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Dawah: Are We Wasting Our Precious Resources on It? [Part-5]

by Shakeel Ahmad

“I received my first offer of employment, with excellent terms in my favour, and in favour of my family, if I had one. Every three years, the offer promised a raise in grade which would amount to doubling of my salary and perks. But, I declined the offer citing the following reasons:

I do not have any time for work, as I have to take care of my friends who love me so much I cannot spend a single minute without thinking about pleasing them.

I have to take care of my newly-wed partner who was brought up at her parent’s place with so much love and care she may not survive a single minute in isolation. Poor girl, she would feel scared without me around her. I need to spend every single minute planning to make her feel good and happy. After all she has just left a lavish home, for me; to stay with me forever!

Since they insisted, I said I will accept the offer with a condition that the only thing I need to do on my part is to provide them the details of my bank account to which they would transfer my salary every month.”

I was growing impatient with this cousin of mine, and my frustration grew with every word Fareed uttered. I was about to scream at him to shut his mouth and stop him from boasting any more. I mean there is a limit for everything! I was surprised because Fareed was not a habital boaster.
lazy
Reading the above, if you feel Fareed was mad, you may be right. How could he believe that people would consider this story of his as true! Fortunately, he clarified soon that the above was a just a dream – a nightmarish one – who can let such a marvelous offer go, for such impractical excuses which sounded like extreme laziness wrapped up in a glamorous package of love and care for the loved ones. And a wishful thinking that a reward was still possible, at the end of every month, without doing any work!!

But why are we surprised at the above to the extent that we are ready to even term the declining of a lucrative offer, in lieu of a nine-to-five job, insane? And, why do we consider asking a reward for lazing around a wishful thought, worthy of a dream, and no more!

Give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteousness good deeds, that for them will be Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, … … and they have therein companions pure (and holy - Azwajun Mutahharatun); and they abide therein (for ever). [Quran, 2:25]

In numerous verses of Quran, Allah makes lucrative offers in lieu of good deeds that believers render. Alas, we do wish to get those promised rewards, but as self-proclaimed Muslims, we believe rewards would continue to fill our account of akhirah, without fulfilling any of our obligations, every month. After all, have the Mullahs not told us that anyone who utters the kalmia taiyaba (La Ilaha Illallah … There is not god except Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah) is bound to enter Jananh (paradise). When this proclamation is enough for the paradise, why should one do any good deeds, to get the rewards promised for inhabitants of Jannah? I mean, are we so foolish that when we could get the hoor-al-ayn (exceptionally beautiful wives, untouched, large eyes) of paradise (Quran, 37:48, 38:52, 44:54, 52:20, 55:72, 56:22 … …), and 72 of them, by just proclaiming a short sentence (kalima), we would still strive, struggle, suffer, praying or participating in Jihad, doing good deeds or worrying about improving the plight of our brethren!

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The martyr receives six good things from Allah: he is forgiven at the first shedding of his blood; he is shown his abode in Paradise; he is preserved from the punishment in the grave; he is kept safe from the greatest terror; he has placed on his head the crown of honour, a ruby of which is better than the world and what it contains; he is married to seventy-two wives of the maidens with large dark eyes; and is made intercessor for seventy of his relatives." [Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith # 3834, narrated by Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib, and transmitted by Ibn Majah]

We, the self-proclaimed believers (momin, possessors of iman), believe that our iman alone (which comes from our Muslim names and reciting of kalima) would be enough for us to be able to live in Jannah, forever.  Why should anyone advise us to work hard to enter the Jannah? We forget the tag of good deeds Allah has affixed to Iman - at least 70 verses of Quran confirm that there is no iman without good deeds (e.g., 2:25, 2:62, 2:82, 2:277, … ...), nor any acceptance of good deeds without iman (4:124, 17:19, 20:112, 40:40), where is the question of paradise without iman (which is no more than a hollow proclamation without good deeds)?. We also forget the pre-condition of martyrdom, as a result of Jihad (struggle), laid down in the above hadeeth, which is confirmed by Quran (e.g., 9:111), wherein Allah says He has bought all our possessions and, the complete existence of ours, in lieu of the promise of Jannah. We continue to use, for our vain desires and temporary pleasures of this life, what we have already sold out to Allah - what a treacherous act against the One Who created us and blessed us with all that we have!

Shall we still preach that there are rewards of Jannah, even with lazing around, doing nothing? The Mullahs and Maulvis that we produce through vast number of madrasas (like, the ones affiliated to madrasa board of Bihar), and their followers would continue to do so, and waste vast resources of Muslims on this kind of Dawa (for details, please refer to part-4 of this article).

Write your comments to bakhabar@biharanjuman.org

[Part-1]  [Part-2]  [Part-3]  [Part-4]

 

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