Cinderella. Snow white. Pocahontas. Rapunzel. Pak Pandir. These are some of the fairytale/folktale stories that enlightened us when we were kids. From the; once upon a time, to the evil stepmother, to the lost shoe, the pumpkin carriage and the happily-ever-after; we could narrate those stories again and again while reminiscing the good old childhood we had.
How about the story of
Hijrah? Camels. desserts. Boring? No! It’s actually as awesome and cool as all
the fairytales we have ever known. Better, its non-fictional. It’s a true
story. A remarkable journey, which turned out as a pivotal point in the history
of Islam. The main character is Rasulullah S.A.W. The other characters to name
a few include the sahabahs, the muhajirins, and the ansars. The evil Quraisy’s
are the antagonists.
Hijrah isn’t just simply a
historical story that majority of the Muslims know. Behind the plot lie
valuable lifelong lessons you could use for the rest of your life. Let’s look
into some of them….
Hijrah taught as that life itself is a journey, not
smooth sailing, but with obstacles. In life, we’ll encounter all kinds of
people, those who turn out to be great friends (Saidina Abu Bakar, Saidina Ali,
Ansars), and those who use their time to bring us down (the Quraisys). Be
patient, persevere, stand to your beliefs; to what you know is right and pray a
lot. Just know in your heart, that Allah is always by your side. By realizing
that Allah is sufficient, you’ll be brave enough to encounter whatever kind of
people and hardships life throws at you.
What else does hijrah
tell us about?
Friendship.
Are we friends with someone through thick and thin, or
do we remain friends only for the fun, happy times? Saidina Abu Bakar and
Saidina Ali proved their loyalty and showed the depth of friendship during hijrah.
They risked their life for the Prophet, for Islam, not even hesitating for one
moment. How about us? We live in an era where constant bickering, backstabbing,
selfishness are part of the daily routine. We proudly tell the world we’re the
closest of friends, but how many of us actually act as one?
What about sacrifice? Have we sacrificed anything for Allah, be it time or wealth? Was there any hesitation and reluctance? The Muhajirins left behind their properties and some, their families, in order to follow Allah and the prophet.The Ansars welcomed them with open arms and shared whatever wealth they had.These days, we find it hard to even sacrifice our sleep time to wake up for Subuh prayer after a hectic day at school.
What is the definition of Hijrah? It means migration.
Nowadays, when we say the word hijrah, we tend to think,‘ahh, those ancient
stories, you know, when the prophet and his follower migrated from Mecca to
Madinah’. It isn’t wrong though. However, there lies a deeper meaning to the
word hijrah, which is migrating oneself to become a better person.It is narrated on the
authority of AmirulMu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu,
who said:
I
heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhiwasallam, say: "Actions
are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus,
he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to
Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he
might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he
migrated." [Al-Bukhari& Muslim]
Once you’ve migrated your soul, your heart for the better, it will reflect in your actions and relationship with people. You’ll be someone beneficial to society like Ahmad Ammar bin Ahmad Azam was. His life story, his migration to Turkey to study history, and death touched thousands of people.
All in all, the story of hijrah acts as a guide and a reminder to all of us. Like hijrah, in the Quran, there are plenty of other stories that act as a reminder for us. This includes, naming a few; the stubbornness of the Pharoah, the story of ashabulkahfi and the obstacles faced byprophets. These lesson-rich stories are great stories to narrate to your kids, err, when you have one that is.Finally, just a tip, when you’re feeling down, having a bad day, or undergoing depression, try flipping down pages of the Quran and read the translations of the Arabic verses, you’ll find peace someway for sure. For Allah has said,
“This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon [the pious] [Quran Al-Baqarah 2:2]
Penulis,
Hud _Hud
Medical University Of Warsaw
