When the punishment suddenly descends while one is heedless, distracted, and lured by the worldly gains, he/she would cry out a painful cry of regret, bitter and deep: "Oh, woe to me for having neglected my duty to Allah, and indeed, I was among the mockers" (Qur'an 39:56). It is this neglect that led one to fail by not maintaining what Allah (swt) commanded to be upheld and preserved, and falling short from fulfilling what Allah ordered to be established. However, this neglect had already cast the heedless one, during his/her worldly life, into an agonized existence. In fact, by acting in such a manner, the heedless one loses Allah's companionship – His care and love, and His help and support. He/she also loses the granting of blessings associated with believing in Allah's promise, which would have allowed him/her to live in peace, with contentment, perseverance, and faith.
This neglect not only led to the losses mentioned above, but it also caused the person to live with anxiety, sadness, cowardice, and stinginess – all of which the Prophet (pbuh) grouped together in one Hadith: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debt, and from being overpowered by men.” Worrying comes from something a person anticipates to happen, while sadness comes from something that has already occurred. A soul filled with anxiety and sorrow loses the taste for life, leading it to helplessness, negativity, and laziness. Moreover, the reality of the environment around the person aggravates this issue by feeding and strengthening this negativity. As a result, the person becomes cowardly and stingy: “Satan threatens you with poverty and commands you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty, And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing” (2:268).
The root of this suffocation of the soul is fear. It is a fear which hunts every type of action: a fear to be late, fear to miss the “show,” fear to fail, fear that provisions would not be sustained, fear from the unknown future, etc. It is this constant fear which has led to the depressed state of being! It is a fear which has its control over the soul, all because one has lost Allah’s companionship.
To avoid crying out of deep regret on the Day of Judgement, as well as to keep away from suffering a depressed life in this world, one has to strive seriously to not lose Allah’s companionship. The following are simple steps that would allow one to assure perseverance and nearness to Allah (swt).
Step One: Constantly invoke Allah to uplift one’s heart and expand one’s breast with assurance. Such an uplifting of the heart would expel the fear and set a positive drive for every action. Musa (pbuh) invoked Allah to bestow upon him this “Sharh” when he was commanded to go to Pharaoh. He prayed: “My Lord! Uplift my heart for me, and make my task easy” (20:25-26). Allah (swt) gifted this tremendous favor to His Prophet (pbuh) to ease his task, “Have We not uplifted your heart for you ˹O Prophet˺?” (94:1).
Step Two: Utter “Bismillah’’ (in the name of Allah) consciously with devotion at every action, to be safeguarded and helped to achieve the action. Bismillah is a key to protection, help and assurance. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "Whoever says when leaving his house: 'In the name of Allah, I rely on Allah, and there is no power and no strength except through Allah,' it will be said to him: 'You are guided, protected, and safeguarded,' and the devil will move away from him.”
Step Three: Seek refuge in Allah. This is a tremendous, but often forgotten, worship that strengthens the heart, teaches reliance and makes stronger one’s confidence and perseverance. Allah (swt) commanded us to seek refuge in Him from the cunning of Shaytan. He also said in a Hadith Qudsi: “Whatever My servant asks Me, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My protection, I will surely grant it to him. I do not hesitate in anything I do as I hesitate in taking the soul of a believer, for he dislikes death, and I dislike harming him.” The Ahadith of the Prophet (pbuh) on this matter are numerous. Among them is this amazing, profound Hadith: “O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your forgiveness from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot fully praise You; You are as You have praised Yourself."
The effect of these simple, but profound and substantial steps, is the liberation of the will and the strengthening of the spirit. The latter would drive the servant to be on the path of Ihsan (excellence in worship). The dedication and constancy on this path would help one earn, with Allah’s grace, the favor of attaining the level of Ihsan. Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah, advise me.” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Worship Allah as if you see Him, and consider yourself among the dead, and remember Allah at every stone and tree. And if you commit a bad deed, follow it with a good one — the private (good deed) for the private (bad deed), and the public (good deed) for the public (bad deed).”
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