The Future Ummah

13/04/2024

Like the pufferfish
man huffs and puffs
in pride and arrogance
though all he is
is just another naked body
waiting for its time
to be shrouded
and lowered into the grave.
It is an inevitable farewell
like the many before us
not even all the goals we chase
are as certain as the death
hot on our trail!

"Say verily, the death from which you flee, it will surely meet you....."

Abu Imrān

25/03/2023

27/12/2022

Tawakkul is more than saying, 'I rely on Allāh ﷻ'.
It is to put your newborn son inside a basket and let it float into the darkness of the ocean.
It is to place a slaughter knife at your son's throat and not flinch for a blink of an eye.
It is to migrate from your homeland into an unknown future while your enemies are but a few footsteps away plotting your murder.
It is to be stuck inside the belly of a whale but still utter only that which pleases Allāh ﷻ.
It is to be thrown into a well by your own brothers, into fire by your own father—but still find Allāh ﷻ sufficient for you.
It is to watch your son's arrogance drown him, to lose all your wealth, health and children but still find your heart content despite the losses.
It is to know that people are hunting you down to crucify you and yet, know that Allāh ﷻ is your Wakīl and that He ﷻ will protect and save you.
It is to fight all odds despite crumbling to the ground out of weakness because Allāh ﷻ is the source of your strength.
It is having the unwavering conviction that every single second of your life has been decreed by Allāh, Ḥakīm al-Majīd.
Have the right kind of tawakkul and don’t lose hope in Him ﷻ. And remember—a story written by the Best of Writers could never have a hopeless ending.
-Reshma Kamani

16/06/2022

Kids are generally loud, noisy creatures, but one of my sons has a particularly loud voice. It's just naturally loud, his speaking voice, never mind if he's yelling at one of his brothers or getting into a (daily) fight.

So he's just an overall loud kid.

But one day I was tired and had a headache, and heard him yet again raising his voice as the kids squabbled as usual. He was, of course, the loudest, his voice distinctly booming over the voices of the others.

Annoyed, I called to him,

"محمد! وطي صوتك يا ابني! الصوت العالي مزعج!!"

"Muhammad! Lower your voice, child! A loud voice is disturbing!"

He replied indignantly,

"ماما، الصوت العالي مش دائما مزعج! أنا صوتي زي صوت العباس رضي الله عنه! صوت العباس ساعد المسلمين في غزوة حنين!!"

🤣

"Mama, a loud voice is not always disturbing! My voice is like the voice of Al-`Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him! His voice helped the Muslims in the Battle of Hunayn!!"

He's referring to the incident in the seerah in which the Muslims fought in the Battle of Hunayn, a ferocious battle, and due to the intensity of the fighting, chaos ensued and many Muslims fled the battle grounds. To call them back, Rasul Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم told his uncle, Al-`Abbas رضي الله عنه , to project his singularly loud voice and call the Muslim soldiers back. It worked, and because of the voice of Al-`Abbas, the Muslim army was alhamdulillah able to regroup and recover.

No one else's voice would have been able to reach people over that type of distance and over the clanging din of battle. But the voice of Al-`Abbas was special, naturally and uniquely loud. He needed no microphone to amplify his voice, and it was exactly this quality of his that helped the Muslims that day.

Umm Khalid

18/05/2022

Last night I heard the distinct sound of breaking glass coming from the kitchen.

"What happened?" I called out.

"He broke the glass," the 9-year-old said, holding up a broken glass cup and pointing to his 8-year-old brother.

"No, it wasn't me who broke it! It was you!" said the 8-year-old indignantly.

After talking to both boys, the truth of the matter emerged. The 9-year-old had in fact broken the glass accidentally and then blamed it on his younger brother.

I was more annoyed with his wrongly blaming his innocent brother than I was about his breaking the glass.

So I sat the kids down and had a long talk about الكذب (lying) and its opposite, الصدق (truthfulness), إنكار (denial) and its opposite, إعتراف (admission), and الجبن (cowardice) and its opposite, الشجاعة (courage).

"It is much, much better, when you make a mistake, for you to honestly admit it and apologize for it, than for you to try to deny it, or even worse, pin the blame on someone else! This is bad behavior that Allah hates, because it is ظلم, injustice. Allah hates injustice, and so do Mama and Baba and all Muslims. Blaming someone innocent for something he didn't do is called إفتراء, wrongful blame."

I turned to my eldest son and chastised him for his attempt to evade blame and his blaming his brother, saying:

"كل ابن آدم خطاء وخير الخطائين التوابون."

"Every child of Adam is one who repeatedly makes mistakes, and the best of those who repeatedly make mistakes are those who repeatedly repent." (A hadith my kids know well)

So it's not a big deal if you make a mistake or break a glass cup, even though you have plastic and metal cups for exactly this reason. But it *is* a big deal to lie or blame an innocent party! Why did you do that?"

The 9-year-old looked chagrined and replied, "I don't know why I said that."

Frustrated, I pressed him, "What do you mean, you don't know why you said that?"

The 8-year-old (the one who got framed), jumped to the defense of his older brother (who had framed him!), telling me passionately:

"Mama, sometimes people accidentally say things they don't mean, and they really don't know why they said it! It just came out! Don't you remember how that happened to Hamza ibn Abdil Muttalib رضي الله عنه ?? He said something he didn't mean either, and he also didn't know why he said it! It happens!"

I burst out laughing, and went to give the kid a hug.

He was referring to an incident in the very early part of the seerah, when one day, Hamza, the uncle of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was returning from a hunting trip and he heard that Abu Jahl was cursing and mocking his nephew, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Livid, Hamza marched up to Abu Jahl, struck him hard with his weapon, causing his head to bleed, and said angrily, "أتسبه وأنا على دينه؟"

"Do you curse him when I am on his religion?"

As Hamza walked away and returned home that night, he was in inner turmoil. He did not know why he had said that; he had not yet accepted the deen of his nephew and as of yet, he had had no desire to do so. But it had just slipped out, that statement that he was on the new deen of Islam. He was now in a bind: should he retract a statement he'd made publicly, or should he go with it when he didn't feel it authentically in his heart?

He made duaa to Allah for guidance and soon, with Allah's mercy, Hamza felt the inclination toward Islam settle in his heart, genuinely and securely. And that is how the great Hamza ibn Abdil Muttalib, one of the lions of Allah and the uncle of Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم , became a Muslim.

And it all started with a casual statement that rolled off his tongue without his conscious awareness, spoken in the heat of the moment.

And this is what one of the kids relied on to come to the aid of his brother! 🤣

Umm Khalid

24/04/2022

The importance of righteous parents

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ ٱلسَّعْىَ قَالَ يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ فِى ٱلْمَنَامِ أَنِّىٓ أَذْبَحُكَ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ ٱفْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

‘Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Ibrahim said: ‘O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So, tell me what you think.’ He replied: ‘O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.’ (as-Safat 102)

We all know the story of what follows this ayah from juz 23. What is remarkable is how the young Ismael’s response was so immediate. He had complete trust in his father and Allah’s command.

Contrast this to a previous response from the son of Nuh (as) as the water rose like mountains around him and Nuh (as) called out from the Ark.

Two strong prophets of Allah. One who called his people tirelessly for over 900 years, the other rejected and flung into a bonfire to burn by his people. Two sons. Yet the response was like night and day. One responded positively to Allah to great success, and the other denied it to his doom.

The scholars talk about why this may be the case and raise an interesting point. Whilst certainly guidance is not in the hands of people and those that they love, rather with Allah, there was one very important difference- the mothers.

The mother of Ismael (as) was Hajar and we know of her sacrifice and reliance on Allah. The wife of Nuh (as) was a disbeliever.

ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَٱمْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ ۖ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَـٰلِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا وَقِيلَ ٱدْخُلَا ٱلنَّارَ مَعَ ٱلدَّٰخِلِينَ

‘Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said: ‘Enter the Fire with those who enter.’ (at-Tahrim 10)

The wife of Nuh (as) betrayed him by disbelieving in his call. And even though she lived with him and bore him children, she will not benefit from him. It is natural to think that she could only have a negative effect on her children. It is perhaps a testament to Nuh (as) that of their four sons and only one son went astray.

It highlights the importance of having both parents on the same page when it comes to raising children. Indeed, the right of the child upon his parents extends to them choosing the right spouse with the goodness of his/her children in mind. It is hard enough trying to raise a child in the permissive environments that dominate the world today and having a mismatch between the parents just adds to the challenge. We often see one parent practising, whilst the other doesn’t. Or spouses start off one way but then drift apart in different directions.

It is one of the reasons why Islam puts so much emphasis on taqwa and the common Islamic reference point that Islam gives as being the most preferred determinant of what we look for in a spouse.

The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘A woman is married for four reasons: her property, her status, her beauty, and her deen. Thus, give precedence to one with deen.’ (Bukhari)

May Allah unite both parents' hearts on Islam so leading to the best home environment for our children to be nurtured. Ameen.

RIDWAN ABU HISHAAM

22/04/2022

When no parent will benefit his child

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ وَٱخْشَوْا۟ يَوْمًا لَّا يَجْزِى وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِۦ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ

'O mankind! Be mindful of your Lord and beware of a Day when no parent will be of any benefit to their child, nor will a child be of any benefit to their parent. Surely Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of this world deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver (Shaytan) deceive you about Allah.' (Luqman 33)

Last night, as we looked for Laylatul Qadr, I drew my son close and asked him if there was any dua that he would like me to make for him. He said: ‘Ask that I am guided and can make the best decisions.’

Later as I stood alone and made dua for him on this and more, I remembered this ayah from juz 21.

Allah has put in our hearts love for our children that pushes us to do so much for them. Our lives change when they are born. Mothers bear them with pain, we lose sleep over them, we give up our comforts for them, and we work hard for them. We advise them and shed tears in dua for them in the small hours of the night. We feel joy at their success and pain at their losses as though they are our own success and loss. All so that they can live and be happy and succeed.

We see this love and closeness earlier in the surah when Luqman gives his son great advice. But the surah ends on a stern reminder. That all this will end.

There will come a day where no father will answer for his son, or any son for his father, or any man for his brother, or any servant for his master. No one will care about anybody except himself or feel grief or compassion for anyone except himself. Everyone will be worried only about himself. No one will be asked about anybody else. Each person will be concerned only about himself, weeping for himself and carrying his own burden. No one will carry the burden of another. Nafsii, nafsii.

We have a responsibility to our children that we need to strive to fulfil. But this is not at the cost of all our other responsibilities. This is not at the cost of the akhirah. Sometimes we see parents wanting good for their children but they themselves do not want to change. Yet our children will not be an excuse for us either way when we cry nafsii, nafsii.

Many parents are deceived by the allure of this dunya. They chase the dunya and worse they chase the dunya through their children so that they can boast about the big house, the flash car, the prestigious education, the high paid job, and the families that they marry into. They will falsely justify in their minds all this and the steps they take, even if it means doing haram or making compromises, as a price worth paying for their children. They let Shaytan deceive them and make them forget about the Final Meeting and what is really required of them.

May Allah protect us from this and save us and our families from the Fire whose fuel is men and stones. Ameen.

RIDWAN ABU HISHAAM

20/04/2022

Du`aa and a Serious Mistake!!

Unintentionally denying the Names and Attributes of Allaah!

An Important Lesson!

From the Names of Allaah is al-Samee` (السميع), the One who Listens and Hears!

The word سميع (Samee`) has been mentioned numerous times in the Qur’aan

Allaah تعالى has mentioned numerous times in the Qur’aan that He Listens and Knows everything:

إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

{Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower}
[Numerous times in the Qur’aan]

And He تعالى also mentioned numerous times that He Hears and Sees everything:

إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

{Verily, it is He Who is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer}
[Numerous times in the Qur’aan]

And He تعالى also mentioned that He Hears and is Near to His slaves:

إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ

{Truly, He is AllHearer, Ever Near (to all things).}
[Surah Saba (34): 50]

And both, Prophet Ibraaheem and Prophet Zakariyyah عليهما السلام, said:

إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ

{Verily! My Lord is indeed the All-Hearer of invocations}
[Surah Ibraaheem (14):39 and Surah aal-`Imraah (3):38}

And in the Hadeeth of Abu Musaa رضي الله عنه: We were in the company of Allaah's Messenger ﷺ (during Hajj). Whenever we went up a high place we used to say: "None has the right to be worshiped but Allaah”, and “Allaah is the Greatest”, and our voices used to rise, so the Prophet ﷺ said: ❝O people! Be merciful to yourselves (i.e. don't raise your voice like that), for you are not calling a deaf or an absent one, but One Who is with you, no doubt He is All-Hearer, ever Near (to all things).❞
[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim]

Yet many among us say that Allaah تعالى does not LISTEN to our prayers.

And from the Names of Allaah is al-Mujeeb (المجيب), the One who answers and responds.

Allaah does indeed respond to the supplications of everyone when they supplicate to Him:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

{And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I RESPOND to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me}
[Surah al-Baqarah (2): 186]

And no one can respond to the requests better than Allaah, as Allaah تعالى said:

وَلَقَدْ نَادَانَا نُوحٌ فَلَنِعْمَ الْمُجِيبُونَ

{And indeed Nooh invoked Us, and We are the Best of those who answer (the requests)}
[Surah al-Saaffaat (37):75]

And Prophet Saaleh عليه السلام said to his people about Allaah:

إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ

{Certainly, my Lord is Near (to all by His Knowledge), Responsive."}
[Surah Hood (11): 61]

And the Prophet ﷺ said: ❝Indeed Allaah is Hayiy (Shy) and Kareem (Most Generous), and is ashamed to allow His servant’s hands to return empty after he has raised them up to Him.❞
[Sunan Abu Dawood (1488), Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3556), Sunan Ibn Maajah (3865), and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. In Sunan Abu Dawood and Ibn Maajah, the wordings are: ❝Your Lord is Hayiy❞. In Sunan al-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah, the additional wordings are ❝to return him empty-handed and rejected.❞]

Yet many among us say that Allaah تعالى does not RESPOND to our prayers.

Allaah تعالى listens and responds to our supplications. So, be careful, and do not fall into the trap of Shaitaan by unintentionally denying for Allaah what He تعالى has affirmed for Himself.

This is why we need to learn more about Tawheed, and the Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes of Allaah, which will help in strengthening our Eemaan (Faith).

Kausar Imtiyaz

19/04/2022

*AMAZING STORIES FROM THE QUR'AN*

Bismillahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem

*RAMADAN, DAY 15*
*YA’JUJ AND MA’JUJ*
*Q21:96-97*

Ya’juj and Ma’juj are from the progeny of Adam ‘alayhis-salaam. They have wide faces, small eyes and reddish hair. They are also the descents of Nuh through his son Yafith, the father of the Turks.

To save the Turks, Dhul-Qarnayn raised barriers between mountains by filling with chunks of iron and molten copper as we learnt yesterday.

After this, Ya’juj and Ma’juj have been trying to climb or dig underground, but Allah has not permitted them.

It is said that everyday, they dig from morning till nightfall, and when they would get very close to reaching the end of the barrier, they would say, "we only have little left. We will continue tomorrow."

It is said that their lack of success is due to the fact that they don't use the words, "in shaa Allah".

So, towards the end of time, after prophet Isa ‘alayhis-salaam kills Dajjal, Allah will permit Ya’juj and Ma’juj to remember to say "In shaa Allah", then they will level down the barrier created by Dhul-Qaynayn, and they will sweep into the earth.

Ya'juj and Ma'juj will spread corruption and destroy everything they come across. They will overwhelm the people, and the Muslims will retreat to their cities and strongholds, bringing their flocks with them.

Ya’juj and Ma’juj will drink all the water of the land until some of them will pass a river and drink it dry, then those who come after them would say: “There used to be water here once.”

There will be no one left except those in their strongholds and cities.

One of the Ya’juj and Ma’juj will say: “We have defeated the people of the earth; now the people of heaven are left.”

One of them will shake his spear and hurl it into the sky, and it will come back stained with blood, as a test and a trial for them.

While this is happening, Allah will send worms in their necks, like the worm that is found in date-stones or in the nostrils of sheep. They will die and their clamor will cease.

Then the Muslims will say: “Who will volunteer to find out what the enemies are doing.”

One of them will step forward and volunteer, knowing that he will likely be killed. He will go down and will find Ya’juj and Ma’juj dead, lying on top of one another. Not a single spot on earth will be free from their putrefaction and stench.

He will call out: “O Muslims! Rejoice that Allah has sufficed you against your enemy!”

Then, they will come out of their cities and strongholds, and will let their flocks out to graze, but they will have nothing to graze upon except the dead flesh of these people (Ya’juj and Ma’juj), but it will fill them better than any vegetation they have ever eaten before.

Then Isa and his companions will beseech Allah, and He will send birds with necks like Bactrian camels, and they will carry the dead bodies and throw them at a place known only to Allah.

After this, Allah will send down rain, and it will rain for forty days, and the earth will be washed and cleansed of them until it looks like a mirror.

Then it will be said to the earth: “Bring forth your fruit and restore your blessing.”

On that day, a group of people will be able to eat from one pomegranate and seek shade under its skin, and everything will be blessed.

A milch-camel will give so much milk that it will be sufficient for a whole clan, and a sheep will be sufficient for an entire household.

At that time, Allah will send a pleasant wind which will reach beneath their armpits and will take the soul of every Muslim or every believer, and there will be left only the most evil of people who will commit fornication like mules until the Hour comes upon them. WAllahu a'lam.

*Compiled by Umm Naml*
*Sources: Qur'an, Tafseer As-Sa'di, Tafseer ibn Katheer*

19/04/2022

*AMAZING STORIES FROM THE QUR'AN*

Bismillahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem

*RAMADAN, DAY 17*
*PROPHET AYYUB*
*Q38:41-44, Q21:83*

Ayyub was a prophet of Allah whom Allah gave lots and lots of wealth and children. Of the worldly portions, Allah endowed him, and one of such great gifts was a pious wife.

But Allah chose to test him, and slowly took everything away.

Allah’s tests afflicted his body, wealth, and children.

He lost all his wealth and all his children died, but he still praised Allah.

He lost his health. It was so bad that every physical part of him was afflicted. Worse, his internal organs were also very much affected, until no part of him functioned except his heart.

He had nothing left in the world with which he could deal with his sickness or predicament, except his loving wife.

His wife retained her devotion to him because of her faith in Allah and His messenger. She used to work for people as a paid servant, and with this, she fed and served Ayyub throughout his trial period.

This trial took a period of 18 years and not once did he ask Allah for mercy.

In this time, the people threw him into the city dump where he lived with his wife because of the stench that emanated from him. He was shunned by relatives and strangers alike. But his wife did not leave him. She was always with him except when she went out to serve the people for money.

Meanwhile, there were two men who were the closest of brothers to Ayyub. They used to visit him day and night.

One day, one of them said to the other: “You know, by Allah, that Ayyub committed a great sin which nobody in the world ever committed.”

His companion said: “Why are you saying that?”

He said: “For eighteen years he has been suffering and Allah has not had mercy on him and relieve his suffering.”

When the second man went to greet Ayyub the next morning, he couldn’t wait to tell this to Ayyub.

Ayyub, upon hearing this, replied: “I do not know what you are talking about, but Allah knows if I passed by two men who were arguing and they mentioned the Name of Allah, I would go back home and offer expiation lest they had mentioned the Name of Allah in an improper manner.”

One day, Ayyub's wife complained for the first time through a statement, for she had observed her husband for 18 years, and had noticed that he never asked Allah for healing. Her statement really upset him and he swore an oath that if Allah healed him, he would strike her with one hundred blows.

His anger also stemmed from love, gratitude, and submission towards Allah, for he knew that before his test, Allah had blessed him for 60 years.

When Ayyub’s suffering had gone on for a long time, and things had gotten very bad, and the time allotted for his test - by divine decree - had come to an end, Ayyub prayed to Allah for the first time, saying:

“Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.”

In another chapter of the Qur’an, he said: “Verily, Shaytan has afflicted me with distress and torment!”

Prophet Ayyub's supplication was a silent plea, a plea from a slave who knew that his Lord understood him, even with the littlest speech.

Then Allah responded, telling him to strike the ground with his foot, for he couldn't move beyond that.

When he did this, Allah caused a spring of water to gush forth and commanded him to wash in it. After he washed in it, all his pain and bodily afflictions disappeared.

Next, Allah commanded him to strike the ground in a different place with his feet, causing another spring to gush forth. Allah commanded him to drink from it. When he did, all his internal pain and afflictions disappeared, and he became healthy again.

Meanwhile, whenever he went to answer the call of nature, when he finished, his wife would take his hand until he came back home.

On this particular day, it was taking him too long, so his worried wife went out to look for him.

She saw Ayyub, a young man with no afflictions, looking better than he had ever looked. She said to him: “May Allah bless you! Have you seen Allah’s prophet, the one who is sorely tested by Allah, I have never seen a man who looks more like him than you, if he were healthy?”

The man said: “I am he.”

After this, Allah blessed him with more wealth than he had ever had, and many more children than he had lost.

Prophet Ayyub had two threshing floors: one of wheat and one of barley. After Allah healed him, He sent two clouds and when one of them reached the threshing floor of the wheat, it rained gold until it was full. When the other cloud reached the threshing floor of barley, it also rained gold until it was full.

Then, while Ayyub was bathing naked, locusts of gold fell upon him. Ayyub began gathering them in his garment. Then his Lord called to him:

“O Ayyub, have I not made you so rich that you have no need of what you see?”

Ayyub replied: “Yes, O Lord! But I cannot do without Your blessing!”😄😄😄

Thus did Allah restore all the wealth he had lost and even gave him more.

In return for his patience, steadfastness, repentance, humility, and constant turning to Allah, Allah bestowed His mercy upon him, restored his wealth and family.

But there was an oath that he needed to fulfill. While in a state of anger, he had promised to strike his wife with 100 blows if Allah healed him, now he had to fulfill that oath.

But Allah, the Just, knew how patient and devoted this woman had been, and knew that His prophet would find it difficult to fulfill this oath now that his anger was gone, so Allah gave them a way out.

Allah said: “And take in your hand, a bundle of thin grass and strike therewith (your wife) and break not your oath.”

So, prophet Ayyub ‘alayhis-salaam took a bundle of thin grass with 100 stems, and hit her with it once, in a way that wasn’t painful at all.

Thus, Allah helped him fulfill his oath. And Allah described him as ‘patient’. Allah called him ‘an excellent servant’ who was ever oft-returning in repentance. WAllahu a’lam.

*Compiled by Umm Naml*
*Sources: Qur'an, Tafseer As-Sa'di, Tafseer ibn Katheer*