I read a news article a while ago, which I wanted to briefly discuss. The news article reported on a female senior member of the American government who was fired because she refused to implement an order which was clearly unethical and immoral. It is quite clear that senior posts in governments and large corporations are dominated by men. So one can imagine how hard she must have worked and how many sacrifices she must have made in order to reach her rank in the American government. She knew if she refused to follow her superior’s orders she would have lost her job, yet she still did not compromise on her values. Islam teaches muslims that they too should adopt this mentality and never compromise on their faith in order to gain something from the material world. Chapter 4 An Nisa, verse 135:
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives…”
As the material world is temporary, whatever one gains from it will eventually fade away and they will be held accountable for their actions and attitude in the hereafter. In addition, as they forgot to sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, the very worldly things they gained through compromising on their faith will become a source of their misery, even if they have some moments of enjoyment. Chapter 9 At Tawbah, verse 82:
“So let them laugh a little—they will weep much as a reward for what they have committed.”
And chapter 20 Taha, verses 124-126:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise] him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” He will say, “My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?” [Allāh] will say, “Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten.””
On the other hand, faith is the precious jewel which guides a muslim through all difficulties in this world and in the hereafter safely. Therefore, it is plain foolishness to compromise the thing which is more beneficial and lasting for the sake of a temporary thing which leads to misery in both worlds. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
Many people, especially women, will encounter moments in their lives where they will have to choose whether to compromise on their faith or not. For example, in some cases, a muslim woman may believe that if she removed her scarf and dressed a certain way, she would be more respected at work and may even climb the corporate ladder more quickly. Similarly, in the corporate world it is considered important to mingle with colleagues after work hours. So a muslim might find themself being invited to a pub or club after work. In times like these, it is important to remember that peace of mind and success in both worlds will only be granted to those who remain steadfast on the teachings of Islam, which involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Those who act in this way will be granted worldly and religious success. But more importantly their worldly success will not become a burden for them. In fact, it will become a means for Allah, the Exalted, to grant them peace, increase their rank and remembrance amongst mankind. Examples of this are the rightly guided Caliphs of Islam. They did not compromise on their faith and instead remained steadfast throughout their lives and in return Allah, the Exalted, granted them a worldly and religious empire.
All other forms of worldly success are very temporal and sooner or later they become a difficulty for its bearer. One only needs to observe the many celebrities who compromised on their ideals and belief in order to obtain fame and fortune, only for these things to become a cause of their sadness, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and even suicide.
Reflect on these two paths for a moment and then decide which one should be preferred and chosen.
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