All praise belongs to Allah (SWT) who has guided us to Islam. For many of us who had being brought up in the West, the concept of Islam and being a practicing Muslim was indeed a strange and abnormal thing. Many of the people who had come out from the thickness of Western jahiliyyah into Islam have their respective stories to tell about how they came in to Islam, how it felt at the beginning as a practicing Muslim, about their struggles, their high’s and their lows and etc. I am sure that those brothers and sisters who left the ugliness of the jahiliyyah felt a sense of relief, comfort and enjoyment after discovering the beauty and the splendour of Islam – even though that person may have been born into a Muslim family! I am sure many of the brothers and sisters who left jahiliyyah – remember purchasing their first Islamic book, or that first thobe or their head-gears, and the bliss they use to feel soon as they did anything Islamic! They would have a tremendous amount of zeal to implement the Deen or try to get close to the Deen, whether it’s by trying to grow a ‘trendy’ beard, leaving the rap and R‘n’B tracks for the jihaadi nasheed, or just moving from cigarettes to she’shaa’s!!
For many people, it was that Islamic awakening, the yearning to do more as a newly practicing Muslim after experiencing a bad past, tasting that sweetness of Islam and Emaan – which made them very zealous and keen about the Deen. But unfortunately, few years down the line, this zeal is no longer present. The motivation, the aspiration, the eagerness and the zeal is void; to the extent it becomes very difficult for a person to perform the waajib prayers or to attend the masjid and the person remains in that state for many years after becoming a ‘practicing’ Muslim. And we seek refuge in Allah (SWT), some people start to reminisce and bring to mind their jahiliyyah and some people stop practicing totally!
So the question at hand is: How does one move up in their Deen and remain steadfast?
This is such a great issue for all of us. Scholars of the past have written volumes and volumes just on this topic, an article like this will do justice to such a great matter. The aim of this article is just to highlight some problems that we should pay attention to, not for a detailed discussion of the question at hand.
Most of the people after becoming a ‘practicing’ Muslim, naturally concentrate on doing those outer actions more. Islam, the Prophet (pbuh) explained it as the outer actions of the limbs such as words and deeds, so this includes the shahaada, the prayers, the zakat, the fasting and etc. As for Emaan, the Prophet (pbuh) explained in Hadith Gibreel as inward beliefs; comprised under emaan are the inner actions of the heart. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali says in Jaami al-‘Uloom, “Comprised under emaan there is trembling of the hearts at the remembrance of Allah and their humility at hearing His mention and His Book, and increasing in emaan from that, making reliance on Allah (SWT) a reality, fear of Allah (SWT) secretly and openly, contentment with Allah as Lord, Islam as Deen and with Muhammad (pbuh) as Messenger, preferring destruction with the greatest types of pain over kufr, being conscious of Allah’s nearness to slave...” – then he goes on to list many other actions of the heart. Emaan is higher in grade than Islam.
Allah (SWT) said, “The desert Arabs say, ‘We have Emaan.’ Say: ‘You do not have Emaan.’ Say rather, ‘We have become Muslims’, for Emaan has not yet entered into your hearts.” Surah al-Hujuraat (49), Verse 14
Ibn Kathir regarding this verse said, “This honourable Ayah provides proof that Emaan is a higher grade than Islam, according to the scholars of the Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah. This is also demonstrated in the Hadith of Jibril, peace be upon him, when he questioned the Prophet about Islam, then Emaan then Ihsan. Thus, moving the general matter to one more specific, then even more specific; [so] emaan is a more exclusive grade than Islam.”
So knowing this, a person should aim be to move up as Islam is at the basic level. A person cannot just jump from one level to another without first establishing himself firmly on that level, perfecting that level, being steadfast at that level, being musataqim. People at times feel at times a ‘rush’ of emaan, i.e. when coming into Deen – this feeling in itself is not enough for a person to move up and be upright in Islam.
So firstly, it is about being istaqim – being upright.
Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from ibn Abbass concerning His words, “Those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah!’ and they go straight [istaqaamoo’]...” Surah al-Ahqaaf, Verse 13, that he said, “They unswervingly continue with the discharge of His obligations...’ [Reported in at-Tabari 24/115]
Sufyaan ibn Abdullah said, I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, say to me something in Islam about which I will not ask anyone other than you?’ He (pbuh) said, “Say, ‘I have emaan in Allah.’ Then go straight [isataqim].” [Reported by Muslim, 38] Different explanations has been for the term ‘istiqaamah’ from the Salaf – but Ibn Rajab summarizes it in these words, “Istiqaamah [upright] is travelling the straight path [as-siraat al-mustaqeem] and it is the correct Deen [ad-deen al-qayyimah] without turning away from it to the right and left. It comprises doing all acts of obedience, those which are outwards and those which are inwards and similarly giving up all acts which are forbidden...”
Istiqaama upon Islam, Insha-Allah will help a person to move up in the Deen. So it is the continuation of worshiping Allah (SWT), and increasing upon that and not falling short in that. This is what is lacked among the newly ‘practicing’ Muslims; they may be doing certain actions for a period of time such a praying in jama’ah, seeking knowledge, doing extra voluntary deeds etc and then they stop or start to decrease in it until they do the bare minimum – even which becomes difficult for them. Such a person at this stage does not find sweetness in Islam and just wants to do the minimum and eventually the person starts to move away from the righteous people and try to find comfort elsewhere, i.e. in the thoughts, the events and the people from their jahiliyyah days and in Allah (SWT) we seek refuge!
Secondly, the thing that aids this istiqaamah is seeking knowledge and being continuous.
By seeking knowledge, the person is taken out from the darkness into the light, by it the person’s mind opens, by it the person’s hearts is illuminated, by it many other doors of goodness opens, by it the person becomes reformed. The best of those in Jahaliyyah are the best in Islam – that is, if they seek the knowledge. This is a very important driving factor for a person to do righteous deeds, keeping away from the forbidden – being mustaqim.
Al-Hasan said, “There is two types of knowledge: knowledge on the tongue, and that is proof of Allah (SWT) against the son of Adam, and the knowledge in the heart, and that is the useful knowledge.” The scholars fear Allah (SWT) the most because of the [useful] knowledge [in the hearts], thus they worship Allah (SWT) more – it inspires to act more. The useful category of knowledge which drives a person to act is the knowledge of Allah (SWT), and of His Names, Attributes and actions which necessarily require that one fear Him, have awe of Him, magnify Him, submit to Him, love Him...and so on, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab al-Hanabali.
As long as knowledge remains on the earth people will be guided. The remaining of knowledge is the existence of those who bear it. In our time, the ‘thirst’ for knowledge has increased with the increased numbers of those who bear it; this is a great opportunity for us especially living in the West to seek and move forward. Due to people leaving this path of knowledge, many people do not progress in their Deen as a whole – and they remain stagnant or they ‘burn-out’ after a period of time.
Thirdly, paying attention to ‘actions of the heart’ and working on them as well.
This was alluded to earlier on; the actions of the heart include: fear, hope and longing, trust and reliance, awe, and love of Allah and etc. All of this is inter-linked with the outer actions of the limbs and istiqaamah.
It is important to have a sound heart also. Ibn Rajab said, “If a heart is sound and there is nothing but love in it but love of Allah and love of what Allah loves, and fear of Allah and fear of falling into what He dislikes, then all of the actions of the limbs will be right, and there will arise from that his avoidance of all forbidden things...If the heart is corrupt and it is overcome by fallowing whims and his seeking what he loves even if Allah dislikes it, then all of the limbs’ movement will be corrupt, and will give rise to every act of disobedience...”
This is established in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Prophet (pbuh) used to say his supplication: “O Allah! I ask you for a sound heart [qalbann-saleem].” [Reported in Ahmad 4/125]. The sound heart is one which is safe from all defects and disproved things.
Al-Hasan said, “Tend you heart, for what Allah needs from the slave is soundness of their hearts.”
Abu Ya’qub an-Nahrajuri said, “Everyone who claims to love Allah (SWT) and does not comply with Allah’s Commandments, then his claim is false.”
If the ‘actions of the heart’ is not paid attention to, this will mean that the ‘bodily actions’ will not flow consistently and thus there will be no istiqaamah.
Insha-Allah, if a person can do all that was mentioned, a new leaf will turn – meaning, they will not wish not to incline towards the jahiliyyah days due to the sweetness of Allah (SWT) as their Lord, Islam as their Deen and Muhammad (pbuh) as their Messenger.
And Allah (SWT) knows best.
Abu Siyaam.
