Third Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A.H.
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, the Lord of Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, He is the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth; and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, messenger, and last prophet.
O Allah, confer Your Salat (prayers) and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad just as You conferred Your Salat (prayers) and blessings upon Ebrahim and the Family of Ebrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahedeen.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you, as well as the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing and the All-knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Most Relenting and the Most Merciful.
With reference toTaqwa and Muttaqinand to what the Quranic discourse presentedregarding their characteristicsand deeds, as well as the promise Allah (Glory be to Him) made to them, some Quranic verses in Ali 'Imran provide a comparison between the orientations and interests of Muttaqinand the great success and important results they gain on the one hand and orientations and interests of others with limited outcomes followed by the great loss on the other hand.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says:
{'It has been made attractive for people to love the desires; that is, the women, the children, the hoarded cantars [heaps] of gold and silver, the branded horses, the cattle and the tillage. That is an enjoyment of the worldly life. And with Allah lies the beauty of the final resort. (14) Say: "Shall I tell you what is far better than that? For those who fear (Allah), there are with their Lord gardens beneath which rivers flow where they shall live forever, and wives purified, and approval from Allah. And Allah is watchful over His servants."(15) Those who say: "Our Lord, surely. we have believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire." (16)[And those who are] the patient, the truthful and the devout, who spend [in Allah's way] and who seek forgiveness in pre-dawn hours'}[Ali 'Imran 3:14-17].
We are going to start with Allah's saying, {'It has been made attractive for people to love the desires; that is, the women, the children, the hoarded cantars [heaps] of gold and silver, the branded horses, the cattle and the tillage'}: Desires are instincts that attract the person to the needs and requirements of this life that have to do with the material level. Such requirements and needs might be related to married life, family life, or the requirements of this life: What people needsuch asmoney,on which people depend as expenses in their lives; tillage and agricultural wealth and what results from it;and livestock and the various and multiple benefits that Allah has created for people. So, they are instinct-orientated desires that attract people. However, the problem arises when love for such desires and requirements overwhelms the person and completely attracts his/her attention and focus, as it is the case with many people whose effort, interest, and focus are directed towards these desires. They might even do show care for these desires more than their coming future to the degree that they are willing to go astray from the path of Taqwa ( to serve the evil, commit forbidden acts, transgress Allah's limits, commit all misdeeds with no exception, and bear sin) for the sake of satisfying their desires and material requirements. Indeed, this is the case with many people, although many of them don’t succeed in their endeavors. Even those who succeed to some extent and become wealthy and powerful never find themselves satisfied [with what they have achieved] as their ambitions know no end, and they yearn for more and more and do not reach the point where they feel sufficient enjoyment in all that they have obtained and managed to achieve. Their ambitions and desires continue to push them to yearn for more, and many are those who end up committing sin and transgression, using forbidden means, and violating Allah's law, teachings, and guidance. Even so, their efforts come nowhere because all these blessings and pleasures are temporary benefits in this life. So, people must comprehend the fact that these blessings are temporary benefits: Allah (Glory be to Him)says, {'That is an enjoyment of the worldly life'}. Indeed, they are nothing but temporary and limited benefits.
So, there is a difference between those who make desires their ultimate focus and goal in this life—all their focus and attention goes into that direction that makes such desires the highest priority that shapes their interests, actions, even positions, and loyalties in this life—and those Muttaqin[the pious, Allah-fearing people, etc.] who take a sober, realistic view based on their Lord's guidance: They [desires] are temporary benefits that the person should never consider as his/her ultimate goal and end of the hope that attracts all his/her attention. Indeed, these benefits are made for temporary life and are temporary and often come with hardship.
Therefore, when people deal with their desires as a tool, not a goal, in an appropriate way, this will be for their good and help them avoid sin and deserve a reward from Allah (Glory be to Him). It is not beyond the capacity of people to make their married life a good and faithful life based on Taqwa, to make their family life a good and faithful life based on Taqwa, and to stick their interests to the criterion of Taqwaso that they can adjust their endeavors according to what is lawful [in Islam] and follow great and faithful goals to match the characteristics of Muttaqinand the way they deal with what Allah has given them.
As for others, they made the enjoyment and material needs of this life the target of their ultimate focus, directing all their attention towards the material world that shapes their interests, positions, actions, loyalties, and enmities. Therefore, the material world becomes the foundation based on which they build their love and hatred and shape their interests. It becomes the ultimate goal of their actions, endeavors, and positions.
Even so, many of them, as we have said, fail to achieve their ends, and some may not possess in this world even a single gram of gold, let alone cantars [heaps] of gold and silver, which can represent enormous wealth. The cantar [heap] is said, in some estimates, to be equivalent to full of bull skin, which is a very large quantity. And 'hoarded cantars' [heaps] means a cantarupon a acntarupon a cantar, so that refers to large numbers of hoarded heaps of gold and silver. In other words, few are the people who might succeed in having enormous material and financial wealth, and most people even those who devote all their psychological, mental, and practical efforts to obtaining the pleasures and riches of this life, do live in a state of misery and hardship—many people, as we said, may not possess even a single gram of gold or silver.
Therefore, it is a mistake, a loss, and a foolishness for a person to turn all his/her attention to the material world and makes it what it shapes his/her actions and positions in this life. That is because s/he doesn’t need to do that in the first place: To make that the greatest priority that attracts all his/her attention and consumes all his/her effort and focus. The psychological reality of some people might turn upside down and become totally overwhelmed by desire in an unnatural and excessive way. This does happen to some people: Their love for money and for the pleasures of life turns into a very terrible state of intense love and highly excessive greed that makes them do anything or commit misdeeds to satisfy that desire. This does happen to some to a terrible extent.
You can see how some, during this aggression on Yemen, have no scruples about sharing coordinates for the sake of money, leading to the martyrdom of big numbers of innocent people, including women and children, and very heinous and brutal crimes, very terrible ones! And that is for the sake of some money! Indeed, some might even betray their faith, ummah, and nation, serve the evil, and contribute to the commission of crimes and the infliction of harm and great injustice upon their people and ummah for the sake of material things and desires.
Perhaps, crime and corruption often stem from strong desires of material nature and from the materialistic orientation that makes people forget everything: They forget the Hereafter; they forget Allah; they forget the Reckoning; and they forget the Judgment!
Out of his material orientation, greed, and desire, a person might do injustice to his relatives and partners in the inheritance. For example, he might do injustice to his sister by taking her share of the inheritance; do injustice to his daughter by taking her dowry and eating it illegally; and oppress his brother, especially when still young, by deceiving him, taking his share of the inheritance, or concealing documents from him to take some of his property and satisfy his ambitions, whims, and desires.
At a greater level, when it comes to states, regimes, and entities, ambitions, and desires as well as materialism drive them to commit injustice, crimes, and most serious violations. That is because of the terrible ambitions and whims.
We see how faith-based discipline and Taqwa-based discipline (as we live in the month of Taqwa) make people's behavior rational and balanced and lead them to focus on greater and more important issues. On the contrary, those who make material desires the ultimate focus of their attention, efforts, and endeavors, do see everything in such things and think of them as incomparable. That is why they spare no effort to take advantage of this worldly life and its enjoyment to the greatest level.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'With Allah lies the beauty of the final resort'}, and that comes after He made clear that the benefits of this life are limited and temporary and won't continue forever and that whatever a person may gain in this life is limited and will be left behind. It is there with Allah where the beauty of the final resort lies, where people can find [eternal] bliss, good life, and real, great, and remarkable enjoyment that is greater than all enjoyment in this life. Indeed, Allah (Glory be to Him) holds what is the best, greatest, and finest, as well as what is greater in quantity and never goes perished. This must greatly encourage people because such things are desired things in the first place. However, attraction to such things also occurs in this life, and some people may prefer them over the Hereafter. Attraction to such things can also represent an obstacle that prevents people from responding to what is right and to Allah (Glory be to Him), from walking in the path of truth, and from taking the right position. Indeed, what often keeps most people from taking the right position is their material calculations and interests, as well as fears of losing their material capabilities!
{'With Allah lies the beauty of the final resort'}; when we respond to Allah (Glory be to Him), we will not end up losers. However, that doesn’t mean He will keep you away from what is good or what you as a human normally desire: In this life, Allah provides you with sustenance and bestows His bounty and care upon you. In addition, greater things await you in the Hereafter, and this is what should you find more attractive. So, you should think of all that is in this life as a means, not a goal, you can use in your pursuit of the Hereafter: {'And seek in whatever Allah has brought you the Home of the Hereafter}[Al-Qasas 28:77]. And you need to use that means according to Taqwa. It is not the goal; the goal is the Hereafter, and that is a means used in this life.
{‘And with Allah lies the beauty of the final resort’}. Allah adorns to us what is really good, great, and valuable because people love goodness. Even if we see things through our materialistic instincts, desires, and whims, Allah describes to us what is greater, long-lasting, finer, and more elevated: Allah says, {‘Shall I tell you what is far better than that?’}. It is normal that a person when attracted to something reacts positively when receiving something greater than what s/he was attracted to. That means there are [attractive] material things, but there are still greater and much better things: {‘Shall I tell you what is far better than that?’}—means that the good that Allah tells us about is better than piles upon piles of gold and silver and better than all that is in this worldly life and than all kinds of huge material wealth, which most people cannot get to. Most people keep away from Taqwa [being mindful of Allah], and their efforts go wasted; throughout their lives, they live below the poverty line or at a limited level of necessary means. And with that, they lose their Hereafter although they do not need to lose it. That is because a person can keep his/her worldly interests within the framework of Taqwaregardless of how huge they might be or how great Allah's favor upon him/her might be. S/he still can remain within the framework of Taqwa and look at such things as a means, not a goal.
{‘For those who fear Allah, there are with their Lord’}—this good thing Allah offers us has a price which is Taqwa, which is Taqwa. So, we need Taqwa in order to reach it and earn it.
{‘For those who fear Allah, there are with their Lord gardens beneath which rivers flow where they shall live forever’}: {‘there are with their Lord’} from His provision and out of His mercy, bounty, generosity, and pleasure. What He gives us in this life is to examine us and test us, and it is still governed by the circumstances of this life with all the irritants, problems, and troubles it contains. And those who have wealth and capability need [to exert] effort, constant drudgery, intensive work, and constant care. To that end, they need to go through great anguish and pay great mental and practical efforts.
However, what Allah (Glory be to Him) offers, He gives it to you out of His pleasure, mercy, generosity, and bounty. This gets to be a great bestowal from Allah.
{'Gardens beneath which rivers flow’}, Allah provides gardens in Jannah [Heaven] for Muttaqin; these gardens are wonderful, huge, spacious, and big, unlike what most people [in this life] have. The material resources some people have can be, for example, a few farms and agricultural terraces that may be too small even for a bull to move in as it is the case here in rural areas. Such farms may contain some trees of qat or coffee, and if planted, the harvest of wheat or corn will be so little, although great are the effort, drudgery, and work that are required!
On the other hand, those in the forever Jannah are gardens that are wide and spacious. Allah describes them in another verse by saying, {‘There they will also have all kinds of fruit’}[Muhammad 47:15]. They have all kinds of fruit at a great, high level, and they [the trees] are always fruitful, {‘never out of season nor forbidden’}[Al-Waqi’ah 56:33]. Allah also describes them in Surah Ar-ra’d by saying, {‘Eternal is its fruit as well as its shade’}[Ar-ra’d 13:35]. The fruit is everlasting as well as the leaves: They are not limited to particular seasons and then they shrivel and dry in other seasons or other times. They are always fruitful with good fruit, without any effort or drudgery, and their leaves do not fall down; there is no need for any effort neither in getting water nor in taking care of them.
{'Gardens beneath which rivers flow’}: Rivers flow beneath them continuously. So water is available, and you do not need the effort to water them. [In this life,] you need a well, and some would need an artesian well, a deep artesian well; some people might not have that, so they suffer the most in providing their gardens with water. [However, in Jannah] water flows beneath the gardens in the form of flowing torrential rivers that create a pleasing, spectacular view, as well as continuous rehydration. Those trees never get thirsty and are in a forever-lasting state of rehydration; on a massive scale, they are always leafy, furnished, and fruitful without any effort.
{‘Beneath which rivers flow where they shall live forever’}: they are not temporary so they finish or you leave them. You eternally live that great bliss, which contains all kinds of fruits: {‘Whenever provided with fruit, they will say, “This is what we were given before”’}. You live there forever, without any sickness, worry, or diet that prevents you from eating some kinds of fruit. There, it is totally different: no diet, no problems, no health issues, no suffering, no arguments, no quarrels, and no conflicts. There, you enjoy peace of mind without any annoyance. You live in stable situations that know no conflicts, worries, sufferings, disturbances, or annoyances. There, you do not get bothered by any person or anything; life is happy without any pain or illness, not even any type of suffering. You enjoy that blissfully!
{‘They shall live forever’} without suffering from aging, illness, disease, or death; they stay healthy forever, and enjoy that bliss forever.
So, when you compare, it gets clear to you that Allah offers you what is good for you, as He says, {‘Shall I tell you what is far better than that?’}, {‘what is far better than that’}.
{‘Where they shall live forever, and wives purified’} means that marriage there is very elegant, free from defects, and free from impurities.
{‘And approval from Allah’} means that spiritual bliss is what makes material bliss worthy, great, and lofty. All of that happens with honor from Allah, and those who feared Allah live that happy, blissful, and good life, in which they enjoy bliss andall that they desire to the best level: Allah says in another verse, {‘In it they will have whatever they desire’}[An-Nahl 16:31]. {‘Whatever they desire’}—all kinds of bliss and all kinds of desires and whims are provided to the best level. It is a good life, but with the approval of Allah (Glory be to Him) and with honor. There, a person lives in a state of honor, as Allah says in another verse, {‘And if you looked around, you would see bliss and a vast kingdom’}[Al-Insan 76:20]. {‘Kingdom’}, they are like kings; you are there as if you were a king or a prince. That means that you feel honored and that you are respected in Jannah [Heaven]: Everyone respects and cherishes you, and even the angels of Allah respect you. You feel being the subject of honor, respect, and appreciation. Even the conditions of life there, the ways of living, people get their food in plates of gold; they are served, and they do not need to suffer to supply themselves with what they need: There are boys assigned for them to serve them and provide them with all they need.
The honor they receive as a result of Allah being pleased with them is manifested in His great and generous care: they are highly honored and receive Allah’s bliss in atmospheres of respect and pleasure.
Being pleased with them, Allah (Glory be to Him) takes marvelous care of them. As an example to make the picture clear, when hosting someone you are pleased with and do love and respect him/her, you take great care of him/her. For example, a person may take care of his/her guests, any guests, but when these guests are beloved, respected, or admired, s/he pays greater effort to take care of them avoid things that may hurt or annoy them, and make available whatever s/he can afford.
When it comes to Allah, He is the Most Merciful and the most Generous, whose bounty is endless, and whose power is over everything. Still, as He says, {‘For in Allah’s sight are His servants’}[Ali' Imran 3:14]. Allah, in Al-Jannah [Heaven], knows what makes His good servants pleased and comfortable as well as what suits them and gives them happiness. It is in His power to grant them with all of that, for He knows the traits of the human soul: What fits everybody and makes him/her relaxed and delightful. Moreover, Allah is aware of those whose interests in this life are materialistic and is able to turn all these interests and greed (upon which they forget their creator and the Hereafter and make their desires a goal) into torment so as to punish them in life: {‘And that their souls may perish in their denial of Allah’}[Al-Tawbah 9:55].
Thus, this is a tempting and honest offer from Allah (Glory be to Him): eternal bliss and everlasting and happy life. The eternal bliss that knows no end and never goes perished. In return, Allah only wants Taqwa from us, and that is within the reach of all of us in this life. Contrary to it is the materialistic things that are not attainable by everybody. For example, you may wish to have something that you cannot afford, for it is expensive and very difficult to gain.It is something valuable, but it seems impossible to reach by many people who do not have enough capabilities. However, this kind of eternal bliss, these gardens in Al-Jannah—many of us cannot afford to buy a small farm, and some cannot even buy a cow or sheep, let alone a very big farm with all agricultural-related requirements, such as water and other things, and sustainable finance. This is a difficult issue for many people. However, the price of what Allah offers us is Taqwa, which is a must even in our living affairs and even in our agricultural and commercial activities as well as other activities. So, we do need to use all of that as a means that helps seek the Hereafter, and we should avoid making it a goal that causes us to lose the Hereafter. The price of it is Taqwa, which is within the reach of each of us!The Quran comes with some characteristics of Muttaqin to make Taqwa and Muttaqin known to us. {'Who pray, “Our Lord! We have believed, so forgive our sins and protect us from the torment of the Fire”'}[Ali 'Imran 3:16]. 'Who pray' out of their faith and deep feeling backed by deep awareness,{'Our Lord! We have believed, so forgive our sins and protect us from the torment of the Fire'}.
One of Muttaqun's most important characteristics is the deep feeling of their responsibilities and actions, and that is why they are here praying for Allah's forgiveness by saying {'Our Lord! We have believed'} : We have believed and are aware of our duty to You; we have believed in your promise and warning and became aware of the importance of deeds and their results in the Hereafter and consequences in this life, so we have become aware of the seriousness of our deeds when committing transgression or sin and neglect our responsibilities and pay no due care or attention to some of our faith-based commitments and when we don’t do what we should do. So, they know how serious this issue is, and they are not neglectful towards their deeds and behaviors: They know how responsibility is of great effect on their faith commitments. That is why the pray for forgiveness. They know the consequences of sin, carelessness, and neglectfulness towards their faith-based commitments, and they ae aware of the seriousness of transgressing Allah's boundaries and committing forbidden acts. To them, that is a very dangerous issue. They do fear from any possible sin, neglectfulness, and shortcomings; they are not neglectful or careless.
{'So forgive our sins'}, because they are aware of the fact that what makes a person fall into Jahannam is sin, which may come in the form of neglecting what Allah has ordered: the practical commitments, which is among the most serious sins overlooked by many people.
Or people get to Hell due to performing what violates the sanctities of Allah and doing what is forbidden. They are aware of the seriousness of sin, and they know that sin can lead directly to Hell and cause Allah's displeasure. Also, they know that sins are the main reason of catastrophes and urgent punishments in this world. They are what cause calamities and serious problems for societies. Many societies suffer from bad consequences because of sins, and because of negligence in their responsibilities, duties, and good deeds that Allah has ordered them to do.
{‘Forgive us our sins and protect us from the torment of hell’}, the believers believe in Allah's warning and in the Hereafter, and they realize that the Hell is the inevitable punishment for the careless who do not return to Allah, go straight following His guidance or obey Allah's instructions and commands, and insist on their disobedience, carelessness, and negligence. They [Muttaqin] actually realize the danger of these issues; therefore, they appeal to Allah with practical care, and they do not just say that they care, and then do not turn to their real-life to examine their shortcomings, wrongdoings, attitudes, and their responsibilities. Rather, they say they care and then watch over their practical reality and evaluate it. Also, they hold themselves accountable before they are held accountable.
{‘[It is they] who are patient, sincere’}[Ali 'Imran 3:17]. {Who are patient}, they are patient in fulfilling their practical responsibilities and in encountering hardships, difficulties, or challenges. They are those who are patient while facing the circumstances of this life, as they continue following the path of Allah (Glory be to Him) and His instructions. Many people's problem is in patience. They cannot be patient before their lusts and desires, and those lead them to do what is forbidden or stand by falsehood. They are impatient in the face of some obstacles, difficulties, and hardships while carrying out their responsibilities and doing what Allah has commanded them. So, they fail to face hardships or psychological or physical troubles. Because they do not want to be patient, they neglect to do the important deeds, or they do what is forbidden.
Patience is a very significant and essential issue; the believer initially asks Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant him/her patience. Allah says in the Holy Quran, {‘Be patient, for your patience is only with Allah’} [An-Nahl 16:127]. The person should practice patience, should train him/herself to be patient, and should get benefits from all the educational means to make him/her transcend, to build up his/her endurance, and make him/her prepared for enduring patience. For example, fasting the month of Ramadan is a taming process helps people build up patience. A person should at first be patient to control his/her desires towards food, drinks, and marital intercourse; and then being patient about hunger, thirst, and certain bodily troubles, building up the person's endurance, morale, ability, and energy.
[They are] {'the patient'}. patience is inevitable and necessary. Many people evade important responsibilities, such as Jihad in the cause of Allah because they do not want to be patient or because of certain circumstances, suffering, or sorrows. Patience is inevitable and vital for a person to achieve Taqwa. Accordingly, s/he will do great deeds through patience to protect him/her from Allah’s torment, to protect the Ummah from disgrace and humiliation, to protect society from being controlled by its enemies, and to protect us from various evils, Allah’s torment, and fire.
{'The truthful'}—they are truthful in their faith, and they were honest when the said that they had believed. They believed in Allah as well as His promise and warning. Therefore, their true faith has a positive result that is Taqwa. Also, they were honest in their belief and in understanding the religion—they have understood it sincerely. They have credibility in their practical performance, in their commitment to faith, in what they have to do, and in what they have to keep away from. They are truthful in their affiliation, in work, and in stance. They are the ones who seek honesty in what they say and in the execution of their responsibilities. Honesty is one of the most important titles upon which the person’s credibility of his/her affiliation to faith is based, and that helps achieve Taqwa. Therefore, the believers who are Muttaqin are the people of truth who always look for truthfulness.
They stick to truthfulness in their faith-based and practical commitments, affiliations, and stances; and they are always careful to say the truth.
They are ‘the obedient’ who always live a state of submission to Allah (Glory be to Him): They are submissive to Allah and humble before Him. Therefore, they are willing to obey Allah in everything without facing any negative effects of their personal mood or inner ill feelings that may prevent others from doing Allah’s commands and what pleases Him. What is important for them [Muttaqin] is Allah's pleasure, unlike some people whose main concern is people's pleasure. When it comes to Allah's servants [Muttaqin], His pleasure is the important issue. They do not refuse or get arrogant to do what pleases Allah (Glory be to Him) even if it is not consistent with what they like or what people say or provoke. Some people have satanic tactics in provoking others against important deeds that please Allah (Glory be to Him), so they try to prevent people from doing these deeds, no matter how great and important these deeds might be.
And sometimes in the context of paying effort for the sake of Allah, when it comes to the deeds that are based on Taqwa and that go in line with it, some people may come to stir up personal sensitivities, interests, and ill feelings in you to alienate you from such deeds. They might seek to make you think of the whole issue based on personal ambitions and ill feelings to keep you away from such good deeds and turn your goals into personal ones: fake ranks, positions, certain titles, etc. As a result, you might turn your back on such deeds due to your personal interests or ill feelings. {‘Obedient’}—they are in a state of complete submission to Allah (Glory be to Him) and His command without complaints, arrogance, or ill feelings.
{‘And charitable’}—we notice that Allah describes Muttaqinas charitable to help us hold the appropriate view with regard to the issue of financial capabilities: Muttaqin deal with this issue as a means not a goal. Therefore, with what they have, they seek the Hereafter. They are in an state of constant spending from everything that Allah has provided them with, and from their abilities that Allah (Glory be to Him) has given them. So, they have a giving spirit.
In contrast, some have a spirit that only knows how to take and exploit, a spirit of greed and permanent acquisition. In total contrast, they [Muttaqin] have a giving spirit: They give from what Allah has provided them to fulfill their commitments of faith, notably the commitment to spending for the sake of Allah, the commitment to giving alms to the poor and the needy, the commitment to displaying kindness to people and relatives, etc.
Also they are described as Allah says, {‘Who spend [in Allah's way] and who seek forgiveness in pre-dawn hours'}[Ali 'Imran 3:17]. He has concluded these characteristics with asking for forgiveness just as He has started them. Although they are in a state of practicing patience in the practical field, move to fulfil their responsibilities and do their duties, display patience while sticking themselves to their commitments to faith and to guarding against bad deeds and forbidden acts (complete adherence to Allah's instructions, continuous spending, a giving spirit, obedience to Allah),they never hold egoism and self-conceit so that they look at themselves with great egoism and think that Allah cannot wait to see them dieand take them intoAl-Jannahimmediately. They always have a deep sense of shortcomings towards Allah, feel fear of committing bad deeds and forbidden acts, and are ware of the danger of negligence and. Hence, they always seek forgiveness and to avoid their shortcomings, especially during the best times for praying, and asking for forgiveness, which is the time before dawn: One of the best times for a person toget his/her Du’a [prayers] accepted, to get a great reward for remembering Allah and worshiping Him, and to geta clear mental and psychological atmosphere. S/he devotes that time to remembering Allah (Glory be to Him) and turning to Him.
The one who always keeps waking up at that time [before dawn] may consider him/herself as one of the greatest Aulia of Allah or one of the chosen servants whose rank and degree of Taqwa, worship, and faith has become very high. So, s/he may have an amount of pride. On the contrary, they [Muttaqun] feel no pride neither because of their deeds, interests, or obligations nor because of waking up at that time, which s/he specializes to seek Allah's forgiveness. That is because s/he realizes the importance of that time to ask Allah, and the first and the most important demand they ask is forgiveness, asking for forgiveness.
Such models are provided by Allah (Glory be to Him) to let us know about Taqwa and Muttaqin, besides knowing what Allah has promised to hold for them. All of that is within the reach of anyone: the rich and the poor as well as the person in charge or the regular one who has no specific position of responsibility.
These characteristics contained in Allah’s saying, {‘[It is they] who are patient, sincere, obedient, and charitable, and who pray for forgiveness’}[ Ali ‘Imran 3:17], show continuity. They are always like this. Some people are patient in a specific situation, and then they change completely. Some are obedient: They completely submit to the command of Allah and they obey Allah in what pleases Him. However, that is true to certain levels, and then they change. They start to have priorities and considerations [other than Allah]: They want positions, gains, and personal goals. Or some other people reach to a certain level and then get overwhelmed by ill feelings and problems, so they stop. As for these [Muttaqin], their characteristics don't change.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success and lead us to what satisfies him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. O Allah, accept our fast, night prayers, and good deeds. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you, as well as the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Source: Yemen News Agency