SHORTEST ROUTES

SHORTEST ROUTES

SERATAL MUSTAQEEM

The shortest distance between any two points on a flat surface is a straight line joining the two points. This universal fact is obvious and is used every day by humans and animals alike. Likewise any one side of any triangle is shorter than the two other sides together. This is also obvious enough and Mathematicians will take a lot of arguments and jargon to ‘prove’ it. A cow will take a direct (shortest) route to its fodder and ….

WILL not follow a devised route. Similarly a man will tend to cut across beautifully manicured lawn instead of following the pathway.

All our actions are governed by the fact that we are following shortest routes in each and every action of our lives.

Even Allah (SWT) enjoins us to ask Him to guide us to a straight path, in

Surah Al-Fatiha. : (Ehde Nas Seratal Mustaqeem).

There will not be a single person on this Earth who will willingly follow a longer route if he can help it. This is but natural. A shop keeper is trying to sell his goods at a higher price to get rich quicker, or when he sells at a discount, he is trying to get rid of his stale/ obsolete goods. In either case he is following a shortest route to achieve his goal. When we do take a physically longer route on a road, it may be to avoid danger, to avoid bad patches or perhaps to have a good time if the company is gorgeous. The route of least resistance is even followed by the electric current.

There is a dilemma about what people THINK is the shortest route. A couplet by Mahendra Singh Bedi states:

دیرو حرم میں چین جو ملتا 

کیوں جاتے میخانے لوگ

(Why would people visit pubs if they could find solace in church and mosque?

I am sure he writes this as a piece of beautiful poetry only and knows better.

The Holy Qoran has clearly mentioned that :   ala bithikri Allahi tatma-innu alquloob (13:28

الا بذکر الله  تطمینل قلوب

Translation by Yousuf Ali:  for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.

It is mercifully Allah (SWT) Who gives us guidance about the real shortest routes for our life’s actions. They may look difficult, but depending upon the extent and the degree of conviction of our eeman, they are easy enough.

Allah (SWT) has given at a number of places in The Holy Qoran hints to the shortest routes that men can follow to achieve the goal of HIM being pleased with us. (Jannat is a secondary goal as it were). The shortest route comprises of a combination of “does” and “don’ts”. It is my humble intention to bring some of these to my esteemed readers and wish that Allah will guide me and keep me from mistakes.

Actually the whole of Holy Qoran is the answer to the prayer “Ehde nas seratal mustaqeem” and thus IS the straight path. In it there are certain surahs and ayas that specify it with clarity.

I will elaborate two.

(1)   Surah Al-Ma’un (107)

(2)   Ayatul-birr (2/177)

SURAH AL-MAUN (107)

(I owe the understanding of this surah to my friend Mohammad Umar Chand)

Allah (SWT) adopts all manner of speech in Holy Qoran. Direct instructions to suggestion to questions to simile etc. In this surah He adopts a very interesting manner in which He asks a question and then spells things which are actually ‘don’ts’ but He puts them in such a way that we are left to draw our own conclusion.

He wonders if we have seen a person who denies (the day of) reckoning. Then He tells us that he is such that he does this and this and………A total of five actions are mentioned which of course we are to understand that we must avoid.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

107:1

Sahih International

Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense?

Pickthall

Hast thou observed him who belieth religion?

Urdu

بھلا تم نے اس شخص کو دیکھا جو (روزِ) جزا کو جھٹلاتا ہے؟

107:2

Sahih International

For that is the one who drives away the orphan

Pickthall

That is he who repelleth the orphan,

Urdu

یہ وہی (بدبخت) ہے، جو یتیم کو دھکے دیتا ہے

107:3

Sahih International

And does not encourage the feeding of the poor.

Pickthall

And urgeth not the feeding of the needy.

Urdu

اور فقیر کو کھانا کھلانے کے لیے( لوگوں کو) ترغیب نہیں دیتا

107:4

Sahih International

So woe to those who pray

Pickthall

Ah, woe unto worshippers

Urdu

تو ایسے نمازیوں کی خرابی ہے

107:5

Sahih International

[But] who are heedless of their prayer –

Pickthall

Who are heedless of their prayer;

Urdu

جو نماز کی طرف سے غافل رہتے ہیں

107:6

Sahih International

Those who make show [of their deeds]

Pickthall

Who would be seen (at worship)

Urdu

جو ریا کاری کرتے ہیں

107:7

Sahih International

And withhold [simple] assistance.

Pickthall

Yet refuse small kindnesses!

Urdu

اور برتنے کی چیزیں عاریتہً نہیں دیتے

We are supposed to strive to avoid being such a person who so to say denies the fact that we are to be judged about our actions one day by indulging in such activities as:

1. Pushing away the orphan. Orphans are given a very prominent place in The Qoran and we are asked to look after them as much as possible.
2. Not encouraging others to arrange for the feeding of the poor. Here it means that we are to make sure that no one goes hungry as far as we can manage.
3. Not paying heed to our prayers. This means that we are to give top priority to the prayers and always be conscious of their timing and prepare for them on time and in time always.
4. Showing off his prayers. We must be sincere in our prayers and must not do them only to be seen by others that we are good person.
5. Refusing small favours. This last thing leaves me astonished as to the degree of minute details of human nature that Allah (SWT) brings in focus. I have known people who are so mean that they refuse small favours to neighbours, friends etc. This is part of daily life that we lend a hand, a little of this and a little of that (a little salt, a hammer, a spade, a ride etc.) to whoever happens to need for a while.

I cannot but remember here a line in a Gulazar’s famous song “Beeri Jalai le”. It states “Ja parosi ke choolhe se aag lai le”. I remember in my childhood we were routinely sent to neighbours to borrow a few ambers to start our choolha, and to borrow so many other things besides. Yet there were some houses where we dared not enter, for immediately we would hear a yell, ‘get out’.

We must be generous and helpful. This is the lesson here.

This concludes my small effort of high lighting the Surah Al Ma’un. May Allah (SWT) give us courage and taufeeq to follow His commands.

AYATUL BIRR(2/177)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

2:177

Sahih International

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth,

in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.

Muhsin Khan

It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfill their covenant when they make it, and who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqun (pious – see V.2:2).

Pickthall

It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth,

for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the Allah-fearing.

Shakir

It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts– these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil).

Udur

نیکی یہی نہیں کہ تم مشرق یا مغرب کو (قبلہ سمجھ کر ان) کی طرف منہ کرلو بلکہ نیکی یہ ہے کہ لوگ خدا پر اور روز آخرت پر اور فرشتوں پر اور (خدا کی) کتاب پر اور پیغمبروں پر ایمان لائیں۔ اور مال باوجود عزیز رکھنے کے رشتہ داروں اور یتیموں اور محتاجوں اور مسافروں اور مانگنے والوں کو دیں اور گردنوں (کے چھڑانے) میں (خرچ کریں) اور نماز پڑھیں اور زکوٰة دیں۔ اور جب عہد کرلیں تو اس کو پورا کریں۔ اور سختی اور تکلیف میں اور (معرکہ) کارزار کے وقت ثابت قدم رہیں۔ یہی لوگ ہیں جو (ایمان میں) سچے ہیں اور یہی ہیں جو (خدا سے) ڈرنے والے ہیں

I stumbled upon this ayah and was stunned by the degree of preciseness and the details. Later it turned out that it is indeed a very prominent ayah.

It is the embodiment of the popular saying that one is supposed to be aware of haqooqul ebaad as well as of haqooqul Allah.

Allah Himself dismisses the ebadat of someone who is busy only praying the salat and ignores the people’s needs.

He defines the neki (Birr) as not just the prayers but a host of other things besides: like:

1. Eeman: (on Allah, on the day of judgement, on the angles, on the book (Qoran), and on the prophets).
2. Spend (in spite of the love for it/ in Allah’s love) the money we have on

(a)    relatives (near and far)

(b)   orphans

(c)    the destitute

(d)   the wayfarer

(e)    the ones who do ask

(f)    getting the release of the captives

3. Pray salat
4. Pay zakat
5. Fulfil the promise if once committed
6. Be stead fast in the times of struggle and hardship and during battle.

The last two indeed form the core of the great character that one will have if only he possesses these.

There is some conflict in the translation of No.2: Spend (in spite of the love for it/ in Allah’s love) . But I say we should not bother about it and remember that we have to spend. Allah will decide what He meant.

Conspicuously missing from the list are two farz: Fasting in the month of Ramadan and Hajj in the Hajj season. These two in my opinion are two ibadats that concern the relation between Allah and the man alone and thus are excluded from the list of the things that form neki. Neki it turns out is that which translates in the well being of the people. Wallah o Allam. He alone knows why these were not included.

There are a host of other things mentioned else where like neighbours’ rights, doing a fare deal when trading, not measuring less, not profiteering nor hoarding etc. Being kind to parent’s elderly in general, love the children etc.

May Allah give us strength and taufeeq to follow His commands. Aameen.