Inilah Umar. Khalifah agung

Cuaca di luar sangat panas terik. Ketika itu sahabat Nabi s.a.w., Saidina Uthman bin Affan r.a. sedang berehat di rumahnya. Dari jendela rumahnya dia dapat melihat seorang lelaki yang sudah berumur, berjalan terhoyong-hayang menutupi mukanya dari kepanasan dan debu yang berterbangan.

Saidina Uthman kehairanan. Siapakah lelaki yang sanggup berjalan di tengah panas itu sedangkan orang lain semuanya berteduh, di kala hari yang panas begitu terik sedemikian rupa. Pasti dia berada di dalam kesusahan. Lantas dia membuat andaian sendiri.

Kemudian, lelaki itu kelihatan memegang seekor lembu pada tali kekangnya. Saidina Uthman memanggil lelaki yang tidak dikenali dari jauh itu, supaya berteduh di rumahnya dari panas terik, selain ingin mengetahui siapakah gerangan lelaki tersebut.

Setelah lelaki itu tiba di halaman rumahnya, Saidina Uthman terperanjat kerana ternyata rupa-rupanya dia ialah Amirul Mukminin Khalifah Umar Al-Khattab. Saidina Uthman segera keluar dari rumahnya dan bertanya, “Engkau dari mana wahai Amirul Mukminin?”

Saidina Umar menjawab, “Sebagaimana yang engkau melihat, aku sedang mengheret lembu ini.”

“Siapakah pemiliknya?” Tanya Saidina Uthman dengan penuh kehairanan, bagi mendapatkan kepastian. Sebab biasanya Saidina Umar tidak begitu menghiraukan harta bendanya sendiri.

“Ini adalah kepunyaan anak-anak yatim yang telah terlepas dari kandangnya dan berlari di jalan. Aku telah mengejarnya sehinggalah aku dapat menangkapnya.”

Saidina Uthman bertanya lagi, “Tidak adakah orang lain yang boleh melakukan pekerjaan itu selain engkau, bukankah engkau seorang Khalifah?”

Saidina Umar menjawab dengan tegas, “Siapakah yang bersedia menebus dosaku di hari perhitungan kelak? Mahukah orang itu memikul tanggungjawabku di hadapan Allah? Kekuatan adalah amanah bukan kehormatan.”

Maka Khalifah Umar Al-Khattab pun meneruskan perjalanannya. Saidina Uthman hanya melihatnya pergi dengan air matanya jatuh berguguran membasahi pipi. “Engkau merupakan cermin sebagaimana seharusnya menjadi kewajipan seorang pemimpin negara dan merasa berat dirasakan oleh Khalifah selepasmu.”

Sedikit kesimpulan dari perkongsian cerita ini, pemimpin yang beriman sebegitu, merasa bimbang dan resah dengan jawatan dan amanah yang disandangnya kerana tanggungjawab itu sungguh berat. Berbeza sekali dengan manusia pada zaman ini yang mana mereka berlumba-lumba ingin mendapatkan jawatan, tanpa mengira ianya melobi atau rasuah, supaya dapat menggunakan kuasa dan wang yang ada padanya.

10 Actions to Improve your Link With Allah

As Muslims, we should recognize that the most important relationship we should have is our relationship with Allah . We shouldn’t cherish, value or place any other relationship above our relationship with Allah  nor should we compromise our link with Him for anything. However, sometimes we may feel that we are far away from Him or that we are not getting close to Him. So, how can we improve our link with our Creator?

The following steps are some effective means to improve your ink with Allah :

1. Purify your intentions: Try to do everything for the sake of Allah. This will keep you in check and will help you realize that you are here to worship, obey and please Him.

 “Good intentions are the most beautiful of secrets.” [Ali Ibn Abi Talib R.A]“

2. Do not miss a single Salah: Salah, being the second pillar of Islam holds a very high status in Islam and is one of the best ways to establish a link with Allah as it increases your remembrance of Him. Try your best to perform all your five prayers daily and on time.

 ”Hold on to your Salah, because if you lose that, you will lose everything else” [Umar Ibn Khattab RA]

3.  Read the Qur’an daily: Reading the Qur’an is like Allah’s talking to you. In addition, it boosts up your Iman especially if you read it with understanding.  Hence, try to maintain a daily relationship with the Qur’an even if it means reading a page daily.

Nothing heals the heart better than the speech of Allah (the Qur`ān), and reflecting upon its āyāt is the first step towards healing your heart [Salih  Al Maghmasy]

4. Engage in du’a: Du’a is an important act of worship and it is the most effective means of communicating with Allah. There is nothing like du’a. Call out to Him, cry to Him and ask of Him as only He can grant you what you need.

“Dua is the most uplifting, liberating, empowering, and transforming conversation a person can ever have.”

5. Be charitable: Give in charity, be it obligatory or voluntary as this will purify your wealth, purify you of your sins and help you gain the pleasure of Allah.

6. Increase in doing good deeds: Engage yourself in doing simple good deeds such as smiling at someone, helping others, visiting the sick, helping the elderly, being kind to the young, being compassionate and doing dhikr.

7. Seek forgiveness and repent: Try to engage in Istighfar on a daily basis as this is one of the most beloved acts to Allah. Also, turn to Allah in repentance frequently for Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance.

 Allah, The Almighty says, “Surely Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance…” (Qur’an 2:222)

 8. Keep good company: Get closer to those who will remind you of Allah and help you stay away from prohibitions. This will be of major help to you as they will help you whenever you slip,  and  they will always keep reminding you of the purpose of your life and being with them will help you keep your behavior in check.

 9. Increase your knowledge about Islam: The more you know about Islam, the more you will understand it and this will help you get closer to Allah.

“With the acquiring of Islamic knowledge comes the great responsibility of implementing it and imparting it to others.”

10. Remember death: Remembering death often will keep you focused on the purpose of your life, i.e., worshiping Allah, which will eventually help you develop a solid link with your Creator.

“Remember death. It makes you a better person.”

Never lose hope in Allah

There is a major barrier that’s blocking many Muslims from getting closer to Allah and improving their relationship with Him. This barrier is losing hope in the mercy of Allah. Sometimes people think that Allah will never forgive them because of the multitude of their sins. As a result, they slacken in performing their acts of worship and some even abandon them as they lose hope in attaining the mercy of Allah. However, Allah, The Exalted has said:

 

“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’” (Surah Az-Zumar, Ayah 53)”

What we need to understand is that no one is perfect and part of being imperfect is falling into errors, including committing sins. Because committing sins is a part of our design, that is why Allah’s most emphasized attribute is His Mercy. It is a fact that mankind will commit sins. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “All humans are sinners and the best sinners are those who repent much.” (Recorded in Abu Dawood)

It should also be noted that there are several stories in the Qur’an and Hadith about people who committed dreadful crimes and were forgiven when they repented and sought forgiveness from Allah.

So, what we must do is recognize that Allah is the Most Merciful. We cannot abandon Allah due to our sins because no one is exempt from committing sins. At the same time, we shouldn’t use Allah’s Mercy as an excuse to commit sins. However, we should always have hope in the fact that no matter what we do, or how massive our sins are, Allah will always forgive them if we turn to Him sincerely in repentance and try our best to please Him. It is because of His mercy He made us to sin so that we can turn to Him for forgiveness and get closer to Him. Hence, we should never lose hope in attaining His mercy.

Remember to repent and seek forgiveness before it is too late as we do not know the time of our departure from this world.

The Prophet (SAW) said, “Allah the Almighty said:

“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask from Me, I shall pardon you for what you have done, and I wouldn’t care. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness almost as great as it.’” (Tirmidhi)”

Alhamdulillah for this countless blessings !

Gratitude! At the mention of this word, all of us think of many incidents in our life where we have been grateful to someone for their help or even their presence in our life. Gratitude is one of the main factors in the life of a Muslim. Islam speaks highly of practising gratitude. Gratitude to Allah (glorified and exalted be He) holds high in its pedestal. There are simple things we can do to show our gratitude to our Creator for all that He has given us and continues to give us. Subhan Allah!

1. Make a habit of saying “Alhamdulillah”(all praise be to Allah) at every ease and hardship:

Suhaib reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:

“Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks Allah, thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (endures into patiently), there is good for him in it.” [Sahih Muslim]

It is as simple as making dua to Allah (glorified and exalted be He) for things to go the right in your life. The only thing that Allah (glorified and exalted be He) asks in return is your gratitude to Him. Make it a habit to say “Alhamdulillah” at every good news or at every good turn in your life. Not to forget, be thankful to Allah (glorified and exalted be He) for saving you from any calamity also.

In seeking to thank Allah (glorified and exalted be He), not only do you please Him, but you are sure to receive success in return – in abundance. Do not forget, Allah (glorified and exalted be He) loves those who thank Him. Be grateful throughout your day. When you wake up in the morning, when you eat or drink, when you give charity and more so when you listen to the Holy Quran, always say ‘Alhamdulillah’.

As the Quran says,

“And remember when your Lord proclaimed, “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in favour. But if you deny indeed, my punishment is severe.” [Quran: Chapter 14, Verse 7]

2. Prayers:

Prayers are the best form of showing your gratitude to Allah (glorified and exalted be He). Remembrance of Allah (glorified and exalted be He) at all times, especially during your prayers, is a form of showing gratitude. Pray on time, do not forget your obligatory prayers and if possible, make sunnah prayers as well. Remember to make dua in remembrance of Allah (glorified and exalted be He) and thank Him for all that he has bestowed upon you. Making dua for oneself and for others is characteristic of a true Muslim. A trait that Allah (glorified and exalted be He) himself loves to see in believers!

Try to develop traits of kindness, hospitality, lowering your tone of voice and personal hygiene. Mostly, He loves to see those who supplicate to him, not only at times of need, but also just because they remembered him. Only through steadfast prayer is it possible for a Muslim to be a true believer. Without prayer, he will find himself in a state of loss.

As Allah (glorified and exalted be He) says in the Holy Quran, ‘”Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer-we will surely cause him to live a good life, and we will surely give them their reward (in the hereafter) according to the best of what they used to do.” [Quran: Chapter 16, Verse 97]

The reward for prayers is immense. Jannah becomes closer to you and all for just showing your sign of gratitude to Allah (glorified and exalted be He) for what he has done for you throughout your life.

3. Helping oneself through helping others:

Helping another person is a sign of a true Muslim. In this busy world, all of us get caught up in our daily activities that we tend to forget what we have and what others need. For example, when you see your classmate short of money to buy lunch, offer him/her to share your lunch or provide them with lunch for a day. You will not be at any loss! Allah (glorified and exalted be He) has a list of all your deeds and is waiting to reward you.

The Holy Quran says: “As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, for them will be the Gardens of refuge, as accommodation for what they used to do.” [Quran: Chapter 32, Verse 19]

There are many ways of helping others and doing good deeds.

Show your gratitude through charity. Allah (glorified and exalted be He) loves those believers who spend for His cause. Any form of spending for His cause, for Allah’s (glorified and exalted be He) pleasure alone, and you will surely be rewarded in abundance!

Carrying books for your professor, cleaning the house for your mother, opting to help someone cross the road, all these are small acts that you could start with.

4. Being good to others the same way you want them to be good to you:

We always complain of how some people mistreat us or bully us. But no matter what situation you are in, you should never forget to treat others with respect, dignity and equality. The more they mistreat you, chances are that you will want to react furiously to them. But remember Allah (glorified and exalted be He) in such situations. Is it worthy that a believer of Allah (glorified and exalted be He) fights with others? Is that what Ar-Rahman expects from us? The person on the other side might not worry about all this. But you will be answerable to the Almighty on the Day of Judgment and there won’t be a third person as a witness to support your argument. You will be answerable for your own actions.

It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) observed, “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day does not harm his neighbor, and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day shows hospitality to his guest and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day speaks good or remains silent.” [Sahih Muslim]

So the more you stay away from such actions and thoughts, the more you are respecting Allah’s (glorified and exalted be He) words and that in turn is a form of showing gratitude to Our Lord for all that he has done for you. So think twice before you react. In fact, think thrice before you react.

5. Think good things, say good things:

The fact that we can think and speak is indeed a gift from Allah (glorified and exalted be He). Are you aware of the angels that guard you throughout your lives? The angels who are appointed by Allah (glorified and exalted be He) to write down your good and bad deeds?

“When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left. Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].” [Quran: Chapter 50, Verse 17-18]

Be wary of what you say. Every thought, every word you speak, is written down and is presented on the Day of Judgement.

So try to bring yourself to think good thoughts, think good for others. Start with small thoughts. For example, when your friend receives some form of accolade, show appreciation for it. Try not to bicker about it. Try to be happy for the person and if possible, make a dua for success for the person in the future as well. If that is too hard, start with small steps, appreciate him/her and control your thought from being jealous of the other person. Try to make changes in your life by other small activities like cooking for your family, thanking your parents for all that they have given you, taking care of your younger siblings so your mother can rest for a while, cleaning the house, spending time with your grandparents etc.

These are all small acts we all could start within our lives, and it could benefit us in the long run through good practice of it in our daily life.

I’ll leave with a thought for all of you to ponder upon: if Allah (glorified and exalted be He) can give us everything we ask for, why is it so hard for us to be grateful. If not for Allah(glorified and exalted be He), who else do we do all this for?

-productivemuslim.com