The Imam Story
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| Photo Courtesy: anamcara.ch |
It is I'shaa time and the prayers have just started and you rush out of the house recalling what your mom has sent you and you start thinking of the shop and what you talked with the owner about yesterday and how he was and then, 'Aamiiin!' Your thoughts are interupted by the end of surah Al Faatiha. You increase your speed because even though you do not know what surah the imam is now reciting, every end of those verses feels like he's going to make that rukuu.
You reach the masjid and almost hit that guy on your way to take wudhuu (ablution) not to mention the salaam you dodged from akhy at the door. Alhamdulillah you find that middle tap that has no one using it and the wudhuu competitions begin. You are almost done when the imam reads the most famous takbir among the youth, 'Allahu Akbar!' The rukuu! And thats when your brain short circuits. You quickly put water on your feet and rush to get that rakaa but make sure you move just slow enough not to run and as you finally near the saf to join the salah, Al Ibtidal, as you see the imam standing up to greet you with the second rakaa and all the effort you have done is now gone and with it, the perfection of giving all the other actions their rights before the prayer.
It is not a new subject to the muslim youth especially akhys on the matter of rukuus and rak'aats and how some have even invented ways like loudly making all the dhikrs and inna llaha ma'aa aswabirin-s (Allah is with the patient) during this rush hour of a moment, which is forbidden actually and la'nas (curses) are upon those who disrupt the peace in salaah, and in this short story of our lives we can learn soo many lessons (please comment on what you've learnt) but i am going to highlight just one in shaa Allah.
We walk into that masjid knowing that the imam would go off at any time and that is why some invented the 'high iman moment' in hopes of slowing the imam down. But after all that, the hurry, the one time dhikrs, all go in to the drain. This is the concept of Expectancy re-defined. Allah (swt) created us as imperfect beings, capable of mistakes, of faults and that is why one of the names He refers to us in His Noble Qur'an is Al Insaan, that literally means the one who forgets, and this Insaan is what fills the whole world.
We meet different people in our walks of life and for each we brand a status onto them. But with a status comes certain expectations and conforming in those expectations is where we go wrong. Whether they are shaykhs, prominent people, inspirers, loved ones...whether they are anyones or everyones, they are still the same people in the world, they are still Al- Insaan, they are imperfect....and once you expect from the imperfect, you will always be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, everyone has a duty and responsibility to fulfil and when they come short of it once in awhile, you have the right to be disappointed but never forget that they are hardwired to make mistakes and they are just like you because Al kamalu lillah, the Perfect One is Allah swt.
They say neccesity is the mother of invention, as Expectancy is the mother of disappointment, except when it is from Allah. Everyone will have shortcomings and be the Imam to the one rak'aa you miss, that is inevitable. But what is not is how much you get disappointed in them and how much understanding you can be. If we can change how we view people and their mishaps and remember to think of how we are all imperfect then that becomes the first step to forgiveness, healing and ultimately happiness.
Lastly, lets all expect from Allah (SWT) for He is The Most Merciful and Everything He puts in your way, whether good or bad in your eyes, is for the Best for you. Like the mother who shows the heartful amount of Mercy she shows her child after loosing then finding him(er), Allah (SWT) is that and much more for Allah's Mercy is so that the human mind cannot comprehend, subhanallah. Trust in Allah and trust that every single disappointment is but a test for He made us all as Al-Insaan, the perfectly imperfect beings, and you shall surely lead a peacefully jovial and happy life in shaa Allah.
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