A concise advice for leading one's life

 

A concise advice for leading one’s life

 

 

Allah Most High has not created human beings futilely and has not left them to their devices that they may do whatever they want to and lead their lives as per their own passions and desires.  Instead Allah Most High has made human beings bound to follow rules and regulations and has directed many many commands at them.

 

Thus, there is no way out other than to lead one’s life as per those commands and to bid goodbye to those desires which are against these divine laws.  If one doesn’t do that, then one will be liable to face the wrath and punishment of the Lord Almighty.  Those people are very lucky who have girded their loins to follow the commands of Allah Most High and are making concentrated efforts to gain the pleasure of Allah Most High.

 

This world is a place of sowing.  Busying oneself in luxury and hedonism at the time of sowing is to separate oneself from the eternal peace (which will result in the hereafter on leading one’s life properly).  A foresighted mind will never get distracted from eternal pleasures, along with divine approval and be enamored of ephemeral pleasures, which are also disapproved of.

 

After acquiring the correct beliefs, following the authoritative opinions of the scholars of the Ahle Sunnah (which are derived from the Holy Quran and Hadith) is highly essential.  Also, there is no recourse but to fulfill the Obligations and Compulsory acts and to stay away from what is prohibited.

 

Salaat

 

Salaat is the best form of worship and the most reliable form of obedience, which is a pillar of religion and a clear demarcation between Muslim and non-Muslim.  The closeness (to Allah Most High) attained while in Salaat is very difficult out of it.  Thus, Salaat should be offered congregationally 5 times a day, with concentration and proper performance of all its articles and thorough ablution. 

 

Zakaat

 

From that wealth which is of a growing nature, Zakaat should be freely given.  It is mentioned in Hadith that charity and Zakaat don’t decrease the wealth.  Out of His special Mercy, Allah Most High obligated as Zakaat (only) the 40^th part of that wealth which meets a prescribed criterion and on which a year has passed.

 

It will be a great injustice if we are careless in giving Zakaat and devise excuses not to pay it.  Life and wealth all belong to Allah Most High.  If Allah Most High orders one to distribute all of one’s wealth in charity and demands lives, then those who covet the presence of the Lord will sacrifice everything with absolute delight and would consider this a privilege.

 

Fasting

 

One should fast wholeheartedly in the month of Ramadhan and should consider this hunger and thirst as a honor for oneself.  It is mentioned in Hadith:  Every (virtuous) deed of the progeny of Adam will be rewarded from 10 times to 700 times..Allah Most High says: .. except fasting…(i.e. its reward is boundless).  The fast is for Me and I will give its reward Myself (or I Myself will become its reward).

 

A human being sacrifices his (or her) desires and food and drink for My sake.

 

There are 2 delights for the fasting person:  One at the time of breaking the fast and the other will be when he (or she) meets with the Lord.

 

The odor of the mouth of the fasting person (due to keeping the stomach empty) is dearer to Allah Most High than the fragrance of musk.

 

Fast is a shield.  When anyone of you is fasting, he (or she) should refrain from indecent speech.  Even if anyone chides that person, one should say (or repeat to oneself) that I am fasting.  (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

 

Hajj

 

If the requisite conditions are being fulfilled, then one should go for Hajj as well.  One should search for closeness of Allah Most High through the House of Allah.  It is mentioned in Hadith:  The reward for an accepted Hajj is paradise.

 

The faith of a Muslim is based on 5 things.  The first of them is the testification of the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the other 4 are the aforementioned.  If any one of them is not present then the abode of religion will remain desolate and incomplete.

 

After acquiring the correct beliefs and outward virtuous deeds – the path of the Sufis is also necessary so that the gnosis of Allah Most High is achieved and one is freed of the muddle of base desires as well.  I cannot understand how a person who is devoid of the gnosis of His Lord Almighty and doesn’t recognize him, how such a person can lead the life and how such a person is attracted to other things.

 

[Excerpted from Maktoobaat Khaja Masoom Sirhindi Rahimahullah]