FususAlHikam

This post has nothing to do with any malfuzaat or maktubaat or any qawl of anyone or any lecture of my shaikh (db), this is just a personal account of what I witnessed today -

Its incredible what people will do for Black Friday shopping savings, incredible. I went out for the first time on Black Friday to see what is the big fuss. Black Friday marks the start of the holiday season here in USA and every item is sold at reduced prices. The stores open very early and people are usually in lines waiting for the doors to open so they can rush for the savings. In the past people have physically fought for their items and there have even been some deaths just to save some money. This is what I saw tonight:

Lines upon lines, just a ridiculous amount of people out waiting outside of the store in lines that literally stretched around the block. I stopped by a few people who were leaving the store and asked, "Is this really the line for the store?" A man told me, "Ya and if you are thinking to buy electronics forget about it, everything is already sold out." Incredible. The store opened its doors at 11 pm, by 1230 am all electronics were sold out! I cant even count how many people were outside in lines and the lines were getting larger, I couldnt imagine how many people must have been inside shopping. I drove past to another store and even there the security had the doors blocked and were only allowing a certain number of people at a time. I tried to look inside, store seemed like it was jam packed with shoppers. I skipped across to another location and there I saw the store did not open till 5 am and people were already standing in line at 1 am. Men and women out, dressed to impress, the music in the stores loud and blasting, people saving hundreds of dollars.

I saw shoppers leaving out of the stores with 2-3 shopping carts full of merchandise; 50 inch plasma hd television here, such and such gaming system there, all sorts of items. The shoppers had put in an effort, made a sacrifice and were now reaping the benefits.

Its amazing to me that people can see this transpire before their eyes but they are not able to connect it with this world and the next. Even if you save $300-$500 from a television, how long does a television last? Five years, ten years? Even if you save hundreds on the gaming system and games, how many times will you play them before they get boring or before the system breaks? A few years? The enjoyments of the hereafter are forever and ever, ever lasting enjoyments, they will never get boring, they will never end, they will never decrease in their enjoyment, the enjoyments of the hereafter are better than the enjoyments of this world and they are everlasting enjoyments.

In this world is the effort we have to make, the sacrifice we have to make and upon our death we will reap the benefits. Just as I saw these people walking out with big smiles on their face, laughing and rejoicing, the people who will reap the benefits in the hereafter will be laughing and rejoicing even more and with a brilliant smile on their faces. People here are waiting in line for four hours just to save a few hundred dollars on some item they will use only for a few years, if we are just patient upon our religious practice for a few days here in this worldly life we will enjoy an ever-lasting enjoyment in the hereafter. These people endure lack of sleep, the cold weather, pushing and shoving - when people see them pitching a tent outside of a store they mock at them, these people endure the mocking, why? Because they are absolutely certain that as soon as those doors open and they get their hands on their item they will be the ones to boast about how much they saved, they will get the last laugh. We are absolutely certain about the hereafter, we have to die, we have to rise again, we have to answer to our Creator - we are absolutely certain about the hereafter - make the connection. You might have to endure being laughed and mocked at. You might have to endure some cold, some cold treatment from others, some cold food, you might have to endure the pushing and shoving, you might go for a job interview and they will push you away just because you are practicing sunnah, you might go for a marriage proposal and get pushed away because you practice upon deen, you might get shoved to the back of the line and get second treatment just because you wear niqab, just because you believe in the Oneness of Allah swt just because you believe on the finalty of Prophethood of Muhammad Rasoolullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam, there are many things a Muslim has to endure in this world while practicing upon religion. But at the same time you are absolutely certain that as soon as the door opens and you leave this side and enter that side you will run to your item and grab it and then it will all be well worth it.

Anyways, you probably are wondering what I bought. I went to a store where the only people were me, a security guard and the clerk. I saw an ad for laundry detergent, 3 for $6.99. Now thats a bargain!