qiyamah do not find in Allah’s Messenger an example.  They unfortunately are not only careless as to how what they eat – they are careless of even how they eat.  They unfortunately are not only careless of what they wear and the colours they choose – they boast about their choices.  Sadly, they thus miss out on the pure joy and pleasure which runs in the veins of those who live for Allah.

The last part of the Ayah makes mention of “dying” for Allah. Who else is there worth dying for besides Allah? But we will only wish to die for Allah if we lived for Him. We will only wish to meet Allah if we strived to please Him. We will only embrace death if we embraced Allah’s teachings when we lived.

Story:

Hadhrat Moulana Maseehullah Rahmatullahi alayh narrated the following story:

A person set out on journey. Came the time for Asr Salaah, he found himself in want of water. He searched frantically around until he found a well. With a thumping heart, he lowered the bucket to draw water.  When he hauled up the bucket, he found it filled with silver coins.

“O Allah, I do not require silver. I require water for Wudhu. Please do not test me”, he said.

He emptied the bucket in the well and lowered it again. This time when he hauled it, it contained gold coins.

“O Allah. I do not require gold. O Allah please give me water. Salaah time will soon expire. Please, please give me water. Please do not trial me,” he cried.

So frantic was he, so desperate was he that he did not even think of keeping some of the gold coins for himself. He emptied the entire bucket into the well in panic.

When he hauled up the bucket the third time, he saw that it contained …water.

The man sank to his knees and sobbed:

“O Allah I thank you, I thank you.”

He performed his Wudhu and his Salaah.

Such love for Salaah! Such love for Allah. Silver mattered not; nor the glitter of gold. What mattered was his Allah’s Pleasure. This here is a treasure more precious than all the silver and gold of the World.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to truly turn unto Him.  May our Salaah and our sacrifices and our living be for Allah so that dying may also be for Him. (Ameen)