Important Components of Tarbiyah: Salah, Obedience and Courage

Important Components of Tarbiyah: Salah, Obedience and Courage

by Nisaar Y. Nadiadwala on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 1:04pm

  

A friend of mine works in a bank. One day I advised him to leave his job as it was  a danger to his akhera.  He responded : Inshallah If I get a good and a halal  job I will leave this job ! Now that was not tawaqqal upon Allah. Many of us put our trust in Allah along with our own conditions. It was required for my friend that he should have left his job and not feared poverty or joblessness and then referred to Allah, as Allah has taught us to...let us go back to the story of Mosa a.s. and revise the lesson in it. Surah Taha speaks in detail.

   The scene is a frightful one. It is dark and Mosa a.s. is travelling with his family in the chilly winter of desert. He sees a fire and tells his family that he would go and seek some fire and guidance (of direction). It was a tough thing to leave your family in the dark and climb up a mountian in a hurry to get some fire and return back to your waitingfamily as soon as possible. Now in the dark when Mosa is alone in a stange and lonely place he hears " YA MOSA !" More frgihtening. The caller then announces " I am your Lord and remove your shoes" An introduction and a command. It is unimaginable to perceive the mental condition of Mosa a.s.

The commands goes further...Serve and establish your prayers for my rememberance.. this verse shows a lot of importance of salah. Mosa a.s. Allah spoke to Mosa a.s. directly and in the first meeting itself Allah commanded him to be punctual in salah and even when our beloved Prophet Mohammed ,a.s.s. went to  me'raj he was told to hold fast to Salah.  In the court of Allah salah is a valuable obligation and enjoys a high status that even the Prophets of Allah are also instructed to hold fast to salah.

   The story moves further...I am putting it verbatim..verse 17.. And whatis in your right hand , O Moses? He replied,.. It is my rod and I lean with it, i beat fodder for my flocks and I find other uses in it...Then comes another command as a tarbiyah session.. Throw it O Moses !.. Moses did not ask Why ? Many of us put questions to scholars.. shaikh why does Islam commands to grow beard and why do we fast for whole day for a month?.. we look for answers that satisfy our intelligence. Mosa a.s. did not even ask for a reason. Obedience to Allah is instant, not a delayed one.

      When the stick turned into a swift moving snake you can imagine the frigthening condition of Mosa a.s. In dark , talking to Allah and now a swift moving snake ! Then comes some important lesson in tarbiyah...Allah commanded Mosa a.s. Seize it (snake) and fear not.....We shall return it into its former condition...Read the verse again. Allah commanded Mosa a.s. to pick up the snake and not the rod ! He told him NOT TO FEAR while picking up the snake... Mosa did not say like my friend working in the bank said ..if i get another job I will leave ribaa based job.. like... If it turns back into the rod I will pick it up.... No ..Rather he was told to show courage.. Allah could have turned the snake back into the rod and asked Mosa a.s. to pick it up..but Allah wanted Mosa a.s. to take a courageous and a bold step.. to drive away his fear...Mosa did not delay to implement .

    Most of us claim to have trust upon Allah but when it comes to take certain descision in our lives  as per the commands of Allah... we back out...Look at the verse again.. Allah assures.. I will turn it back into its former condition...Allah also assures us in many places in the Qur'an ...If you help Allah, Allah will help you and make you firm  (Surah  MOhammed verse 7)....If you spend in the way of Allah he will give you multiple times more....Surah Bakarah verse 261...It is time for testing our trust in Allah...

Author: Nisaar Nadiadwala writes and speaks on the socio-educatinal subjects from Islamic perspective. He can be reached at nisaar_yusuf@yahoo.com

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