Introduction
Let us first ascertain the significance
of the topic under study through an example. Suppose someone has been employed
to perform a certain number of tasks, and he does only half of the given tasks
in a particular day. Even if he has performed his tasks efficiently,
meticulously, sincerely and painstakingly, his job will remain undone.
Furthermore, it is likely that the missed duties are the most important and
vital ones to his company or employer. For this reason, we must reassess our
obligations to God, since it is likely that our condition is not too different from
the one in the above-mentioned example. Before commencing with the subject,
however, let us understand its importance from yet another angle.
There are two main factors that
determine one’s actions:
(1) Intentions and
(2) Clarity of purpose.
Intentions, no doubt, occupy the pride of
place. These should be driven by our faith
in God as the One True God without partners or associates, that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger, and
that there will be reckoning in the life Hereafter. In the absence of one’s intention to obey all
of God’s commands, it is futile to proceed further since it plays a central and
decisive role in the worthiness of one’s actions in Islam. Equally important is the related point that
one should have a clear understanding of his/her responsibilities on the basis of
which there will be a Reckoning. If
one’s understanding is limited or faulty, the performance will also be limited
or faulty, resulting in potentially devastating consequences in the Hereafter.
I will therefore take this opportunity
to elucidate a bird’s eye view of our obligations as Muslims by developing a
framework for understanding the entirety of Islam. This framework should prompt soul-searching,
self-reflection and criticism. It may be
that our own priorities and concepts are upside-down, and the duties we neglect
are the most important in the eyes of our Creator, depriving us of the
essential tasks while we will rest content with the secondary duties. Let us not be like those who neglect the main
obligations of our faith, remaining oblivious of our real duties under the delusion
that we are observing the dictates of our faith in its totality. This
misconception can only be corrected when we have a clear understanding of our
duties.
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