We'll Meet Again!

Imam Malik, rahimahullaah, said, "People are of various types, just like birds, pigeons go with pigeons and kites associate with kites, ducks with ducks and small birds with small birds. Similarly, every man associates with his kind."

Imam Shafi'i, rahimahullaah, once said, that there were only two kinds of birds, pigeon, and other than pigeon. Ibn Abbas, radhiyallaahu 'anhu, once decided that if a man killed a pigeon in Mecca's area, or killed by a man in ihram, then the penalty was a goat. As for a bird other than pigeon, the penalty was as much as the bird, the price at the place where the bird was killed.

Even though her sound was like a snoring, the low, sweet sound, the pigeon made, captivating men. They snapped their fingers, saying "coo ... coo" to lure her to coo, so that they were able to hear her coo every morning.

And in the meeting with the birds, pigeon cooed, intoned,

Suddenly, you're nowhere to be found!

I turn around and everything has changed

Looking for a way to work it out

I'm trying to find some peace to navigate

The oak tree where I met you

And the writing on the statue

I still remember every word you said

"I'm not a soldier, but I'm fighting

Can you hear me through the silence?

I won't give up 'cause there will be a day

We'll meet again!" *)

After saying a salaam, she opened with, "All praise is for Allah, with much praises and blessings, as our Rabb loves and is pleased with, and as is required for attaining the honor of His most Sublime Face. And may the peace and blessings of Allah, be upon our beloved, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), his family and his companions.

O my brothers and sisters! We have lost a brother, a close friend, a philanthropist, who devoted most of his life to da'wah, justice and humanity. We pray, may he be among the Husn al-Khatimah, and may Allah expands his barzakh, protects him from the fitna of the grave, making his grave a part of the gardens of Jannah, spreading the fragrance of heaven around his grave, and later, laying him among the nobles by His side. Insha Allah. Amen.

O my brothers and sisters! Before the advent of our beloved Prophet (ﷺ), people would adhere to different religions; you would find the Jew, the Christian, the Magian and the Mushreek. When the Prophet (ﷺ) was sent, those who accepted Islam, from each of these groups would be looked at askance. They were viewed as strangers in their individual localities and strangers amongst their tribe members. They would be forced to conceal their Islam and would be ostracised by their own families, they would be humiliated and belitded, but would bear all they met with patience and constancy.This continued until Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, ennobled Islam; its followers and helpers multiplied, the adherents to the truth became ascendant while the adherents to falsehood were humiliated and subjugated. Therefore, in the beginning, Islam was something strange.

O my brothers and sisters! Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) said,

بَدَأَ الإِسْلاَمُ غَرِيبًا وَسَيَعُودُ كَمَا بَدَأَ غَرِيبًا فَطُوبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ

"Islam initiated as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being strange, so 'Tuba' for the Ghuraba'!" [Sahih Muslim]

"Islam initiated as something strange,“ means that before his coming, the people were on misguidance. So Allah sent him (ﷺ) to guide the people to the truth.

The Muslims at that time, were weak, similar to our current situation. They were expelled and displaced from their homes and were made to flee to remote countries. They were twice forced to migrate to Abyssinia and then finally to Medina. Among them, were those who were punished and tortured for the sake of Allah and those who were killed. During that time those entering into Islam were considered "strangers." They remained patient for the sake of Allah.

Then Islam rose in Medina and became strong. The people excel in every aspect. After that, people began to convert to Islam in large numbers. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) died, but the Muslims remained steadfast in their religion. They cooperated and supported each other during the time of Abu Bakr and Umar. Then the devil carried out his plan against the Muslims. He gave rise to fear and suffering, and spread among them lustful desires and doubts. These two trials continued, little by little, until most of creation fell into the devil's obedience. There were those who enter into obedience through the trials of doubt, there were those who fall into it because of the temptations of lust, and there were also those who fall into it because of both.

It was said that "Tuba" mean "something good." Allah mentioned this word in His Final Revelation,

اَلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ طُوۡبٰی لَہُمۡ وَ حُسۡنُ مَاٰبٍ

“Those who believe and do righteous deeds, "Tuba" is for them and a pleasant destination.” [QS. Ar-Ra'd (13):29]

Ibraaheem An-Nakha’ee, rahimahullaah, the great Taabi’ee, said Tuba means “good is for them.” Qataadah said, “When a man says Tuba for you, it means you have attained something good." ‘Ikrimah and Mujaahid said that Tuba means "Paradise." And it was also said that Tuba refered to "a tree in Paradise" which the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke of, when he said,

إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَشَجَرَةً يَسِيرُ الرَّاكِبُ فِي ظِلِّهَا مِائَةَ عَامٍ لاَ يَقْطَعُهَا

“Verily, there is a tree in Paradise (which is so big and huge that) if a rider travels in its shade for one hundred years, he would not be able to cross it.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

A man said to the Prophet (ﷺ), “What is Tuba?” He (ﷺ) said,

شَجَرَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مَسِيرَةُ مِئَةِ سَنَةٍ ثِيَابُ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَكْمَامِهَا

“It is a tree in Paradise as wide as a hundred years of travel. The clothes of the people of Paradise will come from its leaves.” [Ibn Hibban; Sahih li ghayrihi (authentic due to external evidence) according to Al-Albani]

O my brothers and sisters! In this world, the believer is like a stranger, he does not despair when it humiliates him and neither does he covet its grandeur. The people are in one state and he is in a totally different state.

We, the Muslims, are the Ghuraba'. We are Ghuraba' among the mankind, considered strange by our own friends, and even considered strange by our own country. The strangeness we feel, is a sensation that was shared by the prophets and messengers.

When Prophet Musa, alayhis-salam, left, fleeing from the people of Pharaoh, he stopped at Madyan. He was alone, fearful and hungry. He cried out, "My Rabb! I am alone, ill and a stranger!’ He, the Mighty and Sublime, replied, “Musa, the person who is alone is one who does not have Me as a source of solace and comfort. The person who is ill is one who does not have Me as his doctor. The person who is strange is one who has no dealings with Me.”

O my brothers and sisters! There are three degrees of strangeness. The First: The strangeness of the People of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ) amongst this creation. This is the strangeness that was praised by the Prophet (ﷺ), he (ﷺ) informed us that the religion he came with commenced as something strange and shall return to being something strange, and that those who follow it will become strangers. This strangeness could exist in some places and not in others, in some times and not in others, amongst one people and not another.

The people who possess this strangeness, are truly the People of Allah, for they take recourse in none save His Messenger (ﷺ) and call solely to that which he (ﷺ) came with. They the ones who parted from men in this world, despite being in dire need of them and on the Day of Judgment, when all the people have left in pursuit of their idols, they will remain awaiting their Rabb whom they used to worship. It will be asked of them, "Will you not follow the others?"They will reply, "We parted from men in the world, despite being in greater need of them than we are today, now we await our Rabb Who we used to worship."

This strangeness carries with it no real loneliness or sense of estrangement, rather this person will find that he has most comfort when the people avoid him and the greatest sense of estrangement when they seek to be close to him. This is because Allah is his friend and protector as is His Messenger (ﷺ) and the believers, even if, because of this, the majority of people end up opposing him and treating him harshly.

One of the quality of the strangers, is that they would stick firmly to the Quran and Sunnah, even when people turn away from it. They purify their Tawheed, even if the majority of people censure them for this. They leave ascription to anyone save Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), be it a King, Prime Minister, President, Shaykh, Tariqah, Madhab, or a group; instead they are devoted exclusively to the worship of Allah Alone and following the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ) alone.These people are truly holding onto red hot coals; most people - indeed all of them - censure them, think them to be odd and having split away from the largest group.

The second, the blameworthy strangeness, the strangeness of the adherents to falsehood and the strangeness of the transgressors when compared to the adherents to truth.This is true strangeness, even if its followers be many. They are people who are truly lonely and lost even though they may find many in whose company they can find comfort, they are known to the people of this earth but unknown to the inhabitants of the heaven.

The Third, the type which is shared by all, strangeness from ones homeland, this in and of itself is neither commended nor censured. All of mankind are strangers in this world because this world is not their abode of permanence; it is not the abode for which they were created.

O my brothers and sisters! Do you remember a fabricated hadith, “Love of one's homeland is part of Iman?” It's merely a saying. However, the meaning of the statement itself, seems to be incorrect. The scholars have discussed various meanings for it. What is the most correct is, that if it is used as a saying, then it is correct in the sense that the homeland refers to the original abode of Paradise. Therefore, the love for this original abode is from the aspects of Faith. If the saying taken in any other sense that would breed love for dogma of nationalism and party spirit, these two are abhorred and detested by our Deen. It is different from expelling the invaders, because Islam commands that oppression should not exist on this Earth.  It is obligated for a Muslim, to defend their homeland, property and family, from the oppressors.

In reality, the believer is a stranger in this world because his forefather, Prophet Adam, alayhissalam, used to reside originally in the eternal abode and was then cast out from it. So he is constantly longing to return to his first place of residence. And he is always concerned with returning to the home from which he was cast out of.

The believers, in this world are like strangers, each one of them, crossing through a land other than his own, longing for his homeland and the day when he will return to it. He makes provision of what is necessary for his path back homeward. He does not compete for status with the people of the land he is passing through. Nor does he grieve over the degradation he experiences while amongst them.

Insha Allah, once all them have reached the homeland, they will meet each other again. And Allah know best."

After closing with salaam, pigeon cooed, intoned,

Dark for the sunrise

Clouds for a blue sky

Space for the travelling star

Strong from the inside

You're still my lifeline

I feel you, wherever you are

The oak tree where I met you

And the writing on the statue

I still remember every word you said

"I'm not a soldier, but I'm fighting

Can you hear me through the silence?

I won't give up 'cause there will be a day

We'll meet again!" *)

References :
- Al-Hafidh Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali, The Ghurabah: The Strangers, Amazon
- Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali & Imam Al-Ajurri, The Journey of the Strangers, Dar As-Sunnah.
*) "We'll Meet Again" by Laura Brehm & TheFatRat

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