Must Read:The Topic Of Izzah (an introduction)

[salman javed]

The Topic Of Izzah

(Zainab bint Younus)

During his Caliphate, ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu set out for Ash-Shaam with Abu ‘Ubaydah. Along the way, they encountered a deep creek which could only be crossed directly, so ‘Umar took off his sandals and waded through the water. Concerned, Abu ‘Ubaydah said, “I fear that the people of the village will think you without honor.” ‘Umar replied, “Oh Abu Ubaydah! If only someone less knowledgeable than you had made such a statement. We were the most disgraced of people, and Allah granted us honor with Islam. Now, whenever we seek honor in other than that which Allah honored us with, Allah shall disgrace us (once again).” What would ‘Umar say if he could see us today? Given that we are as many as the foam upon the sea, and as useless? What would he say today, when our brothers and sisters are collateral damage, slaughtered left, right, and center on demand while the rest us of are impotent to protect them? The problem is that we have forgotten the concept of ‘izzah (honour). We have forgotten that no matter what our physical or financial state is, Allah has placed us in a position of superiority over all other creation. By virtue of our tawheed, our emaan, our Islam, we are better than anyone else. And yes, while that sounds politically incorrect, our Rabb has clearly stated: Surely those who disbelieve from among the followers of the Book and the polytheists shall be in the fire of hell, abiding therein; they are the worst of men. (And) lo! those who believe and do good deeds, they are the best of creation. (al-Bayyinah, 6-7) You are the best of people among all peoples, for you command Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, and you submit [in belief] to Allah. 3:110 Knowing this, why then do we still have inferiority complexes? Why do we find ourselves asking for help from those responsible for oppressing us? Why do we lower ourselves to such a position? The fact of the matter is that we have lost our ‘izzah. We have lost the understanding of what it is and how we are to attain it. So what is this ‘izzah? How do we attain it, and how do we lose it? How do we put this forgotten concept into practice, especially in this day and age? Insha’Allah, these questions and more will be answered in the following articles.

 
Source:http://www.islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=1506&

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Wasalam,

 

Salman Javed,