Could That Be Me?

BismIllah wa as salaamu alaykum.

Once I posted a list of 7 Women Not to Marry on Muslim Space. It gave the names in Arabic for the type of personality and the description. Subhaan Allah, what a response that got! Indignance about how such a thing could be posted, rejection of the concept that women have such unpleasant qualities, snide remarks saying that with that attitude I would never get married. Of course, that came from someone who thought I was a man posting the list. It was a stark contrast to the reactions on the sister's group, where I also posted the same thing.

On the group, sisters commented that they prayed they would not be in any of those categories and sought refuge with Allah from such qualities. The sisters did a mental checklist to see if, or what, they were guilty of. Every time I read the post, so did I. In fact, whenever I read something warning against certain qualities, behaviors, and mindsets that are hated by Allah, I always do a self-examination and ask myself, "Could that be me?"

Over the years, I have met several sisters who do exactly the same thing. They consider everything with that all-important question, "Could that be me?" and seek to correct any mistakes if they identify them in themselves. They show, through their actions, that they have humble hearts and sincerely strive to please Allah. Even the most improbable scenario of wrongdoing, they will seriously consider to see if any trace of it can be detected in their own selves. There are many more out there...and sight unseen I love them all.

We human beings are incredibly imperfect, and that is Allah's Design. However, what is important is to realise that and seek out our failings. How can we make taubah, sincere repentance for our sins and errors, if we don't even acknowledge that we are prone to them and make them every day? How can we be humble if we think we have great knowledge of Islam and don't continually seek understanding and truth? What we know is a speck of dust in the universal atmosphere. How can we love for others what we love for ourselves, if we don't ask ourselves the question, "Could that be me?"


All praise and thanks to Allah, Who gives us such beautiful insights to earning His pleasure!