Depression VS Contentment (Part 2)

Depression VS Contentment (Part 2)

Opening

I'm not going to debate what is correct, but anyway I will, as in when you're in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, can you imagine the situation? What? It warrants total depression. The circulation of the assassination of Nabi , apparent victory turning into failure.

You see people that are fans of any soccer and cricket, when they lose that match, what happens to them? People can't sleep. Some people that are watching, they want to break the screen on the TV. This is the depression that people go through.

They become so obsessed. I don't know if the word obsessed just defines what people, what attachment people have with these games and their fans. And that fan doesn't know you, nor does he know about your existence.

For whom you're giving your life, and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave his entire life for you, and you still feel ashamed to reflect his teachings? His night and day was one. He cried for me and you, in mi'raj it was you and I, the male and the females of this ummah. And yet you suffer a complex looking like a believer?

Divine Sleep in the Battle of Uhud

In the smuts of the ferocious battle, where Sahaba lost their composure, the Quran says, in the midst of the battle, while this happened, Allah says, I send down divine sleep.

Azzat Zubair رضي الله عنه says, we were holding our swords and we fell off to sleep in the battle. Subhanallah.

When Allah wants to give it in the midst of the ferocious battle, staring at the kafir, while the sword is in you and they fall off to sleep, and you're a man sitting in the comfort of the best of luxury, you cannot sleep.

He says, and I can hear while we're sleeping, the sword is falling off my hand, and I can hear the munafiqeen saying:

"Do we have any part in the matter?"

Reference: Quran 3:154

You see, contentment comes from Allah. Two people are sleeping on one bed in one room, in one house, partnership. One has it, one Allah has snatched it away.

The munafiqeen were also in this battle, but they came with ulterior motives. They also seen this here, but this divine sleep and slumber only came on the believers, and Allah deprived the munafiqeen of it, because their participation in the battle was what ulterior motives. Hence, the thing I'm stressing and harping from is that this contentment comes divine from Allah, and it comes on total adherence and in total compliance to the dictates of shariats.

Sleep: From Allah or Shaytan

So what happens? Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه says:

النُّعَاسُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَالنُّعَاسُ فِي الْقِتَالِ مِنَ اللَّهِ

"Sleep in salah is from Shaytan, and sleep in battle is from Allah."

That sleep in the battle is a sign of victory and is from Allah, and sleep in salah is off to sleep, you know, don't think that is, you know, divine tranquility coming from...

Like one brother told me, you know, in salah, a person is busy playing in haram. He's owing someone money, he's planning how he's going to not pay his creditors. He thinks up a plan and then he says, subhanallah, namaz is so wonderful. You know, Allah gave me such a thought. Allah gave me such a thought in salah.

One brother told me, he says, Marwan, I have a problem. I said, what's your problem? He says, in salah, I think of my wife a lot. So I told him, brother, you are lucky, most of the people think of other people's wives, you're lucky, carry on.

I said, wallah, you are lucky. And I say it again, wallah, I say it again. That's not the ideal thing, you should be thinking of Allah.

But if in salah you think of your own wife, you're a lucky man today. Us 80%, they are not thinking of their own wife, they're thinking of strange woman. If you think of your own wife, mubarak to you in your thoughts. Wish you well in your endeavors.

Allah gave them sleep. It was a period of time and he says, and then we got up, we got up, we had our act together. We had, we had our composure and once again, we launched an attack. Hence, my brothers, in the midst of such challenges, Allah gave them peace.

The Story of Prophet Ayyub عليه السلام

Let me come with the incident of Ayyub عليه السلام and we bring it to the culmination.

Ayyub عليه السلام this is what happens. That, in this situation, seven years pass, it continues. After a period of time, it comes to 13 years.

On the athar of Anas رضي الله عنه one day a devil comes. Again, what, what other options been presented? Take this and you'll be happy. Drive, drive this car. And you know, the, the, the advertisements, the ideal couple, husband and wife with broad smiles and a child walking through a marketplace. And you know, the clothing is so beautiful. They both are slumming attractive, such a beautiful, you know, no problems.

What, what do you need? Ideal picture. That couple doesn't exist, but on pictures. There's no couple like that in life.

So anyway, the devil came to the wife of Ayyub عليه السلام in a disguised form, in a form of a doctor. And she says, I will cure your husband. Again, what, what, what temptations there are to satisfy you? You've got this

bank balance, you've got this bank offer, you've got this loan. You can do this with your money. You can go to this place for holiday and vacation. And it's so soothing and it's so nice and so promising.

So the devil came and the devil told the wife of Ayyub عليه السلام that I will cure your husband. The only thing I need is that after I have cured him, you must acknowledge me. Nothing more. You must say, I really appreciated you that you have cured my husband.

Perhaps given the desperation of this woman, she did not fully fathom the implications of the statement. And she said, OK, if that's the case, I'll do it. You know, I'm desperate for cure. When a person is desperate for cure, he will travel anywhere and do anything. And many a times we don't realize we step outside the boundaries of permissibility also.

She happily came to a spouse and she said, Ayyub, the matter has been resolved. I met with a doctor and he's promised to cure you. And he only wants that I must acknowledge him.

But subhanallah, a nabi is not oblivious of Allah at any point in his life. He gets up and he tells his wife that I am the sick one. I am suffering, but I am content. Why are you becoming restless? That was the devil that came to you. Do you know that statement is tantamount to kufr, because you are attributing the quality of cure, which is exclusive to Allah, to the creation of Allah. Now, for a person who is desperate himself to utter that is not easy.

Lessons from Prophet Sulaiman عليه السلام

Sayyidina Sulaiman is in the midst of affluence, in a state of ecstasy, a person forgets his position, ecstasy and sadness. A person generally trespasses beyond the limits of shariah. Sayyidina Sulaiman, the entire throne of Bilqis is brought.

What authority, what power, what kingdom, what might? But when he seen what authority Allah had endowed him with, what a vast kingdom, immediately he said, This is the sheer mercy of my Allah that he's favored me with such a dominion. And this is out of his kindness and nothing out of my own intellect.

Sayyidina Ayub عليه السلام says that was the statement of the kafir, of shaitan. And I don't want him. But because of the statement that you have made, if I ever recover from my sickness, I'm going to give you a hundred lashes.

Now, yesterday we had a little discussion. Sheikh Riyad was speaking about, you know, family problems and that. Look at this situation. How today trivial things are creating depression in our life. And you know how Allah is favoring them. What a challenges in their life. But look at how they react.

Being Non-Judgmental

Time carries on. Someone makes a statement. Some two people, this riwayat comes in Musnad Ahmad, who are very close to Ayub عليه السلام . One of them made a statement that I think that Ayub is suffering so much because he has really done something wrong in his life.

Well, I ask Allah that we become judgmental on the tragedies of others. Let us never become judgmental. Whenever you see a young boy doing something wrong, he's involved with some haram.

Allah be my witness. I have said this before and I said I try my level best. Come home, perform two rakat salah, make dua to Allah Ta'ala, not speak about it to anyone else.

Whenever you meet him, speak to him, make dua and encourage him. Today, it's him. I have children. You have children. Until and unless this ummah will not embrace every child and until and unless we will not make our contribution to this particular institution, even after my children leave from here. Then we are here for the ummah, not for selfish reasons.

That father who resigned from a committee after his son has left. He was there for personal reasons. This ummah is a selfless nation, not a selfish nation.

The Cure of Prophet Ayyub عليه السلام

So when Ayub al-Islam heard this, he felt very hurt. He said, Allah, you have tested me. I have persevered. I am happy. I am content. But if this is the notion of people that I'm suffering because I have done wrong, then I implore you, make instant decisions of my cure. Make a decision now of my... If this is the perception of people, Allah responded immediately. We found him to be very patient. We found Ayub to be very patient.

Allah said, Strike your heel on the ground. Strike your heel, water will gush out. Drink from the water, all your internal sicknesses are cured. Bath in the water, all your external sicknesses are cured.

He drinks from the water in the rewrite of Ibn Abi Hatim, Allah sends down a garment of Jannah. He is internally, externally cured. Allah restores his youth to him. He dresses the garment of Jannah and he sits there. His wife returns.

She cannot identify. She comes to this young, handsome, attractive. Imagine you come home and your wife is 20 years younger. The desire of every man. And same thing for the woman, she would say the same thing that you come home and you find subhanallah and that she's gone so much more younger. But this is when contemptment comes from Allah.

In that challenge also, in that difficulty also, there was happiness, there was tranquility. So she comes to him and she asked him, Sorry, you mind me asking you, there was an elderly, sick, aged person here. Do you know who he is? So he smiles and he says, now, do you know my wife? I am your husband, I am Ayub.

So, you know, like they say, sometimes too nice to be true. You know, I would be too happy to have it, but it sounds too nice for it to be true. He then narrates the incident. They embrace one another and they thank Allah.

Divine Intervention and Concession

Immediately, he now recalls that I had taken a qasam that I have to lash my wife 100 times. Now, one side, he doesn't want to violate his oath, at the same time, the loyalty of this partner. She stood as a pillar of support in days of difficulty and hardship.

So Allah makes divine intervention in the matter. Allah makes divine concession in the matter, not in any hadith, kitab, in the Quran. Allah says, O Ayub, I acknowledge the contribution and the moral support of your wife. You are not going to lash her and neither are you going to violate your oath. You leave it to me.

I make intervention. You go and look for a bundle of grass which has 100 straws of grass in it. And then you touch her once and that's lashing her 100 times.

Ibn Kathir رحمه الله says:

وَهَذَا أَمْرُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلِهَذَا عَقَّبَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِرَشَادَتِهِ وَصَبْرِهِ لَا سِيَّمَا فِي إِذْهَابِ الضَّرِّ وَالْمُصِيبَةِ وَالْمَخْرَجِ مِنَ الْحَرَجِ لِمَنْ اتَّقَى

"This is the command of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and because of this Allah extolled his guidance and patience, especially in removing harm and calamity, and providing a way out of difficulty for whoever has taqwa."

The divine intervention and concession that Allah made in the matter was because of her contentment and moral support. She stood content. She stood happy that what may Allah has decreed in our life between myself and my husband and my children, whatever my Allah has put out, I am happy. As a result of her contentment and her moral support, this was the divine intervention and concession that Allah made in the matter.

Materialism and the Loss of Contentment

I leave you with one brief incident and make dua to the Almighty Allah that He inspires this contentment in both myself and you. And the entire Muslim ummah, the entire world is desperate for contentment. Travel throughout America and North America.

Wallah, more desperate than the people living in abject poverty for food is the people living in this part of the world for contentment. They are more desperate for it than those living desire in bread and water. There is nothing they have tried it in this, they have tried it in that. In music, in women, in clubs, in scenic views, there is nothing.

Allah, behold, beware:

"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace."

Reference: Quran 13:28

Now, there are two things. One is Allah says the remembrance of Allah brings joy. Naturally, the reverse meaning will be nothing else brings joy. When Allah's remembrance brings joy, nothing, nothing but nothing else can bring joy.

The Story of Abu Ubaidah's Return with Wealth

There was an article that I read on a particular masjid board and I leave you with this:

Question and Answer Session

Question 1: Characteristics of a True Friend

Appearance reminds you about Allah, his external appearance, the manner in which he presents before you, reminds you of Allah. I think the first point was taken and was quite well absorbed and understood.

And when he speaks, when he articulates, when he mentions, then your knowledge of Allah, your consciousness of Allah Ta'ala increases. And the third point which perhaps was ambiguous or vague, which the brother has asked about.

His actions, his display, the manner in which he conducts himself, reminds you about Akhirah. How conscious he is, how meticulous he is, the manner in which he conducts himself, his honesty, his integrity, the fact that he is conscious of accountability. If a person lives a life, you know, with no scruples, with no values, with no morals, then this is a clear reflection that he is not conscious of the perception of accountability.

Allah Ta'ala says with regards to those that cheat in their dealings. That because they cheat and they commit the act of fraud in their dealings, immediately the Quran goes on to say after cursing them, woe be to those who deal in fraud. Are they unaware that they will be resurrected? When humanity in its entirety will converge and will be accountable to Allah Ta'ala.

So the third point in the hadith, perhaps if I may explain it again, is that this person's actions reminds his friends of Akhirah, the manner in which he interacts with his friends and with his colleagues reminds you of Akhirah.

Question 2: Friends Who Are Not Pious

The next question was also with relevance to the topic on friends and befriending. What if I have my friends that I grew up with all my life, but they are not pious, do I severe ties with them or isn't it wise, and perhaps this is answering the question himself, or isn't it wise to be friends with them and help them to choose the right path? Many of the youth are facing these adversities.

Sheikh, I want your honest opinion and instead of creating enmity, it could guide us in the correct way. I think the point the brother has raised is very relevant and very topical and it is a dilemma that many youth face. Of course, the question is how much spirituality that each person has in impressing that and transmitting that very piety onto others.

Of course, that is our duty as Muslims that we become conscious of Allah Ta'ala, we become pious and we transmit that spirituality onto others. This is the ultimate goal and an object that should be in the life of every person. But more than often we find in situations like this, we get sucked and pulled in that environment and we get influence instead of influencing.

It is well and said and done. It sounds very rosy and theoretically, I think everyone would agree and that would be the ideal situation, ideal situation that yes, you could perhaps go there and take them out of that evil,

introduce them to the correct without it influencing on you. But like it is always said that when you sit with them and you associate with them then some influence of that definitely rubs onto you.

So I think it's not a general ruling that should be, you know, advocated that severe ties or maintain ties. I think every situation is going to be identified independently and if a person can see he has friends and alhamdulillah gradually he is working on them and they are bringing about a change and he is starting to interact with good friends and you know by him socializing with them and them getting exposed to his reformation in life is bringing about a change in them. So why not?

Gradually bring them into the company of the pious with whom you associate and like, you know, the question phrases it very well that if you severe the chances of them going deeper into sin is there. So naturally that is not the object but at the same time not at the expense of sacrificing one's own reformation.

More than often we find a person sits with those that smoke and he starts smoking, a person goes out with friends that womanizes and he perpetrates the same crime. So if he could bring them into good environment and keep contact with them on occasions where he understands he is not that vulnerable then by all means, by all means and that should be ideal but not at the cost of sacrificing his own reformation.

Of course this question could, you know, there could be much more that could be said but just briefly that is what I would like to contribute.

Question 3: Father's Access to Son's Wealth

The third question asked here is and very briefly we're running through them. You mentioned in your talk that a father has absolute access. I think again like, you know, Dr. Munir Al-Qasim mentioned again. It's a choice of words which perhaps give off a certain notion and perception. But nonetheless your talk, you mentioned in your talk that a father has absolute access to his son's wealth.

In the case where father demands access to wealth but the wealth is abused that is wasted on gambling. Is it still sinful for the son to refuse giving the wealth? Jazakallah khair for your talk and guidance.

You know, the hadith of Nabi, we know there is no obedience to the creation at the cost of the displeasure and the disobedience of the creator.

I think this is a quite basic and simple that that assist in matters of good and do not assist in matters of evil. As obligated and as dutiful we are to our parents in matters that conform with shariah, that particular sahabi Sa'd (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - radiya Allahu 'anhu) after accepting Islam and his mother vowed not to eat nor drink nor sleep nor rest until her son abandons Islam.

Subsequently the verses were revealed and subhanallah in the Quran in the most eloquent comprehensive yet voluminous description of the Quran which is a very clear cut verse of the Quran that if they compel you to shirk, to polytheism, to any act of disobedience then do not obey them in that particular matter.

However, this doesn't give a general ruling of becoming, you know, rebelling against your parents. Be kind and loyal and faithful and dutiful and politely decline, respect their difference, but do not comply to their dictates with regards to the disobedience of Allah.

So naturally if a person knows that his son knows that the father is asking for wealth and the father is abusing the wealth, even in the event of the father is not asking wealth from the son, but the son knows that the father out of his own earnings or wherever he's getting wealth, he's abusing the wealth in gambling.

It would be the duty of the son to make efforts to guide the father, to direct the father. Of course with diplomacy and with wisdom and it would not be correct. It would not be correct for that son to give the father knowing very well if the father is going to abuse the wealth.

In fact, it can be safely said that at that time the command of Allah would be to refuse, at that time the command of Allah would be to refuse because knowing very well the person is going to abuse the wealth and that is exactly what Nabi ﷺ said.

You know, very comprehensive hadith of Nabi ﷺ, he who loves for the pleasure of Allah and dislikes for the pleasure of Allah, at times dislike, hatred on the name of Allah. Abdullah ibn Mukhafer رضي الله عنه told his son, told his nephew that, you know, you're throwing the stone like that, Nabi ﷺ said, using the stone, you know, aiming it at someone is not going to kill the game or the animal. It will injure someone's eye. Perhaps it will break a tooth or more.

And few, you know, some days later he finds his nephew using the stone in the very same way that the Nabi of Allah had prohibited. So he says, you know, I am telling you that the Nabi of Allah, he has reprimanded and prohibited, you ignore the consequences and the warnings and yet you persist in doing this, I swear by Allah, I will never speak to you.

So displeasure and anger on the name of Allah is also desired and required and it is matloob, you know, there are many verses of the Quran where Allah Ta'ala speaks about that also, and to give on the name of Allah, Allah exhorts us and encourages us, and to withhold and to refuse and to hold back and that is exactly the difference between tabdheer and israf.

Allah says that those that waste, they are the brothers of the devil and Allah says, Do not waste your wealth. You know, someone was spending a lot of wealth in good, in someone made a comment and he said, There is no good in extravagance. There is no good in extravagance.

So that person replied by saying, correct, You are correct in what you said that there is no good in extravagance. At the same time, there is no extravagance in matters of good.

On the occasion of Tabuk, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه gave everything, there is not extravagant, but rather that is desired. In the same way while we are encouraged to spend in good, there are two times where we are discouraged. One is israf and tabdheer. Israf means to spend more than what is necessary in legitimate and lawful things and tabdheer means to spend in haram.

If a person spends even a cent in haram, it is tabdheer because it is abusing the wealth and many, you know, many more things can be said. So I think the answer is quite clear that in the event where the wealth has been abused, then of course, it would not be correct to give that wealth forward.

Question 4: Age for Hijab

I'll just end with the last question here. What age is a Muslim female supposed to don the hijab? We know as Muslims, a person becomes mukallaf, where the laws of sharia become applicable to him or her, where salah becomes compulsory, discharging of zakah for a male to observe his salah, etc. is when he physically matures. At the point of physical maturity, this is the time where it becomes compulsory, mandatory, obligatory.

But as is the pattern of the hadith of Nabi ﷺ, that he exhorts, we discipline our children from an earlier age so that they become routine, you know, a person would first do a thing because of pressure, a child at the age of 7 is going to perform salah, not out of the virtue or the sweetness or the love of salah, but out of the sheer pressure of his father, it would then become routine in his life.

If he does it from 7 to 10, from 10 to 12 or 13, he'll do it because for the last three years, he's been performing salah, hence he performs it out of routine and habitual and then after that, inshallah, the element of spirituality enters into him, we're conscious of his obligation to his creator, he's been performing for the last five years, conscious of the implications of salah, of the stern warnings of neglect in salah, etc.

Likewise, a sister, you know, she should don the hijab, it would be obligatory upon her at the time that if she physically matures, but of course, we would encourage her when we see today such young girls, you know, displaying fashion and also, you know, in manners that are semi-nude, which is reflecting an image of immorality at a very young and tender age.

So let us not consider any age to be too young to impress upon them, knowledge in childhood is like engraving something on a stone. So it would be compulsory at physical maturity, but it definitely would be encouraged at a much earlier age.

Closing Remarks

That were basically the few questions that were asked, inshallah Sheikh Riyad would continue, again, that if what was said was correct, which conformed with the desire of Allah and his Rasul, then it is from Allah, and if it was a mistake, definitely not deliberate, then that was from my side and from the devil, and Allah and his exalted Nabi both are free from that particular version, which was not in conformance with the teachings of Rasulullah ﷺ, jazakallah.