The beautiful and blessed month of Ramadan is sadly over. Eid has passed. And school is finally sinking in (and so are people's comments). Lately, I have been overhearing a lot of chatter. Some people think putting on a hijab was too big of a jump, some think I have gone a little extreme, some think I'm not doing a good enough job. Subhanallah. I honestly thought I was taking a step towards Allah SWT to get closer to Him, to please Him insha'Allah, nobody else.
Of course this 'chatter' has opened my eyes to my own actions. Sometimes I find myself judging others silently in my heart. Astaghfurullah. Sometimes I make these silent claims to make myself feel better about myself. "At least I'm not that bad..." Astaghfurullah. I try not to let myself slip into these thoughts, but it happens. I am so ashamed. Why do I feel the need to compare myself to others anyways? The simple answer is I don't. None of us do.
My friend Mafaz once told me that a truly good Muslim sincerely believes in their heart that everyone else is a better Muslim than they are. Masha'Allah. One day I want to be THAT kind of Muslim insha'Allah. Another friend of mine, Shoaib, told me about a halaqa a Shaykh gave during the end of Ramadan on prayers. The Shaykh was talking about how people are often very quick to correct others' prayers. But in the time of the Rasoul SAW, people were too worried about their own prayers to have any time to look and observe someone else's. Masha'Allah.
I wish we could all be too worried about bettering ourselves than have any time to judge someone else.
Sincerely,
A Muslimah
My friend Mafaz once told me that a truly good Muslim sincerely believes in their heart that everyone else is a better Muslim than they are. Masha'Allah. One day I want to be THAT kind of Muslim insha'Allah. Another friend of mine, Shoaib, told me about a halaqa a Shaykh gave during the end of Ramadan on prayers. The Shaykh was talking about how people are often very quick to correct others' prayers. But in the time of the Rasoul SAW, people were too worried about their own prayers to have any time to look and observe someone else's. Masha'Allah.
I wish we could all be too worried about bettering ourselves than have any time to judge someone else.
Sincerely,
A Muslimah
Dear Aishah, I just want to say that no matter what people tell you, insha'Allah you are on the right path, so don't let anyone make you think or convince you otherwise about your hijab or your beliefs. So take pride in what you have done, and make sure to renew your niyya (intention to Allah) all the time to make it for the sake of Allah.
ReplyDeleteAs for comparing ourselves to others, we all tend to do it from time to time. And it does not necessarily have to be a bad thing, so don't be too hard on yourself :).
Such as when we compare ourselves to those who are better than us so we can improve ourselves, our actions, and our deeds. Or when we compare ourselves to those who are worse than us so we can learn from them and hopefully not do the same mistakes they did.
Also comparing our actions can be a way of motivation and competition towards paradise. Allah says in the Quran in Surat Al-Mutaffifin: "...and for that let the aspirers aspire." (083.026, Shakir Translation). - 'that' means the bliss and delights of paradise.
Anyways, I think though, that comparing is different than judging. While comparing could be positive, judging I believe is mostly negative, but there's a thin line between the two.
May Allah Strengthen your faith and light your path.
Salaams Ahmed,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing. I never looked at it that way and it is definitely a great reminder!
Wsalaams