As Muslims we have a wonderful legacy behind us. A legacy that inspires you, motivates you and above all speaks to you in a way that everyone will find something that they can relate to. What do I mean by legacy? I mean the lives of the Sahabas and Sahabiyaat (may Allah be pleased with them) during the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and after his life as well.
People might turn around and tell you that: look, that was a long time ago and those circumstances we different. But ask yourself are they really that different? Are Muslims still not being persecuted at the hands of the non-Muslims and worse still other Muslims? Are there no hypocrites living amongst us? Who wear the guise of being a Momin but inside they wish for nothing more but to annihilate Islam. Are there no reverts who are having to face hardships at the hands of their families and society at large just for saying "We believe"?
There are so many things that are strikingly familiar between our lives right now and their lives. Yet, we have chosen to not learn from their lives and its sad most of us aren't familiar with the lives of the Sahaba (ra). Initially , when I started to read stories related to the lives of the sahabas, I must admit I didn't quite relate to them either and sometimes it was difficult for me to place my emotions in an appropriate clear- cut category, I would be caught between feeling a sense of reverence and thinking, 'why would they do that?' Looking back I think I understand my emotions better, I think its hard to relate to pure emotions that are not tainted with any ill- feelings for the person. Real emotions like that are hard to find amongst people today and in one's own heart. And above all, its hard if not impossible to witness that kind of faith that the sahaba had in this day and age.
And when I think about the lives of the sahaba(ra), I think that if today, if they were to be present here with us and someone was to call out their names we would not recognize them or even stop to confirm if they are the same people who we think they are. Its not enough to name our kids after the names of the sahabas(ra). The need of the hour is to learn to relate to their lives and find important guidelines for living our own. So when things like people making satirical films about our beloved Prophet (pbuh) shake the ummah we know just how to respond , just like the sahaba (ra) did. And we aren't caught between explaining that: "I feel awful about it in my heart and that is enough" and "where is your akhlaq brother?"
We have apologetic excuses for everything related to Islam sometimes so unlike how the sahaba (ra) used to respond to their Islamic duties and values and I think its high time we got to know them instead of just wearing a blank expression and saying "We don't know them."
People might turn around and tell you that: look, that was a long time ago and those circumstances we different. But ask yourself are they really that different? Are Muslims still not being persecuted at the hands of the non-Muslims and worse still other Muslims? Are there no hypocrites living amongst us? Who wear the guise of being a Momin but inside they wish for nothing more but to annihilate Islam. Are there no reverts who are having to face hardships at the hands of their families and society at large just for saying "We believe"?
There are so many things that are strikingly familiar between our lives right now and their lives. Yet, we have chosen to not learn from their lives and its sad most of us aren't familiar with the lives of the Sahaba (ra). Initially , when I started to read stories related to the lives of the sahabas, I must admit I didn't quite relate to them either and sometimes it was difficult for me to place my emotions in an appropriate clear- cut category, I would be caught between feeling a sense of reverence and thinking, 'why would they do that?' Looking back I think I understand my emotions better, I think its hard to relate to pure emotions that are not tainted with any ill- feelings for the person. Real emotions like that are hard to find amongst people today and in one's own heart. And above all, its hard if not impossible to witness that kind of faith that the sahaba had in this day and age.
And when I think about the lives of the sahaba(ra), I think that if today, if they were to be present here with us and someone was to call out their names we would not recognize them or even stop to confirm if they are the same people who we think they are. Its not enough to name our kids after the names of the sahabas(ra). The need of the hour is to learn to relate to their lives and find important guidelines for living our own. So when things like people making satirical films about our beloved Prophet (pbuh) shake the ummah we know just how to respond , just like the sahaba (ra) did. And we aren't caught between explaining that: "I feel awful about it in my heart and that is enough" and "where is your akhlaq brother?"
We have apologetic excuses for everything related to Islam sometimes so unlike how the sahaba (ra) used to respond to their Islamic duties and values and I think its high time we got to know them instead of just wearing a blank expression and saying "We don't know them."
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