A few days ago, I went to my Sunday morning class. Alhumdullilah, I always find something enlightening from the teacher. On this day, we went over Hadith Al-Qudsi hadith #6:
On the authority of Aboo `Abdillaah an-Nu`maan the son of Basheer (radiAllaahu ‘anhumaa), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say:
| That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour, but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allaah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart. [Related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.] |
The Shaykh then went on to explain that some people know in their hearts what is Al-Halal and what is Al-Haram, and they continue to exceed the limits set down by Allah (swt). They begin to commit Makhruh acts, and eventually those aren’t even enough for them. Eventually, they are doing Haram openly. It is a slippery slope. Anyway, we were in the middle of the Hadith portion of the class when a new student walked in.
She sat next to me, and I immediately noticed something “off” about her. She was dressed sort of haphazardly. She wore a hijab, but it looked like she had just thrown her outfit together. She, what can I say?, she didn’t smell too nice. Conversely, she had a very clear, brown complexion and nice teeth. I used to wear braces when I was a teenager, and one of the first things I notice about people are their teeth, and hers were even, straight and white.
I noticed also, that she was very figgety. Soon after she came into the class, she suddenly got up and left. The shaykh hadn’t finished class yet, so I went after her.
I followed her outside and asked her if she was coming back in. She said she would, and she said, “Are we allowed to ask questions in this class?” I answered that she was allowed to ask any questions she needed to. After a few minutes she came back into the class.
After the Hadith section of the class, we began to talk about Fiqh of fasting, and the sister raises her hand. She says, “If someone has a medical condition, where they’re not obligated to fast…or pray…should they still fast or would it be wrong to fast?” I could see that the sister truly wanted guidance, and had come to the class seeking just that.
I immediately start thinking about what kind of a health condition she could have. She appears pretty healthy. But looks only tell part of the story.
The shaykh said, “I can’t answer the question until I know the nature of the illness.”
She says, “What if someone were Bi-Polar, and they have to take medicines to control it, and if they aren’t sure what fasting will do to their…balance?”
The Shaykh was clearly thrown for a loop. He had a hard time advising her, he tried giving her nasihah, but he had to eventually advise her to consult her doctor.
Imagine if you couldn’t fast? What if your health absolutely prevented you from doing so? Wouldn’t you crave the days when you were able to fast? Yes, Allah (swt) is Merciful, those who can’t fast can feed a poor or fasting person, but just the act of fasting brings us closer to Allah, and that bond is hard to duplicate.
What if each day it was a challenge just to gain control of reality? What if you struggled just to make sense of this world? Allah has indeed placed a great test upon those who struggle with Mental Health issues. Inshallah, they will pass that test.
Everyday, we take for granted our fasting. Every year we take for granted that we will be granted another Ramadan. What if this is our last? What if today is our last day on this Earth? What if next year we are unable to fulfill the fast?
May we all take advantage of this Ramadan, as if it were our last one upon this Earth. May Allah accept our fast, Salah, and Du’ah this Ramadan (amin).
Filed under: Ramadan Reflections, Uncategorized
