My question is that I will start off really believing and following Islam, but to continue in the path is really difficult.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's
Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
My question is that I will start off really
believing and following Islam, but to continue in the path is really difficult.
I hope you are understand what I am trying to mean, but it is as if I am being
pulled by a strong force away and it is a huge struggle to go back in the path
when the other path seems easier.
Taqwa is the way I really believe it, but how can we contain it in our heart
continiously. I try to do good deeds at work to by not wasting time but doing
dhikr, is there any precepts we should busy ourselves with at work according to
the Shariah, I would like to be submitted at all times, but sometimes do not
know what else I should be doing which Allah would be pleased with.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Taqwa forces of good and evil
In the name of Allah, We
praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah
guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide
them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 90 Surah Balad verses 4-16:
4 Verily We have created man into toil and struggle.
5 Thinketh he that none hath power over him?
6 He may say (boastfully): "Wealth have I squandered in
abundance!"
7 Thinketh he that none beholdeth him?
8 Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?
9 And a tongue and a pair of lips?
10 And shown him the two highways (the right and the wrong)?
11 But he hath made no haste on the path that is steep.
12 And what will explain to thee the path that is steep?
13 (It is:) freeing the bondman;
14 Or the giving of food in a day of privation
15 To the orphan with claims of relationship
16 Or to the indigent (down) in the dust.
17 Then will he be of those who believe and enjoin patience and enjoin
deeds of kindness and compassion.
18 Such are the Companions of the Right Hand.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 91 Surah Shams verses 7-10:
7 By the Soul and the proportion and order given to it;
8 And its enlightenment, as to its wrong and its right;
9 Truly he succeeds that purifies it
10 And he fails that corrupts it!
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah Naziaat verses 34-41:
34 Therefore when there comes the great Overwhelming (The Day of
Judgment)
35 The Day when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for
36 And Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see
37 Then for such as had transgressed all bounds
38 And had preferred the life of this world
39 The Abode will be Hell-Fire;
40 And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their
Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower Desires
41 Their abode will be the Garden.
Sahih
Muslim Hadith 6778 Narrated by Anas
ibn Malik
Sahih
Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.494 Narrated
by Abu Huraira
Allah's
Messenger (saws) said, "The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of
desires and passions, while
Sunan of
Abu-Dawood Hadith 4726 Narrated by Abu
Hurayrah
The
Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘When Allah created
Your Question: My question is that I will start off really
believing and following Islam, but to continue in the path is really difficult.
I hope you are understand what I am trying to mean, but it is as if I am being
pulled by a strong force away and it is a huge struggle to go back in the path
when the other path seems easier.
My dear and beloved
brother, the struggle that you have experienced in your life between the forces
of good and evil is the struggle and trial every single true believer has to
face and overcome, if indeed he wishes to follow the path that is Straight and
Steep…for that is the path that leads directly to the Mercy and Forgiveness of
Allah Subhanah!
Allah Subhanah Who
created everything in existence, created the good as well as the evil, guided
man towards the results of taking these paths, and bestowed man with
intelligence and a ‘free will’ to choose which path he wishes to follow. And
that is precisely the test which Allah Subhanah has bestowed upon man, to see
who amongst His creation heed His guidance, control their desires and
temptations, and choose to tread the path that is Straight and Steep….and who
amongst His creation deny His guidance, blindly follow their lusts, desires,
and temptations, and choose to tread the path that seems easy and desirable!
Allah says in
the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah Al Mulk verse 2: He (Allah) created death and
life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 21 Surah Anbiyaa verse 35: Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by
evil and by good by way of trial: to Us must ye return.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankabut verses 2-7:
2 Do men think that they will be left alone on saying "We
believe" and that they will not be tested?
3 We did test those before them and Allah will certainly know those who
are true from those who are false.
4 Do those who practice evil think that they will get the better of
us? Evil is their judgment!
5 For those whose hopes are in the meeting with Allah (let them strive
to do good); for the Term (appointed) by Allah is surely coming: and He hears
and knows (all things).
6 And if any strive they do so for their own souls: for Allah is free
of all needs from all creation.
7 Those who believe and work righteous deeds from them shall We blot
out all evil (that may be) in them, and We shall reward them according to the
best of their deeds.
Thus, my beloved brother
in Islam, this struggle between the two paths of good and evil, piety and
impiety, right and wrong, righteousness and wickedness, Truth and falsehood
will remain till the last breath is squeezed out of our lungs and until the
very last man survives on this earth; for that is when the trial of each
individual ends, and the results of their test of life are Judged and Declared
by the One Who is a Witness to all things!
Your Question: Taqwa is the way I really believe it, but how
can we contain it in our heart continiously
Unlike one’s natural
instinct and desire for the love of the accumulation of wealth, or attraction
to women, or the love of children, or love of life and this transitory world…to
fear, worship and do deeds only for the sake and Pleasure of Allah is something
which one needs to choose to strive and develop and train one’s soul to do; and
therein lies the test of life which has been ordained and decreed by Allah
Subhanah for mankind:
Whoever amongst mankind
controls his soul towards the temptations of this short and transient world in
preference for His Promises and Rewards of the eternal Gardens of Bliss in the
Everlasting life of the Hereafter?
The ones who choose to
fear Allah, control their souls from lower desires, and of their own choice
submit their will to the Will of their Lord, will pass the test ordained by
their Lord; and the ones who choose to run after the transient and temporary
luxuries and pleasures of this world, fall into temptations, and refuse to
submit their will to the Will of their Creator will miserably fail their
ordained test of life.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah Naziat verses 34-41:
34 Therefore when there comes the Great Overwhelming (Event, ie: The
Day of Judgment!)
35 The Day when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for
36 And Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see
37 Then for such as had transgressed all bounds
38 And had preferred the life of this world
39 Their Abode will be Hell-Fire;
40 And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their
Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from Lower Desires
41 Their Abode will be the Garden.
To develop ‘taqwa’ or
‘fear’ of Allah’, the absolute first thing one needs to do is to recognize who
exactly is his Lord and Creator, why has He created everything in existence,
why has He created you on this earth, what deeds are Pleasing to Him, what
deeds bring about His Wrath and Anger, what exactly are His Rewards promised
for His righteous and obedient slaves, and what punishments await those who
deny and disobey Him?
The Lord Creator is not
only All-Mighty and All-Powerful, He is also The Most Merciful, and The
All-Wise! He did not create man and
leave him alone to find out the answers to these questions by themselves, but
in His Supreme, Sublime, and Infinite Mercy, He Himself revealed the answers to
all these questions in His Glorious Book of Guidance, The Al-Quran!
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 2-5:
2 This (Quran) is the Book; in
it is guidance sure without doubt to those who fear Allah.
3 Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of
what We have provided for them.
4 And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee and sent before thy
time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.
5 They are on (true) guidance from their Lord and it is these who will
prosper.
Thus the absolute best
way to recognize one’s Lord Creator and the substance of one’s short test of
life in this transient world is to read, understand, obey, follow and
completely submit to the Blessed and Noble Message revealed for our guidance by
our Lord Most Merciful, Most Gracious.
Once you determine and
submit to the guidance of the Glorious Quran, all the questions regarding faith
and the substance of the test of life will be answered in detail and in a
crystal-clear format which only behoves the Lord All-Knowing, All-Wise. Once you recognize the Lord Who created you,
and the reason for your existence, and once you submit your will to His Will in
return for His Promised Everlasting and Eternal Gardens of Paradise in the life
of the Hereafter; your whole life will become a meaningful strive towards a
beautiful mission called ‘Paradise’!
And once you make up
your mind to tread the path that would earn you the eternal and everlasting
Rewards of Paradise, the world with all its luxuries, pleasures, and
temptations will look worthless and insignificant; and all your striving will
be towards that Inevitable Reality of the Hereafter.
This state of
consciousness of standing in the Presence of the Majestic and Supreme Lord One
Inevitable Day is what Allah calls ‘taqwa’ or piety in His Quran; and it is
this ‘taqwa’ which will inspire you all your life towards doing deeds that
would earn you the Eternal Pleasure and Good Will of your Lord, and it is this
same ‘taqwa’ which will inspire you to abstain from doing anything which would
bring about His Unbearable Wrath and Anger.
Taqwa means to abstain
from doing anything that would bring about the Wrath and Displeasure of the
Lord All-Mighty; and to do deeds of righteousness which are commanded by Allah
and His Messenger (saws). Taqwa is to
live every moment of ones life with the solemn belief that on One Inevitable
Day every soul will be brought forth in the Presence of the Majestic Lord to
give a full accounting of every one of his deeds. Taqwa is to determine before doing anything
whether the Lord Most Merciful will be Pleased or Dis-pleased with the deed; if
one determines that the Lord will be pleased with the deed, he must do it
wholeheartedly; and if one determines that the deed would bring about the
displeasure and Wrath of Allah Subhanah, he must immediately abstain from it. Taqwa is to live every moment of one’s life
consciously striving to do deeds which would earn him the Pleasure and Good
Will of the Lord Most Merciful, and abstain from doing deeds which would bring
about His displeasure and Wrath.
If one studies the
Glorious Quran, one would realize that more often than not, wherever Allah
Subhanah Promises His slaves the
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 133: Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden
whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth; prepared
for the ‘Muttaqeen’.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 50 Surah Qaaf verses 31-33:
31 And the Garden will be brought nigh to
the ‘Muttaqeen’, no more a thing distant.
32 (A voice will say:) "This is what
was promised for you, for everyone who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance
who kept (his law).
33 "Who feared (Allah) Most Gracious
unseen and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him):
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 52 Surah Tur verses 17-18:
17 As to the ‘Muttaqeen’ they
will be in Gardens and in Happiness
18 Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord
hath bestowed on them and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the
Fire.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 68 Surah Qalam verse 34: Verily for the
‘Muttaqeen’ are Gardens of Delight in the Presence of their Lord.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 31: Gardens of
Eternity which they will enter: beneath them flow (pleasant) rivers: they will
have therein all that they wish: thus doth Allah reward the ‘Muttaqeen’
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 15-16:
15 Say: "Is that (fire) better or the
eternal Gardens promised to the ‘Muttaqeen’? For them that is a reward as well
as a goal (of attainment).
16 "For them there will be therein all
that they wish for: they will dwell (there) for aye: a promise to be prayed for
from thy Lord."
Thus, in conclusion, my
dear and beloved sister in Islam, I remind you and I remind myself, the
absolute best way to bring about his reformation in our hearts to get close to
the Remembrance of our Lord Who Created us; and the best way to Remember our
Lord is to read, understand, obey, follow and completely submit ourselves to
His Glorious Message which He Himself revealed for our guidance, The One and
Only Glorious and Noble Quran!
Allah is our witness,
one who sincerely submits himself to the Glorious Message of their Lord will
find that his whole life will become a life spent in the worship and praise of
His Lord; his prayers, his fasts, his zakat, his Hajj, his work, his
relationship with fellow man, his gain, his loss, in fact, his every single
deed will be aligned to earn the Pleasure and Good Will of His Lord Most
Gracious, Most Merciful.
Suhaib ibn
Sinan narrated that the Prophet (saws) said: "How remarkable is the case
of the believer! There is good for him in everything, but this is not the case
for anyone except for the believer. When the believer receives any good, he is
thankful to Allah, and gets a reward. And when some misfortune befalls him, he
endures it patiently, for which he is (also) rewarded."
May Allah Subhanah bless
you and us, have mercy on you and us, and bestow upon you and us and all the
believers the wisdom and the courage to choose and prefer this Straight but
steep Path of Rigtheousness that leads to the Mercy and Rewards of our Lord,
and abstain from all deeds that lead to His Anger and His Wrath. Ameen.
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows
Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Wister