Ustaz Ali bin Haji Muhammad on 'Hijrah'

Bismillah.

"Praise be to Allah for having gathered us at this sacred venue. Where might have we been, had He not gathered us all here at this holy place." Ustaz Ali began his tausiyah at Masjid Sultan Singapore with words of praises for Allah, for the blessings, as we embrace the month of Muharram in the new year 1434 hijriyah. 

It is well known that Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had spent 63 years of his life, dedicating it in its entirety to the deen.  There were plenty of lessons to learn from the Prophet's struggles and that of his noble companions. It was, needless to say, a struggle which had been blessed and aided by Allah s.w.t. Even prior to him becoming a prophet, Muhammad was one very fine gentleman. He was insan Rabbani, one who benefited from His guidance all the way through. What could be better than having direct guidance from Allah?

Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had been suffering from all kinds of pressures and objections during the 13 years spent in Makkah, until he was ordered to migrate to Madinah. Again, there are plenty of lessons to be learned from the Prophet's hijrah.

Prophet Ibrahim a.s. said in Surah Al Ankabut verse 26: Inni muhajirun illa Rabbi, innahu huwal 'azizul hakim. "Indeed, I am migrating toward my Lord. Indeed He is the Mighty, the Wise."

Ustaz Ali said, the sole objective of one's hijrah should be for Allah's sake, alone. Our intention must be a correct one. Where is the hijrah directed to? For whose sake? And for what reasons? Our intention will primarily determine the outcome of the hijrah. Is our hijrah really meant for the sake of the Prophet and the deen which he propagates? Or is it driven by worldly desires, selfish motivations or to gain people's recognition? We will eventually reap the fruit of our hijrah based on our true intentions. 

Why did you think the Prophet was made to suffer from all sorts of tribulations? If Allah had willed, He could have made the Prophet the wealthiest of all people. Allah did not destine for him ease of livelihood because that would not have been a struggle.

Ustaz Ali then asked the audience the real meaning of success. Does it equate to the world's material wealth? Success to a Muslim means attaining the heavens. It is not measured by one's properties or social status etc. Success is reaped in the heavenly realm when Allah s.w.t greets us with greeting of peace - Salamun qaulan min Rabbin Rahim. What more could anyone wish for? 

One who is said to make a hijrah is he/she who drops all munkar. To that end, some people think we should migrate to a better place. But can we actually become a better person just by migrating to a better place? Is there a place which is completely free of shayatin, of trials and tribulations? Not even in holy cities like Makkah and Madinah. Some places may be sacred but people are not.

Those who are qualified as mujahid are those who fight against his/her own nafs (lower self). They who struggle in cleansing their heart, emotions and soul. They are the ones upon whom Allah would inspire to do good. Allah defines success as belonging to those who migrate in the true sense of the word. The mujahid strive with their wealth and selves to gain Allah's bounty.

According to Ustaz Ali, there are several types of hijrah:

• hijrah maqani or migration of space - this is the most common type of hijrah but given the advancement of internet technology, we are able to be at many places virtually;
• hijrah aqli or migration of the mind/principles - we are either not feeding the intellect enough or we are not using the intellect optimally. There used to be many excellent Muslim thinkers and inventors but these days we are thinking more about politics, money, position and other trivial matters instead of thinking about making the deen more successful.
• hijrah ruuhi or migration of the spirit towards Allah.

In migrating towards Allah, we are supposed to train ourselves. We listen to nashid and qasidah to soften the heart and make it inclined towards good deeds. We spend time sitting in masjid and things like that. But make no mistake, our life is not all about doing such things. We must earn a living. And to do that, we must also know how to interact with other people.

Many people are knowledgeable but their hearts may not necessarily be clean. People tend to suffer from excessive pride (ujub/takabbur) and envy. Making zikir is one way to keep the heart clean. It is evident that we need to make hijrah ruhiyah. 

Concluding his tausiyah, Ustaz Ali said we must do four things:

• Check our intention. Always have the right intention and keep purifying one's intention.
• Be dutiful because being dutiful towards the deen is not a choice but is obligatory.
• Must have yaqin. Must have certainty that Allah will offer His help instead of having confidence or relying on people's help. 
• Must nurture one's love for Rasulallah s.a.w. To love Rasulallah means to honor the orders of Allah. So find ways that could cultivate our adoration towards the Prophet. If we don't love him enough, we won't follow him. If we don't love him, we might end up doing something because of a sense of duty, instead of doing things out of love. 

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Allahu a'lam. May I be forgiven for any errors and omissions.