The line in the Sand - Part 2

 

Studying history, Islamic history, will outline, at least, the matters that deeply affect us today and how that came about. Belief, your eemaan (faith in Allah) is the most important blessing. The hadith says that a time will come when holding onto your faith will be like holding onto a hot coal (research the hadith, learn more about it and reflect upon it).

Perhaps it is an opportune time to reflect on the first lot of concerning matters. Allah tells us in Quran about a refrain of the disbelievers when they said words to the effect that they follow only what they found the fathers doing. They follow tradition or incorrect beliefs. So do you say “we always did it like this” or “I was taught this way”, rather than “what does Allah and His messenger ﷺ say”. This issue does reflect on matters of belief because it means that with the right belief you will always strive to “obey Allah and His messenger ﷺ ”. Tradition and culture is, of course, permissible, if it is in no way contradicting the pristine teachings of Islam. Upon reflection, one of the lessons that probably everybody can take from this is that you have to unlearn certain things. Your obedience to Allah and His messenger ﷺ  is paramount. Many have spent twelve years or more at school and then at tertiary educational institutions. How much of that knowledge is sound and how much must be discarded? Take a moment to reflect. These posts will not do justice to the many changes you and I have to contemplate and make to unlearn, relearn and improve. The most important thing is to strive to do your utmost and learn to join the dots. That one dot of honey satan put on that sheet has tentacles and how many strayed since.

That brings us to a hadith which states that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ drew a line in the sand and then drew other lines off it, warning us that at the head of every line (that deviated off the main line) is a satan. What else is of immediate concern to us, some of which look right but is in error? Dress-code, both male and female: how much do you imitate others, extravagance, calling yourself hijabi when indeed it does not conform to proper standard. Careers and jobs – which jobs are haram or working for which companies are prohibited? What about politics? What about allegiances? What about charity? What about social events?  And the list goes on.

This is about jihad-un-nafs (the struggle within yourself to correct yourself for Allah’s sake). How are we going to contribute to the rectification of the ummah when we are in need of correction ourselves? When then will the ummah be ready to take its rightful place as envoys of Allah on this earth? While you are busy rectifying yourself, you need to learn to join the dots and avoid a relapse because of satan’s and his cohorts’ incessant attempts to remove you from the obedience of Allah.

See part 1: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-line-in-sand-part-1.html

 

See part 3: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-line-in-sand-part-3.html