The Path to Salvation

The Path to Salvation

Allāh ta‘ālā made this world a place of trials, creating occasions of happiness and sadness, circumstances of comfort and pain, and situations of serenity and anxiety, in order to test His servants for their patience and gratitude. During the human’s journey that starts with entry into this world and culminates with either Jannah or Jahannam, man faces many dangers and has to navigate many treacherous terrains. During the course of this long journey, every person desires najāt – safety and salvation.

This begs the question: what is the path to salvation? Fortunately for us, this question was asked by a sahābī, Sayyidunā ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir radhiyallāhu ‘anhu. Imām At-Tirmidhī rahimahullāh narrates that Sayyidunā ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir radhiyallāhu ‘anhu asked the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam regarding the path to salvation and the steps which need to be taken in order to achieve salvation. He wished to ascertain from the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam regarding those actions that would grant him najāt; safety from all the calamities and difficulties of this world and the Hereafter, save him from Jahannam and the Displeasure of Allāh ta‘ālā, and in turn make him worthy of Jannah and the pleasure of Allāh ta‘ālā. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam replied with three very simple yet extremely effective directives.

The First Directive

“Have complete control over your tongue.”

The meaning of the directive above is that a person should at all times ensure that he only utters what pleases Allāh ta‘ālā and not let any word slip from his tongue that may incur the Wrath and Displeasure of Allāh ta‘ālā. A person should always assess what he desires to say before letting words slip from his tongue. If a person finds after assessing that the words he desired to utter are from the category of ‘khayr’ (goodness), then he should speak; and if they fall into the category of ‘sharr’ (evil), then he should stay silent. The golden rule is that silence is better than speaking something evil, and saying something good is better than staying silent. This principle is mentioned by the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam in a hadīth narrated by both Imām Al-Bayhaqī rahimahullāh and Al-Hākim rahimahullāh.

The pious predecessors: the Sahābah radhiyallāhu ‘anhum, Tābi‘īn, Mufassirīn, Muhaddithīn, Fuqahā rahimahumullāh, etc, would always ensure that they assess and think before speaking. The primary reason for this was that their concern always was for najāt, which would ensure that no harm comes to them in this world or the Hereafter. For this reason, they would scrutinise themselves before speaking. Once this great generation passed, the next generation did not stay on the same standard. They would not think before speaking; however, they would ponder, at least, over what they had said after speaking, so that they could repair the damage done. We are very unfortunate that we neither think before speaking or afterwards. We have become so careless that we just don’t think.

The reason for the importance of controlling the tongue stems from the fact that many sins are committed by the tongue. Imām Al-Ghazālī rahimahullāh has mentioned approximately twenty different major sins of the tongue. Lying, backbiting, vulgarity, abuse, disclosing the secrets of others and gossiping all fall within this list. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam mentions in a hadīth that the majority of people in Jahannam will be there on account of sins committed by the tongue. (At-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah)

In another hadīth recorded by Imām At-Tirmidhī rahimahullāh, the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam was asked as to what things were the greatest cause of people entering Jannah, to which he sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam replied, “Taqwā and good character.” He was then asked what the greatest cause of people entering Jahannam was, to which he replied, “The tongue and the private parts.”

As mentioned above, a number of different sins, all major, find their root with the tongue. Take the example of lying. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has mentioned that lying is from amongst the traits that are normally found in the hypocrites. (Al-Bukhārī, Muslim) The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam also mentions that when a person lies, a bad odour emits from his mouth which is so foul that the angels of mercy leave him and go a mile away from him. (At-Tirmidhī) He sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam also mentioned that lying leads to transgression, and transgression leads to Jahannam, and a person continues to lie until he is recorded a liar by Allāh. (Al-Bukhārī, Muslim)

Many commit the sin of mocking others, whereas this has been prohibited in the Glorious Qur’ān when Allāh ta‘ālā says:

O you who believe, no men should ever scoff at other men; it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor should women (ever scoff) at other women; it may be that the latter women are better than the former ones. And do not find fault with one another, nor call one another with bad nicknames… (49:11)

The tongue also needs to be protected from all other sins committed by it like: backbiting, slander, gossip, etc.

Another reason for monitoring speech is that the tongue leads to trouble in this world too. The one who safeguards his tongue will acquire salvation in this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “Whoever remains silent has saved himself.” (At-Tirmidhī)

The Second Directive

In the hadīth of Sayyidunā ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir radhiyallāhu ‘anhu, after advising the importance of controlling the tongue for salvation, the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam mentions that one should remain within the confines of his home and not leave without necessity. By not leaving the house without necessity a person will find much time to do such activities which will greatly enhance his life both in this world and the Hereafter, as well as the lives of others. A person will acquire many benefits:

• He will be saved from the corruption, trials and dangers present in the outside world, e.g. riots, immorality, etc.

• He will be saved from the sins present in the outside world.

• He will enjoy peace and tranquillity within his home, and will be able to use it to ponder over his life and develop a concern for his reformation.

• He will find time to prepare for his Hereafter by way of worshipping and remembering Allāh ta‘ālā.

• He will find quality time for the members of his household; to develop the love he has with them, and to explain and discuss important Dīnī and worldly matters, and this in turn will strengthen the fibre of the family.

• Through spending more time in the house, the children will be saved from issues such as gang-culture and gun crime, substance misuse, etc., and if all followed this prescription, they will be solved much more easily.

• More time will be dedicated to the education and upbringing of the children, be it religious or secular, and this will bear fruits for the whole society, and possibly the whole world.

• He can be of assistance in the household duties something which the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam himself would do.

The Third Directive

The third directive in the hadīth is to cry over one’s mistakes. If a person errs and makes mistakes, he should repent over his sins. Unfortunately, we do not assess our lives; therefore, rarely do we repent upon our mistakes, as we are not even aware of them! By following the second directive, a person will find the opportunity to ponder over the mistakes he has made. As a result, he will rectify his mistakes, whether they relate to violating the commands of the Creator, or the rights of fellow humans. By doing so, he will remain safe in this world and the Hereafter.

May Allāh ta‘ālā grant us all the tawfīq and grant us all najāt in the Hereafter also. Āmīn.