By Umm Sa’ad


In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful




My sister brought a document and told bluntly “Translate this!” I had to contain my self and not tell her that I had enough work to do and that every thing she brought for me to work at, was not a cup of tea I could drink when I wanted and that too, pleasantly.



I left the matter to the air, but later that day she told me about it. After dinner, we were discussing some matters in the kitchen, (political to be specific, tip- there is no place better than a kitchen to discuss that) when she suddenly remembered about it. “Did you read that document?”



I scratched my head obviously in embarrassment; I had not even taken the pains to open and see what the whole thing was about



Understanding that, she continued herself, ‘The name of the article is… As if I ate!’



Pretty curious article it must seem, about cooking or something…



She continued telling me about it, and truly this article on cooking had something so proficient in it that it moved me deeply too. After listening to her I concluded that it was worth my time… but it was to be told in a little different fashion



… Long, long ago, once there lived a man in Turkey… Well! This man wasn’t particularly rich. But he had a desire to build a Masjid for the sake of Allah. He had no savings, and easy going man as he was, most of what he got, he spend it without much thought



Until one day, he was outside a restaurant and a kind of sweet, which he was very fond of, caught his eyes. He was on his way to the Masjid. He decided to purchase and eat it on his return journey. In the Masjid he remembered his desire for making a Masjid. No Masjid would he look at and not regret his own shortcoming in making one for Allah



He passed by the same shop again as he returned and felt his pocket for the money, it was within his budget… the sweet… but he hesitated… something struck his mind!!!



Why don’t I collect the money that I spend on such luxurious eating and save it for making a Masjid?



He smiled… and put the money back. On his way back… he could feel the taste of the sweet in his mouth. It was as though he had eaten the sweet!



Allah knows best whether it was the taste of the sweet or the taste of Imaan



Allah says in the Quran


“By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love: and whatever ye give, Allah knoweth it well..” (Surah Aal Imran, Verse 92)





This man kept on collecting money and instead of purchasing things that he felt like eating he put them in his donation box for building the Masjid. In this way with his simple savings of few every day, he was able to collect a handsome amount and build a Masjid!



By Allah, that Masjid still stands in Turkey today. Its named in Turkish and means “As if I ate…”





Getting moved by a story and making an effort to follow it are two sides of the same coin, in the sense that if you are moved, you will act! Simply saying ‘SubhanaAllah’, or ‘Wow what an amazing piece’, is you appreciation of a piece of writing and not appreciation of what you can do by hearing an incident



I had written an article as a dawah for a particular brother once. He used to teach us language earlier… He knew what I meant when I gave it to ‘him’ specifically, but all that he could say after that was… “It’s a good piece of writing”. At least he was true to me. He did not view it as a dawah work at all, but he did not fool me by telling I am moved…



Today, each one of us is capable of running the “As if I ate” campaign, with oneself. Why… even younger Muslims can sacrifice 1 penny of their sweet to collect tons of them at the end of the year… and will it be a sacrifice at all, if you save your money and still get the taste of what you like to eat or perhaps a better a taste?



Praise is to Allah! How if every individual amongst us collected 1 dollar, or 1 Rupee, or 1 Dinar every day… or say even every 3 days, or may be once a week… wouldn’t we have something REAL we can help the Ummah and its Mujahideen sons with? Wouldn’t the population of 1 billion Muslims, be able to build an empire, instead of building one Masjid?


At a time when the world monetary system is in the hands of our enemies and they are using every penny to combat Islam, what is it that we can do to help the Mujahideen who are in severe need for money. Is it not worth half the risk they take to protect the Ummah and its sons that we send them something of what we are living on… even luxuries…



If you try to boycott their (enemy) goods, people will tell you that even the alternate goods you buy will go in the hands of the same men, because the World Bank controls the money.



OKAY, I believe you, may be you are right about what you say, but what about donations? If we give the donations directly to the Mujahideen, will the World Bank take it too?



No by Allah, but it requires the will and determination of a true believer. If we think ourselves to be believers… Allah has ordered us in the Quran



“Only those are believers who have believed in Allah and in his messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the cause of Allah: such are the sincere ones..” (Surah Hujuraat, Verse 15)



And if we do not do either of the two… Well! An indication is sufficient for the smart, for Allah is addressing a particular group here, they are the “believers”



It is we who have made ourselves insignificant by the thought of ‘What can I do all by myself’



Indeed we have an example in the messenger of Allah and his companions when the prophet set out for his dawah alone… walking down the Cave of Hira, He was one man, and he changed a generation… The sahaba were a handful… but they conquered nations.



Can’t we do the least from the comfort of our homes for the Mujahideen who burn day and night in order to glorify the religion of Allah?



The ways to send the money are numerous and the frontlines of Jihad are infinitely more numerous than that… Those who look for a way will find one



“Whoever keeps his duty to Allah (has taqwa), He ordains a way out for him …” (65:2)



Oh yes and I was just about to miss out on the most common argument people will put up against you when you talk about sending money to the Mujahideen



i.e. it is better to see the poor around us rather than send it far off…



At least the poor around you are alive… what about those who are dying there on the front. There are Mujahideen who are fighting to protect the lands of Islam, which would otherwise all fall prey to the enemies one after the other. Is preventing the enemies from entering to slaughter you important or making those who are living close to you, richer?



Then there are also the families of the Mujahideen, the families residing in the war zones, the families of the detained… what about them… you might not even be sure whether they are alive or not…?



Supporting the sons of the Ummah, the army of Islam, right now, is the greatest obligation. Imam Ibn at Taymiyaah (May Allah have mercy on him) said "As for the occupying enemy who is spoiling the religion and the world, there is nothing more compulsory after Eemaan than repelling him."



So fear Allah… this matter means every individual and not just the parents. The youngsters are the greater force. It is not necessary to have two mobiles, twenty ring tones, 15 hair clips, and infinite artificial jewelry sets… cant we give up a wish, and have the pleasure of having it fulfilled in the Hereafter



Wont it be pleasing to say to Allah on the Last day, “O my lord this thing tempted me and was within my reach but I gave it away for the victory of your religion?”



And our last call is Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds




Dar al Murabiteen Publications

Wonderful piece!!

May Allah grant us the strength to do something for the Ummah
Ameen