We are upon the haqq. Living in our well-furnished homes, eating the food cooked by our beloved mother/wife, not having to worry about b0mbs falling any moment, not having to be under the constant threat of death, living in the comfort and safety of our houses. We have never gone out to battle, never got our feet dusty in the path of Allah, we’ve never known the sound of grenades or gunfire, our eyes never witnessed buildings being crushed and bodies being torn to pieces after a barrel bomb attack, we’ve hardly studied the fiqh of jhad.
We’re on the haqq, -no doubt about that-
But you?
You are the khawarij.
You’ve left everything you had ever loved to defend a people whom you’ve never seen, who are not related to you in any way except through the bonds of Islam and humanity. You’ve left the comfort of your beds to come sleep on rocks, on the hard, blood-stained ground; you gave up the warm meal cooked by your mothers/wives to come eat whatever you come across, even going days without food.
You’ve left your career, job, loved ones behind to come live a life with no guarantees except death and injuries. You’ve studied deen under scholars who practice what they preach - who’ve marched forth with their guns and their pens.
But you are khawarij.
You desire death as much as we desire life,
But you are khawarij.
You’re giving your blood to purify this deen and to raise the word of Allah the highest, you’re sacrificing your lives without a second thought so that the oppressed can get a new life, while we - we are sleeping in our homes and some of us don’t even have the guts to watch what our brothers and sisters are suffering from.
But we are on the haqq and you are the khawarij.
You are treading the path of Khalid ibn Waleed, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Al Baraa ibn Al Malik رضي الله عنهم while we have hard time getting up for fajr and standing for tahajjud.
But we are on the haqq and you are the khawarij.
SubhanAllah, strange times we live in.
“The strangeness of this ummah; no one wants to conduct jhad except the khawarij. No one wants to strive to establish the Shari’ah except the khawarij. None are feared by their enemies except the khawarij. And their khurooj is proven when death has come and they die smiling…”
-Sayyid Qutb
A simple smile of a shaheed is enough to destroy years of propaganda.
The small index finger of a slain Ghareeb pointing towards the sky, where the throne of His Lord and protector lies, is enough to prove that, perhaps, the “khawarij” were on the right all time long…
That perhaps our claim of being fair and just was not true when it came to dealing with them, but we couldn’t realise because our eyes were blinded by the lies of those we thought were scholars.
And while we were busy running our tongues in slander and heedless sin, they were:
“Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those (to be granted shahada) after them who have not yet joined them—that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”
“Those to be granted martyrdom after them” that could not be us, because we were busy mindlessly shouting that one’s striving to meet His lord was extremism and heedlessness.
“The example of the disbelievers is like a flock not comprehending the calls and cries of their shepherd. ˹They are wilfully˺ deaf, dumb and blind so they have no understanding.”
So oh one who was granted sight after years of blindness, Oh one who was saved from accompanying the oppressors in the hellfire, Oh one who was saved from the previous generations of oppressors cursing him and his likes, rejoice, and remember Allah’s blessing upon you and How He blessed you with guidance, a guidance which you would not have attained except with His assistance.
And as Allah says, and His speech is the greatest:
“And you considered it bad for you, but it was good for you.”
So do not perceive their deaths to be a loss, nor perceive their losses to be due to Allah’s displeasure with them or His curse, rather in everything Allah has a wisdom, that we may or may not get to know. Alhamdulillah.
And if their perishing causes nothing but the guidance of a single servant, then that is better for them than red camels, as stated by our dear and beloved Muhammad ﷺ, whom, if we truly known and taken as an example, we wouldn’t call his followers “khawarij”.
Fasting all day and then feeling full after the first bite of food is the perfect example of how temporary this dunya is.
My dear sister whom I have not met, Let me begin with my apologies for that is all I can offer, I’m sorry I can not do more than apologies, But in my dua is where your remembrance lies, I’m sorry your screams and cries go unheard of in the depths of the night, under ground in dark rooms of confinement where strangers imprison you and hurt you, I’m sorry they raped and bruised you, Broke you and shattered you, Squeezed you and shackled you, Choked you and battered you, I’m sorry I was too busy with my life, I wasted my time on my phone chilling out, Checking out what’s new and what’s old, I maybe only thought of you once every few months, Your screams I could not bare so I chose not to listen, We all overlooked you and your struggle, We kept quiet just so we don’t get in trouble, We had the answer all along, I’m sorry we’re too busy saying you and those that defend you are wrong, Once upon a time a single tear falling from your eye would have ranked and sent forth armies to your defence, But it seems as though this ummah has lost its common sense, Sometimes I imagine being in your place, But every time I do I feel like I’m lost in time and space, I admire your strength, If this test was given to just anyone they would have surely crumbled, So my dear sister I am sorry, But Alhamdulilah the ummah is slowly awakening and rising, Your relief after hardship is soon, So bear with beautiful patience, For Allah subhanu wata'ala gives His greatest tests to His strongest soldiers. الْحَمْـدُ للهِ الّذي عافاني مِمّا ابْتَـلاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَـني عَلى كَثيـرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَـقَ تَفْضـيلا Praise is to Allah, Who has spared me what He has afflicted you with, and preferred me greatly above much of what He has created. Make dua for the ummah this Ramadhan, Alhamdulilah we have it way better than others, the purpose of Ramadhan is to remember the less fortunate and the struggle and to be greatful to Allah subhanu wata'ala for all that He has blessed us with, it’s so much more than just refraining from food and drink, it’s a month of beautiful lessons and a month to feed our souls. A reminder to myself first and foremost In Sha Allah.
The heart grows rusty due two things: through heedlessness and sins.
It is cleansed by way of two things: Seeking forgiveness and the remembrance of Alläh.
Remembrance of the most merciful Imãm ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 751H) | P.no. 111
Ibn Rajab رحمه الله said:
يا من ضاع عمره لا شيء استدرك ما فاتك في ليلة القدر فإنها تحسب بالعمر.
O you who have wasted your life, nothing can make up for what you’ve lost except the Night of Decree (Laylatul Qadr), for indeed, its value is equal to a lifetime.
(191)كتاب لطائف المعارف فيما لمواسم العام من الوظائف - ط ابن حزم
When you read the Quran and come across “O you who have believed”, do you think that those who have believed are living on Mars? No, Allah is addressing you! You are among those who believe. And when you come across “O mankind”, do you think mankind is living on Saturn? Pay attention—you are part of mankind.
When commands and prohibitions appear in the Quran, they are not just directed at Abu Bakr and Umar رضي الله عنهم. They are directed at you. These commands and prohibitions are meant specifically for you. The Quran does not only address the Muslim community as a whole—it addresses each and every individual Muslim personally. Every single person is being addressed directly by the Quran.
So when you read these verses, understand that they are messages from Allah to you. Read them as if a servant is reading the commands of his master with purpose and intent. Imagine a slave whose master sends him written instructions—commands and prohibitions in a letter. The worker receives this letter, kisses it, places it on his head, perfumes it and puts it on a shelf. But that’s all he does. He doesn’t follow the instructions.
Now, if the master later asks him, “What did you do with my message?”, and the worker replies, “I received it, kissed it, perfumed it, placed it on the shelf, and every day I take it down, kiss it again, read it, and put it back.”—what will the master do? He will hit him! He will say, “Did I send this letter just for you to honor it, open and close it, and place it on a shelf? Or did I send it for you to act upon it?”
Likewise, the Quran is not just meant to be recited and admired—it is meant to be followed. That is why the Prophet ﷺ said, “The Quran is either a proof for you or against you.”
So if you read “O you who have believed”, but then act like those who disbelieve, how will you answer Allah when you meet Him? Allah will surely question you about what you recited.
-Shaykh Muhammad Bin Abd-Al Hameed Bin Abdullah Al Zubaydi
وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن یُقۡتَلُ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمۡوَ ٰتُۢۚ بَلۡ أَحۡیَاۤءࣱ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشۡعُرُونَ﴿ ١٥٤ ﴾
وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَیۡءࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَ ٰلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَ ٰتِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِینَ﴿ ١٥٥ ﴾
ٱلَّذِینَ إِذَاۤ أَصَـٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِیبَةࣱ قَالُوۤا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّاۤ إِلَیۡهِ رَ ٰجِعُونَ﴿ ١٥٦ ﴾
أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ صَلَوَ ٰتࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةࣱۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ﴿ ١٥٧ ﴾
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And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allāh, They are dead. Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not.
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return
Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
Life is a constant struggle, and a feeling of weariness never departs your side, sometimes that of your body and at times of things that reside in your heart and refuse to go away. You have to strive either way, whether it’s for dunya or Akhirah, so why not direct all of your endeavours for the sake of Allaah?
True Value Lies in Iman
While worldly possessions are shared among all, Iman is a distinct honor. This hadith reminds us that true worth isn’t in what we own, but in the faith we’re granted.
Ibn Mas'ud said:
“Allah gives the Dunya to those He loves and to those He does not love, but He grants Iman only to those He loves. So when Allah loves a servant, He grants him Iman.”
[al-Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah]