The World Cup: if Allah wills it to be so
This article is taken with permission from Idris Tawfiq’s website
Islam is just so different from every other way of life. It is such a sweet religion. Every aspect of every day is covered by Islam. There is no aspect of life that is not touched by its sweet and gentle message. Even the World Cup!
As Muslims we should never forget this. It is so easy for us to be influenced by those voices all around us that speak about Islam in a bad light. We have only to turn on the television to see images of violence from around the world. Almost every newspaper front page has something to say about Islam and Muslims,even though the real issues theare talking about are immigration or political injustice. Too often, because of this, our religion has become associated in the minds of non-Muslims with terror and extremism.
At the present time, Islam and the West look upon each other with suspicious eyes. It seems as if Islam and Muslims are being blamed for every one of the world’s ills. Even at school or at college or in the workplace, we often keep quiet rather than speak out against these detractors. Sometimes it is all we can do because we are in the minority. The worst thing about all this media pressure on Muslims is that, in the end, we can start to believe it, or at least we begin to doubt how special our faith really is.
And yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Islam is the most beautiful, the gentlest, and the sweetest religion. Its very name comes from a word meaning “peace” and “submission” to the will of Allah. In fact, Islam is far more than just a set of beliefs. It is a complete way of life. As Muslims, we not only know the eternal truths about life and its meaning, but we also know how to enter a room or how to greet people. We know what to say before eating food or when we have finished. We know what prayers to say when we get up in the morning or before we start a journey. For Muslims, being charitable doesn’t mean just giving money or food to those who are without. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that even a smile to your brother is a charity. Even to remove a stone from your brother’s path is a charity.
As Muslims, we have words that we use throughout the day that show our attitude to life. For example, for everything we say “Alhamdulillah,” thanking and praising Almighty Allah for everything that happens to us, as part of His will for us. We reply that we are well, Alhamdulillah, or that we have had enough to eat, Alhaqmdulillah. Even when things don’t seem to be going right we say Alhamdulillah because Allah is in control of all things and we can always rely on Him.
One phrase that non-Muslims find very difficult to appreciate or even to understand is inshallah. Roughly translated, it means “if Allah wills it to be so.” For a Muslim, nothing will happen unless Allah wills it to be so. We say that we are going into town, inshallah, or that we will see our friends tomorrow, inshallah.
It is not a vague hope that things might happen as we want them to. Many non-Muslims take inshallah to mean it might happen. We might see them tomorrow. We might pass our exams. But for Muslims it doesn’t mean “might.” It means that we are totally certain that Allah is in control of all things. We are certain that the sun will not come up tomorrow unless Allah wills it to be so. We know for a fact that night will not follow day unless, inshallah, Allah wills it to be so. And the World Cup final will only take place if Allah wills it to be so! At this time, when football and the World Cup are on every TV screen, let me make a comparison that is well worth making. A few years ago in Egypt, where I live, the final took place of the African Cup of Nations. The countries of Africa competed to see who was the best at football.
What happened in Egypt, a predominantly Muslim country, was truly remarkable. Some 80,000 football supporters gathered in Cairo Stadium for the final, as they had gathered in other sports venues throughout the country for the games leading up to the final. Unlike the violent and drunken football fans in many parts of the world, these supporters were different. There was no alcohol in sight — they were Muslim. There was no violence in sight, either — they were Muslim. And to a man and a woman, they were all waving Egyptian flags and chanting in Arabic “If Allah wills it to be so, we will win the Cup.”
As it happens, Egypt did win the African Cup of Nations that year(I should know, I was there!), but the greatest victory of all, for me, was to see how the fans behaved. I would have loved to send photos of them to newsrooms around the world. I would have liked journalists from the West, so used to branding Muslims as extremists and fanatics, to see the good-natured behavior of almost 80,000 football supporters. I would have liked all people to see how Muslims can enjoy together and relax together. And it would have been good, too, for Muslims to see this and to realize once more just how beautiful our religion is. Even amidst the excitement and the frenzy of a football match, the fans were able to think of Allah. “If Allah wills it to be so,” they said, “we will win.”
As Muslims, we often forget to take pride in who we are. Islam doesn’t need anyone’s permission or anyone’s approval. Let’s take the example of this World Cup in Aouth Africa to remind ourselves that Muslims don’t need to get drunk or to be violent or to swear or to hate other people in order to have fun. Let us not forget, Alhamdulillah, that Islam provides us with everything we need to be fulfilled as people. Why don’t we, when watching the World Cup with our non-Muslim friends, throw in the occasional inshallah into the conversation or exclaim Alhamdulillah when we see a great goal being scored. You never know, but a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo might be just the excuse a friend needs to ask us what this Alhamdulillah that we are always using means. For Muslims, all things lead us to Allah. Inshallah, even the World Cup can bring us closer to Him!
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| Image from www.idristawfiq.com
Idris Tawfiq is a British writer who became Muslim a few years ago. Previously, he was head of religious education in different schools in the United Kingdom. Before embracing Islam, he was a Roman Catholic priest. He now lives in Egypt. For more information about him, visit www.idristawfiq.com. |
Islam speaks directly to the human heart and calls us to a pure and simple worship of the One God, Allah. This was the call of Allah’s Messengers down through the ages, starting with Adam, the first man, and Noah, the first prophet.
In remembering the new Hijrah year (the Islamic year, based on a lunar calendar), we remember the migration of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and of the first Muslims as they left everything and moved from all that they had known in Makkah, to a new life at the service of Allah in Madinah.
More than just a journey, that first migration was a transformation. It marked a new stage in the development of Islam. Islam would not be a religion like any other. It would be a complete way of life.
As sincere believers today, we, too, are called to make that transformation of our own as we leave behind the errors of the past and move forward to a better life, submitting as Muslims to the will of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad tells us,
“Hijrah will not cease until repentance becomes useless; and repentance will not become useless until the sun rises from the West.” (Abu Dawud)
In those earliest days of Islam, after suffering great persecution at the hands of the tribe of Quraish in Makkah, it was finally revealed to the Muslim community by Allah that they should leave everything and migrate to a new place, where they would worship Allah freely and where Allah would become the centre of their life and their city.
So it was that those first Muslims set off, with almost nothing, for a new life in Madinah. Those who had gone to live in Abyssinia returned and went with them.
At first, Prophet Muhammad was not told to leave. His every movement was watched by those ensnared in idol worship, seething with hatred for Islam and its Prophet. When it was finally revealed that he, too, should make the journey, it was done under cover of darkness and with great secrecy, lest his enemies would kill him and stop the message of Islam from spreading.
Accompanied by Abu Bakr, the Prophet Muhammad managed to fool those who went after him once his departure became known, by taking shelter in a cave by night and by following routes that his pursuers would not have expected him to follow.
When he finally arrived in Madinah, the Muslims there had been waiting for days in anticipation of his arrival, sending scouts to announce his coming. It was a Jew from Madinah who announced the Prophet Muhammad’s arrival.
“O Arabs!” he said, “Here is your great man whom you have been waiting for!” The singing and rejoicing reached a great climax and the Prophet entered the city.
This is the event we celebrate each Islamic New Year. Those celebrations are different from what happens throughout the world on New Year’s Eve. When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, people all over the world jump and shout and sing and dance that another year is over, and that a new one is just beginning.
In London’s Trafalgar Square, revelers throw themselves into the icy cold waters of the fountains. The Eiffel Tower and Sydney Harbor Bridge are lit up by the colors of a thousand fireworks.
The reason behind celebrating the new year varies among people. Some will be pleased that the old year has passed. Maybe during that year they experienced the loss of a loved one or they lost their job or their home. A new year, for those people, can only be something to look forward to. Others will simply be looking for something better, a new chance, a new start.
The new Hijrah year will not be accompanied by any balloons or fireworks or jumping into ice-cold fountains. For Muslims, it is not a feast at all.
Sincere believers throughout the world, though, will reflect on the meaning of the new Hijrah year and will take great comfort from it, they know that Allah Almighty is in charge of times and seasons and that He cares for His Creation with an infinite care. Islam calls all people to worship Allah:
(He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything that is in between them. Worship Him alone, then, and remain steadfast in His worship. Do you know any whose name is worthy to be mentioned side by side with His?) (Maryam 19:65)
Islam, as we all know, comes from an Arabic root word which means both “submission” and “peace,” Muslims are those who submit to Allah. What more potent symbol of that submission could there be than our Hijrah?
As Muslims we are always on the move. We may live in this or that place, but our destination is to be with Allah for all eternity. This is our goal, the destination of our Hijrah.
In the Quran we read:
(Whosoever migrates for the cause of Allah will find much refuge and abundance in the earth, and whosoever forsakes his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His Messenger, and death overtakes him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful) (An-Nisaa’ 4:100)
We are asked to put our trust in Allah alone. If we can reach the stage where our only hope is in Allah, then all the world’s wars and economic crises will not harm us or leave us in despair, as it does for those without faith, but will allow us to cry out that “there is neither strength nor power save in Allah.”
In another verse in the Quran we read:
(To those who leave their homes in the cause of Allah, after suffering oppression, We will assuredly give a goodly home in this world; but truly the reward of the Hereafter will be greater; if they only realized (this)!) (An-Nahl 16:41)
So our Hijrah is yet another chance for Muslims to become better people. In this world we are struggling against personal weakness and struggling against the power of the world itself and striving towards heaven.
Neither blockades nor invasions can destroy the resolve of Muslims. This Hijrah we are called to leave old ways behind drawing all our help and sustenance from Him. We are called to destroy all the idols which remain in our hearts and to worship Allah with a pure worship.
And if, as Muslims, we are able to do this, the mighty powers of this world will sit up and take notice of the sweet and gentle message of Islam, and the Muslim Ummah will rise up once more, an Ummah justly balanced, not straying to right or to left, but adhering to the straight path, the path of Islam.
Happy New Year, insha’ Allah.
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| Image from www.idristawfiq.com
Idris Tawfiq is a British writer who became Muslim a few years ago. Previously, he was head of religious education in different schools in the United Kingdom. Before embracing Islam, he was a Roman Catholic priest. He now lives in Egypt. For more information about him, visit www.idristawfiq.com. |
By Idris Tawfiq
When it comes to Ramadan, we’re all “new Muslims.” We may be good at putting on a good show, even fooling ourselves at times that our intentions are pure, yet when our foreheads touch the ground in prayer we are all novices in serving our Creator.
Ramadan is that special gift of Allah which allows all of us to return to Him, whether we have been Muslim for fifty years or for five minutes. It is a time when we can honestly take a look at how we have been living our lives over the last year, and resolve to improve and be better Muslims in the year ahead.
It is the time for us to declare once more with our lips and to mean with our whole heart and mind that there is no created being worthy of worship other than Allah alone, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger.
Let’s be honest. We talk about “calling others to Islam,” yet very often we are the ones who don’t even get up in the morning to pray. We invite others to be Muslim, yet often we pay them very little regard once they have declared Shahadah and accepted Islam.
Ramadan, then, is a time for all of us to re-think how things have been going. It is a time to set things straight once more, to put our spiritual house in order and to re-set our priorities as Muslims.
How many people in the world would love such a chance to start over again, to put aside the mistakes of the past and to set off once more in the right direction. We have only to look around us to see that many people in the world are lost in the pursuit of worldly things or of selfish ambitions, clutching at this or that to bring them happiness. Their happiness can only be found in Allah Himself.
This Ramadan, we might try to remember just how blessed we are in having been called to be Muslim from all the people on the earth. It was Allah’s plan from the beginning of time that we would be Muslim. How beautiful it is for us to read these words in the Quran which mean:
[This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as your religion.] (Al-Ma’idah 5:3)
How we should reflect on these words each day of Ramadan, imagining Allah Almighty speaking the words to each one of us, reminding us what we are fasting for.
It is easy to get into routines and to fall into habits. Some of these routines and habits are good. It is good, for example, to get into the habit of regular prayer. It is a good routine to establish that we get up at a certain time each day to pray.
We must never let these routines and habits, though, become just another thing we have always done, without giving them any thought. We should not allow our fasting this Ramadan to be just another something we always do, devoid of any real meaning.
In other words, if we are to reap all the benefits which Allah Almighty wants for us this year, we should not allow this to become just another Ramadan which, once gone, has not had much real effect on our lives.
Again let us pause and reflect on what we are doing in Ramadan. In effect, by fasting for Allah’s sake, we are missing lunch and a few cups of coffee during the day. Put that way, it doesn’t seem the great effort that we make it out to be. Put that way, it certainly doesn’t warrant all the long faces and miserable looks we put on to let everyone know how much the fast is hitting us.
If we need to drive the point home even harder, we need only think of those people in the world for whom the absence of food will not stop each day of Ramadan with the Call to Prayer. There are many in the world who will starve to death on the same day that we break our fast with dates and special Ramadan drinks, followed by an evening of feasting and laughter.
Some translations of the meaning of verse 183 of Surat Al-Baqarah read as follows:
[O Ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that ye may learn piety.] (Al-Baqarah 2:183)
We fast, then, because Allah tells us to. Let us be quite clear about that. If there is no other tangible result of our fasting, we will have done what is required of us if we have fasted during daylight hours for Allah’s sake.
Allah Almighty, though, always wants our good. There are countless blessings to be gained during this month if our intentions are pure and if we truly desire to seek Allah alone and to please Him.
So what can we do to make the most of this Ramadan, not allowing it to become just another something we have always done? Well, it may sound rather bland, but we need first of all to get enough sleep. Our thoughts will surely not be on Allah alone during a day of fasting if we can hardly keep our eyes open because we stayed up too late the night before.
We need also to get up in time to eat sahur (pre-dawn meal) properly before the day’s fast begins. There is no need to exaggerate the effects of the fast so that our thoughts are only on our stomachs. Eat well before the fast begins, so that you are armed well to strive in Allah’s cause.
We should be realistic, too, in the goals we set to ourselves for Ramadan. If, for example, we have fallen into the habit of missing Prayers, it is asking too much that we should resolve to pray five times a day, attend Tarawih Prayers in the mosque and then get up in the middle of the night to pray as well.
Similarly, if we never open the Quran from one day to the next, it is unreasonable to expect that we will recite the entire Quran during Ramadan and take great comfort from its meaning.
Be realistic, then. If this Ramadan is going to change your life, set your intentions right from the start. In the first days of Ramadan, repeat again and again that you want to be a better Muslim and to live for Allah alone.
When your head is touching the ground in Prayer, beg the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in between to help you this Ramadan. Ask Him for the strength to take each day at a time and to listen attentively to what He is saying to you.
This way we will gain from the gift of Ramadan which Allah gives us. This way, too, we will return once more to the straight path and this Ramadan will touch our hearts and our lives, spurring us to teach others by the way we live that Islam is so beautiful, gentle and sweet. Don’t allow this to be “just another Ramadan.” Let it be the first day of the rest of your life.
Source from www.readingislam.com
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Islamicevents.sg Team would like to say thank you to Bro Idris Tawfiq for allowing us to publish this article here in our Blog. We would also like you to join us in this prayer for him too..
Ya Allah, Most Merciful & Most Gracious, allow this Man ( Bro Idris ) to give him great health so that he can continue doing his great work in propagating your religion. Give him the means and ways to motivate and encourage others who have lost their way to be guided to the path that you wish to destine them to.
Ameen.
Thank you for reading and have a blessed Ramadhan.
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