Home > Knowledge > Purification of the Soul:

[Continued...]

One of the greatest forms of mutual help in righteousness and piety is to help one another in the journey of migration to Allah and His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. This help should be done by hands, tongues and hearts - through teaching, advising, educating, guiding, and caring.

If a person has this attitude toward Allah's creatures, prosperity will rush to him from all directions, Allah will move His creatures' hearts toward him, will open the gates of knowledge for his heart, and will facilitate the path of bliss for him.

Conversely, one with an opposite attitude will receive opposite consequences.

One might then ask, "You have described a very great journey and a very important matter; but what provisions should be taken along? Which way to follow? And what are the means to use for transportation?" The answer to this is provided in the following sections.

The Trip's Provisions

The provisions for this journey are the knowledge inherited from the Seal of Prophets sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam - there are no other provisions.

Let anyone not prepared with these provisions stay in his home and sit with those who lag behind. He would then find multitudes of other laggers to accompany. Let him follow their example; but let him know that this company will not avail him anything on the Day of Distress. Allah ta'ala said:

"On that Day, it will avail you nothing that, since you have done wrong [together], you shall be partners in punishment [as well]" [az-Zukhruf 43:39]

Thus Allah ta'ala assures that the wrongdoers' association in punishment will not profit them. In this life, people find comfort in sharing disasters, as Al-Khansa (an Arab poetess) said:

"If it were not for the abundance of people wailing around me, Because of the loss of their brethren, I would have killed myself. And even though none of them wails the like of my brother, yet, I comfort myself in that we all share similar disasters."

However, this kind of consolation will not exist among those sharing the punishment on the Day of Resurrection.

The Way

The way to accomplish this journey is through exerting at full capacity and striving to the extreme. It can neither be accomplished by wishes, nor attained through loitering. It is only as a poet once said:

"Dive into the darkness of death, and rise to eminence, Thus will you earn a distinguished and lasting honour. No good is in a soul that fears death, Nor in a willpower that worries about the reproachers' criticism."

It is not possible for a person to take this way unless one satisfies two matters:

1. First, as long as one is following the right way, one should never be concerned about the reproaches of those who like to find faults. Some types of reproach can hit even a strong knight so hard as to cause him to drop from his horse to the ground dead.

2. Second, one's soul should be so worthless to him, for Allah's sake, that he would rush forward, fearless of any perils. The moment the soul becomes frightened, it retreats and turns away from facing dangers, preferring the lowliness of the earth.

These two matters cannot be further fulfilled without patience. One who exercises patience for just a short while will find dangers turn into a smooth breeze which can carry him where he wishes. Thus the danger that he feared suddenly changes to become his best helper and assistant. This is a matter that cannot be comprehended well except by those who have tried it.

The Means of Transportation

The means of transportation in this journey [of migration] is to take refuge in Allah ta'ala, and to turn to Him with one's whole being. It is to exhibit, by all means, full reliance on Him and true confidence in Him. It is to lie down before Him like a subdued and defeated person who possesses nothing - a person who looks up to his Master for dignity and security and for attaining some of His bounty, hoping that He would shelter him.

Such is the one whom, it is hoped, Allah will guide and show what has been concealed from others concerning the way of this hijrah and its ranks.

Contemplating Allah's Ayaat

The pinnacle of the whole affair [of performing a successful journey] and its central pillar is the continued contemplation on Allah's ayaat - to such an extent that these ayaat would overpower the person's thoughts and fascinate his heart.

Once the meanings of the Qur'an replace the passing thoughts of the heart - once the Qur'an masters the person and controls his heart until he becomes its sole obeyed leader, then his journey goes smooth, and his course becomes manifest; and even when it appears to people that he is standing still, he would, in fact, be moving ahead so fast as to race with wind. [As Allah ta'ala said:]

"You see the mountains and think them firmly fixed. But they pass away as the clouds pass away. [Such is] the mastery of Allah who disposes of all things in perfect order. Indeed, He is well acquainted with all that you do" [an-Naml 27:88]

One might ask, "You have pointed to a great aspiration. Would you disclose the door which opens into it; and would you raise the curtain that conceals it? Would you reveal how to understand thoroughly the meanings of the Qura'n, and how to reflect upon its extraordinary delights and treasures? We have in our hands the books of tafsir ¹ of various Imams; are there any additional interpretations to be offered beyond what they have already done?"

I shall then present (in the next chapter) some examples that may be followed and taken as guide in this endeavour.

Establishing Justice

It is surprising to find someone claiming closeness to the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and complete love for him while he strives to follow and establish someone else's opinions. He bases his anger, love, and satisfaction on such opinions; he referees them; and he compares the Messenger's statements to them - if they agree with those opinions then he accepts them, otherwise he applies all sorts of tricks and takes all measures to reject them and to turn away from them.

Allah ta'ala said:

"Believers! Stand out firmly for fair dealings, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin; be he rich or poor, Allah can best protect both. So follow not the lusts [of your hearts] lest you may avoid justice. If you distort your testimony or refuse to provide it, verily, Allah is ever Well-Acquainted with what you do" [an-Nisaa' 4:135]

This ayah carries great meanings that should be emphasized because of people's dire need for them.

Allah ta'ala commands the believers to establish equity and justice. It should be rendered toward everyone, whether enemy or friend.

It is even more important to establish justice in matters of ideas, opinions, and beliefs, because they relate to Allah's commands and teachings. Allowing whims and disobedience to influence one's opinions and beliefs conflicts with Allah's commands and with His Messenger's Message.

Establishing justice in ideas, opinions and beliefs is the mission of the successors to the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam in his Ummah (nation) - those who are worthy of carrying the trust among his followers. No one deserves such description of honesty except those who establish absolute justice in this, as an advice for Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and His worshipers. These are indeed the true inheritors [of the glorious Message].

Thus a person is not worthy of this description if he takes his company, ways, and opinions as measures and indicators of the truth - loathing or befriending people because of them.

How far is such a person from establishing the justice that Allah mandated on everyone, especially in these matters of belief where the obligation is higher!

Fair Testimonies

The above ayah has,"... as witnesses to Allah ...". A witness is a reporter. If he reports truthfully then he is acceptable and just; if he reports falsehoods then he is a false witness.

In addition to establishing justice, Allah requires one to be a witness for Him alone. Thus the testimony should be: with justice and for Allah alone. In another ayah Allah ta'ala said:

"Believers! Stand out firmly for Allih as witnesses to fair dealing" [al-Maaidah 5:8]

Together, these two ayaat require four things: establishing justice, doing it for Allah, maintaining truthful testimonies, and doing this for Allah as well.

The ayah in surah an-Nisaa' emphasizes fairness and maintaining the testimonies for Allah, while that of surah al-Maaidah emphasizes standing out firmly for Allah and maintaining fair testimonies. This difference (between the two ayaat) has an important reason that cannot be dealt with here.

THE TEST OF FAIRNESS

The above ayah (an-Nisaa' 135) then says, "...even if it be against your own selves, your parents or your kin...".

Allah ta'ala commands to establish justice and to maintain fair testimony against everyone, including the most beloved ones. One is required to be fair against himself, his parents who are his roots, and his relatives who are usually closer and better supporters for him than other people.

A person's love for himself, his parents, and his kin, tends to prevent him from establishing the right and justice against them, especially when the right is for someone whom he hates and loathes. Thus, it is obvious that no one will establish this justice except he to whom Allah ta'ala and His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam are more beloved than anything else.

One can use this to test the strength of Imaan in his heart, and his status of Imaan.

On the other end, one should be just toward his enemies and those whom he dislikes. His hatred should not cause him to be unjust to them, just as his love for himself and his kin should not prevent him from establishing justice against them. This hatred should not make him do wrong, just as that love should not stop him from doing right. One of the salaf ² said:

"A just person is one whose anger does not cause him to do wrong, and whose pleasure does not prevent him from doing right."

Thus these two ayaat (of an-Nisaa' and al-Maaidah) together require two things: establishing justice, and maintaining fair testimony with friends and enemies.

WEALTH-BASED BIAS

The above aayah (an-Nisaa' 135) then says, "... be he rich or poor, Allah is closer to both of them ...".

[The meaning of this is that,] "Allah is the Lord and Master of both the rich and the poor; they are His 'abid (subjects), just as you are his 'abd. So, do not be prejudiced toward a rich man because of his wealth, nor toward a poor man because of his poverty; Allah ta'ala is closer than you to both of them."

A possibly better interpretation of this is the following: "People may be reluctant to establish justice and to testify against the rich or the poor; as for the rich, they fear to cause him a loss in wealth; and as for the poor, they tend to take the matter lightly with him because of his poverty and that he possesses nothing. So they are told, 'Allah is closer than you to both the rich and the poor; He is more knowledgeable of, and more merciful toward both; thus do not stop establishing truthful testimony against either of them.'"

Two Motivations for Hiding the Truth

The next portion of the above ayah (an-Nisa' 135) says, "...So do not follow the lusts, lest you may be reluctant to establish justice..."

Another possible (but not as strong) interpretation of this ayah says, "...lest you may be unjust..."

This ayah (an-Nisa' 135) continues, "...if you distort your testimony, or refuse to provide it, verily, Allah is ever Well-Acquainted with what you do."

Allah ta'ala mentions here the two incentives for hiding the truth, warning against committing either of them. These are: distorting the testimony and refusing to provide it.

When the truth becomes clear and evident, a person who likes to hide it does so in one of two ways: he either turns away from it and abstains from mentioning it, acting by this as a mute devil, or he changes and distorts it.

The distortion of truth is either in words or in meaning. Distorting the words is done by adding, dropping, or replacing them with other words. It can also be done by uttering other words in such a way as to make the listener think that he heard something different from what was actually meant. This is similar to what the Jews did in greeting the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam or on some other occasions ³.

Distorting the meaning is done by interpreting the words differently from what the speaker intended, introducing that which he did not mean, dropping some of what he meant, and so on.

Summary

Thus Allah ta'ala warns against all kinds of distortion in the testimony. A witness is required to provide a precise testimony, without hiding or distorting it.

Just contemplate then on the great amount of wisdom and knowledge contained in this ayah.

In summary, Imaan is not complete, or not even present in a person, unless he submits the Texts [of the Qur'an and Sunnah] with acceptance and pleasure, proclaims them, and invites people to them. He should never respond to them with rejection or distortion.

[Continued...]

FOOTNOTES:

1. Tafsir: Explanation or interpretation. It frequently refers to volumes which include explanations and commentary of the Qur'an.
   

2. Salaf: The early pious Muslims of the Sahabah (companions) and their true followers.
   

3. When greeting the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, some Jews used to fake "As-Salaamu 'Alaykum" (Peace be on you) by saying "As-Saammu Alaykum" (Death be to you) instead [Al Bukhari and Muslim]. Also, review al-Mujaadalah 58:8.