How to Save Our Souls from Hellfire? Part 5

Muslimness: the key

To get saved from hellfire, the complete muslimness is the prime requisite. Muslimness means full submissiveness to Almighty Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. It is the key to paradise. Here comes the stern warning: “O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die unless you are Muslim”–(Sura Al-Imran, verse 102). Hence, for a non-Muslim, heaven’s gate is forbidden. So, before death, a believer must be in a state of full submission to Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. And full submission means full adherence to the Qur’anic roadmap. Such submissiveness has its own specifics. In a state of full submission to Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la, one doesn’t possess any right to exclusively pursue his own agenda; he survives only to please Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Such a holy intention transcends to his all wishes and deeds. He then surrenders with all of his entities to the Almighty Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la, and to His Wish and Laws (sharia). If such Muslims populate a country, the sovereignty of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and His sharia law get truly implemented without an iota of compromise. Like early days of Islam, khelafa, shura, unity and jihad then return back to the Muslim polity.

The calamity of compromise

A believer is required to stick to the Qur’anic roadmap down to the end; and must not seek any compromise or deviation to seek any quick success. The path of compromise is the path of hellfire. Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la doesn’t allow any compromise vis-à-vis the revealed Truth; it is a punishable crime. In believers’ life, attaining success or victory must not be an issue; success comes only from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Hence it is an exclusive domain of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. He wants to see the full compliance with His guidance. Here lies the test of a believer’s faith. The Qur’anic roadmap must not be sacrificed or compromised to get power, position or friendship of the enemies. Even the prophet was warned of making any compromise. The warning comes in the following way: “And indeed, they were about to tempt you away from that which We revealed you in order to make you invent about Us something else, and then they would have taken you as a friend. – (Sura Isra verse 72). “Then (if you had), We would have made you taste double (punishment in) life and double after death. Then you would not find for yourself against Us a helper.” – (Sura Isra verse 74).

The compliance with Qur’anic guidance is a Divine obligation. Any compromise means betrayal of that obligation; hence it is an explicit marker of hypocrisy. But today, the Muslims have made ugliest history of hypocrisy by forging compromises on almost every crucial issue. Such compromise is visible in Muslims’ politics, judiciary, culture, education, economics and other aspects of life. Appeasement of the enemies and materialistic or nationalistic considerations get preference over abiding by Qur’an and pleasing Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. Hence practice of sharia, pan-Islamic brotherhood and jihad are seldom visible in Muslim life. Therefore, occupation of Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and the genocidal bombings in Muslim cities get easily incorporated by the ruling Muslim elites as the acceptable political reality. The Muslim rulers vie each other to align with the foreign murderers. The rulers embrace jaheliya as an ideology of modernity. This is why, in most of the Muslin counties, those who indiscriminately kill the Islamists and oppose sharia and jihad are not the non-Muslims. They are the converts to this neo-jahalia. They stand as stubborn enemies against any effort of the revival of Islam.

The moral death of the contemporary Muslim rulers is so complete that they do not find any moral incentive to oppose any enemy aggression and occupation in Muslim countries; nor do they condemn the ongoing atrocities. Rather they wish to be the part of the same project. The enemy have also raised huge civil and military infrastructure in every Muslim land to protect the disintegrated political map of the Ummah –a meticulous creation of the imperialist enemies. Like the proven enemies, the secularists Muslims too, celebrate and strengthen the Muslims’ disunity. Like the ancient jahels, they also firmly stand up against any attempt of revival of the un-attenuated early Islam in any Muslim land. They even forge global coalition with the kuffars to fight against the Islamic revival. Those who want to save their souls from the hellfire, can they align with occupiers? Can they stand aloof or pay blind eye to such occupation? Those who work shoulder to shoulder with the enemies of Islam, can they claim a place with believers in heaven?

The resurgent jahelia & the danger

The old jaheliya shows a new resurgence; but with a new branding. The people of old jaheliya didn’t have any belief in resurrection in the hereafter; hence were reckless in their sinful acts. But after the conversion to Islam, the same people could make a landmark history in enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. That could happen due to fear of accountability in the hereafter. Such a belief in hereafter made them more focussed to please Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. But such fear looks abating; hence the people are returning back to the same sinful acts of the old era. They are far removed from the siratul mustaqeem. As a result, corruption, internal feuds and political divisions have overwhelmed the whole Muslim world. Islam survives with few rituals only within the confines of mosques.

The Muslim psyche is now deeply intoxicated with materialism, nationalism tribalism, secularism, capitalism, socialism and other brands of modern jaheliya. The Qur’anic Islam couldn’t survive in such an intoxicated mind. Although they didn’t convert to ancient idolatry; but they didn’t remain in the fold of Islam either. These new converts to modern jaheliya are indeed engaged in bloody proxy wars against Islam on behalf of their international masters -who strongly distaste Islam’s emergence as a World power. Like the traditional enemies of Islam, they too don’t want the rule of sharia law in any Muslim country. Neither do they want the Muslim unity. Nor do they like dismantling the colonial legacy of disintegrated map of the Muslim world. So, they perfectly fit into the enemy agenda.

Most of the Muslim countries are politically, culturally and militarily occupied by the forces of the modern jaheliya. Apart from few exceptions, most of the government offices, the military cantonments, the judiciaries, the media establishments are indeed the ideological cum cultural islands of the de-Islamised people. Islam has no influence there. Like the ancient Pharaoh and Nimrod, the modern evil forces of occupation do not allow the roadmap for heaven appear in public. Only the seductive Satanic ways are allowed to flourish.

The high-value task

The deep de-Islamisation project in Muslim countries is no more the works of non-Muslims; it is being done by the people who claim to be Muslim. Hence living in such occupied land is itself a huge risk factor for disaster. Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la never bless these hypocrites; rather sends punishments. As a part of the Satanic project, the state and non-state institutions of the occupied land open avenues to take people to the hellfire. Secular education, culture, media, politics and institutions like prostitution, pornography, gambling, etc. work as vehicle to deviate people from siratul mustaqeem. Pulling or pushing people to such deviation is called modernity.

Hence such secular enterprise creates the greatest man-made calamity for the mankind. It doesn’t entail instant death by sunami or earth quake, but takes to the hellfire for a deathless and endless incessant burning. Hence, the non-Islamic or anti-Islamic states are the most harmful and catastrophic institution for the mankind. What can be the greatest good deed than dismantling such state and releasing people from such a disastrous path? And it involves war against the Devilish occupiers. Islam labels such a benevolent rescue effort as the holy jihad. It is the greatest ibadah in Islam. Majority of the companions of the prophet sacrificed their life for that. And those who engage in such jihad and sacrifice their life get direct access to paradise. It is a Qur’anic promise. It is such a high-value task that they get exempted from the long waiting time for the judgement day. 01/9/15  (to be continued)

The Divine tradition

To bring conceptual change cum paradigm shift in humans, as well as to cause an all-inclusive social revolution, Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la has His Own Sunnah (tradition). Muslims need to follow that sunnah in all ages. And it is through the holy Qur’an. The meaning of the word “qur’an” itself is recitation. Loud recitation and listening to the recitation are the commonest, easiest and the most effective tools of educating self and others. Whoever reads something slowly and loudly he gets its content deep down into his heart. If he does it repeatedly and slowly then it reinforces the knowledge of the recited text and also transcends to the mind of the listeners. The recitation of Qur’an in five-time prayers does it effectively; hence it was made obligatory in salah. So, Islam didn’t need any college or university to imprint its message on people’s heart. Mosques and five times prayer in mosques and salah in solicitude did the job.

The holy Qur’an has the most powerful emotional, intellectual and educational content to move people’s heart. No other book on the Earth could surpass that. Neither can it be fully or adequately translated in other languages. Hence the early non-Arab converts of Egypt, Levant, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan and many other countries, buried their mother tongues and learnt the language of Qur’an. Therefore, they didn’t miss the very powerful expression of Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la. The Divine knowledge goes down heavily when the holy Qur’an is recited in solicitude of mid or late night. Hence it was the prescribed forms of ibada in the early days of Islam. In the first 11 and half years of Islam in Makkah, there was no 5 times structured salah with ruku (bending), sujud (prostration) and julus (sitting); rather standing in the deep night and slow recitation of the holy Qur’an was the method of prayer. The Qur’anic knowledge through such recitation went down into their mind and brought full paradigm shift in the believers. In the whole human history, the best men and women with the highest level of piety were indeed produced in those 11 and half years of Makkan period and formed the bedrock of the Islamic civilisation. The recitation of the verses of the holy Qur’an in five times prayers also continues to do the same job.

Within a very short period of time, Allah Subhana Wa Ta’la’s methodology worked very effectively to spread His Qur’anic message; and it could raise a huge army of deeply educated Muslims. The most educated scholars of Islam in the last 14 hundred years are not the creation of the modern universities or madrasas: they were the product of the early days’ mosques. The Muslims didn’t have universities or madrasas in those days either. In those early fateful days, even the common men and women didn’t learn Qur’an by attending any madrasa or school. They learnt the message of Qur’an only by being attentive to loud and slow recitation of the others in the mosques. In those days very few people could have the fully compiled Qur’an in their possession. Only four volumes were compiled at the time of Caliph Usman (RA) for four provincial headquarters. But there were hundreds of hafiz who memorised the whole Qur’an by heart. They were the mobile teachers as well as the role model for the Ummah. Book has its own limitation: it can’t be a role model, nor can transcend the emotional content to others. But, through recitation, the huffaz can do that; they can emotionally charge the listeners to burst into tears, can fill their heart with fear and can move them to the war fields.

Recitation and listening to the recitation are so important in the making of good Muslims and for disseminating the Divine message to others that Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la made such recitation compulsory three times a day in calm hours of three obligatory prayers. It is made obligatory also in Jummah prayer, Eid prayers and even in wedding ceremonies. If anyone recites the holy Qur’an in a premise outside salah, others need to be very attentive to it. It is a sin to make any noise during the recitation. Such methodology helped enormously to spread the Divine message and educate the common people at the grassroots. Mosques and congregation in mosque thus became the most important institutions of learning in Islam. Along with many other magnificent services to Islam, the Caliph Umar (RA) did another extra-ordinary service to the Muslim Ummah by introducing tarawih in congregation prayers in the month of Ramadan. It was not only a great act of glorifying this holy month, but also a brilliant initiative to transform this month into a month of Qur’anic education. The Muslims –especially those who know the Arabic language got the opportunity to revise the whole Qur’an once or twice in the span of one month. Hence, he opened the door for further spiritual and educational development of the Muslims.

First thing first

In the making of a good Muslim, education is the first and foremost necessity. Nothing can work its substitute. It is the key to save people from hellfire. The revelation of the holy Qur’an started with “iqra” meaning “read”. Such a beginning of the Qur’anic revelation has an explicit symbolic connotation. It emphasizes that first thing must be done first. Such first thing in a Muslims’ life is acquiring the Qur’anic knowledge. So, Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la made seeking the Qur’anic knowledge obligatory for all men and women. In Islam, ignorance of Qur’anic knowledge is a major sin. Such sin is the mother of all other sins. No Islamic society, state or civilisation can be built on such sin. Ignorance incapacitates a man or woman to be a true Allah-fearing Muslim. Such affirmation comes from the Qur’anic revelation: “Innama yakhshAllaha min ibadihil ulama.” Meaning: “Of his slaves, only who are possessed of knowledge fear Allah.”– (Sura Fatir, verse 28).

Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la repeatedly emphasized that He has made Qur’an easy for understanding and remembrance. Such eloquent emphasis came four times in sura Qamar: “And certainly We have made the Qur’an easy for understanding and remembrance, is there anyone ready to receive the admonition?”–(Sura Qamr verse 17, 22, 32, 40). Who can refute Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la’s resounding claim as expressed in the above verse? The holy Qur’an has already been proven how it is easy to understand it. Even blind people could remember the whole book only through listening! Not only the illiterate Arab Bedouins, the huge non-Arab populations of Asia and Africa too, excelled in deep understanding of the Qur’an without attending any madrasa, school or college. In fact, most of early scholars on Qur’an like Tarabi, Al- Razi, Zamakhshari are non-Arab. Such understanding prompted them to sacrifice even their life to raise and defend the finest and the most powerful civilisation on the Earth. Those who have shown their talents in acquiring skills in other languages, how will they justify their inability to understand this greatest Book in the day of judgement?

Understanding the Qur’an is not as difficult as understanding math, physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering or learning foreign languages like English, French, Spanish and others. Millions of Muslims have shown their talent to lean those difficult subjects and languages. But how many of them have invested their intelligence to understand the holy Qur’an? Every Muslim man and woman needs to be ready to face this question on the day of judgement. Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la expects that those who claim to be believers must invest their talent to get full benefit of this greatest treasure. Such an expectation of Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la get expressed in the following verse: “Here is a Book which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses; and that the men of understanding may receive admonition.” –( Sura Sad, verse 29). The compliance with the Qur’anic guidance builds up only with the understanding. Hence those who fail to understand the holy Qur’an, indeed fail to take guidance and admonition from this great treasure. As a consequence, they also fail to comply with the Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la’s whole project of humans’ creation and revelation of this greatest Book. How such ignorant men or women can carry out the assigned task as His trusted khalifa (viceroy) on the Earth? In fact, such men and women stand as obstruction wall against Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la’s vision. This is a great act of crime against Him. How such men or women can save their souls from the hellfire? What can be more catastrophic for a person than being ignorant of the Qur’anic knowledge?  What sin does greater harm than sin of such ignorance?

A believer must seek the knowledge of the holy Qur’an for other crucial reasons. He needs to keep up a lifelong jihad on two fronts. He needs to fight against his own evil desires, and another jihad against the external evil forces. In such jihad, the most powerful weapon is the knowledge of Qur’an. He can’t use sword or firearms against his own soul; nor can use such arms against the invisible Satan. He needs to continuously feed his own soul with the Divine guidance. The Qur’anic advice comes: “And engage in a great jihad against them with the (knowledge of) Qur’an.” –(Sura Furqan, verse 52). Hence, in order to sharpen the weapons against the enemies, Muslims need to sharpen their own understanding of the holy Qur’an. Otherwise this great Book of guidance can’t help them win any war; then, the most powerful ammunition on the Earth would stand unutilised. The early Muslims didn’t have any superior weapons than that of the enemies, but the Qur’anic weapon (the understanding of Qur’an) was quite heavy to crush them. The Qur’an doesn’t work alone, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la  and His huge army of angels work alongside it. Whoever has the Qur’anic guidance in his heart and follows it in every footstep instantly becomes the inseparable part of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la’s army.  And who can defeat the army of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la? The army of angels instantly come down on the Earth to defeat the enemy. The Muslim history is full of such miraculous events: it happened in the battle of Badar, Uhud, Khandaq, Hunaun and many others. So, the early Muslims could easily defeat the two contemporary superpowers –the Romans and the Persians: despite their huge deficiency of manpower, weapons and logistics.

Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la repeatedly promised victory for the Muslims. His army of angels are ever ready to help them in any part of the world. It is revealed: “And victory is only from Allah” –(Sura Anfal, verse10). “And do not feel weak and do not grieve, and you should have the upper hand if you are believers.” –(Sura Al-Imran verse 139). If Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la gives the promise of victory, who can snatch it?  But the Divine help and the victory comes only through muslimness of the Muslims; hence they need to concentrate more on becoming full Muslim. Unlike the early days’ Muslims, the present days’ Muslims are making history otherwise. They tend to be Muslims without full submission to Islam. They read the Qur’an, but do not understand it. Even if they understand it, they do not bother to take any guidance from it. Recitation of the Qur’an has turned to rote ritual without embracing its teaching. In fact, their culture, politics, warfare, judiciary, laws and constitutions are the symbol of non-compliance with Qur’an. Therefore, they do not find any angel on their side. Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la never promised any victory for such noncompliant Muslims, rather gave admonition of severe punishment. Hence, despite huge land, resources and manpower, they are losing war on every front.

The greatest failure

Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la bestowed His greatest treasure on the Muslims. No other people in the world have been blessed with such a magnificent gift. It is the Qur’anic roadmap. Although it is the gift for the whole mankind, but how one can receive such a Divine gift if does not believe in Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and His last prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam)? Al-Qur’an and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) are the most magnificent legacy that they received from the past. But the present days’ Muslims have utterly failed to take full benefit of it. This is their greatest failure. As a result, they have lost the way. It is the only book in the world which is read without an aim of understanding it. In such rote ritual, the quick completion of recitation gets the priority: not the understanding, nor learning any lesson from it. Surprisingly such reading is considered an act of piety. How such recitation can be a pious act when it doesn’t increase the Divine knowledge, nor does help get the Divine guidance? Such recitation can’t take a man out of the major sin of ignorance either. How Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la can be pleased with such a mockery against His Book of guidance? How can it give any guidance when it is not understood? The prophet of Islam (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) never gave such advice either. Nor did the early Muslims ever do it. Neither such rote reading has been advised by Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la in any part of the holy Book: rather emphasised on tafakkuh, tadabbur and tawakkul. No teacher gives such thoughtless advice to his students to read any book without understanding it. But it is a great surprise that many Muslim scholars recommend it as an act of piety and eulogise that such reading will bring reward in the hereafter.

Intoxication of ignorance

In earlier days of Islam, drinking wine was not forbidden. Some of the companions of prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) use to come to the mosque while under intoxication of wine. As a result, they couldn’t understand the Qur’anic text recited in the prayer. Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la didn’t like such a practice that was damaging to the key part of salah; and warned them not to come nearer to the prayer while still under the influence of wine. Drinking wine is now forbidden: but still most of the Musallis do not understand the recitation of Qur’an in the salah. Ignorance of Qur’anic knowledge is still doing the harm. Intoxication of ignorance is more durable and damaging than that of wine. Intoxication of wine lasts only for few hours and does not kill the whole faculty of understanding. But intoxication of ignorance is a lifelong phenomenon; it destroys the inherent abilities of acquiring any guidance from the Qur’an. It thus kills the potentials of becoming a full Muslim. In the holy Qur’an, Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la labelled such thoughtless people inferior to animals (ula’ika ka al-anam, balhum adal: they are like animal; even inferior to them); and warned against such de-Islamising and dehumanising danger of ignorance. Hence, one needs Qur’anic knowledge not for becoming a religious scholar, imam and teacher, but for becoming a simple Muslim. Inadequacies of Qur’anic knowledge indeed restrain one’s ability to save his or her souls from the hellfire. No amount of other knowledge can be the substitute.

The key to jannah

Saving soul from the hellfire must receive the top-most priority in the life. Nothing should get more importance than that. But none can save his soul from hellfire by his own merit: it needs guidance and forgiveness from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Such guidance and forgiveness is indeed the key to heaven. The holy Qur’an is the book of guidance: everyone has the right to access it. But forgiveness from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la is more crucial. For getting forgiveness, mere supplication is not enough. Forgiveness from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la comes only after the fulfilment of some precondition. No one’s sacrifice atone others’ sins –as preached by the Christianity. Those who raise their hands in supplication must respond to His call too. They must discharge their duty as His obedient viceroy (khalifa). So, it is revealed: “And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me: let them also answer My call and they must believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.”–(Sura Baqara verse 185).

Making long supplication is a common practice: especially in the month of Ramadan -as it is known as a month of magfirah (forgiveness). But, how many of them fulfil the precondition? How many are aware of the precondition? Fasting was made obligatory to build up taqwa.  And Taqwa is indeed the mental state that motivates people to fulfil the Divine obligation. When such taqwa comes in a Muslim’s life, then life moves in the right direction and engages in enjoining the good deeds and forbidding the wrong. Then he discharges the assigned duty as His obedient khalifa. Forgiveness then follows to take him to jannat. To save our souls from the hellfire, iman, guidance, taqwa, good deeds and forgiveness, thus work together.

Supplication or dowa only helps when one follows the right path. If the train gets derailed into a deep ditch, mere dowa never helps to move the train out of the ditch. The train must be put to the right truck. Therefore, supplication of a deviant from the siratul mustaqeem never helps him reach Jannah, nor does save his souls from hellfire. He needs to be following the siratul mustaqeem first. The holy Qur’an has been revealed to show that right path with full perfection: “This is the Book; there is no doubt in it. It shows the right path to those who are muttaqi (who show full and persistent obedience to Allah and fear deviation and disobedience)”. And it is the wisest act of wisdom of a man and a woman to follow the roadmap without any failing. One can save his or souls from hellfire only by making such a choice.

The criminal misuse

Humans’ own birth and death is not in their hand. How long a man or woman should survive -that is decided only by Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. None can increase or decrease a moment of the allocated life span. But, how to survive and what objectives to serve -deciding on such vital issues, every human enjoys full freedom. Every man has been blessed with the adequate amount of intelligence and sufficient thinking faculty to make the right decision. This is the most precious Divine endowment for an individual; success in the life indeed depends on its right use. Life’s firs test indeed starts from here. Discovery of Truth should be the most expected outcome. On the other hand, believing in falsehood and pursuing lies is not only the greatest betrayal, but also the ugliest criminal misuse of the Divine gift. Such a high ranking misuse of the endowment is indeed enough to take one to the hellfire. After such a criminal betrayal, one doesn’t need to kill anyone or do any adultery to get into hellfire. The most crucial test of merit of an individual is not an invention of computer or making atomic bombs or landing on moon or getting Noble Prize, rather the discovery of Divine Truth and pursuing its roadmap. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) got the highest rank in the sight of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala only for rightful use of that endowment. The final award for the discovery of Divine Truth comes as an abode in the heaven. And the punishment for failing to do so comes as a place in the hellfire.

Paying the price

Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la loves to see humans’ success –not only here, but also in the hereafter. He wants us in the heaven –which He has created and arranged with all sorts of resources (niyamah). All these are for His greatest creation. But the mankind must prove their worth for it. They must pay the minimum price for it. Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la has given humans the full abilities to pay the price: in fact, whatever has been blessed on any individual as the endowment is enough to pay the price. Price needs to be paid in terms of recognising Him as the only Deity worthy of worship. He or she needs to be fully submissive to Him. Even the poorest man or woman shouldn’t face any problem to pay such a price.

Islam means full submission to Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la; and a Muslim’s submission goes side by side by with his role as His viceroy. A viceroy does not possess any right to be sovereign: rather he must fully submit to the sovereignty of His laws and His assigned roadmap. Any claim of sovereignty takes the right to be the viceroy. Such claim makes one a kafir. He or she only needs to follow the prescribed manual in every step to carry out the Divine assignment. Qur’an and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) are the designated manual. Any non-compliance with these manual tantamount to rebellion against Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la – a sure route to hellfire. Humans need to show their talent only in discovering cum understanding the Divine Truth and must not engage in any invention. They need to invest Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la’s own endowment –the physical, intellectual and material gifts to fulfil His wish. This way a person can pay the price for jannah.

The danger of complacency

The danger of complacency is quite real. Sometimes it is quite catastrophic. With the sense of complacency people take severely sick patients to quacks, homeopaths, faith-healers, herbal practitioners; and draw huge satisfaction that something being done for the cure for the beloved one. Such pathological complacency kills large number of people each year especially in Asia and Africa by denying the right treatment in right time. Such punishing complacency also exists in the field of religion. By singing songs in praise of God, visiting shrines, giving drinks to the hajis, feeding people in the month of Ramadan, observing prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam)’s birth day, wearing some religious attire, joining Sufi circles, making long supplication, reciting religious books, and doing some charity works people think they are doing enough to prove their religiosity. In return, they expect a place in heaven in the hereafter. Thus they develop strong complacency and self-satisfying explanations to keep themselves away from the practice of very basics of Islam like dawa, learning of Qur’an, sharia, shura, khilafa, jihad, etc. Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la condemns such complacency and reveals: “Do you make the giving drinks to the pilgrims, and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Haram equal to [the pious deeds of] those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and fight in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people”–(Sura Taubah, verse 19). It is also revealed: “The ones who have believed, emigrated and striven in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah. And they are the people who achieve salvation”–(Sura Taubah, verse 20).

Such sense of complacency has taken the Jews and the Christians far away from the teachings of their prophets. The Jews carry Torah and visit synagogues on Saturday, the Christians hang cross in their neck and sing choir in the Church on Sunday. By doing these, they think they are enough religious. It is a serious problem among the Muslims, too. Such complacency caused serious non-compliance against much obligatory Qur’anic guidance. Not only they neglect the full adherence to the Qur’anic roadmap –as practised by the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) and the early Muslims, rather they label such practice as extremism or fundamentalism. In Islam, such complacency and interpretation of one’s own convenience has no place. After the death of Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam), many people denied to pay zakat to state fund. In response, the first rightly guided khalifa Abu Bakr (RA) declared war against them. He told, “At the time of Prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) the people used to donate not only their camel but also the rope to fasten the camel as zakat. Now, if anyone denies giving even the rope, I shall declare jihad against them.” Islam demands all time and full time total compliance with the every segment of the Quranic roadmap –as practised by the prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) and his faithful companions. This is the minimum standard of Islam that a Muslim must comply with; and none of it should be left unfulfilled.

The failed faith & spirituality

To reach heaven, one at least needs navigation and completion of his or her journey on siratul mustaqeem. The siratul mustaqeem comprises not only segments of iman, salah, fasting, zakat and haj; but also other obligatory segments like jihad, sharia, shura, khilafa, pan-Islamic unity and others. Any compromise, deviation or incompletion of the journey along the Qur’anic road does not take one to paradise, rather ends up in hellfire. If any segment of the journey remains untraversed, how one can reach the desired destination? Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la asks: “ O, believer! Enter into submission with totality” –(Sura Baqara verse 208).  It indeed implies full submission to all Qur’anic decrees and navigation through all parts of siratul mustaqeem. The prophet of Islam (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) and his companions clearly showed how the Divine journey through all of its segments should be incorporated in a Muslims’ life. Incompletion of any obligatory segment only brings complete failure as a Muslim. Was there any companion of the prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) who had a full life but couldn’t traverse through all phases of the roadmap? This is why the early Muslim societies could quickly attain the full maturity; and Islam could show its fully blossomed civilizational phase. Faith in Allah Su’hana wa Ta’la and submission to the revealed Truth is indeed the seed of Islam. And it must show the fully grown-up expression through believers’ behaviour, attitudes, actions, thoughts, talks, writings, politics, economics, cultures, judgments and other arenas of life. Absence of such expressions respectively indicates absence or corruption of faith. Faith (Iman) must show its full expression in enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. There should be constant and intense urge to follow the siratul mustaqeem in all sectors of life.

But today, the picture is awfully different from that of the early Muslims. In-completion of navigation towards the set target or deviation from the siratul mustaqeem thrives with epidemic proportion. As a result, growth of Islam is severely restricted all over the Muslim Ummah. The Muslims and the Muslim societies show clear signs of failed faith and failed spirituality. They no more survive as a civilizational force. Islamic civilisation in fact doesn’t exist anywhere. About 1.5 billion Muslims have awfully failed to raise a single Islamic state to practise Islamic principles. Islam survives only in Qur’an and not in Muslims’ daily life and societies. As a result, the Muslims are no significant political force either; even 55 million British or 5 million Israelis exercise more political power on the world stage. How Islam can have full growth without an Islamic state? The Muslims in fact, now live without Islam. They survive as cheerleaders of the Western thoughts and civilisation! With such huge deficit in belief and performance, how can they please Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and receive His blessings?  Occupation, fragmentations, subjugation, bombings, deaths, rapes and destructions prevail in Muslim lands.  Are these signs of blessings?  How such utterly failed and deviated people will be rewarded with access to His paradise?

The Muslims have confined their focus on Iblis and his conspiracies against Prophet Adam (AS) for his evicting him from heaven. But they little bother about the millions of contemporary Iblis who are working day and night in their midst in politics, culture, education, media and army against the children of Adam (AS) to obstruct their re-entry to heaven.  To have a safe journey to heaven, one must know the devils and their evil designs against the Qur’anic roadmap. To warn His beloved human creation, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala again and again exposed the evil designs of Iblis, Pharoh, Nimrod, Karoon and many other historical devils. This is the Sunnah of the Almighty Lord to know the design of the devils. But the Muslims show little interest to know and undo the designs of the contemporary devils. Rather, in many cases they are co-operating with them. Hence those who are obstructing the implantation of sharia, shura, khilafa, jihad, pan-Islamic unity and other basics of siratul mustaqeem are not friendless in any of the Muslim countries.

 Shaitan as partner!

The danger of getting possessed by Shaitan and other evil forces is quite real and exist all the time. A Muslim needs to be fully possessed only by Allah Sub’han wa Ta’la. His intellectual, political, cultural, economic and judicial space should be protected only for Allah Sub’han wa Ta’la. His thoughts, talks, writings, warfare and his survival and death should be dedicated only for His cause. Shaitan or any satanic force must be denied any space in his life. This is the real spirituality of a believer. For that, he needs constant Divine protection.  A believer can get such protection only through consistent zikr (remembrance) of Allah Subhan Wa Ta’la. And whenever a man remembers the Almighty Lord, He also remembers him. “Fazkuruni azkurukum” (So, you remember me, I shall remember you) is the promise of Allah Subhan Wa Ta’la . Hence He becomes the protector for the person who remembers Him. The consequence of forgetting Allah Sub’han Wa Ta’la is quite catastrophic: it brings eternal disasters to his life. On such a man, Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’la appoints Shaitan as his partner. And Shaitan deviates him from siratul mustaqeem. As a result, he finds his final abode in hellfire. The holy Qur’an warns: “And whoever turns himself away from the remembrance of the Beneficent Allah, We appoint for him a Shaitan, so he becomes his associate. And most surely they turn them away from the (Divine) path, and they think that they are guided aright.”–(Sura Zukhruf, verse 36-37).

Zikr implies not only the remembrance of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and His various names and attributes, but also staying focused on the assigned responsibilities as His appointed viceroy. Mere remembrance of His name and attributes doesn’t move people to do good deeds or sacrifice life in His cause. Zikr entails consistent and strong adherence to Qur’anic roadmap. While driving in a motorway, there is no room for sightseeing, amusement or any acts of inattention.  Such intention instantly leads to fatal disaster. Likewise, inattention in siratul mustaqeem cause deviation to hellfire. People must build Taqwa to get protected from such inattention. Taqwa means a constant focus or attentiveness to life’s assigned mission. It is an intense fear of getting deviating from that Divine mission. All religious rituals in Islam like salah, fasting, zakat, haj and recitation of Qur’an are indeed the means to enhance such attentiveness and fear (taqwa). Taqwa thus brings closer to Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and leads to jannah.

The disease and the cause

Wherever there is a disease, there is a cause and the causative disease process -called pathology. Moral and the spiritual disease are not different either. Forgetting Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and ignoring the duty assigned by Him is the most disastrous disease for the humans. It takes people directly to hellfire. Hence, to save our souls from hellfire, we must understand not only the symptoms, but also the root cause and treatment of the disease. We must do everything for the treatment. In this world, nothing is more important than this. Deep attachment with the children and the wealth is the major cause of detachment from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Here lies the core pathology of the disease. The diagnosis comes from none, but from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la –the all knower.

Such deep detachment from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la makes people neglectful or forgetful of the infinite life in hereafter. As a result, people find no incentive to work for the success in the hereafter. Even the worst physical illness can cause at the most suffering for some years; and the disease itself can’t take people to hellfire. But forgetting or neglecting hereafter leads to hellfire for the infinity. Hence Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la gives stern warning against the catastrophic consequences of such forgetfulness. The revelation comes: “O you who believe! Let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah; and whoever does that, the loss is his own.” –(Sura Munafiqun, verse 9).  Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la also warns: “O you who believe! Surely from among your wives and children there are enemies to yourselves, therefore beware of them;…” – Sura Tagabun, verse 14)

How do the children, wives and the wealth may turn worst enemy of a man? The children and wives may have their own selfish secular agenda –diagonally opposite to the agenda of Islam. They may firmly stand as a barrier against fulfilling the agenda of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la like implementation of sharia, pursuing jihad and sacrificing wealth and life in His way.  And the wealth makes its owner an all-time slave as its protector and prohibits him from taking any serious endeavour in the way of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. So a believer’s war against the enemies takes its start in the home front. If he surrenders in that war; how can he pursue a war in other fronts with such captivity?

Planning for the success

Death is inevitable. Indeed, it is the most truthful reality in life. But quickly forgetting such a stern reality is another reality. The countdown of allocated days of a man already starts with the first moment of life. Death is not a sudden event either. It is indeed the end point of a process that starts even long before the birth. Out of about 50 trillion cells in a human body, about 100 million cells die every minute! Out of 50 trillion, if a single cell goes out of normal physiological pathway, it may turn cancerous and precipitate quick death. And it is not uncommon either. About 100, 000 brain cells die every day and never get replaced. Living in this world is like crossing a bridge in darkness embedded with holes. Millions of people get dropped down through the holes each moment. No one knows who turn is coming next.

So, we face chances of death every moment. So, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la reveals: “I swear by the time. Most surely man is in loss. Except those who believe and do good deeds and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience” –(Sura Asr, verse 1-3). Hence, man is in a constant state of loss. Like an ice chunk, he or she is constantly melting down until reach an endpoint. But there are exceptions. Life is not exclusive loss or death making enterprise. Out of the short and fleeting span of life, people can make unbelievable gain. They can even earn a huge abode in paradise with all of its unthinkable luxuries and comforts for infinity. In Sura Asr, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la shows how to make such a huge gain out of this short life. It is through belief in Allah, doing good deeds and engaging in a mission of enjoining Truth and patience. In fact, this is the plan for great success. The early Muslims showed how to pursue the plan. Their faith in Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la was so profound and their sacrifices for enjoining the Truth was so heavy that more than half of the companions of the prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) became martyrs. About them, Allah Sub’hana Ta’la pronounced: “RaziAllahu unhum wa razu unhu”. Which means: “Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Allah.”-(Sura Baiyanah, verse 8 ).

The danger of spiritual death

Like human body, iman too needs regular nutrition. Iman draws its nutrition from the Divine knowledge and the prophetic tradition. And the final book of the Divine knowledge came as the holy Quran. It was revealed to the final prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam). In absence of such knowledge, people face spiritual death. Muslims then exist only by name, not by Islamic ideals. Faith deficit then runs everywhere. Such humans then survive only with animal attributes. The mankind then get wars of occupation, World Wars, genocide, ethnic cleansing, colonialism, imperialism, dropping of atom bombs, use of chemical weapons, water-boarding, drone killings and other barbarity.

The spiritual death doesn’t come alone. It brings deaths in other areas, too. Khelafa, sharia, shura, jihad, dawa and other vital Islamic institutions also meet their death. That has already happened in the Muslim world. The death of iman gets expressed through intellectual, cultural, behavioural, attitudinal, political, economic and judicial ill-health. Politically and culturally, such Muslims live like the non-Muslims. And, their constitution, laws and judiciary do not reflect teachings from Qur’an and Sunnah. These Muslims with spiritual death do not have any concern for the Islamic cause, hence invite the kuffars to establish military bases in the midst Muslim lands and do everything to prolong the enemy occupation. The Muslim world has been Balkanized to more than 55 states with the full cooperation of such spiritually dead Muslims. Could it ever happen with sound iman or spirituality? Was it thinkable in the early days of Islam? Acceptance of non-sharia rule in a Muslims country tells a lot about its so-called Muslim population. It is indeed the death of spirituality (Allah-consciousness) of its citizens. People with iota of Allah-consciousness can’t tolerate such humiliation sharia. During the time of the prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam), those who withdraw from the fight against kuffars were condemned as hypocrite (munafiq). Absence of resistance against the enemy aggression or occupation is a symptom of serious spiritual ill health. Now a day, the disease of hypocrisy (nifaq) has gone much deeper. Instead of fighting the invading kuffars, they invite the kuffars to invade the Muslim lands. Protecting the division of Ummah, preserving the colonial legacy and prolonging the enemy’s political, cultural and military hegemony appear to be acceptable by these Muslims.

The danger of indoctrination

The educational and cultural institutions work as the most powerful tool of indoctrination. Hence in non-Islamic or secular countries, finding seeratul mustaqeem and saving souls from the hellfire turns more difficult. Rather, the road to hellfire looks much seductive. There, the Muslims students may grow up as good doctors, engineers or scientists, but chances run very high that they may fail becoming good Muslim. Making a student full Muslim is a massive task. For that, the parents, the family, the community, the religious and educational institutions need to work together more consistently and coherently. Such a conducive environment doesn’t exist in a non-Muslim country. A state with its invasive institutions works as the most powerful body on earth. Like a rogue elephant in a premise, an un-Islamic state with its massive infrastructure can dismantle all Islamic efforts aimed at meeting the educational needs of the Muslim students. How Islamisation of individuals can work effectively without Islamisation of State and societies? This is why Islamisation of a state is a religious obligation on all Muslims. And, Muslims do not build state to salute a flag. Nor do they create it for a show off of national or tribal pride, and nor for economic and social wellbeing. They build state to build religious, legal, educational and other civil and military institutions to Islamise the social, cultural, political environment of a country. This way state save souls from hellfire helps navigate towards Jannah. Otherwise, state turns most corruptive evil institution on earth –as evidenced all over the human history. Now, the Muslims have more than 55 states; but utterly failed to create a single Islamic state.

Immunisation against evil ideologies

Danger of living in a non-Islamic state is quite real, sometime it is catastrophic. Fish needs water for the survival; and the Muslims need Islamic state to live as full Muslims. Saving souls from hellfire is more important than success in this life. If it becomes difficult to have full practice of Islam, Muslims should seek migration from that country. For protection against evil ideologies and corruptive cultures, Muslims require effective immunisation. Such immunisation comes only through deep induction of Islamic philosophy and the Quranic knowledge. Only through such philosophy and knowledge, the early Muslims could protect their faith in the midst of virulent beliefs and cultural practices of the Kuffars of Arabia. Even today, there exists no other option for the Muslims amidst highly corruptive ideologies and cultures of the so-called global village.

But not surprisingly, strong opposition to such immunisation of Muslim mind and intellect with Qur’an comes from the so-called Muslims. Due to deep de-Islamisation through secular education and the long colonial rule, there exists a huge army of cultural converts in every Muslims lands. They are the foot soldiers of Western culture and values; many of them even fought lengthy World Wars for them. Now, they are fighting their wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Somalia, Libya and in many other Muslim countries. They want full cultural, ideological and political integration with the Westerners. They find immunisation with the Quranic knowledge and philosophy a big barrier against globalisation of the Western culture. They call it Islamic fundamentalism or extremism. To restrict the teaching of Qur’an in schools and madrasas in Muslim countries, the Western Governments and their native cronies put tremendous pressure on the Governments. To pursue such de-Islamisation project, they do not bother even dismantling democratically elected governments –as recently did in Egypt. And in the West, they have made it difficult to open or run an Islamic school. They keep tight control on the Islamic curriculum. They have already put embargo on travel of many Islamic scholars and restricted the publication and circulation of many Islamic books.

But the Muslims have no second option. Surrender to West’s de-Islamisation project and subjugation to their cultural and ideological hegemony will not protect them from hellfire. Rather that would expedite further deviation from siratul mustaqeem. To keep away from such deviation, Allah Sub’ha wa Ta’la has His Own advice. He decreed: “Therefore, hold fast to that which has been revealed to you (O Muhammad), surely you are on right path” –(Sura Zukhroof , verse 43).  “And whoever holds fast Allah, he indeed is guided to the right path.” –(Sura al-Imran verse 101). But how the Muslims can take benefit of Qur’anic guidance when most of them do not understand it? The road-map only gives guidance when it is truly followed in daily life.

The magnificent bargain

Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la’s bounties for the believers are unthinkable. No one can make a true estimate of that. In heaven, they will be entitled to get whatever they wish. They will never die there. It is indeed the greatest victory in life. If all assets of all humans of all ages are put together, even that will look trivial in comparison to prizes that will be bestowed on a single believer in heaven.  But how one can attain such a victory?  Is there any price for that? What is that price and how to pay that price? Declaration of faith in Almighty Lord, five times salah, month long fasting, yearly zakat and haj life time -are they enough to pay the price? In fact, Allah Sub’hana Ta’la didn’t keep it hidden what He expects as the price; rather made it very clear how to get a place in heaven. It needs to make a solemn deal with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Whoever makes the deal and fulfils the deal, he gets heaven in return. The article of the bargain comes as follows: “Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah ? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which the great attainment is.” –(Sura At Taobah, verse 111).deal

Mere announcement of belief in Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la, His prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam), His Divine Books, the angels and in the hereafter is not enough to get the reward. Nor is it performing some rituals like salah, fasting, haj and zakat. It is much more inclusive than that. It is the total readiness to give life in His cause. Such readiness prompted most of the companions of prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) to sacrifice their lives in the battlefields. The companions of the prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) who died in beds, had such death not by choice. In fact, their readiness to sacrifice their life in war was no less than those who embraced martyrdom.

According to the deal, believers’ own life and the assets do not belong to him or her; these are already sold out to Allah Sub’han wa Ta’la. These are bestowed on him or her as the Divine trust, only to return back to Him in His way. Such amanh should be spent only in His cause. A believer works as life-long care-taker of the amanah. Since he is the life-long viceroy cum fighter for His cause, he has the legal right to take sustenance from the amanah, but has no right to overspend and misuse it. Any misuse makes him an associate of Satan. Sacrificing life means returning it back to Him. Those become martyr they indeed return the amanah in full to its real owner. Hence they can expect the full reward in the heaven. So, in believer life, jihad is inevitable: it is indeed the execution of the bargain. So jihad came to life of every single companion of the prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam). An act of withdrawal from jihad is in fact violation of the deal: hence brings wrath from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. It is the sin of a murtad. So, in an Islamic society, there is no need of opening a recruitment office for war. The true believers themselves search for such a perfect one to execute his obligation.