Advice given by Allah SWT
Navigating through life, everyone can have moments where they feel alone. And often the feelings of being alone is associated with decisions or challenges we face in life where there is no obvious answer and we require advice or guidance.
Allah SWT has placed every soul on this earth with the sole purpose to worship Him and worship Him alone, but this doesn’t mean that we don’t have challenges in every day life that require guidance that is beyond just how to worship Allah SWT.
The imam reminded us of the 131th ayat of Sura An-Nisa which is translated to say:
Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to God. We have commanded those who were given the Scripture before you, and We command you, to be mindful of God. Even if you do ignore Him, everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him, and He is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to understand that Allah SWT does not require our worship. Instead, it is us that request His help and it is us that require worship of Allah SWT as this is part of our design by our Creator.
And the guidance and advice given by Allah SWT is present, both in the Holy Quran, an unaltered direct communication from Allah SWT and through the traditions of the Prophet SAWS.
And in the Quran, we have the miracle of our lives in that the Quran offers both direct advice and indirect advice through the ayats within.
In fact, a direct translation of the word ‘ayat’ is not verse as is incorrectly stated by some but actually the closest translation of the word is signs. Think about that, each and every ayat holds within it signs for those who believe.
In regards to the direct advice by Allah SWT, there are many ayats that give this. The imam reminded us of a few by referencing the 151st and 152nd ayat of Sura Al-An’Am which is translated to say:
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Come! Let me recite to you what your Lord has forbidden to you: do not associate others with Him ˹in worship˺. ˹Do not fail to˺ honour your parents. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for you and for them. Do not come near indecencies, openly or secretly. Do not take a ˹human˺ life—made sacred by Allah—except with ˹legal˺ right. This is what He has commanded you, so perhaps you will understand.
And do not come near the wealth of the orphan—unless intending to enhance it—until they attain maturity. Give full measure and weigh with justice. We never require of any soul more than what it can afford. Whenever you speak,1 maintain justice—even regarding a close relative. And fulfil your covenant with Allah. This is what He has commanded you, so perhaps you will be mindful.
Dear brothers and sisters, alongside this we also have the indirect advice through the ayats of the Quran but before that is discussed, there is the traditions of the prophet SAWS through hadith that we must also adhere to in order to receive advice from Allah SWT as He was the embodiment of the Quran and a practical application of the guidance and advice of Allah SWT.
There are countless examples from the life and teachings of the Prophet SAWS where through his actions or his advice, we seek guidance and advice. The imam mentioned one of these which is translated to say:
“It is the duty of a muslim man who has something to be given as a bequest not to spend two nights without writing a will about it.”
Dear brothers and sisters, just from this one example we can get advice on inheritance rules and family politics. In this example, we are being taught that if there is an asset that we own that we could potentially pass after our death, we shouldn’t wait until our illness to decide who will receive that asset. In fact, we should have it as part of our process of acquiring it to immediately write who will receive it after we are no more. And through just this we can extract wisdoms on inheritance, human psychology as well as other areas of our lives.
And finally we have the third, and often the most impactful way in which Allah SWT provides us with advice and with guidance. This has been mentioned in previous reminders but is worth mentioning as it is key for our navigation through life.
The Quran is not just a book that we recite, nor is it just a book that we look for like a list of contents on a topic that we need advice on. This is a true miracle of the world that we live in because it is like a living entity that provides us with guidance, advice and direction – even if we are not directly seeking it.
By having the recitation and contemplation of the words of the Quran as part of our daily routine, it offers a direct source of advice from Allah SWT that nothing else in this world can offer. From recitation of the Quran and the blessings that come from it to the contemplation of the words, even in your own translated language, this book of Allah SWT is full of signs aka ayats that will guide, advise and enrich your life unlike anything else.
As Muslims this is our fact and this is the biggest source we have available in our guidance. And not only will we be guided in this life but the Quran will be our companion on the Day of Judgement as it will be recorded how we used the Quran as a source of advice and guidance.
Lastly, we have the power of dua. A tool that is unlike any other. A direct connection to Allah SWT. We have, in dua, the ability to speak directly to Him and ask Him for help and for guidance. No other soul needs to know our pains, no other soul needs to know what we need. It is a one-to-one connection and we should raise our hands throughout the day in communication but alongside that become mindful of the answers that come from that in our every day lives.
Allah SWT communicates through us through signs in our everyday lives that helps guide us on the path He wants us to travel on. Let us be mindful of this so that we don’t live life recklessly and without regard for Him being present in our everyday runnings of life.
Dear brothers and sisters, advice from Allah SWT is there for us to achieve. We should utilise all the tools given to us in this life so that we are of those who are rightly guided from Allah SWT.
