First of all, there are some very common traits which i am sure we all know and need not discuss. These are: Ikhlas (khalis niyat) to Allah, Trust in Allah, Dua to Allah etc. However I want to discuss some traits which we lack and must give attention to. This may get lengthy, but very beneficial for those who are sincere.
1- PROPER KNOWLEDGE OF DEEN BEFORE STEPPING INTO THIS FIELD
Prophet sallalaho alayhi wassalam said: "Seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim." (Ibn Majah, 1/224. Tirmidhi 218)
The scholars are unanimous that the word "Knowledge" in this hadith means Islam.
Some people think that they are born scholars and they do not need to learn any knowledge. However Allah Almighty praised those who have knowledge and asked a simple question to such people:
"...Say: 'Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?" (39:9)
"..Allah will raise up, to ranks those of you who believe and have been granted knowledge." (58:11)
Gaining basic knowledge before entering the field of dawah is very important. Basic knowledge includes Study of Holy Quran translation, Aqeedah, Ahadith books like Riyad us saliheen, Basic Fiqh books like bulugh ul maram and biography of Holy Prophet pbuh. Reading biography is most important. Because it is what will teach us how to give dawah. Gaining knowledge doesn't at all mean going to madrassa for 8 years. However it also doesn't mean reading 1 ayah of Quran and 1 hadith and thinking oneself to be scholar. Usually young people are involved in this where they read some ayah or hadith and they think they have got it all and they can talk on anything. What happens is that they do not only deviate themselves but also make others run away from Islam. Prophet Muhammad sallalaho alayhi wassalam said:
"Facilitate things to people (concerning religious matters), and do not make it hard for them and give them good tidings and do not make them run away (from Islam)." ( Sahih Bukhari-Book 3, Number 69)
Beware of doing this brothers & sisters. We may end up explaining some ayah or hadith, or fitting it somewhere, in a manner, which is not actually intended by Allah & His messenger. And ive seen many young people do that. We need to be very very careful in this. Its a serious SERIOUS crime.
2- ADOPTING A MODERATE APPROACH
What is a moderate approach? To know the answer of this question, first of all we need to know our circle of daawah. The scholars defined this circle to be:
1- Family --- 2- Relatives --- 3- Neighbours & Friends --- 4- Local Community --- 5- National --- 6- International
However, many of us especially young people run this circle completely opposite like:
1- International --- 2- National --- 3- Local community .......
This is not at all a wise thing to do and is also against sunnah. We want to target & do huge things while not knowing our calibre and responsibilities. Prophet sallalaho alayhi wassalam said:
"..Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately.' (Sahih Bukhari 8/470)
Also Allah Almighty taught us moderation and deliberation through His own amal. Strange? Ibn Qayyim when asked about the question "Why did Allah create the Heavens & Earth in 6 days when He could have created in split seconds by saying "KUN FAYA KOON"?
One of the reasons, among 6,7 reasons that Ibn Qayyim (r) mentioned while answering this was:
"Allah wanted to teach His creation deliberation & moderation. And this is a GREAT parable. If Rabbul Aalameen, the One free from all faults is adopting deliberation, then how about us, full of faults human beings?"
So we need to be very careful. This is an age of immense flood of Islamic knowledge everywhere, especially on the internet. U can see one video of some scholar and THAT'S IT! U will say "I WILL DO SUCH AND SUCH THING." And then u get indulged in that thing. Later on u see another video and u say "I WILL ALSO DO THIS!" And then u get indulged in another thing. Later on u see some organization and u say "I WILL MAKE SUCH AN ORG. TOO." And that is how u get too much excited and get involved in so many things that it becomes impossible for u to handle all and u end up doing nothing. Be moderate brothers & sisters. See your calibre, see how much knowledge you have, see are u fulfiling farz responsibilities and:
"..keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much AS YOU CAN." (64:16)
May Allah help us adopt moderation and do deeds in which we are constant. Aameen
CONCLUSION:
This field is such vast that this post does not justify this topic at all. I wanted to discuss so many things but thought that people would get afraid by seeing the length of this post. So Insha Allah i will discuss in episodes. This series is "To be continued.." and insha Allah in next i will discuss "Not boring people" & "Hikmah" with details and examples insha Allah.
Asalam o alaykum. Many people keep asking me why I always advise them to study about aqeedah issues and make aqeedah strong. So here is just one branch of aqeedah i am sharing and the benefit it can bring. Belief in Qadar (destiny). It might be long. But i dont care. You people have to read this if you want so many of your matters come to ease.
1- It is from completion of Eemaan and Eemaan is incomplete without it.
2- Security from Shirk. Many people who do not have a firm belief and knowledge about qadr, fall into idolatrous beliefs and even challenge Allah Almighty on some occassions like the bollywood kaafirs who make songs like "Tarap tarap ke is dil se ah nikalti rahi. Mujko saza di pyar ki. Aisa kia gunah kia?"
3- It allows humans referring their affairs to their Lord Allah. Because humans know that everything is according to Allah's destiy. They will turn to Him in times of difficulty to repel and remove it from them (by making dua), and they will attribute their times of good to Allah and know that it is a favor from Him. Hence knowing their status at all times and not to complain and be ungrateful in hard times and not to be proud when they do good.
4- Calamities become easier to deal with when humans know that they are ultimately from Allah as a test.
5- Attribution of worldly pleasures like wealth etc, to their true source prevents their attribution to their immediate providers. Hence one only bows to Allah, not to their bosses or masters.
6- Humans come to know their Lord and attain His nearness and come to know His wisdom through belief in Qadr. If they reflect on the creation and the incredible things occuring in it, they become aquainted with Allah's wisdom.
THE CHARACTER THAT BELIEF IN DIVINE DECREE (QADR) BUILDS:
1- A patient personality
Proper knowledge that whatever happens is by Allah's decree gives one the ability to patiently bear the most difficult of times. When things do not happen as planned, the person with strong aqeedah accepts that there must be Allah's wisdom in that and this thought saves him/her from so many depressions and diseases. There are so many cases in the west when one person loses a job or wealth or doesn't get married to a girl (especially Hindu foolish culture), they commit suicide.
2- A contended personality
Knowledge that whatever wealth is gathered was already written gives the individual a sense of contentment when he or she fails in their effort to gain more. The person with strong aqeedah is hence encouraged to strive to attain the best of the afterworld. Because he/she is in a contended state.
3- A stable personality
Belief in destiny also keeps one from falling into despair or from being consumed with regrets and daydreams about what might have been. It also makes a person stable in the sense that he/she will remain free from extremes of happiness that cause one to forget Allah and the extremes of sadness that cause the ignorant to lose hope and blame Allah.
So imagine my brothers & sisters, what person we will become if we get proper knowledge of aqeedah and about Allah and what is our reality. All our problems can be overcome if we become the personality mentioned above. Are u still not convinced we should build our aqeedah more and more strong?
Another Important point is Belief in destiny and having a strong aqeedah will also save us going from sooth sayers and peers and magicians and astrologers etc. Because we Know the Sift of Allah Almighty with firm heart. And that Sift (attribute) is "AL HAKEEM" (THE MOST WISE). So we know whatever Allah has decided for us has immense wisdom and we don't have to worry about what will happen or what shouldn't have happened. We just need to turn to Allah Almighty, the One in whose Hands all affairs are.
THE MOVIES & TV SERIALS SYNDROMEThere are many harmful effects of watching movies & tv series. The most dangerous of them is that movies & tv series destroy our understanding of true aqeedah about life, and that a person starts living in wonderlands and gets more and more away from real life.
Movies & TV serials are like stimulators. Let me give one example. There can be some bad memory of yours, which is not that much bad and deep rooted in you. But then suddenly, you watch DEVDAS, or maybe you watch some pathetic ultra sad movie or tv serial of some low-life loser character, and all of a sudden all your bad memories are stimulated and you go into a sad condition as well! And this 1 day when u are in this condition, can effect lots of your matters. This is what these things do. They are like stimulators. And can stimulate very dangerous things inside u. To mention another:
SEXUAL DESIRES!
And here is the most DANGEROUS of all effects!! And that is for sure ---->
Anyone who watches Movies & Tv series on a very regular basis, loses his/her own personality and tries to act like what he/she sees. From talking style to thinking. Everything becomes that of the movie or tv serial characters. And this thing is so dangerous, that this even effects lots of decisions which we people take in LIFE! YES! IN "REAL LIFE". And believe me. That is a huuuge thing!
When our life decisions are based on inspiration from movies & tv series and lousy characters, then that is the ultimate limit of pathetic-ness and this means we are useless & nothing. Because anyone who loose their own personality and become the character of some movie or tv serial, and allow it to effect them to such an extent that it not only starts effecting their speech and body language BUT ALSO life decisions and become a criteria for them of 'what to do in life', then that means that person is a LOSER and a useless blind follower who has no self-respect what so ever and who bends to every wind flowing out there. Even if some TV actor tells them to take out their undergarment and put it on their face and become cool spider man. Trust me: THEY WILL!!
And believe me, that is one of the characteristics of dajjal that he will attract people like this and many will get attracted. (im not calling tv a dajjal, i believe dajjal to be a person but i consider these tools to be his best weapons). So make your choice everyone. Whether to let your life go on like this and become blind followers of movie & tv serial characters (dajjal) OR to have a free thinking mind and personality of your own. I mean COME ON! Have some self respect. You are no puppet. You have a thinking mind and a heart.
If you truly want to be a follower and follow someone in talking style and walking and thinking etc etc, then that 1 perfect person on this earth is Prophet Muhammad (sallalaho alayhi wassalam). Try to copy him without any shame or hesitation, and then see the changes it brings to your life. Trust me. Sisters you wont have to call QTV for your problems if you do that. Brothers you wont have to live a low life if you do that. Trust me. I am trying insha Allah. Lets vow to try to copy him insha Allah from this day onwards. O Allah give us istaqamah. Aaameen
