Allah says in the Qur’ān, “Certainly will the believers have succeeded, they who are during their prayer humbly submissive, and they who turn away from ill speech, and they who are observant of zakah, and they who guard their private parts, except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed, but whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors, and they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive, and they who carefully maintain their prayers, those are the inheritors, who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally.” (Qur’ān 23:1-11)
The ayahs speak about the six qualities which an individual has to perform, which would help him attain eternal success, which is Paradise. These ayahs can also be understood as the six steps to attain success.
LIST OF QUALITIES
The following are the activities which have to be performed:
- Being Humbly Submissive during Prayer
Humbleness means to tremble by the thought of the grandest of all being, to adopt lowliness and humility before Him. The spirit of prayer is that the slave should be in awe of his Master; he should pray to Him in lowly tones; and should express his helplessness and obedience before Him. The guarantee of success is given to only those people of faith who offer prayer with humbleness.
Humbleness basically comes from the heart and when there is humbleness in the heart, this condition also affects the body: that is, the eyes will be lowered, the voice will be low, the attention will be towards Allah only, and the prayer will be performed with tranquillity and satisfaction in a dignified way.
- Turning away from Ill Speech
It refers to staying away from ill and useless speech and activities, anything that is meaningless, unproductive and doesn’t help in achieving our purpose in life. This includes slandering, backbiting, lying, cursing and swearing and inappropriate deeds. The Arabic word laghv used in the Qur’ān here means vain, purposeless, useless, meaningless, aimless, etc. It basically refers to acts which have no purpose and benefit. It is major corruption and harm to the self, others and the society at large. It is a waste of time and a huge distraction from one’s ultimate goal.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, “A sign of man’s good observance of Islam (his piety) is to keep from that which does not concern him.” (Tirmidhi) Thus, one should always try not to engage, dwell and get absorbed in that which is meaningless and useless, which would ultimately give him time to do activities which are productive and beneficial.
- Being Observant of Zakah
The objective of Zakat is not only to provide means for the relief of the distressed, or for the promotion of the welfare of the economically less favoured sections of the community, but also to discourage hoarding of money and commodities and thus to ensure a brisk circulation of both, resulting in a healthy economic adjustment. Giving Zakah also reduces the love of the world in a human being.
The meaning is not confined to the paying off of Zakat dues only but it is extended to self-purification which includes purification of morals as well as wealth, property and life in general. It does not only mean purification of one’s own self, but includes the purification of the lives of other people as well. It means that the believers are the people who purify themselves as well as others and control flaws like anger, bad temper, narcissism and jealousy. They also lower their gaze and do not indulge in gossiping, etc.
- Guarding One’s Private Parts
It is basically to avoid engaging in sexual activities outside the marital relationship, because marriage provides full rights and a sense of settlement and security for both partners. It goes without saying that anything less than marriage is truly not befitting men or women. For anyone to dedicate themselves, their precious emotions, time, thinking and physical being to someone who is not committed and can leave at any point is something which is not fair.
Allah has given us instructions to find deep pleasure in the relationship between a husband and a wife. The more we purify our gaze, the more we will enjoy our spouses, because there will hardly be any comparison – the more our eyes, hearts and minds will be filled with our own spouses. The ‘look’ is something sacred and precious, and if it’s put in the right place, it will bring fulfilment to the heart and even count as an act of worship. And vice versa; if it’s put in the wrong place, it will increase the sense of emptiness and deprivation in the heart, and increase the sins.
- Keeping One’s Trust and Promise
It basically refers to keeping our words by doing what one has agreed to. Establishing honesty, trustworthiness and keeping our word are fundamental to our path and our relationship with the Creator and His creation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was known as “Al-Ameen”, “The Trustworthy” before he was known as the Messenger of Allah.
The believers fulfil the terms of the trusts which are placed in their charge. In this connection it should be noted that the Arabic word amanat is very comprehensive and includes all those trusts which are placed in their charge by Allah or society or individuals. Likewise a’hd includes all those compacts, pledges and promises which are made between Allah and man, and also between man and man. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) himself used to express the importance of the fulfilment of pledges. Once, he said, “The one, who does not fulfil the terms of his trust, has no faith, and the one, who does not keep promises and pledges has no Islam.” (Baihaqi)
- Carefully Maintaining One’s Prayers
The qualities started with the quality of each prayer, and ended with instructions on maintaining all prayers carefully. Praying all prayers on time and avoiding delay is one of the most beloved deeds to Allah. Once, Abdullah ibn Masud asked Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) what one of the best deeds to Allah was, and he replied, “Establishing prayer on time….” (Nasai)
It also refers to performing prayers with due regard for their pre-requisites, conditions and articles with clean body and dress and necessary ablution. The people do not regard their prayers as an unnecessary burden, which has to be cast off somehow. The people do not recite mechanically but understand what they recite and are conscious that they are supplicating to their Lord like humble servants.
Inheriting all these six qualities will help a person become a better human being. To inherit Paradise is in fact the real success which will be the share of the people of faith. In a hadīth Firdaus has been stated as an excellent part of Paradise. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, “Paradise has one hundred grades, each of which is as big as the distance between heaven and earth. The highest of them is Firdaus and the best of them is Firdaus. The Throne is above Firdaus and from it spring forth the rivers of Paradise. If you ask of Allah, ask Him for Firdaus.” (Ibn Majah) Thus, every believer should aim very high and strive hard to achieve the highest level of Paradise which is Firdaus.
[Syed Kazim is working as Assistant Professor at Acharya Bangalore B School, Bengaluru. He can be contacted at [email protected]]