05 Jan Ibadur-Rahman - The faithful slaves of Allah
The Qur’an is filled with stories from the previous prophets, nations and people before us. It is through these stories that Allah conveys life lessons for us all, so that we may know right from wrong, to know where the path of righteousness leads and to take heed of the path of falsehood. The Quran and the Hadeeth of the Prophet (SAW) mentions those that follow righteousness as those of Allah’s Party; the faithful slaves of Allah, and those on the path of falsehood as Shaitan’s party. The faithful ones are successful in this life and life in the hereafter. They are the true slaves of Allah whom He loves. Allah says,
“And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever). Allah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are party of Allah. Verily, it is the party of Allah that will be successful” (Quran, 58:22).
While those on the opposite path are the real losers,
“Shaitan (Satan) has overpowered them. So he has made them forget the remembrance of Allah. They are the party of Shaitan (Satan). Verily, it is the party of Shaitan (Satan) that will be the losers.” (Quran, 58:19).
Descriptions of Ibadur-Raman
This group are among the true believers of Allah (SWT). They are committed to seeking Allah’s pleasure and their priorities follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Allah Ta’ala described them with the following eight qualities - in Surah Al-Furqan:
- “And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness.” (Quran, 25:63). They are humble, never retaliate with bad language, and ignore or forgive their opponents.
- “And those who spend the night in worship of their Lord, prostrate and standing.” (Quran, 25:64). Ibn Abbas (RA) said, “Whoever prayers two Rak’at or more after the Isha (night) prayer, will considered like those mentioned in this verse.” (Tafseer Al-Qurtubi). They are diligent in their night prayer for the night prayer is one of the most beloved acts to Allah
- “And those who say, ‘Our Lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily, its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment” (Quran, 25:65) They constantly seek refuge in Allah from the torment of hell.
- “And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes)” (Quran, 25:67) They are moderate in their spending. They do not spend recklessly and extravagantly on that which will neither benefit them in the dunya nor for the akhira. Instead, they spend wisely and sufficiently without being miserly.
- “And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse – and whoever does this, shall receive the punishment.” (Quran, 25:68) They worships Allah alone for the greatest wrongdoing of all is to associate partners with Allah the All-Mighty, nor do they have unlawful sexual relations.
- “And those who do not bear witness to falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity.” (Quran, 25:72) The believers do not participate in useless conversations or gatherings.
- “And those who, when they are reminded of the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.” (Quran, 25:73) They listen attentively to the words of Allah, and they carry out the good actions that they learn.
- “And those who say, ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes and make us leaders of the Muttaqun (the pious).” (Quran, 25:74) They make du’a for good spouses and offspring so as to leave behind a legacy.
If we make an effort to read and understand the Quran and adopt these qualities and characteristics to the best of our ability, then Allah’s Pleasure will be upon us. Mu’awiyah reported: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:
“Whomever Allah intends goodness, He gives him understanding of the religion.” {Saheeh Al-Bukhari}
Shaitan will always try to drive us away from the straight path, but the end will only be in the favour of the party of truth, the party of Allah, and we have Allah, the Most-Merciful, to guide us.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us good understanding of our Deen–ul-Islam.
Shaykh Mohamed Abdulle
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The Prophet (Pbuh) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small.