On March 4, a sister who was an inspiration and a source of guidance to many young Muslims passed away in an automobile accident in the United States, on her way back from a Da'wah event. She was 65. A CAIR statement spoke of Sr. Aminah Assilmi as “an internationally-respected author, an advocate for women's rights and a renowned speaker on Islam, who despite her serious health problems maintained a rigorous schedule of speaking engagements around the US and the world […] She was instrumental in the US Postal Service's 2001 issuing of the ‘Eid' stamp, which marks the two main Muslim holidays.” Aminah was working with a non-profit organization, The International Union of Muslim Women. As condolences pour in from across the United States and elsewhere on blogs and Muslim websites, a picture emerges: of a strong, sincere Muslim woman who loved Islam and her fellow Muslims, and did not let her considerable personal trials deter her from using all her faculties in the service of Allah. As she herself said, “True, Allah has tested me, as was promised, and rewarded me far beyond what I could ever have hoped for. A few years ago, the doctors told me I had cancer and it was terminal. They explained that there was no cure, it was too far advanced, and proceeded to help prepare me for my death by explaining how the disease would progress. I had maybe one year left to live. I was concerned about my children, especially my youngest. Who would take care of him? Still I was not depressed. We must all die. I was confident that the pain I was experiencing contained blessings. “I remembered a good friend, Kareem Al-Misawi, who died of cancer when he was still in his 20's. Shortly before he died, he told me that Allah was truly Merciful. This man was in unbelievable anguish and radiating with Allah's love. He said: “Allah intends that I should enter heaven with a clean book.” His death experience gave me something to think about. “I did not take long to start being aware of His blessings. Friends who loved me came out of nowhere. I was given the gift of making Hajj. Even more importantly, I learned how very important it was for me to share the Truth of Islam with everyone. It did not matter if people, Muslim or not, agreed with me or even liked me. The only approval I needed was from Allah. The only love I needed was from Allah. Yet, I discovered more and more people, who for no apparent reason, loved me. I rejoiced, for I remembered reading that if Allah loves you, He causes others to love you. I am not worthy of all the love. That means it must be another gift from Allah. Allah is the Greatest!” Subhaan-Allah! I marvel at how Allah chooses whomever He wills and makes them instruments of positive change and guidance for others, not just during their life, but also in death! Several thoughts came to mind on reading the incredible story of her life (http://www.islamfortoday.com/aminahassilmi1.htm): u Priorities: Most of us go through life with misplaced priorities, focusing too much on the transient here and now, and losing sight of the Big Picture – Eternity and the Hereafter. In fact, we have no guarantees of how long our life span will be and whether we will be around to enjoy the material fruits of all that we strive hard towards achieving in the world; whereas the eternal nature of Life in the Hereafter is Haqq (True); the Promise of Allah is Haqq; His rewards and punishment are Haqq. u Attaining a happy outcome depends upon how we use our life: Most of us are happy to spend our lives in the service of our own self, in fulfilling our whims and desires, or in the dogged and devoted service of others, if that helps us realize our worldly ambitions and dreams. How many of us use our lives in the service of Allah, or in the service of our fellow humans? How many of us even want to? Yet, we all expect to end up with the best of rewards – Paradise – without ever having worked towards it sincerely and with our complete dedication, with hope and fear in Allah. Perhaps now is the time to do our math: How does our daily struggle for worldly riches and recognition (often at the expense of our religious obligations) qualify us for the same in the Hereafter? u Working for the cause of Muslim women: One of the basic pre-requisites of working for the cause of Muslim women is to practice Islam oneself and seek answers within it. Sr. Aminah (may Allah have mercy upon her) was a tireless and outspoken activist for Muslim women's issues and in the words of the webmaster of Muslim website jannah.org, a sister who knew her personally, “Usually the topic (she was invited to speak on) was something like ‘Behind the Veil' or ‘Myths of Women in Islam'. She always spoke well and was very equal to answering any obnoxious questions or debating any ‘feminists' in the audience who felt they knew better. I never knew her to turn anyone away from speaking to her.” What distinguished her from several others who take up Muslim women's issues, albeit to further their own agendas, was that she was a practicing Muslim woman, who was convinced of the Mercy and Justice of her Creator and the Truth of His Message. She did not seek to “re-define” Islam, but worked hard to educate her fellow sisters about the means of claiming the rights that are already theirs, accorded to them in Islam by virtue of being Muslim. May Allah grant us the insight to imbibe lessons from her life, and give us the grace to remember death often.
