Live to serve, don’t serve to live

Man, according to the holy Qur’an 51:56, was created to serve his creator, Allah, who says “I have only created Jinns and men to serve Me.” With this huge responsibility placed upon man, he has no reason to be careless or negligent of his obligations to Allah. This, therefore, requires man to live to serve; […]

Man, according to the holy Qur’an 51:56, was created to serve his creator, Allah, who says “I have only created Jinns and men to serve Me.” With this huge responsibility placed upon man, he has no reason to be careless or negligent of his obligations to Allah. This, therefore, requires man to live to serve; using substantial part of his time on earth to fulfil Allah’s command. Unfortunately, some people think (in error) that serving Allah or being righteous is a matter that should be limited to a particular period of their lifetime; most often when they probably lack the strength or ability to be unrighteous. Persons caught up in this false assumption believe that old age is the time to be religious, pious and devouted. Such a mistaken thought can only come from a man under the influence of his worst enemy, the Shaytan, who whispers rebellion in to the hearts of mankind.

After birth, man grows from tenderness at infancy to strength in adulthood; and thereafter back again to tenderness at old age. Allah affirms this in Qur’an 30:54 “It is Allah who created you in a state of (helpless) weakness, then gave (you) strength after weakness; then after strength gave (you) weakness and a hoary head: He creates as He wills and it is He who has all knowledge and power”. Every task is best performed when the physical body and the mind both have the capacity to undertake it, not when the body is weak or exhausted and the mind is psychologically unfit. Those who reserve righteousness for old age with a view to worshiping Allah only when they need His divine intervention are equal in effect to those who ‘serve’ Allah in order ‘to live’ and survive the challenges of modern life.

Indeed, a young person with all the physical benefits such as energy, freshness and enthusiasm that come with youthfulness is better prepared and equipped to observe more religious duties and for a longer time than when, in old age, his joints are weak, the back is hunched, and the waist is bowed; all of which combine to restrain his ability to stand without support. Old age cannot be the best time to undertake extensive religious duties such as observing superogatory (nafilat) prayers in the wee hours of the night. The best time to be a devout Muslim is not when the body system is generally too weak to stand the vigour of fasting or long hours of glorifying Allah’s name or reciting the holy Qur’an. Why then should anyone postpone today’s worship to a future he absolutely has no knowledge of?

The peak of worship and devoution to religious duties is usually attained when a person is young and has the overall capacity to withstand the effects of sleeplessness and fatigue arising from midnight prayers. Young persons can sustain longer hours of in worship and the glorification of Allah’s name through tasbih (saying of ‘Subhana llah’); tahlil (saying of ‘La ilaha ila llah’); tahmid (saying of ‘Alhamdu Lillah’), and takbir (saying of ‘Allahu Akbar’). The danger in procrastinating righteousness is the possibility of death, which could come at any time before old age. After all, no living soul knows its appointed time and place of death. It would be double tragedy for an individual to waste his youthfulness in the pursuit of the mundane comforts of this life to the detriment of the blissful life of the hereafter that is everlasting.

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To those that remember the path of righteousness only when misfortune befalls them, God and religion are less important as long as life remains rosy. This group of persons are ordinarily absorbed by their wild love for and pursuit of wealth and power; two of the three most powerful non-alcoholic intoxicants, the third being women. Allah (SWT) says in Qur’an 3:14 “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped-up stockpiles of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tiled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of goals (to return to).”

When the wind begins to blow hot instead of cold, the once defiant and supercilious individual suddenly remembers that Allah is worth worshipping, reverently and constantly. He thus becomes dedicated to religious duties as he turns to Allah  for help. That’s when you see such a hypocritical character observing the daily obligatory prayers regularly as you could also notice him become more concerned in issues that are of common interest to the Muslim community. Allah (SWT) states in Qur’an 89:15-16 “Now as for man, when his lord tries him giving him honour and gifts; then he says (puffed up), ‘my lord has honoured me;’ But when he tries him restricting his subsistence for him; then he says (in despair), ‘my lord has humiliated me.”

This is a disparaging estimation of the worth of Allah. Whether in prosperity or in poverty, in health or illness, it’s always time to be righteous. May Allah guide us to live to serve Him sincerely at all times and in all circumstances, amin.