Benefit of 10 Year Challenge

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the Most Merciful

The best of Praises and Thanks belong to Allah, the Lord of the World. Praised shall He be as much as He pleases. I testify that no deity deserves to be Worshipped except Allah the Exalted. To Him belongs the Dominion and to Him belong the Best of Praises and to Him belongs Magnificent Glorifications. I testify again that Muhammad SAW is the servant and Messenger of Allah SWA. May the Peace and Salutations of Allah be upon him, his household, his companions and the entire Ummah as long as winds come before rain and thunder comes after lightening.

I was supposed to publish this post early this morning but we were greeted with a sad news about the demise of one of former Imams, Imam Hamza, last night. He was buried this morning. May Allah have mercy on him. I would plead with whoever reads this to take a moment and seek Allah’s Mercy and Forgiveness for our brother and Imam before continuing.

The social media landscape has, for the past few days, witnessed a new trend. As the norm, whenever users are hit with a new trend, many users have jumped onto that wagon and are vigorously exhibiting their social media “patriotism”. This new trend is the “10 year challenge”. What I have gathered based on my own observation on the issue and interaction with my friends concerning this new trend is that, users just fish out from their albums a picture which they took 10 years ago and then compare it to a picture they took this year. Though I have again observed that users are just making before and after portraits, they still claim they are taking part in the 10 year challenge. As a user of social media, the magnetic effect of this new trend almost took toll on me but, as a former Physics student, I ensured that I  approached this trend with my like pole in order for me not to be attracted.

This post is not to condemn or say anything bad about this new trend or those who are taking part in it. Rather this post is a fruit that has been reaped out of the seed of this trend and I decided to use it as an opportunity to advise myself and also whoever reads this piece of message. May Allah guide you and me. Aameen.

As humans, it is important for us to sometimes take a break and look back at our lives. It is necessary for us to look at what we have been through and where we have been in order for us to appreciate and to be grateful. At other times too we either become or feel lost, thus, looking back at our past or events that occurred in the past enables us to move forward and realize our dreams. The same applies to us as Muslims. Allah SWA in some verses of the Quran reminds us humans about our origins, about where came from and how we used to be in order for to help us understand what He wants us to do. In other verses He does not remind us of our own past, but he reminds us of the people who came before us in order for us to gear our actions and lifestyle towards the worship of Allah SWA. Look at the verses in which Allah tells us to travel the world and take a look at what happened to the people who were occupying this earth before us. He tells us, “…they were greater than them in strength and in impression of the land, but Allah seized them for their sins…”(Ghafir 21). Allah uses people of the past and activities that occurred in the past as reminders for us in the present in order for us to forge a better future. In another verse when Allah SWA reminds us the believers of our past when He says, “Certainly did Allah confer [great] favour upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom although they had been before in manifest error.”(aal-Imran 164) We were in manifest error, a state of great ignorance and then Allah favoured us greatly by sending to us the Messenger SAW. Allah again reminded the Believers (the Ansaris) when He said, “…and remember Allah’s favour on you, for you were enemies to one another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you became brethren…”They were, in the past, enemies but Allah SWA brought them together with the light of Islam.

Brethren, we can see how good and important it is for us to look back at our past sometimes. This is a very important aspect of our lives. Thus I would like to take this opportunity to advise myself and also my brothers and sisters that whiles we are taking part in this 10 year challenge, though some of the actions in it are not permitted in Islam, let us ask ourselves questions that will make us reflect. A reflection that is going to bring to us benefit in this world and in the hereafter. Let us ask ourselves if, in the last ten years, we have become better Muslims or we have relegated from good to bad, bad to worse. My dear brother and sister ask yourself, is your faith in Allah SWA better now than it was ten years ago? Is you’re the knowledge you have concerning your religion better than it was ten years ago? Are your actions as a Muslim, is your following of the Sunnah, is your performance of obligatory and optional deeds better than they were ten years ago? My dear one. If your answer to these questions are positive then know that you are on the right path and strive to become better so that the next 10 year challenge will meet you in a better state as a muslim. Either as a better Muslim or just a Muslim enjoying in his grave. If your answers to these questions are negative then you need to take actions to ensure that you are able to give yourself positive response the next time you ask yourself these self-reflective questions. I will leave you with the words of the Leader of the Believers, the father of Hafs, Umar bin al-Khattaab, “Judge yourselves before you are judged…”

As-salaamu alaykum wa Rahmatu-Llah wa Barakatuhu

Written by Abu_Haleemah Uthaymeen Zuchi

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