The last aspect of “إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ” that I would like to mention before moving on includes a pledge to remain obedient to Allah (SWT) in even the most adverse circumstances. In other words, even when things are pulling a person away in the worst way, a person undertakes to do whatever it takes to remain committed to submitting to Allah (SWT) and submitting to his command. The history of Islam is filled with this, from the prophet (SAW) himself, who was hindered in so many ways, physically, emotionally, socially and financially. All kinds of efforts took place, and the Muslims of that time, whether it was Umar (RA), Khabbab (RA) or Sumayya (RA) or anyone who accepted Islam at that time, met a dangerous opposition that simply wanted them to stop their efforts. However, they persevered. You will recall that when Bilal (RA) was being tortured and boulders were being placed on his chest just so he would stop worshipping Allah (SWT), he responded by saying, “There is only one God.” Nothing in the world could change his faith. If you were to pick up the books of the lives of the sahaba, you will find thousands of examples of what they did in order to persevere. Part of this verse is the perseverance that is often required when, sometimes, a person’s own Iman is at a low, and other times, there are circumstances that develop around them that pull them away from Allah (SWT). There are all kinds of pressure and tactics used to get a person to do that which is not beneficial for them. The true believer will say, “No – I have not pledged my submission to society, people, wealth or my own emotions if it compromises the commands of Allah (SWT). I will conquer those and face those and defeat them without compromising my pledge to Allah (SWT).”
All of these aspects that we have spoken about – when a person has made the effort to bring the aspects of this statement into their life, they are ready for the next part. May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq.
