The Path to Salvation

As the saying goes “All is well that ends well”. I have observed that most of the time whenever somebody suggests a book or a film to me, I invariably ask him about the ending. I would read only that book or see only that film which has a happy ending.

Films and books are work of fiction, they may not have any bearing on the real life; even then we are concerned with the happy ending. So if we are so concerned about a fictional thing, we need to think whether we are concerned about real life as well? Are we doing enough to ensure that our ending is happier?

We work hard to become a doctor, or an engineer or a professional so that we earn status and dignity and bring happiness to our lives. In this world we are fully empowered to decide and act . But what happens after that? What happens after we leave this world? How do we ensure that our life hereafter is happy where we have to live forever? When do we work to improve our life after death?

So, it means that in this very life, since we have the power to act and decide; Allah (SWT) must have suggested us ways to make our life happier and blissful after death. Let us then strive to find the path to salvation. Allah (SWT) has promised that if we take one step in His direction, He will take ten steps. So let me start my steps and Insha’Allah at the end, we will find Him.

Allah (SWT) has spoken to us through Quran. So let us reflect on few of His holy ayahs and this will surely guide us to the path of salvation.
In the following ayah from Surah-e-Baqra, Allah (SWT) has spoken about resurrection:

•“Aur Khuda bahot jald hisab lene wala hai….., aur Khuda se darte raho aur yaqeen jano ke ek din tum sab ke sab uski taraf qabr se uthaye jaoge..” – (Surah-e-Baqra, ayah 202-203)

The ayah says that Allah (SWT) is surely going to check the accounts. Again the ayah further says that we all will have to gather in front of Him after resurrection. But the following ayah from Surah-e-Anam says:

•“Us ko aankhein dekh nahin sakti na duniya main na aakherat main aur Woh logo ki nazaron ko khoob dekhta hai aur Woh bada bareekbeen wakifkaar hai..” – ( Surah-e-Anam, ayah 103)

This may confuse us, as we feel that if He is not to be seen then why has He said that we all will have to be gathered in front of Him? Both the above ayahs are true and that is our faith. This leads us to think that Allah (SWT) must have appointed His representatives who will conduct the justice on His behalf.

These representatives must be as divine, as just, as pious and as capable as Allah (SWT) wants them to be. Who are they then?

In the Surah-e-Qaaf, Quran says:
•“Aur har nafas iss shaan se aayega ke ek haankne wala aur ek gawah us ke saath saath hoga” - (Surah-e-Qaaf, ayah 19-20-21)

•“Aur haankne wale aur gawah ko hukm hoga ke tum donon har munkir sar kash ko jahannum main daal do…” (Surah-e-Qaaf, ayah 24)

The above ayah refers to Rasool (SAW) and Mawla Ali (A.S) as the two who would throw the evil doers into the hell fire. (Ref: Masnad Ahmed bin Hambal)

That must be the reason, Rasool (SAW) has said about Mawla Ali (A.S) that:
•“Ali Jannat aur Dozakh ka taqseem karne wala hai”. (Ref: Sawaiq-e-Mohriqa, P 126, Yana Be-ul Mawwadat, vol 1, P 163)

 Allah (SWT) is not to be seen in this world; neither will we ever see him in the next world. Allah (SWT) has chosen Rasool (SAW) and Mawla Ali (A.S) as the judges on the Day of Judgment who would punish the sinners and reward the momins. They are as divine, as just, and as pious and as capable as Allah (SWT) wants them to be, after all they will be deciding on behalf of Allah (SWT). So when Allah says that we all will have to be gathered in front of Him, logically it seems we will be gathered in front of Rasool (SAW) and Mawla Ali (A.S) and thus if we remain faithful to them we can have a happy ending to our lives.

Let us take few more steps in this direction. Quran says regarding Adam (A.S)’s birth in the following ayahs:

•“Aur Ae Rasool (SAW) woh waqt yaad karo jab tumhare Parvardigar ne farishton se kaha ke main ek aadmi ko khamir di hui mitti se jo sukhkar khan khan bol ne lage paida karne wala hoon.”

•“To jis waqt main usko har tarah se doorast kar chukoon aur usmain apni taraf se rooh phoonk doon to sab ke sab uske saamne sajde main gir padna…” - (Surah-e-Hijr, ayah, 28, 29)

Allah (SWT) created Adam (A.S), perfected him and then made him His khalifa and ordered the angels to bow down in ‘sajda’ to him. Thus he was above angels in stature. We also know that eventually Satan did manage to lure Adam (A.S) to disobey Allah (SAW). How is this possible? I often think that since Allah (SWT) had perfected Adam (A.S), then Adam (A.S) had all the power and strength to overpower satanic temptations. How could he be lured by Satan? And if he was lured then it must be Allah’s Will. So why did Allah(SWT) allow this to happen? Since the entire mankind was to come into existence through Adam (A.S)’s lineage, Allah (SWT), it seems wanted to set a precedent for mankind through this incident. So what is it that Allah wants us to find? Let us now reflect on the following ayah:

•““Phir Aadam ne apne Parvardigar se (Mazerat ke chand alfaaz sikhe), pus Khuda ne un alfaaz ki barkat se Aadam ki tauba qubool kar li beshak Wo bada maaf karne wala Maherbaan hai”. (Surah-e-Baqra, ayah 37)

Allah (SWT) taught Adam (A.S) some words seeking forgiveness, and through these words he was forgiven. It is now clear why Allah had allowed Adam (A.S) to get lured by Satan, after perfecting him. This is the precedence Allah wanted to set, that whenever we go astray or we do get lured by satanic temptations, it is through these holy words that Allah would forgive us.The commentators and Islamic scholars have agreed that these holy words (mentioned in the above ayah) through which Adam (A.S) was forgiven are the names of Panjetan Paak i.e. Mohammed (SAW), Ali (A.S), Fatema (S.A), Hassan (A.S) and Husain (A.S). (Ref: Durr-e-Mansur, Suyuti, vol 1 P 16). Again Allah (SWT) has said in the following ayah of Quran:

•““Ae Imaandaro Khuda se daro jitna Us se darne ka haq hai aur tum (deen) Islam ke siwa kisi aur deen per hargiz na marna aur tum sab milkar Khuda ki rassi mazbooti se thame raho…” – (Surah-e-Aale Imran, ayah 102 )

Allah (SWT) wants us to hold His rope tightly so that we remain steadfast on his faith and Imam Ja’far-as-Sadiq (A.S) has said that the rope of Allah are we Ahl-ul-bait of Mohammed (SAW). (Ref: Imam Sa’labi, Tafseer-e-Kabeer, Sawaiq-e-Mohriqa, Chapter 11, Part 1, Imam Abu Bakr – Rishfat-us-Saadi).

 We are on the right direction as Allah has shown us His rope - it is Ahl-ul-bait, so if we love them and hold them tightly we can reach Allah. In case if we falter and may get deviated from the straight path, the holy words; names of Panjetan Paak (Mohammed (SAW), Ali (A.S), Fatema (S.A), Hassan (A.S) and Husain (A.S)) will bring us forgiveness for our misdeeds just as Adam (A.S) was given forgiveness.

We know that Allah (SWT) wanted to punish the people who had disobeyed Nooh (A.S) and hence He had ordered Nooh (A.S) to prepare an Ark which would save him and his near and dear ones from the worst natural calamity of flood, which Allah had sent. Nooh (A.S) ordered everybody to embark the ark, but his son disobeyed saying that the mountains would save him. Nooh (A.S), then prayed to Allah (SWT) to save his son, to which Allah replied in the following manner:

•“Khuda ne farmaya ae Nooh (A.S) tum ye kya keh rahe ho hargiz woh tumhare ahel main shaamil nahin, beshak woh badchalan hai.” - (Surah-e-Hud, ayah 46) “

Nooh (A.S) was the Nabi of his time and it was mandatory that his command be respected and followed. His own son disobeyed him and hence he was drowned and he died.

Now, let us see who were saved then:

•“Aur Hum ne Nooh (A.S) ko aur kashti walon ko najaat di aur us kashti ko tamam aalam ke liye ek nishani qarar di.” – (Surah-e-Anqaboot, ayah 15)

The people who responded to the call of their Nabi (Nooh (A.S)) and embarked the Ark were saved by the wrath of Allah (SWT).

Rasool (SAW) is Khatemun Nabiyeen and he is Sardar-e-Ambiya and it is mandatory for us to follow his instructions and be obedient to him. He has said that:

•“Behold my Ahl-ul-Bait are like the Ark of Noah; whoever embarked it was saved and whoever turned away from it was destroyed.” (Ref: Mustadrak by Imam Hakim, vol 3, P. 151)

• He has also said that “Whoever wishes to live and die like me, and to abide in the Garden of Eden after death should acknowledge Ali as his patron and follow the Ahl-ul-bait after me, for they are my Ahl-ul-bait and they have been created out of the same substance as myself, and endowed with the same knowledge and understanding.” (Ref: Tabrani in Mu’jum-ul-Kabeer, Shafe’I in his Musnad reproduce the tradition from Ibn-e-Abbas, Kanz-ul-Ummal, Vol 6, P 217, Masnad Ahmed Ibn-e-Hambal)

The way people were saved from the fury of flood when they had followed Nooh (A.S) and embarked his Ark, we will be saved from all kind of fury and calamities if we respond to Rasool (SAW)’s call and embark the ark of Ahl-ul-bait and consider Mawla Ali as our patron and guide. That is the path to salvation.

 We have reached where Allah (SWT) wanted us to reach. Rasool (SAW) and Mawla Ali (A.S) are the appointed judges on the day of judgment and hence being faithful to them is being faithful to Allah (SWT). Obeying them is obeying Allah (SWT) and that will give us salvation. Mohammed (SAW) wa Aale Mohammed (SAW) are that rope of Allah that keeps us steadfast on the path of salvation. It is their holy names through which Allah (SWT) forgives our sins and misdeeds. Mohammed (SAW) wa Aale Mohammed (SAW) are that everlasting Ark, if we embark it we will be saved. We will get salvation. We will have a fairytale ending of “Living happily ever after”. Let Allah (SWT) then gives us enough strength to hold His rope and embark the Ark of Ahl-ul-bait till we live. Aamin.