THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED - PART TWO

 

    Under the hot midday sun, the ocean was a glistening glass carpet of rich turquoise so bright and beautiful, that the eyes could never get satiated, no matter how long they feasted. As if its surface was plated with an exquisite mixture of sapphire, jade, and emerald, the magnificent ocean serves as an unambiguous and obvious indication towards the unimaginable beauty of Allah, and the stunning, unprecedented colours of Jannah. The indication is obvious, however, only to those who are willing to look with the eyes of the heart. In the distance, the soothing and therapeutic rumbling and roaring of massive waves could be heard, as they crashed onto the rocky shore or into each other. Each wave was trying to push down the one before it, only to be pushed down by a bigger wave coming from behind. Eventually all the waves would collapse into snowy foam – bubbles of nothingness. Such is the condition of man – each one tries to push down the other so that he can rise, only to be pushed down by someone else. In a few days, all end up in the nothingness of their graves, empty and hollow, having failed to fulfil the true purpose of their existence.

 The cloudless sky was bluer than a field of forget-me-nots, and the densely green foliage created an ambience of lushness and vibrant life. Ilyas stared thoughtfully at the vast expanse of water in front of him, as a gentle breeze lazily wafted towards him and softly caressed his face with its pleasantly cool fingers. It brought with itself a tantalizing aroma that was a mixture of salty ocean air and the fragrance of freshly cut grass. He took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the refreshing air.

The eye-candy scene drew Ilyas towards pondering over the never-ending shower of Allah’s favours. At every moment of our lives, we bask in wave after wave of Allah’s special gifts, yet we continue to persist in His disobedience. As he thought about what Allah had blessed him with in the twenty years that he had been alive, images, scenes, and memories flashed past in front of his eyes. Allah had brought his parents to this beautiful place on the island, and had given them a small, cozy house which was just enough for them. He had given Musa a small grocery shop very close to where they lived, which yielded just enough profit to sustain them. They hardly had anything left over at the end of the month, they didn’t have much, but it was sufficient for survival. Ilyas recalled a dua which Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to make – “O Allah, make the sustenance of the family of Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam just enough for survival.” His father’s words of advice rang in his ears as if he was hearing them being said again – “Contentment is the key to happiness. When there is contentment, then something will be everything. And when there is no contentment, then everything will be nothing. Contentment can only come when there is true humility in the heart – when we understand that we don’t deserve even the little that we have.”

The landlord, Ahmed, lived next door with his family, and was Musa’s friend from childhood. His father, now deceased, had been a wealthy man who was the owner of many prime properties and thriving businesses. It was Ahmed himself who told Musa to come stay in the empty house next to his, when Musa had been so desperately searching for a place to live. Safoorah had described the scene and the conversation to her son in vivid detail, it was a moment that had been etched into the innermost depths of her heart. Musa and Ahmed were standing outside, while Safoorah, who was newly pregnant, and Shaakirah, Ahmed’s wife, with her three-month-old daughter Saabirah in her arms, looked on from inside.
 Ahmed asked Musa excitedly, “So, do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful, mashallah,” Musa replied.
“Alhamdulillah! When do you want to move in? I can’t wait to have you as my neighbour!” Ahmed couldn’t contain his excitement.
Musa hung his head down in embarrassment, staring at the ground. After a few moments of silence, he said, “Ahmed, the only reason I need to move out from where I’m staying right now is that I can’t afford the rent. The rent here is probably double or triple of that, there’s no way I can afford it. My only means of income is the small snack business we have at home, this house is totally beyond my budget, I’m sorry.”
Ahmed looked surprised, “When did I say anything about rent? I don’t want you to pay a cent to me. All I want is for you to live here, that’s all.”
“Oh no, Ahmed, please, I can’t…” Musa stuttered.
Ahmed put his hand on Musa’s shoulder, looked into his eyes, and said, “Musa, is our friendship so cheap that money can come between us? Is the love that we have for each other so weak that we can allow something as worthless as money distance us from each other? Is our almost life-long companionship so valueless that the paltry, insignificant material things of this ephemeral world can stop us from helping each other out, and from being there for each other? No Musa, our friendship goes beyond money, because it is for the sake of Allah, and Allah is that Being Who grants wealth to whomever He wants, and takes it away from whomever He wants. Alhamdulillah He has blessed us with a lot, the rent of this house is beyond our basic needs, so you don’t need to worry at all. Oh, and we have a small shop just outside on the main road that was vacated recently, you can set up your business there inshallah.”

Tears welled up in Musa’s eyes, and seeing them, Ahmed also started to cry. Inside, their wives were also shedding tears. Musa embraced Ahmed in a tight hug, and managed to say amid sobs, “Ahmed, I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless. I still feel embarrassment and hesitancy in accepting your offer, I don’t deserve it at all, but at the same time I feel so happy that I would be able to stay next to you.”

“I value our closeness more than anything else in this world, I can give up my life for you. Money is temporary, it comes and goes, but connections made for the sake of Allah are timeless, they help us greatly in the Aakhirah, and carry over into Jannah. Remember, Allah has said in the Quran that all friends will become enemies of each other on the Day of Qiyamah except those who have Taqwa. We need to strive together to attain Taqwa so that our friendship can become a means of our salvation. Alhamdulillah that Allah has blessed me with a friend like you.” Ahmed smiled as he spoke.

“May Allah grant me the level of Ikhlaas which you have. I want to do something for you in return, although I know I will never be able to repay you for all this,” Musa replied.

Ahmed’s face lit up, “Oh yes, there is something I want you to do for me in return – I want you to move in to this house as soon as possible!”

“Ilyas, please come, I need some help.” Safoorah’s voice pulled Ilyas out of his thoughts. He quickly wiped a tear that was doing a balancing act on his cheek, and rushed into the house to answer his mother.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED - PART 1

 

The eastern horizon was streaked with heart melting shades of peach swirl and strawberry ripple, heralding the rising of a gargantuan ball of gas burning at a temperature of 15 million degrees centigrade – the sun. The perfect system of Allah runs smoothly, without any delays and flaws. Sure enough, at its appointed time, the sun peeked above the horizon, as if to check who is awake and who isn’t. Within minutes the beautiful orange disc came into full view and began its swift and steady climb in the sky – a climb it would have to continue doing daily until the command of Allah came for it to rise in the west. Getting brighter, more powerful, and more splendorous by the second, it sent forth its warm and comforting rays, illuminating that part of the world which was just a while ago draped with multiple layers of dense darkness. It was as if it had sprinkled gold dust over the silvery ocean surface and deep green palm fronds. A new sunrise means a new day, a new beam of hope, a new beginning, and another golden opportunity to change.

The peaceful and tranquil serenity was interrupted by resumed cries of agony. Safoorah was in the final stages of labour – those moments in which a woman balances precariously on the thin and delicate barrier separating life and death. Lying on her bed, drenched in sweat, gasping in pain, she pressed tightly on her husband Musa’s hand with her right hand, while holding on to the bed post with her left. The expression on Musa’s face showed a mixture of worry, fear, and sympathy as he silently begged Allah for ease and well-being for his wife and baby. Allah, through His immense power and mercy, enabled the miracle of birth to take place, and the midwife, an old bubbly lady, happily announced, “It’s a boy, mashallah!” She carefully wrapped the baby in a shawl and placed it in Musa’s outstretched hands. He lovingly cradled his son in his arms, tears of relief trickling down his cheeks, as he whispered, “Subhanallah, mashallah, alhamdulillah.” His eyes took in his bundle of joy with a gaze of marvel, as he gently touched the soft and tiny hands designed by Allah to the minutest detail of perfection. “Please bring him closer to me so that I can see him properly and touch him,” Safoora managed to say in a feeble voice, weak from the harrowing experience. Musa lowered the baby to her and she looked with love-filled eyes at the fluffy marshmallow they had been so excitedly waiting for. “I really want to name him Ilyas, what do you think, Safoorah?” Safoorah looked up and smiled, “It’s a really beautiful name, mashallah.” Musa replied, “Inshallah we have seven days to finalize, we can think over it. Let me finish the Adhaan and Tahneek, you should get some rest.” He gave the Adhaan in the right ear and the Iqamah in the left, preparing the newly born for the inevitable eventuality of his Salatul Janazah. Such is the emphasis that is laid in the beautiful Sunnah with regards to keeping death in focus at all times – begin the preparations of death immediately after birth. After that, he proceeded to fulfil the Sunnah of Tahneek. He opened a tin in which lay a date that had been chewed by a great wali of Allah. The hope from Allah was that through the Barkat in the date, He would grant the baby the ability to follow in the footsteps of the Wali. Musa took a tiny piece from the outer layer which had become soft and paste-like, and gently tried to push it into the baby’s mouth with his index finger. The baby immediately started sucking on the sweet paste, and a smile spread across his father’s face.

The happiness of the moment was violently shattered when the door was flung open and Sheereen, Musa’s elder sister, strode in. She caught Musa in the motion of trying to make sure the date was properly inside the delicate mouth. “Oh, the baby is here, you didn’t even inform me! And just what do you think you are doing by putting dates in its mouth?” Sheereen exclaimed in a loud, shrill voice. “I haven’t informed anyone, I wanted to finish the Adhaan and Tahneek first,” Musa replied softly and hesitatingly.

 Sheereen screamed, “Haven’t I told the two of you not to do any such thing? How can you stuff dates into a new born baby? Where are your brains?! Don’t you realise what harm that could cause the child? And to make things worse, you are putting your dirty fingers in as well! Someone needs to knock some sense into you. I think I should report you to the authorities for child abuse and mistreatment!!”

 Musa looked down at the floor and said softly, with a tremor in his voice due to the fear that his sister always put him in, “Sheereen, Tahneek is Sunnah, it is something that our beloved Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to do. The example that he left behind for us is perfect, every moment of his life is perfect, his every action is perfect. It is not possible that there can ever be any harm in something which he, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, has encouraged us to do. We cannot give preference to Western, secular teachings and research over the illuminating words and actions of the Beloved of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, who was the epitome of perfection in every way and form.”

 Sheereen glared at her brother, “Don’t you dare lecture me about Deen! I know our Deen very well, I was already performing the five daily Salaah long before you were even born!” She then turned her attention towards Safoorah, giving her a piercing, icy stare that made her cringe. She tried to shrink beneath the covers, desperate to escape the searing heat waves emanating from Sheereen. “Safoorah! Don’t be a weakling! We’ve all gone through child birth, don’t pretend like you’ve gone through more, I know you only want attention and sympathy. Sit up straight!”

 Safoorah tried to pull herself up and grimaced in pain. Shireen scoffed at her, continuing her tirade, “Just look at yourself, you can’t take even a bit of pain! I told you, didn’t I, that you aren’t ready to become a mother? You don’t have the toughness it takes to become a mother, you are after all, nothing but an immature kid of nineteen years. And now you are going to raise up this child with zero parenting skills, I can already see it coming, you’ve already started by putting dates into the baby’s delicate stomach. Anyways, it’s your life, destroy it if you want to. I’ve had enough of you, the toxic people that you are, let me go back to humans who are a bit normal. I might drop in sometime later to see what new antics you are up to.” She tossed her head haughtily and marched off, slamming the door behind her.

 Physically, mentally, and emotionally drained and broken, Safoorah collapsed into tears.

HEART, MIND, SOUL, AND NAFS

QUESTION


Assalamu alaykum Moulana

Is the Qalb (Heart), Aql (Mind) and Nafs (Ego) part of the Ruh (Soul), or is the Ruh a separate entity? Please elaborate on how they are all connected.

ANSWER



وَ عَلَيْكُمُ السَّلاَمُ وَ رَحْمَة ُالَّلهِ وَ بَرَكاتُهُ

These are all separate entities.

The Qalb - the spiritual heart - is the control centre and supply centre for the body. It plays the same role spiritually which the physical heart plays physically. Depending on the condition of the heart, it can either supply the body with positive energy (Noor) which will result in the person doing good actions with his body, or it can supply it with negative energy (darkness), which will result in the person doing evil actions with his body. The heart is acted upon by the Nafs and the Rooh.

The Nafs - carnal desires - refers to a collection of desires which every person has inside himself. These desires in their original form are evil, and pull the person towards sin. Thus the Nafs, in its original untamed and wild form, acts upon the Qalb by polluting it with darkness, the negative energy which the heart then supplies to the rest of the body, resulting in evil actions.

The Rooh - the soul, which represents the very existence of a person - is made of Noor. It is responsible for illuminating the heart with Noor, so that the heart can pump it into the rest of the body. However, due to the original state of the Nafs being as I described above, it overpowers and weakens the Rooh, and does not allow it to pump Noor into the heart.

The Aql - a person's intellect and intelligence - in its sound form, plays the role of guiding a person towards understanding the need to strengthen the Rooh and weaken the Nafs, so that the heart can pump positive energy instead of negative.

Thus the entire effort of Tazkiya - spiritual purification - is based on subduing and taming the Nafs, an effort which will automatically strengthen the Rooh at the same time, so that the heart can be purified, and the darkness that was there due to years of domination by the Nafs, can be replaced by Noor from a now strong Rooh. This is what we have been tasked with in this worldly life, and our success or failure in Aakhirat is based on this.

WORLD CUP FEVER - A VIRUS OF SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION

Just as the blessed, Noor-filled month of Ramadan was about to end in what should have been a sort of a spiritual climax of celestial Divine effulgence, and the special mercies of Allah Ta'aala, a carefully and painstakingly prepared virus was presented before us, disguised in the form of a colourful, delicious lollipop enticingly beckoning us to put it into our mouth. Sadly, the majority of Muslims did put it in, and were immediately afflicted by an intoxicating fever that was designed to rob them off every last drop of Noor and reward that they had gained in Ramadan. This lollipop virus is the World Cup which began on the 14th of June, the 29th day of Ramadan, and it means nothing but spiritual destruction.

The flagrant disobedience of Allah which accompanies the watching of this event is perhaps hidden to none, but is conveniently ignored due to the intoxicating nature of this fever. Similarly, the glaringly Satanic symbols that are found on everything connected to this fiasco, such as for example, the images in the logo of this world cup, are passed off as insignificant and irrelevant. The start date is also another big indicator - 14/6/2018. Satanism relies heavily on the concept of Numerology - the significance of numbers in affecting good or evil. The number 11 is considered to be very evil. W. Wynn Westcott writes in his book, 'The Occult Power of Numbers,' "So 11 is the essence of all that is sinful, harmful, and imperfect." Looking at the date, if we were to add up 1, 4, and 6, we get 11. Similarly, 2 plus 0 plus 1 plus 8 also totals 11. Important Satanic events such as this one, and many others like 9/11, are done on such dates so as to please Iblees. Unfortunately, even the release of a promotional world cup ball, that had the flag of Saudi Arabia containing the kalimah in Arabic printed on it, wasn't enough to convince passionate fans regarding the sinister nature of this event. Our eyes, our ears, our minds, our hearts, and our full focus is turned towards Russia in pure adoration - the same country that is slaughtering our Muslim brothers and sisters in Syria even as I type this.

I previously used to believe that the World Cup, The Olympics, and other such major sporting events, which are in reality nothing but Satanic rituals, were held to distract the world from atrocities being committed upon the Muslim world specifically during that time. However, I realised that the atrocities continue unabated even when there is no major international distraction. The reality is that the primary objective of these events is to distract Muslims from Allah, and from Deen, and to link them up to slavery of Shaytan and nafs. It is to make them forget why they came to this world, why they were created, what is required of them in this life, and where they are going. The results of this objective can be clearly seen in the Ummat at this time. We need to rebel against Iblees, we need to stand up to him, and refuse to continue being mere puppets. And that will start by us forgetting about the World Cup. Who wins and who loses will not make an iota of difference to our lives - not to our worldly lives, and not to our lives of Aakhirat.

This weak one had written a few simple verses just before the calamity of the 2010 World Cup befell South Africa, which are being reproduced below - (please forgive the childish, incoherent, and disjointed nature of the words, as this poem was composed at about 2 am in a state of paralysis, so this haphazard mix was all that could be managed)


A CUP FULL OF DECEIT

O my friends, listen loud and clear,
For what I will say will be very dear

In making effort for World Cup, we will tire,
But we make no effort to stay far from the fire

We follow the ball with careful contemplation,
But in our Salaah, we have no concentration

To learn each players life, it's as if we went to college,
But of our Nabi's (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) life, we have no knowledge

We rush to the stadium, all evils it does contain,
But to go to the masjid, we grumble and complain

Live match commentary we listen to with passion,
But commentary of the Quran is out of fashion

When will we recognise this obvious deception,
When will we come out of this distorted perception?

May Allah grant hidayat and understanding, to this sinful one firstly and specifically, and to all of us in general. May He save all of us from the traps of Iblees.

CRITERIA FOR A HAFIZ LEADING TARAWEEH

We find ourselves in a time in which rapid spiritual decline is being witnessed even in institutions of Deen. The great Sunnat of Salaatut Taraweeh is no exception. It has indeed become a magnanimously difficult and challenging task to locate a masjid where Taraweeh is taking place in the correct manner, according to the dictates of Shariat. One of the greatest factors, among others, which contributes to this decline, specifically in Taraweeh, is the incompetence of the Haafiz who is leading the salaah. This incompetence is more a spiritual one, than of memorisation, and the reason for it is lack of tarbiyat. Where there is ta'leem, tarbiyat must compulsorily accompany it, otherwise the ta'leem becomes a liability instead of an asset.

 Sadly today, most Huffaz suffice on learning and memorising the words of the Quran, while paying no attention towards trying to become a practical embodiment and a living example of the Speech of Allah. The reality is that a Hafiz of the Quran isn't the one who has just memorised the words of the Quran. Hafiz means protector - the protector of the Quran is he who, having memorised it, protects it in his heart and in his life through amal. A person who has memorised the Quran, but does not have it in his practical life, isn't truly a Hafiz of the Quran. Generally, Masjid committees are wholly unaware of this, and as a result are concerned only with the actual recitation. For this reason, some criteria are being listed below which a Hafiz should ideally meet, before being given the very weighty responsibility of leading the Taraweeh salaah -

1. He should be upon the way of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa'ah (Deoband), he should not be from the deviated sects (Salafi, Barelvi etc.)

2. At least outwardly, his life should be upon the commands of Shari'at, especially the following -

     A. He should not trim his beard to less than a fist length (all year round)
     B. His garment should always be above his ankles.
     C. He should not be involved in the sin of watching TV or movies.
     D. He should not be someone who indulges in the sin of photography.
     E. He performs all his salaah with jamaat in the masjid all year round.
     F. He should not be someone who attends a secular institution, like college and university.

3. His life should be upon the Sunnat of Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam in every aspect. This will include his clothing - he should be in Sunnat clothing all year round, at no time should he wear jeans and t-shirt, or shirt and trouser.

4. When he recites in Taraweeh Salaah, he should follow all the rules of tajweed.

5. He should be aware of all the necessary masaail pertaining to Salaah, and to leading Salaah. He should have learnt these masaail from the Ulama.

6. He should give enough time for the Muqtadis (those following him in Taraweeh) to recite the Thanaa in the beginning of every two rakaats, and enough time to recite the Durood e Ibrahim at the end of every two rakaats.

The onus of producing Huffaz who possess all the above qualities lies upon the Madaris of Hifz. May Allah grant us the ability to fulfil the rights of the Quran.
   

THE REAL SOLUTION TO THE PALESTINIAN DILEMMA

On and off, we hear of, and see protests happening around the world with regards to Freedom for Palestine, marches and rallies to show solidarity and support to Palestinians, and at present, the apartheid week all around the world in general in February and March, and specifically in South Africa in this week. Notably, South Africa and the UK are at the forefront in organising such programs, protests and rallies. However, the question that should arise in our minds (sadly, most of the time it doesn't) is that after all these years of marching and rallying and protesting, has the plight of the Palestinians been eased? Has their suffering decreased in it's severity? Any person who has even a vague idea of what is happening there today will emphatically give a negative answer to that question. If anything, their problems have become worse. Why haven't all the marches and protests and programs made any difference? The answer to that lies in our outlook towards the Palestinian struggle. The stark reality which comes to the fore, if one were to ponder a bit, is that today it is considered to be an attack against an ethnicity, an attack on the sovereignty of a nation. It has ceased to be regarded (by the Muslims themselves) as an attack upon Islam, it has ceased to be regarded as a struggle between Haqq and Baatil, and this is as a result of successful propaganda by the media machine, controlled in totality by the Zionists. The proof for this, that this is how we view the issue, is found in these very same protests and programs - flagrant disobedience of Allah, fearless shattering of the commands of Shariat, and in fact, of the very tenets of our Deen. Because we do not see it as a spiritual struggle which the entire Ummat is part of, we have cast aside all the last remaining vestiges of spirituality from our so called efforts of Palestinian freedom. We locked our gazes on the asbaab (outward means), despite their mostly impermissible nature (in this particular case), and forgot The Musabbibul Asbaab (The controller of those means) - we left Allah out of the picture totally. Are we so naive as to labour under the deception that our protests and marches, mixed in with a plethora of violations of Shariat, will force Israel to leave the Palestinians alone, and stop their oppression of Muslims? The truth is that the Zionists know very well what exactly it is that can stop them dead in their tracks, and they are doing everything to keep the Muslim masses away from it. (They have even been bold enough to reveal it a number of times, trusting that the Muslims are too heavily duped by the media drug to make any use of this vital information. They have stated on a number of occassions that when the Masajid will fill up for Fajr like how they fill up for Jumu'ah, then we will surrender ourselves.) And that is why our protests and marches make no difference to them, in fact, they laugh at us when we do such things, laugh at how gullible we are, how easily we are deceived. A spiritual war cannot be fought by making noise on the streets, waving flags and placards, while disobeying Allah. Such actions yield the exact opposite result - they weaken the Ummat further, and act as blockades for the help of Allah. The only way to fight a spiritual war is spiritually - by building and strengthening our relationship with Allah, because it is only this which can bring down the help and mercy of Allah. Every condition in this world is from Allah, and it is only through the rectification of our actions that Allah will change the conditions from negative to favourable and positive. So, instead of creating a mass movement on the streets of crowds yelling out slogans, why don't we create a mass movement towards the Masajid, in which people can, with hushed voices and flowing tears, beg and beseech Allah for help? Instead of having a so called apartheid week, why don't we have a week in Jamaat, or a week in a Khanqah, or a week in a Madrasah? In this way we will have fulfilled our responsibility towards our Palestinian brothers and sisters. (On a side note, Palestine will most probably not be liberated until Hazrat Mahdi Ra comes and begins World War 3.) These are merely my humble observations, may Allah grant us the tawfeeq to understand and make amal.

TENSION IN THE AIR - ANY SOLUTION?

Most people are well aware of the fact that tensions in Kenya are very rapidly escalating, and have turned the country into a pile of super-dried firewood just waiting to burst into flames. We make dua to Allah that He brings down upon this firewood drenching rains of peace, even before any matchstick can get anywhere close to it. However, for this rain to come, the blockage that is stopping it from showering down upon us must be removed. Removing this blockage is the only solution for the tension we find ourselves in. This blockage is our sins, our spiritual sicknesses, our evil actions.

Today we leave no stone unturned in blaming everything else and everyone else for what we find ourselves in, but we conveniently forget that it is we who are to blame – the problem is in us, the problem is in me. Allah states in Surah Room – “Strife, havoc, and problems have become manifest in the land and in the sea, due to the (evil) actions of the people, so that Allah can make them taste some of the consequences of their evil deeds, and so that they may turn back (to Allah.)” In this deeply beautiful aayat, Allah is telling us that the problems we face – whether on a domestic level, a national level, or problems affecting the entire world – are due to the earnings of our own hands It is we who have brought upon ourselves the dire and grim conditions we are complaining about. We, the Muslims, who are bound by the commands of Allah, are very busy in stoking the fire of sins at every chance we get, wherever we are. We have become bold, open, and fearless in violating the injunctions of Sharia, and throwing behind our backs the beautiful lifestyle of our beloved Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. When grave sins like watching TV and movies, indulging in animate pictures, free intermingling of sexes, music, women emerging from their homes uncovered, men cutting or shaving their beards below a fist length, men letting their garments reach their ankles, unbridled indulgence in material luxuries are so rampant and rife in our society, then what peace and mercy are we expecting? We constantly defy Allah, and yet we expect His help to rain down upon us?

The only solution to our difficulties, not just in Kenya, but all around the world, is for us to make tauba – repent and turn to Allah. The only way that negative conditions can be changed is if we give ourselves over to Allah in total humility and subservience. We need to extinguish the fire of disobedience that we have set alight, with tears of repentance. We need to become true slaves of Allah for every moment of our remaining lives, till we breathe our last. Failing this, no security guards, and no CCTV cameras are going to be of any use.

This is my humble, heartfelt plea to all Muslims residing in Kenya specifically, and all Muslims in the world in general – let us cleanse and purify our lives from both external and internal sins, before it is too late, and we are left with nothing but regret in a time when regret will be futile.

I, the weakest and most sinful of all, repent from all my sins, open and hidden, and turn to Allah in regret and tauba. May Allah forgive me and all Muslims.

Servant,

Madrasah Fadhlul Uloom