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)