Village Journals
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
The Final Call
The Final Call ...!
"This is a final call from British Airways", an echo sounded in the waiting lounge. "All passengers traveling to London by British Airways flight number BA046, should proceed to gate number 15". I looked into my watch. 30 minutes were still remaining and almost all the passengers were waiting in the lounge ready to proceed towards the aircraft.
"People are normally very punctual when traveling to abroad. Very few if any, miss the plane". A thought crossed my head. "But ... very few are punctual in their prayers. What if this prayer is the final call to their final journey to the Hereafter". My body shivered with the sheer imagination of the final prayers, and the final journey of the soul to meet its Lord...
I normally wake up very early every morning. Within the first hour of waking up and saying my prayers, I normally check my e-mail and browse the net, in case any emergency mail or news is awaiting me. It?s a routine.
Before leaving for a journey, I know that I won?t get net access for a while, so I check my e-mail thoroughly and spend some extra time checking some stuff online, since I won?t be able to do so for the next little while.
In the same way, I study throughout the semester (a routine), but when it?s exam-eve, I take the extra moment to solidify the data in my mind for the exam.
In both these instances, I?m pretty sure that I?ll either be going on a journey or will be faced with an exam the next day, thus I take the time to prepare.
Alhamdulillah, through the blessing of Allah (SWT) and the efforts of my parents, I have become accustomed to offering my 5 daily salat. Yet, it also has become a routine of sorts. I?m used to praying so I pray.
Unfortunately, many of those prayers are spent thinking about what I have to do next, while others speed-by while lost in thought about some other matter or pursuit. Although they are not the ideal salat, it is hoped that Allah (SWT) will accept my duty of daily salat as being discharged Insha Allah, even with these semi-conscious prayers (which aren't supposed to be that way).
However, in contrast with the two examples in the beginning, I can never be sure if a salat will be my last.
While browsing pages of a book while waiting for the final call in the airport lounge, a hadith caught my attention.
The Prophet (SAWW) is reported to have said, ?Offer each salat (with) such (devotion) as if it were the last salat of your life.?
My thoughts suddenly rushed over to Southeast Asia and the tsunami disaster. Many Muslims perished (may Allah grant them all a place in Jannah). While walking out of the masjid, how many would have thought that they had just offered their last salat and that they will soon be swept to sea?
We can try to sweep it under the rug as much as we want, but the fact remains that, our birth certificates don?t carry expiry dates. The `Asr I have just prayed or the Maghrib I?m about to offer (Insha-Allah) may very well be my final call to Allah (SWT) before He calls me back.
Before leaving for a journey or prior to an exam, I know that I better take the extra minutes to prepare and do it well, for I won?t get another chance in the near future. But when offering my salat, I don?t even know if I?ll suddenly find myself in an unexpected journey - from which there is no turning back.
Isn?t it ironic that I tend to sacrifice that which will (hopefully) help me in the Hereafter - when it all really counts - in exchange for short-term concerns that won?t help one bit in the Hereafter, and may even turn out to be a disadvantage for me?
Man, I?m such a fool.
May Allah (SWT) help me and all of us in streamlining our thoughts towards Allah during our salat, and help us make each of our prayers as if they?re our last final call. Ameen.
"This is a final call from British Airways", an echo sounded in the waiting lounge. "All passengers traveling to London by British Airways flight number BA046, should proceed to gate number 15". I looked into my watch. 30 minutes were still remaining and almost all the passengers were waiting in the lounge ready to proceed towards the aircraft.
"People are normally very punctual when traveling to abroad. Very few if any, miss the plane". A thought crossed my head. "But ... very few are punctual in their prayers. What if this prayer is the final call to their final journey to the Hereafter". My body shivered with the sheer imagination of the final prayers, and the final journey of the soul to meet its Lord...
I normally wake up very early every morning. Within the first hour of waking up and saying my prayers, I normally check my e-mail and browse the net, in case any emergency mail or news is awaiting me. It?s a routine.
Before leaving for a journey, I know that I won?t get net access for a while, so I check my e-mail thoroughly and spend some extra time checking some stuff online, since I won?t be able to do so for the next little while.
In the same way, I study throughout the semester (a routine), but when it?s exam-eve, I take the extra moment to solidify the data in my mind for the exam.
In both these instances, I?m pretty sure that I?ll either be going on a journey or will be faced with an exam the next day, thus I take the time to prepare.
Alhamdulillah, through the blessing of Allah (SWT) and the efforts of my parents, I have become accustomed to offering my 5 daily salat. Yet, it also has become a routine of sorts. I?m used to praying so I pray.
Unfortunately, many of those prayers are spent thinking about what I have to do next, while others speed-by while lost in thought about some other matter or pursuit. Although they are not the ideal salat, it is hoped that Allah (SWT) will accept my duty of daily salat as being discharged Insha Allah, even with these semi-conscious prayers (which aren't supposed to be that way).
However, in contrast with the two examples in the beginning, I can never be sure if a salat will be my last.
While browsing pages of a book while waiting for the final call in the airport lounge, a hadith caught my attention.
The Prophet (SAWW) is reported to have said, ?Offer each salat (with) such (devotion) as if it were the last salat of your life.?
My thoughts suddenly rushed over to Southeast Asia and the tsunami disaster. Many Muslims perished (may Allah grant them all a place in Jannah). While walking out of the masjid, how many would have thought that they had just offered their last salat and that they will soon be swept to sea?
We can try to sweep it under the rug as much as we want, but the fact remains that, our birth certificates don?t carry expiry dates. The `Asr I have just prayed or the Maghrib I?m about to offer (Insha-Allah) may very well be my final call to Allah (SWT) before He calls me back.
Before leaving for a journey or prior to an exam, I know that I better take the extra minutes to prepare and do it well, for I won?t get another chance in the near future. But when offering my salat, I don?t even know if I?ll suddenly find myself in an unexpected journey - from which there is no turning back.
Isn?t it ironic that I tend to sacrifice that which will (hopefully) help me in the Hereafter - when it all really counts - in exchange for short-term concerns that won?t help one bit in the Hereafter, and may even turn out to be a disadvantage for me?
Man, I?m such a fool.
May Allah (SWT) help me and all of us in streamlining our thoughts towards Allah during our salat, and help us make each of our prayers as if they?re our last final call. Ameen.
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