🆕 💎[True Maturity: Taking Our Covenant with Allah Seriously in Knowledge & Implementation]
When a person reaches the age of puberty, they reach a stage of moral responsibility for their covenant with Allah, which is learning, loving & practicing Islam; Ibn al Qayyim (رحمه الله) outlines the reality of moral maturity & how very few ever actually mature; he says (in Al Fawā’id):
إِذَا بَلَغَ العَبْدُ أُعْطِيَ عَهْدَهُ الَّذِي عَهِدَهُ إِلَيْهِ خَالِقُهُ وَمَالِكُهُ.
“When the servant reaches maturity, he is given the covenant which his Creator and Owner entrusted to him.
فَإِذَا أَخَذَ عَهْدَهُ بِقُوَّةٍ وَقَبُولٍ وَعَزْمٍ عَلَى تَنْفِيذِ مَا فِيهِ؛ صَلُحَ لِلْمَرَاتِبِ وَالمَنَاصِبِ الَّتِي يَصْلُحُ لَهَا المُوفُونَ بِعُهُودِهِمْ.
If he takes his covenant with strength, acceptance, and determination to implement what is in it; he becomes suitable for the ranks and positions that those who fulfill their covenants are suitable for.
فَإِذَا هَزَّ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ أَخْذِ العَهْدِ وَانْتَخَاهَا وَقَالَ: قَدْ أُهِّلْتُ لِعَهْدِ رَبِّي؛ فَمَنْ أَوْلَى بِقَبُولِهِ وَفَهْمِهِ وَتَنْفِيذِهِ مِنِّي؟!
If he shakes his soul upon taking the covenant and spurs it on, saying: I have been prepared for my Lord's covenant; who is more deserving of accepting, understanding, and implementing it than me?!
فَحَرَصَ أَوَّلًا عَلَى فَهْمِ عَهْدِهِ وَتَدَبُّرِهِ وَتَعَرُّفِهِ وَصَايَا سَيِّدِهِ لَهُ، ثُمَّ وَطَّنَ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى امْتِثَالِ مَا فِي عَهْدِهِ وَالعَمَلِ بِهِ وَتَنْفِيذِهِ حَسْبَمَا تَضَمَّنَهُ عَهْدُهُ،
He first strives to understand his covenant, reflect on it, and know his Master's commandments to him, then resolves to comply with what is in his covenant and act upon it according to its content.
فَأَبْصَرَ بِقَلْبِهِ حَقِيقَةَ العَهْدِ وَمَا تَضَمَّنَهُ، فَاسْتَحْدَثَ هِمَّةً أُخْرَى وَعَزِيمَةً غَيْرَ العَزِيمَةِ الَّتِي كَانَ فِيهَا وَقْتَ الصِّبَا قَبْلَ وُصُولِ العَهْدِ،
Thus, he perceives with his heart the reality of the covenant and what it entails. He then develops a new resolve and determination different from the one he had in his youth before receiving the covenant.
فَاسْتَقَالَ مِنْ ظُلْمَةِ غِرَّةِ الصِّبَا وَالانْقِيَادِ لِلعَادَةِ وَالمَنْشَأِ، وَصَبَرَ عَلَى شَرَفِ الهِمَّةِ،
He withdraws from the darkness of youthful folly and submission to his cultural norms and upbringing and is patient with the honor of high resolve.
وَهَتَكَ سِتْرَ الظُّلْمَةِ إِلَى نُورِ اليَقِينِ، فَأَدْرَكَ بِقَدْرِ صَبْرِهِ وَصِدْقِ اجْتِهَادِهِ مَا وَهَبَهُ اللهُ لَهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ.
He tears away the veil of darkness to the light of certainty, thus achieving, to the extent of his patience and sincere effort, what Allah has granted him out of His grace.
فَأَوَّلُ مَرَاتِبِ سَعَادَتِهِ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ وَقَلْبٌ يَعْقِلُ مَا تَعِيْهِ الأُذُنُ.
So the first level of his happiness is to have a receptive ear and a heart that understands what the ear hears.
فَإِذَا سَمِعَ، وَعَقَلَ، وَاسْتَبَانَتْ لَهُ الجَادَّةُ، وَرَأَى عَلَيْهَا تِلْكَ الأَعْلَامَ، وَرَأَى أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ مُنْحَرِفِينَ عَنْهَا يَمِينًا وَشِمَالًا، فَلَزِمَهَا، وَلَمْ يَنْحَرِفْ مَعَ المُنْحَرِفِينَ، الَّذِينَ كَانَ سَبَبُ انْحِرَافِهِمْ عَدَمَ قَبُولِ العَهْدِ، أَوْ قَبِلُوهُ بِكُرْهِ وَلم يَأْخُذُوهُ بِقُوَّةٍ وَلا عَزِيمَةٍ وَلا حَدَّثُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِفَهْمِهِ وَتَدَبُّرِهِ وَالعَمَلِ بِمَا فِيهِ وَتَنْفِيذِ وَصَايَاهُ،
So, if he hears, understands, and the path becomes clear to him, seeing those markers on it, and he sees most people deviating from it to the right and left, he adheres to it and does not deviate with those who deviate, whose deviation was due to not accepting the covenant, or those who accepted it reluctantly without taking it with strength and determination, nor did they strive to understand it, reflect on it, act upon what it contains, and implement its directives…”