Orson Welles, could not have been more right with these words, and this is why the difference between good and bad company is like the heavens and the earth.
In the modern time, we have seen a renaissance in the Islamic spirit, and across the world we see an increasingly visible presence of Islam. By the grace of Allah, we see the rise of Ahl Sunnah, we see niqaab and the headscarf ever more manifest in our societies and we see masaajid and Islamic centers emerging with great ambition and glory.
In and amongst this we have also seen the rise of whole Islamic communities, circles of people who love each other for the sake of Allah. They have no racial connection, no blood lineage to one another and no material benefit to bring to one another except to further one another in god consciousness. And without question this is one of the most beautiful manifestations of the Islamic revival in our time. As an AlKauthar student, I have met some of the finest people in the world, who have changed my world view, and allowed me to experience some of the best times in my life. People I would have not met otherwise, people who I have no connection with, except a zeal for knowledge, from Afghanistan, Kenya, Australia and even Mirpur! It is genuinely something amazing and only those who have the pleasure of such relationships will know to what I am referring.
Only yesterday I came across a brother. A new Muslim who entered Islam less than a month ago, and was homeless. However, he was in a café and met some brothers. Once they found out he was Muslim, and he was new to this Ummah, they immediately offered him a place in their home. They never met him before, did not know him, and yet opened up their home to him, to live and stabilize his affairs. Why? Simply because they understood the ties of brotherhood and the importance of community. Allahu Akbar.
Now, despite this amazing connection between the people of tawheed, there is another reality, which lives side by side to this. It is the most bizarre phenomenon in contemporary Muslim society, and it relates to marriage, or the lack of it.
Despite these great relationships, which have emerged through the rise of the Dawah to Islam, there is one type of relationship, which is struggling to find the light of day, and that is the sacred institution of marriage. We live in a time, where even amongst good, let me rephrase, fantastic, practicing Muslims, there is an inability for people to settle and marry. This amazing institution, which builds the very fabric of any society is slowly slowly being eroded. We are finding that there are so many brilliant brothers and sisters, and so many of them single. So many students seeking knowledge, yet unable to find someone to walk that journey to enlightenment with.
A wise person once said, ‘the most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved’, and she could not have been more right. We, living here in the West, have the best of material wealth. We have nice BMWs, large homes, highflying jobs, and yet we come home, to, well, to ourselves. There is an inevitable emptiness for the single person, and why wouldn’t there be? We know from the prophetic example the true value in this life of a righteous partner. Walk through the corridors of the Sunnah, and you will find narration after narration calling to marriage and its blessing. Consider the hadith, of the Messenger of Allah, when he, habeebana, said, “This whole world is an enjoyment, and its best enjoyment is a righteous wife” [Muslim]
Gentleman, will the 5 series upgrade, fill the void, will the Cabrio, ever be of more meaning than what the messenger himself identified as the best enjoyment? No.
Sisters, consider the statement of our beloved, said, “Any woman dies while her husband is pleased with her, she will enter Jannah (Heaven)”. [At-Tirmidhi]. Allahu Akbar. Jannah. That is right, Jannah on the back of this amazing institution of marriage.
So here we are dearest brothers and sisters, and I write conscious many of you are single. As am I (well not for long, wAlhamdulillah), and therefore I call you to something special.
For much a time we have been conscious of this issue, and by Allah, many of you have come to us, questioning about what we are doing about this issue and physical crumbling of this gift from Allah, marriage, before our very eyes. I put before you today, the latest venture from your Mercy Mission; Pure Matriomony. This is a project founded upon the ayat, “women of purity are for men of purity and men of purity are for women of purity” (Qur’an 24:26).
The focus of this project, simple, to bring together the god conscious in the most noble relationship on the planet. Therefore dearest brothers and sisters, if you are single, make some time from your lives, and take active steps to end your solitude. Free yourself from the shackles of loneliness, complete half your faith and find yourself someone to pursue a road to Jannah on. Pure Mat is a great place to continue your journey, so sign up, and make dua to Allah jala fi’ula to send you a righteous partner who will be the one who takes you by the hand, and treads the path that ends at Firdaus Al Aala.
