Letter:
Assalaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
Respected Moulana
Where can I find an environment of Deen to live in? My imaan is so weak that I really need a Deeni environment to survive. Do you know of a good place that a Muslim can migrate to?
Reply:
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Respected Brother/Sister
Wa ‘alaikumus salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
1. We are living in times of fitnahs (trials). Wherever a person goes, there are fitnahs prevailing in some way or the other. You have to create an environment of Deen in your own home.
I often explain that the environment is created by us. If we are desirous of the protection of our imaan and we want an environment where we can easily practice upon the teachings of sharee‘ah, then we need to start from our own homes. Just by getting rid of the evil and sins in our homes and lives, we have achieved a spiritually clean environment. By establishing salaah and other ‘ibaadah, as well as the beautiful sunnah in our homes, we have achieved an Islamic environment. It is reported in the hadeeth that the true hijrah (migration) is to abandon sin. Therefore, this is the most important thing to do.
No government forces us to indulge in adultery, gambling, drinking, consuming interest, watching the evil and immoral filth on the television, reading filthy literature and so forth. No one holds a gun to our heads and forces us to emulate the disbelievers in dress and culture, to have our marriages in the manner of the West, etc.
If we are sincere, our own homes will be a haven for steadfastness on Deen and protection of our imaan. Our ‘Ulama and Mashaayikh also encourage ta’leem in the home, on a daily basis. This will make it easy to establish a Deeni environment and strengthen our imaan and the imaan of our family members.
2. We have to move out of the house for work, travel, etc. so we need to develop taqwa in the heart and the conscious awareness of Allah Ta‘ala. With taqwa, we will, insha-Allah, survive the fitnahs on the outside.
3. Of course, we are entirely dependent on Allah Ta‘ala and we are also very vulnerable, so we should constantly make du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala to assist us and protect us.
Was salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
Yunus Patel (Moulana)
(Source: From the correspondences of Hazrat Moulana Yunus Patel (Rahimahullah), taken from the website of Uswatul Muslimah.)