Originally written by myself January 20th 2008…
--------------------------------------------------
I am the last person in the world who should question anybody’s believe in Allah (God)…
I have committed countless sins…
I consume alcohol, not often, but often enough…
I eat pork, knowingly…
I brush aside the question of Halal and non-Halal, for conveniences sake…
I haven’t prayed (Solaah) in years, I cannot even remember the last time I prayed…
I have never observed fasting (Saum) in the holy month of Ramadhan...
so I do not consider myself a muslim… but I realise that I believe in Allah… I believe in Islam and its’ teachings… I realise that I WANT TO BE A MUSLIM!...
Let’s be realistic… most of us should not call ourselves muslims… how can we call ourselves muslim when we do not even adhere to the five pillars of Islam???
Let us recall what these five pillars are…
#1 The affirmation of the Kalimah
#2 The establishment of Solaah
#3 The payment of Zakaah
#4 The observance of Saum (fasting) in the month of Ramadhan
#5 The performance of Hajj by those who can afford to make the pilgrimage
Just ask yourself, what do you know about the first pillar?... What do you understand about the Kalimah?...
What is the significance of reciting “Laa illaha illal-laah, Muhammadar rasu-lullah”?...
We know its’ meaning, “There is no God (who is worthy of worship and obedience) except for Allah (the one God), and Muhammad (SAW) is the messenger of God”…
but I assure you there is more to the Kalimah than just reciting it and understanding it…
it is a vow, a promise we make to Allah, a binding contract between Allah and us when we recite it…
By affirming it and reciting it with sincerity and conviction, we earn our salvation…
the condition is that when we recite it, we must accept conscientiously and with full understanding the declaration of the Oneness of Allah (Qul huwal-laahu ahad!) and the prophet-hood of Muhammad (SAW) contained in it…
“Laa ilaaha illal-laah”… the affirmation of the Oneness of Allah…
it means that there is no one except Allah who is worthy of worship and obedience…
Worship and obeisance (homage) should be offered to Allah alone because Allah and no one else is our Lord and Creator, Nourisher, Sustainer, Dispenser of Life and Death, sickness and health, poverty and riches…
in short, all manner of good and evil, gain or loss, lies solely in Allah’s control…
apart from Allah, whatever living things exist on the earth, or in the heavens, be they man or angels, are all Allah’s creatures and slaves…
Allah is partnered by no one, no one has a share in Allah’s divinity nor can anyone amend or alter Allah’s will or interfere with Allah’s function…
Hence, Allah and Allah alone is worthy of devotion and worship…
The kalimah holds the power to restore and revitalize the faith for the simple reason that it embodies the affirmation of Divine Unity and the covenant to worship Allah alone, to do allegiance to no one else aside of Allah, and to hold Allah dearer and nearer to heart than anything or anybody else in the world….
“Muhammadur rasu-lullah”… the affirmation of the prophet-hood of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)…
by affirming this part of the kalimah, we accept that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was raised up (brought into this world) by Allah for the guidance of the world, and whatever he taught, preached, or revealed was one hundred percent true and authentic…
in this we accept that there is not the least excuse, the slightest reason, for doubting or questioning the Prophet’s (SAW) words…
the guidance he gave to men, the laws he laid down, were Divine Guidance and Divine Laws that had been inspired to Him (SAW) by Allah…
A muslim should hold himself bound by this covenant and try his level best to shape his conduct in its light so that he may earn recognition in the eyes of Allah as a genuine man of faith and attain his salvation and place in Paradise…
Those who are blessed enough to bear faith honestly in both the parts of the holy kalimah, and to give proof of it by word as well as deed, are the recipients of countless glad tidings…
Affirm now the kalimah with a true heart and with full knowledge and awareness of its implications and importance… and resolve now and forever to lead your lives according to it in order that your attestation (testimony) may not turn out to be false… on this very attestation depends your faith and salvation…
As-salamu-alai-kum...
No comments:
Post a Comment