Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh, brothers,
I pray this finds all of you in good health and at a peak of iman. Firstly, to our newly married brethren Gerald and Sameer, mabrook once again! InshaAllah, along with myself and Usman that makes 4 JHUMA couples, walhamdulillah. Brothers, we need more than 4, I expect this number to double before 2009 comes to a close, inshaAllah! =)
Alhamdulillah brothers, we've got to make sure that our families get to know each other as well inshaAllah (should a seperate JHUMA Wives mailing list be set up? just kidding, just kidding =D ). And it was really awesome to see all of you brothers at Sameer's wedding, alhamdulillah.
Besides the recent festivities, things here are going the same as usual, walhamdulillah. I still have my job, alhamdulillah, which is a huge blessing in this time (my company just 2 weeks ago let go around 60 employees from my location). Baby Maryam is doing well, alhamdulillah. Actually, my wife and the baby are out-of-town for the next 3 weeks visiting my wife's mother, so I'm living the bachelor's life for a few weeks, but alhamdulillah everything is going well. Baby Maryam says "I love you" and throws kisses at the phone when I call and talk to her, so, alhamdulillah, that tends to normally make my day =).
For the reminder, I wanted to share a beautiful story from the Prophetic Sunnah which came to my mind. It is about a companion of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) whose name was simply recorded as 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). He was a companion who, like all men, committed sins, even major sins, namely consuming alcohol. It is narrated in Sahih Bukhari:
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:
During the lifetime of the Prophet there was a man called 'Abdullah whose nickname was Donkey, and he used to make Allah's Apostle laugh. The Prophet lashed him because of drinking (alcohol). And (another) day he was brought to the Prophet on the same charge and was lashed. On that, a man among the people said, "O Allah, curse him ! How frequently he has been brought (to the Prophet on such a charge)!" The Prophet said, "Do not curse him, for by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle."
When I reflect upon this hadeeth, subhanAllah, I am reminded that the doors to repentance and forgiveness are always open. I am reminded that Allah is arRa'uf (the One Most Full of Pity (towards his slaves)) and arRahim (the Continuously and Especially Merciful One), and if we strive to keep our hearts, tounges, and limbs pure with tawheed and love for Allah and His messenger, inshaAllah there is always a chance for us to be forgiven and be shown the vast mercy of Allah. Imagine, this companion was committing the major sin of consuming alcohol, yet, his iman was still so great that RasulAllah (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) HIMSELF testified for this man's love for Allah and His Messenger! Imagine what amazing glad tidings it would be if RasulAllah (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) had testified on behalf of our love for Allah and His Messenger. When I think about my own sinful personal state, especially in the midst of the various fitnahs of this dunya, and I reflect upon this hadeeth, subhanAllah, I am given hope and I am reminded to purify myself and focus on strengthening my iman in order to, inshaAllah, not be tempted by the trials of this world. Of course, we are not to misunderstand the hadeeth to think that we (or even the companions themselves) are excused for comitting any sin... after all, the hadeeth is quite clear that the companion himself was punished with lashing for his consumption of alcohol (which is the prescribed punishment in an Islamic state for drinking).
To illustrate just how much this man loved the Prophet, there is another story from the Sunnah mentioning that this same companion 'Abdullah used to delight in presenting the Prophet with any delicacy that came to Medina, so when any merchant caravan arrived with something like butter or honey, he would take it for him as a gift. Later, when the seller demanded payment, `Abd Allah would bring the seller to the Prophet and say: "Give this man its price." The Prophet (peace be upon him) would then say: "Didn't you give it to me as a gift?" 'Abdullah would say: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah; however I cannot afford to pay." The two of them would laugh together and then the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have the merchant paid.
A more detailed explanation of the wisdoms found in this story from the Sunnah can be found here:
http://www.islamtoday.com/
InshaAllah I hope to see all you brothers again very soon.
Sameer, I know you must be extremely busy as a newly-wed and just starting your residency, but... you're up on the blog. =)
wassalaam,
Ahmad
