Pointers
of A Devoted Servant of Allah
In
the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All
the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that
there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam, is His Messenger
.
One must strive to have a
sound and fine character, and a great desire to achieve great things and to
give everyone his rights. These are great hopes that can be achieved through
faith, as Sufian Al-Thawri (rahimahullāh)said: “Faith is not wishes or pretence; rather it is
what settles in the heart and is proven by actions.”
It should be noted that the
matter of faith, pleasing and honoring one’s parents and achieving the victory
of Paradise are essential in becoming a devoted slave.
Al-Fudail (rahimahullāh) said:
“You hearts can never
taste the sweetness of faith until they shun worldly pleasures.” “If you cannot
pray qiyam at night and fast during the day, then know that you are deprived.”
Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak
and Al-Tabarani in his Mu’jam with a sahih isnad narrated that the Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Faith
wears out in your heart as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in
your hearts.”
Hence the sincere believer
has a heart like a burning coal.
The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) when he said: “There is no heart that
does not have clouds like the clouds that cover the moon. When the cloud covers
it, it is dark, and when the cloud moves away it shines.”
[Narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Awsat, and classified as sahih].
This was portrayed to us
that believer’s heart may sometimes feel overwhelmed by clouds of sin. So the
believer’s heart is sometimes a darken and its light is hidden, and it remains
dark and lonely, but if he strives to increase his gather of faith and seeks
the help of Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala, that would lighten his heart and starts
to shine.
Hence one of the salaf
said: “It is part of a person’s prudence to check on his faith and be
aware of what affects it.” It is also part of a person’s smartness “that he
recognizes how the Syaitan whispers to him.”
So he has to come back to
faith. If you come back to faith and do as it requires, then you will achieve
what you want.
Imam Ibn Al-Jawzi (rahimahullāh)
said: “O you who are turned away, O you who are deprived of meeting
your loved ones, if you want to know how you stand before the king, then look
at how you are spending your time and what work you are assigned to do. How
many people stand at the door of the king, but no one enters except the one
whom he cares for. Not every heart is fit to draw close, not every heart can be
filled with love, and not every wind is like the morning breeze.”
If a person wants to know
how he stands before Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala and how he stands in relation to
His commands and prohibitions, let him look at himself and see what he is
preoccupied with. If he is busy with Da’wah and with saving people from the
Fire, striving to attain Paradise, helping the weak and needy, honoring his
parents, then let him rejoice in the fact that he is close to the King of
kings, for Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala does not help anyone to do good except
those whom He loves.
But if he is has no
interest in da’wah, dislikes the da’iyahs and does not do good things, if he is
preoccupied with this world and its gains, and with gossip and asking too many
questions, whilst not doing much or following his whims and desires, let him know
that he is far from Allah and has been deprived of that which will bring him
closer to Paradise, because Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala says:
“Whoever desires the
quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world); We readily grant him what
We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell; he
will burn therein disgraced and rejected (far away from Allah’s Mercy).
And whoever desires the
Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. does
righteous deeds of Allah’s obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of
Allah Islamic Monotheism) — then such are the ones whose striving shall be
appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allah)”
[Surah Al-Isra’, 17:18-19]
If one would like to have a
high position in all kinds of good deeds, to be a devoted slave of Allāh
Subhānahu wata‘ala and to honour your parents, and you are seeking Paradise,
then you have to do the following:
1. You have to revive the
faith in your heart. Faith is what will bring the Muslim everything he seeks in
this world and in the Hereafter. Faith is the key to all goodness and locks the
door to all evil. The means of reviving and strengthening faith in one’s heart
are many and varied, including doing a lot of acts of worship and righteous
deeds.
2. You must turn to your
Lord sincerely, as it says in the report: “If My slave turns to me
inwardly and outwardly, I will turn the hearts of My slaves to him with love
and mercy.”
Allah has made worship the
ultimate aim and loftiest purpose of man: “And I (Allah) created
not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)”
[Ad-Dhariyat, 51:56]
3. You should always set
your sights on the highest degrees, and make your goal in life to earn the
pleasure of Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala, and strive to attain the victory of
Paradise, or to attain the Firdaus. You should strive as hard as you can to
achieve these lofty aims.
4. Doing a lot of righteous
deeds which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.
5. Praying Qiyamulail,
supplicating do’a in the time just before dawn. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) feet used to swell You should follow the way of Muslim
figures such as the Sahabah, Tabi’en and righteous forebears (the salaf).
6. You should make the most
of every minute, every moment and every heartbeat to use it in such a way as to
increase your faith.
7. You should try to keep
company with righteous people, because the Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) said, “A man
will follow the religion of his close friend, so let each one of you look at
whom he befriends.” [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidzi] Good friends are one of the best
means of helping you to obey Allah and to avoid sin and error.
8. It is because of his
desire to be a thankful slave, even though Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala had
forgiven his previous and future sins.
9. Persisting in reading a
portion of Qur’an daily, and other dzikirullah that helps you to think and
ponder the meanings of the Qur’an.
10. Striving to spread the
word and carry out da’wah for the sake of Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala, and working
for Islam as much as possible.
If you want to reach the
status of devoted slave for which you long then be as Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala
commanded His Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam):
“Say (O
Muhammad): Verily, my Solah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are
for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)”
[Al-An’am, 6:162] Being a devoted slave of Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala means
declaring one’s devotion and belonging to the Lord, which can only be achieved
by applying this ayah, so that we are for Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala, the Lord of
the Worlds, in all our affairs.
Being a devoted slave of Allāh
Subhānahu wata‘ala can only be fully achieved in that manner; it can only be
achieved by worshipping Allah in the fullest sense of the word, which means
making our living and dying, and all our movements, for Him alone. So we only
endeavour which is pleasing to Allah; we only do that which is pleasing to Allāh
Subhānahu wata‘ala; we focus our intention in these words and deeds only on
Allah.
Worship should not be
reduced to merely raising and lowering our heads at certain times, or giving a
few pennies every once in a while, or fasting a few days each year, or moving
our lips to say a few words and dzikir.
Hence the deeds that lead
to this status – of being a devoted slave – are innumerable and may take many
shapes in all aspects of our lives and the places where we live. This is by the
bounty of Allah towards us and towards all people. Just look, in every place
where you find yourself and every moment that comes to you, for that which will
please Him, and what you think He wants to see you doing, and do it. Then you
will be a devoted slave.
Finally, we ask Allah to accept righteous deeds from us and from
you, and to gather us and you in His mercy with the Prophets, Siddiqin, martyrs
and righteous, and those are the best of companions. We also seek Allāh
Subhānahu wata‘ala that HE would make us steadfast in adhering to the truth,
and to make our hopes come true, and to make us as of those who turn to Him and
who know the truth, defend it and adhere to Islam.
And Allāh Almighty Knows
best.
[Via
Islam Online]
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