by Iman Bint Johari

On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junada and Abu Abdul Rahman Mu`adh ibn Jabal radhiallahu `anhum from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam who said: "Fear Allah wherever you are. And follow up a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe it out. And behave towards people with a good behaviour." [at-Tirmidhi]

I was struck by the first part of the hadeeth: "Fear Allah wherever you are..." This is a reference to "taqwa", which when used with respect to Allah, means that one must fear or protect oneself from Allah's anger and punishment.

I am reminded of a story that my husband read. It is a true story about how a Dutchman came to Islam many many years ago. This man was a captain of a ship that was docked in Karachi, Pakistan. If you have been to that part of the world, you will know that the summers are scorching and practically unbearable. It was the holy month of Ramadhan at that time. The stevedores were busy loading the cargo and it became evident to the captain how tired and parched they were. Out of concern and sympathy, he offered them drinks on their break but they all declined, saying that they were fasting.

When they resumed their work, he saw an old man exerting himself, beads of perspiration dripping down his face. The captain felt sorry for him and summoned him to his cabin. There, he poured a tall glass of cold orange juice and offered it to the old man. Shocked, the old man refused vehemently, saying it was Ramadhan. Neither spoke each other's language so each had to resort to gestures and sign language to bring their point across. The captain kept persuading the old man to drink and he kept refusing.

He assured the old man that no one would see him drink and pressed him to take a sip. The old man understood the point that the captain was trying to make. He raised his index finger, and pointed skywards, effectively communicating that ALLAH would see him drink even if no one else did. He firmly refused the drink.

The captain was struck by the taqwa of this simple old man. He said that it was at that moment that his heart opened up to Islam although it would be many years before he eventually made shahada.

Many times, we know what is expected of us... we know the law and we what the right thing to do is. However, we also often choose to forget. We choose to listen to the whisperings of shaytan and we give in to our desires. Sometimes someone shames us into doing something right and we toe the line - but only for as long as the person is around. When the reminder or when the person is no longer present, we slacken. We feel almost relieved that we are 'free'.

We need to take the example of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam who used to supplicate to Allah: "I ask You to give me fear of You in matters that are not seen as well as those that are witnessed." [an-Nasaai & ibn Hibban]

Indeed, if we truly fear Allah and know that He sees us at ALL times and knows what we do in secret, we will avoid sins even in complete privacy. There is a story related in Sifat al-Safwah and Wafiyat al-A'yan and cited by Ibn al-Jawzi in Ahkam al-Nisa' which illustrates this point...

"Narrated `Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: `When I was accompanying `Umar ibn al-Khattab on his patrol of Madinah at night, he felt tired, so he leant against a wall. It was the middle of the night, and (we heard) a woman say to her daughter, "O my daughter, get up and mix that milk with some water."

The girl said, "O Mother, did you not hear the decree of Amir al-Mu'minin (chief of the believers) today?"

The mother said, "What was that?"

The girl said, "He ordered someone to announce in a loud voice that milk should not be mixed with water."

The mother said, "Get up and mix the milk with water; you are in a place where `Umar cannot see you."

The girl told her mother, "I cannot obey Him (Allah) in public and disobey Him in private."

`Umar heard this, and told me: "O Aslam, go to that place and see who that girl is, and to whom she was speaking, and whether she has a husband." So I went to that place, and I saw that she was unmarried, the other woman was her mother, and neither of them had a husband. I came to `Umar and told him what I had found out.

He called his sons together, and said to them: "Do any of you need a wife, so I can arrange the marriage for you? If I had the desire to get married, I would have been the first one to marry this young woman."

`Abdullah said: "I have a wife." `Abd al-Rahman said: "I have a wife."

`Asim said: "I do not have a wife, so let me marry her." So `Umar arranged for her to be married to `Asim. She gave him a daughter, who grew up to be the mother of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz.'"*

We rationalise our errors and we comfort ourselves by thinking that they are but small sins, but what may seem minor to us may not be so when we consider the repercussions in this world and the hereafter. The Qur'an says: "You thought it to be a light matter while it was most serious in the sight of Allah." [An-Noor, 24:15]

Let us look at the attitude of the companions who were so careful to not even come close to error and sin.

Anas radhiallahu `anhu said: “You do things which in your eyes are less significant than a hair, but at the time of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, we used to count them as things that could destroy a man.” [Bukhari]

Ibn Mas’ood radhiallahu `anhu said: “The believer regards his sin as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he fears may fall on him, whereas the sinner regards his sin as if a fly lands on his nose and he swipes it away.” [Bukhari]

May Allah keep us steadfast and may He give us the best in this world and the hereafter, ameen.

[* one of the most prominent caliphs in the Islamic history]