Treading the Path
Archived under Tazkiyyah .
If someone told you that they would pay you for every act of good you did, how reluctant would you be in doing them? What about if you were told that for every good you do, you'll receive your reward for it at a later date? Would you be so eager to perform the good deeds?
We all know that the reaction in these two circumstances would differ greatly and this is the difference between those who live for the dunyaa and those who live for the aakhirah.
Allaah says in the Qur`aan (interpretation of the meaning):
And what will make you know the path that is steep?
Freeing a neck,
Or giving food in a day of hunger,
To an orphan near of kin,
Or to a miskeen cleaving to dust"
[Soorah al-Balad (90): 11-16]
How many of us have attempted to pass or climb upon this steep path? Allaah makes no secret of it: He tells us plainly that the path to righteousness – the path to closeness to Him – is not an easy one. It is steep and requires much endurance, steadfastness and strength and one who wishes to be upon this path should do the aforementioned good deeds if one is able:
- Freeing a neck: this refers to the freeing of a slave.
- Feeding the orphan: not just any orphan but one who is near of kin, a relative. One who does so will receive double reward. 1
- Feeding a poor or needy person: one who is destitute, poor and miserable that he cleaves onto dust.
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever frees a believing slave, Allaah will free for every limb (of the slave) of his limbs from the fire..."
When 'Ali ibn al-Husayn heard this, he almost immediately freed the best of his servants saying: "Go, for you are free for the Face of Allaah." [Recorded in Saheeh Bukhaaree, Muslim, Sunan at-Tirmidhee and an-Nasaa`ee].
What verse does this spur to mind? It can be none other than:
They say we do not discriminate against anyone of His Messengers.
And they say: "We hear and we obey.
Grant us Your forgiveness, O Lord; to You we shall all return.""
[Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 285]
The action of 'Ali ibn al-Husayn is a clear example of hearing and obeying. He did not hesitate to think about whether it was a good idea to free the best of his servants, nor did he show any sign of regret afterwards. He heard the saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) regarding the virtues of freeing a slave and acted upon it immediately.
This is not only an example of one who makes an attempt to 'tread the path' but also an example of one who does works of righteousness for an unseen reward.
What then about us? Which path is it that we wish to tread?
These are the questions I asked myself this morning after reading the tafseer of Soorah al-Balad. They are questions that we should ask ourselves on a daily basis; namely: 'which path is it that I wish to tread?' and 'am I making an effort to pass onto it?'
May Allaah grant us tawfeeq in both worlds and make us amongst those who tread the steep path He mentioned in Soorah al-Balad, aameen.
~ Umm Junayd.
1 "Charity given to the poor person is counted as one charity, while if it is given to a relative it is counted as two: charity and connecting the ties (of kinship)." [Ahmad, 4:214 – also recorded by at-Tirmidhee and an-Nasaa`ee]
Your Thoughts
Jazaakillahu khayran.
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.
Salaam Alaikum:
An excellent post on a worthy blog :)
May Allah bless you and reward you for the good work you do. Indeed, your writings show the two most important qualities of struggling on the path, love and gratitude.
Ya Haqq!
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Assalamu Alaykum,
Subhanallah, mashallah sister! I was just memorizing that after fajr! I also looked at the tafsir and I thought how interesting! to the extent that I wrote it all out for my friend in prison. I thought, subahanallah!....
And I wake to see you have done the same thing! Allahu Akbar!