QUESTION:
How can I obtain piety if I am unable to spend time in Jamaat or Khanqah? I want to become a better Muslim but whenever I start doing good deeds, after a few weeks, if not days, I go back to my sinful life again. It’s just very difficult for me to be consistent in performing good deeds.
ANSWER:
The fact that you have realized that you require guidance and assistance in your matters is indeed a great step in your life. If one acknowledges that he is ill, then he will seek treatment and ultimately be cured. On the other hand, if an ill person denies being ill, then he will never seek treatment, nor will he be cured. Hence, we should be grateful to Allah Ta’ala for blessing us with the realization that we are spiritually ill.
If you do not have the time to go out in Jamaat or dedicate some portion of your life to the Khanqah, then maintain a strong relationship with some friend of Allah. Consult with him in your matters and always be honest to him. If you are genuine in your desire to reform and reach Allah, then through his guidance you will reach your destination.
Allah Ta’ala states in the Quraan Sharif, “Allah is the Protecting Friend of whose who have Imaan, bringing them from the multitude of darkness (Kufr, Shirk, falsehood) into the light (Islam, the truth.)” Verse no. 257 of Surah Baqarah.
In verse no. 5 of Surah Ibraheem, Allah Ta’ala states, “Indeed We sent Moosa with Our Aayaat, (We instructed him saying), Remove your people (the Bani Israeel) from the multitude of darkness, take them into the light (Imaan)…….”
There seems to be a contradiction between the two verses quoted above, as the first verse states that Allah is the One Who removes people from multitudes of darkness to light, while the second verse states that Moosa Alaihis Salaam should take people out of darkness to light. Hadrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahimahullah reconciled between the verses by saying that the actual reformer is Allah Ta’ala, but the Sheikh plays an important role in the reformation of a person.
In conclusion, establish a relationship with some friend of Allah with whom you are comfortable and have confidence in, that he will guide you to Allah Ta’ala. Correspond with him regularly and there is hope that your matter will be solved. Hadrat Thanvi Rahimahullah states that this is one way of preserving one’s Imaan in our times.
ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date:- 19 Safar 1445 / 05 September 2023
