Living Islam

We err greatly when we try to present to an audience all of the wisdom that we have at our disposal.


When addressing the masses in a sermon, an orator must take a step-by-step, systematic approach. Systematic, in this instance, means that more important issues should be dealt with first. This principle is corroborated by the advice of the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) to Mu’aadh (may Allah be pleased with him), when he dispatched him to Yemen: “The first thing that you should call them to is to bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah...”


In our personal endeavours, many of us realise that we should seek gradual development. Why then do we hurl everything down people’s throats at once!


And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why is not the Qur ‘an revealed to him all at once?’ Thus [it is sent down in parts], that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages [It was revealed to the Prophet in 23 years]. (Qur’an 25: 32).


Muslims should feel a sense of comfort and ease in learning the teachings of Islam, especially since Islam came to save people from inner strife. The term Takleef, which literally means “a burden at least in one of its connotations,” is mentioned in the Qur’an.

(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope) (Quran:2: 286).


When the Prophet’s companions would come to him asking for general counsel or instruction, he would advise them in succinct and concise words which were easily memorised. After understanding the questioner’s situation, the Prophet (Pbuh) always gave a practical and simple response.


We err greatly when we try to present to an audience all of the advice, teachings, manners and wisdom that we have at our disposal.


(Source: Don’t be Sad)

Don’t think that having only a little is the cause of your sadness and anxiety, because it is not true


At a young age, I left my family to study in the city of Riyadh. I stayed with some of my uncles in austere circumstances. To reach my school, I had to walk 30 minutes each morning, and to come back home, 30 minutes in the sweltering heat of noon. At home, I participated in preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My duties consisted of vacuuming the house, cleaning the kitchen, and organising the rooms. Furthermore, I worked hard in my studies and also gave time to participating in school activities. I always achieved good grades, which spurred me on to work even harder. I had only one gown in my possession, which I had to wash and iron constantly. Because of the paltry sum we received as a stipend, I wore this same garment at home, at school, and on special occasions. Bare necessities, such as money for food and rent, took up most of my money. We were all in a similar condition, so it was rare that we ever ate meat, and even rarer that we ever tasted fruit. All of us worked hard in our studies. Only once a month did I find the opportunity to relax. We studied approximately 17 subjects at school, with Algebra, Maths, English and Physics being added to our already tough courses in religion and Arabic studies. I often borrowed books on Arabic poetry from the school and would remain engrossed in them for hours at a time.


Now, as I reflect on those days I can remember that, despite all of my difficulties, I was happy and slept with a peaceful and calm mind every night. Later on, with the blessings of Allah, I bought a nice home, I ate well, I wore different kinds of clothes, and life in general took a prosperous turn. But, despite all of this, I do not feel the same peace of mind now as I did then. More complex problems have accompanied a more complex kind of life. So don’t think that having only a little is the cause of your sadness and anxiety, because it is not true. Most people who have life’s bare necessities have a conscience more sound and an existence more peaceful than the majority of rich people.

O Kashmir!
O my Kashmir!
O my fair and beloved people of Kashmir!
Do receive my love and honour
My mind thinks for all of you,
My heart prays for all of you,
My tears roll with all of you.
Surpass the narrow feeling of animosity,
And come forward to fight for humanity,
Shed the harrowing experience of parochialism,
Try to understand the wider meaning of nationalism.
I agree
Your virgin beauties have been ravished,
Your beautiful buildings are being demolished,
Your flowers and fruits are on fire,
Only a few people wear good attire,
Your green grasses are being trampled,
Your snow peaks are smeared with human blood,
Your chorus on marriages are drowned in wailing,
Your pin-drop silence is now shattered with explosions,
You have very few standard educational institutions.
O bold and lovely people of the globe,
Come out of your self-centred world.
Come to rescue the paradise on earth,
And its masses from burning.


(The writer is based in Hazaribag-Jharkhand)