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Remaining Steadfast on Obedience - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Remaining Steadfast on Obedience
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear Muslims:
Fear Allah as He should be feared and be conscious of Him in private
and in public. Worship Him as if you see Him, for even though you do not see
Him, He (SWT) sees you: “And rely upon the Exalted in Might, the Merciful. Who
sees you when you arise. And your movement among those who prostrate. Indeed,
He is the Hearing, the Knowing. ” (Ash-Shu’ara’: 217-220)
There are lessons for us all in the passage of the days and nights -
and the days are moving away from us as quickly as the clouds. The people shall
continue advancing until they finally end up in Paradise
or Hell. This is therefore, a great opportunity for the wise amongst us to
awaken, perform good deeds and repent sincerely. Allah (SWT) says that which
translates as: “And it is He who has put the night and the day in succession
for whoever desires to remember or desires gratitude.” (Al- Furqan: 62).
Muslims have recently spent a whole month enjoying the blessings of
their Lord between supplication, prayer, remembrance of Allah, alms giving and
recitation of the Qur’an. But, also, the days and the memories of them have
passed away so quickly, as if they were autumn leaves blown away by a strong
wind.
When one compares the people’s spiritual condition during Ramadan to
that after it, he will certainly see signs of laziness and negligence in terms
of performing righteous deeds. It is as if acts of worship and repentance were
only meant for Ramadan! Such people are ignorant of the fact that Allah (SWT)
is the Lord of all months and that Ramadan is only meant to be an occasion when
one renews his resolve to worship Allah (SWT) and persevere in that. That is
why Allah (SWT) says, after prescribing fasting for His slaves, that which
translates as: “So that you may attain piety”. (Al-Baqarah: 183).
Dear Brothers And Sisters In Islam:
Do not be deluded by your determination to shun the dictates of your
whims in Ramadan only to yield to temptation after it, for lustful desires are
wickedly intriguing. The one who becomes negligent of his duties to Allah after
he has been doing them perfectly, or who falls back into committing sins after
he has abstained from them is actually the farthest one from prosperity and
salvation - even if he does deceive himself with seasonal acts of worship. He
is also likely to be punished by being deprived of the joy and sweetness of
worship. As for the believing men and women, who are inwardly as pure as they
are outwardly and who worship Allah (SWT) at all times, they will taste the
sweetness of worship and Allah (SWT) will provide for them for all of their
needs. They are the ones who sincerely follow the path of the Prophet (PBUH)
constantly in their worship of Allah (SWT).
Dear Muslims:
Ramadan is distinguished among other months as far as acts of worship
are concerned, but this does not mean that acts of worship should only be
performed during Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was always generous and
his generosity increased during Ramadan. He used to seek refuge with Allah
(SWT) from abandoning committing good deeds after performing them constantly.
He (PBUH) would say, “I seek refuge with You from recession after advancement.”
Allah (SWT) also warns against this when He says that which translates to: “And
do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong.”
(An-Nahl: 92).
A supplication of the Prophet (PBUH) also confirms this. He would say:
“O Allah! Make this life for me an increase in good deeds.” Therefore, we can
see that he did not restrict the performance of good deeds to Ramadan alone,
but followed the commandment of his Lord that translates as: “And worship your
Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death).” (Al-Hijr: 99).
Human beings are no doubt imperfect. Islam, therefore, does not burden
us with that which would exceed our capabilities. We are however required to
hold fast, at all times, to the trustworthy handhold (the religion of Islam).
This will make us attain the pleasure or our Lord in this world and the next
and will save us from destruction as well as protecting us from all evils. This
is despite however little our acts of worship may amount to. The Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) said: “O people! Do whatever you can of righteous deeds, for Allah
(SWT) will not cease to accept your deeds and bless you as long as you do not become
apathetic. The most beloved of all good deeds to Allah is the one done
continuously even if it is little.” (Bukhari & Muslim).
Dear Brothers And Sisters In Islam:
We must understand that there are established acts of worship that must
be performed at all times and never fluctuate, even after Ramadan like Salah
(prayer), Zakah (obligatory charity), invocation of Allah and repentance, which
Allah (SWT) enjoins on His slaves when He (SWT) says that which translates as:
“And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might
succeed.” (An-Noor: 31).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to say: “I seek the forgiveness of
my Lord and repent to Him one-hundred times a day.”
Now that you know this, dear brothers, it becomes incumbent on you to
put it into practice, for you have tasted the sweetness of worship and
closeness to Allah (SWT) in Ramadan, do not therefore, ruin that with your
sins. Moreover, the continued observation of acts of worship or negligence in
them is an indication of the inner-workings of the heart, for it is the most
changeable organ in the human body. That is why the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The
heart was given that name because of its inconstancy.” (Ahmad). The Messenger
of Allah (PBUH) used to say in his supplication: “O turner of the hearts!
Establish my heart firmly on your religion.”
Dear Brothers And Sisters In Islam:
The Wise Law-Giver has prescribed for you the fasting of six days in
the month of Shawwal. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Whoever fasts (the
whole of) Ramadan and then follows it up with six days fasting in the month of
Shawwal, is like the one who fasts for the whole year (in terms of reward).” It
is better to observe this fast immediately after Eid and do them in succession,
but there is no harm if one separates between them or fasts them anytime during
that month. I must add that these six fasts are not obligatory. Whoever fasts
them will be rewarded for that and whoever does not, will not be punished. If
one is however consistent in fasting it for years and then becomes unable to do
so in a particular year due to illness or travel, they will get the same reward
as if they fasted them. This is because the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “If
a man is sick or travels, what he used to do while he was resident and healthy
will be written down for him.”
Finally, let whoever wants an additional
reward endeavour to fast on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth day of
every month for the Prophet (PBUH) has explained that whoever fasts them is like
the one who fasts perpetually.
May Allah (SWT) guide, forgive and
accept from us all (Ameen).
