The Right Way: The Way of Righteous

“There shall come upon the people a time in which the one who is patient upon his religion will be like the one holding onto a burning ember.” (Tirmidhi, Fitan, 73)

By the will of Allah the Almighty, we are in this world at a time like this, the end times. About fourteen and a half centuries have passed since the arrival of the last of the prophets, the Prophet of the end times, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). In other words, we are at the end of the end times. Many signs portending the approach of doomsday reported in hadiths have already occurred or are occurring right now.

The world fascinates people with all its charms, promising that this life will never end, and invites them to pleasure and entertainment. As a result, human beings who have forgotten their Creator and do not worry about the afterlife, waste the blessing of life given to them by being a slave to their whims and desires. Unfortunately, Muslims have also had their share of this distorted view of their purpose in life. This disease of obsession with worldly gains has progressed dramatically day by day, and it has affected the majority of Muslims like an epidemic.

An ember in the palm 

Of course, it is not an easy feat to comport oneself as a Muslim in such a difficult time and shape your life according to the rules set by Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). In fact, succeeding in doing so is like wearing a shirt of flames. Just as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) heralded centuries ago:

“There shall come upon the people a time in which the one who is patient upon his religion will be like the one holding onto a burning ember.” (Tirmidhi, Fitan, 73)

This hadith does not mean that it is impossible to live according to the religion of Allah during these times; it indicates that it is difficult but also very worthwhile. Additionally, we live in a world of trials and tribulations, and every age has its own challenges. Prophets, whose exemplary lives are mentioned in the Qur’an, first and foremost our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), proved that a life in line with Islam could be lived by enduring all difficulties. The duty of all believers who will come into this world until the Day of Judgment is to live according to the divine principles as much as they can, inspired by the exemplary lives of the prophets and their followers.

The greatest burden

The command that Allah Almighty gave to all believers through our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is very clear: 

 “So, stand firm (on faith) as you have been commanded” (Hud, 112)

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) draws attention to the weight of this address, which commands us to be righteous and honest at all times and in all places, by saying,“I have been made gray-haired by (Surah of) Hud” (Tirmidhi, Tafsir 56). According to Abdullah Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anh), there has never been a more forceful and challenging command for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in the entirety of the Qur’an than this verse. (Razi, Mafatihu'l-Ghayb, 18/72)

No doubt, the command to be righteous in this verse, which felt like a heavy burden on the shoulders of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), was not just about his own person. Because, in the continuation of the verse, those who follow the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and are with him are also commanded to be righteous and not to cross the line. Therefore, another aspect of this verse that shook and worried our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was that it included all Muslims. Also, the divine decree in the 3rd-4th verse of surah Ya-Sin, “You (Muhammad) are truly one of the messengers of Allah, (and you are) on a straight path” confirms that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is already righteous. Moreover, being a true embodiment of istiqamah can only be achieved by him. The difficulty of fulfilling this condition is indicated in the following hadith:

“Stand firm (on faith) although you will not be able to do so (worthily enough).” (Ibn Majah, 279) 

What is istiqamah?

The word “istiqamah,” which derives from the root word “qawm” and is used in various forms in many verses of the Qur’an, means “righteousness, honesty, justice, obedience, moderation, loyalty, steadfastness and decisiveness.” Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (rahmatullahi alayh), after stating that the word ‘istiqamah’ is used for a straight path like a direct line, also asserts that istiqamah is “to move forward on the straight path without deviating.”

In the Qur’an, the word “istiqamah” is mentioned in thirty-three places together with the word “sirat” as in “sirat al-mustaqim.” Sirat al-mustaqim, which means “free from all kinds of extremeness, balanced, clear, straight and true path,” is the path of Islam on which all the prophets walked and invited humanity to walk alongside them. It is the way of obedience to Allah and His Messenger. It is the way of the Noble Companions of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the sadiqs, the shahids, and the righteous.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu anh) narrates how the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) described the straight path as follows:

“One day, the Messenger of Allah drew a straight line on the ground and said to the Companions gathered around him;

– This is the true path of Allah, he said. Then, by drawing other lines to the right and left of this straight line, he continued;

– These are the other ways. Each of them has a devil at its end and calls people to his way. After that, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) recited the following verse:“And: This is My path that is straightforward. So, follow it, and do not follow the (other) ways, lest they should make you deviate from His way. This is what He has enjoined upon you, so that you may be God-fearing.”” (Al-An'am, 153)

The verse recited by the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in the hadith above invites us to follow the sirat al-mustaqim, the straight path, which is the way of Allah. In the previous verses, the general principles of this straight path are listed: 

• Not committing shirk,

• Treating parents well,

• Not killing your children for fear of poverty,

• Staying away from committing vile deeds such as adultery, openly or in secret,

• Not taking a life unjustly,

• Not misappropriating the properties and possessions of orphans,

• Being honest in trade, such as when weighing and measuring goods,

• Being just even when it concerns your relatives,

• Being faithful to the promises given to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

Istiqamah without effort

According to the Qur’an, being in the state of istiqamah is possible by showing complete and sincere servitude to the Almighty. This issue is expressed as follows in many verses:

“Allah is surely my Lord and your Lord. So, worship Him. This is the straight path.” (Ali ‘Imran, 51)

The common goal of all verses commanding to be on the sirat al-mustaqim is:

• To hold fast to Allah’s commands,

• To avoid what He forbids,

• To live by the commands of the Qur’an and sunnah, avoiding all kinds of beliefs, behaviors, innovations, and superstitions that are non-Islamic and deviate from the sunnah…

The most important duty and primary goal of a Muslim is to live without forgetting the Almighty Allah. It is to persist in servitude to Him and strive for His approval. The owner of this path is obvious, and the path is clear. A guide is required on this path. All prophets and their heirs, the scholars, are guides of this path. Being constantly on the sirat al-mustaqim, which is the path of our Rabb, depends entirely on following His Messenger of Mercy and taking the path with those who hold fast to his sunnah. The whole point is to stay on the sirat al-mustaqim and move forward with those whose feet are stable and constant on this path.

 Forty Prayers

Every day, in every salah, every rakah, and during qiyam, that is, forty times a day, we ask our Rabb to deliver us to the sirat al-mustaqim, and to make us companions with His servants whom He has blessed. Our prayer in surah Al-Fatiha is as follows:

“Guide us to the straight path, the Path of those You have blessed—not those You are displeased with, or those who are astray...”

Sirat al-mustaqim in surah al-Fatiha is described as “the path of those who have been blessed.” Those who have been blessed are described as such in surah An-Nisa:

“Those who obey Allah and the Messenger are with those whom Allah has blessed, namely, the prophets, the Siddiqīn, the Shuhadā’ and the righteous. And excellent are they as companions.” (An-Nisa, 69)

Every time a Muslim recites surah al-Fatiha, they request to be with the prophets, the devoted, the shahid, and the righteous, who have been blessed to be on sirat al-mustaqim. This request is made not only for the person making it but also for all Muslims. The fact that such a request is made in every rakah of an ibadah such as salah, which is closely interwoven into every aspect of a believer's life, reveals the importance of treading resolutely and vigorously on the path of istiqamah and being together with the people who embody it. 

We pray that we may walk on the straight path with the righteous…

Abdulkadir Alioğlu