Guidance and Deviation

A student at Al Kawthar Academy shares some of his key takeaways from Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq’s talk last Friday night:

❝Allāh ﷻ says, ‘Whoever finds guidance he finds guidance for the good of his own soul, and whoever is deviated then he is deviated to the detriment of his own soul’ (Qurʾān 17:15). He ﷻ also says, ‘No soul shall bear the burden of another’ (Qurʾān 17:15). There are many other verses which convey the same meaning, that the responsibility of a person’s hidāyah (guidance) and ḍalālah (deviation) falls upon the person himself.

It is human nature for us to instinctively blame others for our shortcomings, be it our parents for not giving us a good upbringing, or the ʿulamāʾ for not doing enough. Yet did we do anything ourselves in the quest for hidāyah? It is impossible for one to gain hidāyah or ʿilm (knowledge) without his own ṭalab (quest & zeal) and ikhlāṣ (sincerity).❞

❝One must also understand that there is an etiquette to observe when seeking guidance. Allāh ﷻ makes mention of the incident, in Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt, of those who called out to the Prophet ﷺ from behind the chambers (disturbing him from his sleep) that most of them do not understand; and had they been patient and waited until he ﷺ had come out to them, it would have been far better for them. A fine balance must be struck between ṭalab and humility.❞

View Also

Ramadan Appeal 2024

Alhamdulillah for many years Al Kawthar Academy, under the tutelage and guidance of its founder, …