Salamun alaykum,
Congestion at the Petrol stations
Over the previous weeks, long queues and congestion at petrol station forecourts has been a common sight and widely reported in the media as motorists rush to top up their fuel tanks. Many of us, including myself have found it difficult to get fuel for our cars.
Several stations had run dry and displayed signs telling motorists that it had run out of fuel. Some stations who received fuel supply had set up limits on the amount of fuel one could purchase.
Why this rush for fuel?
According to the Government there is no shortage of supplies, but anxiety has led to many pumps run dry. The cause for all this panic buying of fuel is that motorists are taking precautions against being grounded with no fuel in their cars. Recall the rush to buy toilet rolls and pasta in the previous year?!!
Fearful of running empty:
Inevitably the unavailability of fuel at the nearest Petrol stations would affect our daily routines. This would definitely impact upon our daily tasks such as driving to work, dropping children to schools, attending mosque or even to buy food supplies at the local stores due to having little or no fuel in the car.
One can imagine a scenario that virtually most of the works or tasks would not be able to be performed due to empty fuel tanks. Wouldn’t it be just like the daily routine has dropped dead?
Therefore, to keep ‘alive’ conducting our tasks fuel would be needed to give life to our daily occupations. Thus, the panic to buy fuel.
What about fuel for travel to the hereafter?
Allah is inviting mankind to obey Him and His messenger, the Noble Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w.) and to earn the reward of eternal life in heaven.
Just as man desires to be ‘alive’ and live comfortably in this world, likewise he too longs to be living in the hereafter in bliss and enjoyment. To travel to that destination of heaven in the hereafter eiman is the ‘fuel’ needed for the spiritual vehicle; the Nafs: self. Many a times by submitting to the evil desires of one’s Nafs, the spiritual tanks of eiman are affected by either running low or dry. Thus, the success of the journey to life in the hereafter would die or be close to dying. Isn’t this like the scenario expected in case of no petrol /diesel fuel for our cars?
Top up spiritual fuel:
To avoid grounding of our spiritual vehicle Allah SWT, in His Magnificence and abundant Mercy invites men, who having wronged against their selves (running low on eiman) by displeasing Him, to make haste to top up their fuel tanks of eiman.
How? This is to be done by istighfar- seeking forgiveness.
“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous.”- (Sura Aali Imran 3:133)
Like the motorists rushing to secure fuel for their cars so as to avoid a break down in their routine, are we rushing to seek the Divine maghfira – forgiveness- to prevent the tank of our eiman running low or empty?
Take advantage of Laylatul Juma’h and Yawmul Jum’ah; the spiritual fuel stations.
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah.
With salaams and duas,
Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat