"Except for those who are patient and do righteous deeds; those will have forgiveness and great reward." [11:11]
In the Quran, Allah ta'ala has announced two things for an individual, forgiveness and a great reward. A person exerts himself in lifelong worship for the purpose of attaining these two things. He performs worship seeking forgiveness from his sins, safety from Hellfire, the highest rank in Paradise and attaining Allah ta'ala's pleasure, so that he may receive all the blessings of the afterlife.
In this world, a person is required to seek and pray. He is required to practice and work hard. However, in the Hereafter, a person is given luxuries and rewards. He may only desire the luxuries of Paradise without seeking, and he will attain it.
Our life has an objective, so each day we rise, we should keep that objective in front of us. If we were weak yesterday, we should demonstrate improvement today.
In the verse mentioned, Allah ta'ala informs us of how to attain the two rewards, forgiveness and a high level Paradise. The first thing we require is patience and the second, is righteous deeds.
What is patience?
The greatest worship is observing patience. Allah ta'ala is aware that we lead a busy life and have responsibilities and does not wish to disrupt our routine. We live in this world and we go through ups and downs in life and this is our test. Through passing these tests, we earn Paradise. Being healthy or sick is worship. Being rich or poor is worship. To face a loss, is worship. To persevere, is worship. To care for someone, is an act of worship. These are all high level worships which a person attains Paradise through. As a result of our patience, we will be granted Allah ta'ala's pleasure.
Generally, when a person is distressed by a calamity or Allah takes something away from him, he becomes ungrateful and criticises Allah ta'ala. He complains to Allah ta'ala amongst the people and he criticises worship.
On the other hand, Allah ta'ala grants a person treasures and gifts and such a person becomes arrogant and proud. He shows off through his assets. In both circumstances, these individuals are being tested by Allah ta'ala.
When a person faces a loss, he should observe patience instead of complaining. He should have a continuous mind-set that everything occurs due to Allah ta'ala's wisdom. He should not fear and take up unlawful avenues in attempt to attain what he has lost. Furthermore, when he is given riches, he should observe gratitude. These are tests for a person and Allah ta'ala wishes to deliver us to a high level through them with reward and forgiveness.
Prayer is a great action in which a person meets Allah ta'ala. Through prayer, a person's status is also elevated. However, none of us can guarantee that our prayers are capable of granting us Paradise as the standard of our prayers are poor. We fail to concentrate in our prayers and do not pray as we should. Allah ta'ala knew that we weren't able to perform our prayers with due right, so He granted us troubles and challenges so that we can observe patience and have our ranks elevated throughout our life.
When a person creates the habit of being patient and remaining hopeful, then he sleeps at night with ease and spends his life with ease. Such a person knows that whatever Allah ta'ala has destined for him, will occur instead of what he desires personally.
We should rise for Tahajjud at night and seek our needs from Allah ta'ala and He will solve our problems. By asking Him, you will receive His help and your positivity and encouragement will increase.
If a person assigns his affairs to Allah ta'ala, The Controller and does not rely on his own efforts, then Allah ta'ala will grant him more on top of what he sought.
Allah ta'ala is with the patient people whose reliance in Allah ta'ala increases. If you demonstrate endurance, then your worship is improved and your prayers become complete. Initially, a person's prayers were empty and just physical practices, however, after he demonstrates patience, his prayers are given a special effect. It becomes an excellent action which Allah ta'ala accepts because the servant placed his trust in Allah ta'ala completely.
Reward and forgiveness are given to those who exercise patience, so how will we achieve patience? Patience is an emotion and a condition which can't be bought or taken from books. It is created within a person through one method only and that is through the path of love.
Our religion is the religion of love. Whichever action we perform with love, it becomes a fantastic action. Allah ta'ala loves His servants and it is due to His love that we are safe today. We sin in abundance, but Allah ta'ala still clothes us and feeds us. This is because Allah ta'ala's love overwhelms His punishment, otherwise we would've been destroyed due to our sins. Allah loves us, which is why He has given us the chance to turn back to Him.
Allah ta'ala loves the believers and the believers also love Allah ta'ala intensely. The true believer is he who sacrifices his spouse, his children and his life for the Prophet ﷺ.
In reality, all our worship depends on love. Today, we worship but we lack deep love. If we wish to attain reward and forgiveness, then we should develop love within us and it will grant us the path of ease and solutions.
When a person loves deeply, then he achieves patience. Love is such a thing, that it causes a person to make great sacrifices. When your love increases, your patience increases and you become pleased with Allah ta'ala's decree, for love will never allow you to complain and criticise. Rather, you will feel ashamed to complain. The lover never complains against his beloved.
We complain and harbour doubts because we have no love. We become depressed and resort to unlawful things. On the other hand, when we trust Allah ta'ala, then we accept Allah ta'ala's wisdom when faced with problems and we are satisfied with His plan. A person requires love for Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ to attain this level.
If we have love within us, then we may implement and have patience. If a person develops patience within him, then reliance upon Allah ta'ala will also be developed within him and he begins to understand Allah ta'ala's worship and instructions. This is the level of Tajalliyah Af'aaliyyah in the Naqshbandi order. It refers to a person drowning in Allah ta'ala's magnificence and splendour which creates the actions and circumstances of the world.
A Naqshbandi Sheikh first cleans and opens up the heart of a student. When the heart opens, then a person leaves the physical world and reaches the spiritual world. Therein, his belief is such that all the conditions of the world are from the magnificence and glory of Allah ta'ala. Allah ta'ala's glory and splendour then descends upon the heart of the student who has worked hard upon his heart and had his heart opened through taking Allah ta'ala's name. This is called Sufism.
Tasawwuf is a subject in Islam which connects a person to Allah ta'ala. The door of a person's heart opens and he begins to observe and experience things. He understands the actions of Allah ta'ala and he feels confident in them. He displays reliance upon Allah ta'ala and has no concern about the world. He is not depressed.
We should engage in the dhikr of Allah ta'ala to acquire this. Every action we perform is for a reason. When a human being develops patience and gains reliance upon Allah ta'ala, then he acquires love. When patience comes, he understands that whatever occurs in his life is due to the wisdom of Allah ta'ala. He never complains and is always pleased with Allah ta'ala. He knows that through his calamities, Allah ta'ala wanted him to reach a very high level and gain the rewards in his lifetime due to his patience. Thus, he is pleased with all his affairs as he has love within him.
Where do we attain love from?
It is attained from a person who already loves Allah ta'ala and Allah ta'ala loves him. In his company, you will receive love. You will love him and he will love you and you will begin to emulate the Sunnah. Your conduct will improve and you will develop fear over sinning. Allah ta'ala has defined this path of acquiring love. We should seek a Wali Allah with a sincere intention of acquiring Allah ta'ala's love so that the whole deen may penetrate within us.
We follow the western ways whilst claiming to be lovers of the Prophet ﷺ. We are ashamed to emulate the Sunnah and follow our role model and we reject the Quran as hypocrites. The Quran repeatedly demands us to obey Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ, but we are ashamed.
When we fail to love Allah ta'ala and the Prophet ﷺ, we recite the Quran incorrectly, our manners are spoilt and our whole deen is spoilt.
In reality, all relationships break, but the relationship in which love is existent, can never break. This is the example of the Sheikh and the student. It has been mentioned in a Hadith that when two people love each other for the sake of Allah ta'ala, then they will be together after the day of Qiyaamah.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
"Except for those who are patient and do righteous deeds; those will have forgiveness and great reward." [11:11]
In the Quran, Allah ta'ala has announced two things for an individual, forgiveness and a great reward. A person exerts himself in lifelong worship for the purpose of attaining these two things. He performs worship seeking forgiveness from his sins, safety from Hellfire, the highest rank in Paradise and attaining Allah ta'ala's pleasure, so that he may receive all the blessings of the afterlife.
In this world, a person is required to seek and pray. He is required to practice and work hard. However, in the Hereafter, a person is given luxuries and rewards. He may only desire the luxuries of Paradise without seeking, and he will attain it.
Our life has an objective, so each day we rise, we should keep that objective in front of us. If we were weak yesterday, we should demonstrate improvement today.
In the verse mentioned, Allah ta'ala informs us of how to attain the two rewards, forgiveness and a high level Paradise. The first thing we require is patience and the second, is righteous deeds.
What is patience?
The greatest worship is observing patience. Allah ta'ala is aware that we lead a busy life and have responsibilities and does not wish to disrupt our routine. We live in this world and we go through ups and downs in life and this is our test. Through passing these tests, we earn Paradise. Being healthy or sick is worship. Being rich or poor is worship. To face a loss, is worship. To persevere, is worship. To care for someone, is an act of worship. These are all high level worships which a person attains Paradise through. As a result of our patience, we will be granted Allah ta'ala's pleasure.
Generally, when a person is distressed by a calamity or Allah takes something away from him, he becomes ungrateful and criticises Allah ta'ala. He complains to Allah ta'ala amongst the people and he criticises worship.
On the other hand, Allah ta'ala grants a person treasures and gifts and such a person becomes arrogant and proud. He shows off through his assets. In both circumstances, these individuals are being tested by Allah ta'ala.
When a person faces a loss, he should observe patience instead of complaining. He should have a continuous mind-set that everything occurs due to Allah ta'ala's wisdom. He should not fear and take up unlawful avenues in attempt to attain what he has lost. Furthermore, when he is given riches, he should observe gratitude. These are tests for a person and Allah ta'ala wishes to deliver us to a high level through them with reward and forgiveness.
Prayer is a great action in which a person meets Allah ta'ala. Through prayer, a person's status is also elevated. However, none of us can guarantee that our prayers are capable of granting us Paradise as the standard of our prayers are poor. We fail to concentrate in our prayers and do not pray as we should. Allah ta'ala knew that we weren't able to perform our prayers with due right, so He granted us troubles and challenges so that we can observe patience and have our ranks elevated throughout our life.
When a person creates the habit of being patient and remaining hopeful, then he sleeps at night with ease and spends his life with ease. Such a person knows that whatever Allah ta'ala has destined for him, will occur instead of what he desires personally.
We should rise for Tahajjud at night and seek our needs from Allah ta'ala and He will solve our problems. By asking Him, you will receive His help and your positivity and encouragement will increase.
If a person assigns his affairs to Allah ta'ala, The Controller and does not rely on his own efforts, then Allah ta'ala will grant him more on top of what he sought.
Allah ta'ala is with the patient people whose reliance in Allah ta'ala increases. If you demonstrate endurance, then your worship is improved and your prayers become complete. Initially, a person's prayers were empty and just physical practices, however, after he demonstrates patience, his prayers are given a special effect. It becomes an excellent action which Allah ta'ala accepts because the servant placed his trust in Allah ta'ala completely.
Reward and forgiveness are given to those who exercise patience, so how will we achieve patience? Patience is an emotion and a condition which can't be bought or taken from books. It is created within a person through one method only and that is through the path of love.
Our religion is the religion of love. Whichever action we perform with love, it becomes a fantastic action. Allah ta'ala loves His servants and it is due to His love that we are safe today. We sin in abundance, but Allah ta'ala still clothes us and feeds us. This is because Allah ta'ala's love overwhelms His punishment, otherwise we would've been destroyed due to our sins. Allah loves us, which is why He has given us the chance to turn back to Him.
Allah ta'ala loves the believers and the believers also love Allah ta'ala intensely. The true believer is he who sacrifices his spouse, his children and his life for the Prophet ﷺ.
In reality, all our worship depends on love. Today, we worship but we lack deep love. If we wish to attain reward and forgiveness, then we should develop love within us and it will grant us the path of ease and solutions.
When a person loves deeply, then he achieves patience. Love is such a thing, that it causes a person to make great sacrifices. When your love increases, your patience increases and you become pleased with Allah ta'ala's decree, for love will never allow you to complain and criticise. Rather, you will feel ashamed to complain. The lover never complains against his beloved.
We complain and harbour doubts because we have no love. We become depressed and resort to unlawful things. On the other hand, when we trust Allah ta'ala, then we accept Allah ta'ala's wisdom when faced with problems and we are satisfied with His plan. A person requires love for Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ to attain this level.
If we have love within us, then we may implement and have patience. If a person develops patience within him, then reliance upon Allah ta'ala will also be developed within him and he begins to understand Allah ta'ala's worship and instructions. This is the level of Tajalliyah Af'aaliyyah in the Naqshbandi order. It refers to a person drowning in Allah ta'ala's magnificence and splendour which creates the actions and circumstances of the world.
A Naqshbandi Sheikh first cleans and opens up the heart of a student. When the heart opens, then a person leaves the physical world and reaches the spiritual world. Therein, his belief is such that all the conditions of the world are from the magnificence and glory of Allah ta'ala. Allah ta'ala's glory and splendour then descends upon the heart of the student who has worked hard upon his heart and had his heart opened through taking Allah ta'ala's name. This is called Sufism.
Tasawwuf is a subject in Islam which connects a person to Allah ta'ala. The door of a person's heart opens and he begins to observe and experience things. He understands the actions of Allah ta'ala and he feels confident in them. He displays reliance upon Allah ta'ala and has no concern about the world. He is not depressed.
We should engage in the dhikr of Allah ta'ala to acquire this. Every action we perform is for a reason. When a human being develops patience and gains reliance upon Allah ta'ala, then he acquires love. When patience comes, he understands that whatever occurs in his life is due to the wisdom of Allah ta'ala. He never complains and is always pleased with Allah ta'ala. He knows that through his calamities, Allah ta'ala wanted him to reach a very high level and gain the rewards in his lifetime due to his patience. Thus, he is pleased with all his affairs as he has love within him.
Where do we attain love from?
It is attained from a person who already loves Allah ta'ala and Allah ta'ala loves him. In his company, you will receive love. You will love him and he will love you and you will begin to emulate the Sunnah. Your conduct will improve and you will develop fear over sinning. Allah ta'ala has defined this path of acquiring love. We should seek a Wali Allah with a sincere intention of acquiring Allah ta'ala's love so that the whole deen may penetrate within us.
We follow the western ways whilst claiming to be lovers of the Prophet ﷺ. We are ashamed to emulate the Sunnah and follow our role model and we reject the Quran as hypocrites. The Quran repeatedly demands us to obey Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ, but we are ashamed.
When we fail to love Allah ta'ala and the Prophet ﷺ, we recite the Quran incorrectly, our manners are spoilt and our whole deen is spoilt.
In reality, all relationships break, but the relationship in which love is existent, can never break. This is the example of the Sheikh and the student. It has been mentioned in a Hadith that when two people love each other for the sake of Allah ta'ala, then they will be together after the day of Qiyaamah.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement. Ameen