Let the Tube's strike. Don't let your good character.

Quest to becoming a Huquq Al Ibaad Hero (part 1)

Top Tips For Maintaining Your Humanity During The London Tube Strikes (and other such battles)

The “How to be a Huquq Al Ibaad Hero” series… starting with the London Tube Strikes

"Please note that the beeping noise coming from the doors means that the doors are about to close. It does not mean throw yourself or your bags into the doors," one train driver recently quipped. Such is just one example of the daily commotion known to occur all too well in London’s beloved underground. Any  Londoner can give testament; keeping ones wits about one when one is late, packed into a steel box like a sardine and unable to find a seat is undoubtedly difficult. But what can only add to this misery is the smile ridden faces and state of constant grumbling grunts of ones fellow travellers. But there comes a point, when every bad habit must be broken, every wrong rule be rewritten and every commuter told it’s okay to act human on the London Underground, for God’s Sake! And when best to do this, than in the time of extenuated chaos pushing you to what you see as an underground battle field, during the train strikes! And so I bring to you the first in the series of helpful short guides  on how to maintain your humanity, or is known in Arabic,  Huquq Al Ibaad (that is, the rights of others), during the London tube strikes, and other such minor battles:

1. Keep Calm and Carry On

Ah yes. It’s been a long day and now there are train delays and strangers getting too close for comfort. Not ideal. But maintaining your composure during all of this is essential. “Glad tidings” are given to the “As-Sabirun”, the patient as Surah Baqarah states, let’s not forget!  But it’s is easy to be calm when all is going well and you are untroubled. The real test of character comes in moments of hardship and discomfort; this is when ones real character is revealed. Anybody can get flustered in the moment, but not the Muslim who watches themselves and keeps close check on their behaviour. How we express ourselves in such moments in critical. A man said to the Prophet, ‘Give me advice.’ The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, ‘Do not get angry.’ The man asked repeatedly and the Prophet answered each time, ‘Do not get angry.’ (Bukhari). If you must speak out, do so with tact and an intention to be of assistance rather than an additional nuisance. Don’t forget "Gentleness does not enter anything except that it beautifies it and harshness does not enter anything except that it disfigures it." (Bukhari) And only if you stay cool and patient, will you be able to be of assistance to others. Which brings us nicely onto tip number 2...


2, Stay Alert: Look out for the welfare of the vulnerable

Hey City Slicker! Yes, you! Not everyone who has to use the train will be at the peak of their health and fitness! Now is the time to really show what Huquq Al Ibaad is all about. It’s time to revive the forgotten art of chivalry. It’s time to dust of your heart to enable your kind intentions to shine out through action. It’s time to help the vulnerable:

The Elderly:  If you happen to spot someone elderly during the tube strikes, asking after them will go a long way. It isn’t just about getting up for them on the train, it’s also about helping them with bags, reassuring them that there is someone at hand and walking at their pace. This is the way of the Best of examples (peace be upon him), who advised, "And your helping a man to get up on his means of transportation, or helping him carry his things on it, is a Sadaqah (charity)." (Bukhari)

Young children: Young children may be afraid to see so many strangers in a small space and their parents likewise will be concerned about the wellbeing and safety of their child. In all the commotion it may become easy for them to become separated. As a 2 year old child, I was once lost on a trip outside. To this day, some couple of decades on, my parents still remember vividly their fear in that moment. Don’t be that person who in their absentmindedness, comes between a parent and child. Help parents with pushchairs and let parents onto trains ahead of you. Remember this hadith and you will go a long way; “He is not of us who does not show mercy to our young ones and does not respect our old ones.” (Tirmidhi).

Pregnant women, Disabled, Unwell:  Any of the people within these groups may find particular discomfort travelling in this busy period and need assistance. Stay alert and if you are able look out for such people in advance of the doors of the carriage opening / getting comfortable in a chair. Remember, “Allah is ever assisting His servant as long as that servant is helping his brother” (Bukhari). Importantly, if you see someone struggling, talk to them, double check whether they need anything. Now is not the time to be living by the unwritten underground rule of no speaking! 


3. Show good comradery

We all know the infamous hadith “None of you truly believes (in Allah and in His religion) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself” (Bukhari). Well get ready to take your Ilm to Amal and practice what you know! Firstly, for the love of a good cup of tea when you get home, move down the carriage! After this in order of importance, if you know of an easier route, or an alternative train line that happens to be running, you may want to consider informing those around you or those who ask.  Additionally show respect to the train staff and the ethics for which they feel the need to strike. Rather than insulting them, think of all the good service that has enabled you over the years to get to and fro with ease. Be kind to them, they too are trying to earn a living and do a job. The truth of the matter is those who do not appreciate their blessings when they have them come to realise through losing them and this may be one such time to reflect on the blessing on a good transport system.

Finally, it is worth reminding that “Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed.” – while this hadith is usually used to console those going through calamities, it is also important to bear in mind during every day struggles. Why? Because the example given, is that of a prick of a thorn. This indicates that any difficulty, no matter how small will be rewarded for. So, battling a brutal rush hour (multiplied by 10 in this instance!) on your way to study or earn a living can actually earn you reward. Just imagine! So loosen up, be thankful for an otherwise decent train service rather than having to walk 20 miles a day and …. Perhaps even… smile!

"Keep Working For Good" - Imam Zaid Talk, UK, 2011

Asalamalaikum,

So the below notes are a selection from notes taken during Imam Zaid Shakir's visit during his trip the UK in Summer 2011, at the Traditional Halaqa, arranged by Shifa Trust.

The talk was entitled "The End of Time" and was largely about the Signs and the Mehdi, though here I detail some more general and inspiring notes of advice and wisdom given.

As with all notes uploaded on here, please forgive any mistakes, all of which are reflective only on the inabilities of the one who heard the message [myself] and not on the one who conveyed the message.

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"The best way of preparing yourself for the end of times is to follow the ways of Rasool.

The Prophet didn't give the sahaba a list of signs to look for, but asked them what they had done to prepare for it.

The Prophet (saws) said, "You will be with those whom you love" and so we follow Allah's command and the Prophets example. That's the best we can do to prepare ourselves.

Divorce your heart from this world as Allah will love you - The love of Allah shouldn't be in our heads, it should be in our hearts. But with the dunya, we must keep it in the thought process (working on projects, working hard etc) and not in the heart.

The dunya can be in your hand and you use it for good. If it doesn't affect your heart, that's fine

One should always look to the direction He is sending one in. Maybe if you accept what Allah has given you, He will Give you through acceptance what you look for through divergence.

If we have good ettiquettes with Allah, He will give us what we are looking for, in the situation we find ourselves in.

Keep working for good, even at the end of times- if the final hour is coming and you have a seed in your hand, you should plant it. Stay in a good state.
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Whoever acts on what they know, Allah gives them knowledge of what they don't know.
If Allah Gives us knowledge, then what we can achieve is limitless.

The first stage towards this is the person acknowledging thier need for Allah.
We say we rely on our brainpower and intellect- yet what have we done for the deen? Yet look at [the success of] those who relied on Allah! Give yourself to Allah. He Will Enrich you. Uplift you. Empower you. No one humbles themselves for the sake of Allah except that He Elevates them. How much further can we go replying on ourselves? How much more of a mess can we make?

To overcome challenges we have to humble ourselves.

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The Prophet (saws) gave us a distinction which he didn't even give to his sahaba- that of being his brothers and sisters despite never seeing him (saws). This is a bushra [glad tiding] for us!!!

"Amongst people most intense in love for me in this Ummah are those who do not see me but love me. And they give their family and wealth just to see me" - wheras the sahaba saw his noor in its entirity.

The Prophet (saws) thus extends to us and praises us in love for hum and places its worth higher than that of the Sahaba. This is a class dinstinction. However, in regards to individuals, the best were them, the khulafaah al rashideen.

We must invoke, "Oh Allah, forgive us and those who preceeded us in Islam and don't place any ranquer in our hearts against them" --> we must have good opinion of all believers, people have been honoured with Islam and only those worthy are honoured.

We should thus uphold the 'izzah [respect] which Allah has given to the believers. We have to love the people who say La illah illAllah. Remember the parable of the believers, that we are one ummah, likened to one body. We don't have time for a bad opinion. This is a violation of others' rights! This puts a barrier between you and this is not right.

Give people the benefit of the doubt that they are atleast as good a muslim as you are if not better. --> we are all in this together.

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If we don't appreciate the advantages we have, Allah will take them away.

Allah didn't Put you in a refugee camp. He Put you here. He Gave you the opportunity to serve the people. To work for Islam. We have to know our place. Shed light for people. Be light for people.

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Realise that who you marry is part of a historical process.

If someone comes and you are pleased with their religion and character, marry him; or there will be great fasaad on the earth.

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If we were more spiritually connected, we wouldn't be so deeply haunted, not would we have so many faults.

Ask Allah for His lufdh- His Gentleness as He Unfolds His decree in our life.

If we want good and seek good, we will find good and find it wherever we are.
"I am as My Servant Thinks I am." This is encouragement.

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