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The Holy month of Ramadan came like seasonal rain and passed by. This rain did not water the plants and crops -it showered upon the hearts of believers. It is sad, but true, that the hearts of the majority of Muslims are stricken with spiritual drought and spiritual decadence. It is a drought caused by excessive indulgence in un-Islamic activities, immoral behaviour, unjust actions, unfair dealings etc. Drought caused by lack of rain destroys crops -drought caused by lack of piety, lack of fear of Allah and lack of Allah consciousness destroys the SPIRITUALITY of the heart.

Ramadan’s spiritual rains brought to life the Masaajid and other prayer places. Ramadan had fanned the dying spark of charity. Ramadan had awakened the dying spirit of tolerance, patience and sympathy for the less fortunate.

Now that Ramadan has passed the big question is what to do? Did we go through all the spiritual exercises in Ramadan in order that we may have the freedom to indulge, on Eid day, in all types of immoral, shameless and indecent amusement? Did we restrain ourselves from halaal food, drinks and other pleasures from dawn to sunset throughout Ramadan, so that we may return with renewed vigour to gambling, drinking, adultery and fornication? Will the spirit of tolerance, mercy, patience, charity and sympathy be still evident or will these noble qualities be shelved until the dawn of the next Ramadan?

Will the Masajids which were filled on most nights in Ramadan remain the same or will they become empty wondering where the faithful have gone? Our lifetsyles after Ramadan will show whether we used the month to bring about a total reformation within ourselves or are we going to waste the valuable opportunity?

The National and international position of the Muslim communities leaves much to be desired. Muslims are lamenting the loss of lives, destruction of property, oppression, tyranny, injustice and a host of other problems all over the world. They are wondering why the promised help of Allah to the believers is nowhere in sight. Just one glance into the lifestyles of the overwhelming majority of the Muslims is sufficient to answer the question. Millions of Muslims do not have much to their credit besides Muslim names.

Allah’s help comes with action and Islamic qualities -not with names or faces – Arabs or non-Arabs, African or European, Chinese or Indians. On the other hand every group, organization, society or individual who talks Islam, seems to have got its own brand of Islam. The Islamic teachings which were left behind for us, crystal clear and pristine pure, have become so adulterated with foreign customs, alien practices and un-Islamic ideologies, that a new Muslim has to make an effort to search for the Quran and Sunnah brand of Islam or remain confused and ignorant.

May Allah Ta’ala give us the guidance to resolve that we shall make the Quran and Sunnah our guiding lights and practise Islam as much as possible. If the non-Muslim inhabitants of our country see Islam in the lives of Muslims, they will not require much persuasion to accept our beautiful deen.

Avoiding the Ash Cloud of Sins
Extracted From One Of Hazrat Maulana’s Last Informal Programmes

One young friend of mine, who is a pilot, recently flew to Australia. Due to the ash clouds, they were told they would not be able to take off. They were thus delayed a few days.

When he returned, I asked him : “There was still a lot of ash …What did you’ll do?”

He said : “They gave us a flight path whereby we could bypass the ash clouds. We took this route and we avoided the ash.”

I then asked him : “Did you take any lesson from that?”

He, in turn, asked : “What lesson?”

I explained :“The lesson is this : When there was a lot of ash, then there was danger that the ash cloud would damage the engine of the Boeing you were flying. Your life was in danger and the lives of all the passengers were in danger. If you were caught in such an ash-cloud, you could have gone and the passengers could have gone. …So they gave you a ’round about’ route, to avoid the ash clouds and reach your destination.

The lesson we take is that when there is temptation to sin, or some fitnah approaching, we must avoid it. We must take a ’round about’ route. If that plane crashed, the lives would have gone. However, here, if there is a crash – i.e. the person falls into sin – the spiritual life – Imaan – can go.

…Some of those crashes take the person’s Imaan away. Some pretty face takes away the Imaan of a person, or some other temptation or invitation to Haraam leads to a spiritual crash. The environment of drugs, pornography, fornication and adultery, gambling, music, etc. are like those ash-clouds.

The Muslim avoids all areas of sins – whether the cinemas, clubs, theatres or other venues of vice. To whatever extent he can avoid, he avoids. He takes a ’round about’ route so that he can reach his destination safely. And the destination of a Muslim is Jannat.

If there is a group of young girls dressed indecently and the gaze falls on them accidentally, then try and avoid an encounter with them. Don’t even look again. Think that the ash clouds are approaching. …If the person cannot lower his gaze and quickly walk pass, then he must move in another direction. Cross the street. Go over to the other side. Take another route lest he gets caught in the ash cloud of fitnah and loses his Imaan and Aakhirah.”

I told this pilot friend : “When you are flying the plane, then you avoid the ash clouds. Avoid those clouds of fitnah as well. …On the plane itself, there will be encounters with the air-hostesses and female passengers. At that time, guard the gaze. You must be an example. You must show to others that I am a Muslim. …That you don’t behave like the other pilots behave.”

And the same applies to all of us. We too face different ‘ash-clouds’ of fitnah – whether on the plane or train, whether at work or in the bazaars and market places, whether at school or college. How do we respond ? Do we adopt Taqwa? Do we fear Allah Ta’ala? Do we take the opportunity to prove our sincere and deep love for Allah Ta’ala? Do we subscribe to “Fafirroo Ilallaah’ – i.e. we flee to Allah Ta’ala? Or do we recklessly ‘fly’ into the ash clouds of sins, unconcerned that we may be meeting our spiritual death?

There is no doubt that the environment around us is hazardous, dangerous and high-risk for our Imaan. Despite the scenario, a Muslim must be courageous. We do have the courage. We need to only make use of that courage.

Steer the heart and body away from those ash-clouds of fitnah if we want to reach the Hereafter safely, if we want to enter Jannat without delay; and above this, if we want to earn the Pleasure of Allah Ta’ala.

How do we build up this spiritual strength, whereby we avoid sins like how the pilot avoids the ash clouds, or like how we would avoid the plague… ?

We work on developing the quality of Ihsaan.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) explained the quality of Ihsaan as: “That You Worship Allah As If You Are Seeing Him, And If You Cannot See Him, Then He Sees You (Anyway).”

The understanding and knowledge has to be deeply impressed in the heart and mind : “Wherever I am, my Allah is watching.”

My Shaykh, Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (Daamat Barakaatuhum) says in poetry :“If you hide and commit sins,Someone is watching from above (Allah Ta’ala)…”

A Muslim works towards developing the sifat (attribute) of Ihsaan in all aspects of his life. It is not confined to the different forms of Ibaadah (worship), like Salaah, Fasting, etc.; rather it is a reality which should be found across the spectrum of our lives.

Unfortunately, this quality of Ihsaan – this Conscious Awareness of Allah Ta’ala – is something which is lacking in our lives. As such, we very quickly and easily lose sight of Deen and Shariah, we lose sight of that khauf and khashiyat of Allah Ta’ala, or muhabbat and love of Allah Ta’ala.

The moment we are occupied in the mundane activities of life, we incline towards negligence. We forget Allah Ta’ala is watching. And this ‘ghaflat’ (negligence) is the stepping stone to spoiling the harmony of life. This ‘ghaflat’ is the HEN which lays the eggs of sins.

However, if this attribute is cultivated and nurtured in all aspects of life. …”That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and if you cannot see Him, then He sees you (anyway).” …then this is opening the doors of success in both worlds.

The person who has developed within himself the beautiful state of “ihsaan” will lead a very balanced life. …

Temptations will come his way, but he will not fall for those temptations. The quality of Ihsaan does not mean that Shaytaan will then leave him (or her) alone. Shaytaan will work harder and will continue to tempt. However, due to this Muslim’s conscious awareness of Allah Ta’ala, he will not fall for the temptations. He will resist them. And in this manner, he will also secure the noor of Taqwa. In this way, he becomes the friend of Allah Ta’ala.

“…VERILY NONE ARE THE AULIYA (FRIENDS OF ALLAH) EXCEPT THOSE WHO REFRAIN FROM HIS DISOBEDIENCE…”[SURAH AL-ANFAL 8 : 34]

That Conscious Awareness of Allah Ta’ala makes us apply brakes and resist the temptation to sin. If we are faced with temptation, we will move away. Wherever we feel we will be tempted, then we will keep far from such areas. If an invitation to sin is extended to us, we will refuse and reject it.

By Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (rahmatullah alayh)
Source – Jamiat.org| Muslim Village

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One Tuesday, a couple of weeks ago, I was so busy at work: finishing off documents, printing, copying, filing, racing against the clock to get as much work done in the minutes and hours I had. Only on my way home, as the sun went down and the sky darkened, did I realize that I hadn’t eaten all day. Not since the morning at least, which was around the time of fajr salah. But I wasn’t fasting. Yet, the pangs and pricks of hunger hadn’t come to say hello.
Not so the day before, however. No, no. The day before, I was cold (it’s winter in South Africa), I was hungry, I was sleepy and I was fasting. I watched the clock and wondered how many minutes and hours still remained before the sounds of maghrib athan would touch my ears.

What was the difference between these two days, you may ask?

The answer is: my goal.

On the first day, I had deadlines to meet, I had work to complete. I had a goal. It was do or die (professionally speaking). And I didn’t want to die. I really did not want to die.

On the day I was fasting, though, I had only one goal: food, in my tummy, making me feel all warm and whole and happy again.

But Ramadan is here and we’re fasting every day now. But the looming question is: What is our goal?

Are we hungrily and anxiously watching the clock every hour? Are we fasting just to tick off from the calendar another day? Are we reciting juz’ upon juz’ simply to satisfy a sense of obligation that we have to complete the recitation of the Qur’an by the end of these 30 days? Are we standing for taraweeh just to please the community or our families?

As Ramadan after Ramadan has come and passed, we might find that our iman-o-metre has been at different levels at different times. Perhaps, by now, our acts of ‘ibadah have simply become rituals or customs we’ve come to identify Ramadan with. This is a dangerous and slippery slope because it then means that little, if any, thought goes into our movements. Going through our day at the office with an empty stomach will be just that – going through our day at the office with an empty stomach. We forget to remember Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) with every stab of hunger we feel.

We forget that: “…fasting is prescribed (for us) so that we may gain taqwa.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 183].

Instead, with every stab of hunger, we groan inwardly and console our empty bellies with thoughts of all the treats we will have for iftar. Hence, our fasting is useless.

It is also interesting to note here that taqwa in the ayat about fasting can be translated as ‘God-consciousness’. Hmm… interesting. So Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) has mandated fasting so that we may be more conscious of Him, yet all I could do a couple of days ago was be conscious of the clock.

As we perform taraweeh mindlessly, standing in qiyam while the words of Qur’an that we don’t understand wash over us, yet not touching us at all, moving from qiyam to ruku’ to sajdah to jalsah to sajdah to qiyam to ruku’… we will have performed a lovely, rejuvenating exercise routine, granted that we remembered to tighten our core muscles. But what have we gained spiritually? Even intellectually, if we don’t bother to understand the words on the pages of the mushaf (printed copy of the Qur’an) that wait for us, year after year?

This Ramadan, let us focus on the goal. Let us become absorbed by the task of working for Allah’s subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) pleasure that we no longer watch the clock and wonder when it will be time for that samosa to touch our lips. Rather, let us feel our hunger consciously; consciously aware of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), aware of each word we say, of each thought that crosses our mind, or enters our heart. Let us rather scramble to meet as many deadlines for our akhirah in the little time we have in each day of this month.

To help us towards a more conscious Ramadan, In sha Allah, here are a few tips to consider:

Focus your mind. Just focus. Bring yourself to the present moment and truly experience it all. When you wake up for suhoor, don’t do it heavily, dragging your weight about while groggily shoving food down to sustain you for the day. Instead, do it with purpose. Plan to wake up simply because it is a sunnah of our Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), and because you know there are blessings in it, as he ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) has told us this: “Take suhoor as there is a blessing in it.” [Al-Bukhari]

Be strict about your bedtime in the evening. Set a bedtime alarm for yourself to remind yourself to go to sleep early so that you wake up rested and refreshed, ready for all the rewards you’ll be collecting throughout the next day, in sha Allah, starting with suhoor. And remember, your sleep is an ‘ibadah too.

Be mindful of your actions and words throughout the day. Remind yourself constantly that you are fasting – do not let it be something that is done just ‘by the way’. Remember that our fasting is more than just staying away from food and drink, as the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) has said that:“Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of (i.e. will not accept) his leaving his food and drink.” [Al-Bukhari]

Whenever you feel the urge to give in to your baser self and lose focus of the purpose of your fasting, use verbal reinforcement to remind yourself and others that you are fasting from vain speech and actions, as the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) suggests:“If one of you is abused by an ignorant person while fasting, then let him say: ‘Indeed I am fasting.’” [Tirmidhi]

This is as much a reminder to yourself as it is to others. Often we need to verbally – sometimes loudly – remind ourselves of our objectives. Giving yourself a positive talk to force your mind back on track may seem crazy to some, but it’s such a regular part of my day that I begin to feel lonely if I don’t do it.

Also remember the invaluable advice of our Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) for when we are upset:“If one of you is angry when he is standing, let him sit down so that the anger will leave him. Otherwise let him lie down.” [Abu Dawud]

We can also apply this same rule whenever we feel tempted to do anything we shouldn’t do while fasting, or if we just want to stay away from time-wasters (TV, social media, gadgets, etc.) and bad habits. Distracting ourselves from a bad habit or bad mood, changing our position, or moving to a different room to remove ourselves from the environment are handy tips for helping our productivity during this month and keeping us focused.

Learn the words. When you stand for your fardh salaah, it has little impact when you don’t know what you’re actually saying. Imagine having a full-on conversation with someone in Russian (assuming Russian isn’t one of the languages you speak, otherwise just pick another one), except that you’re only able to have this conversation because you’ve memorized it, line by line, yet you know nothing of what you’re saying. The conversation is meaningless. This is the state of our salaah if we don’t know the meanings of what we’re reciting.

Start small. Study the meanings of the various phrases said in salah as you transition from one position to another; study the meaning of Al-Fatiha if you don’t know it already. And when you know it, feel every verse. We are having a conversation with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) right then, during that recitation. And Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) responds. Imagine that. Imagine it!

As for taraweeh, it’s not likely that one is able to learn the meaning of the words to all the chapters before the month is through. Instead, find out from your masjid how many parts of the Qur’an they will be reciting each night, then prepare these ahead of time by reading up on their translations and perhaps contextual information as well. That way, when you’re standing in salah, with the best intentions to be conscious, your mind won’t wander to what you’ve just had for supper – or what you hadn’t managed to scoff down before ‘Isha salah and can’t wait to get home to devour. You’ll be standing in salah, consciously listening to the imam’s recitation, pondering the meanings of the verses, the context in which it was revealed – imagining the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) receiving them.

Talk to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). More than anything else, Ramadan should be about building our relationship with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). And it only makes sense that part of the reason we feel disconnected and unconscious in our worship is because we don’t know who we’re worshiping, or who we’re talking to. So take time this month to sit, just you and Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), and have a very real conversation with Him. In your language, your words. Tell Him everything! Or talk to Him throughout the day, while you’re driving, busy at work, getting dressed.

And remember that Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) says He is to us as we think of Him [Al-Bukhari]. If you make Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) your best friend and confidant, your prayer will begin to feel personal, it will be like returning to your place of comfort every time you raise your hands and say “Allahu Akbar”.

Also, Allah has 99 names! Though a lot of the time, we only call on Him by one. And even if we know some of the others, perhaps we don’t know what they mean and thus don’t know when best to use them. Can we truly know Allah if we don’t know His names, don’t know His attributes?

If we want Allah’s subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) Mercy to be on us, we should call on Him by His name Ar-Rahman, the Most Merciful. If we want His pardon of our past sins, we use His name Al-Afuw’, the One who Pardons. By doing this, we remind ourselves over and over of who Allah is. We begin to form a relationship with Him that takes us beyond the fact that He is our Creator; He subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) is so much more than that.

You will stumble. You might fall. But the absolute most important thing is that you never stop trying, you never stop reaching. If you slip up one day and feel like your fast has been empty, void of all consciousness of what you were doing and why, don’t use that as the go-ahead for the rest of your month to follow in that way. Use it as a turning point and a reminder of what you should be working for.

Feed yourself inspiration and motivation by reading Ramadan articles and informative Islamic literature.

Talk to yourself. Tell yourself that you will not give up; tell yourself that this year, your Ramadan will be meaningful, this year you’ll get it right, with the help of Al-Waliy (the Friend, the Helper). Faith in yourself is vital to your success in anything – and your success in Ramadan is no exception to that. Even when you have a lousy fasting day where you feel out of touch, or you’ve spoken badly about someone even though you knew you shouldn’t have – don’t let the lingering negativity of Shaytaan tell you that you can’t do it, that you’re not worthy, that you’re not good enough. Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) does not expect you to be perfect; He only expects you to keep showing up, no matter how many times you fall.

Do only as much as you can handle. Don’t become overzealous, planning to do everything that gets reward during this month. Hours of lengthy Qur’an recitation cease to be meaningful when you’re reciting just to get through them but your heart is not connected. Rather take a break; do something else that will make you feel connected to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) and that you can do with purpose.
Know yourself. Know what your daily routine is like with work, family, and other commitments; and know what you can eliminate from your day to make more room for the kinds of things that will better connect you with Allah. Setting realistic goals for yourself according to your specific circumstances and abilities will help you to remain focused and conscious of what you’re doing.

Have a checklist of your realistic goals set for each day and for the month, and keep track of your progress as you move along. But remember not to track your progress by comparing it to your friend’s. You’re in two very different places.

Remember the reward. Our hunger means nothing when it is mindless and unconscious of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). To help keep us focused and to push on to do more when we feel like we cannot go a minute longer, we need to remind ourselves of our reward with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). Without that, everything is pointless and empty.

Think about your Jannah – what will it look like? Who do you want your neighbours to be? What kind of fruit will grow on your trees? Will you have a chocolate river or a jellytot house? Your Jannah can be anything you want it to be. If we design our Jannah in our minds, making it real, it becomes that much easier for us to work for it. Read about Jannah, what kinds of rewards Allah promises; try to picture it. Make your goal real.

Also be sure to find some quiet moments during your day to think on all the blessings you receive throughout the year, those we tend to take for granted. Allah blesses us here too. And, while you sit there in silent contemplation, and you suddenly hear the strange rumbling sounds coming from your tummy, remember those who don’t have what you’ll be having for supper this evening, those who woke for suhoor but had nothing to eat.

When you feel exhaustion and hunger overpowering you in your worship, remember these exhilarating ahadith about the incomparable rewards of fasting:

The Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “Indeed your Lord said: ‘Every good deed is rewarded with ten of the same up to seven hundred times over. Fasting is for Me, and I shall reward for it.’” [Tirmidhi]

“Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, he will be forgiven his previous sins.” [Nasa’i]

It is natural for us to adapt to certain situations. If you experience the extraordinary often enough and long enough, soon it stops being extraordinary. It’s just ordinary. And Ramadan is extraordinary. It is extraordinary because of all the extra opportunities for reward it offers us, all the extra points we get for things we (should) do all year round anyway, the extra closeness with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), the extraordinary gift of Qur’an. But after perhaps a dozen Ramadans, we’ve adapted. Yeah, yeah, the Qur’an was revealed – very spectacular. Yep, devils chained up, Jannah is open… Wonderful. The situation has normalized; it’s become ordinary.

But with these pointers, with our focus and our consciousness, we will once again realize the enormity of this very day. Of each day within this month, in sha Allah.

We will realize that there is absolutely nothing ordinary about our relationship with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) and the fact that he has chosen each of us – yes, you – to experience another Ramadan. And we owe it to ourselves to experience it consciously, purposefully, because the love Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) has for us is extraordinary.

Source – productive Muslim

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Rasulullāh (sall’Allāhu alayhi wasallam) said: “Hayā is a branch of Imān.”

Hayā (modesty/meekness/shyness) is an integral attribute of Imān. The healthier the Imān, the greater will be the quality of Hayā in the Mu’min. While the attribute of Hayā is common to both Muslim males and females – or should be common – it is most profound in Muslim women of Taqwā.

The quality of meekness is such a lofty virtue of the Muslim woman that Allāh Ta’ala highlights it in the Qur’ān.

Describing the noble and beautiful demeanor of the daughter of Nabi Shuayb (‘alayhis Salām), the Qur’ān Majeed states: “Then one of the two (daughters of Nabi Shuayb) came to him (Nabi Musa) walking bashfully. She said: “Verily, my father calls you…….” (Surah: Al-Qasas, āyat 25)

Nabi Shuayb (‘alayhis Salām) who had no son sent one of his daughters to call Nabi Musa (‘alayhis Salām) who at the time was a wayfarer without home. She came walking very bashfully, and with lowered head from a respectable distance, delivered her father’s message. Hadhrat Musa (‘alayhis Salām), whose Hayā was profound, requested her to walk behind him at a distance. He told her to take a few pebbles. When he had to turn to the right on the way to the home of Nabi Shuayb (‘alayhis Salām) of which he was unaware, she was to throw a pebble towards the right, and the same if he had to turn left from the pathway. His Hayā and Purdāh dictated that she should not direct him with her voice. This was the lofty degree of Hayā and Hijāb.

Thus, the Qur’ān Majeed makes special mention of the daughter’s Hayā, describing her walk with the term isthyā’ which means ‘bashfully’. She was an embodiment of pure bashfulness and modesty.

Once Rasulullāh (sall’Allāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) asked Hadhrat ‘Ali (radhiyAllāhu ‘anhu): “What is best for a woman?” Hadhrat ‘Ali (radhiyAllāhu ‘anhu) was unable to answer. He said that he would ask his wife, Hadhrat Fatimāh (radhiyAllāhu ‘anha). He went home and when he questioned Hadhrat Fatimāh (radhiyAllāhu ‘anha), she responded: “The best for a woman is that no man should see her, and she should see no man.” When Hadhrat ‘Ali (radhiyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported this wonderful response to Rasulullāh (sall’Allāhu ‘alayhi wasallam), his (our Nabi’s) Mubārak face became radiant with pleasure and he delightfully exclaimed: “Fatimāh is a part of me.”

The Hayā of Hadhrat Fatimāh (radhiyAllāhu ‘anha) was so lofty and so wonderful and so profound that her last wish and wasiyyat(bequest) became the Sunnāh for all Muslim women until the Day of Qiyāmah. She instructed that on her death, despite the female’s body being draped with six shrouds, a purdāh (barrier) be put up over her body to ensure that no male even accidentally casts a gaze on her wrapped up body. Furthermore, she instructed that she be buried in the darkness of the night. This was an added measure of purdāhdictated by her Hayā.

Six shrouds covering the dead body, but still she ordered the erection of a barrier to conceal even her dead, covered body. This Sunnāhremains to this day when females are buried and will remain until the Day of Qiyāma, inshaAllāh.

While this practice prevails today at the time of the death of a Muslim woman, the story is totally different when she is alive. Today’s ‘Muslim’ women who have been educated in western educational institutions, having jettisoned almost every vestige of their Imāni Hayā, surpass even non-Muslim women in the display of audacity and immodesty. The reason for their vile state of meeknesslessness from the Islamic perspective is that all moral attributes have opposites. When one is displaced, there is never a vacuum. The opposite sets in. When Hayā is eliminated, then immodesty and immorality overwhelm the one who at one stage was a repository of meekness and modesty.

Today a Muslim woman’s hijāb and niqāb are being reduced to shreds, thanks to the WhatsApp, Facebook and other social networks. Daughters, sisters, wives and even mothers of some of us have started uninhibitedly interacting and chatting with ghair-mahrams, are freely watching their (ghair-mahrams’) pictures and posting their own so that the ghair-mahrams of the world can feast upon them. To look at a woman with lust constitutes the zinnāh of the eyes.

What about the Muslim women who candidly post their pictures (and those of their kin and friends) in the social networks? Don’t they become accomplices in the sin committed by those watching these pictures?

Islam has made hijāb a symbol of honour and dignity for women. Hijāb has been ordained by Allāh, and not by some individuals, as a number of Muslims with warped viewpoints about Islam would have us believe. One such Muslim writer has this to say in an article about hijāb:
“To wear the hijāb is certainly NOT an Islamic obligatory on women. It is an innovation (Bid’ah) of men suffering from a piety complex who are so weak spiritually that they just cannot trust themselves!”

This statement clearly points to one undeniable fact: the writer’s ignorance about what Allāh demands from the believing women as far as her Hayā is concerned.

Such writers have views similar to those of their none-Muslim counterparts from the West who say hijāb subjugates and oppresses women. However, what they say is in stark contrast to the reality. A hijāb/niqāb/chādar accords our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives the respect and the dignity they deserve. What respect, dignity, and human right does the west offer women by allowing them to be openly flaunted in front of any stranger? Islam protects them from evil eyes and designs of men with sinister motives and grants them an elevated rank, dignity and such honour that no one has ever granted them in the entire human history.

Allāh Ta’ala states in the Qur’ān: “…And the women should not strike their feet (I.e. walk in such a way) so that attention is drawn to their hidden beauty…” (Surah an-Nur Ayat 31).
I.e. they should not strike their feet in such a way that their anklets and other ornaments of beauty become manifest before men. Hence when a woman has been prevented from striking her feet (walking in such a way which would attract the attention of the ghair-mahrammen towards her hidden beauty), then what can be said about their moving around in the streets, in the market places and the social halls with their faces uncovered or without a hijab? This clearly indicates that Allah desires women to be in hijāb/niqāb/chādar to avoid the lustful gazes of ghair-mahram men.

Allāh Ta’ala has created woman for the home role, not for the public stage. She moves in conflict and unnaturally when she takes to the public stage and the streets to rub shoulders with men and to compete with them in worldly and secular matters.

Hayā is of primary importance in preserving the moral fibre of any society. That is why Hayā has been called the fortification of a woman. It protects her from many sins and prevents ill-intentioned men from daring to have evil thoughts about her.

May Allāh guide our sisters to emulate the pristine qualities of our Sahābiyat, Āmeen

By Haqqseeker
Source – Muslim Village

Pic Credit – Internet

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