True Saints of Allah are Believers and God-fearing:
The friends of Allah are the sincere believers who become close to Him by adopting the piety of Allah. Accordingly, the Creator of the two worlds states in His sacred words:
﴿أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ . الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ . لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ. وَلَا يَحْزُنكَ قَوْلُهُمْ ۘ إِنَّ الْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا ۚ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ.﴾
“Listen, indeed those who are friends of Allah have no fear, nor will they grieve. They are those who believed and kept themselves from evil. For them is good news in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. There is no change in the words of Allah. That is the great success. Do not let their words grieve you. Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah. He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
Dr. Luqman Salafi writes:
Allah Almighty has said that He has given them glad tidings of His mercy, pleasure, and Paradise in both this world and the Hereafter. Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and others have narrated from Abu Darda and Ubada bin Samit that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Glad tidings in this worldly life refer to a good dream that a Muslim man sees.” It is also established from the Quran and Sunnah that angels give glad tidings of Paradise to Allah’s righteous servants before death.
Who is honorable and a believer?
In another place, it is stated:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ . قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ. إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ.﴾
“O mankind! Indeed We have created you from a male and a female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. The villagers say: We have believed, say (O Prophet): You have not believed, but say: We have submitted, for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. The believers are those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah. Those are the truthful. Say: Do you inform Allah of your religion while Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth? And Allah is Knowing of all things.”
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in his renowned Tafsir:
“The criterion of superiority in the sight of Allah is not family, tribe, or lineage, which are beyond a person’s control, but it is piety, which is within a person’s will and choice. This verse is the evidence for those scholars who do not consider equality of lineage necessary in marriage but prefer marriage based solely on religion.”
What is necessary to believe in and the supplication of the believers:
﴿آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ .لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ۖ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ.﴾
“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and (so have) the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, (saying), ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, ‘We hear and we obey. (Grant us) Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You is the final destination.’ Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. It will have (the consequence of) what (good) it has gained, and it will bear (the consequence of) what (evil) it has earned. Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
The above verses mention the beliefs that the people of faith are commanded to hold, and in addition, these verses mention Allah’s mercy and kindness and His grace and generosity, that He has not made a person responsible for anything beyond their capacity.
A believer is pious and one who spends:
﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا وَأَنفِقُوا خَيْرًا لِّأَنفُسِكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ . إِن تُقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعِفْهُ لَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ شَكُورٌ حَلِيمٌ . عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ .﴾
“So fear Allah as much as you can, and listen and obey, and spend (in charity) – it is better for you; and whoever is saved from his own greed, those are the successful ones. If you give Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you and forgive you. And Allah is Appreciative and Forbearing, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
Abdur Rahman bin Nasir As-Sa’di (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
“Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, commands Taqwa (piety), which means submitting humbly to His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, and Allah has restricted it to what is within one’s ability and power. This verse indicates that every obligatory act which a servant is unable to perform is lifted from him. If a person has the ability to perform some acts and not others, then he should perform those acts which he is capable of. Those acts which he is unable to perform are lifted from him, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إذا أمرتكم بأمر فأتوا منه ما استطعتم
“When I command you to do something, do it to the best of your ability.”
This legal principle includes many detailed rulings which cannot be fully covered.”
Believing in these things is the guarantee of success:
He further said:
﴿الم . ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ.الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ . وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ. أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ.﴾
“Alif Lam Meem. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the righteous, who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, and who believe in what has been revealed to you, and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.”
Abdul Rahman bin Nasir As-Sa’di, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in the commentary of these verses:
﴿هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ “It is guidance for the righteous.” (Al-Hudā) is that through which guidance is obtained in the darkness of misguidance and doubts, and which guides to beneficial paths. Allah Almighty used the word (Hudā) and omitted the qualifier, and it was not said that it is guidance towards such and such a benefit or thing, because this implies generality. Its meaning is that this Book is guidance towards all interests of this world and the Hereafter. Therefore, it guides servants in all fundamental and subsidiary matters, clarifies the truth from falsehood and the sound from the weak, and also explains to the servants how they should proceed on beneficial paths for this world and the Hereafter. At another place, ﴿هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ﴾
it says “guidance for all people,” making it general.
At this place and some other places it says ﴿هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ because in itself it is guidance for all people, but since the unfortunate people do not pay attention to it and do not accept Allah’s guidance, therefore through it a proof has been established against them that due to their misfortune they did not benefit from this guidance. As for the righteous people, they have presented the greatest cause for obtaining guidance, which is Taqwa (piety). And the meaning of Taqwa is obedience to Allah’s commands, avoiding His prohibitions, and choosing those matters which protect the servant from Allah’s displeasure and punishment. Thus, the people of Taqwa found the path through this Book and benefited immensely (without limit) from it. Accordingly, Allah Almighty said:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا﴾
“O you who have believed, if you fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion.”
Therefore, only the people of Taqwa benefit from the Quranic verses (divine rulings) and the signs (of power), because there are two types of guidance:
1. Guidance of explanation
2. Guidance of enabling (Tawfiq)
“The righteous benefit from both types of guidance, while others are deprived of the guidance of enabling, and the guidance of explanation without the guidance of enabling to act is not true and complete guidance.”
A believer is pious, speaks straightforwardly, and repents:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا . يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا . إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا . لِّيُعَذِّبَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ وَيَتُوبَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا.﴾
“O you who have believed! Fear Allah and speak straightforwardly (truthfully) so that Allah may improve your affairs and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great success. We offered the trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and feared it; but man undertook to bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant. (This is) so that Allah may punish the hypocritical men and women and the polytheistic men and women and accept the repentance of the believing men and women. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”
Faith is light:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
“O you who have believed! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will give you a double portion of His mercy and provide you with light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
And He said:
﴿فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ﴾
“So We accepted his prayer and gave him Yahya, and We cured his wife for him. They used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.”
Abdul Rahman bin Nasir Al-Sa’di, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote:
“After mentioning each of the Prophets and Messengers individually, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, praised them all collectively, saying ﴿إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ﴾ ‘meaning they excelled in good deeds,’ they used to do good deeds in their free time, and they completed them in a manner befitting and appropriate for them. They did not leave any virtue within their capacity, and they considered leisure time a blessing ﴿وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا﴾ ‘meaning they asked Us for the desirable matters of this world and the Hereafter’ and sought refuge from the harmful, fearful matters of this world and the Hereafter. They desired Allah, were not heedless or engrossed in play, nor did they show insolence or audacity before Allah ﴿وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ﴾ ‘meaning they showed humility, submissiveness, and meekness before Us,’ and this was because they had perfect knowledge of their Lord.”
