How Do I Take the Means To Be on the Straight Path?

Answered by Imam Yama Niazi

Question

How do I take the means to be on the straight path and not astray while ensuring I did my part correctly? This stress has made me restless.

Answer

Assalam Alaykum

Dear questioner,

May Allah bless you and increase you in good.

Taking the means

Taking the means to achieve success is from the sunna of the noble and blessed Prophet ( peace and blessings be upon him).

Remember that we as Muslims are commanded to continuously ask Allah to guide us upon ‘the straight path.’

Worrying about guidance is praiseworthy. We must always have a concern. That concern should lead us to strive harder to please Allah.

Rely upon Allah

Concerning relying upon Allah, we have an ayah which mentions, “God will be enough for those who put their trust in Him.” [Quran, 65:3]

Strive for the sake of Allah

We must trust Allah that He will guide us to the best path. Meanwhile, work hard at striving for the sake of Allah.

Allah says in the Quran, ” But We shall be sure to guide to Our ways those who strive hard for Our cause: God is with those who do good.” [Quran 29:69]

So my advice is to keep striving and praying and taking the means realizing at the same time that Allah is the One who can guide us and help us.

The feeling that ‘we did not do enough’ or ‘I could have done more’ will always be something many will feel. So realize you can not be perfect, but the question to ask is, ‘are you doing the best you can do?’

Knowledge is the key

While we mentioned that Allah is the true guide, we must also recognize that extremists went astray due to their ignorance of the religion. I mean, ask yourself, ‘why don’t many Muslims resort to extremism?’ 

The answer is clear- it is against the teachings of our faith! The average Muslim who has studied the basics will know that we can make up our own ‘fatwas’ and carve ourselves what we want our religion to be. Without knowledge, action is empty and will not be accepted.

Conclusion

You must (1.) Learn your religion completely and adequately from qualified scholars. (2.) keep accompanying the righteous (3.) You must fulfill all your obligations in the faith, which include prayer, fasting, and many more. (4.) Be consistent and persistent until the very end of your life, until you meet Allah. 

I pray this helps.

[Imam] Yama Niazi

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani