The Way to Salvation - All the four Conditions are indispensable

All the four Conditions are indispensable:

The third conclusion is a corollary of the second one. For salvation, ‘faith’, ‘righteous deeds’, ‘exhortation of truth’, and ‘exhortation of patience’ are all necessary. None of them can be dropped. These are the words of Allah. Not a single additional word is added in it for the sake of rhyme or exaggeration. Four conditions have been stated for saving us from utter loss or failure, and certainly all four of them are necessary. If any one of them is left out, then the guarantee of man’s salvation will not rest on the Holy Quran. 

For example, if a medical expert writes four medicines in a prescription for a patient, and the patient leaves out any of them according to his own judgement, then the medical expert will not be responsible for the incomplete medication. The patient himself will be responsible for this error.

It is necessary to emphasize this fact, because a false notion has taken hold of the great majority of Muslims that salvation depends on the mere utterance of the declaration of ‘faith, that the mere verbal confession of ‘faith’ is sufficient for salvation, and any practical application of it to his life is an additional goodness which will elevate him to high stages. 

You will find very few people who think that after professing faith actively living by its dictates is necessary for salvation. Even these few people rarely regard it as necessary for everyone to take up the task of ‘exhortation to truth’. It is usually assumed that the propagation of the message of Islam is the task of a particular group only, and for others preaching is neither necessary nor suitable. Even that special group, instead of propagating the complete truth facing all the tribulations this effort brings with it, have left the path of determination and sacrifice, and made their path easier by attenuating Allah’s requirements. 

In this manner the whole Muslim Nation has become dominated by inactivity, stagnation, escapism, and sloth. This situation cannot change until Muslims realize that the performance of righteous deeds is essential for salvation. Even more is required. The affirmation and declaration of truth and inviting others to accept it, as well as remaining steadfast in the face of hardships and calamities for truth’s sake is also necessary. This is the truth which has been stated in this shortest but most comprehensive surah.

It is necessary to understand the rational relation between these four components. To be called a man of character implies, judging what is wrong or right in every matter, then adopting in practice whatever his heart and mind has sanctioned as right. A man must not only adopt it himself, but must declare it openly, inviting others to acknowledge and accept it. If in this connection, he faces difficulties and hardships, or has to offer sacrifices, then he must show courage and fortitude, patience and perseverance, and should never retreat or withdraw from his stand. 

For a man of noble character, it is not possible to adopt any other course. Otherwise he will be a coward and man of weak character, not a man of principle. This is the rational and logical sequence in these four components:

 (1) ‘faith’ 

(2) ‘righteous deeds’ 

(3) ‘exhortation to truth’ 

(4) ‘exhortation to patience and endurance’. 

And it is not possible for a man of strong character to try to avoid any one of these.

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

The Way to Salvation - Surah Al-’Asr relation to the surahs before and after

Its relation to the surahs before and after:

Finally, let us cast a glance on the surahs of the Holy Quran which precede and follow Sarah Al-’Asr. I had stated that the righteousness of a man’s character is based upon the establishment of the real criterion of success and failure in his heart and soul and his willingness to act according to it always. If this criterion is not established, then the aim of his life may be reduced to amassing wealth, material comforts and luxuries. The desire for greater material well-being may overwhelm and over-power his mind to such an extent that it makes him oblivious of the greater realities of his life and the universe. The curtain of this negligence and indifference is only lifted at the time of death. 

This state of affairs has been described in Surah ‘AI-Takathur that blessed surah of the Glorious Quran which precedes Surah Al-’Asr. As a result of this negligence a man becomes unable to differentiate between right and wrong, lawful and unlawful, approved and forbidden. He sees success as a matter of hoarding and piling up wealth, and he becomes bereft of all good qualities of character and morals, and his personality becomes replete with sins arid vices. 

This picture has been revealed in Sarah ‘AI-Humaza’ which comes after Surah Al-’Asr I seek refuge in Allah, and pray to Him to protect us from such a grievous, dreadful and disastrous end to our lives. 

Amen!

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

The Way to Salvation - The Interrelation of Faith, Righteous Deeds and Mutual Exhortation

The Interrelation of Faith, Righteous Deeds and Mutual Exhortation:

We have seen that faith and righteous deeds are interdependent and also exhortation to truth and exhortation to patience. Now, if we understand the relationship between these two pairs, we will have a complete view of this surah.

Nothing and no one can avoid influencing his environment and being influenced by it. The coldness of ice will necessarily chill its surroundings and the heat of fire will surely make them warmer. The same is true in the field of morality. If the spirit of righteous deeds is really engendered in a person, it must have an impact upon his environment and he will necessarily be a source of diffusing goodness and virtue. The natural outcome of righteous deeds is the propagation of truth in society.

This principle operates in ethics very forcefully. If the social environment favours evil, it will necessarily bring about deterioration in the lives of its citizens. The only possible way to escape from this is to change that environment or at least to struggle vehemently to change it. Even if a person cannot change it, he can at least in this way, act on the principle that the best defense is a good offence, and repel it defensively. Thus the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“lf any one among you observes a vice, it is his duty to change it by force, If he is not able to do so, he should protest against it verbally. If he does not possess even this much of courage, he should detest it by his heart and soul, which means that his heart should regard it as bad, and that he should regret that he could not stop it, and this is the weakest degree of faith”.

The nobility of a man’s character demands exhortation to truth because the goodness in any person who has discovered truth and adopted for himself necessarily demands that he should present it to others, that the greatest number of people may benefit from it, and should partake of its blessing. Thus the Holy Prophet said:

“No one among you can be regarded a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

The self-respect and ardent zeal of a man who has accepted truth demand that he should preach it to others. He should uphold it, propagate it, and should sacrifice his life and wealth in the struggle to make it supremely established in society.

If a man adopts a particular way of life and his environment adopts another, then there are only two possibilities. He must either adopt himself to his environment, in that way, removing the discrepancies and resolving clash and discords or, if he finds the environment totally against his wishes, he should put up a tough resistance, should wage war against it, and should try to change it, according to his point of view. Now it is obvious that for a man of dignity, honour, and zeal, a man of earnest concern, the only course open to him is the second one. He would be glad to sacrifice his life for the sake of truth, but would never tolerate that by leading a life of ease and comfort, he should treacherously distort and misrepresent the truth.

Faith, righteous deeds, exhortation to truth and exhortation to patience are indispensable requirements for salvation, and also dependent upon each other. All four are indivisible aspects of a unit, and are inseparable factors of one single totality. In fact, what are all these four except an exposition or commentary of the word faith? If faith has in reality penetrated a person’s heart, it will necessarily result in the performance of righteous deeds and if the habit of doing righteous deeds has become one’s second nature, its natural outcome would be exhortation to truth; and if the preaching of truth is done with real sincerity and dedication, it will necessarily lead to the stage of exhortation to patience and endurance. 

The reverse order also holds good. If the stage of preaching patience and endurance is not encountered, then this is a certain proof that the preaching is not of the whole truth, but only of a harmless part of it. If the stage of taking up missionary work is missing, then this implies that a man’s actions are not righteous and that he lacks religious zeal. And if his actions are not being performed on the right lines, then this is a categorical proof that genuine faith has not entered his heart.

The path of salvation which is pointed out by Surah Al-’Asr, the path of success and triumph towards which it guides and directs us has four mile-stones: faith, righteous deeds, exhortation to truth and exhortation to patience.

The most perfect example of the pattern delineated above is the life-story of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) wherein all these four components are present in their utmost perfection. At first the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tried to discover the reality of his own identity and that of the cosmos. A Quranic verse asks:

“And did He not find thee perplexed (and unable to find the right course by thyself) and so He guided (thee)”?

The angel Gabriel revealed to him the truths he required. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) confirmed them and affirmed his faith in them, as stated in the Glorious Quran:

“The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord, and so do the believers.”

The life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the perfect model of moral excellence and unparalleled example of sublime character. The Holy Quran states: 

“And thou standest on an exalted standard of character”. 

After fulfilling these fundamental requirements of faith and right-eous deeds to perfection, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) spent twenty three years in the untiring struggle of preaching the truth and declaring and promulgating the grandeur and glory of Allah. He bravely tolerated all troubles for this purpose, courageously suffered all afflictions and faced all the persecutions and oppressions of his opponents. 

In the canyon of Bani Hashim, he endured severe hardships during three long years of imprisonment. In the streets of Taif, he was stoned and ridiculed by rascals and urchins. The lives of his dear relatives and his beloved companions were sacrificed for the pleasure of his Lord and in order to uphold divine truth. After indefatigable efforts, struggling night and day for twenty-three years, finally he made the truth reign supreme. And only after making the divine religion ‘Islam’ the dominant force in the Arabian peninsula, did he return to his Divine Lord, Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be showered on him and on his companions. In short, the biography of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) embodies the contents of Surah-Al-’Asr in action.

So, this is a concise explanation of the significance of Surah Al-’Asr. Now you must have realized why I regarded it is the most comprehensive surah of the Holy Quran, and why Imam Al-Shafeii had said, that if people were to contemplate it seriously, this brief surah would be sufficient for their direction and guidance.

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

The Way to Salvation - The Meaning of Patience

The Meaning of Patience

The meaning of patience is very comprehensive. Its real essence is that a person should continue to maintain himself upon the chosen path, without allowing any trouble, or temptation to deviate him from it. No amount of persecution or trial should cause him to desist. He must remain steadfast in every situation, and should display firmness, perseverance, bravery and fortitude. He must not only persevere in following the truth but must also continue to persuade others to accept it and comply with it.

Exhortation to Truth and Exhortation to Patience are co-essential:

As faith and righteous deeds are inter-related; so are exhortation to truth and exhortation to patience. This is because the invitation to truth is usually not welcomed and it has often to face resistance. It is necessary for those who are dedicated to truth to put up with oppression and persecution.

Perhaps all of us have experienced that even a little piece of moral advice can be disliked by people. For example, if a person owes five dollars to some one, and is putting off its payment and you ask him to pay that amount to his creditor, he will frown at you. If he is in an angry mood, he may warn you not to interfere in his affairs. Now you can well imagine how much resistance would be offered and to what extent people will oppose the preaching which demands from them the fulfilling of their major obligations and religious duties.

And this is the point where a person faces the real test of his character and conviction. It is a fact that mere apprehension and recognition of truth is not so difficult, as is adopting it for oneself and inviting others to act upon it and to remaining firm in this struggle. In Quranic terminology, this is called ‘istiqamat’ i.e., steadfastness. This is the acid test which proves to what extent a person is committed to his objectives and whether he possesses anything which can be termed stability of character and commitment.

This is why the Holy Quran lays so much emphasis on the fact that true believers necessarily have to face tests and ordeals, and the truthfulness of their claims to have faith is to be examined and tested in many ways. Only those are regarded as sincere in their faith who remain firm in the face of ordeals and provide concrete proof of patience and perseverance.

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