Each of us desire success. A person chases the materialism of the world and he is overwhelmed by the temporary luxuries and attractions. Thus, the world becomes his focal point of success.
In reality, worldly promotion cannot grant true success. Allah ta'ala defines the true definition of success in the Quran which we should strive to attain. The success of this world lies under the responsibility of Allah ta'ala. Our earnings, occupation, our wives and children are all under His control. Thus, we shouldn't be overly concerned regarding them.
We must strive to make effort to fulfil the true purpose of life and that is to develop the awe and glory of Allah ta'ala in our hearts, as well as developing the fear of displeasing Him.
We were given our faith without asking for it. Allah ta'ala allowed us to recite the Kalimah with ease, despite the fact that this faith is achieved with great hardship and suffering just like the Sahabah attained Imaan through much hardship.
Our relationship should be such with Allah ta'ala that we cannot possibly fathom to disobey His instructions.
When a servant rejects His orders and prioritises his own business and jobs over prayer, such a person cannot live a life of ease and he will not receive benefit from the wealth he earns whilst ignoring prayer.
The proof of one's faith lies in His obedience to Allah ta'ala, such as fulfilling prayer five times a day. Thus, we must hasten to prayer whenever the call to prayer takes place. The reason we abandon prayer is because we do not hold the greatness of Allah ta'ala in our hearts.
The purpose of our life is to adhere to His commands and abstain from what He has prohibited. We should sacrifice our entire lives for this.
"O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of approach] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed." [5:35]
This verses speaks about the method of attaining the awareness of Allah ta'ala. If we lack this awareness, we lead a wretched life. The one who possesses Allah ta'ala’s awe and recognises His greatness in his heart, he naturally begins to dislike those things which distant him from Allah ta'ala.
The first prerequisite of attaining Allah ta'ala's fear and nearness is to search for an intermediary - someone who is already close to Allah ta'ala. We must request Allah ta'ala for the company of a WaliAllah who is already close to Allah ta'ala and has the fear of Allah ta'ala in his heart. By sitting in his company, his great character will rub upon us. The more we draw nearer to the waliAllah, the closer we will become to Allah ta'ala. If we take steps to search and have a true intention to change, Allah ta'ala will open the doors for us and will grant us spiritual sustenance.
وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ
After finding the company of the waliAllah, we must make some effort. This is how we will gain success of the Hereafter. The Sheikh will guide us towards the methodology of fighting our own desires and inner self. He will teach us dhikr which is a weapon to ward of Shaytan and our desires.
When a person performs dhikr, the eyes of his heart open are he is given awareness. Thereafter, when he is approached by sin, his lataaif, spiritual lessons, will attack his inner desires and protect him from sin.
This is the methodology of success and a form of protection from Hellfire. If we do not protect our prayer, we will easily fall in to sin and forego prayer with ease. When we fail to utilise the weapon of dhikr, it causes us to view sins as insignificant. Dhikr grants power and determination and encouragement to pray and worship.
وَجَاهِدُوا
This word refers to abundant dhikr and this is the effort which we must strive for. We must assign ourselves to a Sheikh and obey his instructions even if we face worldly loss in the process.
Mujahadah refers to acting in opposition to one's desires and working hard with every passing second. This is because every second one's desires invite him towards wrongdoing. A person may become a martyr of his own desires once he constantly crushes his desires against sins.
Nabi ﷺ once mentioned regarding the Dhaakireen, “Those in solitude have raced ahead.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, who are those in solitude?” The Prophet said, “They are men and women who remember Allah often.” [Sahih Muslim Shareef]
The forerunners are those who remember Allah ta'ala with abundance. They will be given the highest ranks in the Hereafter.
We must develop the greatness of Allah ta'ala in our hearts instead of the greatness of acquiring wealth. We will not gain more wealth by migrating to various locations. Instead, we should rely upon Allah ta'ala for our personal affairs and conditions. After we depart this world, our assets will hold no value. However, the one who recited the name of Allah ta'ala the most in this world, will be granted a higher status in Paradise than those who did not.
If we truly desire Paradise, we must assess our condition and how much hard work we have performed for the sake of our Hereafter.
Hard work refers to assigning ourselves to a Sheikh and completely submitting to him and his instructions. Allah ta'ala Himself is the objective and the Sheikh is the means of assistance. It is due to the grace of Allah ta'ala that He has placed the love for the student in the heart of the waliAllah so that the waliAllah may assist the student. It is through the mercy of Allah ta'ala that the Sheikh distances the student from the wretchedness of the world and connects him to Allah ta'ala.
The waliAllah purifies the heart of a student and this is his work. His main focus is the heart.
The objective of our life is to please Allah ta'ala. If one fails to obey Him, it is due to his lack of reliance and awareness in Allah ta'ala. Such a persons heart is spoilt yet, he will fail to admit it due to possessing spiritual sicknesses.
The noble companions attained the deen and the nearness of Allah ta'ala by working hard and enduring much hardship. Likewise, we should assess whether we are acting in accordance to the Shariah and Sunnah.
Allah nearness is attained by crushing our own desires. We must make some effort and sacrifices in order to receive Paradise.
We must fulfil the criteria for our actions and make them worthy of acceptance in the court of Allah ta'ala. We must be wary of this when performing Umrah and Hajj too. Allah ta'ala only accepts pure deeds which is why we must perform each action with sincerity.
We must try to bring sincerity in to our actions. When we form this intention and make effort, Allah ta'ala accepts our deeds due to our efforts even if a person tries but fails to succeed.
Instead of making excuses for our wrongdoing, we should at least seek the help of Allah ta'ala to refrain from sin. This is our efforts which are appreciated by Allah ta'ala. Such a person will not leave this world as a failure.
However, if we fail to make effort, we will die without faith.
We should crush our desires and follow the Sheikh's instructions without any excuses. To obey Him is considered true Mujahadah - hard work.
Each of us desire success. A person chases the materialism of the world and he is overwhelmed by the temporary luxuries and attractions. Thus, the world becomes his focal point of success.
In reality, worldly promotion cannot grant true success. Allah ta'ala defines the true definition of success in the Quran which we should strive to attain. The success of this world lies under the responsibility of Allah ta'ala. Our earnings, occupation, our wives and children are all under His control. Thus, we shouldn't be overly concerned regarding them.
We must strive to make effort to fulfil the true purpose of life and that is to develop the awe and glory of Allah ta'ala in our hearts, as well as developing the fear of displeasing Him.
We were given our faith without asking for it. Allah ta'ala allowed us to recite the Kalimah with ease, despite the fact that this faith is achieved with great hardship and suffering just like the Sahabah attained Imaan through much hardship.
Our relationship should be such with Allah ta'ala that we cannot possibly fathom to disobey His instructions.
When a servant rejects His orders and prioritises his own business and jobs over prayer, such a person cannot live a life of ease and he will not receive benefit from the wealth he earns whilst ignoring prayer.
The proof of one's faith lies in His obedience to Allah ta'ala, such as fulfilling prayer five times a day. Thus, we must hasten to prayer whenever the call to prayer takes place. The reason we abandon prayer is because we do not hold the greatness of Allah ta'ala in our hearts.
The purpose of our life is to adhere to His commands and abstain from what He has prohibited. We should sacrifice our entire lives for this.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
"O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of approach] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed." [5:35]
This verses speaks about the method of attaining the awareness of Allah ta'ala. If we lack this awareness, we lead a wretched life. The one who possesses Allah ta'ala’s awe and recognises His greatness in his heart, he naturally begins to dislike those things which distant him from Allah ta'ala.
The first prerequisite of attaining Allah ta'ala's fear and nearness is to search for an intermediary - someone who is already close to Allah ta'ala. We must request Allah ta'ala for the company of a WaliAllah who is already close to Allah ta'ala and has the fear of Allah ta'ala in his heart. By sitting in his company, his great character will rub upon us. The more we draw nearer to the waliAllah, the closer we will become to Allah ta'ala. If we take steps to search and have a true intention to change, Allah ta'ala will open the doors for us and will grant us spiritual sustenance.
وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ
After finding the company of the waliAllah, we must make some effort. This is how we will gain success of the Hereafter. The Sheikh will guide us towards the methodology of fighting our own desires and inner self. He will teach us dhikr which is a weapon to ward of Shaytan and our desires.
When a person performs dhikr, the eyes of his heart open are he is given awareness. Thereafter, when he is approached by sin, his lataaif, spiritual lessons, will attack his inner desires and protect him from sin.
This is the methodology of success and a form of protection from Hellfire. If we do not protect our prayer, we will easily fall in to sin and forego prayer with ease. When we fail to utilise the weapon of dhikr, it causes us to view sins as insignificant. Dhikr grants power and determination and encouragement to pray and worship.
وَجَاهِدُوا
This word refers to abundant dhikr and this is the effort which we must strive for. We must assign ourselves to a Sheikh and obey his instructions even if we face worldly loss in the process.
Mujahadah refers to acting in opposition to one's desires and working hard with every passing second. This is because every second one's desires invite him towards wrongdoing. A person may become a martyr of his own desires once he constantly crushes his desires against sins.
Nabi ﷺ once mentioned regarding the Dhaakireen, “Those in solitude have raced ahead.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, who are those in solitude?” The Prophet said, “They are men and women who remember Allah often.” [Sahih Muslim Shareef]
The forerunners are those who remember Allah ta'ala with abundance. They will be given the highest ranks in the Hereafter.
We must develop the greatness of Allah ta'ala in our hearts instead of the greatness of acquiring wealth. We will not gain more wealth by migrating to various locations. Instead, we should rely upon Allah ta'ala for our personal affairs and conditions. After we depart this world, our assets will hold no value. However, the one who recited the name of Allah ta'ala the most in this world, will be granted a higher status in Paradise than those who did not.
If we truly desire Paradise, we must assess our condition and how much hard work we have performed for the sake of our Hereafter.
Hard work refers to assigning ourselves to a Sheikh and completely submitting to him and his instructions. Allah ta'ala Himself is the objective and the Sheikh is the means of assistance. It is due to the grace of Allah ta'ala that He has placed the love for the student in the heart of the waliAllah so that the waliAllah may assist the student. It is through the mercy of Allah ta'ala that the Sheikh distances the student from the wretchedness of the world and connects him to Allah ta'ala.
The waliAllah purifies the heart of a student and this is his work. His main focus is the heart.
The objective of our life is to please Allah ta'ala. If one fails to obey Him, it is due to his lack of reliance and awareness in Allah ta'ala. Such a persons heart is spoilt yet, he will fail to admit it due to possessing spiritual sicknesses.
The noble companions attained the deen and the nearness of Allah ta'ala by working hard and enduring much hardship. Likewise, we should assess whether we are acting in accordance to the Shariah and Sunnah.
Allah nearness is attained by crushing our own desires. We must make some effort and sacrifices in order to receive Paradise.
We must fulfil the criteria for our actions and make them worthy of acceptance in the court of Allah ta'ala. We must be wary of this when performing Umrah and Hajj too. Allah ta'ala only accepts pure deeds which is why we must perform each action with sincerity.
We must try to bring sincerity in to our actions. When we form this intention and make effort, Allah ta'ala accepts our deeds due to our efforts even if a person tries but fails to succeed.
Instead of making excuses for our wrongdoing, we should at least seek the help of Allah ta'ala to refrain from sin. This is our efforts which are appreciated by Allah ta'ala. Such a person will not leave this world as a failure.
However, if we fail to make effort, we will die without faith.
We should crush our desires and follow the Sheikh's instructions without any excuses. To obey Him is considered true Mujahadah - hard work.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement. Ameen