Reflections on Muharram 1st, 1444
1. The 1st of Muharram is a time for reflection on the past year (1443) and to make changes for the next year (1444).
‘Muraqabah’ is the practice of mindfulness of one’s internal state, that in turn, manifests in external actions, in relation to the Creator and His Creation.
‘Muhasabah’ is the necessary accounting or reckoning one takes of oneself on a daily basis, before one is taken to account and making rectifications accordingly.
Both of these practices require reflection, introspection, a willingness to look deep within oneself for the truth, in order to reassess the self and the spiritual heart.
Only you can do this soul work. No one else can do it for you.
2. Your story is your own. Own it.
You have to question the messaging that you received as a child and the social pressures that were brought to bear upon you to conform to the expectations of the people.
The question to ask is ‘Who am I?’
The criterion to filter and assess the previous messaging of what your ideals, core values and principles are, is whether or not it aligns with The Divine - The One Supreme God, The Qur’an, The Messenger (the embodiment of the Qur’an), ﷺ, and the sound scholarship of past and contemporary scholars.
Be wary of whom you take your knowledge from and who has access to your spiritual heart, which is the compass of the human soul (the ruh).
3. You are esteemed, worthy, loved and respected as a human soul, worthy of creation in time and space by The Supreme Creator. You need no other other label or another human being to define you or your worth.
Don’t let anyone take away your self-love, self-worth, self-esteem or self-respect by their derogatory words or actions. These stem from severely diseased hearts and each one of us will be held accountable accordingly.
4. The most important relationship you have, outside of The Divine, is with yourself. If this relationship with yourself is not sound, it will affect all other relationships in your life in a detrimental way.
You are the only person who walks with you from birth to death. No one else. Invest in this relationship and much in your life will fall into place.
5. Change is scary. Don’t let fear, worry or anxiety hold you back. Change is not possible without deep vulnerability, immense courage, and great risk.
Do you have what it takes to live your life according to The Divine precepts?
6. ‘Suhba saliha’ is of paramount importance. Choose the companions of your path wisely. The people you surround yourself with, will have a tremendous effect on your spiritual heart.
It is much better to have a small, intimate, inner circle of trusted companions with sound integrity, rather than a mass of superficial relationships that are not based on sound values and principles, as defined by The Divine.
7. Time is of essence. It is relentless in its passing. Time waits for no one.
Do you want to be *be* someone, *say* something, *do* something?
If so, the time is now. The place is here.
There has to be a fine balance between being and doing. This is the middle path.
So choose. Choose how to be, choose who to be, choose where to go and choose what to do.
Central to these choices we make is the ‘why’? The intentional, conscious, purposeful meaning, we allocate to each decision, each choice, and each act.
8. There is a communal obligation, especially upon the men, who have been given the responsibility of protectors, guardians, maintainers and those who who stand up and advocate for women (ar-rijal qawwamuna ala an-nisa), to step up and take care of the women and children who find themselves in abusive and oppressive situations.
The amount of women dying in toxic, poisonous relationships is unacceptable.
Each of us will be held accountable for our part in it - as abusers, as enablers of abusers, and as those who stood silent and did nothing, while abuse is perpetuated in the Muslim home.
Stop telling girls and women that marriage is the end all, be all, and that marriage defines who they are as a person. This is what keeps women trapped in toxic and poisonous marriages that are soul destroying.
It is compassionate mercy (Rahmah) and stable and giving love (Mawaddah) that provides the umbrella of tranquility and safety (sakeena) that Muslim homes (maskan - an abode of rest, repose and safety) are to be shaded upon. The safety and well-being of human souls is of paramount importance.
9. Silence, indifference, and apathy are deadly to the innocent.
Stop. Reflect. Speak. Do.
There is work to be done in this world for the greater good. If not you, then who?
If each of us did one thing in service of others, collectively, we can effect vast change.
10. Death is a certainty.
Don’t be shocked by sudden death.
The only certainty guaranteed in life from the first breath, is death. Prepare for it.
Thinking about death helps to orient our priorities and eliminates the desire to please people.
There is no liberation like the liberation of not caring what other people think of you.
Know this with certainty; a few days after your funeral, except for a handful of loved ones, everyone else will forget you even walked this earth and go about their life, until they too are woken up at death. Die before you die. Wake up before you are woken up.
So why care what people think? Why live your life according to their approval? Death is the great equaliser.
Each one of us will be shrouded, in a shroud that has no pockets, and returned to the dirt, to be devoured by the worms.
Lastly, in the prayer of Ibrahim (AS): “And disgrace me not on the Day when people will be raised to life, the Day when nothing will avail, neither wealth nor offspring, but only one (will attain success) who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” [Surah 26 Ash-Shu’ara/The Poets, Verses 87-89].
Ameen.
This Hijri Islamic Year of 1444, beginning today on the 1st Day of the Sacred Month of Muharram - Make the Purification of the Heart the goal of changing lives. Yours and others.
Bismillah.
And Allah and the Messenger know Best
