Our Hijab Journey
The Prophet ( ) said, “While three persons were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the mouth of the cave. They said to each other, ‘Invoke Allah with the best deed you have performed (so Allah might remove the rock)’. Cont..
Assalamualaikum ladies,
I pray that you are in the best of imaan and health! I hope things have been going well for you in the first month of 2021, despite everything, let’s continue to say Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah and Alhamdulilllaaah! So, as I’m writing this letter to you, I decided to change the picture above to what’s in my album which was taken randomly in Korea, on my way to a lunch place with my girlfriends. How random the picture was taken, what I’ve learnt recently and what I’m about to share now steers sooo far away from randomness.
I think it’s totally okay to go out, do new things and explore freely or at some point, randomly. We all do that and it is invigorating at times when you suddenly find yourself doing something new which lacks a little bit of planning, pattern and rules that we are always used to right? But ladies.. we know that our deeds have a price to pay, whether it’s out of randomness or out of our best intentions. So my loves, when everything counts, let us make all our deeds count greatly okay! There are always new and upcoming chances to make our deeds good and intentional because good + sincere deeds will cause our duas to be answered 🙏💖 Before I reflect on the MOST important lesson that I’ve recently learnt, let me walk you through the beautiful hadith.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “While three persons were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the mouth of the cave. They said to each other, ‘Invoke Allah with the best deed you have performed (so Allah might remove the rock)’. Cont..
This hadith is in short, about 3 men who were stuck in a cave when a big boulder blocked its entrance/exit. Then, all three of them came together and said “Call upon Allah SWT with the deed that you did only for His sake so that Allah SWT may grant us relief.” The hadith continued with the first man calling upon Allah while telling a deed that he had done solely for His sake.
“Ya Allah, my parents were very old and I offered them a nightly drink of milk before my children and other members of the family can drink them. [Cont…] Oh Allah, if I did this thing seeking only for Your pleasure, then do relieve us from the distress that befell upon us by this rock.” Then, the rock was lifted a bit once..
Another man called out with his sincere deed that was done for the sake of Allah SWT and the rock was lifted a bit more this time. At last, the situation then depended on the third man for the rock to be properly moved so that they could exit.. so the man called out to Allah with his deed that was done purely for Allah SWT’s sake and finally the rock was moved and the exit was freely opened.
The hadith and explanation could be in more details but I want to share with you the creme de la creme of its lessons which lies in sincerity of deeds and Who is it really for. You see, all three men had done different good deeds yet the base of it is the same, that is with sincerity, to seek Allah’s SWT pleasure. My loves, sincerity is the ultimate key ingredient to an accepted dua. A sincere deed is a means to ensure our duas to be accepted so when we make dua to Him, think of a deed that you have done, only for Him. Reflect on the deed which you intended for nothing else except to seek His pleasure, love and mercy.
Ladies, truthfully, as human beings (I’m guilty of this), we are so hasty in doing things & in getting things we want. Most of the time, our intention goes on auto-pilot mode or literally stays on the surface of the action like helping mom in the kitchen because she needs help, cleaning the bathroom because it needs to be cleaned or even eating simply to feed our hungry self. But! Let us not waste our deeds randomly because the beauty of Islam lies so deep and delicate in everything that we do, even the littlest thing carries its rewards with Allah, only if we intend it first & foremost, for His sake & for His pleasure! 💗
So the next time we help anybody in the house or outside, don’t just think of how happy and grateful they might feel but intend it first for the sake of Allah because He loves those who are beneficial to others. The next time we’re cleaning our spaces, intend it to seek His pleasure because He has made cleanliness a part of Islam and He loves it. The next time we’re eating good, intend it for His pleasure because He has made our bodies an amanah to us to take care of and being accountable for His sake is a loved deed by Him. This goes for every other deed/activity that we do on a daily basis and even the mundane ones here aren’t left out for any rewards if it’s for Him. As He’s always above watching us, spending 3 seconds in the beginning of every action, setting and grounding our intention firstly for Allah will expand our lives, with better perspectives and accepted duas Ameen!