Reality of Faith (2/2)

A Few Examples Of Obedience To Allah.

1. Abstinance from Wine

You must have heard how rampant was drinking of wine in Arabia. Women and men, young and old, were fond of it. In fact they were used to it. They chanted songs in his praise and were mad after it. You know this fact also that it is difficult to give up drinking after getting addicted to it. A drunkard would rather give his life than stop drinking. If he does not get wine his condition becomes worse than that of a sick person. But have you heard what happened when the prohibition order was given through the Qur'an? On hearing this commandment those very Arabs who shed their life on wine broke its containers with their own hands. Wine was flowing in the lanes of Medina like rain-water. In one gathering some people were engaged in drinking as they heard the voice of the announcer on behalf of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that wine was prohibited, their hands suddenly stopped where they were. Those who had the cup close to their lips removed it at once and did not allow a drop to reach their throats. This is called obedience to Allah and His messenger.

2. Confession of Crime

You know what a severe punishment Islam has prescribed for adultery-one hundred stripes on the naked back, the very thought of which makes a person shudder. And if a married man is involved, his punishment is stoning to death. A man trembles to hear the very name of such a horrible punishment. But have you heard what was the condition of those who had Iman in their hearts. A man had committed adultery. There was no witness. There was nobody to drag him to the court, nor was there anyone to make a report to the police. There was only Iman in his heart which admonished him: "Now that you have satisfied your lust contravening the Law of God, get ready to undergo the punishment prescribed by God for it". So this person presented himself of his own accord before the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "O Prophet of Allah I have committed adultery. Please award me punishment". On hearing this, the Prophet turned aside his face but that man shifted towards him and repeated his request. The Prophet again turned aside his head and this man again came before him and made the same request for the third time. This is Iman. It is easy for one who has Iman in his heart to be punished with a hundred stripes on his naked back, or even get stoned to death, but it is difficult for him to go before God as a disobedient servant.

3. Severance of Relationship

You also know that in this world nobody is dearer to man than his relatives. Particularly, father, brother and son are so dear that a man endures to sacrifice everything for them. But you just think of the battles of Badr and Uhud and see who went to fight against who? The father was in the Muslim army and the son in the army of Kafirs, or the son was on this side and the father was on the opposite side. One brother was on this front and the second brother on the other front. The nearest relatives confronted each other and fought as if they were strangers. And this spirit was not worked up for the sake of money or land, nor was it aroused by personal enmity, but they fought against their own flesh and blood simply because they had the grit to sacrifice their father, son, brother and their whole family for the sake of God and His Messenger.

4. Repentance from Old Customs

You also know that Islam demolished practically all the old customs which were prevalent in Arabia. The biggest evil of all was idol-worship which had been in vogue for hundreds of years. Islam ordained to give up this evil as well as wine, adultery, gambling, theft and dacoity which were generally rampant in Arabia. Women used to go about openly in Arabia. Islam ordered them to observe pardah. No share was given to women in inheritance. Islam decreed that they must get a share in it. Adopted children were given the position of real children. Islam rejected this equation and sanctified marriage with adopted son's divorced wife. In short, no old custom was left undiminished by Islam. But do you know what was the attitude of those who had affirmed faith in God and His Messenger? These believers broke with their own hands all those idols which they and their forefathers had prostrated for centuries and offered sacrifices at their altars. They renounced all those family customs which were coming down for centuries, at once. On receiving the commandment of God they crushed under their feet those objects which they held sacred, while, contrariwise they sanctified those things which they had previously regarded as detestable. Those objects which were considered pure for centuries became suddenly impure and vice versa. All those practices which during the days of Kufr were sources of benefit or relish were given up in the wake of God's commandment. All injunctions of Islam entailing stress and strain were gladly accepted. This is what means Iman and this is what is called Islam. If the people of Arabia had at that time said:" We do not accept that thing because it is harmful to us and we cannot give up the other thing as it is beneficial to us, and that we shall certainly do that particular thing since it is coming from out forefathers, while we like certain things of the Romans and certain practices of the Iranians which are pleasing to us, in short, if they had in this way rejected each and every thing of Islam, you can imagine there would have been no Muslim today in the world.

Way to God's Pleasure

It is stated in the Qur'an: "You will not attain unto piety until you sacrifice for God all that is dear to you." (Surah Al-‘Imran, 3:92). This verse is the essence of Islam and Iman. The real grandeur of Islam lies in this very principle that whatever is dear to you must be sacrificed for the sake of God. You notice that in all the affairs of your life God's commandment beckons you towards one direction while your own self goads you towards another direction. God commands you to do a certain deed but Nafs dissuades you by saying that it will cause trouble and loss. God forbids you from a certain act while Nafs instigates that it is highly delicious and of great benefit. One side is God's pleasure and pitted against it is a whole world of gratification. In short, man confronts at every step two paths in life. One is the path of Islam and the other of Kufr and hypocrisy. One who discards everything of this world and bows to the commandment of God is the person who has adopted the path of Islam. And one who sets aside God's commandment and fulfils the desires of his heart and temptations of the world is the person who has taken to the path of Kufr or hypocrisy.

Muslims of Today

The condition of the people today is that they gladly accept whatever is convenient in Islam but when a real confrontation arises between Islam and Kufr, they quickly change their direction. This weakness is found even among some great claimants to Islam. They will shout Islam, Islam; their tongues will be dried up in extolling Islam; they will also do some ostentatious work for it, but if they are told: "Let us enforce on ourselves the law of Islam which you are praising so much," they will at once say: "There is this difficulty and that obstruction in it; better leave it for the time being". What they mean is that Islam is a beautiful toy, display it on the cupboard and sing its praises from a distance but avoid even its name about enforcing it as a law to govern ourselves, our family members and relatives and to regulate matters of business and other affairs of life. This is the condition of our religious people these days. The less we talk of the worldly people the better. It is the result of such an attitude that neither Salat is now effectual nor fasting nor Recital-recital nor the outward adherence to Shari'ah. The reason is that when the spirit is gone, what miracle can a soulless body perform?