Three Factors cause Destruction
Allah causes a person to be involved in three things when he intends to destroy him. These are:
- Allah grants him knowledge without the inspiration to practice thereupon.
- Allah allows him the company of the righteous, without the recognition of their status and appreciation of them.
- Allah allows him to do good actions without sincerity.
These are all a result of incorrect intentions. If a person acts with the correct intention, he will be practical on his knowledge, will appreciate the company of the righteous and will perform all actions with sincerity. (Admonition for the Neglectful, pg. 23)
– Every Friday in the Jumma lecture, advice is given on how to change our lives from being disobedient to being obedient. Many people are able to quote Islamic rulings from the top of their heads, and the amount of orators and lecturers present is overwhelming. Having possessed all this knowledge it should lead us towards doing good. In the Holy Quraan, numerous amounts of time, Allah tells us about belief and the doing of good deeds.
– The Sahaba were fortunate to be in the company of the most pious and they indeed benefitted. This is because they understood the worth of the Rasool صلى الله عليه و سلم .This can be gauged when the Rasool صلى الله عليه و سلم was leaving Mecca and going towards Madina. When he entered the people gathered to welcome him saying:
‘The full moon has glowed upon us from the valley of Wadaa
Gratitude to Allah is essential upon us as long as there remains a caller to Allah
Oh you who has been sent upon unto us! You have come to us with something that must be adhered to.’ (Siratul Mustapha pg.444)
This is how they treated the Rasool صلى الله عليه و سلم. On the other hand, the Quraish of Makkah didn`t understand what treasure they had in their hands and it escaped them.
The Ulema are the inheritors of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم, which means that there is something special with them. Being in their company is a great blessing from Allah but we need to also recognise their worth. One way of recognizing their worth is to look and see how the Ulema from that place honours them.
Another way is to read and inquire from people who have spent time with them so that an appreciation and true love for them may develop.
Sit in their gatherings, not to criticize but rather to learn and reap from their recognition of Allah that is in their hearts. If these things are adhered to, then we will start to appreciate them.
– The importance of sincerity cannot be stressed enough and it is something to really beg Allah for. Imam Bukhari and many other compilers of Hadeeth saw it fit to start their various compilations with the tradition of Umar (R.A), ‘Actions are judged by intentions.’ The traditions are famous that on the day of Judgement, a scholar, martyr and Qaari will be called and after Allah informs them of their actions not being done sincerely for His sake, they will be thrown in Jahannam.
One tradition of the Rasool صلى الله عليه و سلم that is especially frightening is the tradition wherein the Rasool صلى الله عليه و سلم said
اِنَّ اللهَ لَيُؤَيِّدُ هٰذَا الدِّيْنَ بِالرَّجُلِ الْفَاجِرِ
‘Certainly Allah supports this religion even with a sinner.’ (Bukhari 3062)
Therefore the religion will progress but what will be the standing of such person before Allah on the Day of Judgement?
May Allah inspire our hearts to practice whatever we learn, to truly appreciate our pious, to revere and honour them and to place sincerity in our hearts. May He save us from all those things that will lead to our destruction in this life and Akhira. Ameen
