Community at a Repair

Salaam alaykom respected readers,

I think many of us can say that our community is in great need! It's like watching someone you care for that has fallen very sick and in order to save this person they must go to a special doctor and follow the doctors prescription exactly even if this means a lot of trials and pains to become better again. 

This is my view and in my most humble way I am shocked and at the same time overwhelmed by a great sadness to see many members that we care for lost. I was once told we had the perfect religion with some of the worst followers, it wasn't until now I kind of get what they meant by this. It's not that I'm saying everyone is horrible, what I'm saying is we need a lot of work on education and pulling together as a team to get the community to become what Allah would be pleased with. It's a lot of work but if each member of the community worked it can certainly happen! 

Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Stay with the greater majority, for verily Allah’s hand is with the [larger] group. Beware of separation for verily the deviant amongst you is the victim of Satan just as the deviant amongst the cattle is the victim of a wolf.’[Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 127]

4ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : واللّه‏ِ ، لَأظُنُّ أنَّ هؤلاءِ القَومَ سَيُدالونَ مِنكُم باجْتِماعِهِم على 

باطِلِهم وتَفَرُّقِكُم عن حقِّكُم

So you can see in Imam Ali's words keeping together as a strong community and working to better ourselves as a whole and individuals will help us get nearer to Allah. I think sometimes we dont know where our place is in the community, or maybe we have felt we can't help. Everyone must play their role if they are willing to help. Many great things can happen when we accept others help.

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘The Prophet (S) was asked about the congregation of his [religious] community, and he said, ‘The congregation of my community are those who are the people of truth even if they are few in number.’[Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 154, no. 1]

Ain't that the truth! Now I'm not the best and I certainly have a long road ahead of me to reach even the shore of the ocean but these few in numbers when pulled together can create a ripple in the ocean and make those few into many! 

Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Verily you are brothers in the religion of Allah, nothing has separated you except ill natures and bad consciences, consequently you do not bear the burdens of each other, nor do you advise each other, nor spend on each other, nor love each other.’[Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 113]

ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : لَو سَكَتَ الجاهِلُ ما اخْتَلَفَ النّاسُ

 After thousands of years Imam Ali's words still ring true.  The bottom line to us as a community is not being as a one, is that we really don't have the love we should for each other. We should care if one gets sick or when a student isn't doing well in school, we should extend the hand to help if someone is in need. If you think I am wrong I have personally seen people in our community struggle financially and where is the rest of us crying at nights that this person isn't yet helped... it should bother us so much that we cant sleep at nights but it doesn't, we hear about it at the least maybe even help them once or twice but then that's it, their left alone struggling in this society. We can even go as far as seeing someone spiritually regressing but not care to stay up praying for them and trying all you can to help them and their family.

So you aren't left with the bad taste of this medicine I have tasted the bitterness of it and am too working on my share in this community. I say all this to myself first so don't get me wrong I pray for us to see the day we are a beautiful well supported community

In sha Allah we can pull together to become the best of people in the best of religions. Ameen