Foundations of Steadfastness in Worship

Out of his longing to see Jibreel, peace be upon him, more frequently, and the comfort and reassurance he found in his presence, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, asked him: “Will you not visit us more often than you do?” Thereupon, Allah commanded Jibreel, peace be upon him, to convey the following message: “And we do not descend except by the command of your Lord. To Him belongs what is before us, what is behind us, and what is between them, and your Lord is never forgetful” (19:64).

Indeed, all matters belong entirely to Allah. No angel descends, except by His permission, and nothing occurs except by His will. Allah says: “Not a fruit emerges from its sheath, nor does any female conceive or give birth except with His knowledge” (41:47). Thus, nothing takes place except by His command, His permission, and His knowledge — Glorified is He.

In light of this, servants learn proper conduct with their Lord: that they should do nothing, except in accordance with Allah’s permission and command. Their primary concern should be steadfastness in the worship of their Lord, as they have been commanded, striving to fulfill what Allah loves and seeks from His servants in the manner He has prescribed for His worship. For this reason, the command that follows the verse mentioned above states: “So worship Him and remain steadfast in His worship” (19:65).

Similarly, Allah says to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “Your duty is only to convey the message, and upon Us is the reckoning” (13:40). Thus, the function assigned to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was to convey the message. Accordingly, he directed all of his concern and effort toward fulfilling that responsibility, without turning his attention to what Allah had taken upon Himself and exclusively manages from His Divine affairs. Likewise, servants must focus on the duty for which they were created — worship — making the primary concern steadfastness and perseverance therein, regardless of the trials that befall them, even when remaining firm upon worship becomes difficult.

Worship is not limited to rituals alone; rather, it encompasses every intention and movement in life, every direction in which the servant strives to make Allah alone the ultimate aim. Indeed, it is a struggle: the struggle of gathering oneself; striving diligently; and freeing oneself from every distraction, every competing call, and every diversion. 

Yet within this struggle, lies the sweetness of worship, the sweetness of closeness to Allah, the sweetness of surrender, and the sweetness of ascending to the pure and radiant horizon of true devotion. This is the delight the righteous have described as the bliss of Paradise. It is not merely a pleasure the servant seeks for its own sake; rather, it is the noble worship for which the soul gathers all its strength — and within its embrace, the soul truly lives and finds peace.

Steadfast perseverance in worship is a path to success and firmness, and thus to preservation and divine care from the Lord of all lords. The foundation of this principle is that servants adhere to the duty they have been assigned — worship — while leaving what Allah has guaranteed for them in Allah’s Hands, with trust and certainty. Their aim is to be righteous and God-fearing servants who call to goodness and stand firm against the trials of life that may unsettle them, divert them, mislead them, or lead them into ignorance. The key to all of this is perseverance. Servants must beware of slackening and slipping, and must remain steadfast in disciplining themselves to continue striving toward the goal; otherwise, they will suffer manifest loss.

Ibn Aṭa-Allah al-Sakandari (may Allah have mercy on him) summarized this principle in a golden rule that establishes balance between worldly pursuit and servitude to Allah. He said: “Your striving in what has been guaranteed for you, and your negligence regarding what has been required of you, is a sign of the blindness of your insight.”

The foundations that enable the servant to persevere are as follows:

First: knowledge and certainty in Allah’s absolute power to bring about change. Allah does not require immense material means to bring about transformation, as He says: “And We did not send down upon his people after him any soldiers from the heavens, nor would We have done so” (36:28).

Thus, servants who trust in their Lord anticipate change and rejoice in it — not because it is near, but because they are certain it will come, even if delayed. This is similar to when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave glad tidings to his Companions of the palaces of Persia, The Levant, and Yemen while they were enduring one of the most severe trials of their lives during the Battle of the Trench.

Change often begins in ways that human beings neither expect nor perceive, through small and hidden events that the servant may overlook, yet which carry immense Divine power and perfect Divine wisdom. For example, the beginning of the downfall of Pharaoh’s throne started with Allah’s command to the mother of Musa (pbuh): “Suckle him” (28:7), whereby fear and sorrow were removed from her and replaced with reassurance and tranquility. Pharaoh raised within his own house the one who would become his enemy and the cause of his destruction, while Allah’s “soldiers” in this affair were the compassion and love He placed in the hearts of Pharaoh’s household toward Musa.

Another example resides in the beginning of relief for Yusuf (pbuh) that came through the king’s dream. Glory be to Allah — when His command comes, none can repel His decree. Thus, when servants become certain of this divine power, they persevere in the worship of their Lord, in Whose hand are all affairs and to Whom all matters return, glorified is He.

Second: wherever evil turns, it is in reality paving the way for the emergence and establishment of truth. Satan caused Yusuf’s prison companion to forget mentioning him only to fulfill Allah’s decree, for Allah had already destined that Yusuf would remain in prison for several years. Likewise, Satan caused the young companion of Musa to forget the fish only so that Allah’s wisdom might unfold through Musa’s journey of knowledge. Similarly, Adam’s lapse was tied to a divine wisdom connected to his role as vicegerent upon the earth. Allah created Adam (pbuh) to be a khalifah on earth, and his stay in Paradise followed by his descent to earth were both part of a higher wisdom: that he would come to know his Lord as Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, and at the same time severe in punishment, and that he would also come to know his enemy. Alongside this, he was granted the blessing of repentance and seeking forgiveness — foundations of hope and among the greatest driving forces of life.

Third: prayer is the key to perseverance, as Allah says: “Seek help through patience and prayer” (2: 45). And He also says: “And enjoin prayer upon your family [and people] and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the [best] outcome is for [those of] righteousness” (20: 132).

Here, the “good end” promised for righteousness requires steadfastness upon righteousness, the key of which is prayer. Provision has already been guaranteed for the servants, whereas prayer has been required of them. Thus, they are commanded to persevere in prayer in order to realize the goal of servitude. True servitude is achieved through balance, moderation, and the establishment of justice and righteousness on earth and among creation. However, if servants become preoccupied with provision — which Allah (swt) has already guaranteed for them — they disrupt this balance, wrong themselves, and their insight becomes obscured. Thus, prayer becomes the comprehensive duty that holds together all other duties; if it is neglected or abandoned, the entire structure of faith collapses.