بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
In Surah Al-Mu'minun (Quran, 23:1-11), Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala tells us that if you are a true believer you have already become extremely successful. The believers are guaranted this success.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١
Certainly will the believers have succeeded: [Quran, Al-Mu'minun 23:1]
The noun ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ (those actually believed), is used here instead of a verb ءَامَنُو. The verb ءَامَنُو (iman) is fragile. Noun is considered permanent. It is a though their iman is given stability. Noun deosn't have a tense, past, present or future.
When Allah compliments the strongest of believers, whose faith is described as somethinng that have reached a certain of maturity, there is a certain threshhold that they have crossed. Though their iman can still go up and down, but they don't go below the minimal line.
The phrase يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ "O you who have believed" covers a broad spectrum of Muslims--broadly it includes hypocrites, those who are just Muslims and actually haven't tasted the sweetness of iman, and the elite true believers. Allah knows what is in the hearts but we don't. So we can't judge people. When somebody says salaam to us, our right to judge them is gone but we can judge ourselves as a whole.
Who are the true believers that have attained success?
1. ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ
They who are during their prayer humbly submissive
They are people who have reached a stage of maturity in their lives and everytime they pray they have a constant khushu'. Khushu' is a fear that overwhelms the person, a feeling of awe and overpowered. They are in a state of fear and awe of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala when they pray.
2. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ ٱللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ
And they who turn away from ill speech
This is a logical progression of the first. If one has truly developed a feeling of fear and awe of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, he would turn away from speech that has no benefit whatsoever (in worldly or spiritual sense). Any free moment for a believer, he should be engaged in zikr (remembrance of Allah). For many people, every free second has been taken over by mobile phones. Do yourself a favor and erase games, songs from your phone, and stay away from useless social media chats and conversations. Every free moment you are with your phone engaging in those activities, your brain tunes out too.
If you find yourself talking a lot, then you would probably notice in yourself that you don't have khushu' in the solat. If you don't talk a lot, it gives you time to reflect. Allah gives you a chance to do that in solat, and then you would continue that outside of solat. People who has developed relationship of talking with Allah, realize the value of talking and so that permeates into other conversations.
3. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَوٰةِ فَـٰعِلُونَ
And they who are observant of zakah
For the purpose of cleansing themselves, they get busy. They realized their personality is dirty. Maybe they have a problem of just saying things, of letting things get to the heart very quickly. Maybe they have an inconsideration problem, extremely selfish, too addicted to entertainment, laziness problem, disrespect problem. You don't get to this stage of realization until you have gone through the first two stages above.
So, make a project out of yourself--make a list of things that you don't like about yourself and start addressing the problems. When you address one problem, you will discover another problem. When you start making yourself a better person, your sensitivity to things that you weren't sensitive before increased and your need to become better person increases. You become more and more disturbed to things that didn't bother you before. Speak and talk can't make you a better person. The only person who can make you a better person is you. So get busy with cleansing yourself.
4. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ ﴿٧
And they who guard their private parts (5) Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed - But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors -
Of all the kinds of sins that people can be tempted to is immorality and shamelessness. Shaytan is good at luring people to that. It started with our father, Adam alayhissalaam. This is something we have to actively guard. We have to create a protective environment at home, masjid, on campus, during Islamic gatherings and conventions, etc. We have to strike a good balance.
When somebody has a marriage but pursues beyond that, it is because they don't find beauty in their marriage, addictive to what they find on the internet. Actually the scum industry is bigger than Microsoft, Google and the entire tech sector combined. We can't underestimate its power. At every turn there is a trigger, a suggestion. As society we have to engage an active battle against immorality and shamlessness.
5. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَـٰنَـٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ
And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive
Amanah is when somebody is at peace entrusting you with something. 'A'd is a promise. When you parents send you to school, pay for your tuition, it is an amanah for you to go learn. So you should go to classes and study, and not sleep and play most of the time.
'A'd is a promise. If you say yes to something, do it. It is an obligation hanging over your head. It is mandated over a descent person to fulfill the promise. If you can't do it, just say no at the beginning. So people don't say you are a liar.
6. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَٰتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive
When it comes to multitude of prayers, solat becomes salawat. They are additional prayers such as sunnah prayers before and after fard prayers, witr prayers, dhuha prayers, tahajjud prayers, rawatib prayers, and all other prayers beyond the fard prayers. The solat is something you have to guard and you guard it with the sunnah prayers.
Those are the true believers that have succeeded. They are the inheriors of the highest Paradise, Jannatul Firdaus, and will abide therein eternally.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْوَٰرِثُونَ ﴿١٠﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ ﴿١١
Those are the inheritors (10) Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally. (11)
May Allah make us true believers and grant us success in this life and the next and make us the inheritors of the highest Paradise. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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