الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله تعالى من شرور أنفسنا، وسيئات أعمالنا، ، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه  ومن تبعه إلى يوم الدين

One thing that should be very clear is that Islam is very simple and easy religion but for some reason we complicate it and then complain.   The simplicity of Islam is obvious when we look at the responses given by the Prophet (PBUH) in response to questions by the companions.  You will note that the Prophet (PBUH) responses are very brief, few words and in general they are verse or part of verse form the Quran.

As example, a Bedouin (لأعرابي) came to the Prophet (PBUH) and told him: (عظِني وأوْجِز) “Advise me but be brief”.  The Prophet (PBUH) told him:

مَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ * وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَه 

Whosoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whosoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.

The Bedouin said: (كُفيت) “That is enough.”

The Prophet (PBUH) said: (فقُهَ الرجل) “The man has clear understanding”.

The Prophet’s answer was two verses from surat Al-Zalzala  (99:7-8):

﴿فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ * وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ) الزلزلة(

 So, we don’t need more information, we need sincerity and action upon what we already know; two short verses are all that Bedouin needed to act according to Allah’s commands that Allah instilled in all of us. Is there anyone who really does not know what is good and what is evil; Allah created us with the compass to know it on our own.

Another example, the companion Sufyan Al-Thaqafy (سفيان بن عبد الله الثقفي) came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said:

جاءه سفيان بن عبد الله الثقفي ـ رضي الله عنه ـ يقول له: قل لي في الإسلام قولاً لا أسأل عنه أحداً غيرك ، فقال له النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( قل: آمنت بالله ثم استقم)( رواه مسلم)

“O Messenger of Allah. tell me a statement about Islam that is sufficient that I will not need to ask anyone else after you.

The Prophet (PBUH) said: Say, (آمنتُ بالله ثم استقم) I believe in Allah and then become upright (Stand firm).  [Muslim]

The Prophet (PBUH) summarized Islam in two words belief and Istiqamah which can be translated as standing upright or standing firm.  This hadith is rephrasing the two conditions that Allah affirmed as the guarantee for paradise.  So, our winning ticket to paradise is these two words as Allah says in Surat Fussilat:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَقَـٰمُواْ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُواْ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُواْ وَأَبۡشِرُواْ بِٱلۡجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ (٣٠) نَحۡنُ أَوۡلِيَآؤُكُمۡ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَفِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ‌ۖ وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَا تَشۡتَهِىٓ أَنفُسُكُمۡ وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ (٣١) نُزُلاً۬ مِّنۡ غَفُورٍ۬ رَّحِيمٍ۬ (٣٢) [فصلت]

“Surely, those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and then became upright (afterward stood firm) the angels descend on them, saying: “Do not fear, and do not grieve; and be happy with the good news of the Paradise that you had been promised.

We are your guardians in the worldly life, and in the Hereafter. And for you here is whatever your souls desire, and for you here is whatever you call for (31) A gift of welcome from the Most-forgiving, the Very-Merciful”. (Fussilat 41:30-32)

Belief in Allah and Istiqamah are not only a guarantee for paradise but they are also a guarantee for happiness in this life.   The same promise for those who meet these two conditions is given in Surat Al-Ahqaf:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ * أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴾ [الأحقاف: 13، 14].

“Surely, those who say, “Our Lord is Allah” and then became upright (afterward stood firm), they will have no fear, nor shall they grieve. (13) Those are the people of Paradise, who will live there forever as a reward for what they used to do.” (Al-Ahqaf 46:13-14)

Istiqamah is an important Islamic concept.  The literal meaning of “Istiqamah” is to stand straight into the right direction, to act rightly with no deviation. It is related to the terms “Qiyyam” (قيام), which implies standing up and the term (مُستَقِيمَ) that means straight. 

So istiqamah means traversing upon the Sirat al-Mustaqeem (الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ), the Straight path of guidance and this is the Dua, supplication that we make at least 17 time each day as we recite Surah al-Fatihah by asking Allah (اهدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ) to guide us to the straight path.

Since Istiqamah means traversing upon the Sirat al-Mustaqeem, the Straight Path of guidance, it means that we should avoid swerving to the left or the right but we should always be in the middle, not going beyond the limits by neither being extreme nor being negligent.

The Shaitan Satan, senses the heart of the Muslim and puts it to the test. So, if he senses that it is lazy and careless when it come to the obedience of Allah, he encourages it further with laziness, ease and distance from the religion until the person disengages from the Religion and Satan will not stop until a person severs all his ties with the Religion.

But, if the Shaitan, Satan, sees that the Muslim is passionate about the Religion and knows that he is not able to block him from it, he encourages him with more and more striving, and with becoming strict upon himself and upon others, and going beyond bounds of balance. Here the person leaves Istiqamah, and the example of this is  the Khawārij.  The Prophet (PBUH) described their worship compared to the those who have istiqamah.  The Prophet informed us that the prayer, fasting and the recital of the Quran of the people of istiqamah seem insignificant compared to the prayer, fasting and the recital of the Qur’an of those extremists. Yet, those extremists leave the religion of Islam just like an arrow that misses its target.

Both of these inclinations are blameworthy: the negligent group, and the extreme group. Both have exited the path of the Istiqamah. The first group left the Istiqamah to deviation of neglect and loss. The second group left the Istiqamah to the deviation of excess, extremism and exaggeration.

It has been said that true Istiqamah is a road whose beginning is dignity, its middle is safety and its end is paradise”: “الاستقامة طريق أولها الكرامة، وأوسطها السلامة، وآخرها الجنة”.  

The command of the Istiqamah is emphasized in several verses in the Qur’an, Allah says:

فَٱسۡتَقِمۡ كَمَآ أُمِرۡتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطۡغَوۡاْ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ۬ (١١٢)

“Therefore, stand firm as you are commanded and those who turn in repentance with you. And do not transgress, for He (Allah) sees well all that you do.” (Hud 11:112)

So, we see that the lack of Istiqmah is manifested by transgression. Allah points out in surat Al-Shura that the cause of the deviation from Istiqamah is allowing ourselves to follow or be misled by desires (whether it is our desires or the desires of others), Allah says:

فَلِذَٲلِكَ فَٱدۡعُ‌ۖ وَٱسۡتَقِمۡ ڪَمَآ أُمِرۡتَ‌ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعۡ أَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ‌ۖ (١٥)

“So, unto this (religion) invite (people), and be steadfast as you are commanded, and do not follow their desires,” (Al-Shura 42:15)

Ibn Abbas said that command to stand firm as Allah commanded is the hardest and most difficult command in Qur’an. The reason is that it is a difficult to achieve Istiqamah all the time and under all circumstances.  It is inevitable that we will fall short in the steadfastness on the obligations, so we should make our shortcoming up by that by seeking forgiveness as Allah says in Surat Fussilut:

قُلۡ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۟ بَشَرٌ۬ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمۡ إِلَـٰهٌ۬ وَٲحِدٌ۬ فَٱسۡتَقِيمُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُوهُ‌ۗ (٦)

“Say, “I am but a human being like you; it is revealed to me that your god is only One God. Therefore, be steadfast upon the Straight Path to Him, and seek forgiveness from Him.” (Fussilat 41:6)

In addition to repentance, we can compensate for our deficiencies by regular spending in charity as Allah says in Surat Al-Taghabun:

فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ وَٱسۡمَعُواْ وَأَطِيعُواْ وَأَنفِقُواْ خَيۡرً۬ا لِّأَنفُسِڪُمۡ‌ۗ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفۡسِهِۦ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ (١٦)

“So, observe taqwa of Allah (awareness of Allah) as best as you can, and listen and obey, and spend, it being good for you. And those who are saved from the greed, such are the successful.” (Al-Taghabun 64:16)

When one feels that he is short in remaining steadfast on Allah’s straight path, there are two ways to compensate for the deficiencies, seeking Allah’s forgiveness and spending in Charity.

Appreciating the difficulties that we will face in maintaining our Istiqamah, the Prophet (PBUH) comforted us by saying:  

 عن ثوبان – رضي الله عنه – قال : قال رسول – صلى الله عليه وسلم “اسْتَقِيمُوا وَلَنْ تُحْصُوا وَاعْمَلُوا وَخَيْرُ أَعْمَالِكُمُ الصَّلاَةُ وَلاَ يُحَافِظُ عَلَى الْوُضُوءِ إِلاَّ مُؤْمِنٌ) “ رواه مالك وأحمد وابن ماجه ، والدارمي (.

“Be steadfast, although you will not be able to attain perfection.  So, act, and the best of your actions is the prayer. And only a believer is constant in his ablution (wudū).”

 In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا وَلاَ يُحَافِظُ عَلَى الصلاة إِلاَّ مُؤْمِنٌ

“Do your best in the good deeds with determination to reach what is correct. And only a believer is constant in his prayers.” [Musnad Ahmad, 21927]

 Istiqamah means obeying the commands of Allah regarding the obligatory rituals that He prescribed and were demonstrated to us by the prophet (PBUH).  Since we realize that we cannot perfect all our obligations, we can compensate by the sunnan, supererogatory rituals. 

There are three basic elements for Istiqamah:  Istiqamah of the heart, Istiqamah of the tongue and Istiqamah of the character.

The first element is the Istiqama of your heart to ensure that it is free from all forms of shirks by keeping our heart steadfast on doing everything for the pleasure of Allah and not for anyone else.  Shirk is the worst injustice man can commit and for the one who commits it the road to Hell is guaranteed.  Allah says:

مَن يُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدۡ حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَمَأۡوَٮٰهُ ٱلنَّارُ‌ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِنۡ أَنصَارٍ۬ (٧٢)

“Whosoever ascribes any partner to Allah, Allah has prohibited for him the Paradise, and his abode is the Fire, and for the unjust, there will be no helpers.” (Al-Maeda 5:72)

 Freedom from all forms of shirk requires purifying our heart from hypocrisy, jealousy and arrogance, heedlessness, from being overwhelmed by self-interests and desires and from showing off seeking others’ appraisal.   Purity of the heart is a perquisite for success in the Hereafter as Allah says:

وَلَا تُخۡزِنِى يَوۡمَ يُبۡعَثُونَ (٨٧) يَوۡمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ۬ وَلَا بَنُونَ (٨٨) إِلَّا مَنۡ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلۡبٍ۬ سَلِيمٍ۬ (٨٩)

“And do not disgrace me on the Day of resurrection (87) The Day when neither wealth nor sons will be of benefit. (88) Except to him who will come to Allah with pure heart.”  (Al-Shura 26:87-89)

In order to purify our heart from all forms of shirk, we should always be aware of the final destination, i.e., the Day of Judgment.  We should use this awareness as a motive to commit to do things in the right way and in the best way possible.  This will require continuous checking and reviewing our deeds and being honest with ourselves so as not to give false excuses for failing to perfect our deeds or to fulfill a commitment.

Therefore, we need to hold self-accountability twice:

1. First, before we start doing something, ensuring that it pleases Allah, that we do it for His sake only, realizing the right way it should be done.
2. Second, after the action has been done, to check whether we have achieved what we aimed for, and to check for defects and shortcomings.

We should realize that no one is perfect except Allah and thus we should be always be seeking His forgiveness, guidance and support.   We also need to make commitment to strive to make improvements in all that we do (daily activities, work, actions, good deeds, ibadah, etc.) as one of our objectives.

It is important that whatever deed we are engaged in should be done with the right intention for the sake of Allah alone (ikhlas) and should be done on the basis of knowledge and in the best way possible.

The second basic element of Istiqamah is the Istiqamah of our tongue by avoiding all forms of lying, profane language, backbiting and false accusation of others. There are many sayings for the prophet (PBUH) that warns about the tongue if it is used improperly. 

The Prophet (PBUH) said:

– وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “لا يستقيم إيمان عبدٍ حتى يستقيم قلبه ولا يستقيم قلبه حتى يستقيم لسانه

The belief of Allah’s slave is never firm until his heart is firm and his heart will never be firm until his tongue is firm.

 The Prophet (PBUH) said to his uncle Al-Abbas: I love your beauty.

قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لعمه العباس رضوان الله عليه: يعجبني جمالك. قال: وما جمال الرجل ؟ قال: لسانه ” .

Al-Abbas said: What is the beauty in a Man.  The Prophet (PBUH) said: His tongue.

 Allah commands us that we should always speak not what is only good but what is best.  Allah says:

وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا

“And say to My servants to say that which is best, Indeed Satan sow discord (induce dissension) among them Indeed Satan is ever to mankind a clear enemy.” (Al-Isra 17:53)

Interesting that this command was revelaed in Mecca and it is reported that its revelation was on the occasion of an incident in which a man from Quraysh insulted Syedna Omar after he became Muslim and Syedna Omar (عمر بن الخطاب) responded to him with insults and curses and was on the verge of killing him and this would have created big conflict. 

If this applies in this situation, would you really justify any situation that you would not say what is best when speaking to a family member or another Muslim.    Allah gives us the warning that if we don’t say the best, we will be giving an opening to Satan to sow discord and dissention that will escalate the situation.  So, you should always seek the best words to respond to even bad words.  Don’t reward a bad person with bad behavior and don’t give Satan a chance to sow conflicts. 

Even when someone says something that you consider evil, you should respond to it with goodness as Allah commands us by saying:

وَلا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ، ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ، فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ.

“Good and evil are not equal. Repel (evil) with what is best, and you will see that the one with whom you have enmity will become a close friend.” (Fussilat 41:34)

In Surat Ibrahim, Allah alerts us of the importance of watching every word that we utter as He says:

أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلاً۬ كَلِمَةً۬ طَيِّبَةً۬ كَشَجَرَةٍ۬ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصۡلُهَا ثَابِتٌ۬ وَفَرۡعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ (٢٤ إبراهیم)

“Have you not considered how Allah sets forth a parable?  A good word as a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky. (Ibrahim 14:24)

وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ۬ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ ٱجۡتُثَّتۡ مِن فَوۡقِ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ۬ (٢٦إبراهیم)

And the parable of a bad word is that of a bad tree uprooted from the face of the earth, it has no stability.” (Ibrahim 14: 26)

The third element of Istiqamah is the Istiqamah of our character. We need to also ensure that our character reflects the highest moral standard.  When Allah wanted to praise the Prophet (PBUH), He praised him by His character as He said:

﴿ وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴾ [القلم: 4].

“And you have an exalted standard of character (Al-Qalam 68:4)

The Prophet (PBUH) summarized the purpose of his teachings by saying:

“إنّما بُعثت لأُتمم مكارم الأخلاق”.

“I haven’t been sent except to perfect the good manners.”

The Prophet (PBUH) emphasized the importance of good character in many of his sayings.  He (PBUH) said:

(أحب عباد الله إلى الله أحسنهم خلُقاً) ] الطبراني[

“The most beloved servant of Allah to Allah is the one who has the best manners”. “

(إن الرجل ليُدرك بحسن خُلُقه درجات قائم الليل صائم النهار] أبو داود والحاكم عن عائشة [

A man reaches with his good manner the degree of the one who perform prayers all night and fasts all day”.

(إن من أحبِّكم وأقربكم منّي مجلساً يوم القيامة: أحاسنكم أخلاقاً). ] الترمذي عن جابر[

“The most beloved to me and nearest to me on the Day of Judgment is the one who has the best manners”. 

 As final note, resilience is a key component of Istiqamah but even strong and resilient people make mistakes.   The Istiqamah is an exhausting journey and it is the nature of humans to stumble and make mistakes. Never feel ashamed that you are not achieving perfection which you will never achieve because the One who is perfect is Allah.  Mistakes and shortcoming make you humble and encourages you to constantly seek Allah’s forgiveness and help to make things easy for you.

Imam Ibn Qayyim has beautiful comments on the story of Prophet Adam, he says:

“Satan rejoiced when Adam came out of paradise, but he (Satan) did not know that when a diver sinks into the sea, he collects pearls and then rises again.”

 Even strong and resilient Muslims make mistakes. But part of the Istiqamah is for a Muslim to reflect on his mistakes and turn them into opportunity to return to Allah in a more meaningful way.

We need to note that in both the hadith and the verses that link belief to Istiqamah uses the conjunction letter (ثم) [قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَقَـٰمُواْ”, “قل: آمنت بالله ثم استقم”] and this infers time delay between declaring belief and achieving the Istiqamah.  This means that achieving the Istiqamah is a journey that will take time and not an immediate event.    If Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) would have used the conjunction letter (ف) it would have meant that as soon as one declares his belief it would have required from him to achieve the Istiqamah.  We note the conjunction (ف) is used with the command of prayers such as:

وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ

And remembers the Name of his Lord, and pray. (Al-Ala 87:15)

We pray to Allah to help us remain steadfast on our journey of the Istiqamah of our heart, our tongue and our character. 

DUA