A Must-Taken Step: Preparation

Those who have emerged with a heavy balance of pain, psychological fragility, and loss of the noble meanings of faith— as a result of families failing to fulfill their duty of upbringing— come out into the world with a shoddy commodity, weakness, and a lack of preparation… and are faced with the responsibilities of new families and the repetition of old mistakes… and the series of failure, defeat, confusion, and nonsense continues!

How many parents neglected the religious upbringing of their children and focused merely on physical care, feeding the stomachs and depriving the hearts of their nourishment, resulting in generations that suffer and bear many contradictions and turmoil!

At the same time, a light appears in the corner of the scene, inspiring a desire for elevation, freedom, and breaking free from the bonds of backwardness and falling behind the believers.

However, fear remains a barrier that prevents one from taking this fateful step, leaving the barn of ignorance and exploitation and going into the fields of seriousness, high aspirations, and achievement. This fear is only natural, for how can we achieve such a transition without any preparation for it, without protection from the dangers of the road, without strengthening the heart and limbs, and without a clear vision unaffected by confusion!?

A young girl raised in a home where there is no prayer and was never illuminated by the light of the Quran nor the remembrance of Allah— raised in a home that is focused on chasing worldly pleasures, accumulating wealth, observing the private lives of others, envy, coldness, conflict, and lack of concern about sins… that girl wonders: how do I get out of this loss and save myself from the “human” wolves, devilish traps, and an endless maze? How do I believe in Allah!?

She has collided with a painful reality without sufficient preparation and nothing more than a shoddy and mixed commodity of knowledge, faith, and ethics. Will she withstand such an epic battle!? 

Yes, she will, and she shall stand firm and emerge victorious, with the permission of Allah, just as every person before her who had fled disbelief and wrongdoing for faith and righteousness has succeeded. For Allah —glorious is he— offers his slaves priceless opportunities to emerge from the darknesses and into the light…

As for the beginning, throw behind you all the pains and sorrows of the past, and with it: all your shortcomings and betrayals, as well as all the disturbing memories and grudges that ignite anger. Throw all of that behind you, for it has no value except for one value, which is the spark that drives you to escape from this loss, degradation, and destruction. Do not repeat the failure of parents who had no just estimate of the greatness of Allah, such as is due to Him, nor did they understand the reality of this world. 

Then prepare yourself for the struggles of this world by preparing yourself concerning your faith (Aqeedah), ethics, and awareness. This will be your provision and shield throughout your journey. Without these, you will not achieve or accomplish anything, nor will you taste the pleasure of faith, freedom, and high aspirations, which are the Paradise of the believer in this world. If the disbelievers knew its greatness, they would fight us with swords for it, even if we lived in no more than poor and humble homes.

I advise every girl who wants a different beginning and a better life than before to start by learning about Allah Almighty, appreciating the blessings of her Creator, and understanding her position in this life as a servant of Allah— hoping for His mercy. This means contemplating His creation and adhering to His words, asking Him for guidance with sincerity and urgency, and presenting the means with neither hesitation nor stinginess.

I advise her to stop listening to music and songs, stay away from gatherings of sins and obscenities, look for righteous companionship and gatherings that remind her of Allah (even if they are online), and start an intensive training course to prepare herself. Most of these ideas are summarized in the books “Pages from The Notebook of Commitment (صفحات من دفتر الالتزام),” “Creating Ambition (صناعة الهمة), “”To You (إليكِ أنتِ)” and “The Reality of Death (حقيقة الموت).”

We have no power nor strength except with Allah. Emerging from collapsed families does not mean the end of solutions. Instead, we should seek the help of Allah and start anew with a strong determination that refuses to repeat the tragedy and deprive the self of the blessings of faith and righteousness. You must learn how to be a pious slave for Allah, with a humble and sincere heart, racing to the blessings and bounties of this life and the hereafter.

This is not an impossible task; for the companions of the prophet had emerged from great ignorance and into the light of faith— charting paths that no one born and raised into Islam ever surpassed. They learned the truth of this religion after years of ignorance and injustice. From among them came the heralds of Paradise and the carriers of the trust of Islam to the farthest corners of the earth. They were the unique generation that excelled in their piety! 

However, suppose the girl is sincere and truthful. In that case, she may surpass those born into stable Muslim families with her sincerity and impressive competition, constantly driven by the flame of deprivation and the desire to compensate for what she had lost. How many new converts to Islam have taken this religion with a force that may remain unknown to some who have lived as Muslims all their lives? We have seen among them models to follow; despite being fought by their families and acquaintances, they stood firm with unwavering steadfastness.

It is excruciating to see a young girl contemplating suicide, succumbing to the whims of an adulterous man, or ignorance of the infidel West! This cannot be justified by a miserable childhood nor by the deprivation of parents and family. Human nature rejects such degradation, and even women from Jahiliyyah (the age of ignorance) knew the difference between a free woman and a prostitute! And this virtue of free women continued after Islam. Hence there is no excuse.

All praise is due to Allah, who made Islam a light that illuminates dark hearts, permeating into every aspect of one’s life, and becoming a powerful force on earth through monotheism, the Sunnah, and competing in doing good deeds. 

Allah Almighty said:

وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا ۖ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ ۚ أَيْنَ مَا تَكُونُوا يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللهُ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(148، Al-Baqarah)

No matter what land you’re in, compete! 

Every Muslim today, whether male or female, must revolt against all the evil customs inherited by the generations; they need an uprising against the ignorance of this era by building their faith and ethics, creating awareness befitting of a Muslim, and establishing themselves for the benefit of both this world and the hereafter… and by setting up a family that is based on Islam and governed by it, raising generations of strong and steadfast Muslims.

Otherwise, whoever falls behind in the race to Allah can only blame themselves. Time passes, days do not last, and any effort wasted in this world will not benefit— the only thing that remains is one’s good deeds. Fatherhood is a science, motherhood is a science, and building a family is a science… How can we accomplish these significant tasks without enough education? Hence, we must learn, teach, and illuminate homes with the light of knowledge.

Every Muslim must seek the first and most important knowledge for their life, the knowledge of religion, the science of building families and good relationships, and the understanding of human nature. An academic degree may be one of the ways to secure a livelihood, but it does not solve the problems of the soul and the shortcomings and turmoil of the heart. Have you not seen how many people with degrees are miserable? That is because the light of Allah is not gifted to the rebellious sinner.

The most essential knowledge is undoubtedly the knowledge of Islam with all its important details and related branches. A person cannot live a balanced life without this knowledge, even if he possesses all the degrees of all worldly specialties! It is a life of inevitable misery lived by those concerned about nothing but this earthly life and prioritizing the satisfaction of the requirements of Western domination.

We must thank Allah for the blessing of social media despite its negatives. When we find those deprived of the greatness of integrity, their souls move to recognize the beauty of this religion, and their hearts move with a passion for breaking free from the chains of confusion and absurdity… The call to Islam is the only call that encompasses the requirements of human nature and with which the souls are set in tranquility. 

Relieve the dry and weak hearts— relieve them with monotheism and the Sunnah. Spread this cure everywhere and ask Allah to benefit humanity with it. The companions and those who followed them embarked on journeys to the ends of the earth, crossing seas, deserts, and mountains, enduring long distances in an era where technology was not available, all to bring people out of the darkness and into the light. 

O Allah, keep every heart that has moved in curiosity to know you steadfast upon its faith. O Allah, facilitate integrity and commitment for anyone who seeks it. O Allah, honor generations that have grown up in harshness and cruelty with the lights of your guidance so that they may join the racers with nobility. O Allah, make us and other Muslims live and thrive upon monotheism and the Sunnah, and make us die upon them. O Allah, make all of our actions during this life for your satisfaction and beautify the endings of our lives.