Created for Obedience 5.0mb/MP3
By Maulana AS Desai
Tuesday 11 Shawwaal 1447 – 31 March 2026
Created for Obedience
By MUJLISUL ULAMA OF S.A.
Tuesday 11th Shawwaal 1447 – 31st March 2026
Bismillahi Ta’ala…
Sayidunna ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul Aziz rahimahullah (60-100 AH ~ 680-720 CE) narrated:
‘Allah Ta’ala has commanded us with obedience (itaa’at) and He also provides aid for us to achieve obedience. He mentions in the Glorious Qur’an:
‘I have created jinn and man only for one purpose, i.e. to obey Me.’ (51:56)
This is not restricted to ritual acts of worship like Salaah, Saum, Sadaqaah, etc. Every aspect of the life of the Mu’min comes under obedience (itaa’at).
From the morning till night, there must be obedience (itaa’at) in every facet and way of life.
Without itaa’at a person fails to reach his destination in the Akhirah (Hereafter). Allah Ta’ala promises us in the Glorious Qur’an:
‘Those who strive in Our Path. We will most assuredly guide them towards Our Paths.’ (29:69)
There will always be a struggle in this dunya. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:
‘This world is a prison for the Mu’min and a paradise for the kaffir.’
In which way is it a prison for the Mu’min?
For a Mu’min: you are not free. at every step of your life there are rules of the Sharee’ah, Allah Ta’ala’s Orders and Commands to which we have to submit from the morning until the night. You are not free to speak as you wish or dress as you wish or eat whatever you wish or go wherever you wish. There is no freedom.
As far as the kaafir is concerned, he has freedom and is not restricted and confined by any Laws from Allah Ta’ala. He does as he pleases. Whatever appeals to his desires (nafs), like an animal he will act.
The person who is a prisoner in this life (i.e. the Mu’min), will be free in the Akhirah. His freedom will be there in Jannah not in this dunya. In contrast, if obedience is set aside and abstained from, when disobedience prevails then there will be no freedom in the Akhirah.
Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:
“That which is by Allah is obtainable only by means of obeying Him.”
Every (goodness) is by Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, whatever is by Him, is obtainable only by obeying Him. Everything pertaining to our needs of the dunya and needs of the Akhirah are only obtainable by obedience – not by means of disobedience.
One should not be under any deception. If we see a person, a Muslim, who is disobedient– a faasiq and a faajir — but enjoying himself in dunya with wealth and prosperity, do not be deceived. His prosperous state is called istidraaj. Allah Ta’ala is giving him rope, a respite, like a fish running a line…finally the line will run out.
This is a fearful condition for a person – that despite his disobedience he enjoys a worldly life. Allah Ta’ala has given him freedom. However, this is something to fear because Allah Ta’ala will soon apprehend him. When a person makes a firm resolution and niyyah to obey Allah Ta’ala, then His aid and assistance will be forthcoming. There will always be a struggle in this dunya. Nothing is obtainable by ease. You cannot obey Allah Ta’ala only by dhikr and du’a. Yes, these will bring barakah in your efforts. However, the basis of your obedience and moral reformation (islaah) is effort and struggle.
Allah Ta’ala has created this dunya as a venue for struggle and He has created it as a place of conflict. If Allah Ta’ala did not want conflict and struggle for us in this dunya, He would not have created Shaytaan, nor would have He created an evil self (nafs) within us. Allah Ta’ala sent us from Jannah via our ancestors Sayyiduna Aadam alayhis salam and Sayyidatuna Hawa alayhis salam, who were born and resided in Jannah. Thereafter, Allah Ta’ala expelled them from Jannah into this dunya. We were all born there with a thoroughly evil nafs within us and also Iblees the Shaytaan. Now we have to combat these two evil forces. Allah Ta’ala has given us sufficient strength and weapons to fight and combat Shaytaan and the nafs. This is the Ta’aleem (teachings) of the Amibyaa alayhis salam, and Allah Ta’ala has also given us sufficient will power and knowledge to fight these evil forces.
The problem with most people is that they do not wish to struggle. The moment an evil desire arises and develops in us, we submit to evil. There is no effort being made, whereas this dunya is a place of struggle. If Allah Ta’ala had not wanted us to struggle, He would not have created Shaytaan and He would not have sent us into this dunya. He would have created all of us in Jannah. For the Malaaikah (Angels) in Jannah, there is no struggle, they have no nafs to tempt them. They have an existence of pure piety and goodness. However, the Wisdom of Allah Ta’ala decided that we humans should come here to struggle and obey Him and then we will reap the fruits in Jannah in the Akhirah.
When a person has a sincere intention of obeying Allah Ta’ala, then His Aid will come. Understand well, Allah Ta’ala has not fixed any valid reason for His disobedience. No one may claim any lawful reason for being disobedient to Allah Ta’ala.
Allah Ta’ala has prohibited us from sins and there is no basis for any human to commit any sin. Man has to struggle and purify himself. Our minds and all our senses are limited, restricted and unable to comprehend Divine Wisdom. If Allah Ta’ala had desired that no sins be committed on earth, He would not have created Iblees (Shaytan) nor create an evil nafs in us.
All our faculties, strength and abilities are restricted; our eyesight, hearing and smell, are all restricted. In the same way our mind is also created and restricted. This is why we cannot understand the Mysteries and fathom the Wisdom of Allah Ta’ala.
Sayidunna ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul Aziz rahimahullah mentions, ‘If Allah Ta’ala did not wish any sin to be committed in this dunya, He would not have created Iblees…’
So, the fact that Allah Ta’ala did create Iblees and also created people to be Kuffar (disbelievers), shows His Wisdom which no one is able to comprehend nor does anybody have the right to question Him or His Prerogatives, Choices and Wisdom.
Despite Iblees being here tempting us, we have to combat, struggle and fight him. Whenever we slip, make a mistake, we have to repent. Allah Ta’ala is Ghafoor (Oft-Forgiving) and Raheem (Most Merciful). He will forgive all sins no matter how great the sin is. Allah Ta’ala will forgive.
However, the Mu’min does not plan his sin’s. The Kaafir and Munaffiq plan their sin’s.
The Mu’min never plans a sin: ‘I shall do such-and-such a sin tomorrow. He does not do that, because when a person plans a sin, it confirms that there is something drastically wrong with his Imaan. Either he has no Imaan or his Imaan is hanging on a thread.
A Mu’min commits a sin in a moment of idleness, forgetfulness and ignorance or because he is overcome and overpowered by Shaytaan. But then he regrets sincerely and profoundly and he resorts to Taubah (repentance). Allah Ta’ala then forgives him.
Understand well, to plan a sin is very dangerous for it shows either there is no Imaan in such a person — this is why he plans a sin– or he has failed to understand Allah Ta’ala is watching him and the recording Angels are present with us, or his Imaan is defective.
No matter how obedient a Mu’min is, we have to constantly resort to Istighfaar (repentance). This was even the practice of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
This should be our practice also. After every Salaah we should recite Istighfaar. This has always been the practice of the pious. The manner in which we perform our Salaah is defective. Our Salaah is not fit to be accepted in the Court of Allah Ta’ala, but in His Mercy Allah Ta’ala forgives and accepts our Salaah.
Therefore, we should recite Istighfaar in abundance and also the Kalimah Laa ilaa ha ill al laah in abundance daily. A person does not know when his Maut (death) will arrive. It may arrive anytime. It does not wait for a person to become old In fact even old age too arrives very quickly.
This must become our preoccupation: to continuously recite Istighfaar and also the Kalimah La’Ilaha Illallah in abundance whereby we may depart from this temporary world with our Imaan intact.
“And our final statement is that all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.”