Striving to be steadfast (II)

Allah says: “And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): ‘If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily give charity and will be certainly among those who are righteous. Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly, and turned away, averse.” [al-Tawbah 9:75-76]The messenger of […]

Allah says: “And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): ‘If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily give charity and will be certainly among those who are righteous. Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly, and turned away, averse.” [al-Tawbah 9:75-76]
The messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said:
“Two hungry wolves sent against the sheep could not do more damage to them than the damage done by a man’s eagerness for wealth and power to his religion.” (Reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 3/460; see also Saheeh al-Jami’, 5496).
Steadfast adherence to the manhaj (methodology of the Qur’aan and Sunnah)
“Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah [i.e., they have gone out for jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e., have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e., they never proved treacherous to the covenant which they concluded with Allah] in the least.” [al-Ahzab 33:23}. Their principles are dearer to them than their own souls, and their determination knows no compromise.
Steadfastness at the time of death
The kuffar and immoral people are denied steadfastness at the most difficult and most stressful times, and they cannot utter the Shahadah at the time of death – which is one of the signs of a bad end. A man was told when he was dying to say Lailaha ill-Allah, and he started to move his head from right to left, refusing to say it. Another started to say, “This is an excellent piece, this is a bargain,” when he was dying. A third began to mention the names of various chess pieces, and a fourth started to hum the tunes of songs, or to mention the name of someone he loved. This is because those things distracted them from remembering Allah in this world. You may see some of these people with blackened faces, or a foul odour, or turning away from the qiblah.
But the people of righteousness, who follow the Sunnah, are helped by Allah to stand firm at the time of death, and so they utter the Shahadatayn. You may see some of them with a cheerful face and a pleasant scent, looking as if they are hearing good news when their souls are taken from their bodies.                                          
Means of steadfastness in Islam
Turning towards the Qur’an: The Qur’an is the foremost aid to standing firm in Islam. It is the strong rope and clear light of Allah. Whoever adheres to it, Allah will protect him; whoever follows it, Allah will save him; and whoever calls to its way will be guided to the Straight Path.
Allah says: ‘Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is the most suitable and give glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward’’(Qur.17 v 9)
Abu Abdul Rahman as Sulami said: “We were told by those who frequently recite the Qur’an like Uthman bn Affan, Abdullah bn Mas’ud and others that when they learnt 10 verses they will not increase in it until what is therein in knowledge and action .We learnt the Qur’an and work with it altogether’’ (muqaddimah fee UsoolulTafseer, pp17)
“Ibn Umar was reported to have spent eight years to memorise Suratul Baqarah” (muqaddimah fee UsoolulTafseer, pp17)
From this we can see the difference between those whose lives are connected to the Qur’an, who read it, recite it, memorize it, study it, ponder its meanings and take it as their starting-point and their refuge, and those who are preoccupied with the words of man.
Adhering to the laws of Allah and doing righteous deeds
“Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah will cause to go astray those who are zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.), and Allah does what He wills.” [Ibraheem 14:27].

Dr. Nurudeen is member, Dawah Department, Organisation of Tadhamunul Muslimeen (OTM), FCT chapter.