Islam Blog

If you’ve ever owned a bike (or car maybe), then you’ve probably heard the phrase ‘run in period.’ What this basically means is that you don’t exceed a certain speed limit. This speed limit restriction is put in place to give longevity to the new engine. Usually, these run in periods last for about a 1,000 kilometers or so.

A friend of mine who’d received a new bike as a gift from his father was obviously very excited. His bike also had a run in period and thankfully he was aware of it. I recall he wasn’t supposed to exceed 50km/hr until he covered a 1000 kilometer distance. So, in order to do away with this ‘thrill buster’ he’d give his bike full throttle and accelerate at a very high rate. You’d think he was going to hit a 100 km/hr pretty soon. However, he’d stop accelerating just before reaching the 50km/hr mark. And it was obvious to us that this wasn’t what the owner’s manual meant. He was following the letter of the rule but not the spirit. His bike was still facing the pressure the rule was meant to prevent. We may find what my friend did was funny, but what we don’t realize is that we’re in the same boat. How? Allow me to explain:

• Hijab: When it comes to women observing hijab, we find that those following the ‘rules’ of hijab are properly covered and all. But you’ll find them conversing freely with men. Or going out with their boyfriends. What they’re missing out on is the spirit of the law. Hijab is intended to act as a shield, which prevents both genders from interacting unnecessarily. Unfortunately, this point is lost on us and we’re all like my biker friend, within limits technically, but not quite so when you look at the purpose.
• Salah: This is another good example. Alhamdulillah, I know many people who pray five times every single day. They’re at the masjid on time and they make sure that they don’t sleep unless they’ve prayed the fardh salah. However, you’ll see a different story when you watch them pray. It’s like a super express train. If you saw them praying this way the first time, you’d think there must some kind of emergency. Unfortunately, this state of emergency is perpetual. They are simply lost when it comes to Ikhlas and praying calmly. This is again because we’ve forgotten the spirit of salah, which is to serve as a reminder of Allah and not simply a few bodily movements.

These are just two examples and I’m sure you can think of more. How do we solve this problem? Unless we understand the true meaning of Ikhlas, we will never overcome this. Ikhlas is best understood from the words of the following hadeeth:

Then he (Jibreel) further asked, What is ihsan (perfection)?” Allah ’s Apostle replied, “To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you.

Al Bukhari

So the essence is, be conscious of Allah in all the things that you do. Remember that he is watching. When you do a good deed, try to do it the most perfect manner possible. Perfection here refers to both the bodily actions and the state of mind. We all know that the rulings of Islam are based on wisdom. We must try to acquire this wisdom from learned and trustworthy scholars. Shaytan is an enemy of knowledge and the thing he loves most is to keep the son of Adam in ignorance.

May Allah bless us with the ability to put in to practice what has been said.