Maria Akbar ponders the tragic story of TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari and her mother, who were recently convicted of murder, and says that no matter what crime or sin you have committed the answer is always repentance to Allah SWT.
On hearing the news regarding TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari and her mother Ansreen, I feel we must try to take some Islamic lessons from such tragic news. So this article is an attempt to safeguard ourselves, our families, our communities from ever falling into the same atrocities.
How is it that a mother, who by definition is selfless and should go to all lengths to care and protect her child, and under whose feet Allah SWT has placed Jannah, plotted and planned with her daughter to commit such a heinous crime for selfish reasons, and thus end up serving a life sentence in prison with her?
We know that in Islam, it is said that whomsoever kills one soul, it is as if they killed all of mankind. So surely this situation did not happen overnight.
In fact, I would argue, this was years in the making of shaitaan’s work, to get both mother and daughter to such a delusional state, that they would think that murdering another individual was a solution to their problem.
It is clear that shaitaan did nothing but increase them in their degeneracy over time, until they would literally do anything as they were no longer bound by Taqwa. Shaitaan is extremely patient and gradually misguides a person from where they may not even perceive it. It is mentioned in the Quran in Surah Al-Araf (7:16,17):
“He said: ‘For leaving me to stray I will lie in ambush for them on Your Straight Path. I will approach them from their front, their back, their right, their left, and then You will find most of them ungrateful.'”
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An individual may fall into a single sin, and then slowly increase in their transgression until they reach a point where they are committing all sorts of sins as their Taqwa has reduced significantly. At this point, all one needs to do is to turn back to Allah SWT in repentance, and He will forgive you. However, this would necessitate that you have good companions who remind you of Him.
Taqwa is one of the most important qualities for a Muslim to attain. It refers to the level of God-consciousness that we have, that is doing the good that Allah SWT has enjoined upon us and staying away from all that He has prohibited us from.
We fast in Ramadan in attempt to attain Taqwa. We make dua to Allah SWT to make us of the Mutaqeen. Without Taqwa, one has no boundaries and is free to do as he wishes, to the point a person could end up worshiping his own desires.
Without Taqwa, anything goes. Therefore, it is so important as Muslims to continuously work on our level of Taqwa and instil this quality into our children. This can be done through increasing in acts of worship such as fasting, surrounding yourself with people who remind you of Allah SWT, reflecting upon the Quran, and remembering Allah SWT a great deal.
Hayaa
Another quality that keeps us grounded as Muslims, is Hayaa, or modesty. It is mentioned in a hadith that modesty is a part of faith. The modest person has shyness before Allah SWT about committing transgressions as well as shyness in front of people from behaving in an immoral manner.
This is tied to the shame that would come with the wrongdoing. It is the feeling of shame that tells us we are doing something incorrect. There is a hadith mentioned in Sahih al Bukhari narrated by Abu Mas’ud:
“The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘One of the sayings of the early Prophets which the people have got is: If you don’t feel ashamed do whatever you like.” (Hadith No 690, 691, Vol 4)
An additional point of reflection is that our children are entrusted to us by Allah SWT. We must raise them in accordance with Islam and fulfil the rights they have over us. In fact, Allah SWT has commanded us to protect ourselves and our families, as mentioned in the Quran, Surah at Tahrim; 66:6. We are also responsible for our families, just as it is mentioned in hadith that each of us is a shepherd to its flock, as narrated in Bukhari.
Therefore, we must be excellent role models for our children, guiding them towards Islam and instilling Taqwa into them. If we see our children doing wrong, then we should correct them in accordance with Islam.
But to be able to guide and correct them, means by default that we as parents must stand firm in our practise of the deen ourselves. More so, it is in our best interests to raise our children to be righteous individuals as they will be a sadaqah jaariyah for us when we pass away.
It is mentioned in hadith that: “When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous son who will pray for him.” If we raise our children to be noble people, then even when we leave this dunya we will continue to earn good deeds when we need it the most.
This situation also teaches us that there is no good that can come from disobedience to Allah SWT regardless of how it is perceived by worldly standards.
‘Influencers’
With the advent of social media, there are many men and women who consider themselves, and are considered by others, as “influencers.” What is this based on, especially on platforms such as Tiktok?
I am yet to understand how those who are committing all sorts of degeneracy on camera are considered as influencers. They do not offer any skill or value to those who view their material. The majority of them only offer misguidance and come with the glitter and glamour of the world. Due to this, youngsters may easily be influenced into thinking they have attained success.
Some youngsters may even strive to become “social media influencers” themselves because of how lucrative it appears to be. However, on the other side of it is the immorality that they must engage in to become successful. There is no good that can come from disobedience to Allah SWT.
We must also ask ourselves, what is the future looking like for our communities if youngsters are taking these sorts of individuals as their role models? To change this, we must educate parents themselves to become the best role models for their children and to protect them from social media applications.
Lastly, in this situation, sadly neither mother nor daughter felt that turning back to Allah SWT would be a solution to their problems which led them to continue increasing in their wrongdoings. If they had only done this, then it would have been their salvation in this world and the next.
So if you find yourself in a situation where you have transgressed all bounds, to which there seems to be no way back, then turn to Allah SWT and do not lose hope in His mercy. Know that there is always a way out with Allah SWT. And if you put your trust in Him, He will surely provide a way out for you from every difficulty from avenues you could never imagine. Ameen.
