Juz 24- Juz Gems

Angels and Uprightness

Assalaamu Alaykum! Tonight our mashaayikh will recite the 24th juz of the Qur’an and in it we find friends along the path that see us, and yet, we are unable to see them:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾ نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ ﴿٣١﴾

“Indeed, those who have said, "Our Lord is Allah" and then steadfastly remained on the right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised. We [angels] were your allies in worldly life and [are so] in the Hereafter. And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request [or wish],” (Fussilat 30-31).

How beautiful that we are in the last ten nights of Ramadan and we know that the angels are constantly surrounding our gatherings, and accounting for our actions. The angels even pray behind us during Salat al-Fajr and are attracted to those remembering their Lord. The Prophet Muhammad (sas) said, “When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah’s) mercy envelops them, sakinah, or tranquillity descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him,” [Muslim].

We need to reflect on the term istiqaama in this verse. Istiqaama is translated as steadfastness, not deviating from the proper route, and remaining upright. When the Prophet Muhammad (sas) received this verse in Surat Hud, a portion of his hair became white:

فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا ۚ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ﴿١١٢﴾

“So remain on the right course as you have been commanded, [you] and those who have turned back with you [to Allah], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do,” (11:112).

Remaining steadfast and upright is not an easy task, but it starts with what is small and consistent and grows over time. In a hadith Qudsi, Allah states, “My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it…” (Sahih Bukhari)

So in the remaining days and nights of Ramadan, what can we do to help us remain upright throughout our year? One of the major components that will elevate our ordinary worship into something extraordinary is aligning our intentions with our actions. A dear friend of mine always reminds me to “make my intentions very big.” We are not only worshipping Allah in Ramadan, we are worshiping the One who has blessed us with Ramadan as well as all of the other days of the year. We are not worshipping a night, but the Creator of that night. Those that truly achieve istiqama will not be phased if tonight or tomorrow is an odd night but will remain consistent in their worship knowing that Allah will bless them and amplify the best of their deeds.

May Allah bless us to be upright- that no matter the tidal wave pushing against us, we will have our feet firmly planted, unwavering in our pursuit to achieve Allah’s pleasure.