American Muslim

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Rajioon

Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),

The title of this post is a transliteration of an Arabic phrase that Muslims use after hearing of the death of someone. It roughly translates as "from Allah we come and to Allah we return." We say it to remind ourselves and others that no matter how much control we think we have over our lives, Allah SWT is the One in control.

Notwithstanding the massive flooding in Pakistan and China - may Allah SWT grant the highest level of Jannah (Paradise) to all who have perished and who have struggled - I have been thinking about this du'a (supplication) a lot after hearing about the tragic death last week of two Muslim boys in Chicago.

Adnaan Rahman and Nasir Shaikh, self-professed best friends, died last Sunday (August 8th) when their Porsche apparently sideswiped another vehicle, flipped and then burst into flames. I heard about their deaths from one of my former students, who let me know that Adnaan and Nasir used to attend prayers at the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park, one of the mosques I used to go to all the time when I lived in Illinois.

I am comforted, however, by two verses in the Holy Qur'an - that Allah SWT does not test us more than we can bear and that with every challenge from Our Lord, comes ease. I believe we can take a lot from the love and happiness these guys brought to their families and friends and we can keep their spirit alive on this earth by continuing to do good and be good.

My former CPSA student, ZB, just told me about this video that was shot two days before the accident. In it, the speaker asks the young men, assembled at a Young Muslim (YM) event, how they would introduce the Qur'an to people who don't believe it is the Word of Allah SWT. As some of the boys offer suggestions, we hear the confident voice of Adnaan talk about the love he has for the wahi (revelation) of Allah SWT. The camera pans to him and you can see, not just hear, the enthusiasm he has for reading the Qur'an. To think that he was taken from this world just a few days before Ramadan ....

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon.