Reconcile conflict in justice （Abdullah Cheng )
Dear brothers and sisters,
We are in a huge debt of gratitude for the favors that Allah (SWT) has granted us. Out of all types of creations, including angels and Jinn, Allah has created us to be humans, the best of all creations; on top of that, not only did He create us to be humans, but He also made us to be among the children of Adam (AS); and out of millions of billions of people, He chose us to be Muslims; and out of all Muslims in history, He chose us to be in the best generation among the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). How luckier can we be, and how much more can we ask?
The question we need to ask ourselves is: Are we really doing justice to the favors that Allah has given us? Do we not feel embarrassed and shy, that even though we claim to be Muslims, we claim to be the reciters of the Qur’an, and claim to be among the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but yet we don’t even know the meaning of Surah Al Fatihah, we don’t know much about the life of the Prophet, we don’t know who are the companions of the Prophet, we only memorized a few chapters of the Qur’an, despite being a Muslim perhaps for more than 10, 20 years?
Allah (SWT) has blessed us with the greatest gift that we can ever ask for, which is guidance and faith, yet in reality, many of us are ignoring it and forget the value of these blessings.
This is not what Allah has created us to be: Allah didn’t create us to stay the same all the time, to be inactive, to be stuck with the current situation. We should be content and satisfied with what we have in this Dunya, but we should never be satisfied and comfortable with what we have prepared for the next life. We shouldn’t be satisfied with just the bare minimum: just barely praying 5 times a day, just barely giving the minimum 2.5% of Zakat, just barely fasting the whole month of Ramadan. Yes, they are the minimum for a Muslim to achieve to enter Jannah, but that is not the mindset that we should have. The Prophet (SAW) said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ
Allah has prescribed Ihsan (excellence) in everything. [Sahih Muslim 1955]
This means that when we pray, we should pray in the best manner we can; when we interact with people, we should talk in the best manner we can; when we work and study, we should work and study in the best manner we can.
This life that we are living in is full of tests, and we should aim high for the results. If the highest grade is 100, then we as Muslims should aim for the 100, not just 60 or 50, just to barely pass the test. The Prophet (SAW) said: “When you ask for Jannah from Allah, ask for Al-Firdaws (the highest level).” [Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2531]
The tests that we are facing in life are meant to help us improve and become the best version of ourselves. Allah says in Surah Al-Mulk:
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًۭا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ
˹He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving. [67:2]
Notice that Allah didn’t say “the most in deeds” but “the best in deeds”. This shows us the importance of the quality of our deeds over the quantity of our deeds: it’s not about how long we prayed, or how much money we donated, or how many people we helped, but how much those actions brought us closer to Allah (SWT).
The Prophet (SAW) said: “the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.” [Sahih Bukhari 6464]
This means that all of us can make certain good deeds into habits, even though the amount is small, and one of the most important deeds and habits we need to have is to connect with the Qur’an. In fact, when we look at the angels, the greatest angel among all the angels is Jibreel (AS), because the Qur’an was revealed through him. The greatest prophet among all the prophets is Prophet Muhammad (SAW), because the Qur’an was revealed to him. The best night of all nights of the year is Laylatul Qadr, because the Qur’an was revealed on that night. This shows us that in order for us to become the best, we need to be connected to the Qur’an, the Qur’an has to be in our hearts, and the Qur’an has to be reflected in our actions. The Prophet (SAW) said:
خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ
The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. [Sahih Bukhari 5027]
It’s not only limited to reciting the Qur’an, but also memorizing, understanding, and implementing it. Perhaps not all of us can memorize the entire Qur’an, but we should at least try in the first place. We shouldn’t be satisfied with only memorizing the last 3 Surahs, or the last 10-20 pages, and recite them in our prayers for the rest of our lives. We recite Surah Al-Fatihah at least 17 times every single day, but how many of us can actually give a talk about the meaning and the basic Tafsir of this chapter? Are we able to explain what is Tawheed, the Oneness of Allah? What about the Prophet?
These are not just the responsibility of scholars and Imams, but every single Muslim who claims to follow Allah and His Messenger should be confident enough to know these matters. These are not things that you would learn only by coming every Friday, from listening to the Khutbah, but they require some effort to study on our own.
Brothers and sisters, the attitude that many of us have nowadays towards our own Deen is not as serious as how we deal with other issues in life. When we learn that something is considered “Sunnah”, some of us treat it as simply being “optional”, whereas when we follow the Sunnah, we are indeed following the example of the greatest human being in history, purifying our souls, and showing our love for Allah, as Allah says in the Qur’an:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [3:31]
May Allah grant us the strength and wisdom to learn about our religion and follow the footsteps of our beloved Prophet (SAW), may Allah protect us from laziness and weakness in Iman, and may Allah make us among those who perform Ihsan in our actions.