We desire Allah ta'ala to grant us the goodness of this world in exchange for His obedience and performing good deeds. This is a wrong mind-set to have. We should certainly pray for a comfortable life and to be safe from calamities of the world, however, we should expect to have the recompense for our good deeds in the Hereafter. It is in the Hereafter, our good deeds will be of benefit to us and our desires will be fulfilled.
Nonetheless, the believers are given comfort and rewards in this world, as well as the Hereafter. We must increase our certainty and understand that our real abode is the Hereafter.
"..They are dwellers of Paradise, they will dwell therein forever." [11:23]
The inhabitants of Paradise will remain therein forever. Allah ta'ala addresses us as the people of Paradise even though we are living in the world. Allah ta'ala has honoured us with this title due to our preparation for Paradise in this world.
The entire creation remain in awe of the people of Paradise. We should work towards our goal of Paradise instead of wasting time in this world.
We must take the first step, practice and have determination, in order to receive the mercy of Allah ta'ala. This is the Sunnah of Allah ta'ala. The more we take steps towards Him, the greater mercy we receive which will provide ease to our life.
We are required determination, passion and hard work, in order to perform good deeds. We should never compare our success of the Hereafter with what we possess in the world, because this world is a place of tests.
A pious person is not desirous of worldly wealth. The more a person is disobedient to Allah ta'ala, the more he will be granted this world.
A person who is extremely wealthy, yet, fails to practice Deen is being put through a punishment in this world. He may deem himself to be prosperous but in reality, he has been detached from worry and concern as a punishment.
On the other hand, the one who is faced with calamities, draws nearer to Allah ta'ala. When he is faced with sin, he visits a waliAllah and adopts good company. This is a beloved action in the eyes of Allah ta'ala and if He did not grant us trials, we would be immersed in the comforts of the world and our businesses.
"Surely those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) and do righteous good deeds.." [11:23]
The first condition to acquiring Paradise, is to possess faith. Even a sinner will eventually enter Paradise due to his faith. It is out of Allah ta'ala's mercy that He has granted us faith.
The second condition is to demonstrate our faith through performing good actions. Without practice, we are wasting our faith. In reality, prayer is a representation of our Deen.
There are two types of deeds. To perform good deeds (uphold the commands of Allah ta'ala) and to abstain from what is prohibited in Deen. Both are equally important, because if a person was to perform good deeds whilst sinning, it will cause him to enter Hellfire. A person must be purified in Hellfire for his sins before he enters Paradise. Thus, his prayer will not benefit him if he commits sins simultaneously.
It is more important for one to refrain from sin instead of performing good deeds. Thus, we should promise to work harder upon abandoning sin over accumulating deeds.
Every night, we must assess whether we have fulfilled the orders of Allah ta'ala and how many sins we have committed during the day. We should make it a habit to repent over our mistakes and sins and we should make amends for our actions the following day.
وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
Refers to righteous and pure deeds. The way to achieve such good deeds and have them elevated to a high level, is to perform them according to the Sunnah. For example, performing Salah according to the Sunnah. Our prayer and our deeds are elevated through the Sunnah.
It is a shame that we desire promotion and success regarding worldly affairs, however, we neglect striving for Deeni promotion through imitating the Sunnah.
Through the Sunnah actions, a person becomes the beloved of Allah ta'ala. Through the Sunnah, our deeds are elevated in the court of Allah ta'ala.
وَأَخْبَتُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ
"...And humble themselves before their Lord..." [11:23]
This action is performed by the depth of the heart. To become amongst the people of Paradise, we must present ourselves with humility and sincerity in the court of Allah ta'ala. This action will grant us the title of Jannati even in this world. All three qualities combined grant a person success.
"..They are dwellers of Paradise, they will dwell therein forever." [11:23]
Thereafter, a person becomes a person of Paradise in both worlds. He will enter Paradise without reckoning, as he overcame the difficulties of the world and made tremendous sacrifices.
What is humility ?
To consider ourselves lower than others despite being at a high level.
There are three types of statuses given to a person. Either, he holds a lofty worldly status, or a high status regarding Deeni education, or a high status with regards to Deeni practice.
If we are humble despite attaining one or three, then this is considered humility and loved by Allah ta'ala. This is the worship which we must strive to attain.
We shouldn’t seek recognition and demand praise from others. We should consider ourselves equal to others and not expect to be treated better than others. This is a dangerous act and when we revive this thought process, then we have attained humility.
A person who regards himself as a humble person to others, is even worse.
A truly humble person considers himself lower than others. He easily forgives others as he is afraid of Allah ta'ala. He is soft and gentle and he is not an angry person. He is not proud of his actions and he does not wrong anyone. He does not try to impress the people of the world, nor does he desire recognition. He doesn’t desire status himself, however, others recognise and respect him. He feels ashamed when others praise him. Such people are destined for Paradise.
Nabi ﷺ said, "Whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Allah will raise him in status. And whoever is arrogant, Allah will bring him down." (Musnad Ahmad Shareef)
The one who is arrogant, will never be able to enter Paradise. Those who consider themselves superior to others and take out the faults of others, are wretched in society.
If we try to strive towards Paradise by working hard, we will be granted success even if we do not succeed in the world.
We should utilise our energy, capacity and skills for the sake of Allah ta'ala's love and the Prophet ﷺ. It is pointless chasing recognition and praise in this world.
How to attain humility?
Humility is attained from the heart. Our heart must be corrected and purified first. We must work hard upon our heart to extract pride and the way to attain humility, is by purifying the heart and rectifying our nafs through a Sheikh.
We should assign ourselves to a waliAllah if we desire to be reformed. We must crush our ego and take the guidance of the Sheikh. The true Deen is attained by the waliAllah. They grant one the sweetness of Deen. We must immerse ourselves in the Sheikh's company. The more we attach ourselves to the Sheikh, the more blessings we attain.
We desire Allah ta'ala to grant us the goodness of this world in exchange for His obedience and performing good deeds. This is a wrong mind-set to have. We should certainly pray for a comfortable life and to be safe from calamities of the world, however, we should expect to have the recompense for our good deeds in the Hereafter. It is in the Hereafter, our good deeds will be of benefit to us and our desires will be fulfilled.
Nonetheless, the believers are given comfort and rewards in this world, as well as the Hereafter. We must increase our certainty and understand that our real abode is the Hereafter.
أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
"..They are dwellers of Paradise, they will dwell therein forever." [11:23]
The inhabitants of Paradise will remain therein forever. Allah ta'ala addresses us as the people of Paradise even though we are living in the world. Allah ta'ala has honoured us with this title due to our preparation for Paradise in this world.
The entire creation remain in awe of the people of Paradise. We should work towards our goal of Paradise instead of wasting time in this world.
We must take the first step, practice and have determination, in order to receive the mercy of Allah ta'ala. This is the Sunnah of Allah ta'ala. The more we take steps towards Him, the greater mercy we receive which will provide ease to our life.
We are required determination, passion and hard work, in order to perform good deeds. We should never compare our success of the Hereafter with what we possess in the world, because this world is a place of tests.
A pious person is not desirous of worldly wealth. The more a person is disobedient to Allah ta'ala, the more he will be granted this world.
A person who is extremely wealthy, yet, fails to practice Deen is being put through a punishment in this world. He may deem himself to be prosperous but in reality, he has been detached from worry and concern as a punishment.
On the other hand, the one who is faced with calamities, draws nearer to Allah ta'ala. When he is faced with sin, he visits a waliAllah and adopts good company. This is a beloved action in the eyes of Allah ta'ala and if He did not grant us trials, we would be immersed in the comforts of the world and our businesses.
How can we become the people of Paradise?
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ
"Surely those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) and do righteous good deeds.." [11:23]
The first condition to acquiring Paradise, is to possess faith. Even a sinner will eventually enter Paradise due to his faith. It is out of Allah ta'ala's mercy that He has granted us faith.
The second condition is to demonstrate our faith through performing good actions. Without practice, we are wasting our faith. In reality, prayer is a representation of our Deen.
There are two types of deeds. To perform good deeds (uphold the commands of Allah ta'ala) and to abstain from what is prohibited in Deen. Both are equally important, because if a person was to perform good deeds whilst sinning, it will cause him to enter Hellfire. A person must be purified in Hellfire for his sins before he enters Paradise. Thus, his prayer will not benefit him if he commits sins simultaneously.
It is more important for one to refrain from sin instead of performing good deeds. Thus, we should promise to work harder upon abandoning sin over accumulating deeds.
Every night, we must assess whether we have fulfilled the orders of Allah ta'ala and how many sins we have committed during the day. We should make it a habit to repent over our mistakes and sins and we should make amends for our actions the following day.
وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
Refers to righteous and pure deeds. The way to achieve such good deeds and have them elevated to a high level, is to perform them according to the Sunnah. For example, performing Salah according to the Sunnah. Our prayer and our deeds are elevated through the Sunnah.
It is a shame that we desire promotion and success regarding worldly affairs, however, we neglect striving for Deeni promotion through imitating the Sunnah.
Through the Sunnah actions, a person becomes the beloved of Allah ta'ala. Through the Sunnah, our deeds are elevated in the court of Allah ta'ala.
وَأَخْبَتُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ
"...And humble themselves before their Lord..." [11:23]
This action is performed by the depth of the heart. To become amongst the people of Paradise, we must present ourselves with humility and sincerity in the court of Allah ta'ala. This action will grant us the title of Jannati even in this world. All three qualities combined grant a person success.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
"..They are dwellers of Paradise, they will dwell therein forever." [11:23]
Thereafter, a person becomes a person of Paradise in both worlds. He will enter Paradise without reckoning, as he overcame the difficulties of the world and made tremendous sacrifices.
What is humility ?
To consider ourselves lower than others despite being at a high level.
There are three types of statuses given to a person. Either, he holds a lofty worldly status, or a high status regarding Deeni education, or a high status with regards to Deeni practice.
If we are humble despite attaining one or three, then this is considered humility and loved by Allah ta'ala. This is the worship which we must strive to attain.
We shouldn’t seek recognition and demand praise from others. We should consider ourselves equal to others and not expect to be treated better than others. This is a dangerous act and when we revive this thought process, then we have attained humility.
A person who regards himself as a humble person to others, is even worse.
A truly humble person considers himself lower than others. He easily forgives others as he is afraid of Allah ta'ala. He is soft and gentle and he is not an angry person. He is not proud of his actions and he does not wrong anyone. He does not try to impress the people of the world, nor does he desire recognition. He doesn’t desire status himself, however, others recognise and respect him. He feels ashamed when others praise him. Such people are destined for Paradise.
Nabi ﷺ said, "Whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Allah will raise him in status. And whoever is arrogant, Allah will bring him down." (Musnad Ahmad Shareef)
The one who is arrogant, will never be able to enter Paradise. Those who consider themselves superior to others and take out the faults of others, are wretched in society.
If we try to strive towards Paradise by working hard, we will be granted success even if we do not succeed in the world.
We should utilise our energy, capacity and skills for the sake of Allah ta'ala's love and the Prophet ﷺ. It is pointless chasing recognition and praise in this world.
How to attain humility?
Humility is attained from the heart. Our heart must be corrected and purified first. We must work hard upon our heart to extract pride and the way to attain humility, is by purifying the heart and rectifying our nafs through a Sheikh.
We should assign ourselves to a waliAllah if we desire to be reformed. We must crush our ego and take the guidance of the Sheikh. The true Deen is attained by the waliAllah. They grant one the sweetness of Deen. We must immerse ourselves in the Sheikh's company. The more we attach ourselves to the Sheikh, the more blessings we attain.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement. Ameen