Inspiration and Spirituality

Don’t be a Candle

Published

March 16, 2007

Omar Usman

I was listening to the Unbreakable CD set and This statement from Shaykh Waleed Basyouni really struck me. He said in an advice to the callers to Islam, part of the Fiqh ad-Dawah series contained in that set,

Don’t be like a candle, giving light to everyone else, and burning yourself.

It’s a powerful statement so inshallah I will leave it at that. As a small teaser, I will give an analysis on why this particular statement is so powerful, and has a tendency to stick in one’s mind immediately after hearing it in a forthcoming book review inshallah. Also I hope to be able to transcribe notes from his Fiqh ad-Da’wah set in there to post on the blog, as it was a really powerful set of lectures. The entire cd set was amazing, but these 3 cd’s in particular really stood out.

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Omar Usman

Omar Usman is a founding member of MuslimMatters and Qalam Institute. He teaches Islamic seminars across the US including Khateeb Workshop and Fiqh of Social Media. He has served in varying administrative capacities for multiple national and local Islamic organizations. You can follow his work at ibnabeeomar.com.

4 Comments

Yusuf

March 17, 2007 at 5:01 AM

Jundub ibn ‘Abdullah narrated from Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam),

مثل العالم الذي يعلم الناس الخير وينسى نفسه كمثل السراج يضيء للناس ويحرق نفسه

“The example of a scholar (‘aalim) who teaches the people good and forgets himself is the of a lantern that provides light to people while burning itself out.”

(at-Tabaraani and others – classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ no. 5831)

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Amad

March 18, 2007 at 12:41 AM

SubhanAllah, amazing lessons in a few words.

And I see examples of this all around us… I daresay (online) that I see some of this in myself too. Not in teaching, because I am not qualified to teach, but this applies to dawah activities as well. It applies to the activists in any Islamic field. Ever since I have been involved in organizing Conferences, for instance, I have stopped participating in them. So, while I take pleasure in ‘running the show’, I forget to stop and pay attention to ‘show’ itself. Even when I have the luxury of a break and I could go listen to a lecture, I am just not in a mood. Is this me or does it happen to other organizers?

I worry about spirituality… I worry about purification… tazkiyah. Yet, the ‘providing the tazkiyah’ activity takes too much of a toll that the ‘taking of the tazkiyah’ activity doesn’t register.

I think this reminder is important to me and important to all our brothers and sisters actively engaged in Islamic activities, whether it be blogs, conferences, rihlas, camps, masajids, organizations, etc., we need to sometimes stop. Stop and take a moment to evaluate our own souls, and evaluate whether we ourselves are getting closer to Allah or not?

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AnonyMouse

March 18, 2007 at 12:58 AM

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatu,

Masha’Allah… definitely powerful words. And I can totally relate to it, because I’ve seen it happen personally: in my old city my father was getting so involved with the community, doing so many things at once, that it was draining him emotionally and spiritually. Which is why we moved to a new, smaller city – something I’m not quite happy with, but I guess there are benefits to it that I don’t realize… Allah knows best!

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Bint Amina

March 18, 2007 at 11:23 PM

The statement posted by brother Yusuf can be found in the amazing gem of a book “Knowledge Mandates Action” by Al Khateeb Al Baghdadee, along with many other beautiful admonishments.

The principle behind the statement is working tirelessly on others and calling them to good while forgetting your own deeds and ‘ibadaah. May we not be of those who forget. InshaaAllah, what would be ideal is that balance between the genuine concern for the hidayaah of those around you and your preoccupation with your own. Allahu ‘alam.

NB: A beneficial book concerning da’wah, its methods and underlying principles: “Words of Advice Regarding Da’wah” by Shaykh ibn Baaz rahimuhullah.

Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu

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