Gentlemen……(and Gentleladies with Mahrems), Start your Engines
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله وحده
و الصلاة و السلام على من لا نبي بعده
What am I talking about here? Am I talking about the 8 cylinder motor in your Cadillac? It’s a riddle, one of my favorite things. Because I don’t like using a lot of real estate, let me get to the point.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
من سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما، سهل الله له طريقا إلى الجنة
“Whoever embarks on a path to seek knowledge, Allah facilitates for him the path to Jannah.”
How’s that for motivation? The feeling you get when you’re on the road, traveling on the black asphalt, with the wind blowing in your face…………(okay okay, I’ll stop) :) For real though, there really is a sense of peace that Allah puts in your heart when you are on the road to seek knowledge. Leaving your worldly priorities behind and dropping them for your journey to knowledge.
One big chunk of the traveling experience is the group of friends or acquaintances you travel with. You actually begin to learn about who they are deep down inside and what bothers them. But in all honesty, it really is a bonding experience between all the people in the ride. You share some laughs, and you discuss some controversial issues, and just have a good time worshiping Allah together. This fact reminds me of and makes me appreciate the wisdom of Umar ibn al Khattab, who considered traveling with somebody one of the three definitive ways to really get to know who a person is. You want to know what the other two are, dont ya? Well, the other two are: 2. Doing business with a person, and 3. Being a long time companion of a person.
Probably though, the worst part of traveling with some friends to seek knowledge is at the end of the trip, when everyone is being dropped off at their houses or cars, and say their goodbyes. So sappy, so corny it is, but yet, how true it is.
Amatullah
April 25, 2008
Jazakum Allahu khayran!
SubhanAllah when we went for umrah in 2006, it was with a youth group and even until now, those sisters I met on the trip are my closest friends because of the experiences like traveling (we left here on a monday and we got to Makkah wednesday night, 11pm! lol), ‘ebaadah (like hearing the adhan and walking to the haram) and what relates to your post: the halaqaat (best one: Imam Hodaify in Madinah!) we shared together. Alhamdulillah.
darthvaider
April 25, 2008
Jazak Allah khayr ayunas. Insha’Allah this post is used as a motivation for those apprehensive about traveling to learn!