The Fifth Word

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

اِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ1

If you want to see what an essential duty it is for man to perform salâh and not to commit great sins, and how appropriate they are for fitrah and for the result of man's creation, look at this short story in the form of a comparison and listen:

At a time of mobilisation, in a battalion, there were two soldiers together, one trained and devoted to his duty, and the other untrained and solely concerned with his nafs. The soldier, who was devoted to his duty, was paying attention to training and jihâd and was not thinking about his provisions and rations because he understood that feeding and equipping himself, treating himself if he became ill, and even putting food in his mouth, if necessary, were the duties of the state, and his essential duty was training and jihad, but he was handling some of the equipment and provision work. He was boiling up the cauldron, washing the dirty dishes and bringing them. If he was asked, "What are you doing?" he would say, "I am carrying out a forced and tiring task for the state." He would not say, "I am working for my livelihood."

The other untrained soldier, who was fond of his stomach, was not paying attention to training or the war. "That is the state's business. It does not concern me," he would say. He was constantly thinking of his livelihood, pursuing it, leaving the battalion, going to the market and shopping. One day, his trained friend said to him:

"Brother, your fundamental duty is training and battle. You were brought here for that. Trust in the sultân. He would not leave you hungry. That is his duty. Also, you are impotent and poor; you cannot feed yourself everywhere. Also, it is the time of jihâd and mobilisation. Also, they will call you a rebel and punish you. Yes, behind us, two duties are visible. One is the sultân’s duty of feeding us; we sometimes carry out the forced and tiring tasks for it. The other is our duty of training and fighting; the sultân helps us with that through facilitation."

You can understand what great danger the layabout soldier would be in if he did not listen to the mujâhid, trained one.

Thus, O my lazy nafs! That wavy field of war is this tempest life of the world. As for the army divided into battalions, it is the society of mankind. As for the battalion, it is the jamâ’ah of Islam of this century. As for the two soldiers, one is a Muslim who has taqwâ (muttaqî) and knows the fardh of religion and performs them and performs jihad against the nafs and shaytan in order to abandon kabâir and not commit sins. The other is a fâsiq who goes astray, abandons fardh and commits any sins he encounters on the way of livelihood by plunging into the struggle for livelihood to the degree of accusing the True Razzâq. As for the training and instruction, it is (foremost the salâh) the ‘ibâdah. As for the battle, it is to save the heart and rûh from sins, vile morals and eternal destruction through performing jihad against the nafs and its desires and the shaytans among jinn and men. As for those two duties, one of them is to give life and sustain it, and the other is to perform ‘ibâdah to the One Who gives and sustains life and beseech Him; it is to do tawakkul in Him and rely on Him.

Yes, Whoever gave and made life, which is a most brilliant miracle of the art of As-Samad and a wonder of the hikmah of Ar-Rabb, is the One Who maintains and preserves that life through rizq. There can be no one other than Him. Do you want proof? The weakest and most stupid animals are nourished best. (Like the fish and worms in fruit.) The most impotent and delicate creatures, they eat the best rizq. (Like children and infants.)

Yes, in order to understand that the means of halal rizq is not through power and will but through impotence and weakness, it is enough to compare the fish with foxes, infants with beasts, and trees with animals.

It means that one who abandons his salâh due to the struggle for livelihood resembles the soldier who abandons his training and trench and begs in the market. But after performing his salâh, to seek his rations from the rahmah kitchens of Janâb Ar-Razzâq, Who is Karîm, and go personally so as not to be a burden to others is a good act and bravery; it, too, is an ‘ibâdah.

Furthermore, man's fitrah and ma’nawî faculties show that he is created for ‘ibâdah because, regarding action and power that are necessary for his worldly life, he cannot reach the smallest sparrow bird. While regarding ‘ilm and destitution, humblingly beseeching and ‘ibâdah that are necessary for his ma’nawî life and his âkhirah life, he is the sultân and commander of the animals.

So, O my nafs! If you make the life of this world your primary aim and work constantly for it, you will be the soldier of the smallest sparrow bird. But if you make the life of the âkhirah your primary aim, make this life the means of it and its tillage, and strive accordingly, then you will be a great commander of the animals, an indulged and suppliant ‘abd of Janâb-i Haqq and His honoured and respected guest in this world.

Here are the two ways for you! You can choose whichever you wish. Ask for hidâyah and success from Arhamurrâhimîn...

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