Islam, September 1989

SUMMER VACATION

Halil Necatioglu

Every season is beautiful for one who can appreciate it. For instance, about winter this is what Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Winter is such a beneficial season: Its days are short, so a Muslim can fast and earn rewards. Its nights are long, so a Muslim can get up, pray tahajjud, perform other night prayers and earn rewards."

The most pleasant season for all is the spring time, and this is what a poet wrote about spring weather:

"This beautiful season caused my disaster
I resigned on such a beautiful day
from my position at work
I got addicted to tobacco
and forgot to take bread and salt home
on such a beautiful season..."

I have observed that unfortunately, the summer, too, have a similar effect on many people. I wonder how many conscious Muslims there are who could spend the summer in compliance with the pleasure of Allah (SWT)? In general, our people get so lazy in summer that it becomes very difficult for them to pull themselves together. During the long summer vacation, students forget what they had learned and how to study. Business life experiences a relaxation; the efficiency drops. The boss thinks about his summer home all day long; the employee takes a month off and goes to a shore town or a resort to spend the money he has saved during the year. Cities become like ghost towns; beaches turn into ant colonies of those who are the slaves of their lusts, those who display their bodies and those who watch naked bodies. The feelings of shame, spiritual values, and the fear of the hereafter and the day of judgement diminish. A period of worldly pleasures, drinking, gambling, and alike follows. Tired, exhausted, idle and sleepy, people get back to their jobs with no desire to work. A season thus ends with physically and spiritually burnt people, darkened faces, hardened hearts, empty heads, plenty of longing, regrets, unawareness, and confusion. What a heart-breaking scene!

Is there a concept of such a vacation in Islam? Never! In Islam, a person is considered to be in a state of loss if his two days are equal. A Muslim appreciates his time and use it in the most fruitful way consciously and dynamically.

A believer considers his vacation time as an opportunity to do good deeds, to seek knowledge, to study Qur'an, to teach children, to serve Islam, to help his brethren, to visit his parents, relatives and friends, and to earn hearts and reward. Can the Islamic world afford wasting time and money in laziness and unawareness?

Lord! where are those pure Muslims who put salt in his eyes to prevent sleeping, who tied his hair to a ring on the ceiling, who covered the portion of the wall he would lean with sharp nails, who supported his chin with a fork to stay up and study whole night, who ate only soup and refused solid food to save time, who continued reading while walking on the road, who meditated on one verse of Qur'an whole night to deduce 50 jurisdictions, who worked without a break saying "the comfort is in Paradise; the sleep, in the grave," who promised not to laugh until Jerusalem was liberated. Where are the old, sensitive, aware, energetic, active, loyal, steady, awesome Muslims? And where are the inept, powerless, confused, ignorant, irrelevant, unemployed, wandering, walking cadaver, captive of their egos, egocentric, and foolish Muslims of today?

O people! As a trust and momento from our forefathers, the Muslim lands are being invaded; Muslims, killed. Your brothers are hungry, humiliated, poor, undeveloped and oppressed. The enemy is stealthy, sneaky, malicious, organized, insolent powerful, hard-hearted, and oppressive. Don't you have any mercy or generosity? Don't you fear Allah (SWT)? Following the unbelievers you are serving to your selfish desires and killing your vacation time in comfort, pleasure and unawareness.

When will you come back to the path of Allah (SWT) Who has blessed you with countless sustenance, mercy and grace. When will you realize the nothingness of this temporary life?

Now at once repent, turn to the Truth, and earn your honor and good deeds. It is enough to work for the pleasures of this world. From now on, try to attain the pleasures of the hereafter.