“Spread the good…”

Assalamu Alaikum.

“Spread the good because the good only results in more good.”

Or so said my teacher (in Arabic), Ustadh Khalid Ismail while teaching us the Seerah. He was talking about how the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) was reciting the Quran in prayer one night in front of the Kaabah. Umar ibn Al-Khattab (radiallahu anhu), who was quietly listening,  become affected and embraced Islam as a result of this.*

[*This is the more authentic story of Umar’s (radiallahu anhu) conversion. The one where he beats his sister is not a very authentic story (it has weakness in its chain).]

Then he pointed out that the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) had just been reciting the Quran. He hadn’t intended to convert Umar (he didn’t even know that Umar was lurking around). So, Ustadh Khalid Ismail, may Allah reward him immensely,  advised us to spread the good (“Intashirul Khair”) because it will only result in more good, as this story clearly proves.

This sentence really struck me. Subhan-Allah, we give up doing the good deeds so easily.

But why? They’ll only result in better things, both in this world (even if we cannot see it at present) and in the hereafter.

[By the way, “good” = whatever is good according to the Quran and the Sunnah.]

And it’s strange, you never know who will benefit from that good that we may do.

Once I remember a sister (who wasn’t practicing at the time) saying how she had seen a fully covered sister coming in to the masjid. This sister’s appearance had struck her, and she had gone home to her husband and said: “We have to change!”. Subhan Allah, that’s what we call “dawah through practicing Islam”.

Also, many years ago, I saw two sisters doing itikaaf in Ramadan. I had no clue what itikaf was at the time. I was so struck by seeing them that I had wanted to do it too (and I got permission to stay for one night, alhamdulillah). That’s when my addiction to itikaf started.

And in subsequent years, I’ve managed to encourage a few people to go as well, alhamdulillah. So these sisters don’t even know that they managed to get others to do itikaaf !

So, I say to you as our teacher said to us: Spread the good, because the good only results in more good.