دانا شخص

It is narrated from Hazrat Shaddad ibn Aws (RA) that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “The wise and courageous person is the one who subdues his own self (for the sake of Allah's command and decree, His destiny, and His good pleasure), makes it obedient and submissive (to the command of Allah), and works for the reward that he will receive after death. And the foolish, ignorant and cowardly person is the one who makes his self a slave to its desires (that is, whatever forbidden and doubtful things and worldly pleasures the self craves, he pursues them and makes himself a captive of his own desires) and who — despite not keeping away from sin, going against the command of the Truth, and not adopting the path of good deeds, repentance and seeking forgiveness — still wishes and hopes from Allah that He is pleased with him, will forgive him, and admit him into Paradise.” (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

This blessed hadith explains the true definition of a wise and courageous person: namely, the wise, brave and discerning person is the one who, in his worldly life, takes account of his own words, deeds and condition. So if he sees that good deeds predominate in his actions, states, conduct and speech, he should give thanks to Allah; and if he finds that evils predominate, he should turn his attention to reforming his condition through repentance and turning back to Allah, remove those evils, and make up for the acts of worship and righteous deeds that were missed in his past life, before he is seized by the severe punishment of the Hereafter. In another narration it is stated: “Take account of your own self before you are called to account (in the Hereafter).”

Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: “O you who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what it has sent forth for the morrow (i.e. the Day of Judgement).” (Al-Hashr, 18)

This blessed hadith also teaches that the wise believer is one who has enough strength and firmness within himself that he does not let his self fall into the deception of its evil desires, while the foolish believer is one who is so weak and helpless that his self makes him a captive of its desires. A second lesson is that to not abandon the path of sin and disobedience — going against the will of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ without seeking forgiveness, without doing good deeds and without making one's life pure — and then to hope that Allah will open the doors of His mercy, forgive him, and grant him success and prosperity, merely saying with the tongue, “My Lord is Most Merciful and Most Generous; He will forgive me and admit me into Paradise” — is in reality a deception of the self, by which Satan seeks to keep a person from escaping misguidance.

As Hazrat Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “O servants of Allah! Keep away from these false longings and vain hopes, which are a valley of folly in which people have wandered. By Allah! Allah has never granted any servant success and prosperity in this world, nor made him deserving of the good and salvation of the Hereafter, merely on the strength of his wishes.”

That is, the essence of this blessed hadith is that to not act, to not abandon the path of evil, and yet to hope for Allah's mercy upon it, is futile. The point is that the path of evil should be abandoned, the straight path adopted, one's religious and worldly life spent in purity and safety, and no shortcoming made in any good deed or its path — and then, while hoping for Allah's mercy and fearing His punishment, one may become deserving of the mercy of the Lord.