THE MEANING OF " INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAAJI'OON"

Yeah, sure we say this statement when someone dies. Also some of us may say this sentence when they lose something, suffer a setback or harm. But………..do you know what it means?

Sure, everyone know that it obviously means 'To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.'

But that's not what I am talking about.

I mean ….do you REALLY, TRULY understand these words and their implications in a Muslim's life?

It means …whatever we have is not really ours. It belongs to Allah

Take a look around you; everything you see, all that you have and all that there is….in you, on you, around you….belongs to Allah, alone.

It is Allah Who has given you all the property and goods you possess, and that He is the true Owner of them all.

So the cars that you own, the houses that you live in, the businesses you possess all truly belong to Allah

The kids that He blessed you with, the health that He gave you, the time that He has allowed you are all Allah's property.

Even the bodies we live in and the life that we have belongs to Allah alone.

"And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth…." (Surah Aal-Imraan:180)

"The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things."( Surat al-Ma' ida: 120)

'Say: 'To Allah belongs the East and the West…'(Surah al-Baqarah:142)

Now, since everything belongs to Allah, then we have to include even our souls in that list.

The very souls that we think of as our "self", our "nafs", our "being" -- whatever you want to call it -- that very thing that distinguishes you from the rest of the world, belongs to Allah It's not YOURS.

In fact, YOU are not YOURS. You belong to Allah

And this is the essence of the concept of slavery to Allah in Islam.

And since He is the true Possessor of everything, and everything is His property, He gives what He wills to whomever He wills…And then He takes it away. After all, it was Allah's to begin with.

So He may give you some thing and then take it back after a while.

He will bless you with a precious child that you love dearly…and then He may take it away.

He will grant you money, honour and status…..and then He may take it away.

He will give you youth, vitality and health and then surely He will take it away.

In fact everything you have will only be with you for a very short while.

And then the Owner will claim His Right.

So when Allah does reclaim what was rightfully His, WHY MOURN OUR LOSSES?

Just like a friend who lends you his book. And then after a few days, he wants it back and you give it back to him…no regrets…..no sorrow….no questions asked.

Similarly, if Allah takes back some of His blessings upon you for some reason….so be it.

Say Alhamdulillaah.

Don't grieve.

Be patient.

Submit to the will of Allah, being pleased with His decision for you. For surely He will only do what is best for you.

Just think…..The Owner took it back.

 Remember….that you're not the real owner…..you were NEVER the real owner to begin with. You only had everything because it was Allah who gave it to you in the first place. If He didn't give it to you, you wouldn't have had it in any way…in fact, you couldn't have had it.

Remember….man enters into this world empty handed…and leaves it empty handed.

Remember….that everything we have, all the blessings we enjoy, are gifts from Almighty Allah....gifts that we enjoy for a limited period until He takes them away whenever He deems fit.

They are a trust from Allah…a loan to you…to see how you respond to these gifts from Allah and how you use them….in the obedience of the Almighty, thanking Him and worshipping Him……OR……...to the disobedience to the One Who gave them to you in the first place.

Take note of the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) on the occasion of the death of his son, Ibraahim:

'Our eyes are filled with tears, our hearts with grief, but we say nothing with our lips except that which pleases Allah.... Verily, to Allah we belong, and to Him we return.'(Bukhaari)

And we all know the famous incidence about the companion Abu Talha and his wife, when one of the sons died and Abu Talha was not at home. She washed and shrouded him and when Abu Talha came home and asked about his son, she said,

'The child is quiet and I hope he is in peace….'(Bukhaari)

Subhaan Allah….such patience!

And such Iman in the statement "Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon"!

She truly understood its meaning and the affect it should have on her life as a Muslimah, submitting to Him and being pleased with whatever He has decreed for her.

She knew that whatever she has, is not truly hers. Rather, it is Allah's….and He took back whatever He owns at its appointed time.

And it is because of this Iman so strong, this understanding, that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) made dua for them and Allah blessed them immensely.

"'They (i.e. Abu Talha and his wife) had nine sons and all of them became reciters of the Qur'an (by heart)."(Bukhaari)

"Be sure we will test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives, but give glad tidings to those who are steadfast, who say when afflicted with calamity: 'To Allah we belong and to him is our return.' They are those on who (descend) blessings from Allah and mercy and they are the ones that receive guidance."(al-Baqarah: 155)

When Calamity Strikes: Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un

HOW often mankind is in need to remember Allah’s words:

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn” (Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return). Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. (Quran, 2:155-157)

We all come into this world empty handed and we will leave it empty handed. Everything we have, all the blessings we enjoy, our wealth and property, our homes, our children and families, our friends, our abilities, our time, health, security and peace of mind are all blessings on loan from Allah. Then, every creation will be returned to its Creator.

He makes those favors available to whom He wills for a specific period according to His wisdom. We enjoy them until the time He wills to take them back. Even ourselves – our bodies, minds and souls – are not our own. They belong to Allah and will be returned to Him.

And since Allah is the owner of everything, and everything is His property, He allows what He wills to whom He wills… but then He will surely take it back. He might grant wealth, honor and status to test you, and then take it away to test you. He might bless you with a loved one for a time and then take him back. The return is to Allah, and it is inevitable. The Lord has a right to take back His property; in fact He has the right to take any of us at any time, for we all belong to Him.

When a friend lends you something, you thank him for his favor to you. And when he wants it back after some time, you give it to him willingly, with no distress, sorrow or questioning. For you were never its owner.

So when one admits the unconditional right of the Creator to do as He pleases with His creation, trusting in the ultimate good of His decrees, he will continually be prepared for the possibility of examination through loss of something he loves.

After her husband died, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told Umm Salamah, “No servant is struck by affliction and then says, ‘Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn. Allāhumma’jurnī fī muṣībatī wakhluf lī khayran minhā (We belong to Allah and to Him we will return. O Allah, reward me in my affliction and follow it up with something better for me),’ without Allah rewarding him in his affliction and following it with something better for him.” (Aḥmad and Muslim)

She said these words in sincere submission and Allah gave her a better husband than the one she had lost – the Messenger of Allah himself ﷺ.

Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned this hadith and then spoke of some of the benefits in these words, saying, ‘Al-istirjaa‘ (saying the words: ‘Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn‘) is one of the most effective and most beneficial treatments for one who is afflicted by calamities, because it contains two fundamental principles, which if they are understood, the servant will be consoled thereby in his calamity.

The first of them is that the servant and his property belong to Allah, and He has given it to him on loan. 

The second is that his return is to Allah, and it is certain that he will leave the life of this world behind. This is his beginning and his end, so reflection on it is one of the greatest treatments for his affliction.

Another aspect of the treatment is that he knows that what was ordained to afflict him could not have missed him and what was ordained to miss him could not have struck him, and that if Allah had willed, He could have made the calamity greater than it was.

And part of the treatment is the knowledge that his Lord has set aside for him as compensation something many times better than that which he lost. He can soothe his heart by seeking recompense for it from Allah. The pleasure which follows patient endurance and the expectation of Allah’s reward will be far greater than that which he would have experienced from the thing he lost, if it had remained with him.

The fire of misfortune is extinguished by the coolness of comfort and consolation, so one should look to his right and to his left [i.e., at the world around him] and know that the pleasures of this life are an illusion; though they may enable him to laugh a little, they will also cause him to weep a lot.

And part of the treatment is knowledge that discontent does not alleviate misfortune but only increases it; and that losing the reward which Allah has guaranteed for patience is an even greater misfortune. Moreover, discontentment will give pleasure to his enemy, grieve his friend and make his Lord angry.

And part of it is knowledge that his reaction to the calamity will determine what happens to him; for Allah will be pleased with the one who accepts His decree, and will be angry with the one who is angry does not accept it.

Another aspect is for him to consider two things: the satisfaction he can enjoy due to his acceptance of the calamity which befell him and then the pleasure which he will enjoy due to the reward of Allah.

And another is the knowledge that misfortunes are a means of preventing those diseases which could cause his destruction, such as pride, arrogance, and hardness of heart.

Yet another is the knowledge that the One who has put him to trial is the most just of judges and the most merciful; and that He has not subjected him to misfortune in order to destroy him, but in order to test him and to observe him in sujūd and hear his fervent duʽaa.

The bitterness of this life produces the sweetness of the afterlife and vice versa. And if this is not apparent to you, consider the words of the truthful one ﷺ: ‘Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Hellfire is surrounded by temptations.‘ And in this matter, the minds of men are faulty and the reality of mankind becomes clear [meaning that they give priority to temporary pleasures of this world over the everlasting pleasures of the next].”

“Perhaps losing what you wanted will cause you to turn to Allah while having it would distract you from Him. This is obvious, because if not for the calamity you would not have turned to Him. The real calamity is what distracts you from Allah, but what makes you turn to Him is good for you and in your best interest. And if you considered these things you would focus on what is more beneficial for you, such as correcting a mistake or seeking forgiveness or turning to Allah and invoking Him, instead of dwelling on what you have suffered.”

We only have what we have because Allah gave it to us for a time. If He hadn’t given it, we wouldn’t have had it. In fact, we couldn’t have had it. So sooner or later the Owner will claim His right. Because after all, it was His to begin with.