Salam, my fellow superheroes!

Recently I was asked, as part of the new YM ’Tarbiyyah’ Programme, to write a blog entry for the website. I was told that the topic of the blog could be somewhat flexible, as long as it had a good message and reflection. So today I’ve decided to write about something that we usually shy away from speaking about publicly. By this point, a few of you might be intrigued, and those who know me better will be squirming awkwardly, hoping that I don’t scare away the masses of people from YM. But here I go nevertheless…

For the benefit of those who do not know me, I’m the type of guy whose particular study of interest revolves around topics that make people scared at night. One of the projects of my branch, YMB Birmingham, is a radio show on our very own radio station, UnityFM. I had a series of slots on the show that made people go ‘AAAH!!’ as the tiny hairs on the back of their necks suddenly shot up. Such slots included the in-depth descriptions of the Hellfire, the characteristics of the Jinn, the signs of the Day of Judgment, the emergence of the Fitnah (trials and tribulations) of the Muslim communities, and the coming of the Dajjal (antichrist). I also gave various circles regarding these topics. You see, I’m the type of guy who is interested more in the aspects of fear. This is slightly worrying, yes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I *do* realise that deeds done out of love are better than deeds done from fear, and I’m trying to correct that balance. But some people were just hardwired slightly differently to others. I guess I’m one of those.

And I’m not the only one. Huthayfah Ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, a prominent Sahabah (Companion) of Allah’s Messenger, was one such person who mentioned that when other Companions would ask more about Jannah (Paradise), he would ask more about the aspects of the Faith that others were too afraid of asking. He was the same Companion who was entrusted with the secrets of knowing what would happen to the Muslim community after the Death of the Prophet, as well as knowing the names of all the hypocrites. This was an honour bestowed on nobody else.

However, the aspect of hope cannot also go underestimated. As the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned in a Hadith, “The Deen (Religion) lies between hope and fear”. One cannot be too hopeful without the aspect of fear in the back of his mind, and one cannot be so fearful and pessimistic as to forget the merciful characteristics of Allah. I guess it’s just more proof that Islam truly is a balanced way of life.

Three very big things have been playing on my mind recently. As all of them made me go “AAAAH!!”. I felt that I should try my best to articulate my thoughts and reflections on them insha’Allah (God Willing).

The first thing - today is an important and significant day for me; it is my final day as the President of the Young Muslims UK. Recently I had to step in to ensure the transition between the previous leader and the next National President remains as smooth as possible. It’s been an extremely reflective time for me, and a burdensome one in the very least. How does this all relate to things that make you go ‘AAAH’? I just very recently came across a Hadith (saying) of the Messenger of Allah, who said “If trust is lost, then wait for the Hour (Day of Judgment) to occur.” The companions asked the Messenger of Allah, “How will trust be lost?” to which the Messenger of Allah replied, “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour to arrive.”

This Hadith sent shivers down my spine, and as I write this, I truly fear not only for my own soul, but for the Muslim community in this day and age. I truly believe that with all my faults, lack of understanding, and illnesses of my heart, I am not now, nor ever was, in the correct state to take up the position of leadership within a powerful and dedicated organisation such as the Young Muslims UK. In another Hadith, the Prophet mentioned, “If you appoint somebody in a position of authority, and you know that there is a Muslim who can do a better job, you have cheated the Muslims.” It is a trust to appoint somebody as your leader. I pray that with all my faults, I still have not broken that trust to my following. However I cannot stop feeling the guilt and pressure of knowing that if I have, I will have contributed to the state of affairs that make up the coming of the Hour. That sentence right there is probably the most burdensome one I’ve ever written in my entire life. I pray that Allah forgives me for my mistakes, and that those whom I have wronged in my tenure as President also forgive me - for if you do not, I fear that I may be facing a much greater punishment in the Hereafter. Nevertheless, getting back to the topic at hand, the Hadith scared me. Is the coming of the Hour so imminently close?

The second thing that happened which made me go all “AAAAHHHH!!” was a Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, who mentioned that the Dajjal (antichrist) will stand on mount Uhud with his followers after he is refused entry by the Angels into the Holy City of Medina. He will point towards Medina and mention to his followers, “Do you see that white palace? That is Muhammad’s.” He is, of course, talking about the Holy Mosque of Medina. What is interesting about this Hadith is that he used the description of ‘White Palace’ for the Holy Mosque. It is only under the reign of the Saudi Royal family that the huge expansion of the mosque took place. Looking at the mosque before the expansion, it was not so palace-like. It was a small building, which one could barely see from the viewpoint of Uhud, which is located just outside of Medina. Looking at it now, its aesthetic nature makes it more palace-like. I was mentioning to my brother when I was in Medina, that it was in fact, architecturally, probably the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen in the world. We can therefore tick off the description of it being like a palace, especially a palace that can now, due to its huge expansion, be seen from the location of Uhud. With this expansion, came about another interesting change. The colour of the mosque turned to white due to the use of heat-repelling stones and marble. So in its entire history of about 1400 years, from what we now, the colour of the Mosque had remained anything but white. It is only in the past few decades that it has changed colour.

To finish off the point, the Messenger of Allah mentioned that the Dajjal will not appear until his name will cease to be mentioned in the Mosques by the Imams in the Friday congregational sermons (in Arabic, Khutbah). This blog is intended to be published for every Friday, insha’Allah. So let me ask the question, when you are reading this blog, and every subsequent blog, hopefully you will have prayed the Friday Prayer and heard the Khutbah. Was the Dajjal mentioned?

And for those who are counting, the third thing that made me go “AAAH!” was the Mosley vs. Mayweather boxing fight that just happened. Hopefully, if an agreement is made, I can’t wait for Manny Pacquiao to beat Mayweather insha’Allah.

Peace!

Shahid

(YM Birmingham)