القرون المفضلة - The Cherished Quranic Generation

The year 2022 PHF's PMC was said to be one of the best among others. With a perfect Theme that meets the societal needs "The Last Message", making all and sundry reflects on the very last message of the Last Prophet of the Ummah.

The camp that took place at Remo Secondary School got her Higher Institution classes a contemplative lecture on the first hour of the camp ably delivered by; Ustadh Al-Imam Dawud Leshi; Immediate past PHF Cordinator, Ogun State Chapter.

The topic of his discussion was "القرون المفضلة - THE CHERISHED QURANIC GENERATION"
The topic got all mouths agape as to how the generation was so perfect. We couldn't but believe in them because this generation was raised by Allah as this luminous group was privileged to directly experience Allah's Revelation and the Messenger of Allah (saw). They were the most fortunate of generations as they lived in a momentous period in which the earth encountered the sky and there was continuous contact between men and their Creator. They lived a period in which Divine feelings guarded and surrounded them, and this was not to be repeated in the history of humanity ever again. ....which so called for the question !

وآلمــــني وآلــم كل حـــر .. ... .. سؤال الدهر أين المسلمون ؟
And my pain and the pain of every free person
The question of time: Where are the Muslims ?

Trying to contemplate on the topic; “The Cherished Quranic Generation,” Asadullah finds out that it is a very admirable, effective and inspiring expression to put it in writing for the generation coming after ours to read and gain from the lessons of the camp.

The author of MILESTONE; Sayid Qutb, equally begins his writing with this topic, we will discover that the chapter is the most important chapter of the book.

In his discussion, Imam Leshi described this generation convincingly enough that they were not angels, they were not creatures from the sky, nor from a far away planet; they were a generation from humans like every other generation. They were just a generation of mankind. Even though, they managed by the grace of Allah (swt), the help of His Messenger (saw).They managed and deserved to be a unique generation and to be a superior generation, they are praised by the Messenger (saw) who said: “The best generation of this Umma (nation) is this generation to which I have been sent, then the next one, then the next one.” on the same vein Allah acknowledged this  generation in the Holy-Quran suratut-Taubah 9:100

وَٱلسَّٰبِقُونَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَٰنٍ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًاۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct – Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.

Besides this, Ustadh Leshi brings some examples of the uniqueness of this generation, one of them and the foremost was Abu Bakr, because if his Belief was to be compared with the Belief of the nation, it would outweigh. Thus, where do we stand on this scale, in the generation we live in ?, There is no doubt that it needs research and deep contemplation.

So if that was for Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), it is also the same for the rest of the Companions. There is no doubt that what one of them would spend or do for the sake of Allah- no matter how little it is- weighs in the scale of Allah like mountains of what we do. Therefore, there must be a secret that must be identified and understood, and hopefully implemented in our lives although it will take a lot of effort and hardwork from us.

Another example was that of Umar, the Messenger of Allah (swa) tells Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, whenever Satan sees you taking a path, he follows a path other than yours”

We should pause and try to remember, where was Umar before his Islam ? He had remained six years in jahilliya after the Messenger’s initial call to Islam, drinking wine, playing aimlessly, and torturing Muslims in a very ugly manner and not getting tired. He would leave torturing only because he got bored or tired, not out of mercy or sympathy. He once told two of Banni Mo’amel’s maids whom he was torturing: “I didn’t leave you except that I got bored!” so he did not leave them because of sympathy, remorse or to even react to their moans! This hard heart didn’t move!
How then did this heart transform into the heart where the Messenger said: “If there is going to be a Messenger after me, it would be Umar,” and “whenever Satan sees you taking a path, he follows a path other than yours.”
He must have had a long life with Allah, with his heart full of Truth, certainty, purity, strength, and insistence on the Truth that no one else had. Subhaanalllah !

Perhaps through these examples, we may understand why the Companions of the Messenger of Allah were elevated to such a high status, so as to be called the best of nations and best of generations ever evolved in mankind.
Admiring these examples of perfection is not enough; we need to strive to emulate them. We need to be serious about our lives rather than enjoying their seerah and moving on.

The truth is that they were living with Allah, with all their hearts throughout their lives; they were living their lives under the greatness of Divine Existence. They were full of Truth, purity, highness, will, and strength such that they could be transformed by a word from Allah (swt). They lived days and nights with Allah transforming and changing their lives and emotions to be totally aligned with what Allah (swt), His Messenger, and Islam wanted from them. They would not just stand there in admiration when they knew these facts; their reaction was much deeper than that in magnificence and truthfulness. They changed their attitudes and perspectives from one to another (from Jahiliyah to Islam), on the spot, based on what they heard from the Quran, and from what they observed through the Messenger’s (saw) life.

Our dear lecturer, Imam Leshi challenged us to our souls to compared ourselves with these generation, why are we so different, why do we think of ourselves that we cannot be like them. But definitely the answers and conclusions were because of the science and technological life mixed with our modes of worships made us relaxed, which is therefore giving us set backs.

He also made mention of the two factors that are spectacular about this unique  generation, which are their Rabaniyyah and the certainty of knowledge they have. This two factors are missing in our lives presently, may Allah assist us.

In conclusion he made mentioned of some words from Hashim Rufa'i, which says :

ملكــنا هــذه الدنيــا قرونا .. ... .. وأخضعــها جـــدود خالــدونا
We have owned this world for centuries
And the grandfathers of Khalduna subdued it.

وسطرنا صحائف من ضياء .. ... .. فما نسى الزمان ولا نسينا
We lined sheets of dia
Time has not forgotten, nor have we forgotten.

There is no doubt that from our resolution from the lecture, PMC requires us that we regain our consciousness, perception and feelings, and then try to understand how the Companions reached such pinnacles of worshiping Allah. Moreover, we should know where we stand exactly, and why are we like that ?.

If we want to be a generation on the same path as the Companions, and furthermore, we want to be the generation that brings up Islam in these days of estrangement, and re-establishes Islam once again, then we have to know that secret, live with it and live up to it.

We must not be content with merely admiring and observing the beautiful example of the Companions and their most dedicated struggle and devotion; we must not stay handcuffed without even trying to pass that vast gap between us and them. It really needs a huge effort, a lot of struggle, purified and cleaned souls, and more Belief and strength.

You can also read this article on my site

By; Abd-Samad Abd-Razaq 'Asadullah'
For: PHF's PMC 2022.