Staying on That Straight Path

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is adapted from a swuhbah from Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) on the 15th April 2010. 

As we heads towards Allah’s (s.w.t.) Oceans of Mercy, who is it that stands in the way, seeking to prevent us from attaining eternal bliss and felicity?  Who is that determined, cruel and relentless enemy, who stands between us and safety?  It is very important for us to be aware of this matter, so that we understand the answers to the questions that follow.  That enemy is Shaythan, our sworn foe, and the recitation of the Basmallah is a Divine Sword.  We use it to destroy Shaythan and his helpers when they stand in the way of our spiritual progress. 

What is the greatest honour, the greatest rank that can be attained by a human being?  What is the highest distinction, the highest title for the Children of Adam?  What is the most valuable of human attainment?  The Prophet (s.a.w.) answered these questions in a single hadits.  It was so stunning a hadits that it captured the essence of the entire Prophetic teachings of the 124,000 Prophets that Allah (s.w.t.) had Sent.  In it, is contained, all that a person must know about his journey; all that he must practice in his worldly life and all that he must strive to attain – all that is contained and sealed perfectly.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “I sit as a servant sits, and I eat as a servant eats.” 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) taught his entire ummah that all that he does, he does it as a servant of Allah (s.w.t.).  This is a lesson for all of us.  That was his life’s mission - the Prophet (s.a.w.) lived every moment of his entire worldly life, seeking only to attain servanthood towards his Lord Almighty.  He showed us that he lived as Allah’s (s.w.t.) servant in every instance, and he is the example for all Mankind.  From Adam (a.s.) to Muhammad (s.a.w.), every prophet was a devoted servant of Allah (s.w.t.) and every prophet called out to their  people to follow their example. 

Since the Prophet (s.a.w.) sat as a servant sat, and ate as a servant ate, with only the title of “‘Abdullah”, where do people come up with all the lofty titles they are so proud of?  The straight path is the path of servanthood.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) never elevated himself with a worldly title.  He was contented to be known as Allah’s (s.w.t.) servant. 

We are advised not to live under an imitated title and not to delude people into thinking we are important/  We are merely cheating ourselves.  So many people live in dunya assuming lofty worldly titles and deluding others into believing that they have achieved honour.  Such worldly titles are fake jewels.  Would anyone in his right mind exchange the real jewel of servanthood for fake ones?  Just because you wear expensive clothing or sitting in an important chair, we can leave servanthood and strut around arrogantly?  When death strikes, we are suddenly stripped of our clothing and seat, and it is only then that we see the fake nature of what we thought had brought you honour.  By then, it is too late.  We can only regret.  Many people have left this Prophetic advice of seeking only servanthood in dunya and have fallen into Shaythan’s trap of seeking imitated worldly honour. 

Jesus (a.s.) was also a servant of Allah (s.w.t.) just like all his brothers in prophethood.  The proof lies in the fact that, if Allah (s.w.t.) indeed had a son, that would have been mentioned from the time of Adam (a.s.).  Yet no mention of this was made by any prophet in the entire Old Testament.  Who gave the Christians the right to elevate Jesus (a.s.) to the position of the son of God, when at no time did Jesus say so. 

Mark 12:29-33

29 And Jesus answered him. “The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord your God is one God.  30 And you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.  This is the first commandment.  31 And the second is like to it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  32And the scribe said to him: “Well, Master, you have said in truth that there is one God and there is no other besides Him.  33 And that He should be loved with the whole heart and with the whole understanding and with the whole soul and with the whole strength. 

29 ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι πρώτη ἐστίν: ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν, 30 καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου.  31 δευτέρα αὕτη: ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. μείζων τούτων ἄλλη ἐντολὴ οὐκ ἔστιν.  32 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ γραμματεύς: καλῶς, διδάσκαλε, ἐπ' ἀληθείας εἶπες ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος πλὴν αὐτοῦ: 33 καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς συνέσεως καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν περισσότερόν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων καὶ θυσιῶν. 

29 Jesus autem respondit ei: Quia primum omnium mandatum est: Audi Israël, Dominus Deus tuus, Deus unus est: 30 et diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex tota corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota mente tua, et ex tota virtute tua.  Hoc est primum mandatum.  31 Secundum autem simile est illi: Diliges proximum tuum tamquam teipsum.  Majus horum aliud mandatum non est.  32 Et ait illi scriba: Bene, Magister, in veritate dixisti, quia unus est Deus, et non est alius præter eum.  33 Et ut diligatur ex toto corde, et ex toto intellectu, et ex tota anima, et ex tota fortitudine, et diligere proximum tamquam seipsum, majus est omnibus holocautomatibus, et sacrificiis. 

James 2:19

19 You believe that there is one God.  You do well: the devils also believe and tremble. 

19 σὺ πιστεύεις ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ θεός; καλῶς ποιεῖς: καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσιν καὶ φρίσσουσιν. 

19 Tu credis quoniam unus est Deus: bene facis: et dæmones credunt, et contremiscunt. 

In which part of the Old Testament, was it announced that God had a son?  And in which part of the Gospels did Jesus (a.s.) claim to be God’s son?  He never did; he too, proclaimed his servanthood like all the other prophets and invited his flock to be the same.  The leaders of religions must ask themselves their main goal for their flock.  What is it that they have been ordered to do for their flocks?  What is their most important mission as a guide to their followers?  These leaders must walk on the straight path and they must build a barrier along the entire path so that your followers will be protected from falling into Shaythan’s trap. 

We must remain on the true path and we must not lie to ourselves.  How can we know if we are on the true path or not?  In a hadits, The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Ask for guidance from your own conscience, for your conscience never lies to you.”  We may have the support of all the people around us but if our conscience says that we are wrong, then we are.  And we may have everyone against us, even the influential and the powerful, but if our conscience says that we are right, then we are.  So we must ask our inner selves - our conscience - before we perform any action or take any decision.  We cannot cheat our conscience. 

Finally, we must ask ourselves, who will guide us to the true path?  It is only the swadiqin, those who are true.  Those with the swadiqin will be happy and successful.  They will meet Allah (s.w.t.) with glowing faces for they would be amongst those who had understood this life’s journey.  How do we attain safety?  We attain it by keeping on the straight path, the swirath al-mustaqim.  What is the straight path?  It is the path of servanthood.  We must ensure every action of ours is that of a servant, just like Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  What should we do, now that we have found our way?  We preach to others and share this knowledge with them so that they learn the answers to all these questions.  These are truly life changing lessons, if only we understand.



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