Temporary, like a Bubble

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

By Hadhrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Is`haq Saheb (Daamat Barakaatuhum)

We know that a bubble is a thin liquid film containing air. It is amazingly fragile. …And it does not last long. It bursts very soon and is then nothing. So it has no value.

...Despite this, its different colours captivate children and we see how they enjoy blowing bubbles, running after them and they even try to catch them. Even as adults, we, ourselves, are fascinated seeing the beautiful, shimmering colours of bubbles – the yellow, blue, crimson, green and other colours.

In everything, there is some lesson, and we find even in a bubble, a Muslim can take beautiful lesson. Alhamdulillah.

When a person considers a bubble, then a similarity and resemblance can be drawn to the worldly life.

Dunya is an Arabic word which literally means lower or inferior. ...In comparison to the real and everlasting life of the Hereafter, this world is inferior, superficial and contemptible. And Allah Ta’ala describes the worldly life as an illusion and deception:

“…The life of this world is nothing but an illusion.”

[Surah Al-Hadeed  57 : 20]

…Like a bubble, dunya has no value. On the outside, there is colour, there is glitter and glamour – and we are charmed by it. The gold and silver, the palatial homes, the luxury cars, and other commodities of Dunya look beautiful and striking. It not only appeals to us; it captivates us. It sometimes steals our hearts.

Allah Ta’ala informs us:

“Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return.”

[Surah Aal-Imraan 3 : 14]

When Hubbud dunya (love for the world) settles in the heart, it diverts the attention away from Allah Ta’ala, away from the objective of this worldly life – which is to recognize Allah Ta’ala, love Allah Ta’ala and worship Allah Ta’ala, in the footsteps of our Beloved Rasul (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

Unfortunately, we become so enamoured, we forget there is another life which is yet to come, and which we have to prepare for. We become obsessed with all the artificial and superficial enjoyments of this world. However, the enjoyment is short lived - and like bubbles, the things of Dunya also dissipate and disappear.

Like little children who try to catch the colourful bubbles - to no avail, we run after material commodities, trying to acquire them – but for how long do we enjoy them? …The bubble of Dunya is fragile and temporal like a soap bubble and it too, inevitably bursts and is no more.

We become so blinded by our love for material things that we, ourselves, end up living in bubbles.

Sometimes the bubble bursts in our lifetime, right before our eyes: The wife or husband is involved in an extra-marital relationship, gambling or other vices which inevitably cause the bubble to burst. Or the son is caught up in drugs or drink, or the daughter eloped with some disreputable character, etc. …May Allah Ta’ala protect us all; but these are frequent incidents and happenings.

…In English, a very well-known idiom is used: ‘(I don’t want to) burst your bubble.’ – that is to say that like how quickly a bubble bursts, so too, our enjoyments can abruptly come to an end, our hopes can suddenly be dashed and our “dreams” and plans can be shattered. This is sometimes the consequences of our own heedlessness and even indulgences in sins.

If not, then the bubble bursts in the form of death and a person realises at this point that this world was just a dream. The world has disappeared like a bubble which is no more. It was there and now it is not. We were in the world, but now there is no world. We have entered into the realm of the Aakhirah.

This reminds me of a verse of poetry by our Sheikh, Hadhrat Moulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (Rahmatullahi 'alayh):

"The world appeared to be so glamorous.

Its reality dawned upon me only when I went to the grave;

That what I had seen all along was but a dream,

What I had heard all along was but a tale."

How beautifully Allah Ta’ala reminds and cautions us:

“You prefer the worldly life (to the Hereafter), whereas the hereafter is best and ever-lasting.”

[Surah al-A'la : 16-17]

“O mankind, indeed the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.”

 [Surah Faatir 35 :5]

The easiest way to remedy the heart of the sickness of “Hubbud-Dunya” and the Ghaflat which follows hubbud-Dunya is to keep the company of the Ahlullah. Their hearts have been purified of the vestiges of this lowly world and it is only the Love of Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) which occupy their hearts. Their connection is with the heavens, even though they are on earth.

Their condition has been beautifully encapsulated in the following words:

"In this World they resided - yet devoid of worldly ties.

In its Oceans they have been submerged - yet no wetness touched their clothes."

It is in their Suhbat, that our connection with Dunya will wane and our connection with Aakhirah will be established, Insha-Allah. We will then understand the beautiful Hadith of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam): “Verily, the world has been created for you and you have been created for the Hereafter.”

We will then make use of the worldly commodities, but will not give our hearts to them; rather we will use them to acquire the best of the Hereafter.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the understanding of this worldly life and the Taufeeq of preparing for the Hereafter.

Khutbah Hameediyyah on the Honour of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam)

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Alhamdulillahi munshi'il khalqi min adami

All praise is due to Allah Who has created the creation from nothing; 

Thummas salaatu ‘alal mukhtaari fil qidami.

Then Salaat on the Chosen one since ever.

Moulaa ya salli wa sallim daaiman abadan alaa Habibika, ‘alaa Rasulika khairil khalqi kullihimi

O Allah, send Durood and Salaam for ever and ever on Your Beloved, on Your Rasul, the best of all the creation.

Ya Rabbi salli wa sallim daaiman abadan alaa basheerin nazeerin Muhammada 

O Allah send Durood and Salaam for ever and ever on the 

Giver of glad tidings (of Jannah) and Warner (of the Fire of Jahannum): Muhammad (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

Moulaaya salli wa sallim daaiman abadan alaa Taahaa Sayyidil Mursalien

O Allah send Durood and Salaam for ever and ever on TaaHaa, 

The Master of all Messengers.

Balligh Salaami Raudhatan fihan Nabiul Muhtaram

Convey my salaams to the Roudha in which rests the Honourable Nabi.

[A Bedouin came to Madina Munawwarah and recited these couplets at the Roudha-e-Mubarak, which are now engraved on the frame of the Roudha-e-Mubarak]

Ya khaira man dufinat bilqaa’i a'zhumuhu

O You, The Best, whose (blessed) body has been buried in this plain (sand)…

'Fa Taaba min teebihinna al qaa'u wal akamu

Due to the fragrance of the blessed body of Rasulullah 
(Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) – the surrounding sand (touching 
his kafan) and the hillocks have become fragrant.

Nafsil fidhaa li qabrin anta saakinuhu

My soul is sacrificed for the mausoleum you are in.

feehil afaafu wa feehil judu wal karamu

In it is purity, generosity and compassion.

__________________

Huwal Habibullazhi turjaa shafaa'atuhu li kulli hawlin minal ahwaali muqtahimi

He is that beloved whose intercession we hope for; from all problems and difficulties of the future (of the day of Qiyaamah).

Ya Rabbi balligh bil Mustapha maqaasidanaa, waghfir lanaa ma madhaa Ya Wasi'al Karami

O Allah grant us our objectives by the Wasiela of The Chosen One, 
and forgive us all our previous sins, O Most Generous.

The Train of Life

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem 

As with the journeys in this world, the journey to the Aakhirah (Hereafter) also requires provisions. We know that death opens the door to a never-ending life. And this life will be pleasant and enjoyable if we take with us, the passport of Imaan and if we send ahead of us, the ‘material’ required to build our Jannah, Insha-Allah.

Having had the opportunity to travel by train on many occasions, the following analogy came to mind – with Allah Ta’ala’s Fadhl.

Our birth and arrival into this world signals the start of a journey. Like how a train is set on the railway tracks, so that it may move towards a destination, our lives seem to be like train engines, set on life’s tracks, with a course set out for us – and a destination awaiting each of us.

…Life in this world initiates our journey to the Aakhirah, and our life-span is like a moving train.

Each year of our life signifies a coach. The coaches of life are unique in that each one has twelve compartments (twelve months) and each compartment has 24 divisions (hours), and each division has 60 sections (minutes) and each section has got a further 60 sections (seconds).

Extraordinary and amazing as it is, this is our train of life, which we are given by Allah Ta’ala, to load the provisions for the Hereafter, Insha-Allah.

In fact, just pondering over these aspects of time: the seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades – and one sees the amazing and great power of Allah Ta’ala, who established time in this manner, in this division and segmentation. Allahu Akbar!

So we should imagine ourselves on the platform of the station of this world (Dunya). Our train is moving along towards the Hereafter, and we are filling the various compartments or coaches with deeds. We are packing and stacking each coach with good deeds or bad deeds – or with both good and bad deeds – or with nothing.

If we waste time on the station platform and we do nothing, then different sections or compartments of the coach are left empty. And doing nothing in the time given to us to acquire our provisions will ultimately result in regret.

If we are filling and heaping our coaches with worldly goods – and we are engrossed in accumulating more money, more homes and cars, more gold and silver, more and more of the world, then plenty may be acquired but nothing accompanies us when we have to leave. Let us understand that when we reach the station of the Qabr, all these worldly goods will be offloaded. The train of life disposes and drops the burden of worldly goods before we enter our graves.

Allah Ta'ala says:

“…and he will come to Us all alone.”

[Surah Maryam 19 : 80]

Nothing will be taken from this world, except the sheets which comprise our Kafan (shroud), to cover us; and our deeds which were carried out in the time of life. 


How sad it is when a person builds up his Dunya and leaves his Aakhirah barren. He invests in Dunya which he is to leave behind and he makes no investments in the Aakhirah where he will reside forever.  We exert ourselves and sacrifice our lives for a world which we are leaving behind… And indeed, this is a great loss and cause of great remorse.

If we pass time in bad deeds, we are only loading onto our train, the punishments of the Qabr and Jahannam – we are loading snakes and scorpions and fire to punish us when we reach the destination. This will then be awaiting us. May Allah Ta’ala protect us all.

If our seconds and minutes and hours, our nights and days are spent in accumulating good deeds and we are continuously loading Zikrullah, Salaah, Zakaah and Sadaqah, Fasting and other good deeds onto our train, then these will take on the form of the beautiful Ni'mats (bounties) of Jannah: the gardens, streams, castles and palaces, etc.


We are living in times, where everything is high-tech, high-speed. Even modern day trains are breaking records in speed.


Man is trying to keep pace with time, but cannot catch up with time. And the Hadith tells us as well, that a time will arrive where a year will be a like a month, a month like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like a flicker of a candle. ...So the train of life is an express train; traveling at an extremely high speed - delivering us to our graves fast.


Whether we are awake or we are sleeping, whether we are engaged in work or we are whiling away time, the train of life is continuously moving.


Take the example of sleep: If we make the intention of sleeping to gain rest, to gain strength and energy to continue in actions that will be pleasing to Allah Ta'ala, and if we sleep according to the Sunnah : Sleeping in a state of Wudhu, sleeping on the right side, with the right hand beneath the cheek, reading the respective Masnoon Duas - then despite being in a state of sleep and inactivity, we have loaded the compartments of those hours of sleep with great rewards and tremendous good.


If a person goes out to earn his living, and for eight or nine hours, he will be occupied in business and trade, then many hours are passing him by. However, if he intends that he is seeking Halaal sustenance, and with that Halaal sustenance, he will maintain his wife, children, spend on his parents, contribute for the poor and needy, he will expend in Deeni causes and he will utilise such earnings for Hajj and Umrah, then though he is occupied in the worldly activities, he is filling up the train of his life with great goodness and virtue.


Finally, after loading up the compartments and coaches of life, we will jump on the last coach and that is the end of the worldly life. What is ahead of us, in the form of good deeds or bad deeds, will be made evident in our graves and in the Hereafter.

Allah Ta’ala informs us that all these deeds will be waiting for us on the Day of Qiyaamah:

“The Day every soul will find what it has done of good present [before it] and what it has done of evil; it will wish that between itself and that [evil] was a great distance…”
[Surah Aal Imraan 3 : 30]

When loading our train with the goods of our deeds, there are two very important points to be kept in mind: Intention and Concentration.

Loading good deeds which are contaminated with Riyaa (show and ostentation) is like filling up a coach with lifeless bodies – which will not earn us any rewards; in fact, it can be the cause of punishment.

If there is no sincerity and devotion and there is no concentration, then there is the form of a good deed, but there is no weight to that good deed – like loading and packing empty cartons into the carriages of life. There may be quantity but there is no quality. The inner qualities are absent or non-existent – and we just do for the sake of doing. So our coaches are full with big boxes and cartons, but they are empty. 


Let us introspect and see if we are filling up with good or with evil, or we are letting coaches go by without anything, or we are piling up empty cartons in each compartment.


Where the Sahaba (RA) and our Akaabir valued each and every passing moment, looking towards filling the seconds and minutes and hours and days and nights in good deeds, in serving mankind, in seeking the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala, in seeking salvation, in seeking Jannah - let us reflect and ask ourselves: With what do we fill our seconds, minutes, hours - the days and nights of our lives?

Let us contemplate over this reality of life and time – which is slipping past so quickly, so quickly. If we keep in mind the Amaanat (trust) of this life, we will utilize our time constructively, Insha-Allah. Our lives will become valuable and we will be the beneficiaries of good time management when time is spent in Allah Ta’ala’s Pleasure.

Each one of us has a set number of coaches – but we do not know how many. It could be 20 or 50 or 70 coaches. Whilst we do not know how many, we work with each day we have, each minute we have at hand. There may not be another minute or another day. Let us work towards loading the carriages of our lives with noble, good deeds – so that we can enjoy the bounties of Jannah.

“For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work.”

[Surah As-Saffaat 37 : 61]

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the understanding, the concern and the Taufeeq to occupy ourselves in loading virtuous deeds in the carriages of the train of life and protect us from piling sins or empty actions in our lives. (Aamien)

By Hadhrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Is`haq Saheb (Daamat Barakaatuhum)