Never look down upon someone

As the title aptly puts it, one should never look down upon someone. This is more general than the prohibition of looking down at someone due to his or her genetics, mental and physical faculties, beauty etc. This includes not looking down at someone who seems to have lesser emaan(faith in God) than you do and is prone to falling into sin.

This realization actually struck me when two of the people that I used to look down upon(or atleast not view them in the same light as most others) turned out to be the greatest support during my time of need. Perhaps this was a humiliating punishment that Allah gave me that the ones I looked down upon became my strongest support. Or perhaps it was the ease that follows the hardship such that upon losing my dear father, I found support in even those that I had looked down upon - so much so that I derived the greatest support from them.

I had seen one of them doing something reproachable(perhaps out of ignorance?). That led me into thinking less of that person and in general being awkward around him and avoiding him. He probably didn't even realize it since we really didn't have too much interaction to begin with. Yet when I was at my most vulnerable, grieving over my father's passing away, he was sent as a support by ArRahmaan(the Most Merciful). I shall make du`a that Allah increase him in good and have him live upon Islam and not let him die except as a believer.

The other person I have wronged much and I have much to atone for. This person indeed was a good person and showed signs of increasing emaan, yet I remained contemptuous. Perhaps it was the general attitude of this person that I had been exposed to that made me so reluctant to accept that this person had actually become a better muslim. It was only another brother reprimanding me and exhorting me to think good of this person that made me not say further bad against this good person. This person was another pillar of support send to me by Allah that strengthened me and made me look past the loss of my father but rather at the big picture that everyone has to leave this world - atleast my dad left it in an honorable state.

The support from both of them has humbled me and I pray that my father is granted entry into Jannatul Firdous.

I also pray that both of these people who were my support enter into paradise.

Surah al Fatihah: A cure for all pain

While dealing with the pain of the loss of my dear father, I learnt some new lessons from Surah al Fatihah in this situation.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

I begin and take support with the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful to the universe and especially to the muslims.

الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Praise and thanks to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.
Verily, my Dad was like my world and the very fact that Allah had me born into his family was something I need to praise and thank Allah for. Also the wonderful moments that I shared with my father is something I need to praise and thank Allah for. Since He is Rabb of my dad, He has the authority to take my world away or to let me enjoy it as a gift(and test) from Him as long as He Decrees.

الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
Indeed Allah let me meet with my Dad this summer and I actually was able to meet him before he passed. This in itself is a great mercy from Allah. Moreover, we had had a death scare when my dad had had a myocardial infarction and had essentially "died" yet upon the insistence of the resident, the doctors continued to attempt to resuscitate him and it worked. It seemed like a miracle. Really it was but a preparation for his passing away. Just like the rumour of the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wasallam dying in the battle of Uhud was a preparation for his death much later. To add to that, my mother would have actually accompanied my father, but by the Decree of Allah, my dad insisted that she stay at home and he would come back soon. This in itself is a mercy as now I at least have my mother with me today as a source of comfort. The examples of His Mercy do not end here, yet I would like to keep this post as brief as I can.

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
Owner of the Day of Judgement
He is the Owner of the Day of Judgement. If He has complete power over the Day of Judgement, surely He also has power over my dad, and the judgement regarding him on the Day of Judgement. Also the Day of Judgement will be a day when even I would not care about my dad. Hence it is a reminder that since a Day will come when I will only be concerned with myself, I should seek refuge in Allah from such a Day and to continue to make as much du`a as I can for my father in this life.

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
You Alone do we worship, and You Alone do we seek help from.
Even during this calamity of my father's passing away, my first concern should still remain the worship of Allah. As mentioned in many places(two of them that I remember on the spot are Surah al Isra' and Surah al Baqarah) that worship of Allah alone precedes doing good to parents. Hence worship Allah alone and turn to worship even as a means of seeking help. Secondly seek help from Allah even outside of formal worship. Make du`a to Him, intend your acts for His Sake. Indeed in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest. So remember Him often.

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Guide us to the Straight Path
This is to be understood in many different ways even in the specialized context of my father's shahaadah. Yet for the sake of being succinct, I will provide only one particular understanding. O Allah, guide me during this difficult time and bring to closer to Your worship and to Your remembrance.

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
The Path of those upon whom You bestowed gifts(blessings), not those upon whom was Your Anger, nor those among the deviants.
This ayah can be broken into three sections. The first is the group upon whom the gifts were bestowed. The second is the group upon whom came the Wrath of Allah(who deliberately rejected the command of Allah while they had knowledge). The third are the deviants(who did impermissible acts out of ignorance without bothering to seek the knowledge).
The first - O Allah, make me mourn the death of my father according to the Quran and Sunnah as the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wasallam, and the Sahaabah, and the Salaf and the `Ulamaa of the deen would mourn. Do not let me go into excessiveness and do an act that you dislike.
The second - O Allah, do not let me do acts that you have revealed in the Quran and Sunnah as forbidden acts. Do not let me cross the boundaries of Islam in mourning my father.
The third - O Allah, do not let me introduce or take part in bid`ah acts of worship. Acts that done on their own would be liked by you but because of certain conditions placed on them(that are not from Quran or Sunnah or ijmaa`) become a disliked act that should be frowned upon. These acts may range from makrooh tahreeman to haraam.

And that is my understanding of Surah al Fatihah according to the situation I am currently in.

Wallahu ta`la a`lam.

RabbirHamhuma kama rabbayaani Sagheeraa

A son's love

Here is a poem that I wrote to express my feelings.

A son's love:

As I came into this world,
With the atmosphere upon me hurled,
Along came you and Mom as pillars of light
To stand against all evil in a fight.

Countless gifts did you bestow upon me,
Even now I treasure them as I love thee.
The beauty of Islam as you raised me to be,
And life in this transient world as a man free.

Now Allah has chosen you for a martyr's honour,
Leaving in this world many a mourner.
Yet we hope to remain steadfast,
To live in the present and not dwell upon the past.

Yet the heart cries and tears flow,
And time seems to run so slow.
Life seems like a withered flower,
And my body seems depleted of power.

You will remain in my heart for verily you were truthful,
And I hope all our du`as for you become fruitful.
I shall turn to the Quran during this test,
For verily in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest.

Your shahaadah has made me realize,
What a calamity in the Prophet's death lies(sallallahu alayhe wasallam)
I now pray that Allah may take,
You to be loved by everyone, for His Sake.

O Allah! Have mercy upon my father for he raised me while I was young.
Many a times has he, your slave, between life and death, hung.
Accept your slave's du`a and forgive his sins,
And do not let him in the barzakh wince.

O Allah! Enter him into the best part of Paradise,
And let him gaze upon Your Noble Face many times.
O Allah make his grave spacious and fill it with light,
And give me the strength to pray for him day and night.