College Life
I start with
the intent of purifying myself first and foremost and then advising you all as
my own brothers and sisters.
- Introduction:
Benefit of being around those who do good.
- Allah (SWT), your Creator, mentions your name to the Angels in
praise and pleasure
- Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa`id
Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "When a group of people
assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them
(with their wings), (Allah's) mercy envelops them, Sakinah,
or tranquility descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them
before those who are near Him.'' [Muslim].
- The Angels are looking for the people who remember Allah (SWT)
- Allah (SWT) said, "Therefore remember me. I will remember
you. Be grateful to Me and never show me ingratitude"(Al-Baqarah: 152).
- On
the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased
with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
Allah (glorified and exalted be He) has supernumerary angels
who rove about seeking out gatherings in which Allah's name is being invoked:
they sit with them and fold their wings round each other, filling that which is
between them and between the lowest heaven. When
[the people in the gathering] depart, [the angels] ascend and rise up to
heaven. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h.) said: Then Allah
(mighty and sublime be He) asks them - [though] He is
most knowing about them: From where have you come? And they say: We
have come from some servants of Yours on Earth:
they were glorifying You (Subhana llah),
exalting you (Allahu akbar),
witnessing that there is no god but You (La ilaha illa llah), praising You (Al-Hamdu lillah), and asking [favours] of You. He says: And what do they ask of Me? They say: They ask of You Your Paradise. He says: And
have they seen My Paradise? They say: No, O Lord. He says: And how would it be
were they to have seen My Paradise! They say: And they ask protection of You. He says: From what do they ask protection of Me? They say: From Your Hell-fire, O Lord. He says: And have
they seen My Hell-fire? They say: NO. He says: And how would it be were they to
have seen My Hell-fire: They say: And they ask for Your
forgiveness. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: Then He
says: I have forgiven them and I have bestowed upon them what they have asked
for, and I have granted them sanctuary from that from which they asked
protection. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: They say: O
Lord, among then is So-and-so, a much sinning servant, who was merely passing
by and sat down with them. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h)
said: And He says: And to him [too] I have given forgiveness: he who sits with
such people shall not suffer. (It was related by Muslim also by al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, and an-Nasa'i).
- In the groups of good friends, we build bonds of brotherhood and
sisterhood. Imagine how amazing it would
be to actually see heaven. I’m sure we
have some sort of scenery in our minds, but in reality, we cant
really even fathom the thought of its beauty.
Such imagery is in the Quran all over about
the bounties of heaven, here are just a few ayahs from surah
waqiah: 12.
In Gardens of Bliss: 13. A number of people from those
of old, 14. And a few from those of later ti
- Challenge of College Life
#1: Friendship
- The effect of the friends you choose to hang around is extremely
underestimated
- It is underestimated what one person can do to lead you astray and what one
person can do to bring you back to the Straight Path
-
That
is the purpose of friends: To be together
-
When
we are with our Muslim friends, we should always remind each other of the time
of prayer, and we should pray in congregation.
- Example of the consequence of not being with your Muslim brothers and sisters:
There is a flock of sheep; together they are protective over each other against
being eaten by a wolf; however, when one sheep leaves the flock, the protection
is gone, and the sheep can eaten by the wolf.
Our group
of friends should not outcast anyone or make others feel uncomfortable. If you joke around with others, let feelings
be mutual. You should be able to tell
your friends how you feel, and if you are bothered by their actions. Friends should always try to benefit each
other. We only have this life to live
once, and we have to do it right.
- Challenge of College Life #2:
Being Aware of What We Do on Campus
- You might come to college being a good Muslim, but then
slowly you start drifting away from the Straight Path due to making some
“unwise decisions”.
- Be aware of the early signs of change.
- On the authority of Abdullah bin Masud, who said: the Messenger of Allah (Peace and
Blessings be Upon Him) said:
“…By Allah, other than whom there is no deity, verily one of you behaves
like the people of Paradise until there is but an arm's length
between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves
like the people of Hellfire until there is but an arm's length between
him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves
like the people of Paradise and thus he enters it. (Bukhari
and Muslim)
- It was reported by Imam At-Tirmidhi that the
Prophet (S.A.W.) used to say frequently this supplication: "O Allah, The One who changes hearts, make my heart firm on your Deen.”
- We don’t know when we’ll die so we must protect ourselves from committing
sins, because you never know if that sin will be your last deed before you die;
everyone wants their last deed to be a good one.
- Challenge
of College Life #3: Keeping Oneself Busy in Good
- We must always keep ourselves busy in things that are
good
- If we don’t keep ourselves occupied in good, we will for sure occupy
ourselves in that which is bad
- Not being busy in good = Open door for Shaitan to
mess with our hearts.
I pray to Allah that He can help us
implement all good from what we learn, and stay away from all that deviates us
from the Straight Path.
Oh Allah, you are the most
Kind, the Great, the All Supreme. Ya Raheem, Ya
Ghafur, Ya Allah, Ya Rasul. Send salaam and dua to our beloved Prophet and his generation. May Allah SWT make us stronger and more
steadfast in our prayers. May He provide us with all that we need, may
He provide those around the world with food, clothing, electricity and other
things we take for granted. I ask that
He showers his Mercy upon His creations, and forgives us from our sins.