By Ustadz Muhammed Abdurrahiem Bin Abdul Rahman

Readying myself for a trip to Penang, to attend the Urs or what is commonly known as Haul of the shaykh of our shaykh, Shaykh Muhibbi Shah Noori, was a spiritual journey in itself. It was during my Operational Manning phase of NS (National Service), and I also had my reservist at that time. One thing that our Shaykh taught us was to keep trying; do not give up. I never would have thought about applying for leave to go overseas during my reservist, but when you intend to go somewhere, you naturally do something about it. We will be held accountable for this, and we want to take the steps (kasab) to go on the day of Judgement.

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ
“Every soul will be detained for what it has done”
– Quran (74:38)

To simply make intentions and not make kasab (wanting to take the steps) is insufficient. In this case, when I intended to go for this trip, I must want to make arrangements to go, like checking in with my family to see if everything is well-taken care of in my absence, asking my in-charge of NS for permission to leave Singapore during my reservist, applying for a deferment from my reservist for that weekend, and lastly, purchasing the flight ticket as well as covering expenses for the program.

I managed to get approval for my deferment, Alhamdulillah. However, by the time I was supposed to book the flight, the price had increased. As someone who has been to Penang a few times, the aeroplane ticket this time was around three times more than what I was used to paying on previous trips. It was something which I had to struggle with because it was quite a significant increase, plus, I was going to bring my 9-year-old son, so the cost would add up. But, the fact is that I had made intentions, and I must want to take the steps to make this possible. So, I explored other options, which were taking a bus, driving up or even a flight from Senai Airport. The price for a flight from Senai Airport wasn’t that different, and taking a bus from Singapore would mean enduring a 10-hour journey, which would leave me tired for the majlis and other ibadah like terawih, since this program was conducted during Ramadhan, the fasting month. I explored the option of driving up with some brothers so we can take turns driving. I texted a few brothers, but all replies were unfavourable. I have exhausted all options, and I was left with one last choice: booking the flight.

Our Role As An Ameen (Trustee)

In our majlis, it was once taught that our role in this dunya is simply a manager or a trustee. Ustaz Kadir Noori once gave an example; if you work in a company and manage the company’s funds, would you ever feel that the funds belong to you? Would you feel the pinch when you fork out the money from the accounts? No. Why? Because it does not belong to us. So if we say that the money doesn’t belong to us, we should not feel any pinch to take it out where necessary. Like every trustworthy manager in a company, you do your due diligence before you spend, weighing the pros and cons. After you have done your due diligence and you find that perhaps the expensive item fits your specifications, you would still have to go with that choice despite the item being expensive because that is the only one that fits the required specifications. Similarly, the aeroplane ticket is the only one that fits my specifications. So I went ahead and bought it. I have done my due diligence.

It is times like these where we need to apply the knowledge that is taught to us by our teachers. We need Allah ﷻ to help us, as we cannot do it on our own. We must continue to turn our hearts to Him. In my little heart, I know that this application of knowledge would not have been possible if not for the Nur that comes from the Sanad (Chain of Transmission of Knowledge).

Connecting Ourselves To Sanad

In the majlis, I learned that Allah ﷻ decreed that this religion is preserved through the sanad that links us back to the Prophet ﷺ. Knowledge is Nur (light) which is passed down from the Prophet ﷺ to the companions, and then to those that come after, until it reaches our teachers. Our teachers inherited this, and it is through our teachers that we are able to get true knowledge. True knowledge are the type of knowledge that sits in our hearts and bring changes to our lives. For example, a person may know that their role is an Ameen (manager or trustee), but what effect does this knowledge have in his life? He may say that he is a manager, but he could still carry out his daily affairs as if he is the owner (Malik). In my personal experience, I feel that life-changing knowledge, or knowledge that allows us to think in such a perspective must be received from a teacher that holds a sanad that goes back to the Prophet ﷺ. The way they think, the way they view life, the way they view their role in this life is totally different from how the general public view things. When we are with them, we get whiffs of these states and worldview, and glimpses on how to lead a truly religious life.

“The example of a good companion (who sits with you) and a bad one is like that of the musk (perfume) seller and the blacksmith. The musk seller may give you some perfume, or you may buy some from him, or at least you enjoy a good smell. As for the blacksmith, he may burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to a bad smell.”
— Sahih Bukhari and Muslim

May we continue to get whiffs from the perfume seller and run away from blacksmiths.

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