THE SECRET WORSHIP Many people complain that their iman is low and the sweetness of actions that they once tasted as they did when they first started their journey upon the Deen, is no longer there. The prayer has decreased to obligatory ones only, the effort to memorise the Quran is nonexistent. The Quran is only read during the month of Ramadhan. Acts of worships reduced to mechanical actions and now falling into sins is much easier as time goes by. These are all symptoms of weak iman. So what is the solution? One answer is to sit by yourself and think about an action that no one, not one’s spouse, family or friends know except Allah. The Prophet (Sallahu ‘alayhi wa salam) said ‘whoever among you can afford to have good deeds stored in secret, let him do it.’ In a time when it is difficult to do actions away from the sight of people, whether it be on the streets, in the masjids, with our children at home or even on social media, there is always an avenue for us to hide our actions even if people are around us and that is through the actions of our hearts. While someone may see us do an act of worship outwardly, they cannot see the internal worship we may do as a result. This is best explicated by the example given by the scholars who said that perhaps two people pray besides each other performing the very same action, however their reward is like the difference between a mountain and a molehill based on their levels of sincerity. So in this perspective – this open act can still have a form of anonymity which is the ibadah of the heart. However, this is not what is being discussed here as this is something that we should all be doing anyway. But the hidden deed we should strive to attain is the one in which we do a physical act that is far from the sight and expectations of the people, an action that no one knows except Allah. It is this action that gives rise to sincerity. It is this action, which we are offering to Allah alone that is in no way diluted with the disease of ostentation (riyaa). It is this action that could ignite the fire of iman that is within us. It is this action that will renew our relationship with Allah. It is this action that will rejuvenate the sweetness of worship. It is this action in which there is no barrier between the slave and the Master. This is the secret worship. Sayings The reward and special place that secret worship has is mentioned in a number of ahadith. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Indeed Allah loves the pious, self-contented and hidden servant.” “Allah said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward him for it…’” “There are seven whom Allah will shade with His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His… a man who gives in charity and conceals it to such an extent that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives; and a man who remembers Allah when he is alone, and his eyes fill up.” “See to it your prayers are in your houses, for verily the best of a man’s prayers is in his house, except for the prescribed (obligatory) prayer (which should be performed in the masjid).” “The voluntary salah of a man prayed at home is increased (in reward) compared to that prayed with the people. This is like the (reward of a) salah of a person praying in congregation to that performed alone.”“O my son, Purify the act of obedience for Allah with a sincere inner reality that affirms the deed you have done for Allah outwardly (or publicly). As for the action done in public, do not think that it is a means of salvation any more than the secret one. The similitude of the public deed with a secret one is like the similitude of the leaves with the roots. The public deed is like the leaf, and the secret deed is like the root. If the root becomes rotten, the whole of tree is destroyed including the leaves and the trunk. And if the root is sound, the whole tree is sound, including the fruits and the leaves. So the appearance of the tree remains good so long as its roots are hidden, with nothing to be seen of them. Likewise, the Deen of a person remains righteous so long as he has a righteous inner (hidden) reality which agrees with his public actions done for Allah. For the public deeds benefit the hidden actions in the same way the roots benefit the tree. And if the leaf’s life was there before the root, the branches are a decoration and beauty. If the hidden deed (or reality) is the foundation of the Deen, then the public deed is what beautifies the Deen if a believer performs it seeking only the pleasure of his Lord.”
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 17:57:50 +0000
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