Satan is the enemy of Islam. He comes in many facades, and spares no effort to turn Muslims away from their religion and its magnificent principles and teachings. Disbelievers endangered by the Muslim’s lifestyle that is spotless and beyond criticism. They are well aware that as long as Muslims adhere to their religion, all attempts to corrupt them will be wasted, because Islam is the source of their power. Islam is that which raises a mere individual into something higher and more venerable. And, for this reason, Islam is severely attacked through all forms of non-Muslim media. It is a cheap attempt to corrupt young minds away from something great to something pitiful: the life outside of Islam. Through following Islamic guidance, we glorify our Creator, Allah and we become the best examples of human beings.
Satan is trying to convince us that the material world is the way to all success and power. He is trying to convince Muslims that their weakness stems from their devotion to their religion, its belief and principles. The media, or the so-called world of “entertainment”, is the mean which corrupts all young minds, so Muslim families should be especially careful of what such “entertainment” has the proven power to do: corrupting our youth’s pure values, slowly and insidiously. Instead of taking on the personality of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), that is free from any blemish, the misguided youth sadly adopt the fictitious personalities in films or on television, and this is how Satan wins.
Strong Muslims are proficient of making the right choices with respect to which role-model they should follow and remain steadfast on that. On the other hand, weak and ignorant Muslims are easy to get misled. Thus, more than ever, it is compulsory upon us to talk to our youth, and even we adults should reflect on the greatness of the great Muslim heroes from our Islamic past, who built the most glorious and powerful civilization of Islam that dramatically improved their lives. These were civilizations that encompassed both sublime Muslim morals, and great material progress simultaneously.
There are ten companions of Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) who were given the glad tidings of Paradise. They were perfectly familiar of this fact. Thus, they sought to please Allah (SWT); and in doing so, they achieved not only happiness but material prosperity as well. The Islamic community is one where wealth is shared. Those who have the most, share the most; and those in need are looked after. In pleasing Allah (SWT), our scales of good deeds pile up and Paradise is our final reward. What better reward and place to work toward, than Paradise?
Jihad does not simply mean an armed struggle, it can be any activity that is carried out within the scope of our daily routine. The Companions were cavaliers by day and spent their nights in worship. They were people of prayer, fasting, charity, kindness and truthfulness. They were chaste, sincere and pious. They were people who knew self-control of the mind, body and temper. They did not go about feeding their lusts; instead they went about feeding the hungry. All of these things are Jihad.
When the call for Jihad (meaning war or armed struggle) was proclaimed, the Companions readily sacrificed everything: their wealth and even their lives, and they left their families behind. The fear of death was not an issue, for they knew no better reason or way to die than in fighting to uphold the rights of Muslims or Islamic values. And this is the true meaning of the testimony: La ilaha illallah (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah (SWT)). In return for their loyalty to the cause, Allah bestowed on them true happiness and Paradise.
Paradise is the final abode of all pious and sincere believers. There were many Companions who were given the glad tidings of Paradise as an acknowledgment of their virtues and high status. You can find a book on each of the companion; however, I would to share the name of a short but brief book named, “The Precious Pearls” and “The Great 10 companions of the Prophet” by Darussalam Publishers. This online islamic book has very short biographies and virtues of these noble companions so that we can understand the true meaning of Islam and become strong Muslims by adopting the mode of life set by these companions.
