The Awakening

Salaam and welcome to this week’s reminder …

Last week we wrote about the true meaning of journeying to Allah (Swt) – Siyaaha; by coming to terms with the notions: State and station and understanding what it means to be amongst His wayfarers. We pray that it served as a great reminder benefitting you throughout your week and we hope that you are ready to gain true inspiration from what this week’s reminder has to offer, bi-ithnillaahi ta’ala.

The Awakening   

As servants of Allah (Swt) we long to love Him (Swt), be near to Him and seek His Pleasure. However, more often than not we fail to remind ourselves of what it is that we need to comprehend before such blessings can be achieved. ‘Do we know what it means to be a true and devoted servant of Allah (Swt)?’; and ‘How or in what way our Lord (Swt) Has asked us to worship Him?’. Before one is able to journey towards Allah (Swt) we must understand what is meant by worshiping Allah (Swt).

Worshiping Allah (Swt) – ‘ibaadah is to serve Allah (Swt) internally and externally, with all that is pleasing to Him; have a deep knowledge of Him (Swt) – ma ‘rifah, love Him (Swt) – mahabbah; fulfil the true meaning of repentance - tawbah, by completely turning to Allah (Swt), and to seek every possible means to tread the path that will lead to the ultimate reward – Jannatul Firdaws, insha’Allah.  

A true awakening is to come to a realisation about one’s journey and one’s goal. Of which the first step is to understand that one can only be a wayfarer if Allah (Swt) – Mighty and Majestic - Has decreed for it to take place. Thus, those that wish for hidaayah – guidance – will get exactly that. But those that have chosen to turn away from the light of guidance, the blessed ’spiritual urge’ bestowed upon those that wish to receive it, will receive a calamity like none other:

“Those who forgot Allah, so He caused them to forget their ownselves; such are the corrupt ones.” [Al-Hashr 59: 19]

A wayfarer, on the path towards their Creator is always on guard to such a calamity taking place; reminding themselves that it is a calamity enough to destroy one’s entire being. Thus they begin to reaise that the greatest loss is to be pre-occupied with anything and anyone that may take one away from the remebrance of Allah (Swt); as such a situation produces nothing but mere loss and everlasting regret. Hence why sincere wayfarers are busy concerning themselves with that which will grant them nearness towards their Lord (Swt).

They prefer the eternal to the ephermeral; the pure to the corrupt, perfection over imperfection and truth over falsehood. Due to their yearning, striving and longing for their Beloved (Swt), they simply live, like a stranger – who’s inner-self is never truly known to those who claim to know them. For the yearnings within them, forever, go unknown…

They are amongst the people, but never with them; seen with the people, but never apart of them; and loved by the people, but never a lover of them. They have sold their portion of this dunya for their Aakhira … with a heart never at rest, until it will finally meet its Lord and Cherisher – The Beloved (Swt) of All.

“Yearning for Allah and His meeting is like the gentle breeze blowing upon the heart, extinguishing the blaze of the Dunya. Whosoever caused his heart to settle with his Lord shall be in a state, calm and tranquility, and whosoever sent it amongst the people shall be disturbed and excessively perturbed.” [Ibn al Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah]

So from week-to-week as you come to read and know of these blessed servants of The Most Merciful, read with true presence of heart and purity of soul, and seek to be amongst those who have been adorned with the beauty of emaan - faith, both inwardly and outwardly… for they are those whose hearts have been awakened and whose souls have been revived.