Only Muslim during Prayer time?

بسم الله و الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله

Have you ever heard the quote: "Islam is perfect, Muslims are not perfect. Judge Islam, not Muslims."?*

When we start thinking like this,we set up a situation where we relinquish all responsibility from upholding our religious values and morals. It's saddening that we are perpetuating this kind of mentality, because if we look at the times of the Sahaba (May Allah be pleased with them), they said "Look at Muslims, and you will know Islam." If we look at the Muslim Ummah now, what would we learn about Islam? Probably not that much. Many of the mannerisms and customs that are present are in fact the opposite of what Islam was sent to teach us.  

As an Ummah, we need to take a more active role in our religion, so many people want to spread dawah yet they can't even uphold basic courtesy and manners with their own families. 

Your actions carry weight, We are each callers to Islam. Whether we realize it or not. As Muslims, we have to realize that we stand for something greater than ourselves. So think about this, what am I calling for? What do my actions, character, and speech say about me? What do they say about Islam?

"Thus We have appointed you a model community (Ummah), that you may be witnesses against mankind, and that the Messenger may be a witness against you". [Quran 2:143]

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونالرَّسُولُعَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا

Islam does not exist in books and words, it exists in the hearts and actions of believers, and once this goes, what hope do we have for spreading a prosperous Ummah?

Sometimes, one can become accustomed to the norms of the society they live in, so rather than following the manners and behavior of a Muslim, they follow what society says is "normal." If you think you can't break the cultural norms of the society you live in, look at the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, when sin and corruption were the norm. Did that stop them from enjoining good and forbidding evil?

Islam differs from all other religions because we have rulings on the proper way to live in all aspects of our life. While some may see this as restrictive, we know that a Muslim is NOT simply Muslim during prayer time, and religion encompasses all aspects of our lives, both big matters and small.

We need to realize the importance of emulating the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions, not just in their prayer and worship, but we need to copy their manners, their characters, their treatment and concern for their fellow humans.When we make an effort to be respectful, considerate, and helpful to other people with the intention of upholding our Islamic values, this is a form of worship, and every act of goodness is an act which will bring us closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى . "Whoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs."

We may overemphasis certain aspects of Iman and neglect the very simple and root matters (usool al deen) the foundation of our deen is our Adab (good manners, good characters, and respect)

The Prophet Muhammed صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid "The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners." (Bukhari)

"There is no gift a parent can give his child that is better than good manners." (Tirmidhi)

"Nothing is heavier on the scale of good deeds on the day of judgement than one's good manners." (Bukhari) 

“The nearest of you to me on the Day of Judgement will be the one who is best in character.”
(Bukhari)

These are only a few of the many ahadith teaching us about the importance of character and manners.

"Whoever does not think that his speech is part of his deeds and his character is part of his religion will be destroyed without even realizing."-Abu Hurayrah

Worship is meant to bring us closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى , but it is also to come closer to the ideal He wants us to uphold. If you worship and practice Islam and it's having no effect on your manners and character, you need to re-evaluate the quality of your worship.

The purpose is to become the best man/woman you can become, the best family member, the best community member. Because as Muslims we know that we don't exist in a bubble, we must better our actions so that we can contribute to helping the whole Ummah. But when each person separates themselves from the equation, and removes responsibility from himself to uphold such values, we will never build a righteous community.

Our goal as Muslims should be to align our beliefs with our thoughts, words, and actions.  As a Muslim you are indebted to protect the religion, and when you have bad manners and morals, you are putting the religion in a bad light. What better way to protect our religion than by manifesting it's teachings through our manners, character, and treatment of others?

"Allah helps a person as long as he is helping his brother." (Sahih Muslim)

People are so wrapped up in what others can do for them and forget to think about what they can do to help others. You should be happy whenever you have the opportunity to help someone, for Allah is giving you the opportunity to receive ajr (rewards) through them!

We know the Qur'an will testify against us on the day of judgement, and we will be asked about our prayers. But what about all those people we neglect in our lives? What about the person who made salam which you ignored simply because you were in a bad mood that day? What about the person who needed help on an upcoming exam, and when they asked you for help you said you were too busy? Will the person in need that you ignored testify against you on the Day of Judgement?

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ ۚ أُحِلَّتْ لَكُمْ

“Oh you who believe! Fulfill your obligation to Allah.” (5:1)

We owe our Lord everything, part of this obligation is to treat our fellow man with respect, consideration, honor, and dignity.

وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ ۗ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا

"We have made some of you as a trial for others: will you have patience? For Allah is One Who sees (all things)" (25:20)

Before you rectify how you treat others, you need to start with your family. You have to make treating your family well a main priority. It’s not extra credit: it’s a duty! Without doing this our faith isn’t complete. Some treat people so politely at work, at school, and in the community, out of fear of hurting their image, but when someone is in the privacy of their home, sometimes the bad qualities and manners can come out. We need to treat our own families with more respect, more politeness, and more kindness than we would our bosses at work, or a stranger. Adab starts at the home. It's easy to be polite to strangers, and it's not always easy with family. 

I'm going to share a story:

Once while I was praying duhr, the sister in front of me rushed out of the musala, knocking me in the head with her purse as I was coming up from sujood. I was so bewildered that after coming out of a state of prayer, someone could be completely careless regarding those around them. Now, I'm not telling this story to shame the sister or make her look bad, I never even saw her face! I'm simply using it as an example of how we neglect the simple and common courtesy of Adab, and we forget that character and manners are part of faith. How can one go from a state of worship and then forget about their manners? This example is not even that bad in comparison to what I'm sure many of us see and experience every day. Let me mention something about prayer: When people meditate and pray in other religions, they close their eyes. Why do they do this? In order to increase their awareness and concentration, it helps them to worship more fully. But we as Muslims DO NOT close our eyes, because we need to worship Allah fully and wholly, but we need to do so without separating ourselves from this world, we need to interact with people, socialize, and always remember Allah while going about our daily life: Live and pray with our eyes open. Be aware and considerate of those around you.

In university people act as if they are on mission impossible, I realize we all are busy and have classes to get to, but is it really necessary for a brother to push a sister while going down the stairs? (Or even a sister pushing another sister) Is it necessary for everyone to be back-to-back, close together pushing while waiting in line to buy food? Where is the haya? Where is common courtesy and respect for one another? We have become people who only think of ourselves. We’re so absorbed in ourselves we don’t even consider those around us.

People may seem pious on the outside, but sometimes you may find out after dealing with them that the "cover" of righteousness is only a disguise. We need to make sure our characters are just as righteous as the way we look. Just because you where jilbab or have a beard doesn't mean you're finished and don't still need to work hard to improve your faith and treat others well: it also doesn't make you better than other people, and if you think you're better because you dress this way, you've missed the whole point.

A few times, I have entered the musala at University to find a group of righteous looking sisters, and when I greet them, no one returns the salam. When they see trash on the ground no one picks it up, no one bothers folding the piles of prayer clothes ملابس الصلاة, sisters talk loudly and laugh right next to their sister who is trying to concentrate during salah. If you don't have respect for a place of prayer, what do you have respect for?

A new survey by a leading US academic has found that Ireland leads the world in embodying Qur’anic teachings of justice and Islamic values. (read the article here) 

Why is it Ireland that embodies the teachings of the Qur'an when only 1.1% of the population is Muslim? Why not a Muslim country? Why do we put the priority on so many other things and neglect religion, always leaving it as an afterthought?

This has come from corrupt governments, and the penetration of our countries by unIslamic influences. So government is an issue, but people always blame authority and blame the government when it comes to the state of our country, and they neglect the part they must play when it comes to furthering and helping the community as a whole, even if the part you play is only within your family. In the words of JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Improving you manners and character doesn't have to be difficult: they can be simple gestures which you don't even have to go out of your way to do, if you see someone drop something, pick it up for them, if you see someone struggling, offer your help! Even simply by looking happy, instead of grumpy all the time is a good start! The Companions say that they never saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم except that he was smiling! Do you think you have suffered more in your life than the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? What are you frowning about?

Our manners are a manifestation of what is inside our hearts, and our manners and actions over time become what resides within our characters and hearts.

Here are some simple tips to help us all

1. Serve others: this means different things for different people. For some, maybe they are able to volunteer in charities, refugee camps, or events. Some of us are maybe not able to do those things, but you can still serve others in different ways: serving others can be as simple as helping your siblings with homework, helping your mother cook or clean, visiting your grandparents and spending time and energy on making them happy, bake a cake and send it to your neighbor. Show simple gestures of kindness without expecting anything in return.

2. Respect others: in the way you talk to them, and about them. When you speak about someone, you should say only the best things! Even if you don't like the person, make an effort to force yourself to say something nice. Respect others even if you don't know them, respect your professor and your taxi driver the same amount, because we know in Islam that the one is not better than the other. Brothers, respect your sisters in Islam and don't stare! 

3. Think the best of others: don't always be suspicious of people, expect the best and doubt the bad!

4. Don't be hard to please: don't have such high expectations of others that you're never satisfied with anything, learn to be happy with the simple things. 

5. Don't get angry easily: we are all prone to sometimes being grumpy and losing our temper, but we always have to fight that urge and try to be positive instead. You'll end up feeling happier, and have much more energy, since being angry all the time drains you of both those things. 

6. And most importantly: Remember Allahسبحانه وتعالى  always! When you're about to say something rude, or do something mean, just remember that Allah always sees you. Do you want this to be written down for you? 

Don't be a Muslim only during prayer time. Be a caller to Islam in everything you do! How will anyone be able to know the true message of Islam if we don't take it upon ourselves to represent it? During the Prophet Muhammad's صلى الله عليه وسلم  Khutba of his farewell Hajj, he said  

"Those who are present should convey (my message) to those who are not". (Bukhaari) In today's world, this means that those who have heard and learned the message need to convey it: and the very best way we can convey this is through perfecting our characters. The Companion Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said "Invite people to Islam even if it is without words." They asked "How?" He replied,"With your manners."

I ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى  to bless us with the best of manners and the best of characters, I ask Him to guide us towards helping this Ummah and the world as a whole. And I ask Him to help us to follow the example of he who had the very best of characters (Prophet Muhammed صلى الله عليه وسلم)

*Regarding the first quote, I know that Muslims are not perfect and will never be perfect, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't all aim and try to improve in order to become closer to the Muslim ideals.

All correct and beneficial knowledge is from the mercy and guidance of Allah, and I apologize for all incorrect information which is an unintentional error only from myself. And Allah knows best. والله أعلمُ بالـصـواب

A reflection

I cannot grow until I stop the flow
of poison pumping through my veins.
I cannot fly until I find the key
to finally unlock these chains.
I cannot heal until I stop
going near my source of pain.
I cannot find peace until
I give my Lord the reigns.

Can the scar that's been
reopened ever truly heal?
Can the heart which has be hardened
ever remember how to feel?
When the heart knows it's true home
this world no longer seems real.
And the shimmer and temptation
will no longer hold appeal.

I won't survive unless I strive
to stop the poison spreading.
And every stride leads me nearer
towards the brink of repenting.
I thought I was strong, but it
turns out I was simply pretending.
We need to strive for our eternal home;
The time which has no ending.

In the early hours of the dawn
I make a promise to my Lord.
I promise to strive to follow Him,
In my actions, thoughts, and words.

For would I be able to stand
if my Lord hadn't given me feet?
Had He not provided light,
which means would I use to see?
Would I even be alive,
if He hadn't taught me how to breath?
We think we're clever, yet the truth remains,
that we seldom see.
We ignore the very thing,
we're all quite sure we'll meet.

Man wounds himself with
the sword in his own hand.
Battle scars decorate our skin for
we enjoy this world with no protection
We wander lost, when all this time
a Light points us towards the right direction.
Don't we know that our Lord's plan
is the only source of true perfection?
And any doubt you hold of it,
is simply self-projection.

Every soul will have what it has earned,
we face the lessons yet we seldom learn.
to strive for the home to which we'll return.
to the home for which all souls yearn.

And when the chains fell to my feet,
and I finally felt release.
I realized I had always held the keys.

"And why should I not worship He who created me and to whom you will be returned?" (36:22)

Internal Iman (Part One)

بسم الله و الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله
Have you ever built a sand castle on the beach? A castle made of sand, no matter how much effort and work you put into it, will still wash away with the first gust of wind or the first wave on the shore.  Because the substance you are working with is already weak. If we start with a weak foundation, it’s impossible to build anything strong and long lasting. That’s why we have to strengthen our faith from the foundation: from where it all begins: from the heart.

In the Qur’an the Day of Judgment is described as … “A day in which none shall be saved except the one who comes to Allah with a sound (pure) heart.” (26:88-87)
يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

During the time of the Prophet Muhammed صلى الله عليه وسلم, he stated the exact state our Ummah would be in today. He described us as being large in number but like the foam of the sea. "It is near that the nations will call one another against you…” Somebody asked: "Is this because we will be few in numbers that day?" He said: "Nay, but that day you shall be numerous, but you will be like the foam of the sea, and Allah and will place weakness into your hearts."

Foam of the sea is shapeless, weak, it has no defined direction, and it is only able to go where the waves of the sea take it. Without the bones, the flesh doesn't matter. A plant without roots can’t grow or survive. And Iman (faith) which doesn't start in the heart, will not grow or survive. For this reason, we need to remember to always emphasize internal Iman, not only physical acts of worship.      

Many of us are focusing only on the outward aspects of worship, but worship doesn't start in the limbs, it starts in the heart.

The poet Rumi said “Maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots.”

If you are trying to strengthen your faith, and keep experiencing high points and low points in Iman, and are not able to keep your acts of worship constant, it may be that you are focusing too much on the outward and not enough on the inward.

Our society increasingly focuses on the ritual part of Islam while neglecting the matters of the spiritual side. We have become absorbed in the rules and Islamic guidelines and have forgotten that Islam is not about just the physical act of worship, but the internal act of worship as well. When you water our religion down to simply the physical, worship becomes a senseless habit which we perform without thinking.

Our religion very strongly stresses that we protect the condition of our heart, yet we tend to neglect it.

Forgetting about internal worship and only thinking of Islam as a set of mandates and rules is dangerous to our faith because we remove the central part of what makes it a nourishing and fulfilling religion and we remove the main line connecting us to our Creator.  

I really believe not understanding and emphasizing the internal is why we see so many people not practicing Islam. Because they are only achieving the physical part, they don't feel fulfilled and they think that's all there is to worship; it can't offer them more than that. If only you understood how much it can offer you, you would never abandon it. It wouldn't matter if you're tired, sick, or busy, you wouldn't sacrifice that connection with your Creator for anything.

Concern for doing outwards acts of good deeds and worship is a good thing, and can't be neglected, but we have to realize that the body is simply the follower and it is the soul that is in charge.

Sometimes this concern for the outward results in the inner meaning being forgotten. We all know the proper motions of prayer, the proper recitations and the proper dua, as Muslims we commit these things to memory; but do we know how to build khushoo in our prayer? Do we know how to practice devotion, sincerity, to recognize Allah's greatness and divinity and to keep out minds focused on Allah during prayer?

We can never fully achieve the beauty and tranquility of worship until we form a partnership between the body and the soul, neither part can be left out or true worship will not be achieved.

When you only have the physical aspect down, you are still missing a piece of the puzzle.  The puzzle can only be complete when we start emphasizing more on the spiritual and internal aspect of worship.  The internal worship is the light of the heart, it’s the reason so many people are able to find refuge and peace through prayer and remembrance of Allahسبحانه وتعالى  .  When we remove that part, we remove the nourishing part, and neglecting worship becomes much easier, we have less motivation because we don’t feel that spiritual connection. Therefore we then become lazy in our worship, and eventually, we may stop doing it at all. It’s like an exercise routine that leads to no results, why would you keep doing it if all you end up is feeling like you wasted energy?

We need to realize that nothing exists independently. The physical realm and the spiritual realm are intertwined. This is why we use physical acts of worship, in order to condition our hearts for internal worship and constant remembrance of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. 

The heart is the most important part of our physical body. Then we can assume of course, that it's the most important part of our spiritual self, and the key missing component towards reaching a higher state of Iman and Taqwa. 

"In the body there is a lump of flesh, if it is set right, the whole body is set right, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt; indeed it is the heart."  (Sahih Muslim, Sahih Bukhari)

Heart disease is the number one killer worldwide. And the diseases of the heart are the number one killer and threat to our Iman. Yet, these diseases often go un-diagnosed. The spiritual health of our hearts determines the strength of our faith. If our faith is weak, we can see it in our actions. We should not forget that worshiping Allah is meant to strengthen our connection with Him and not simply be a mechanical act. It requires thinking, focus, and reflection. 
Rewards and mercy from Allah سبحانه وتعالى  in the Akhira are why we worship Him, but those are the rewards of the afterlife, we don't attain the benefits now. The sole purpose in this life is being close to Allah, and if you are deprived of that, you will never be content. Every creature yearns to fulfill its purpose and our purpose is to worship Allah correctly.

Deeds are separated into ظاهري (outer deeds) and الباطني (the inner deeds) If we have an absence of inner faith, our outer deeds are futile. Yes, physical efforts of constant worship, fasting, and waking up for night time prayers are commendable and we should all make efforts to do these physical acts of worship, but these things are not actually difficult, it is easy to master the body compared to more difficult struggle of mastering over our nafs. Purifying our souls, perfecting our characters and curing inner diseases of the heart is where the real struggle lies.

I may sit at my desk, making an attempt to study, but at the same time my mind could be thinking of other things, I may not be focusing and in this case, I won't actually achieve the benefits of those efforts. Same is the case when it comes to our worship. Physical movements are the vehicle which we use to keep us from sins, but it won't bring us closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى on its own if we don't have a combination of spiritual and physical. 
The companion Hudhayfah راضي الله عنه said, "The first thing you will lose of your religion will be khushoo and the last thing you will lose of your religion will be the prayer, and it is well possible that there is no good in a person who prays, and soon will come a time when you shall enter a large Masjid and not see a single person with khushu."
Why is it that khushu will be the first thing to be lost while prayer will be the last? Because the ability to be attentive during prayer is much more difficult than actually praying itself, and it is more susceptible to being lost if we don't take care. 

Our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم tells us that Allah سبحانه وتعالى "Does not accept the dua of one whose heart is heedless of Him.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
He also tells us that, "Your reward is in accordance to your effort." So if you are making half the effort, by example, praying while your mind is wandering elsewhere or making tasbih without really thinking about the words you are saying, you will not receive the full reward. 

There is a hadith in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sees Juwayriyah رضي الله عنها performing tasbih before noon, and when he came back at night he found her sitting in the same position, still making tasbih. He said to her:“I said four words three times that would outweigh all that you have said today.” 

On the same note, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says about the one who finishes reading the Qur'an in 3 days: “The one who recites it in less than 3 days has not understood it."

So we see from these hadith that worship is not simply in the act itself but in making sure all aspects of our being (our body and our soul) are involved in the act of worship.

We need to force ourselves to be fully engaged in whatever acts we are doing-not start running on autopilot. Does Allah سبحانه وتعالى deserve anything less than your full attention?

Let's make our worship enriching and enlightening instead of a mindless ritual.

Let's live more from intention and less from habit. 
Let's worship from our hearts.
I ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to make these words beneficial for myself and others, and I ask Him to guide us towards all which will bring us closer to Him.

All correct and beneficial knowledge is from the mercy and guidance of Allah, and all incorrect information is an unintentional error only from myself. And Allah knows best. والله أعلمُ بالـصـواب

This article is quite brief on a matter that is very extensive, I encourage everyone to read more about how to build internal foundations of belief, and the diseases of the heart. The following are some books I found helpful:

Inner Dimensions of Prayer

Purification of the Soul

Purification of the Heart by Hamza Yusuf