brother to make a beautiful house when we see that someone else has got a beautiful house, we wish to wear expensive clothes upon seeing someone else wearing such clothes.

Have we ever developed the passion to perform virtuous actions after seeing any Islamic sister performing good deeds? Have we ever had the mind-set to offer all five Salah after seeing any Islamic sister doing so? Have we ever developed the passion to act upon the Sunnah after seeing any Islamic sister doing so? Have we ever strived to do Ghar Dars [Dars at home], participate in area visit, attend the weekly Ijtima upon seeing another Islamic sister carry out these activities? If only we also could develop the passion to strive in becoming pious upon seeing Islamic sisters engaged in virtuous actions. Let’s now listen to a story of a pious person رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه with the intention of increasing our passion for worship:

Worshipping all night and fasting during the day

Sayyiduna Habeeb Najjaar رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه would worship throughout the night, fast during the day, give away whatever food would be presented to him for Iftar and would himself worship all night in the state of hunger. When it would be close to morning, he would pray the following in the court of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ with humility and humbleness: I remained drowned in the oceans of negligence and lost in sins. O Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ! This disgraceful, sinful and ill bondsman of yours is present at the door of your generosity and is asking you for protection.

(Raud-ul-Faaiq, pp. 246; summarised)

Dear Islamic sisters! You heard how much passion and enthusiasm our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ would have for worshipping Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and even after worshipping in abundance, they would pray in the court of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ with humility and humbleness for the acceptance of their worship. We should also strive to worship in abundance to gain the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ. We should strive to brighten our grave, so that we could be saved from the heat of the day of judgement, so that our scale of good deeds could be heavier, so that we could cross the bridge of Sirat, so that we could attain the high ranks in paradise.