إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا
Innalladheena qaaloo Rabbuna-llaah thummas-taqaamoo, tatanazzalu ‘alayhimul-malaa’ikatu: allaa takhaafoo, walaa taHzanoo
Surely those who say Our Lord is Allah, then are steadfast, the angels descend upon them saying; Fear not nor be grieved. ..Surat Ha Mim (No. 41), Aayat 30
This verse mention two important qualities of a believers;
– faith in Allah as their Lord
– and steadfastness, or Istiqamah, in His way.
Istiqamah is the ability to remain firm and steadfast on what you believe is right, and not to be swayed by desires or outside influences. It is a strong determination to stay on the right path. A Hadith of Amirul Mu’mineen Ali (a) says; Allah dislikes that His creatures be of many colors, so do not sway from the truth.
The believers who have faith and Istiqamah are honored by the descent of angels on them who whisper to them the promise of many rewards. They are promised that they will have no fear or grief on them. Many verses of the Qur’an promise the removal of fear and grief from believers. Commentators have differentiated between fear and grief by saying that fear is for the future, of events that have yet to occur. Grief is about the past, of sins committed, mistakes made, or unpleasant events that took place in the past. Believers will achieve a state of tranquility that will set their hearts at rest about the future, for Allah will be with them in whatever they do. They are also not grieved about the past as they hope that Allah has forgiven them their sins and has rewarded them for all the troubles they bore in the past. They have learned from mistakes of the past and do not continuously brood over them.
To have Istiqamah is to have peace of mind. There is no confusion, or doubts, no tug of war in the mind that wavers between different sides. It is a resolute state of mind that stems from complete faith in Allah. Once the right path is understood and accepted, there is no veering off the path. Istiqamah is a great asset in today’s world, with all its turbulence in beliefs and morals. It is definitely a quality worth cultivating.