Submitting to Allah (s.w.t.) in All Conditions

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is a transcript of a discourse delivered by Mawlana Wafi’ Muhammad. 

We have spoken of the importance of cultivating faith in our hearts.  We remind ourselves of what Allah (s.w.t.) Tells us: 

سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات

۞ قَالَتِ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ ءَامَنَّا‌ۖ قُل لَّمۡ تُؤۡمِنُواْ وَلَـٰكِن قُولُوٓاْ أَسۡلَمۡنَا وَلَمَّا يَدۡخُلِ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡ‌ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ لَا يَلِتۡكُم مِّنۡ أَعۡمَـٰلِكُمۡ شَيۡـًٔا‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ (١٤) 

The desert Arabs say, “We believe.”  Say, “You have no faith; but ye (only) say, ‘We have submitted our wills to Allah,’ for not yet has Faith entered your hearts.  But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.” (Surah al-Hujraat:14) 

If we have true faith in your heart it will manifest throughout our entire personality and when that happens, we will submit to Allah willingly.  There are some who profess to have faith but as Allah (s.w.t.) Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ۬ فَزَادَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَرَضً۬ا‌ۖ ... (١٠) 

In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has Increased their disease ... (Surah al-Baqarah:10) 

This meaning that they do not really have faith.  And Allah (s.w.t.) Expounds about such people in the very beginning of Surah al-Baqarah: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَبِٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤۡمِنِينَ (٨) 

Of the people there are some who say: “We believe in Allah and the Last Day” but they do not (really) believe. (Surah al-Baqarah:8) 

In reality, they are professing to be something they are really not.  There is something else in their hearts.  We need to culture our hearts to ensure that faith enters and remains there, because the heart is the centre or nucleus of the personality.  And if the heart has true faith, it will manifest itself throughout the entire personality.  We must understand that we, on one hand, want our entire personality to meet the expression made by Abraham (a.s.): 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام

...ۡ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحۡيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (١٦٢) 

… “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: (Surah al-An’am:162) 

He understood so well the importance of his complete personality being in total submission to Allah (s.w.t.).  And that is what we should all strive for.  If we want to get close to our Lord, we need to aspire for it.  We cannot put anything between us and Him.  If we love the world more, it will ultimately come between us.  The true believer, in all conditions, learns to submit to Allah (s.w.t.) no matter what the circumstance may be.  We are living for His sake and He will not let us down.  He will Give us all sorts of trials, and always remember that the higher we go, the more the trials we will get.  Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is reported to have said, “When Allah Loves a servant, He Tests him.”  This is recorded by Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad ibn ‘Isa as-Sulami at-Tirmidzi (r.a.). 

We look how He tried His Beloved (s.a.w.).  He was an orphan, born in the most aristocratic family, but they were so humble.  His mother could not even afford a wet nurse.  And look at how he was able to draw all the people close to him.  He never forced them.  On one hand, they knew if they were associated with him, they would get Blessings from Allah (s.w.t.) and on the other, they knew they will learn to culture and cultivate their personalities.  The test of faith of the believers is the Trials from Allah (s.w.t.).  When the trials come, will we run to someone else other than Allah (s.w.t.)?  When everything is good and peaceful, our faith is not truly tested.  As Allah (s.w.t.) Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَعۡبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرۡفٍ۬‌ۖ فَإِنۡ أَصَابَهُ ۥ خَيۡرٌ ٱطۡمَأَنَّ بِهِۦ‌ۖ وَإِنۡ أَصَابَتۡهُ فِتۡنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأَخِرَةَ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ (١١) 

There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! (Surah al-Haj:11) 

Some people sit on the fence.  When everything is nice and rosy, there are no complaints; but when they are afflicted with some hardship, they lose faith and trust in Allah (s.w.t.).  This is what we have to be careful about.  Any of us can display levels of hypocrisy at any time if we give something priority over Allah (s.w.t.). 

Every day, Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq (r.a.) would visit a companion who Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) made a special du’a for.  This particular companion thereafter possessed the ability to identify a hypocrite.  So gifted was he that whenever there was a janazah of a hypocrite, he would not attend, and this led Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) to scan the crowd to see if this particular companion was present.  If he was not present, Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) would refrain from leading the janazah because he knew the deceased was a hypocrite.  And every day, Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) would visit this blessed companion and ask, “Am I a hypocrite?” 

It is quite easy to fall into complacency.  For example, when swalah time enters, and we do not pray our swalah because of some worldly preoccupation; what happens?  These are the things what we need to be careful about.  A true believer is a humble person because on one hand they know their Lord is Close to them and on the other they know they can make mistakes at any time.  Our heart is like the pearl inside an oyster.  We must try your best to keep it bright and shining.  We ask our Lord for Forgiveness for the wrong we would have all committed.  Yes, we make mistakes but if our intention is Allah (s.w.t.), He will Help us.  We must strengthen our hearts through His remembrance and through this insha’Allah, Satan will not get the better of us.  We all have one life to live and every day that passes is a day gone.  May Allah (s.w.t.) always Protect us, Guide us and Bless us, insha’Allah.