9- You should
neither abstain from the truth because only a few people follow it, nor be
seduced by Batil (null and void) because of the abundance of perished people
(who follow Batil)
Verily, Taqwa (fear/wariness
of offending Allah) is an inclusive word comprising all goodness. Its real
essence is to perform the obligations of Allah (Exalted be He) and abstain from
His Prohibitions out of loyalty to Him, passion and desire to win His Reward
and caution of His Punishment. Allah commanded His Servants to fear Him and in
return, He promised them to make matters easy for them, relieve their
distresses, promote their livelihood, forgive their sins and make them win
Paradise. Allah (Exalted be He) says: O mankind! Fear your Lord and be
dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Judgement) is a terrible
thing. And: Verily, for the Muttaqûn (the pious - See V.2:2) are Gardens of
delight (Paradise) with their Lord.
O Muslims! Watch Allah
(in everything you do), heed for Taqwa in all cases and hold
yourselves to account for all your sayings, deeds and dealings. Hasten to do
good deeds and perform the obligations of Allah, make Tawbah (repentance
to Allah), acquire comprehensive knowledge of Din (religion),
avoid Allah’s prohibitions, and beware of dedicating yourselves to this world
and giving it priority over the hereafter. Indeed, if you do the foregoing
you will be granted glory, security, guidance, and happiness both in this world
and in the hereafter. Some of our Salaf (righteous
predecessors, may Allah be merciful with them) said: “You should
neither abstain from the truth because only few people follow it, nor be
seduced by Batil because of the abundance of perished people (who follow
Batil)”.
I thus recommend that
you:
First: Be
sincere to Allah in all words and deeds that draw a person closer to Him and
keep away from all types of Shirk (associating others with
Allah in His Divinity or worship) whether minor or major. This is the most
important obligation.
Second: Study
the Qur’an and Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet,
peace be upon him), hold fast to them both, and ask scholars about religious
matters that you do not understand well. You also have to avoid following
whims. You have to hold fast to the truth, call people to it, and keep away
from all that opposes it to win all good in this world and in the hereafter.
Third: Offer
the five obligatory Salahs (Prayers) in congregation. This is
one of the most important and greatest obligations next to the Shahadah (Testimony
of Faith). It is the second Rukn (integral) of Islam and the
first of all the Servants’ deeds to be reckoned with on the Day of Resurrection
Fourth: Care
for giving Zakah (obligatory charity) in the manner it is
obligated by Allah for if you do not do so, your money will be considered
hoarded money because of which you will be tortured on the Day or Resurrection.
Moreover, it is Wajib (obligatory) on Waliys (guardians) to pay Zakah on
the money of their non-Mukallaf (a Mukallaf person
is whoever meets the conditions to be held legally accountable for their
actions) relatives such as children and insane people with the passing of each
lunar year. This is because of the general proofs of the Qur’an and Sunnah which
signify that Zakah is obligatory to be given from Muslims’
money whether they are Mukallafs (those meeting the conditions
to be held legally accountable for their actions) or not.
Fifth: Every Mukallaf has
to obey all the commands of Allah and His Messenger such as: observing Sawm (Fast)
in Ramadan, performing Hajj - if they are able to
do so - and all other ordinances of Allah and His Messenger. In
addition, Muslims have to glorify the sanctities of Allah (Exalted be He) and
ponder over the purpose they are created for and the acts enjoined on them.
They are also to hold themselves to account continuously. If they performed the
Obligations of Allah, they are to be pleased with that, thank Allah, ask Allah
to grant them steadfastness and keep them away from pride, arrogance and
self-praise. If they were negligent of Allah’s Obligations, they have to hasten
to perform true Tawbah, feel remorse, keep firm on obeying Allah
(Exalted be He), make a lot of Dhikr (Remembrance
of Allah), Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah), and Du`a’(supplication)
to Allah (Glorified be He) that Allah accepts their repentance of their past
sins and guides them to righteous words and acts.
Whenever a Servant of
Allah is given the foregoing great attributes, they achieve happiness and
salvation both in this world and the hereafter. O
Servants of Allah! Fear Allah as He should be feared, glorify His Ordinances
and Prohibitions, heed to repent to Him from all your sins, count on Him Alone
and put your trust in Him. Verily, He is the Creator and Sustainer of all
creatures and their forelocks are in His Hand (i.e., He has total mastery over
His Creatures). No one has any power to cause harm, interest, death, life, or
resurrection. Give the priority to the right of Allah and the right of
His Messenger, may Allah be Merciful with you, over the right and obedience of
any other creature. Command one another to do good, forbid one
another to do evil, think the best of Allah and devote much time to Dhikr and Istighfar. Help
one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sin and
transgression.
(Part No. 28; Page No.
188-191) / Fatwas of Ibn Baz
https://alifta.gov.sa/En/IftaContents/IbnBaz/Pages/FatawaSubjects.aspxcultStr=en&View=Page&HajjEntryID=0&HajjEntryName=&RamadanEntryID=0&RamadanEntryName=&NodeID=3759&PageID=5390&SectionID=14&SubjectPageTitlesID=28408&MarkIndex=7&0
