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This content has been automatically translated. View original in Arabic
Question: What is the value of religion to you?
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Account on Twitter @Dr_EyadQun
Peace be upon you, dear beloved ones. Not long ago, I went to a tailor. This tailor had pictures on the front of his shop that were not befitting for a Muslim at all; pictures that arouse the emotions of the youth inappropriately. I entered, and there was the man - Abu Muhammad - performing ablution for the afternoon prayer. He had hung up posters with phrases like, "We are all your ransom, O Messenger of Allah," "My beloved, O Messenger of Allah."
I said to him, "Abu Muhammad, you are a respected and virtuous man, and you love the Messenger of Allah. By Allah, it is not befitting for you to hang such pictures." Do you know what his response was? He said, "By Allah, I do not intend anything by hanging them, but to protect the shop from the sun's rays!"
The question that came to my mind at that moment: What is the value of religion to Abu Muhammad? And the first and most important question: What is the value of religion to you, my Muslim brother and sister?
We give you quick examples to see how much value people place on religion:
The man who goes out to work and goes to his shop to sell cigarettes. If you tell him, "Brother, do not sell cigarettes. These are foreign companies that use the money to wage war against Muslims, and this smoke destroys the health of Muslim youth. We want strong youth, O Lord of the Worlds," he responds with the perfect, ready-made answer, three words they respond with to every question: "What do you want me to do?"
This answer angers me, by Allah, it "splits me" in a way! The person is sitting among sins, watching obscene movies and holding a cigarette. You tell him, "Brother, this is not allowed," he says, "What do you want me to do?" As if someone is holding a gun to his head and forcing him to do what he does. So, what is the value of religion to this person if he prefers a few dirhams from "packets" of cigarettes over the pleasure of Allah?
The head of the department, the shop owner, the school teacher, the university doctor, the head of the department, or the company director who sees the evil in his company and remains silent. The most he can do is say, "There is no power nor strength except with Allah." He sees Allah's sanctities being violated, His boundaries being transgressed, and His religion being abandoned, yet he is cold-hearted and silent.
But if you tell him, "We will give your colleagues 150 dinars this year, and you will be satisfied with 75 dinars," this poor, submissive person turns into a roaring lion. His cheeks puff up, his face turns red, his voice rises, and his muscles tense, and he denies with his hand, heart, and tongue until he gets his right! So, Allah's right is trivial to him, and his personal right is sacred. If he saw immodesty, mixing, and flirting between employees and female employees, he would not get angry. But when the matter came to his personal rights, he became a roaring lion.
One of the companions tells me: In his department in one of the famous companies, the manager issued a circular: "Those with beards should trim and shorten their beards," while the female employees wear dresses down to their knees! This respected manager prays, but despite that, he allows evil in his company.
The father who neglects the upbringing of his children, and the mother who neglects the upbringing of her daughter; the mother is very keen to take her daughter to all the "vaccinations" on time, not missing a single day, and she takes care of her not only from human diseases but also from animal diseases. She vaccinates her against whooping cough and rabies, and she fears for her from bird flu, swine flu, and mad cow disease. But she does not fear for her from the blazing fire that neglects her daughter's duty of wearing the hijab!
And she hears the saying of Allah: {O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe, who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and do what they are commanded.} What is the value of religion to this mother if she fears for her daughter from polio, measles, and smallpox more than she fears the fire of Hell?
The young man who you tell him, "Brother, why do you not pray?" He says to you, "By Allah, honestly, the smell of the university bathrooms is not suitable, so I delay the prayer and pray them all, praise be to Allah, once in the evening!" But if he wanted to put on a more attractive "perfume," he would enter these bathrooms whose smell is not good.
And the girl, on the other hand, you tell her, "Why do you not pray?" She says to you, "By Allah, honestly, I put on (nail polish), and I heard that nail polish blocks the water of ablution and therefore the prayer is not valid, so I am not able to pray because of the nail polish!" I do not assume examples from myself; these are real, true examples we hear; meaning, she has "nail polish" more important than prayer, so what is the value of religion to her?
The girl who reads in the book of Allah: {And do not display yourselves...}, and Allah counts the types of men it is permissible for a woman to show her adornment to, but despite that, her inner self says, "No, my Lord, I want to show my adornment." Bring her three verses, four hadiths, five sayings from the sayings of the companions, and six poetic verses, and her depths will not be shaken!
We used to hear in the past that if a verse was recited to one of the righteous predecessors, he would tremble, and the lesson would flow from his eyes, and he would die with a good repentance. These days, the evidence is presented to the listener, and he shakes his head and smiles a yellow smile as if he is saying to you, "I know, I know," and does not change his condition at all! So, what is the value of the evidence and what is the value of Allah's religion to him?
The newlyweds who, on the night of the wedding - which is at the peak of Allah's blessing upon them - strive to excel in disobeying Allah. The Lord blesses this man with a wife and this woman with a husband, and at the peak of blessing, the "lady" misses the afternoon and evening prayers so that the "makeup" does not go with the ablution!
And the man holds a mixed wedding or brings his cousins to her so that they can "sprinkle" her while she is in full adornment, and they play disrespectful songs. If you advise them about that, they say to you, "Brother, this is the night of life, I want to be happy!" So, their happiness is only if they anger Allah, He who blesses them at this moment! What is the value of Allah's religion to them?
Couples, after marriage, when it comes time for divorce; by Allah, brothers, when I see how people innovate in disobeying Allah during divorce, it's a fact that you rarely see a husband and wife adhering to Allah's rulings during divorce, even though there is a high density of Quranic verses related to divorce.
My Lord, the Most High, said: {And do not expel them from their [husband's] houses} (65:1). When a man divorces his wife, she remains committed in her home, observing the waiting period. But does she adhere to this? No, she leaves, and her brother comes to take her out, and her father and mother take her out.
Who adheres to His saying, the Most High: {And do not prevent them from remarrying their [former] husbands} (2:232)? Do not be harsh to them so that you may take part of the dowry and the gold. Who adheres to His saying, the Most High: {And when you divorce women, and they have reached their appointed terms, either take them back honorably or part with them honorably} (2:228)? Either retain them with kindness or release them with kindness. {And do not take them back to harm them and oppress; and whoever does that has certainly wronged himself. And do not take the verses of Allah in mockery} (2:231).
Do you know what {And do not take the verses of Allah in mockery} (2:231) means? Some people use divorce to harm the wife; he says to her, "I have divorced you," and before the waiting period ends by a day, he says to her, "I have taken you back," and after two days, he says, "I have divorced you," to be harsh on her, using Allah's rulings! So, Allah considers this mockery of His verses.
How does one who reads these verses and excels in the rulings of Tajweed, who is keen to prolong {And do not take} (2:231) with four movements, and is keen on the damma in the letter za from the word {mockery} (2:231), then make light of Allah's right?
I sometimes wonder: Is this religion, which is light upon people today, cheap in their hearts, the same religion for which Khabaab bin al-Aratt was dragged into the fire in the desert of Makkah? Is it the same religion for which Sumayyah, may Allah be pleased with her, the mother of Ammar bin Yasir, and Yasir, the father of Ammar, were killed under torture on the sands of Makkah for this religion?
Ibn Abd al-Barr narrated in his book "Al-Istiyab fi Ma'rifat al-Sahabah" that Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, asked Khabaab, "What has reached you of the torture of the Quraysh against you?" (meaning, what is the worst thing they did to you?). He said, "O Commander of the Faithful, look at my back." He uncovered his back, and Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, despite his strong heart, was terrified! He said, "I have never seen anything like this before!" He saw a mass of disfigured flesh on skin over bone. Khabaab said, "O Commander of the Faithful, they would light a fire and drag me over it, and nothing would extinguish it except the fat of my back" (meaning, the fat of his back from the severity of the torture).
Is this religion, which is light upon people today, the same religion for which Khabaab was tortured in this manner? And Khabaab, may Allah be pleased with him, is the same one who, in a sound hadith, came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was at the Ka'bah and said, "O Messenger of Allah, will you not seek help for us? Will you not supplicate for us?" The face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned red, and he was leaning back, so he sat up and said, "Verily, a man from those before you would be brought and a pit would be dug for him, and he would be placed in it. Then, a saw would be brought and placed on his head, and he would be split into two, and that would not deter him from his religion! And iron combs would be brought and his flesh and nerves would be combed, and that would not deter him from his religion! By Allah, Allah will surely perfect this matter until the traveler from Sana'a to Hadramaut will fear none but Allah and the wolf over his sheep, but you are hastening."
Is it reasonable, people, that this religion, which many people make light of, is the same religion for which the Companions made sacrifices?
I want to conclude with a phrase; remember it and make it a ring in your ear: If you want to know your value to Allah the Most High, look at the value of Allah's religion to you. If Allah's religion is light to you, as in the examples we have mentioned, then you are light to Allah. And if Allah's religion is precious, honorable, and noble to you, then you are honorable to Allah.
And Allah, the Most High, is the One who says: {O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. Those are the defiantly disobedient. Not equal are the companions of the Fire and the companions of Paradise; the companions of Paradise - it is they who are the successful. If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and torn asunder from fear of Allah. And We present these examples to the people that perhaps they will give thought.} (57:1-3)
O Allah, make us among those who honor Your religion, and Allah knows best. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad and his Companions.