DARS 3
Allah subhana wa ta'ala has given guidance to the human being. And Hidaya, guidance - the right guidance - is that guidance through which a person reaches his destination. If he does not reach his destination, then definitely, that is not guidance. For example - the example that I gave to you previously - you get the path, you know the directions to get to London, and if you get the path to reach London, then that guidance is beneficial. If it doesn't take us to London - the path, the guidance, the directions - then it is not beneficial for us. In the same way, Hidaya, Allah subhana wa ta'ala, if He gives Tawfeeq to someone and he gives him Hidaya, guidance, then if we reach the destination of the Hereafter, then that person has utilised that guidance and it has been beneficial. So to get guidance is not enough, but it should be the right guidance by which a person gets to the destination.
Look, Allah ta'ala states in the Qur'an {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka wa ma unzila min qablika wa bil aakhirati hum yuqinoon oolaaika ala hudan min rabbihim wa oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon}. Allah says those people are on the path of guidance who through the guidance, get to the destination. What's the sign of this? Allah says that the guidance that takes a person to success, is that Hidaya which takes a person to his destination - he gets to the end point. And who are the people who are on the path of guidance? We need to realise whether we are on the right path or not: is this the right path or not, is this the correct path or not? So remember this: Hidaya, the right path, the true guidance, the proper guidance, a person will recognise this immediately if it is such. For example, if a person goes to a Friend of Allah, for tarbiyah, for Islah, for guidance - that's why a person goes to a Friend of Allah, a Wali of Allah, to make effort, to improve, to live life in the right way and attain the hereafter. So is right guidance, the correct guidance, present in the company of this person or not? So immediately there is an effect on the Iman of the individual who is seeking; if a seeker goes to a Kaamil Sheikh, a complete Sheikh, with this intention, that he wants to attain guidance, then the first effect of the company of that Wali will be on his Iman, on his belief, on his faith. When you get right guidance from somewhere, than that person's Iman starts to improve. In the first company, when a person arrives to the company of the Wali of Allah, then the change and improvement comes to his Iman - Iman improves!
10th Jun, 2020
And what does it mean to change or improve Iman? In his Iman, in his faith, a passion arises, a strength arises, a force arises; the things that he accepted, that he knew but he did not do, what happens now, when he goes to the company of the Wali of Allah? His Iman improves, strengthens, due to the company of that Wali, due to getting close to him, and the sign of his Iman strengthening is that those things which he knew before, then he implements them physically, practically, and he starts to practice upon the knowledge, upon the theory. Iman - faith - can increase and decrease. There is a Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari that a human being can strengthen Iman as much as he wants, and if it drops and weakens, then this Iman can also weaken so much. Iman is like the moon on the 14th night: you know, the moon goes from the first, second, third, fourth night, and then gets to the fourteenth night - the full moon, with full intensity! So when a person practices those actions, then his Iman starts to increase and strengthen; it becomes Kaamil Iman.
So the most important thing from this is the company of a pious individual. When you sit in the company of a pious individual, then the first effect on the Iman is that it strengthens. If you go to the company of a person and the Iman is not affected positively, in other words, Iman affected positively is that those things that he accepts theoretically, he starts to practice them. If he doesn't try or strive, and he doesn't want to practice them, then consider that he has not got Hidaya from this company, and he cannot attain Allah via that personality. This is a big Sabak, this is a big lesson for the Saalikeen: it is not just enough to be Bayah; rather after attaching oneself to the Sheikh and spending time in his company, are you improving with his company, are you strengthening? Not miracles or mirages, rather promotion and elevation in Iman. Ilm ul Yaqeen, Ayn ul Yaqeen,and Haq ul Yaqeen - you improve in Yaqeen, knowledge of Yaqeen progressing to the Truth of Yaqeen. There is a Hadith where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was present and a companion came and said 'Oh Prophet of Allah, when I am in your company, it feels as if I am seeing Paradise and Hell with my eyes; it seems as if we are seeing all of the conditions. But when we leave your company and our eyes are far from you sallallahu alayhi wa sallam then the situation changes and the effect is less!'
This is the effect of company, this is the effect of the Friends of Allah. If there is right guidance in the company of the Friend of Allah, if there is proper guidance, and we go there, then definitely a person's Iman will elevate and promote and increase in A'maal and deeds. That is why Allah ta'ala says {Alladhina yu'minoona bi maa unzila ilayka} - that those who believe in that which was revealed, then you realise that they are upon guidance, that they are on the right path, because their faith gets stronger, and the things that they accepted before - they knew about them and said 'Yes, we know' - but as their Iman gets strengthened and gets better and better, Allah says that they get to {bil-aakhirati hum yuqinoon}; they get that Hidaya which gives them the proper certainty in the Hereafter. They start to believe in that, then they get to the proper level of Yaqeen, of certainty in the Hereafter. So in other words, what's the difference here between 'knowing' and 'believing'? When a person knows, he just knows - he accepts. When he has Yaqeen, he practices on that. Take for example fire. You might accept that this is fire and that it could burn the hands, but if you start to avoid the fire, this shows Yaqeen that this fire will burn you because you are avoiding it. You have proper belief. In the same way, with Hell, when you have Yaqeen that there is Hell, then a human being will leave those actions that give him the hazard of going to Hell. When we have certainty in Jannah, then you start to implement those actions through which Paradise is attained.
So {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka wa ma unzila..} whatever Allah ta'ala revealed to the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, people have Iman, they accept; but when the Yaqeen, the certainty, increases due to guidance, when they have guidance, the sign of right guidance is that their belief and faith strengthens to the point of implementation. So what is the sign of certainty? You don't just accept and know the knowledge that has been revealed, rather he then practices on that knowledge; he practices! So then the difference between a person who knows, and a person who has certainty and belief, those who have guidance and don't have guidance - that's the difference. The one is a person who says 'I know there's Jannah, Hellfire, we are going to die, this or that is wrong - I know' - but his practice does not reflect his knowing. However the person whose Iman strengthens and strengthens and gets to the point of Yaqeen, proper certainty, then he practices on that knowledge; that's the sign of those who are rightly guided. Ok?
Fine, that's good! Upon what? {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila} - what do we believe in? Those things that have been revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we know it, but when Yaqeen strengthened, then Hidaya was attained, and the effect of guidance is that a person then starts to practice what was revealed upon Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So what was revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? Everyone will say 'Oh the Qur'an was revealed. The Qur'an.' So then? A person knows and accepts the Qur'an, but when he gets guidance, along with guidance, what this means is that he the starts to practice the Qur'an; he starts to do Amal upon the Qur'an. That's what it means.
But this humble servant says that nobody can practice the Qur'an! How can you practice the Qur'an? Allah says {unzila ilayka} that the Qur'an that Allah revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was revealed for this purpose, with this objective, that we should practice upon it. There is no other objective. There is no other objective of the Qur'an - all other things that have connection with the Qur'an, for which Allah will give lots of Thawab, these are not the objective of the Qur'an. We won't be asked about those things; first and foremost, we will be asked about that purpose for which the Qur'an was revealed. Remember this! Allah subhana wa ta'ala will ask us about the objective! Allah won't say 'Why didn't you read, why didn't you do Hifdh, why didn't you do Tafsir?' - Allah won't ask any of this. The first thing Allah will ask about is that objective for which the Qur'an was given, the objective about which Allah says {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka}; Allah says, 'I gave you this Qur'an, you believe in it, you accept it, you know it, every Mu'min knows and believes in the Qur'an, but not every Mu'min practices the Qur'an!' Only that Mu'min practices the Qur'an who is on the path of guidance. {Ihdinas-Siraat-al-Mustaqeem} - that's the sign - if you have asked for the Straight Path, the sign is that before they didn't practice, they didn't accept, but when they accept, they move to practice because they have Yaqeen, certainty on the orders of the Qur'an, on the instructions of the Qur'an. That's the purpose of the Qur'an; Allah has given us the Qur'an so that we implement those orders and instructions - we have to practice them! That's the only objective of the Qur'an, the pure objective of the Qur'an.
If we don't do this, and we do all of the other actions, then it's zero beyond zero! There's no relationship with that to the Hereafter. But if we practice on the Qur'an, and we implement the commands of the Qur'an, which is the objective of the Qur'an, then the other connections with the Qur'an which Allah gives reward for, then that will illuminate our lives, and all the rewards of reading the Qur'an and other relationships that we have with the Qur'an, alongside this objective, then Allah will give all the rewards for which Thawab has been promised. But we are unfortunate that we leave the practice and we emphasise the other things. We will read ten or fifteen Juz of the Qur'an, but we will not do Amal on the verses of the Qur'an which is the real objective of our life. Such people are not guided - Qur'an tells us this now, clearly. Qur'an is saying that these people know the Qur'an, are aware of the Qur'an, but do not have certainty in the hereafter. Those who believe in the Qur'an with proper certainty {bil aakhirati hum yuqinoon}, they do Amal on the Qur'an. So to believe, and to have proper certainty is not that you know what fire is but you do not save yourself from it; rather the person with certainty, who believes in the fire, he knows that this fire will burn him, and so he avoids that burning by running away. So Allah says that those who know the Qur'an and they believe in what has been revealed - yes, there are many who know, who believe, who accept the Qur'an - but the real objective of the Qur'an is to believe in the Qur'an with certainty. But people don't come towards that. Who will come? Only those who are on the right path, who are rightly guided alhamdulillah.
In the example that I gave you, when a person goes to the company of the Wali of Allah, then he goes with this Iman, because he has this belief, and he goes with the belief in the Qur'an, he accepts the Qur'an, he accepts and believes in sins and their consequences, but when he gets there and goes with the right intention, then Iman elevates, and the person gets to Haq ul Yaqeen. From Ilm ul Yaqeen, he goes to Ayn ul Yaqeen and then to Haq ul Yaqeen due to the company of that Wali of Allah, due to those blessings; then, that same person who knows and is aware, he starts to practice and believe properly. The difference comes - you can see this. This is the reason why a person's Iman elevates and is promoted. So
10th Jun, 2020
So now, we need pay attention to {bi ma unzila ilayka} - that the Qur'an Allah ta'ala revealed is for those who practice upon it! Now you can't practice the Qur'an directly - this is what is meant by {bi ma unzila ilayka}. Tell me - it is impossible. Show me how you can practice the Qur'an; Allah's orders have been revealed, but Allah says 'You need to practice upon this as well'. The Qur'an is truthful and honest, but we cannot practice the Qur'an directly; it cannot be. Why? The Qur'an is ordering, giving instruction. The Qur'an says 'Pray Salah' - the Hukm has come. Or 'Observe fast' or 'Leave interest', 'Leave Haram'. Order: 'Do Haj' - the orders have come. Now we have to believe this and accept this order and practice this. So the Qur'an says 'Pray Salah' - how will we pray Salah? Show me how you can pray Salah from the Qur'an on its own. Allah says 'Keep the fast' - how do we keep the fast? Tell me! So what we realise is that {bi ma unzila ilayka} means that Allah ta'ala hasn't just given us the commands, but has also shown us the method by which we can practice the Qur'an, subhanAllah. We think {bi ma unzila ilayka} is just Qur'an - no! This is also that Tariqa, the method, the technique - Allah has told us both things, the method and the commands. Both things are the meaning of {bi ma unzila ilayka}. So both of these things were revealed to Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The Qur'an on its own cannot run unless you follow and practice it with the method, subhanAllah So what we mean is that {bi ma unzila ilayka} means what? That the order of the Qur'an was revealed; Allah gives the order via the Qur'an, and the method is via the practice of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; these are both essential and necessary. And this is the meaning of {bi ma unzila ilayka}; if we do not accept and implement the method of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the we can never practice upon the Qur'an, nobody can practice the Qur'an. So Allah subhana wa ta'ala has given us the Qur'an, and alongside that He has given us the Tariqa, the method. The Qur'an has come in the form of instruction, and you practice that via the physical practice of Hadhrat Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in his body, his life, his lifestyle - and Allah says [fa qad faaza fauzan adheema}! If you obey both Allah and His Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then you will be be successful.
So to accept the Qur'an on its own is not the path of guidance; a person must implement the methodology and technique of the lifestyle of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and that Tariqa of Amal. So the orders are in the Qur'an, and the method is the Sunnat-e-Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; in other words, Qur'an and Sunnah, both things together, joined, inseparable. Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqa radhiAllahu anha was asked by a companion, 'What was the Akhlaq, the conduct, of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam?' and she said, 'It was the Qur'an!' Allahu Akbar! His Akhlaq was Qur'an, his whole life, in other words, was Qur'an - look at the Qur'an. So where will you get the commentary of the Qur'an? In the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's lifestyle. So it is essential and compulsory that when a person says, 'I want to practice the Qur'an, I believe in it, I believe in what was revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam - {bi ma unzila ilayka wa ma unzila min qablik}' - subhanAllah! So when a person wants to attain the true objective of the Qur'an, when you practice the Qur'an, then you can only practice the Qur'an via the Tariqa and method of the Prophet Salahudin alayhi wa sallam, via his Sunnah Sharifa, via his honourable Sunnah. So the Qur'an is the instruction, and the Sunnah is the method of implementation. So the Qur'an has come to us in the form of a book, and there is another Qur'an that has come as a commentary; Salah is ordered in the Qur'an, and physical explanation of the Qur'an is in the honourable, illustrious practice of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
So what we learn is {bi ma unzila ilayka} the sign of those people who are rightly guided is physically, that as their certainty on the Qur'an increased and increased, they moved from Ilm ul Yaqeen and came towards Amal, physical practice of the Qur'an; and when they came to physical practice of the Qur'an, then they became observant of the Sunnah. Obviously, they had to take hold of the Sunnah to do Amal of the Qur'an - there's no other way, just I'tiba as-Sunnah, following the Sunnah. So this is compulsory - if you do not attach the physical practice of the Prophet sallallahu alayh wa Salam with the Qur'an, you cannot do Amal. Hadhrat Sheikh Saadi rahmatullah alayh said 'How can a person attain the Hereafter without the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? Impossible!'
10th Jun, 2020
So Allah ta'ala says {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka wa ma unzila min qablika wa bil aakhirati hum yuqinoon} - you knew before, you accepted, you were aware, Allah's Qur'an has been revealed for us - and Allah revealed both the Qur'an and its method, its Tariqa. Both were revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhiwa sallam together, before we knew about it, but when they had conviction and belief and their faith increased after getting guidance, then the sign of their attaining the rightly guided path is that now they have got Hidaya, they have got the knowledge and are benefiting from guidance, and the physical sign of those people is that their lifestyle is totally in accordance with that of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, subhnaAllah. Their lifestyle totally reflects the lifestyle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. If a person has the lifestyle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in his life, then this is a sign that this individual is totally on the path of Hidaya, guidance. If the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is not present in a person's life, if the Sunnah is not reflected in his lifestyle, then he is not on the path of guidance. He may be praying Salah, but he is doing unlawful actions, so the guidance is not in his life, as the lifestyle s not that of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is praying Salah, but Salah on its own is not guidance, no. Rather, the total Tariqa of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam must be adopted. Whatever the Qur'an and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam give you, then take it, and whatever they tell you to leave, leave it, stop it.
So the real path of guidance that Allah ta'ala has defined {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka} is that of those who believe believe in the Qur'an and, in parallel, the methodology of implementing the Qur'an. Those who believe in that, their Iman gets stronger and stronger,and they get to the level of certainty, and of these Allah ta'ala says {oolaaika ala' hudan} - these are the ones who are upon guidance - and [oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon} - these are the successful people in the Hereafter, and they will attain Paradise.
So my brothers, the Qur'an has given a great message for the Saalikeen. If we go to a Sheikh, a teacher, we think that we have gone onto the right path and that we are travelling, but are we on the right path or not? That is the question. Is my practice correct or not? That is the question. There is only one basis of measurement, only one criteria to apply, and what is that? What guidance is right, and which wrong? Which is correct and which incorrect? Which is successful and which unsuccessful? You can only determine and analyse whether you are on the right path or not, whether you are good Muslim or not, a correct Muslim or not by one method - and what is that? We have to measure ourselves in comparison to the lifestyle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Are my actions in accordance with his actions? Not just the Qur'an alone - is the Tariqa of Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam present or not? And where we attain the message and teachings of the Qur'an, alhamdulillah, and the Tariqa of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam comes into our lives, then that is the path of right guidance.
So very easily we can realise and learn: when we go into somebody's company, a Wali of Allah or somebody who is pious, in order to be improved and reformed and refined, then we have to look at whether, after going into their company, any improvement has come into our lives. Have these changes come? Are we starting to practice the Sunnah? Have the good actions come into our lives? If the actions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam come into our lives, then - and I am not saying this, the Qur'an is saying it - {oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon} - 'Don't worry, you have become successful!' One hundred percent you are successful. Close your eyes, and wait for the success to come, alhamdulillah. Congratulations, you have attained the good company, the right Sheikh, you have got the right levels. The standard that Allah ta'ala has given to us, the right standard of Iman, you are attaining that, you are learning that. What is that? Allah ta'ala has given us Qur'an and what was revealed to Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, which is both the Qur'an and his practice. And what was the objective of the Qur'an? That you should practice the orders of the Qur'an. And how do you practice the orders of the Qur'an? Via the blessed technique and lifestyle of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So when we get that, when we go to the company of somebody who is pious, when we see that our appearance, walking, talking, eating, Rizq, wealth, everything in our life, comings, goings, all of lifestyle is in accordance to the Sunnah, in obedience to the Sunnah, then Allah announces that these are those people, subhanAllah, who have attained the right guidance, and are on the path of right guidance. Allah say, 'I announce - {oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon} - these are those who are successful.
10th Jun, 2020
So simple is the path and the way to judge yourself! There is no confusion, no need to be confused; Allah has given us a clean, pure path via the Qur'an, a clear message: continue to read the Qur'an and understand the meaning. Alhamdulillah. You can determine whether you are on the right path, whether you have guidance, successful, not successful - it is a very simple, easy formula. If I go to the company of good people and my life improves, and the effect of the Sheikh has come onto a person - and it does - then the best and easiest way which Allah ta'ala has explained is that you should take hold of the company of such a person who is physically practising himself, because we need to learn Amal from that company. And this is the simplest way, the easiest way! Look, if you want to see what guidance is, you won't get guidance from Tafsir or commentaries or speeches or lectures, the easiest way is to go to the company of such a person. Ask Allah: 'Oh Allah, give me the company of such a person!'
And as soon as you enter into the company of that person - subhnaAllah, this is the standard of the Qur'an - that your Iman and belief, which you knew and accepted, you will then start to practice upon that, due to the company of that person. So we accepted before we went to that company that there was a hell, but when we go and sit in the company of that person, then the fear develops, and we say, 'Oh no, I need to save myself from hell!' That is the elevation of Iman. So company is such a great, great asset; it has such a great effect on a person, with a rapid improvement to the lifestyle - if he is a Kaamil and complete Sheikh. Now you can see around us in the world that people say, 'I am a Mureed of this Pir, and he is my Sheikh', but there is no sign in his appearance, his looks, in his practice - nothing at all. There is no Purdah, no observance of anything related to the Shari'ah, just 'Oh, do Dua for me so that I can get this please. Oh my sheikh looks at me and now my business is thriving; I go to my sheikh and he does Dua for me and I had a son; I asked him to make a Dua for me for this worldly thing and it was accepted' - this is deception, delusion. Certainly, the Duas of the Wali of Allah are accepted, but Allah ta'ala says that He gives according to the good intentions with which a person goes to the Wali of Allah. That Dua is something else. But if we go with the intention of worldly benefit, then such a person cannot attain success. This is not the objective of going to a pious person, to a Wali of Allah. Yes. Alhamdulillah, if a person goes with the right objective and asks the a friend of Allah to make Dua, those people are the beloved servants of Allah and Allah accepts their Dua. But this is a side point; the real, genuine purpose of going into their company is to improve our lives. If we don't improve our lives, if our appearance is not improving, if our lifestyle is not improving, the environment at home is not improving, our worship is not improving, changing, and we want to improve our worldly situation, then we will get a sheikh who says, 'Don't worry, don't keep a beard, that's fine, you're fine, I'll do Dua for you.' And those people will have big gatherings, conferences, marches, but with no sign of Deen! By Allah, do you see anyone implementing the Tariqa of Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at these events? Rather, they are opposed to the Sunnah; they do not practice the Sunnah.
So the Qur'an is saving us from this most dangerous age of Fitnah - remember, the Qur'an has said that the right path, the Straight Path that Allah has given is {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka wa ma unzila min qablika wa bil aakhirati hum yuqinoon} - 'Oh people of faith, who accept, who know what I have revealed upon you and to those before you and {wa bil aakhirati hum yuqinoon} after that they have certainty on those things that were revealed to you, and their Yaqeen becomes so strong, so elevated, that they don't just know and accept, rather they start to practice on this as well. Before they used to accept what hell is, and they knew, but they now start to do actions that save them from hell. If they accept and know what Paradise is, then they start making effort so they can attain Paradise. Then Allah announces, {oolaaika ala hudan min rabbihim wa oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon} - subhanAllah! These people depend on guidance from their Lord; Allah says, 'Don't worry, your path is totally correct; you are the rightly guided people; the Sheikh that you are sitting with, the place where you have attained this path, where Iman becomes beneficial and positive and stronger, and the things that you didn't do before, you start to practise, then congratulations to you, your path is the right and solid path of guidance, so stick to this path, to Shari'ah and Sunnah, hold onto it with strength, because what we have revealed upon Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the Qur'an, and in parallel, the method and Tariqa, and subhanAllah, My order is the Qur'an, and the practice, the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that was also revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So who are those who stick to this? {Oolaaika ala hudan min rabbihim}, they are the rightly guided people, and everything else is fraud, and a lie, and a mirage, and a dream, apart from this. [Oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon} - congratulations, good news to you, for you are successful in the world and will be successful in the Hereafter.'
Allah subhana wa ta'ala has given guidance to the human being. And Hidaya, guidance - the right guidance - is that guidance through which a person reaches his destination. If he does not reach his destination, then definitely, that is not guidance. For example - the example that I gave to you previously - you get the path, you know the directions to get to London, and if you get the path to reach London, then that guidance is beneficial. If it doesn't take us to London - the path, the guidance, the directions - then it is not beneficial for us. In the same way, Hidaya, Allah subhana wa ta'ala, if He gives Tawfeeq to someone and he gives him Hidaya, guidance, then if we reach the destination of the Hereafter, then that person has utilised that guidance and it has been beneficial. So to get guidance is not enough, but it should be the right guidance by which a person gets to the destination.
Look, Allah ta'ala states in the Qur'an {alladhina yuminoona bi ma unzila ilayka wa ma unzila min qablika wa bil aakhirati hum yuqinoon oolaaika ala hudan min rabbihim wa oolaaika hum-ul-muflihoon}. Allah says those people are on the path of guidance who through the guidance, get to the destination. What's the sign of this? Allah says that the guidance that takes a person to success, is that Hidaya which takes a person to his destination - he gets to the end point. And who are the people who are on the path of guidance? We need to realise whether we are on the right path or not: is this the right path or not, is this the correct path or not? So remember this: Hidaya, the right path, the true guidance, the proper guidance, a person will recognise this immediately if it is such. For example, if a person goes to a Friend of Allah, for tarbiyah, for Islah, for guidance - that's why a person goes to a Friend of Allah, a Wali of Allah, to make effort, to improve, to live life in the right way and attain the hereafter. So is right guidance, the correct guidance, present in the company of this person or not? So immediately there is an effect on the Iman of the individual who is seeking; if a seeker goes to a Kaamil Sheikh, a complete Sheikh, with this intention, that he wants to attain guidance, then the first effect of the company of that Wali will be on his Iman, on his belief, on his faith. When you get right guidance from somewhere, than that person's Iman starts to improve. In the first company, when a person arrives to the company of the Wali of Allah, then the change and improvement comes to his Iman - Iman improves!