Empathy And Your Face

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When Going to Mosque

Allahumma ijAAal fee qalbee noora, wafee lisanee noora, wajAAal fee samAAee noora,wajAAal fee basaree noora, wajAAal min khalfee noora, wamin amamee noora ,wajAAal min fawqee noora, wamin tahtee noora, allahumma aAAtinee noora.,
‘O Allah, place within my heart light, and upon my tongue light, and within my ears light, and within my eyes light, and place behind me light and in front of me light and above me light and beneath me light. O Allah, bestow upon me light.’

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6. The one who delays his suhoor until the last third of the night also catches up with the time of the divine descent. This is a time when du'aa's are answered. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Our Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, comes down to the lowest heaven every night when the last third of the night is left, and He says: 'Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?'" (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)..

Subhan Allah..

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “You cannot be a true Muslim until you are kind among yourselves…Kindness is not this that you sympathize with your companion, but kindness is this that you think all men deserving of it.” [Tibrani]

In order for your dawah or advice to others to be effective they have to feel that you genuinely care about them. 90% of communication is non-verbal. If you want people to feel that you genuinely care about them then only saying so is not going to be sufficient, because they will read your true feelings from your non verbal communication. Human beings can make more than ten thousand facial expressions. At least three thousand of them have distinct meaning. [Blink]*

Your face is a billboard for your feelings. In addition, the expressions you make influence what you feel. Notice that Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) discusses both aspects: That you show sympathy, and also that you feel sympathy because the expression and the feelings both work on each other. Develop true empathy and it will be communicated.

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) 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 good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (enduring it patiently), there is good for him in it.” [Muslim]

A Muslim is thus truly blessed, regardless of the circumstances of his/her life. A non-Muslim considers himself fortunate only if he is healthy, wealthy, happy and more. But a Muslim is lucky all the time. This is because he/she is accruing reward for Jannah whether they are healthy or terminally ill, prosperous or needy, relaxing in palaces or rotting in jails. This is indeed a unique favour of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to his pious servants.

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “When one of you looks at one who stands at a higher level than you in regard to wealth and physical structure he should also see one who stands at a lower level than you in regard to these things.” [Muslim]

Comparing ourselves to people whom Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has given better looks to, more money to, nicer possessions to, better education to, higher status to, etc., is a common cause for our showing ingratitude to Allah. We then automatically discard the blessings that Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has bestowed on us and can think of only that which we are lacking and someone else has. There will always be something more that we could have.

However, Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is the Originator of all Good/Khair. Nothing comes from Him that is not good. Therefore, we should not have the attitude, that when we see ourselves having the blessings of this world we say, "Rabbi akraman" (Allah has blessed/honoured me) and when we face anything lacking in our lives we say, "Rabbi ahanun" (Allah has humiliated me). A believer always says "Rabbi akraman" only, since in his or her every affair Allah is honouring them.

Human beings are greedy and ungrateful by nature. Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) told us that even if we were given two valleys full of gold we would wish for a third and there would be no end to our greed till we died. Therefore, the advice of the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) makes perfect sense that whenever we get to see people who have more or better than what we have, we should immediately look at those people too who have less or worse than what we have. Only then will we be able to remain thankful to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Bear in mind that if all the people combined together to grant you some benefit, they would not be able to do it unless Allah has determined it for you. And that if all of them combined together to do you harm, they would not be able to do it unless Allah has determined it for you. The pens have been set aside and writings of the Book of Fate have become dry.” [Tirmidhi]

The important lesson to understand from this hadith is that we must not fear death, loss or reproach in obeying the commands of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), for only that harm will come to us which is already destined to. A believer should not be frightened by the number or resources of the enemies of Allah. This should never determine whether they should obey Allah or not, as this hadith tells us that they can not do any harm unless Allah has destined it for them. And if that is the case that harm will come anyway, but the believer will be rewarded for obeying the commands of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).*

Unfortunately, we find Muslims helping to hurt and kill other Muslims today, using as an excuse that harm would come to them otherwise. We need to develop our understanding of qada wal qadar to become righteous.

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “He is successful who has accepted Islam, who has been provided with sufficient for his wants and been made contented by Allah with what He has given him.” [Muslim]

Nowadays when people say, ‘So and so is very successful’ what they mean is, ‘He/she is making a lot of money.’ In the above mentioned hadith Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) explains who qualifies to be called successful. It’s not having Car X, House in W and Job Z but:
1. Islam.
2. Needs fulfilled.*
3. Possession of a thankful heart.

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “If any Muslim clothes a Muslim when he is naked, Allah will clothe him with some green garments of Paradise; if any Muslim feeds a Muslim when he is hungry, Allah will feed him with some of the fruits of Paradise; and if any Muslim gives a Muslim drink when he is thirsty, Allah will give him some of the pure wine which is sealed to drink.” [Abu Daud]

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has made some things easy for us to acquire, that we otherwise would not have known how to obtain. Had Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) not told us, we would not even have known of Paradise let alone the garments therein. Not only has he informed us of their existence but made it possible for each one of us to easily get some.*

Are we getting as excited about it as we do about a clearance sale at our favourite clothes’ store? If not, then there is something wrong with our eeman. Hazrat Ali (radi Allahu anhu) said that if he were to see Paradise with his own eyes he would not long for it more than he already longs for it. Nor would he by seeing Jahannum with his own eyes fear it more than he already does. This shows us the level of belief the Sahabah had in the words of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).

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Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Judges are of three types, two of them will go to the Hellfire and one type will go to Paradise. The one who knows the truth and judges with it – he is in Paradise. One who knows the truth but doesn’t judge by it, will go to Hellfire. The one who doesn’t know the truth and judges between people with ignorance, will go to the Hellfire.” [Abu Daud, Tirmidhi]

What the truth is, is determined by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). He has spelt it out for us in the Shariah, that is the Quran and Sunnah. If a person passes judgment according to his or her own standards of right and wrong, rather than what Allah has declared as right or wrong, then that judge is judging with ignorance.

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A Goodness trough and through.. :


Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Modesty is a virtue through and through, or said: Modesty is a goodness complete.” [Muslim]

Once the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) passed by a man who was admonishing his brother regarding Haya and was saying, 'You are very shy, and I am afraid that might harm you.' On that, Allah's Apostle said, 'Leave him, for Haya is (a part) of Faith.' [Bukhari]

This hadith tells us that there is nothing bad about modesty. Therefore, if something is purely good, then however much you have of it, it can only be good for you. This is something to especially remember in these times when ‘moral’ and ‘modest’ are portrayed as ‘backward,’ ‘oppressed' and 'under-confident.’*

A person with Haya does not show off his mind, body, or anything else. Haya is translated as modesty but it includes all of the following meanings as well: self respect, bashfulness, having scruples, having awareness of Allah. This word is a prime example of how much is lost in translation from Arabic to any other language.*