BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHIM
First of all, my deepest gratitude to Allah swt for giving me two most precious possessions ever; IMAN and ISLAM. And Peace be to my dearest Prophet Muhammad SAW for his venture to deliver the message of God.
Dearest readers,
I think it’s been more than a month since I left this blog alone. I’m so sorry. Since starting the new year of study, I’m entering a new era in my life which I have to persuade myself in adapting mode. It makes my determination in updating this blog once a month fail. In future, I can’t promise when I’ll update this blog. Like always, I’m still wondering if my blog ever has a fan. But, insya Allah, I know, you all exist. He
Let’s move to my content of blog for this entry. After K had knew about his serious illness and began to move forward, he already had a so-called defensive mechanism for himself to face through the tough time. That is what I really want to share with all of you because as human, we cannot skip from having a problem whether small or big. When I’m in the corner of stress and exhausted, this book give me something to ponder on. It’s for sure that noble Quran is the best cure to us but the presence of this book is regarded as added value.
So, what attitude to adopt actually?
My ordeal fighting the eye cancer was a very important lesson for me. I know for sure that “having a strong will to fight it” is a very wrong thing to do. Why fight for something when I am not sure what the outcome would be? Especially after knowing that Allah swt has already decreed for each one of us how long we shall live in this world, and that none can stop it when the time comes.
وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُون
“But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and Allah is well –acquainted with (all) that ye do.” (Al-Munaafiqun:11)
“Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!(an- Nisa’:78)
“We have decreed Death to be your common lot, and We are not to be frustrated.” (al-Waqiah:60)
“He is the Irresistible, (watching) from above over His worshippers, and He sets guardians over you. At length, when death approaches one of you, Our angels take his soul, and they never fail in their duty.” (al-An’am:61)
The above are just four out of so many Quranic verses talking about Life and Death, all reminding us of who we are, nothing but weak human-beings who live in this world at the mercy of Allah swt. So to put up a strong fight for my life while not knowing what Allah swt has decided for me ( as it is totally beyond my knowledge), is definitely not the right thing to do. Furthermore, as I have discussed previously, this attitude can be very dangerous as I may die while being displeased with Allah swt’s decision.
The next obvious question is “What then should be my correct attitude in facing this possibilityf losing my life?” The answer in the Quran in the following verse:
“To Allah do belong the unseen (secrets) of the heavens and the earth, and to Him goeth back every affair (for decision): then worship Him, and put thy trust in Him: and thy Lord is not unmindful of aught that ye do.” (Hud: 123)
The above verse clearly indicates that we have no knowledge of the Unseen (including the time of our deaths) as they belong to Allah swt alone, and that alla affairs are for Him to decide. We are asked to put our trust (tawakkal) in Him alone. Allah swt also said in the Quran:
“Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits ( of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return.” They are those on whom (descend) blessings from their Lord, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. “ (al-Baqarah:155-157)
Based on these facts, I therefore chose to let Allah swt decide for me, whether to heal me or to take away my life, as I realized that it is not for me to decide on this unseen thing.
My supplications to Allah swt have also changed. Previously when I was about to lose my eye, I did a lot of prayers and supplications to Allah swt asking Him for my recovery. But this time, all I ask from Allah swt is whatever His decision will be, let it be the best for me; i.e. if He decides to heal me, make me a better person and a very obedient servant of His; if on the other hand He decides to take away my life, I beg Him to take me away during the time when He is truly pleased with me and to bless me with His forgiveness and mercy. I also asked Allah swt to make me among “those who patiently persevere”, as I do not know how much pain and agony I will have to face later on in the future. That is all I ask from Him, and I put all my trust in Him as is commanded Him in the above verse.
This is the concept of “Redha” (true acceptance) of what Allah swt has decreed upon us, and “Tawakkal” i.e. putting all trust to Allah swt. It is not something that can be easily achieved without the help from Allah swt. Therefore, you will have to continuously ask Allah swt to help you achieve it. that is what I did, and I discovered Allah swt is also Merciful and He will help you when you sincerely ask for it. I will talk about this in the next section insyaAllah.
What is more important to tell you at this stage is what I have personally experienced after adopting this “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude in replace of “You must have a strong will to fight the cancer” attitude. The things that I have discovered are as follows:
• With the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I discovered that I began to really enjoy doing my prayers, supplications to Allah swt and all kinds of other ibadah (Solat, Zikrullah, Quranic readings and studies, etc); as I now do all these only with the hope to obtain His blessings and forgiveness and nothing else.
With the “strong will to fight the cancer” attitude, I was having a lot of conflicts within myself when I performed all the above ibadah, because I was not sure if I were doing them to get Allah swt’s blessings and forgiveness or because I was desperate for recovery. Sometimes I felt guilty for being so selfish, I felt that did all these because I was only thinking of myself (i.e. for my recovery), and not trying to please Allah swt. Honestly, it was awful to have that kind of feeling while doing your ibadah.
• With the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I really have a very peaceful mind (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). I am not under any kind of pressure at all due to my sickness, in fact I am totally relaxed, Alhamdulillah. When I feel sick, I make a lot of istighfar as I know this is one method for Allah swt to forgive my sins. When I feel OK, I praise Him as I really feel thankful for His great Mercy towards me.
I think this is the blessings you would get from Allah swt once you adopt the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, as you let Allah swt decide the best for you; compared to when I was adopting the “strong will to fight the cancer” attitude where I was really under a lot of stress. I guess back then I was really desperate to recover, I believed I could fight the cancer and so I tried my best. I did not prepare myself to be on the “losing side”, hence I was really under a lot of pressure to win the battle.
• Having a peaceful mind (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) in itself is a form of healing. Even if it does not help me to survive the cancer physically, it is already helping me to face it mentally, emotionally and spiritually, which is more important.
It is important to note that when I said that I began adopting the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I did not mean that I’ve also started refusing to go for any kind of treatment. The “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude that I’ve adopted is for my mental, emotional and spiritual point of view only. Physically, I still go for recommended treatments suggested by the medical doctors and complimentary medical practitioners, as long as the recommended treatment is not against Islamic teachings.
But when I go for any of these treatments, I don’t put on my hopes on them. Instead, I put all my hopes and trust only to Allah swt. Whether or not I will be healed, it is up to Allah swt to decide. I therefore do not have any stress about the possibility of failing to heal as a result of treatment.
One might ask why then do I still go for treatment if I have put my trust and hope only to Allah swt? The answer is because we never know what lies ahead of us, i.e. in my case, whether Allah swt will heal me or take away my life. But what we do know is that most of the time Allah’s help come via the people around us, as Allah swt is in control of everything in this world.
I therefore felt that I should not refuse any help offered by anybody especially when they are sincere in helping and their proposed treatments do not go against the criteria I mentioned earlier. From my own experience, if the proposed treatment works (even it only reduces the pain) then there is more reason for me to thank Allah swt; and if it doesn’t, then there is always a lesson to learn from it.
To summarize this lesson, “Redha and Tawakkal” is a much better attitude to adopt as it brings you so much greater benefits from all aspects of life (Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual).
Insya-Allah, to be continue...
FACING DEATH-Part 3
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BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHIM
First of all, my deepest gratitude to Allah swt for giving me two most precious possessions ever; IMAN and ISLAM. And Peace be to my dearest Prophet Muhammad SAW for his venture to deliver the message of God.
Dearest readers,
I think it’s been more than a month since I left this blog alone. I’m so sorry. Since starting the new year of study, I’m entering a new era in my life which I have to persuade myself in adapting mode. It makes my determination in updating this blog once a month fail. In future, I can’t promise when I’ll update this blog. Like always, I’m still wondering if my blog ever has a fan. But, insya Allah, I know, you all exist. He
Let’s move to my content of blog for this entry. After K had knew about his serious illness and began to move forward, he already had a so-called defensive mechanism for himself to face through the tough time. That is what I really want to share with all of you because as human, we cannot skip from having a problem whether small or big. When I’m in the corner of stress and exhausted, this book give me something to ponder on. It’s for sure that noble Quran is the best cure to us but the presence of this book is regarded as added value.
So, what attitude to adopt actually?
My ordeal fighting the eye cancer was a very important lesson for me. I know for sure that “having a strong will to fight it” is a very wrong thing to do. Why fight for something when I am not sure what the outcome would be? Especially after knowing that Allah swt has already decreed for each one of us how long we shall live in this world, and that none can stop it when the time comes.
وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُون
“But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and Allah is well –acquainted with (all) that ye do.” (Al-Munaafiqun:11)
“Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!(an- Nisa’:78)
“We have decreed Death to be your common lot, and We are not to be frustrated.” (al-Waqiah:60)
“He is the Irresistible, (watching) from above over His worshippers, and He sets guardians over you. At length, when death approaches one of you, Our angels take his soul, and they never fail in their duty.” (al-An’am:61)
The above are just four out of so many Quranic verses talking about Life and Death, all reminding us of who we are, nothing but weak human-beings who live in this world at the mercy of Allah swt. So to put up a strong fight for my life while not knowing what Allah swt has decided for me ( as it is totally beyond my knowledge), is definitely not the right thing to do. Furthermore, as I have discussed previously, this attitude can be very dangerous as I may die while being displeased with Allah swt’s decision.
The next obvious question is “What then should be my correct attitude in facing this possibilityf losing my life?” The answer in the Quran in the following verse:
“To Allah do belong the unseen (secrets) of the heavens and the earth, and to Him goeth back every affair (for decision): then worship Him, and put thy trust in Him: and thy Lord is not unmindful of aught that ye do.” (Hud: 123)
The above verse clearly indicates that we have no knowledge of the Unseen (including the time of our deaths) as they belong to Allah swt alone, and that alla affairs are for Him to decide. We are asked to put our trust (tawakkal) in Him alone. Allah swt also said in the Quran:
“Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits ( of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return.” They are those on whom (descend) blessings from their Lord, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. “ (al-Baqarah:155-157)
Based on these facts, I therefore chose to let Allah swt decide for me, whether to heal me or to take away my life, as I realized that it is not for me to decide on this unseen thing.
My supplications to Allah swt have also changed. Previously when I was about to lose my eye, I did a lot of prayers and supplications to Allah swt asking Him for my recovery. But this time, all I ask from Allah swt is whatever His decision will be, let it be the best for me; i.e. if He decides to heal me, make me a better person and a very obedient servant of His; if on the other hand He decides to take away my life, I beg Him to take me away during the time when He is truly pleased with me and to bless me with His forgiveness and mercy. I also asked Allah swt to make me among “those who patiently persevere”, as I do not know how much pain and agony I will have to face later on in the future. That is all I ask from Him, and I put all my trust in Him as is commanded Him in the above verse.
This is the concept of “Redha” (true acceptance) of what Allah swt has decreed upon us, and “Tawakkal” i.e. putting all trust to Allah swt. It is not something that can be easily achieved without the help from Allah swt. Therefore, you will have to continuously ask Allah swt to help you achieve it. that is what I did, and I discovered Allah swt is also Merciful and He will help you when you sincerely ask for it. I will talk about this in the next section insyaAllah.
What is more important to tell you at this stage is what I have personally experienced after adopting this “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude in replace of “You must have a strong will to fight the cancer” attitude. The things that I have discovered are as follows:
• With the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I discovered that I began to really enjoy doing my prayers, supplications to Allah swt and all kinds of other ibadah (Solat, Zikrullah, Quranic readings and studies, etc); as I now do all these only with the hope to obtain His blessings and forgiveness and nothing else.
With the “strong will to fight the cancer” attitude, I was having a lot of conflicts within myself when I performed all the above ibadah, because I was not sure if I were doing them to get Allah swt’s blessings and forgiveness or because I was desperate for recovery. Sometimes I felt guilty for being so selfish, I felt that did all these because I was only thinking of myself (i.e. for my recovery), and not trying to please Allah swt. Honestly, it was awful to have that kind of feeling while doing your ibadah.
• With the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I really have a very peaceful mind (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). I am not under any kind of pressure at all due to my sickness, in fact I am totally relaxed, Alhamdulillah. When I feel sick, I make a lot of istighfar as I know this is one method for Allah swt to forgive my sins. When I feel OK, I praise Him as I really feel thankful for His great Mercy towards me.
I think this is the blessings you would get from Allah swt once you adopt the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, as you let Allah swt decide the best for you; compared to when I was adopting the “strong will to fight the cancer” attitude where I was really under a lot of stress. I guess back then I was really desperate to recover, I believed I could fight the cancer and so I tried my best. I did not prepare myself to be on the “losing side”, hence I was really under a lot of pressure to win the battle.
• Having a peaceful mind (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) in itself is a form of healing. Even if it does not help me to survive the cancer physically, it is already helping me to face it mentally, emotionally and spiritually, which is more important.
It is important to note that when I said that I began adopting the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I did not mean that I’ve also started refusing to go for any kind of treatment. The “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude that I’ve adopted is for my mental, emotional and spiritual point of view only. Physically, I still go for recommended treatments suggested by the medical doctors and complimentary medical practitioners, as long as the recommended treatment is not against Islamic teachings.
But when I go for any of these treatments, I don’t put on my hopes on them. Instead, I put all my hopes and trust only to Allah swt. Whether or not I will be healed, it is up to Allah swt to decide. I therefore do not have any stress about the possibility of failing to heal as a result of treatment.
One might ask why then do I still go for treatment if I have put my trust and hope only to Allah swt? The answer is because we never know what lies ahead of us, i.e. in my case, whether Allah swt will heal me or take away my life. But what we do know is that most of the time Allah’s help come via the people around us, as Allah swt is in control of everything in this world.
I therefore felt that I should not refuse any help offered by anybody especially when they are sincere in helping and their proposed treatments do not go against the criteria I mentioned earlier. From my own experience, if the proposed treatment works (even it only reduces the pain) then there is more reason for me to thank Allah swt; and if it doesn’t, then there is always a lesson to learn from it.
To summarize this lesson, “Redha and Tawakkal” is a much better attitude to adopt as it brings you so much greater benefits from all aspects of life (Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual).
Insya-Allah, to be continue...
First of all, my deepest gratitude to Allah swt for giving me two most precious possessions ever; IMAN and ISLAM. And Peace be to my dearest Prophet Muhammad SAW for his venture to deliver the message of God.
Dearest readers,
I think it’s been more than a month since I left this blog alone. I’m so sorry. Since starting the new year of study, I’m entering a new era in my life which I have to persuade myself in adapting mode. It makes my determination in updating this blog once a month fail. In future, I can’t promise when I’ll update this blog. Like always, I’m still wondering if my blog ever has a fan. But, insya Allah, I know, you all exist. He
Let’s move to my content of blog for this entry. After K had knew about his serious illness and began to move forward, he already had a so-called defensive mechanism for himself to face through the tough time. That is what I really want to share with all of you because as human, we cannot skip from having a problem whether small or big. When I’m in the corner of stress and exhausted, this book give me something to ponder on. It’s for sure that noble Quran is the best cure to us but the presence of this book is regarded as added value.
So, what attitude to adopt actually?
My ordeal fighting the eye cancer was a very important lesson for me. I know for sure that “having a strong will to fight it” is a very wrong thing to do. Why fight for something when I am not sure what the outcome would be? Especially after knowing that Allah swt has already decreed for each one of us how long we shall live in this world, and that none can stop it when the time comes.
وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُون
“But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and Allah is well –acquainted with (all) that ye do.” (Al-Munaafiqun:11)
“Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!(an- Nisa’:78)
“We have decreed Death to be your common lot, and We are not to be frustrated.” (al-Waqiah:60)
“He is the Irresistible, (watching) from above over His worshippers, and He sets guardians over you. At length, when death approaches one of you, Our angels take his soul, and they never fail in their duty.” (al-An’am:61)
The above are just four out of so many Quranic verses talking about Life and Death, all reminding us of who we are, nothing but weak human-beings who live in this world at the mercy of Allah swt. So to put up a strong fight for my life while not knowing what Allah swt has decided for me ( as it is totally beyond my knowledge), is definitely not the right thing to do. Furthermore, as I have discussed previously, this attitude can be very dangerous as I may die while being displeased with Allah swt’s decision.
The next obvious question is “What then should be my correct attitude in facing this possibilityf losing my life?” The answer in the Quran in the following verse:
“To Allah do belong the unseen (secrets) of the heavens and the earth, and to Him goeth back every affair (for decision): then worship Him, and put thy trust in Him: and thy Lord is not unmindful of aught that ye do.” (Hud: 123)
The above verse clearly indicates that we have no knowledge of the Unseen (including the time of our deaths) as they belong to Allah swt alone, and that alla affairs are for Him to decide. We are asked to put our trust (tawakkal) in Him alone. Allah swt also said in the Quran:
“Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits ( of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return.” They are those on whom (descend) blessings from their Lord, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. “ (al-Baqarah:155-157)
Based on these facts, I therefore chose to let Allah swt decide for me, whether to heal me or to take away my life, as I realized that it is not for me to decide on this unseen thing.
My supplications to Allah swt have also changed. Previously when I was about to lose my eye, I did a lot of prayers and supplications to Allah swt asking Him for my recovery. But this time, all I ask from Allah swt is whatever His decision will be, let it be the best for me; i.e. if He decides to heal me, make me a better person and a very obedient servant of His; if on the other hand He decides to take away my life, I beg Him to take me away during the time when He is truly pleased with me and to bless me with His forgiveness and mercy. I also asked Allah swt to make me among “those who patiently persevere”, as I do not know how much pain and agony I will have to face later on in the future. That is all I ask from Him, and I put all my trust in Him as is commanded Him in the above verse.
This is the concept of “Redha” (true acceptance) of what Allah swt has decreed upon us, and “Tawakkal” i.e. putting all trust to Allah swt. It is not something that can be easily achieved without the help from Allah swt. Therefore, you will have to continuously ask Allah swt to help you achieve it. that is what I did, and I discovered Allah swt is also Merciful and He will help you when you sincerely ask for it. I will talk about this in the next section insyaAllah.
What is more important to tell you at this stage is what I have personally experienced after adopting this “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude in replace of “You must have a strong will to fight the cancer” attitude. The things that I have discovered are as follows:
• With the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I discovered that I began to really enjoy doing my prayers, supplications to Allah swt and all kinds of other ibadah (Solat, Zikrullah, Quranic readings and studies, etc); as I now do all these only with the hope to obtain His blessings and forgiveness and nothing else.
With the “strong will to fight the cancer” attitude, I was having a lot of conflicts within myself when I performed all the above ibadah, because I was not sure if I were doing them to get Allah swt’s blessings and forgiveness or because I was desperate for recovery. Sometimes I felt guilty for being so selfish, I felt that did all these because I was only thinking of myself (i.e. for my recovery), and not trying to please Allah swt. Honestly, it was awful to have that kind of feeling while doing your ibadah.
• With the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I really have a very peaceful mind (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). I am not under any kind of pressure at all due to my sickness, in fact I am totally relaxed, Alhamdulillah. When I feel sick, I make a lot of istighfar as I know this is one method for Allah swt to forgive my sins. When I feel OK, I praise Him as I really feel thankful for His great Mercy towards me.
I think this is the blessings you would get from Allah swt once you adopt the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, as you let Allah swt decide the best for you; compared to when I was adopting the “strong will to fight the cancer” attitude where I was really under a lot of stress. I guess back then I was really desperate to recover, I believed I could fight the cancer and so I tried my best. I did not prepare myself to be on the “losing side”, hence I was really under a lot of pressure to win the battle.
• Having a peaceful mind (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) in itself is a form of healing. Even if it does not help me to survive the cancer physically, it is already helping me to face it mentally, emotionally and spiritually, which is more important.
It is important to note that when I said that I began adopting the “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude, I did not mean that I’ve also started refusing to go for any kind of treatment. The “Redha and Tawakkal” attitude that I’ve adopted is for my mental, emotional and spiritual point of view only. Physically, I still go for recommended treatments suggested by the medical doctors and complimentary medical practitioners, as long as the recommended treatment is not against Islamic teachings.
But when I go for any of these treatments, I don’t put on my hopes on them. Instead, I put all my hopes and trust only to Allah swt. Whether or not I will be healed, it is up to Allah swt to decide. I therefore do not have any stress about the possibility of failing to heal as a result of treatment.
One might ask why then do I still go for treatment if I have put my trust and hope only to Allah swt? The answer is because we never know what lies ahead of us, i.e. in my case, whether Allah swt will heal me or take away my life. But what we do know is that most of the time Allah’s help come via the people around us, as Allah swt is in control of everything in this world.
I therefore felt that I should not refuse any help offered by anybody especially when they are sincere in helping and their proposed treatments do not go against the criteria I mentioned earlier. From my own experience, if the proposed treatment works (even it only reduces the pain) then there is more reason for me to thank Allah swt; and if it doesn’t, then there is always a lesson to learn from it.
To summarize this lesson, “Redha and Tawakkal” is a much better attitude to adopt as it brings you so much greater benefits from all aspects of life (Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual).
Insya-Allah, to be continue...
