This summer has been very hot; a summer full of heat and sunshine. Well, if there's one thing you have to take advantage of in this country is the weather. Therefore, seizing the moment we decided to go to a nearby park for an outing and a barbeque.

The outing was organised by a few families and we all decided to take different varieties of food and share the responsibility of taking the different necessary things.

As always, departure was hectic, and those who had prepared in advance were relaxed whilst those who had left things for the final moment were rushed and flustered.

Finally, when we did make our way to the park and got there we off-loaded all the items we had and then made our way to a quiet and sheltered place. The last thing any of us wanted was to sit in the direct sunlight.

To cut a long outing short, we started the barbeque after some while and realised that we had no fire-lighters. The people who were supposed to bring the fire-lighters had left everything to the last minute and had forgotten to pack. Now we had a problem trying to light the coal and get a fire started for the barbeque.

We finally managed to light the barbeque (using various other methods) and enjoyed ourselves (finally).

POINT

This post has quite a few points, some that I never realised myself at the time and came to realise it whilst writing the post.

The first point that I realised was during the barbeque. It is easy to light a fire when paraffin is available and the fire-lighters are present. If the right things are present then even to light up charcoal is not a problem. But if you don’t have the correct stuff even a petrol soaked sheet of paper would be hard to put on fire.

This is the same case with burning a fire within one’s heart; the fire of the love for Allah. If one uses the correct method he is able to light this fire of love easily; and if the right method is not adopted this fire will be difficult to ignite. Nevertheless, the person who is determined will manage to produce a spark and light the fire either way.

Therefore, it is important to try and use the correct methods and mediums to gain the love and mercy of Allah. We all have the spark and flame of Imaan within our hearts, it is now up to us to ignite this flame and turn it into a blazing fire.

The other point I realised whilst writing this post was the need to prepare in advance. Even for a small trip correct preparation is vital to avoid hassle and inconvenience later on. Preparing means one becomes more relaxed and confident and is more able to carry out other tasks. However, the person who doesn’t prepare forces upon himself stress and difficulty; and it could well be that after having prepared in a rush we realise later that we have actually forgotten something very vital.

This is also the case when we refer to the hereafter; if preparation is needed for such a small trip then it is inevitable that immense preparation will be required for the journey from this world to the hereafter. It is therefore essential that we prepare for this journey in advance so that when the time for departure arrives we are relaxed and not troubled; and if we fail to prepare for this journey then we will be anxious and frustrated at the time of the departure, and Allah forbid that on the Day of Resurrection we realise that we have actually forgotten something behind.

As a final point, it is worthy of noting how we are eager and make an effort to find shade in this world when the temperature rises even a little. However, we should ponder over the Day of Judgement when the sun will be just above our heads and their will be no shade but His, under His throne. May Allah give us the inclination to do those acts by which we will be granted the honour of being under the shade of His throne of the day of Judgement. Aameen.



May Allah give us all the inclination to burn the fire of love for Him and His Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم in our hearts. May He guide us to the correct and quick path towards His mercy and love. May He give us the inclination to prepare for the hereafter in advance. Aameen.