http://www.wefound.org/ Your website to success through authentic knowledge of Islâm and Da'wah according to the Qur’ân and the Sunnah.
By
Dr. Norlain Dindang Mababaya
We
have to love Allah, the Most High, and be devoted to Him Alone so that in
return, He will love us. Only when
we gain His love and mercy can we succeed in conveying the Message of Islam.
We have to be devoted Muslims in order to seek Allah’s help to
bless us and be successful in our Da’wah. We
have to earnestly pray to Him that the non-Muslims who listen to our Da’wah
see the Truth. Verily, Allah (Subhanahu
wa ta’ala, meaning: the Most Glorious and the Exalted) is
the One Who guides people to Islam. No
matter how much we try to explain the Truth to non-Muslims, they will never
accept it unless our Creator opens their hearts to it. Allah (Subhanahu wa
ta’ala) tells us:
“Those
whom Allah wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islam.
Those whom He wills to leave straying, He makes their breast close and
constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies; thus does Allah lay
abomination on those who refuse to believe.”
(6:125)
For
our guidance, we have to know how to earn Allah’s love.
In the Qur’an Allah Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) tells
us two ways by which He bestows His love upon us:
“Say:
‘If you do love Allah follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins for Allah
is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.’” (3:31)
“On
those who believe and work deeds of righteousness will (Allah) Most Gracious
bestow Love.” (19:96)
It
is very clear that if we follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam), Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) will love us.
Allah’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) invited people to
believe (in Tawhîd and the six articles of Faith) and work deeds of
righteousness, which he himself practiced with much devotion. We can show our
love and devotion to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) by
performing not only the obligatory deeds required upon us but also to do the
supererogatory or voluntary deeds. This
means to observe the obligatory five daily prayers, zakat, fasting in the
month of Ramadan, and hajj in the House of Allah (Subhanahu wa
ta’ala) in Makkah once in a lifetime for those who can afford it.
In addition to these is to try as much as possible to perform the
optional prayers, to give sadaqa (voluntary charity), to fast in other
days and months, and to perform umrah.
All these must be done in accordance with the Sunnah or Way of the
Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam). The
most important of these voluntary deeds is the qiyaam ul layl
or tahajjud (after midnight prayer). Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) commanded His Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) to
pray qiyaam ul layl, which the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam)
regularly performed and which became part of his Sunnah. We read in the Qur’an :
O
you (Muhammad) folded in garments! Stand (to prayer) by night, but not whole
night, half of it, or a little less, or a little more; and recite the Qur’an
in slow, measured rhythmic tone. Soon shall We send down to you a weighty Word. Truly the
rising by night is a time when impression is more keen and speech more certain.
True, there is for you by day prolonged occupation with ordinary duties:
but keep in remembrance the name of your Rabb, and devote yourself to Him
whole-heartily. He is the Rabb of
the East and the West: there is no god but He. Take Him therefore for your
Disposer of affairs. (73:1-9)
“Verily,
your Rabb does know that you
(O Muhammad) stand forth (to prayer) nigh two-thirds of the night or half the
night, or a third of the night, and so does a party of those with you. And Allah
measures the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to pray the whole
night. So He has turned to you (in mercy). Read therefore as much of the
Qur’an as may be easy (for you). He
knows that there will be some among you sick, others traveling through the land,
seeking of Allah’s Bounty, and others fighting in Allah’s Cause. So, recite
as much of the Qur’an as may be easy (for you) and perform regular prayer and
give Zakat; and loan to Allah a beautiful loan. And whatever good you send forth
for yourselves, you shall find it with Allah. Yes, better and greater in reward,
and seek forgiveness of Allah, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (73:20)
By
making qiyaam ul layl as part of our practice, we become pious, a
characteristic that will make us better Muslims. We must strive to be pious.
We must know that Allah’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam) encourages us to have such excellent character as narrated in the
following Hâdîth:
Abu
Dharr (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam) said to him, “You are not better than people with red or
black skins unless you excel them in piety.”
(Tirmidhi 5198 and Ahmad)
Once
we become pious, we earn Allah’s love. Allah the Almighty will bless us
with the best personality ¾
one that is loved by all the angels, and all the people, including non-Muslims.
We read the following Ahâdîth Qudsi:
Abu
Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Allah (Mighty and sublime be He) said: ‘Whoever
shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant
draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I
have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with
supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing
with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he
strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask (something) of Me, I
would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely
grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about
(seizing) the soul of my faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting
him.’” (Bukhari
8/509)
Abu
Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam) said, “If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel saying, 'Allah
loves so and-so; O Gabriel! Love him.’ Gabriel would love him and make an
announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven. 'Allah loves so-and-so,
therefore you should love him also,' and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven
would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the
earth.” (Bukhari 4/431
and 8/66, Muslimand Tirmidhi)
We
should include in our supplications to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) during
qiyaam ul layl, that He makes us effective Du’ât, so that those
non-Muslims who listen to us will easily see the Light of Islam. When we do
this, by Allah’s Will, we will succeed as Du’ât because Allah
(Subhanahu wa ta’ala) listens
and grants supplications from His devoted worshippers especially during qiyaam
ul layl. Allah’s
Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:
Abu
Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Our
Rabb, the Blessed, the Superior, comes down every night to the nearest heaven to
us during the last third of the night. Then,
He says: ‘(Is there anyone) who invokes Me, (demands anything from Me) so that
I respond to his invocation? (Is there anyone) who asks Me for something so that
I may grant him his request? (Is there anyone) who seeks My forgiveness, so that
I may forgive him?’” (Bukhari 2/246)
It is a must
that we should invite people to love Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala)
for the favors that He has given to
us. Verily, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala)
is our Creator, Sustainer and Cherisher. Everything
comes from Him. He Alone deserves
our love:
“Yet
there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah as equal (with Allah);
they love them as they should love Allah. But
those of faith are overflowing in their love for Allah.
If only the unrighteous could see behold they would see the penalty that
to Allah belongs all power and Allah will strongly enforce the penalty.” (2:165)
We should
invite non-Muslims to love Allah (Subhanahu
wa ta’ala) so
that the Almighty will love them in return.
They can show their love to Allah (Subhanahu
wa ta’ala) by being rational and sincere in their search for Truth. If
they do so, they will find that verily, Islam is the True Religion from Allah (Subhanahu
wa ta’ala). Insha
Allah, He will open their hearts to Islam
as He is the One Who gives Islam to those whom He loves. Allah’s
Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) says in the following Hâdîth:
‘Abdullah
Bin Mas’ud (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Allah Most High has allotted you your characters
just as He has allotted you your provisions. Allah Most High gives worldly
things to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love, but He gives
religion only to those whom He loves, so he who is given religion by Allah has
been loved by Him. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, a man is not a Muslim till
his heart and tongue are submissive, and he is not a believer till his neighbor
is safe from injurious behavior on his part.”
(Tirmidhi 4994)
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(this service) from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All Knowing.”
(Qur’ân 2:127)