Khutbah prep: The Science of the EmanRush

[Muhammad Alshareef]

Bismillah.
Ok Peoplz, I'm in a TOTAL TOTAL EMANRUSH IN THE MOMENT. I MEAN TOTAL. THERE IS NOT A FONT SIZE BIG ENOUGH TO EXPRESS THIS.

I shall be conducting the khutbah this Friday, in sha Allah, at AlHuda school. Earlier today i was going to do the khutbah about 'anger', but then I started reading a book a few hours ago about how athletes and peak performers get in the 'Zone' (What we call an EmanRush ) I quickly scribbled pages of thoughts and then I realized, "Hey, I just got my khutbah!"

It is really amazing stuff, so I will wait for the Khutbah to tell you about it. But you can help me out with the 'Science of the EmanRush' by such things as moments when Sahabah got in the zone. (Such as when Rasul Allah, sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, ran forward in the battle of Hunayn when others turned away from the battlefield). You can mention ways in the Deen that Allah teaches to relax in order to grow and learn (think Surat alMuzammil) and much much more.

Subhan Allah, it is sooooooooooooooo awesome!

What I need for this Science of the EmanRush:
1. Verses that speak about it
2. Hadith incidents which talk about it
3. statements of the companions regarding it
4. Something pointform regarding it
5. Interesting stats regarding it
6. non-Muslim quotes regarding it
7. a folktale regarding it
8. poetry (arabic or english) regarding it
9. a misconception and it's reply regarding it
10. Argue why a topic like this should concern Muslims

How to submit your research:

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1. Submit your research in summarized point form. Submit it here in this thread
2. Do not copy paste 100 pages of info. READ those 100 pages and try to summarize it into a max of 10 points.

You are welcome to research any of the 10 aspects. Don't feel overwhelmed, just pick one that interests you.

In sha Allah, I think this task will be very enjoyable and all of us will learn a lot! Warreenee Shatartak.

There is a narration of a sahabi who was sitting eating dates I believe and then he realized he could be in Paradise, were he to fight for the sake of Allaah and to be martyred, so he cast aside his dates and fought till he accomplished his goal.

Assalaamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu...
im not sure if this would work, but im reminded of abu dujana: whenever he would put on his red bandana he was 'in the zone;' nothing in the world would matter to him except that he fight for the sake of Allah...

Example of in the zone:
Khalid Ibnu Waleed in the battles of Tabuk, Hunaid, Ta'if, and ofcourse the battle of Mu'tah.

Argue why a topic like this should concern Muslims:
You see, you gotta be in the ZONE during your last breath and when the angel of death overcomes your soul. You will only be able to do this if you have lived your life in the ZONE most of your life.

Here are some things I found:

Social psychologists have proposed that human beings experience four primary emotions: fear, anger, sorrow and joy. Unlike other, socially constructed emotions, these contain a physical component. The sinking stomach of fear, the throb and heat of anger, the dizzy euphoria of joy – each represents a rush of sensation integral to the experience of that feeling.

theme parks a $4 billion industry in the United States.
(dealing with the growing need of Americans to feel that "rush" of excitement...thought maybe could compare to the growing need of Mulims for an "emanrush"...Islam alone unfortunately does not inspire as it did in the time of Prophet (AS)...more and more we are constantly needing "emanrush"s to lift our emans and keep us focused.)

Bismillah

002.260 وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِ الْمَوْتَى قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ قَالَ بَلَى وَلَكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَى كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ


002.260 When Abraham said: "Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, " He replied: "Have you no faith?" He said "Yes, but just to reassure my heart." Allah said, "Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise."

This is an example of having Faith, but to increase it even more having seen something divine, or I would say just looking at the miracle of creation itself can increase ones faith.



009.124 وَإِذَا مَا أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ هَذِهِ إِيمَانًا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

009.124 Whenever there cometh down a sura, some of them say: "Which of you has had His faith increased by it?" Yea, those who believe,- their faith is increased and they do rejoice.

009.125 وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزَادَتْهُمْ رِجْسًا إِلَى رِجْسِهِمْ وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ

009.125 But those in whose hearts is a disease,- it will add doubt to their doubt, and they will die in a state of Unbelief.

This is something for all of us to ponder and see, do we actually get affected by those Surah we hear/read. Are our faith increased by it?



Hadith regarding it:

Al-Haakim reported in al-Mustadrak, and al-Tabaraani reported in al-Mu’jam, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Faith wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allaah to renew the faith in your hearts.”

The heart of the believer is sometimes overwhelmed by clouds of sin, and so it goes dark. This is the picture drawn for us by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the saheeh hadeeth: “There is no heart that is not covered by a cloud like the cloud covering the moon when it is shining, and so it suddenly goes dark, but when it (the cloud) goes away, it shines again.”

Hanzalah al-Usaydi, who said: “I met Abu Bakr, and he asked me, ‘How are you, O Hanzalah?’ I said, ‘Hanzalah has become a munaafiq (hypocrite).’ He said, ‘Subhaan-Allaah! What are you saying?’ I said, ‘We sit with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he tells us about Hell and Paradise until it is as if we can see them, then when we leave the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we get involved with our wives and children and earning a living, and we forget a lot.’ Abu Bakr said, ‘I feel the same way.’ So Abu Bakr and I went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I said, ‘Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Why is that?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, we sit with you and you tell us about Hell and Paradise until it is as if we can see them, then when we leave you, we get involved with our wives and children and earning a living, and we forget a lot.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him said, ‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you continued to be as you are when you are with me, and to make dhikr, the angels would shake your hands in your beds and on the road. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time for this and a time for that’ – and he said this three times.”

What I get out of this is that when you are in those gatherings of the scholars, or when you are immersed in the deen your iman increases, but it can also decrease when you are not there, and it can continue in that way as in going up and down when going and coming.

A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) complaining that his heart was hard. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, “Would you like your heart to become soft and to get what you want? Show mercy to the orphan, pat his head, feed him from your own food, and your heart will become soft and you will get what you want.” (Hadeeth reported by al-Tabaraani)

Ibn al-Jawzi said in Sayd al-Khaatir: “Many people are too easy-going in matters which they think are not serious but which in fact destroy the bases of faith, such as looking at haraam things, or, as some students do, borrowing text-books and not returning them.” One of the salaf said: “I took the matter of a small morsel too lightly and I ate it; now forty years later I am still slipping backwards.” He said this because of his modesty, may Allaah have mercy on him.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Modesty (in appearance) is a part of eemaan.”

Just to add to what Muthanna Al-Maghribi said(here's the story)

Abu Mihjan was one of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (may Allaah be pleased with them).

This Sahaabi was suffering from an addiction to drinking wine. He was brought and flogged, then brought and flogged again, but he knew that this problem did not relieve him of his duty to strive for the cause of Islam. So he went out with the Muslims to al-Qaadisiyyah as a soldier, seeking martyrdom on the battlefield. In al-Qaadisiyyah he was brought to the commander of the army, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas, for having drunk wine. Sa’d detained him so that the Muslims ranks would be cleansed of such a person.

This detention was a harsh punishment which caused Abu Mihjan a great deal of anguish. When he heard the sounds of swords and spears, and the neighing of the horses, and he knew that the jihad had begun, and the gates of Paradise were open, he was filled with longing for jihad. He called to the wife of Sa’d ibn Abi Waaqqas saying, “Let me go and I promise Allaah that if I come back safe and sound, I will put my own feet in the chains, and if I am killed, then you will be rid of me.” She felt sorry for him, so she let him go, and he leapt onto a horse belonging to Sa’d which was called al-Balqa’. Then he picked up a spear and set off. He did not attack any group of enemy soldier but he scattered them. Sa’d was supervising the battle and he was surprised and said, “This is the running of al-Balqa’, and the style of attack is that of Abu Mihjan, but Abu Mihjan is in chains.”

When the battle was over, Abu Mihjan went back and put his feet in the chains. The wife of Sa’d told him this wonderful story, so Sa’d admired this man and his care for Islam and his longing for jihad, so he himself went to this wine-drinker, released the chains with his own hands and said, “Get up, for by Allaah I will never flog you for drinking wine again.” Abu Mihjan said, “By Allaah, I will never drink it again.” (islam-qa.com)

Bismillah. Some info from an Athletes point of view of being 'in the zone'

The zone is characterized by a combination of feelings including high self-confidence, a task focus, fearless attitude, and self-composure. Your mind and body work in harmony to produce optimal performance. It's impossible to force yourself into the zone, but you can create a mindset that helps you enter the zone more frequently. Based upon hundreds of interviews with athletes on the psychology of peak performance, there are five keys to entering the zone.

1. Are You Confident?
It's rare when you race well without self-confidence. It's a mindset. Self-confidence is defined as the strength of your belief about how well you can race. Confidence develops from practice, performing well in the past, trusting your abilities, and knowing you are physically talented. First, know how you gain confidence, then work on those areas that can directly improve your confidence.

2. Can You Become Immersed into the Task?
The ability to fully focus on the task is a prerequisite to peak performance in any sport. Most of us can concentrate well, but do you know what to focus on and how to refocus when distracted? Total focus means absorbing yourself into the process of execution to the point that distractions are minimal. It also means performing one move at a time and not getting ahead of yourself. Decide what the relevant performance cues in your sport are and then focus all your attention on those cues.

3. Can You Let go of Mistakes?
To play in the zone you must be able to put errors, falls, or blow rides behind you fast. You don't want to carry "the monkey on your back" while you race. Make sure you have a plan for releasing mistakes. You are human and mistakes or bad luck can hurt your attitude if you let them.

4. Does it Feel Automatic?
The feeling of an automatic and effortless performance is another mindset associated with the zone. With a lot of practice, you develop a strong memory pattern of riding and racing, which then makes your performance feel effortless. It feels like you are on autopilot--you don't have to think, you just react to the course ahead of you. This frees you to focus on strategy or anticipate your opponent.

5. Do You Stay in Control?
When playing in the zone, athletes feel very much in control of themselves and their performance. To enter the zone, you need to be in control of your emotions. You have to tread the line between feeling excited and "up," but not cross over into anxiety and fear. Excitement helps you play better, but fear and anxiety stifle your game. Use the pressure of competition to help you focus better on the task in front of you.

[Muhammad Alshareef]

Originally Posted by puddingshop

Argue why a topic like this should concern Muslims:
You see, you gotta be in the ZONE during your last breath and when the angel of death overcomes your soul. You will only be able to do this if you have lived your life in the ZONE most of your life.

Research shows that if you have not practiced being in the zone, when you need to be in the zone you will not be able to. That is why such highly effective athletes never rest: they are constantly training and preparing themselves for the 'zone'. in our case: the EmanRush!

[Muhammad Alshareef]

Originally Posted by Umsalih

theme parks a $4 billion industry in the United States.
(dealing with the growing need of Americans to feel that "rush" of excitement...thought maybe could compare to the growing need of Mulims for an "emanrush"...Islam alone unfortunately does not inspire as it did in the time of Prophet (AS)...more and more we are constantly needing "emanrush"s to lift our emans and keep us focused.)

The AMAZING thing is that SALAH is OUR EmanRush, everyday - 5 x a day. But not just any up/down Salah, it's the one with Khushoo', the one where an EmanRush is experienced, or a training for an EmanRush experience. ONLY the EmanRush Salah is the one that gets the person to success as defined by Allah.

قد افلح المؤمنون، الذين هم في صلاتهم خاشعون

[Muhammad Alshareef]

Is there a hadith or statement of the Sahabah in which they said, "Woe to the person (or something like that) who's today was exactly like yesterdays"

? Does someone know it?