{Quick Reflections 23} Steadfastness 2

In the previous article we talked about that the foundation for steadfastness is very lucid and comprehensive knowledge of our exact roles in this life and what is steadfastness about in the first place. The issue of strengthening such a foundation and cementing it materialistically through spending money in Allaah’s cause was also discussed.
In this article we will discuss further maneuvers and basic concepts that one needs in order to stay steadfast.

The following hadeeth is very famous, “How are you this morning O Haarith Ibn-Maalik?” He replied, “(This morning I am) a true believer.” The Prophet (SAWS) said, “Everything that is true must have a truth (proving it).” Haarith said, “I have turned myself away (with reluctance) from this world by keeping awake at night (worshipping) and by keeping myself thirsty by day (fasting). I can almost see the Throne of my Lord in full sight ready for (the Day of) Judgment; I can almost see the people of paradise visiting each other; and I can almost see the people of hellfire wailing to each other.” The Prophet (SAWS) said, “(This is) a bondsman that Allaah illumined the belief in his heart.” Or he said, “Now that you have known (that), remain faithful to it (the belief).”

Notice the underlined sentence in the hadeeth. In order to remain faithful or steadfast one has to attain the knowledge first. Accordingly what will be discussed here is what is the knowledge one needs to attain, how to attain it and hence how to become steadfast afterwards.


1. Estimation of Allaah’s true estimate in one’s heart:

The most crucial issue of believing in Allaah’s Oneness and the other 5 pillars of Imaan is that it is an ongoing process never to be taken for granted once you have reached a certain conclusion and strong belief. It is an active process that needs to be continuously reinforced. We should always bear in mind the hadeeth, “The similitude of the heart is that of a feather in an open space twirled about by the wind” . Accordingly one should never take his belief and 3aqeedah for granted and that once one is a believer then one has nothing else to do regarding his/her belief. Allaah (SWT) says describing the believers, “The ones who remember Allah, upright and seated and on their sides, and meditate upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, in no way have You created this untruthfully. All Extolment be to You! So protect us from the torment of the Fire!”(TMQ, 3:191). Notice that the verb here is in the present continuous sense. It is a life time very active process of thinking, observing and meditating. A similitude of how one can drift away without noticing if one relies on a fixed non-dynamic belief is that of flotation in the sea. If one leaves oneself floating in the sea without exerting any effort to move anywhere one will end up drifting to a very far away place without noticing. One needs to exert an active effort of swimming in order to stay in his place and even more effort to move forwards.
Now in order to try to estimate Allaah’s true estimate in one’s heart one has to know what is his/her present estimation of Allaah in one’s heart and then work on that to advance it in a very active life time procedure on the way to reaching giving Allaah (AWJ) His true estimate in one’s heart.

Here is a little exercise that we can use to start with that evaluation.
Ask yourself who is your closest and most beloved human friend to you with whom you spend the greatest amount of time talking to. Let us say it is your colleague at work. You spend about 2 hours per day talking to him/her giving him/her your full attention and concentration. Now track how much time you spend per day talking to Allaah (AWJ) either in the form of du3aa, thikr, or prayers. Does it total to 2 hours (like the time you spend with your best human friend) or even more or not? And if it does how sincere and focusing were you during that time of talking to Allaah? Were you giving Him your full attention or where you doing those rituals of supplication and prayers automatically and absent mindedly without paying true attention? Imagine you are talking to your parents or your boss at work while being absent minded and not focusing, how much offended will they feel? Can you even do that in the first place with them? Most of us cannot talk to our bosses while not really giving them our full attention because we estimate them highly and respect and/or fear them. Now how much attention and focusing do we give when we are talking to the One Al-Mighty Allaah during our prayers or supplication? After answering the above questions you will know how you truly and practically estimate Allaah (TWT) in your heart. Most of us will be shocked as to the results and conclusions we reach about ourselves. Now after knowing where one stands one has to take it from there and move forwards. Dedicate daily time and effort on increasing the amount and quality of attention you give to Allaah (AWJ). Meditate and think of how humble you are and how you need Him every second of your life. Think and contemplate how great He (SWT) is through His creation around you in the form of peoples, situations, creatures, events, …..etc.

Another exercise will be to see how much attention and effort you spend to please people in your environment and avoid their resentment and compare that to the amount of attention and effort you spend to please Allaah (TWT) and avoid His resentment.

With Allaah’s will and after practicing for months and years one will truly learn to prioritize one’s attention, focusing, dedication and respect. One will become truly closer to Him (AWJ) and give Him His true estimate and hence be more steadfast and bear whatever hardships and difficulties one faces on one’s straight way during this life.

2. Estimation of the hereafter’s true estimate in one’s heart:

Similarly one has to spend time and effort imagining paradise and comparing it to the most luxurious temptations one faces in this life. Continuously compare the following two criteria of any temptation towards a pleasurable but forbidden thing you face in this life, be it money or any other thing, to its similar one in paradise. Picture the quality of the pleasure and the amount of time you will use that pleasure for. Keep that comparison always alive in your thoughts and imaginations.

On the other hand also practice imagining the comparison using those same two criteria (quality and time) with regards to any hardship you are facing in this life to those one could face in hellfire, may Allaah keep us away from it.


Now there are another 8 maneuvers that can be used to help one become more steadfast but I will postpone mentioning them until the coming article. The reason for this is that focusing on practicing doing the above 2 maneuvers really takes a lot of time and dedication. And we all know that it is all about implementation of our knowledge not just knowing it.

May Allaah grant us steadfastness and bring us closer to Him.

References:
 The Noble Qur’an.
 The Prophet’s sunnah (SAWS).
 Life of the sahaba.
 Our life.
 http://www.islamway.com/?iw_s=Lesson&iw_a=view&lesson_id=36975&scholar_id=361&series_id=2021


Special thanks to our sister who translated the hadeeth.