"And speak gently to him (Pharaoh)..."

In chapter 20 of the Quran (surah Taha), Allah narrates to us the story of Musa a.s.. Upon receiving messengership, Allah commands Musa a.s. to go to Pharaoh:

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"Go you and your brother(Aaron) with My Signs, and do not, you both, slacken and become weak in My remembrance. Go both of you to Fir`awn, verily, he has transgressed. And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allah)." Quran 20: 42-44

The Pharaoh ruling over Egypt at the time (his name is not mentioned in the Quran like many other characters, for what is important is not who these people were but what we can learn from them) was a tyrant who enslaved the children of Israel. Not only did he mistreat them severely, he also killed their sons and let their daughters live (the reason for this I will not discuss here for it is not the topic of this post).

To cut a long story short, Moses was chosen by Allah to be the Messenger to deliver the Children of Israel from the tyranny of the Pharaoh. Despite all the evils committed by the tyrant, Allah commanded Moses to go to him and speak mildly first, for perhaps he might be admonished and change his ways. Of course Allah in His infinite knowledge and wisdom knew that the pharaoh wasn't going to change one bit, but He wanted to teach Musa a.s. and by extension all of us that we should never write people off straight away however bad they may appear to us. This is key when doing da'wah. We should always approach people with an open mind and do not let their evils cause us to be judgmental from the word go.

If Allah had commanded Musa a.s to speak gently to the pharaoh, one of the most evil and arrogant of people to ever walk upon this earth, just in case he may benefit from the advise despite Allah knowing full well those gentle words were not going to change a thing, what then is our excuse for not being gentle when approaching people far less in evilness, not knowing at all whether our advise may benefit them or not?? Judging people to be hopeless especially before even trying to advise them is arrogant. Judgment belongs to Allah and Allah alone and it may be that Allah will forgive that person whom we deemed hopeless, and instead throw us into the Fire for our arrogance. So let us advise/remind others gently and never consider anyone to be beyond hope because we don't know that and acting like we do will only earn us Allah's wrath, the inevitable consequence of which is entry into the Fire of Jahannam. Wal'iyazubillah.

Of Enchanting Auroras and Beautiful Misfortunes

I went to Iceland about two weeks ago. My main motivation was to see the enchanting lights of the night sky, visible only at the poles, the Aurora (borealis if it's in the north, australis in the south). Actually, I had always wanted to see the Aurora and many times during my undergraduate study in Edinburgh, I tried making plans to go to Iceland or the other Scandinavian countries to see the lights, but they never materialised. That's why, this time round, I told myself, by hook or by crook, I must go to Iceland to catch the Aurora. Initially I had nobody to go with, and so I advertised the trip on facebook, hoping someone would be interested to follow me. Curiously, a friend(Adif) who would have never crossed my mind as a travelling companion, asked if he could join. At first, I was a bit confused at his request to join the trip, for I thought he was back home in Malaysia. Then I remembered a mutual friend(Wan) telling me that this fella had decided to study medicine after doing a degree in biomedical science, and so he was back in the UK, in Dundee more specifically, for his 3rd year of medical studies. I was surprised but happy that he wanted to come along. We aren't the best of friends, but Allah in His infinite wisdom had willed for all this to happen for a purpose that would become apparent during the trip.

And so we got on the plane to Iceland on the 16th of December, full of excitement. I had booked a Northern Lights tour for the night we arrived, and couldn't wait to get to our destination. But alas, there was a terrible snowstorm over Iceland, and nightmarish turbulence just as we were about to land. The aircraft swung left and right, up and down, like a roller coaster! People were scared, but I strangely was enjoying it because it did indeed feel like a roller coaster ride! After about 10 minutes of violent shaking, we suddenly felt the aircraft thrust upwards back into the upper atmosphere, away from the ice laden clouds and winds. Then the pilot came on air and said that Keflavik airport had been shut due to ice on the runway, and that the cross winds were too high for landing anyway (he said the limit for plane was 30 knots, but the winds were blowing at 45 knots!). And so, the plane turned back all the way to Edinburgh, with a total journey time of five and half hours! Many, if not everybody, were disappointed, but not too disappointed as we understood that the pilot only had the safety of the passengers in mind, and he made the best decision one could make. It wasn't his fault that the airport closed or the snowstorm decided to blow to glory just as we were supposed to land. Easyjet, the airline we flew with, provided everyone with a room at the Hilton hotel close to Edinburgh airport, and rescheduled the flight for the next morning at 10 am. Adif and I decided to just get the bus home and come back again tomorrow morning. We were tempted to just stay the night at the hotel, but nothing beats the comfort of home. We took bus 35 which takes a long route back to where I stay, stopping many times. And to make things worse, it was 5 pm, rush hour jam time! Due to the jerking movement of the bus as it stopped at every stop along the way, Adif's nausea, which began during the turbulence, became worse. He pleaded with me to just get off the bus, about a quarter of the way into the journey. I obliged, as he did look terrible and desperate. We sat for a while, and walked home which took us about an hour. To be honest, I was quite surprised myself at how well I tolerated the inconvenience. I usually get annoyed quite quickly at the minutest of things, but again, this was nobody's fault, and getting angry wasn't going to solve any problems. Adif of course was very grateful for my being accommodating, but that's what anyone would've done I suppose. You can't just leave your friend behind unless you have a heart of stone.

Upon reaching home, I got an email from the tour company saying they had to cancel the Northern Lights tour due to poor weather and that we could reschedule another tour the following day, which was nice to know. So I rescheduled the tour for the next day.

We took the flight the next morning and landed in Keflavik airport despite a mild snowstorm, thankfully. We got to the hotel, went out for dinner walking in thick snow, took a few photos in front of Hallgrimskirkja church (which is a fantastic piece of architecture by the way), and went home as it was too cold to just walk around, not to mention dark as well(sunset was at 3.30pm). At the hotel, we were excitedly preparing for the Northern Lights tour, but alas, the tour was once again cancelled due to poor weather. I was very very disappointed at this point, as this was our only night in Iceland. I had only booked 2 nights, but only one night was left because we couldn't land the previous day. So we just sat in the room, and spoke to each other, catching up on things. And it was this conversation we had, that was probably the pinnacle of the trip, as Allah would have it. We spoke about many things, heartfelt and deep, the outcome of which was an agreement between the two of us for Adif to come to Edinburgh on weekends just so he can learn to recite the Quran from me. It was then that it became crystal clear, why Allah had willed for there to be a snowstorm that would cause the tour to be cancelled. It was this conversation! All praise is due to Allah, the Most Powerful, Most Wise. The main objective of the trip from our perspective, or mine at least, was to see the Northern Lights, but Allah had something far more important planned which unraveled in a most unexpected yet intriguing and meaningful way. May Allah bless Adif in his endeavor to study the Deen, to be a better Muslim. A hadith comes to mind:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge."

[Muslim]

The following morning, we went on a tour to Thingvellir National Park, Geyser land, and Gulfoss, all of which had breathtaking scenery. At the end the day, we got onto the bus to the airport for our flight at 9 pm. All along the journey, I looked intently at the clear night sky, hoping to see the Aurora for the last time, but there was none to be seen. When we got on the plane, the pilot made an even more depressing announcement, that despite the clear skies, he didn't see any Aurora on his way into Keflavik airport. But I was still hopeful. He did say though that Auroras are unpredictable and might make an appearance as we fly out. If it did appear, it would be seen on the left on the aircraft. I was seated on the left side of the plane, but on an aisle sit. But as Allah the Magnificent would have it, the three seats behind me were completely empty. Adif spotted the seats and we both moved to the back. Once again, I intently looked out the window as the flight took off, hoping and praying to see the Aurora. And suddenly, there it was in the distance. I cannot even explain to you how excited I was the moment  I saw it. I was so happy jumping away in my seat when I saw the green shimmer of lights, dancing gracefully in the sky. So excited I was while telling Adif I could see it, that the passengers around us even from the other side of the aisle tried to look. It was a most majestic sight to behold. I let Adif see, then pushed him away (lol!) and just stared out of the window, mesmerised by the lights. After a couple of minutes, the pilot announced over the speakers, that the Aurora could be seen on the left of the plane, and everyone turned to look at the enchanting lights. But then, that was not all. He then told us to look down below to see a deep orange glow of lava flowing from a volcano that had just erupted, which we all saw, a bonus from Allah! What a spectacular end to the journey, Subhanallah. Although I only saw the Aurora briefly, it was enough to cure the yearning in my heart to see it. I wished to have been able to stare at it for longer, but perhaps that is for another time insya Allah.

this is not my photo.... just a photo from google

Many unexpected things occurred, but all for a good reason. And Allah rewarded us plentifully for our patience in not being annoyed or angry at the weather for ruining our plans. Indeed, patience always brings forth goodness not only in this world, but also in the Hereafter. All praise is due to Allah for this maginificent and beautiful trip.

"Those will be rewarded with the highest place (in Paradise) because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect." Quran 25:75

Kind and Clear Speech

I was reading surah al-Isra' yesterday when I came across this verse:

"And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy." Quran 17:53


It is one of Syaitan's lifetime goals to create dissent amongst us by any means, and he achieves this most often by our speech!

First let us try to understand this verse in context. The preceding verses are about how the Quraisy used to ask the Prophet questions mockingly, making fun of him and the Day of Judgment.  Imagine if someone were to mock our mothers. We would probably punch the person in the face, and many would think our response to be justified. The companions loved the Prophet even more than themselves, and it would be perfectly understandable if they responded to the Quraisy in a harsh manner. Yet, Allah tells them to say that which is best. Why? Because when people respond in like, Syaiton will seize the opportunity to blow it out of proportion and escalate the situation, which brings no good whatsoever particularly if we are trying to do da'wah. Now, if Allah commanded the companions to speak in the best way at a time when it would be completely justified to respond in harshness, what then of situations lesser than that in severity? Often what we face pales in comparison to what the companions faced, and so we definitely should be more earnest about following the command of this verse. Even if people mock the Prophet SAW using cartoons, articles etc as happens now and again, we should respond with wisdom. None of us can claim to love the prophet more than the companions, and if they were ordered to say that which is best even if what their opponents were saying hurt them greatly, then we most certainly should not go overboard in our reaction against those who mock the prophet or the things we hold sacred and dear in our hearts.

More generally though, this verse encourages us to speak in the best way in all situations. Another verse came to my mind in surah Al-Baqarah:

"O you who have believed, say not [to Allah 's Messenger], "Ra'ina" but say, "Unthurna" and listen. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment." Quran 2:104

A little bit of context is required to understand this verse. According to the scholars of tafseer (exegesis), both the words Ra'ina and Unzurna have similar meanings in Arabic which is 'hear us', but the Jews of Madinah used to prefer to use the word Ra'ina because it meant as an insult in their language (Hebrew). Another opinion is that the word Ra'ina was also a form of rude speech in certain Arabic dialects. Thus Allah forbade the believers from using that word (Ra'ina) altogether and instead commanded the use of a different but clearer word (Unzurna) with the same meaning so as to avoid any misunderstanding that may have arisen if they had used the first word which could potentially be understood differently.

The lesson for us? We should choose to speak words that are not only kind, but clear too. If there is a word which has the slightest potential of being misunderstood due to it having a different meaning, then don't use it at all and use a different word instead! A good example would be the word 'gay'. In the English language, this word originally had a connotation of happiness and merriment. Now however it is more commonly used to mean something else altogether. Therefore, it would be foolish and outrageous to compliment someone who looks happy by saying, "Hey, you look gay today!" I mean, what is all that about son?? You want a smackdown?!


If only we would heed this advice from Allah the Most Wise, we would be able to prevent 90% of conflicts amongst ourselves. I'm not talking about war here. I'm referring instead to the daily conflicts we face with our friends, work colleagues, superiors etc. Most of us would agree that the chief causes of conflicts are poor choice of words when we speak leading to either ambiguity or subtle provocation. This includes sarcasm and name-calling which are expressly forbidden in Surah al-Hujuraat which you can look up in your own time.

Notice how in the first verse quoted Allah tells us to say that which is best, not just good. This is understood clearly from the Arabic word 'Ahsan' which is in the superlative form. Thus let us be mindful of our speech so as to prevent any opportunity for Syaitan to sow the seeds of dissent and hatred in our hearts. The world would be a better place, insya Allah.