There are certain qualities attributed to the pioneers in good deeds which we can learn from the verses of noble Qur’an
﴿أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ (٥٥) نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ بَلْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (٥٦) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ (٥٧) وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ (٥٨) وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِرَبِّهِمْ لَا يُشْرِكُونَ (٥٩) وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوْا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ (٦٠) أُولَئِكَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ (٦١) ﴾ [المؤمنون: 60-61]
Do they think that in wealth and children with which We enlarge them? We hasten to them with good things. Nay, [it is a Fitnah (trial) in this worldly life so that they will have no share of good things in the Hereafter] but they perceive not. Verily, those who fear their Lord, and those who believe in the verses of their Lord, and those who do not associate anything with their Lord, and those who give the charity with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities have been acceptable or not) and because they are sure that they will return to their Lord. It is these who hasten in the good deeds, and they are foremost in them— Surah Muminun (23): 55-61
In these verses, four basic qualities of pioneers in good deeds have been mentioned. The unbelievers of Makkah thought, still many people think like them, since Allah has given us wealth and children and worldly comforts, this proves that He is pleased with us. If he is not pleased, he would not have given so much pleasure to us!
This verse says the way to understand Allah’s pleasure and displeasure is not the blessings of the world. He gives the blessings of the world to whom He loves and to whom He does not love. However, He gives the blessings of the religion only to those whom He loves. Therefore, the measure of His love is religion, not worldly blessings.
Then some qualities of the beloved servants of Allah are mentioned. Below are those qualities with some explanation-
1. They fear their Lord. Because of fear of Allah, they abstain from His forbidden things and do what He ordered properly. Even after doing good deeds, their fear does not go away from their minds. All the time, there is a fear in their mind- will my death be good? Alas! I could not fulfill the rights of Allah properly.
2. They believe in the verses of Allah. They recite all the verses that Allah has revealed in the Qur’an. They try to understand their meaning. In addition, they think about all the signs of Allah in the world, for example, the development of the child in the mother’s womb, the descent of rain, the storage of water under the ground, etc. By thinking about the creation, they know the Creator and try to understand His nature and power.
3. They do not associate partners with Allah. There are two types of Shirk – Shirk Jaliy (plain), Shirk Khafiy (hidden). Associating someone else with Allah, praying to someone other than Allah- these are Shirk Jaliy (major shirk). A believer cannot even imagine indulging in these major sins.
Another type of shirk is Shirk Khafiy or secret shirk. For example, tending to show off during Salah, having the intention of reputation in donation, etc. – these are the Shirk Khafiy. So, the beloved servants of Allah save themselves even from this small shirk as well.
Shirk Khafiy is very serious and destructive for our good deeds. It is often difficult to escape from it. So, we should be very careful about this.
4. They do good deeds such as prayer, fasting, giving-charity and always keep the hereafter in mind. They competitively participate in good deeds. They do not boast for their good acts. Instead, they fear whether Allah will accept these good deeds or not, whether they will get the rewards of these acts in the hereafter or not.
So, these are four qualities mentioned here- Fear of Allah, belief in the verses of Allah, avoiding all kinds of polytheistic activities, not being proud even after doing good deeds. Allah Almighty mentions people who possess these four qualities, they are always active in performing good deeds. May Allah grant us tawfiq to possess these four qualities – Ameen.
By Enam Hasan Junaid
