The Power of Perseverance....

“Through suffering, comes wisdom. Through surrender, comes strength. Through resilience, comes hope. Keep going.”
― Rita Said

Giving up is one of the easiest thing to. It doesn't take courage or effort to do it. Some might think that by giving up, it would chase away all the troubles but more often than not, it invites unwanted and unforeseen dangers.

When I first got on the path of rediscovery of the religion that I was born into, one of things that the Wise Owl always reminded me to do is, was to share the knowledge that I had acquired. He kept telling what those knowledge were not mine to keep,  for myself. It is my duty to share it with others. For a very long time, I hesitated to do so. Why? Because I felt I was not qualified to speak about Islam and I do not want to invite personal criticisms.

Then, the Wise Owl told that all I needed to do was share the knowledge as how I have learnt it. He said, it's like sharing your lecture notes. Aaaahhhhhh....now I get it!

The Prophet also said: "Acquire knowledge and impart it to the people." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 107

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A servant of God will remain standing on the Day of Judgment until he is questioned about his (time on earth) and how he used it; about his knowledge and how he utilized it; about his wealth and from where he acquired it and in what (activities) he spent it; and about his body and how he used it." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 148

Believe it or not, the above hadith scared me enough to spur me to start sharing my 'notes'. On Judgment day, when my time comes and I am asked as to how I utilized the knowledge that was given to me by God Al Mighty, I fervently hope that I am able to answer, " I shared it with others to the best of my ability".

Unfortunately, not everyone is open to the concept of 'sharing'. Some might even be allergic to it in that they react violently to it. The Wise Owl used to warn me, to expect trials and obstacles especially if one is trying to perform good deeds for the sake of Allah SWT. I know that to be true because I have experienced it myself on numerous occasions. In the past, every time I stumbled upon an obstacle, I would somehow managed to get through but I had a lot of help from the people who cares about me and for that, I am very grateful.

Once, a Muslim stranger commented that I look like a christian nun. Me? The person who is garbed from head to toe, in black abaya and hijab, resembles a nun? Seriously? I mean,  don't get me wrong. I have nothing against nuns. I respect other people's choice of religion. What alarmed me was the fact that, how easy it was for a Muslim to call another Muslim, a an unbeliever. Do you know the severity and gravity of such conduct?

Whoever attributes kufr [unbelief] to a believer, he is like his murderer.'' (Tirmizi, ch. Iman (Faith); see Arabic-Urdu edition cited earlier, vol. ii, p. 213. See also Bukhari, Book of Ethics; Book 78, ch. 44)

The Holy Prophet said: If a Muslim calls another kafir, then if he is a kafir let it be so; otherwise, he [the caller] is himself a kafir.'' (Abu Dawud, Book of Sunna).

So, how did I react? Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't affected by the comment.  I was livid! Seething with anger and ready to fight. Then, I remembered what the Wise Old Man had told me once before, " Sister, we are not placed on earth to be popular amongst the human but to strive to be amongst the favourites in God's eyes". Then, almost immediately, my anger evaporated. The comment became like a mosquito bite. It hurt for tiny bit then it vanished.

This stranger who did not know anything about me probably spoke out of ignorance because as far as I know, nuns do not wear abayas or, all black. Whatever the intention of this stranger, for uttering such statement, let this person answer to God.

The point I'm trying to make is, Don't Give Up when you are faced with hostility. Some people are just born nasty and some, good. If anyone attacks you personally or try to diminish your good efforts, then walk away from the person without a backward glance. Trust me, these kinds of people are just not worth your breath to engage in a debate or worth your time remembering. Just walk away and continue with your task.

I have to admit that my journey has not been easy and there were days when giving up seemed like a good idea. But, I knew that if I gave up, I would only be running away from the problem. Plus, what would I tell God later?.....