By Hazrat
Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi 'Alayh)
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
When you go to Delhi, Bombay or Calcutta and such places in India,
you find many ‘shoe shine boys’ on
the streets, who will shine your shoes.
The interest and sole concern of these shoe shine boys is the
person’s shoes, whether the person walking by is the president, a lawyer, an
‘Aalim[1]
or a Mufti[2].
The shoes of anyone and everyone that crosses their paths draws the attention
of these shoe shine boys.
If the shoes are dirty or they are not in a
‘tip-top’ and shining condition, then these shoe shine boys invite you to have
your shoes cleaned and polished. Their interest in shoes does not mean that
they do not eat, drink, marry, etc. although it does seem that their only
objective and purpose in life is shining shoes.
The following came to my mind having observed
this when I was in India : This is the
concern, concentration and single-mindedness of these boys – in earning a
living.
Similarly, the sole concern and attention of the Muslim should be the Deen[3]
of Allah Ta’ala: How can it be brought into my life ? How can it remain in my
life?
Deen takes priority because our lives,
salvation and success depend on it. As such we will do everything according to Deen - and Deen is such that it
encompasses every aspect of life. Our priority and focus is then conforming to
Qur`aan and Sunnah. We work on bringing our characters, business dealings,
social dealings, family life, etc. in line with the teachings of Shariah and
Sunnah[4].
We work towards establishing balance and harmony in fulfilling both the rights
of Allah Ta’ala and the rights of creation.
Earning the
Pleasure of Allah Ta’ala and earning Jannah in the Hereafter is the concern,
concentration and single-mindedness of the Muslim.
Moreover, there is also a deep-hearted concern
that others too become practical on Deen, and the effort is made in inviting
others to Islam.
[1] ‘Aalim :
Scholar of Islam
[2] Mufti : An
expert is Islamic Law and Jurisprudence
[3] Deen :
religion
[4] Sunnah : Practices
of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and his noble companions
(RA).
