Qur'an, Your Mentor

By Asrar BenHoucine

Bismillah

You will be surprised with some of the people that are called role models today. We see that the media has made them into idols and people want to dress like them, talk like them, and walk like them. The sad part is those who are doing this are searching for who they really are. They will continue to copy the next best thing but they will always feel the hollowness inside them. Some will change their look thinking that is what will help them fill in this gap but will come to only satisfy them for a limited time. When all they need to do is embraces their true purpose. You know the question is, have we asked Allah Subhaana wa Ta’ala for guidance? Did we try to ask Allah to help us fill in this feeling of confusion we can’t understand? This feeling that lies within and no matter what you do nothing fills it except the fact that we were born to worship Allah!

"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me."(Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:56) 

My Experience:

How many of you out there can bear witness that you have asked Allah Subhaana wa Ta’ala for guidance and received it, Alhamdulillah. Many I’m sure. He has answered your prayers and forgiven your sins. Haven’t you always known in your heart that the Quran is your true guidance?

I can say on a personal level that the Quran has truly been my guidance. It has taught me manners when I had none, taught me patience, how to speak to others, how to forgive. I stopped accusing and started to give the benefit of the doubt (excuses), more. I am here today writing this article and trying to become a better Muslim because the Quran taught me this. What better job is there than to make dawah. Learn your deen and then teach it. So I try. I followed my families’ traditions more than religion before. Some were accurate from the Quran and sunnah and some were bidah, that had came from great, great grandparents. Plus I live in America and here many things are done through tradition and I found that my family was practicing things they shouldn’t have. So I can say that I learned what was right from wrong through the Quran. This is what is so beautiful about the Quran. There is no grey areas. It is either haram or halal. I now had a much higher purpose then just school, work, money, family then death. These are the purpose people focus on, which is correct but as a Muslim we also need to remember that we are here to worship Allah and we include this in our life and we prepare ourselves for the afterlife. So now it was like I knew what I was doing. I know my way. Before I was trying to find myself and …well I wasn’t American because I was Arab and I wasn’t all Arab because I wasn’t American. So I would have to be something in the middle, and I didn’t really like that. So I kept searching… I did all those things listed above, changed my look, changed friends, nothing filled in my emptiness. Then after reading the Quran, studying it, reading ahadith; I became religious, some thought too religious and this became another problem all within its self. So I took it back a notch and learned that yes we make dawah but to those who want it. So I write… Those who read, are those who are thirsty for knowledge. May we all be thirsty and May Allah Subhaana wa Ta’ala quench our thirst with the miracle He sent to Muhammad salaah Allahi wa alayhi wa salaam.

"This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:2) 

The Quran is a miracle all within its self. You can ask Allah a question and continue to read the Quran and I can almost promise you, that you will come across the answer. Subhan Allah, when you read the Quran and study it as if it were a school subject, I’m talking like history or something, you have tafsir on one side for any ayah (verse) you may not understand, so you pull out the tafsir and read it’s explanation, and you have your hadith because while your reading the Quran it gives you hadith at its foot notes to discover where this ayah came from. This kind of reading is the way you will find your guidance; that and listening to lectures or webinar, maybe going to conventions. Gaining knowledge doesn’t have to be all books. Have fun with it. Go with a group of girlfriends to conventions or have friendly Islamic gatherings. Tea, cake and an Islamic discussion is always my favorite kind of gathering. Honestly the only hard part is finding pious friends who bring you closer to Islam. This unfortunately is the sad part. At least on my end!

Today we need a role model; teachers ask who your role model is? As a Human race we need someone to follow. If it isn’t our parents which is always where we start… Then it is our friends, actors, movie stars, singers, pop stars and the list goes on. We look at what we want to become and find someone who is there already and want to be like them which I don’t see a problem with as long as it is someone who will lead you to Jannah, because isn’t that our goal here? Isn’t that what we want? Or are we so attached to this dunya (life) that we have forgotten about the akhira (afterlife). We can forget about it and we can act like it isn’t there but the truth will come and then what. I just never personally understood this. Some people know everything about the afterlife but they refuse to even acknowledge it. Like if you squint hard enough it will disappear. We all know we are going to die. There has not been one soul who resurrected to say “hey there is no afterlife” so there is no reason for anyone to ignore this true day that we will all see. We have everything we need right under our nose but yet some are stubborn.

It is actually scary if you think about it. Because you can see your role model to be perfectly fine but if they are not leading you to jannah, then they must be leading you elsewhere.

Some qualities that we should look for in our role models: if we have one! And we all should have one because if you don’t have a mentor, guess who is guiding your ways? The Shaytan.

Here are some qualities for a good Mentor.

· Muslim - Practicing.

· Honest

· Modest

· Respectful

· Kind

· Smart - in this life as well as the next.

· Patient

· Well mannered

· Practically anything good as long as it is in the Quran and Sunnah.

· And most of all, someone you want to be like! This could be our Prophet (pbuh), Fatima (radi Allahu anha)/wives of the prophet, al ambiyah (prophets), al sahaba (friends of the prophets), etc.

*I know we can’t be like them, but the point here is that we can try!

I know that Allah blesses who He wills when He wills. So does this mean we should just kick back and wait? No, because you will be waiting a long time, maybe forever. Allah teaches us to try. He will help but if we try. If we walk towards him He will run towards us, right? Tie your camel, etc. Don’t just expect Allah to save you. You have to put in something. So with all that being said, the main question again is…

Did you ask Allah to guide you? If you did, did you get up and try to do what you are here to do? Obey Allah. If you did this as well, Masha Allah, continue sincere prayer and most of all be patient.

Knowing the truth sometimes is not always enough, it is acting on it that is. Let the Quran be your mentor. You won’t be disappointed and it will never get old. It will always inspire you if you just give it a chance, it will be your best friend but like I said we need to learn patience. Prayer and patience are very strong together, it is a win win. We wait for most important things in our life. Waiting on our prayers to be answered is more worth it’s time than anything in this life. Plus what are you waiting for anyway?

O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. (Surah Al- Baqarah 2:153) 

Reference: 
Surah Adh-Dhāriyāt 51:53 (Patience & Prayer)
Surah Al-Bakarah 2:2(Worship),
2:153(Quran)

I'd love to hear your views on this topic. Please post in the comments section below! :)

Posted in: Asrar BenHoucine,Existence,Experience,Guidance,Islam. Quran,Qur'an,Umm Yahya