“O Believers! Save yourselves and your family from the Hellfire whose fuel is human being and stones” (Quran ; Surah Tahreem: verse 6).
In the commentary of this verse, fourth Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA) said :
- Save yourselves from Hellfire through your actions.
- Save your family from Hellfire through giving them all correct advice, education, guidance and training.
For saving ourselves and our family from hellfire there is no alternative to education and action. Believers need education and training on Islam for action as Muslim. Muslims need to do good work, educate people and call people to the path of Allah. A believer does these and then says I am Muslim.
Allah says: Who speaks better than one who calls to Allah, does good works and says, ‘I am surely one of the Muslims’ (Quran 41: 33)
A. Education and Training: Correct Education and Training is the first step to become believer and Muslim. A believer needs to know, as a Muslim what he should do and how. So education and training is very important in the life of a Muslim.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: “The best gift to children from parents is their correct training “( Tirmidhi). Education and training should cover the following:
a) Understand Iman.
b) Understand Islam.
c) Understand the Commands of Allah that are obligatory (Fard).
d) Know Major prohibitions (Major Sins) that Allah asked to avoid.
e) Skill(knowledge of worldly life) to live comfortable life on earth.
B. Favorable environment for living as Muslim: After education and training, a believer starts his journey as a Muslim by obeying order of Allah and acting in the way of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in all activities of life. He cannot live as Muslim alone. He lives with many people around him from family, extended family, neighbors and friends. He starts to work with these people to create positive atmosphere around him so that he can live comfortably as a Muslim in the society. His action may be divided in five categories as follows:
a) Actions for family members to follow Islam and live as Muslim.
b) Actions for extended family to follow Islam and live as Muslim.
c) Actions with neighbors as taught by Prophet (PBUH).
d) Actions for friends to follow Islam and live as Muslim.
e) Actions to make community and country favorable for living as Muslim. People cannot avoid the influence of above five situation. Parents, children, friends, neighbors all have an influence on our life style.
Prophet (PBUH) said: “No baby is born but upon Fitra (purity and innocence). It is his parents who make him a Jew or Christian or a polytheist” (Muslim).
Children are pure by birth. They learn and practice good or bad, right or wrong, Islamic way of life or secular life-all that depends on what they learn from parents. Regarding influence of friends on our life style, Prophet (PBUH) said: “People generally follow religion (activity and life style) of friends. So think carefully, whom you will make your friend” (Abu Dawud).
We see many good boys and girls start doing bad things when they make friendship with bad boys and girls. Sometime, children by the influence of smoker friend start smoking, drunker friend start drinking, drug-addicted friend start taking drug and so on.
We can conclude from above discussion that environment controls human life. Its influence on our life style is undeniable. Practicing Islam in a community where all people follow Islam is easier than a community where people are engaged in anti-Islamic activities. Therefore, actions for making the above five human associations favorable to live as Muslim is important for every believer.
Some actions that we may consider to make each area of our association favorable to live as Muslim are as follows:
- ACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FAMILY:
- Try to involve everyone at home in all good deed (reading Quran, prayer, discussion, household work etc.).
- Communicate with family members daily by direct contact, telephone, text message, face book or any other communication network that suits best.
- Every discussion, action should be with salaam, bismillah and have touch of love, respect, values, emotion and sacrifice.
- All discussions and actions mentioned above takes place more or less in every family. Believers only need to focus and do these in a way that it educates and promotes Islamic life among the family members.
- Attend mosque, learning program, social program and visit Islamic Centre collectively, as much as possible. If there is no mosque nearby to attend five times daily prayer, try to organize collective prayer at home together with family members.
- Organize socio- Islamic program at home at least once a month.
- Take initiative to launch any good deed collectively or individually as feasible.
- Take initiative for correction of any mistake by any family member in humble manner.
- Give gift.
2. ACTION INVOLVING EXTENDED FAMILY:
- Visit extended families and invite them as and when possible.
- Make a list of people in the extended family with their telephone, email and all available communication network.
- Contact at least one person every week.
- All communication should have a target to promote Islamic education and Islamic practice in addition to any specific need, general inquiry and courtesy talk.
- Try to work out collective program for launching any good deed together with extended family members.
- Correction of anything wrong observed in any member of extended family shall be done in humble way with wisdom. Dispute if any, that shall be settled amicably.
- Exchange gift.
- Many families do most of the things mentioned above. Only needs to focus to promote Islam through these activities. If Islam prevails in extended family, we enjoy better life as Muslim by the help of one another and risk of hellfire in afterlife reduces.
3. ACTIONS INVOLVING FRIENDS:
Action in this category is similar to actions mentioned under extended family. However, believers and their families are more exposed to risk of hellfire because of influence of bad intimate friends. Bad intimate personal and family friend shall be avoided by parents, children, husband and wife. Allah advices to avoid bad friends so that doing bad by their influence can be avoided; exposure to hellfire due to bad deed reduces and there will be no need to repent for bad friend on the Day of Judgment. Al-Quran informs about such repentance in advance for us to take lesson:
“Ah owe to me! Would that I had never taken so and so as an intimate friend” (Quran 25: 28).
After careful selection of friends, we should only follow good things of friends, correct their mistakes, cooperate in good deed, do not cooperate in bad deed, support and help each other to promote Islam. This is what Islam teaches us to do with friends. By this way, we can enjoy good life with friends, save ourselves and family from the risk of hellfire in the afterlife that may arise due to negative influence of friends.
4. ACTIONS INVOLVING NEIGHBOURS:
- Exchange gift.
- Cooperate in good deed
- Visit, inquire and help as much as possible.
- Educate on Islam by teaching and by demonstrating your character.
- These are the basic duty that Islam encourages a believer to do to his neighbors. These actions help to build friendly neighborhood and create positive environment to live as Muslim without any hostility. By this way wrongdoing due to influence of neighbors will reduce. The lesser wrongdoing the lesser is the risk of hellfire.
5. ACTIONS TO AVOID HELLFIRE DUE TO NEGATIVE INFLUENCE OF THE COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY :
- Irrespective of race and religion cooperate with each other in the community in the spirit of unity of humanity.
- Help each other and promote good deed.
- Work together to stop any wrongdoing.
- Work for the welfare of the community and country.
- Preach Islam by educating people about Islam and demonstrating Islamic character.
- These five are basic duty of every Muslim to his community and country. It gives positive environment to live as Muslim, ease difficulty in this world of hostility and helps to save from hellfire in afterlife that may happen due to negative influence of community and country in which believers live.
6. ACTION BY EVERY BELIEVER TO ACHIEVE TARGET IN ABOVE FIVE CATEGORY:
- Believers need to think importance of protection of family and self from hellfire. It should be done to the seriousness of a person who is inside a house under fire and tries to save himself and his family from fire.
- The only way to save from hellfire is to work as Muslim and help family to live as Muslim.
- The task that we have stated in this article will facilitate to live us and our family as Muslim. Not only that, it will be beneficial to all in the community.
- Above task will help to build a family where every member of the family will care, share responsibility, love and respect each other. They will help each other to do good deed and save each other from bad deed.
- Head of the family and parents should ensure that every member of the family understand Iman and Islam and live as a Muslim by practicing Islam. He should try to make everyone understand and discharge his responsibility individually and collectively. He should always focus to maintain the status of Islamic house. This can be achieved by encouraging collective work like prayer, Quran study, Islamic discussion, organizing household, doing regular cleaning, preparing healthy food, healthcare, Consultation on family issues and welfare initiatives. Guidance in all affairs and periodical review by head of the family is essential for Islamic welfare family. Head of Islamic Family should know how Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) had led his family. Remember! Timely action by head of family is key to successful family life. The earlier the better. Specially for children; education, training and practice of Islam should start from childhood as suitable to age.
- Members of the family need to obey head of the family. Any difference in opinion shall be discussed and solved in line with teaching of Quran and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Remember ! Disagreement and disobedience will ruin the peace in the family in this world and may also be a cause of hell fire in the afterlife.
- Doing above task is not difficult. Every member of the family can do something within his/her capacity and strength. Do not exclude anyone. Children can learn and do something together with parents. Youths have enough strength to do many things if motivated. Even old people also can do many things in modern world, which was not that possible in the past. Old people, who cannot move out, can share his/her knowledge and experience to house members directly for their benefit. He can also easily teach and propagate Islam among children, friends, neighbors and extended family by using phone, email, social network etc. All these will contribute to live as Muslim and save from hellfire.
- Try to do at least one good deed every day.
- Try to do something to invite, educate and train on Islam at least one person every day.
- Remember, if we call people to Allah and do good work, then only we can say, ‘we are Muslim’. Not a single day of a believer should pass without doing something on point (a) and (b).
- Think daily once (bedtime, prayer time) on how the day is passed, what is done from above task and what remains to complete.
- Take up corrective action for any mistake.
- Seek help from Allah.
BENEFITS OF DOING ABOVE TASKS:
We have stated many benefits of doing above task in the course of our discussion. These are summarized here as follows:
The home of the believers will be a place of peace. There will be fewer quarrels and more cooperation between husband and wife, parents and children and among children because they know and follow family rule given by Allah. They follow the rule because they fear punishment of hellfire for violation
If above task are not done, our children may lose moral values. They may engage in many bad things that may ruin their worldly life in front of our eye and we will be sad to see this situation.
If we miss above task, our children and next generation may lose Muslim identity. They may not have opportunity to live as Muslim and get benefits that Islam provides. In the afterlife, they may be exposed to hellfire for neglecting Islam. Is there any parent who can tolerate to see his children burning inside a house under fire?
The family that does not work to protect its members from hellfire, may sometime face fire like discomfort in this world also. We see uncomfortable life between husband-wife, parent- children and among children in Muslim family due to lack of action to protect Islamic values in the family .If family rule of Allah is broken by anyone in the family again and again, then there is no peace in the family.
We spend huge time with children and relatives. Let us keep an eye that this time is not exhausted in fun, watching movies and useless discussion. We should spend a portion of this time for helping each other so that we can lead life as Muslim. Otherwise, we will not get any benefit from one another in this world nor in the afterlife.
“Your relatives and children will never be of any benefit to you on the Day of Judgment. Allah will separate you from them. He is All-aware of what you do “ (Quran 60:30).
Above actions of every individual with respect to family, extended family, neighbors and friends will bring good for all and will have positive impact everywhere.
Let us try to take every possible step to live ourselves as Muslim and help our family, extended family and friends to live as Muslim. Otherwise, we will not be safe in this world nor in afterlife. Our family, extended family and friends will not come to any use for protection from hellfire.
“Though they will see each other, the sinner will desire to save himself from the punishment of That Day by sacrificing his children” (Quran 70:11).
“That Day a man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his wife and his children” (Quran 80:34, 35, 36).
“Every intimate friends will not inquire about their friends”(Quran 70: 10).
- We understand the gravity of situation on The Day of Final Judgment.
- We also understand what we do need to do to save ourselves and our family from hellfire.
- Command of Allah for action to save ourselves and our family from hellfire is also clear.
Now it is for us to act on time with wisdom and seriousness and save our family and ourselves from hellfire. Nothing is too late. We should not be broken heart for any failure. Children may not listen, husband may not listen and wife may not listen; inspite of all hard work. Still we should not give up. Is there anyone who gives up rescue operation to save his children under fire in a house, thinking that they will not survive? Never ever, such thing happens. Hellfire is more dangerous. How can we stop to protect them? We should continue to guide and advise them throughout our life. But must be done with wisdom. Allah encouraged to do this by stating the example of Prophet Nuh (AW) in Quran. He continued to advise his son until his son was vanished by the punishment of Allah. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) continued to call his uncle Abi Talib to Islam on his deathbed; still he died without accepting Islam. This does not mean that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Prophet Nuh (AW) failed. They have done their job and saved them from hellfire by rendering their duties to family and extended family.
If we try hard with sincerity, Allah will not let our efforts go in vain. He will forgive us and save us from hellfire. If our family listen and obey Allah, the Mercy of Allah also will save them from hellfire. We will be in heaven with our family if Allah willing. If we do not work to save ourselves and our family from hellfire, no one can save us.
Syed Mohammed Jalaluddin