The Way to Salvation - TRUTH MEANINGS

TRUTH

He will not rest content merely with his own love of the truth but rather will also wish to see the whole world adhering to it. Wherever he sees the truth trampled upon and falsehood triumphant, he will be moved tremendously, and try to persuade his fellows to support the truth. This defense of his convictions is a natural and essential consequence of his own sentiment. Therefore, Allah has here mentioned ‘twasi’ (mutual exhortation) as an implication of ‘amal-i-saleh’ (righteous deed). 

Maulana Farahi has thus explained the literal meaning of the word ‘Truth’ or (Haqq):

Truth, though originally it signified anything existent, stable, and fixed , in actual usage has acquired a variety of meanings. It is generally used to mean the following three:

1. Anything the existence or occurrence of which is absolutely sure.
2. Anything rationally proved and accepted.
3. Any moral obligation.

This amply shows that the expression ‘twasi bil-haqq’ (mutual exhortation to truth) covers a wide range of activities starting from the teaching of minor moral duties and the self-evident principles of reason and established facts of the universe, to the highest and most esteemed activity, the propagation and establishment of the religion of truth (Din-aI-Haqq) which Allah (SWT) revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Maulana Farahi expressed this very explicitly in a passage:

“This brings out clearly the truth that it is incumbent on Muslims to do righteous deeds in order to fulfill their obligations (to the Almighty). This fulfillment further necessitates that they help each other in executing their religious and moral duties. Since execution of all the duties and obligations laid down by Allah (SWT) is not possible without ‘Khilafat’ (Islamic Government and justice), it is imperative that they strive to establish it”

Now only one step remains to be explored, that mutual exhortation to truth (twasi-bil-haqq) necessarily implies mutual exhortation to constancy (twasi bis-sabr). Self-restraint and constancy is required even in one’s own firm adherence to truth simply because one must exercise self-control in the face of a great many temptations, must curb his sensual appetites, and must face scores of painful disappointments and impediments. At the stage of mutual exhortation to truth (twasi-bil-haqq) much bigger trials of patience and resolution become inevitable. It is a matter of common observation that at times even propagating a minor truth puts a man to severe tests of endurance. Sticking to a right policy is sometimes as difficult as trial by fire.

History is replete with instances of torture and wanton injuries inflicted on champions of moral truths. Proclamation and dissemination of the basic truth of man’s life and obligation to God may well require proportionately greater ordeals and suffering. If an attempt is made to call all people to the fulfillment of their religious obligations and the establishment of an equitable and just order, severest opposition is sure to follow. 

Any one may try it for himself. He needs only start by advising people to perform ordinary and simple moral actions, and soon they will frown and become furious. Let him try to persuade somebody who has forcefully usurped the property of a poor man to give the man his due and he will see how great a resentment he must face. Let him just utter a word in support of someone oppressed, and in no time the tyrant becomes his deadly enemy. It should not take much thought to realize that demanding the fulfillment of one’s total moral obligations, fighting for an entire system of social justice and equity, and calling to the whole of ‘Din-al-Haqq’ (the true religion) can never be possible without utmost hostility and opposition.

Source: The Way to Salvation (Book by Dr Israr Ahmed)

The Way to Salvation - TWO SIDES

TWO SIDES

And so, belief and faith is simply a complete consonance between a man’s true knowledge of the Absolute and his thoughts, ideas, emotions and passions. And righteousness of action is the co-ordination which human actions should have with the Divine will, the will that animates and sustains the cosmos. Belief and righteous deeds are two aspects or facets of one and the same reality, two sides of a single picture. This is the reason why the Quran usually mentions these two together.

There are very few cases in the Quran where belief alone has been mentioned, and even in these cases we can most often, on deeper reflection, discover an implicit reference to the moral and practical obligations that genuine faith must entail.

Let us press our inquiry a step further. It is almost a truism that man is a social animal. There is always an interaction between him and the surrounding social reality. He influences his environment and receives its influence. 

This can be illustrated by considering an example. Just as fire warms the objects around it while ice freezes what surrounds it, a man’s righteous deeds have a wholesome and ennobling influence upon others. Similarly, immoral actions tend to degrade and disintegrate the world. If evil is rampant in a society, a righteous person must struggle hard to ward off its influence. So mutual exhortation to truth (twasi-biI-haqq) and mutual exhortation to stead-fastness (twasi-bis-sabr) must necessarily ensue from true belief (Iman) and righteous deeds. Just as true belief and righteous actions go together, so uniting in truth and in constancy to it are inseparable.

Maulana Farahi elaborates the relation between righteous conduct and mutual exhortation (twasi) in these words

“Just as ‘lman’ gives rise to righteous deeds, so righteous deeds necessarily give rise to mutual encouragement to truth. This is so quite understandably because a person, whose adherence to the truth can make him endure the worst possible trial and affliction, must consider his knowledge of the truth and fidelity to it as superior to everything else”.

Source: The Way to Salvation (Book by Dr Israr Ahmed)

The Way to Salvation - TRUTH

TRUTH

It is most unfortunate that, in the present age of religious degeneration and decline, we have become completely ignorant of this truth. A large majority of Muslims today assumes that belief (Iman) is the sole condition of a man’s success on the Day of Judgement, and hence takes belief in a strictly legal sense. Those who are a little more sensible and knowledgeable also take good deeds as an essential requirement in addition. But even a good number of learned religious persons nowadays consider ‘mutual exhortation to truth’ and ‘mutual exhortation to constancy and steadfastness’ as secondary of supererogatory conditions to be fulfilled only by those desirous of exceptionally higher positions in the Hereafter. May people study and ponder over Surah Al‘Asr afresh and get to know with full conviction that the Quran has very clearly and unambiguously made human salvation to depend upon four conditions:

1. Belief.
2. Good deeds.
3. Mutual exhortation to uphold the truth, and
4. Mutual exhortation to constancy.

Let us take another step and concentrate our attention on these four points separately so as to get a better comprehension of their profound meaning. The first most important point that comes out on a closer study is that these four things are not to be compared with the four independent items of, for example, a medical compound but rather they are four stages on the road that leads to salvation, four milestones of one single path of truth. They have within themselves an organic unity, and logically imply each other. True belief (lman) is a prelude to righteous action which itself is a preliminary to mutual teaching of truth(Twasi bill-haqq). And this in turn is a forerunner of mutual teaching of steadfastness (Twasi bis-sabr). Deeply entrenched and rightly-nurtured belief and faith must necessarily blossom into righteous life and conduct. 

Further, if a true believer lived only for himself, he will not have fulfilled his whole duty. Whatever good he possesses, especially moral and spiritual truth, he must disseminate among his brethren, so that they may also see the truth and stand by it in patient hope and unshaken constancy amidst all the storm and stress of worldly life. An essential consequence of righteous life is the teaching of truth to others and this necessitates uniting together and exhorting one another to patience and endurance in facing the forces of evil.

Reflecting on the reality and pristine nature of faith and belief i.e., ‘Iman~ leaving aside its politico-social aspects and legal or theological controversies, we come to know that faith connotes a particular mode of one’s mind or psyche (nafs or qulb) which is governed by a recognition of the oneness and unity of God, the reality of prophet hood and the life Hereafter. This state of mind reigns over one’s entire being, one’s faculties of head and heart, so that his desires, emotions and actions all harmonize with this knowledge.

In a word, it does away with disunion and duplicity in cognition and volition, and produces, concordance between them. The essence of genuine belief therefore, lies in a complete co-ordination of a man ‘s knowledge of ultimate truths and his will and actions. The real fruit of ‘Iman’ is the tranquility of mind that a believer experiences as a consequence of this harmony. As long as a man’s religious belief remains merely an idea untranslated into action, he will not have attained true belief or ‘Iman~ Summing up his excellent discussion of belief Maulana Hamid-ud-Din Farahi writes:

“Belief or ‘Iman’ refers to a particular mental and spiritual state which rules over a man’s total creed and actions…. it has two pillars : knowledge and action. If we pull down either one of the two, the entire edifice will collapse. A man who is well-versed in theological doctrines such as God’s Providence, and in all the principles and details of Islamic faith, but continues to indulge in sinful and forbidden (haram) activities, he does not have an iota of that belief or ‘Iman’ which alone is creditable in the sight of Allah (SWT).  ( Mujmuoe-e-Tafaasir-e-Farahi Page -350 )

If this is the nature of faith, then righteous action is a corollary, or, if you prefer, an essential consequence of faith and from the absence of righteous deeds and the actual manifestations of belief, one can rightly infer the lack of faith. A Quranic verse describes this situation thus:

“The desert Arabs say, ‘we have faith’. Say Ye have no faith; but ye (only) say, ‘We have submitted our wills to God’, for not yet has faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey God and his apostle, He will not belittle aught of your deeds for God is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (XLI 14).

Belief (Iman) and righteous deeds are so closely united and inter-twined that the latter can be treated as a sine qua non of the former. Indeed to consider the two as one and the same thing is not wholly unjustified.

Understanding the Quranic term ‘AmaI-i-Saleh’ —righteous or good deeds — requires deep thought and reflection. The Quran includes under this blanket term all its moral and legal teachings, including the laws of individual and social conduct. It also makes an allusion to the fact that the secret of man’s real development and progress lies in performing these very acts. Righteous deeds alone can guarantee the growth of man’s natural capacities and potentialities on the right lines. To quote Maulana Farahi again:

“Almighty Allah has designated good and righteous deeds with the word ‘SaIehat~ This term itself guides us to the great truth that the whole of man’s development and rectitude — be it outward or inner, worldly or spiritual, personal or collective, bodily or intellectual — depends upon good and righteous deeds. Righteous action is life-giving and a source of maturity and enhancement. By means of good deeds alone man can attain those highest stages of development to which he aspires by nature …  This point can be put in alternative words thus: Since man is an integral part of the total scheme of universe, only those of his deeds will be righteous which accord with the grand design on which the universe has been fashioned by its Creator”.

Source: The Way to Salvation (Book by Dr Israr Ahmed)

The Way to Salvation - DESTRUCTION

DESTRUCTION

Clearly and distinctly the all-important truth that the success of human life depends upon the following:

1. ‘Iman’ or belief (in the metaphysical tenets of Islam).
2. ‘AmaI-e-Saleh’ or good deeds.
3. ‘Twasi bil-Haq’ or mutual exhortation to truth.
4. ‘Twasi bis-Sabr’ or mutual exhortation to constancy and steadfastness.

Life without fulfilling these four inevitable conditions leads to eternal destruction. However, bright or glittering a man’s worldly success might be, it is no success if he lacks the above four conditions. These verses present a criterion of man’s ultimate triumph and failure which is diametrically opposed to the one prevalent in present day materialistic society. 

A thorough grasp of the meaning of these verses and a deep conviction of their veracity must necessarily result in a total transvaluation of values regarding life’s aims and achievements. If all that man cherishes most-political power, social status, affluence, availability of resources, high-ranking posts, well-established business, shining limousines, and big palatial buildings—are unaccompanied by the above mentioned four conditions; then they must be a preamble to eternal torment.

The only thing that can possibly save a man from everlasting doom is a real transformation of his nature, one which reforms his mind and heart and radically changes his perspective to conform to these four items, which collectively constitute the indispensable minimum requirements of human salvation. And this is only sufficient for the deliverance from destruction and not necessarily enough for the attainment of lofty stations in paradise. 

The Quran is not the work of a poet who says many things simply for the sake of adding elegance to the composition or under the necessity of rhythm and rhyme, but the word of God Almighty, and each word is precise and full of true wisdom. It contains nothing else but ‘Haqq’ or the truth, not allowing any addition or diminution whatsoever. If we eliminate even a single of the above mentioned stipulations, the responsibility of the Quran in respect of our salvation stands null and void and it will be sheer self-deception if we consider ourselves as the rightful recipients of the Quranic promise.

Source: The Way to Salvation (Book by Dr Israr Ahmed)

Eid ul Adha 1435H

The Way to Salvation - CHANGES

CHANGES

Time is the greatest teacher and mentor of man. It is labeled in oriental lore as “Falak-i-Peer” (the old heaven). In the bosom of time are contained tremendous accounts of nations’ rise and fall which can be of great significance and value for people living now on earth. 

This planet has seen hundreds of nations in the past, rising slowly towards eminence, consolidating their power for sometime and then degenerating and falling into oblivion. How many nations took shape, reached their climax and then vanished without a trace! Dozens of civilizations saw the light of day and, after touching the summit of success and fame, decayed and were annihilated. Billions and billions of human beings were born into this world and after having passed through the stages of adolescence, youth, and old age, returned to dust.

Thousands built big empires by means of massive military campaigns and conquests, some even went to the extent of claiming divine and god-like status for themselves, and ordered their subordinates to worship them. But at last they were all drowned in the ocean of time.

The great historical episodes, alluded to by the Quran in the brief ‘By (the token of) time’ were studied and expounded in great depth and detail by scholars and commentators of the Holy Book. This particular attempt towards understanding the meaning of the Quran assumed the status of a separate branch of Quranic studies and was termed by Shah Waliullah of Delhi (RA) as ‘Tazkeer bi Ayyamillah’ which means reminding or instructing the reader of the Book by means of recounting the moral lessons inherent in the events of past history.

The Quranic verse, ‘Verily men are in a state of loss’, epitomizes the undeniable tragedy to which relics of history spread all around the world bear witness. The real bitterness of this tragic fact will however be experienced only in the life Hereafter. It is something to be commended that very few persons have been gifted with a really keen and sensitive heart, otherwise thousands of men like Buddha, at the sight of mankind’s misery and exceedingly unhappy plight, might have turned their back on worldly pleasures and gone into ascetic hide-outs. 

On examining rather critically and attentively the human condition, one will come to realize that inspite of hard labour all day long, millions of the unprivileged classes do not even get an adequate meal. There are tens of thousands of people who see their relatives and dear ones dying before their eyes but cannot afford a spoonful of medicine that might help in curing the disease. An unaccountable number of human beings do not possess even the bare minimum of clothing and shelter. Terrible and heart-rending afflictions are suffered by many.

Even the bright exterior of the life of men of privilege and wealth only covers up their own tales of woe. Often the travail and suffering of these men are more dreadful than that of the common run of people. Inspite of having all conceivable luxuries of life, they crave for an anxiety-free moment during the day and for peaceful sleep at night.

In this stage of terrestrial existence the condition of most men is as pitiable as that of animals which are mercilessly forced to carry back-breaking burdens throughout their life. Taking a more judicious view of things, one can say that pangs of psychic anxiety and bouts of spiritual agony suffered by human beings are much greater in intensity than the purely bodily pains which, animals suffer.

But, still worse, man will see the climax of his tragedy when, having experienced all these worldly hardship, grief and afflictions, he will at last be brought before Almighty Allah for the last reckoning of his deeds. The Quran describes this in these words:

‘O thou man! Verily thou art ever toiling on towards thy Lord—painfully toiling–but thou shalt meet Him’ (LXXXIV: 6)

At that crucial moment of great trial man will cry out: 

‘Would that I were dust’! The noblest souls of all humanity tremble and quiver at the very thought of that final trial and some men even wish they were like a sparrow chirping on a tree or like a straw of grass (so they might not be called to account for on the day of Judgement).

At that critical moment the reality of the verse ‘Verily, man is in a state of loss’ will become manifest in the highest degree, and the large majority of human beings will say in utter despair: ‘If only my mother had not given birth to me’. As the Quranic verse tells us the most real and obvious loss is the loss met on that Day in the life hereafter.

The last verse of Surah Al-’Asr “save those who believe, do good deeds and exhort one another to uphold the truth and exhort one another to constancy”, delineates the sole means of deliverance from eternal hell-fire. It is, therefore, imperative that we should exercise utmost diligence in understanding the full meaning of this verse.

Since this verse is inseparably linked with the preceding one “Verily man is in a state of loss”, it must be studied principally in this context. Both these verses describe most clearly and distinctly the all-important truth that the success of human life depends upon the following:

1. ‘Iman’ or belief (in the metaphysical tenets of Islam).
2. ‘AmaI-e-Saleh’ or good deeds.
3. ‘Twasi bil-Haq’ or mutual exhortation to truth.
4. ‘Twasi bis-Sabr’ or mutual exhortation to constancy and steadfastness.

Source: The Way to Salvation (Book by Dr Israr Ahmed)