Strengthening Ties – Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said

Shaykh Faid Mohammad Said makes clear the connections between keeping up relations, dawah, guidance, and reminding others of the truth of Islam.

Allah Guides to His Light Whom He Wills.” (Sura al Nur 25:35)

In the Qur’an, Allah Most High said that He took a covenant from the children of Israel to worship no one other than Allah Most High; to deal with their parents, whether in their presence or in their absence, in the best form; to deal with their relatives, orphans and the poor in the best form; to perform their salah and to give zakah. Allah Most High ended that ayah by saying: “And spread good word to all of mankind.” (Sura al Baqarah 2:83)

From this ayah we understand that the main purpose of our deen is to strengthen our ties and our relations!

In the current time, people cut their relations with people, using the deen, as they judge others and forget that their role is only to remind people and not to pressurize them, as Allah Most High said: “So remind, You are just a reminder; We did not send You to control their lives.” (Sura al Ghashiyah 88:21-22)

Allah Most High, tells the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace: “And most of the people, although you strive [for it], are not believers.” (Sura Yusuf 12:103)

Allah is the Guide

Even though Allah Most High said about the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace: “Verily, You guide to the straight path.” (Sura al Shura 42:52) Allah Most High also said to Him: “You are not going to guide whomever you love. Allah guides whomever He Wills.” (Sura al Qasas 28:56)

The duty that is incumbent upon us is that if Allah Most High guided us to khair, we should know that we are not complete, and that we have many faults. If we see the faults of others, we should also remember our own faults. The main motive for us, in khair and dawah, should be love for others; we should love them for hidayah and khair.

Sometimes we forget this, and we see the wrong that people are doing, it makes us angry and upset. Our entire focus then becomes how we can quickly change them, and we do not want to have the patience to wait for them!

However, we should never give up from reminding people, because giving up from reminding people is giving up on our reliance on Allah’s hidayah; and Allah Most High can change anything and everything!

Be Creative in Your Approach

We have to be very creative in how we approach people; we should never impose ourselves and we should not make people suffocated by our presence, as if we are following them. Instead, we should give them advice and then give them space to reflect. In giving them space, however, ensure that the line of communication is always open, as if it is cut, there is no dawah.

We should not use the deen to cut our relations and our lines of communication, as we typically do. Some of us confuse and exchange loving people for the sake of Allah Most High with its opposite, not loving people for the sake of Allah Most High.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, did not even cut the lines of communication with the munafiqeen in Madinah or the kuffar in Makkah, and we have seen in this in the life of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, as many of the people who hated the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, became Muslims: Amr ibn al Aas, Khalid bin Waleed, Allah be pleased with him, Thumamah ibn Uthal and many others.

Although the munafiqeen insisted in their nifaq, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, did not cut the line of communication with them. We have to keep the lines open, and this is how we should always be!

Strenghten Lines of Communication

We should always use the deen to strengthen our lines of communication with one another, and people should always see that we love them and we love hidayah for them.

When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to the Sahaba: “I miss a young Jewish man.” When they told the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, that the young man was unwell, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, went all the way to visit the young man.

When He, Allah bless him and give him peace, saw that he was in his final moments, all the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, wanted was for this young man to enter Jannah. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace extolled the young man to say: “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad al Rasul Allah,” as he, Allah bless him and give him peace, was good for him.

Upon hearing this, the young man looked at his father, and his father looked at the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. The young man’s father knew that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, has no other interest in extolling his son other than that he, Allah bless him and give him peace, wanted good for him, and the father knew that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was not seeking any benefit from his son as he was dying, and yet the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, came to visit him!

Be There in Difficult Times

Many people avoid you in difficult times, and they only find you in the good times. This young man was not in a difficult time, but rather, he was in desperate times, and in that moment the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, visits him and desperately calls him to belief. The father in witnessing this sincere care, even more than his own, said to the young man: “Obey Him! Listen to Him!”

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, never cut his relationship with this young man, even though he did not become Muslim in his company before these final moments. If the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, did not miss this young man he, Allah bless him and give him peace, would have never known that the young man was ill.

But he, Allah bless him and give him peace, did miss him, and he, Allah bless him and give him peace, did visit him. We believe that everything the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, does is ibadah, and hence visiting someone who is sick, whether he is Muslim or not, is ibadah.

Strengthening our relationships is the greatest form of ibadah in itself. The deen should inspire you to strengthen your ties and to keep the lines of communication open always.

Your Duty Is to Remind People

At the end, your duty is not to guide people, but to remind people. As Allah Most High said: “And remind, for indeed the reminder benefits the believers.” (Sura al Dhariyat 51:55).

Have hope that when people do not believe, it is not because of you, as long as you act as a reminder and do not control the lives of others.

May Allah Most High guide us all.

Reposted with gratitude from The Nur.