As a student, I try to find spaces that feel like home. Therefore, when I saw the Roots flyer, I was embraced by a sense of peace. It was like an oasis amidst a scorching desert.
There’s a void in us that can only be filled by Allah. We are truly blessed to have been given the awareness, knowledge, and recognition of Allah. To fulfil the spiritual void many people avail the wrong avenues. What a blessing it is to have Iman (certainty), to know about the Prophet (PBUH) from a young age, to know and remember about the Sahabah (companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and their sacrifices in spreading this deen (religion) to us.
We are forgetful creatures and Allah says in the Qur’an:
Qur’an – The Winnowing Winds (51:55)
“And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.”
I read this quote from a popular Urdu novel, which I have attempted to translate below:
Roots classes are a step in the journey towards getting closer to Allah. To not let the worldly concerns distract us from our final goal, namely the Hereafter. The classes arranged in the weekdays, a perfect break from the worries and stresses of everyday life. They’re typically once a week which makes them easy to absorb, reflect, and act upon. They also act as a reminder to remain conscious of Allah and to keep taking towards Him regardless of the pitfalls we may face.
The whole point is to never stop getting closer to Allah. We are sinful beings and He’s the most merciful. As long as we keep trying and making efforts for His sake He will never abandon us.
We try to earn His pleasure, not because He needs us, but because we do. A full list of the classes being held can be found here.
First Session
One of the things that struck out to me during my first class was how Ustadh Mustafa Razzak cared about those who sat alone. I myself was one of those students until he said in a cheerful tone, “it’s prohibited to sit alone in my class!” This seemingly small gesture gave me a sense of belonging and community, and helped me to feel a part of this Roots community.
Takeaways from the first session
Soon after, we dived into the session and we started by discussing the meaning of fitrah (natural disposition). It was a riveting exercise and it paved the way to establishing unequivocally that Allah exists.
Not just that He exists but also the perfection of His knowledge; He created us and hence none can know what’s best for us except Him.
Yet, we find it difficult to submit our wills to Him completely for various reasons.
Week 7 — Qadr (Divine Decree)
The most fascinating thing I learned from the Roots class on Qadr was the background around the hadith on Jibreel. During Week 7 of our Roots classes where we discussed Destiny and Divine Decree, Ustadh Mustafa Razzak mentioned the context in which one of the most fundamental ahadith was narrated and it honestly blew my mind! Qadr and free will have been a hot topic for a while now across various different platforms and speakers, but to think that even from the early days of Islam there were people who rejected the concept of Qadr, it was very eye-opening to say the least. You can read the full hadith here.
What struck me about the hadith was that there were people who recited the Quran and pursued knowledge and yet rejected Qadr; It’s not a new phenomenon. The hadith shows that it’s a fundamental part of our faith. Those who reject the concept of Qadr can do so for various reasons. The takeaway point from this is that these issues have been meticulously dealt with in the past, by scholars across different eras. The only thing we need to do is ask the right people, and where better to go other than your Roots instructor, who would be happy to answer such queries.
The only thing we need to do is ask the right people and who is better than your roots instructor to go for such queries.
Want to take your own steps towards Allah?
Come along to our weekly Roots Workshops and be part of a community taking that journey together.