Praise Him until your last breath, and then some. Day 8: Reviving Sunnahs
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
La ilaha illAllah
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Wa lillahil Hamd
These words in just a few days will reverberate around parks, masajid parking lots, and streets all over the world.
They will cause eyes to well up with tears and hearts to beat with newfound vigor.
They will awaken sleeping babies in strollers and cause the uninitiated to stare with wonder at the spectacle of thousands standing, sitting, and praising together.
For three days the Muslims across the world from Dhuhur on the day of Eid until Asr three days later will sit saying these words.
A reminder of our unity,
A reminder of our strength in numbers,
A reminder of the beauty of the way of life that we have chosen,
A reminder that we aim to take with us year-round.
God is the Greatest.
And because of His greatness, we sacrifice.
We give from what we love the most to the One that we love the most.
We turn to Him in complete submission, hoping, begging, and seeking His acceptance.
There is no deity except for God.
We purify our intentions and we follow in the footsteps of that friend of God that sought God in the moon, the stars, and the sun and came to the conclusion that God is the one that created them all. We follow in the footsteps of the one that literally broke the idols of the people and made them question the foolishness of their actions.
We follow in the footsteps of a woman with such firm conviction that when left to fend for herself and her child she knew that she was never truly alone. A woman who sought out God’s provision when there seemed to be absolutely no respite for her. A woman that during her time of thirst managed to quench the thirst of an entire Ummah.
And to God be the praise.
Because to Him is all praise.
In our sadness
In our brokenness
In our happiness
In our joy
In every state that we will ever experience, it is Him that we praise.
In these days of Eid don’t for a moment neglect to contemplate on what you’re saying, and why on these blessed days you ought to lose your voice from praising Him.
Your brother,
Arthur K. Richards
