World Cup = "Waste Closet" & Waste Catastrophe

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

The toilet is generally not a topic for discussion, but it can serve as an apt analogy at times, and we can even draw lessons from it. ...Looking at how our lives are spent in sins, heedlessness and waste, we take some lessons.

The toilet has different names: latrine, lavatory, wash room, rest room and water closet – which certain English speaking people refer to as W.C.!

Presently there is a different W.C. – which, as we know, is the World Cup. Millions and millions of people, including a large percentage of Muslims, have thrown themselves headlong into the curse and Fitnah of the World Cup.

And it is, most definitely a curse, bringing with it, multiple Fitnahs and compounded sin: There is wastage and extravagance; there is alcohol, gambling, music and immoral behaviour and attire; there is "foul play", “hero-worshipping” and Tashabbu bil Kuffaar (imitating the non-Muslims in their dress and ways), and often there is neglect of Salaah as well.  We also hear or read of violence, stampedes and killings.

…Disobedience to Allah Ta’ala intensifies and heightens with such events. And this should create great concern, since sins summon the punishment of Allah Ta’ala. Moreover, a Muslim does not attach or associate himself, in any way, to what is displeasing to his Beloved Allah Ta'ala.

I translate this WC as a ‘WASTE Closet’.

The ‘Water Closet’ serves the function to flush away human waste, but the world cup is a ‘Waste Closet’ in that it flushes away a person’s wealth, time and energy. So much of good is just wasted away.

The one divergence or difference is that a water closet is a place of privacy, but this WC is on a public platform : There is open sin, open transgression and open rebellion against Allah Ta’ala. And this spreads across the world, especially via the media and the global broadcast. The majority get caught up in sin and futility.

I also translate it as the “Waste Catastrophe”. A catastrophe is an event causing great damage or suffering. It brings ruin and destruction. The World Cup is a catastrophe of great magnitude. The waste of time, wealth, energy; together with indulgence in various sins, including futility, causes great damage to our Imaan, our Aakhirah and our relationship with Allah Ta’ala.

We should keep in mind that Allah Ta’ala likens those who waste, to the brothers of shaytaan :

“…And do not squander recklessly. Surely, squanderers are brothers to shayateen, and shaytaan is very ungrateful to his Lord.”

[Surah Bani Israeel 17 : 26/27]

We should also keep in mind the Hadith : ‘(On the Day of Judgment), the feet of a person will not move until he is asked regarding:

1.)              His life; how did he spend it,

2.)              His knowledge; how did he act upon it,

3.)              His wealth; how did he acquire it (and)

4.)              How did he spend it, and

5.)              His body, how did he use it.’[1]

Considering the word, ‘WASTE’, the following lessons should be given some serious thought and reflection:

W :	WEALTH is wasted
A :	The ANWAAR of our Ibaadaat is wasted - because the darkness of sins ‘flushes' away the Anwaar and light of our good deeds.
	Wastage invites AZAAB (punishment).
	The AMAANAH of life is abused and wasted away.
S :	The SUKOON that resides in the heart of the Muslim is flushed away, on indulgence in sins. Our ACCUMULATED SAWAAB is wasted. The rewards, which we had earned are easily destroyed.
T :	TIME, which is an extremely precious bounty, is wasted.
E :	ENERGY, which was to be utilised in the obedience of Allah Ta'ala, is wasted.

Taubah is translated as repentance. This means that a person gives up his sins and does not return to them; rather he returns to the obedience of Allah Ta’ala.

So if we have driven in the direction of disobedience, then we need to turn back or reverse – and drive in the direction of the obedience of Allah Ta’ala and in the direction of His Pleasure.

This soccer mania and sport obsession, which is taking us away from good deeds and spoiling our Ta-alluq with Allah Ta’ala, needs to be flushed out of our hearts and lives, with sincere Taubah.

The WC, with its TOTAL WASTE and host of sins has no place in Islam.  So, instead of flushing away our wealth, time, good deeds - as well as losing out the precious and blessed month of Ramadaan and the priceless and auspicious bounties of Taraweeh and Qur`aan Sharief, flush away the World Cup. 

There is multiplied rewards for every single good deed carried out in Ramadaan. But there is absolutely NO reward for the World Cup - NO reward in viewing it, NO reward in talking about it and NO reward in participating in it, in any other way. In fact, a person just gets caught up in sins.

...Where the words of Qur`aan Sharief, Zikrullah, Durood Sharief, Amr bil Ma'roof and Nahy anil Munkar and other good or permissible activity and speech can be written in our books of deeds, our angels, Kiraman Kaatibeen, are instead, obligated to writing down our viewing, or our talking, or our screaming, or our updates of something so utterly useless - with this WC. ...This will be of no benefit to us in the Court of Allah Ta'ala. We should ponder over this reality and remember that our books of deeds will be presented to us. 

A Muslim's loyalty is with Allah Ta'ala and Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam). Now is an opportunity to prove that loyalty!

Moreover, the goals scored in soccer matches or rugby matches, or other such games carry no weight in the court of Allah Ta’ala. These ‘achievements’ are no achievements in the Court of Allah Ta’ala. They will be of no assistance to anyone on the Day of Judgment.

However, Allah Ta’ala has granted the Believers the opportunity of this worldly life to attain the Ultimate Goals: The Ma’rifat of Allah Ta’ala, the Muhabbat and Ishq of Allah Ta’ala, the Pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, and Jannah, Insha-Allah. 

So we should strive and go all-out for these goals.

With the reverse of the word, “WASTE”, lies the formula to achieve these goals:

E:	Bring an END to this waste,
T:	with sincere TAUBAH and with TAQWA
S:	with complete SUBMISSION and SURRENDER to Allah Ta’ala,
	with following the SUNNAH of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam)
A:	with the understanding that there is ACCOUNTABLITY,
	with preparation for AAKHIRAH, by engaging in A’MAAL-E-SAWLIHAAT (good deeds).
W:	In doing this, the Muslim becomes a WINNER. He WINS the Pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, and Insha-Allah, WINS Jannah

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the understanding, the Taufeeq of obedience, and the conscious awareness that the objective of this worldly life is to prepare for our journey to the Hereafter and our return to Allah Ta’ala.

By Hadhrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Is`haq Saheb 

(Daamat Barakaatuhum)

---

[1] Tirmidhi 

Darul Uloom Azaadville Annual Jalsa

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Click HERE for live audio-streaming

Gems 41 - 45

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Selected and concise advices / sayings of

 Hazrat Maulana Abdul Hamid Is`haq Saheb

(Daamat Barakaatuhum)

41.

The lovers of Allah Ta’ala have love for each other irrespective of where they reside in the world. 

Our Sheikh, Hadhrat Moulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) would say that the Lovers of Allah Ta’ala are one family.

42.

When making the Tarbiyyah of your child, do not forget that you too were a child once. 

You too made mistakes.

43.

When we switch on the light of Tashakkur (gratitude), the darkness of Takabbur (pride) will disappear.

44.

Every righteous effort of Dien is a tower on its own – be it the Darul Ulooms, Makaatib, Khanqahs, Tabligh, etc.

No effort of Dien  should be criticized or lowered to prove the greatness of another. All efforts are important and beneficial, and each effort complements the other.

45.

When a person spends his money in the path of Allah Ta’ala, he transfers his money from the account of Dunya to the account of Aakhirah.

WATCH carefully

Bismillahi Rahmaanir Raheem

The word “watch” brings to mind “time” and a “timepiece”, since a watch measures time, and we often check it to see the time.

On another level, it is a verb and indicates to a person who is viewing something, who is on guard, on the look-out, or who is looking after something.

A friend mentioned some lessons to be learnt from each letter of the word, “watch”. Inspired by those lessons, and considering the different meanings attached to the word, “watch”, other lessons and thoughts came to mind as well, with the Fadhl (grace) of Allah Ta’ala.

Each letter of the word “watch”,   'W'  'A'  'T'  'C'  'H', directs us to watch and be vigilant on various matters:

W

WORST ENEMIES

We have to watch our worst enemies, lest they get the better off us, harm our Dien and Aakhirah or even worse, destroy our Dien and Aakhirah. We have been told that our worst enemies are shaytaan and nafs. Allah Ta'ala identifies them for us and informs us. 

إِنَّ الشَّيْطٰنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُّبِيْنٌ ◌

“…Verily shaytaan is an open enemy unto you.”

[Surah Al-A`raaf 7 : 22]

إِنَّ الشَّيْطٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوْهُ عَدُوّاً ^ط

 “Surely shaytaan is an enemy to you, so treat him

as an enemy…”

[Surah Fatir  35:6]

And Allah Ta’ala directs us to turn to Him, and seek His protection when confronted with the whisperings of shaytaan.

وَإِمَّا يَنْزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطٰنِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللّٰهِ ^ط إِنَّهٗ سَمِيْعٌ عَلِيْمٌ ◌

  “And if an evil whisper comes to you from shaytaan then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is The All-Hearer, All Knower.”

[Surah Al-A’raaf  7 : 200]

We are told to read “Ta-awwuz” اَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْم    or  “لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللّٰه ”  to overcome the attacks of shaytaan.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Your worst enemy is your nafs which lies between your sides.”^[1]

Not only are these the worst enemies, they are hidden enemies. Therefore greater precaution needs to be exercised.

A

ACTIONS

We need to watch our actions. They must be in conformity with the Qur’aan Sharief and Ahadith!

They must be undertaken with sincere intentions; otherwise they will not be accepted in the Court of Allah Ta’ala. The rewards will be lost and Allah Ta’ala will say:  ‘Go to those who you showed off your actions to, in the worldly life, then see if you can find any reward with them!’^[2]

On accomplishing righteous actions, it must not be that the nafs inclines to vanity, conceit and pride. A sincere Saalik keeps a watch on his nafs and constantly reminds himself that all good actions, all achievements and all spiritual attainments are due to the Grace and Kindness of Allah Ta’ala.

From another perspective: Our actions must also not hurt anyone wrongly, nor must they cause an obstruction to anyone, etc. 

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “The Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands other Muslims are safe”

T

Thoughts

We have to watch our thoughts because thoughts give birth to actions. If thoughts are evil and they are given attention to and entertained in the mind, evil actions are likely to follow. If thoughts are good and pure, we can expect good actions to follow!

Tongue

We need to watch our tongue! There has to be care and caution when using the tongue.

Hadhrat Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said: Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "When the son of Aadam gets up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: `Fear Allah for our sake because we are with you: (i.e., we will be rewarded or punished as a result of what you do). If you are straight, we will be straight; and if you are crooked, we will become crooked.'''[3]

Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi ‘Alayh) would say that the tongue is small, yet its sin is big. 

On being asked how salvation can be achieved, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Guard your tongue, let your house be enough for you, and weep for your sins.”[4]

On another occasion, when advising the Sahabi, Hadhrat Mu’adh ibn Jabal (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), took out his tongue, held it with his fingers, and said: “Guard this.” – emphasizing by action as well, that we have to carefully watch our words, lest they are a means of punishment and ruin. May Allah Ta'ala protect us all.

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu) related that the Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: "The servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not realise, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the Fire further than the distance between the east and the west."

Time

From the letter “t” we take lesson that we need to also watch our time and make use of it constructively and productively, in preparation for the Aakhirah.

In the Qur`aan Sharief, Allah Jalla Jalaaluhu takes an oath by time, bringing attention to its importance, greatness and excellence.

وَالْعَصْرِ ۙ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ ۙ

إِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ ^لا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ◌

“I swear by the Time. Man is in a state of loss indeed, except those who believed and did righteous deeds, and advised each other with the truth, and advised each other  with patience.”

Allah Ta’ala is guiding us as to how to capitalize on the bounty of time – with good deeds – which are to be sent ahead of us, for our stay in the Hereafter. 

C

Company

We must watch whose company we keep. You are and become, and you are judged by the company you keep.

Rasulullah (Salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) captured the influence and consequences of company in a beautiful analogy, saying:

"A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least, you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace."[5]

 

Allah Ta’ala directs us to the company of the righteous and pious ones; those who are truthful in their relationship to Him:

“O You who Believe, Fear Allah and join the company of the Truthful ones

(the pious, the Auliya Allah).”

  

[Surah Taubah 9 : 119]

Moreover, a good friend is he who speaks to you about Allah Ta’ala, and when you are not there, he speaks to Allah Ta’ala about you – that is, he makes Dua for you.

We should also ask ourselves, if we offer good company to others – if we are good friends and influence others in a good way, which will profit them in Dien and Aakhirah? We should analyse if we are good companions, in the light of the Hadith where Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) was asked: “Which of our companions are best?”

He (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) replied: “One whose appearance reminds you of Allah, and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of the hereafter.”

H

Heart

We need to keep careful watch over our hearts. Our Sheikh, Hadhrat Moulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) would say that the heart is like the capital of a country and if it is not well fortified and protected, the enemy will easily infiltrate – and when the enemy, shaytaan, infiltrates – he shows no mercy.

When a government is overthrown, the enemy forces invade and capture the capital, to assert their control. Similarly, if the spiritual heart is weak with sins, the person will be vulnerable to the attacks of shaytaan. He will not have the security forces of Taqwa and Allah Ta’ala’s Special Protection that comes on Taqwa, to offer a shield against those attacks. …And if the heart is not guarded, shaytaan easily invades and captures that heart – and sometimes, Dien and Aakhirat is lost. (May Allah Ta’ala protect us all).

From another viewpoint, the Muslim is watchful in keeping his heart sound and clean. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “There is a piece of flesh in the body, if it becomes good (reformed), the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoiled, the whole body gets spoiled – and that is the heart.”[6]

A true Muslim would never want to deliberately disobey his Kind and Beloved Master, Allah Ta’ala. …However, when any sin is mistakenly committed, he immediately resorts to Taubah and Istighfaar, because he “sees” and feels, the black spot of sin, staining his heart – and he is never at ease with a heart that is dirty.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) explained: “When a Mu’min (believer) sins, a black dot appears on his heart. If he repents and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, his heart becomes cleansed and polished. If he continues to commit more and more sins (without repenting), the spot continues to spread and ultimately covers all of his heart.”

May Allah Ta’ala guide us to complete obedience and grant us the Taufeeq of keeping a careful watch with regards to our worst enemies – nafs and shaytaan, with regard to our actions, our thoughts, the usage of our tongues, the valuable gift of time, our company, as well as our hearts – and grant us Najaat and salvation in the Hereafter.

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

---

[1] Kanzul Ummal

[2] Musnad Ahmad

[3] Tirmidhi

[4] Tirmdhi

[5] Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

[6] Sahih Bukhari