Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
The entire life of a Muslim reflects his loyalty and love for Islam. From the time he wakes up in the morning, and thereafter throughout the day when he eats, drinks, interacts with people, engages in transactions and carries out other actions and activities, until he retires to bed at night – his every moment and movement is guided and governed by the divine Deen of Islam.
Not only does a Muslim adhere to the teachings of Islam in the musjid, in the month of Ramadhaan, or on special, happy occasions such as the days of eid and jumu’ah – but rather he adheres to the life-code and value system of Islam at every moment of his life, both inwardly as well as outwardly.
As for adherence to Islam outwardly, then one understands this department of Deen by outwardly submitting to the command of Allah Ta‘ala in one’s religious actions, dress code and in one’s conduct among people. However, in regard to adherence inwardly, then this refers to a believer fulfilling the command of Allah Ta‘ala with a happy and obedient heart.
Just as adherence to Islam outwardly is important for a believer’s Islam to be accepted by Allah Ta‘ala, adherence to Islam inwardly is equally important and necessary.
In the Qur’aan Majeed, Allah Ta‘ala mentions that in order for one to be a true and perfect believer, then together with him outwardly submitting to the command of Deen, he should also be inwardly pleased with the command of Deen.
Allah Ta‘ala says, “(O Muhammad [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam])! By your Rabb (Lord)! They will not believe, until they make you (O Muhammad [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam]) the judge in all their disputes that arise between them, and thereafter they do not find any reluctance in their hearts in regard to your decision, and they should surrender to it in total submission.” (Surah Nisaa v. 65)
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) once said, “None of you will be a true and perfect believer until his inner desires (and his heart) conforms to the Deen which I have brought.” (Sharhus Sunnah #104)
From the abovementioned Aayah and Hadith, we understand that in order for one to be a true believer he will have to practice Islam outwardly and be pleased with Islam inwardly at all times.
If a person practices Islam but loves the way of the kuffaar which is in contradiction to the way of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), then in reality, such a person has not submitted inwardly. This is extremely detrimental, and such a person will not be a true and perfect believer.
Below is the eye-opening incident of the frightful outcome of an aalim who preferred and admired the ways of the kuffaar to the blessed way of Islam:
The Disastrous Fate of the Aalim who Loved the Way of the Christians
Qari Fatah Muhammad (rahimahullah) was the ustaad of Hazrat Thaanwi (rahimahullah). He once mentioned to Hazrat Thaanwi (rahimahullah) that he heard the following incident from Sheikh Dahhaan (rahimahullah) who was a great aalim of Makkah Mukarramah. Sheikh Dahhaan (rahimahullah) mentioned that once, a certain aalim of Makkah Mukarramah passed away. Accordingly, the aalim was given ghusl, the janaazah salaah was performed and he was buried in the cemetery.
A few days later, another person passed away. Since graves in Makkah Mukarramah are often shared, the same grave was reopened so that this person could also be buried inside. However, on opening the grave, Sheikh Dahhaan (rahimahullah) and the other people present were surprised to find that the body of the aalim was not there, and in his place was the body of a young European girl.
Allah Ta‘ala made it such that present at that burial was a Muslim who had come from France. On seeing the young girl’s body, he exclaimed, “I know this girl! She is from France and her parents are Christians! She was learning Urdu from me, and she had embraced Islam in secret. I had also taught her some basic books on Deen. Unexpectedly, she fell ill and passed away, after which I left France and came here.”
Hearing this, the people said, “We can understand why the French girl’s body has been transferred to Makkah Mukarramah. It was brought here on account of her embracing Islam and trying to lead a life of piety.” However, the people said, “If the girl is here, then where is the body of the aalim now?’”
Some people felt that the aalim’s body must have been transferred to France, in place of the girl’s body. Hence, they addressed the Muslim who had come from France and said, “After performing haj, go to France, open the grave of this girl in France and see if it now contains the aalim’s body.” Saying this, they gave the man a description of the aalim who had passed away so that he would be able to recognize his body.
After performing haj, when the man returned to France, and opened the girl’s grave, he found that instead of her body – it was the body of the aalim of Makkah Mukarramah that was in her coffin, matching the description of the aalim that the people in Makkah Mukarramah had given him.
When this man thereafter sent the news to Makkah Mukarramah that the he had found the aalim’s body in the girl’s grave in France, then the people of Makkah Mukarramah said, “This girl’s body being transferred to Makkah Mukarramah is a sign of her being accepted by Allah Ta‘ala. However, the aalim’s body being moved from Makkah Mukarramah to the land of the Kuffaar is a sign that he was not accepted by Allah Ta‘ala. What weakness in his life could have been the cause for this?”
The people then said, “The people who will know one best will be the people of one’s household. Let us ask his wife.” The wife of this aalim was then approached and was asked regarding whether her husband had any weakness in his Deen due to which this had transpired. She replied, “My husband was a good man, but he had one weakness in him which used to affect me and trouble me. His weakness was that after we would have relations, he would say, ‘How nice is the way of the Christians that after relations, ghusl is not obligatory on them, whereas we Muslims have to have a ghusl after having relations!’”
Hence, though he lived in Makkah Mukarramah, he liked the way of the Christians and was not happy with the way of Islam. On the contrary, the Muslim girl in Europe lived Islam, though she lived in difficulty and was forced to keep her Islam a secret. Therefore, Allah Ta‘ala transferred her body to Makkah Mukarramah and transferred the body of the aalim to Europe. (Jawaahir Paare 2/140-143)
