The first quality is Islam (showing submission to God). When this word is mentioned with Iman the way it is here, then it signifies the external form of Islam, ie the directives which relate to the deeds and words and the physical entity of a person. Thus if the tongue of a person is willing to speak and abstain from speaking at the behest of God and His Prophet (sws); if his eyes are keen to see and withdraw at their decree, if his ears are ready to hear and stop hearing at their bidding, if his hands are prepared to strike and restrain themselves at their command and if his feet are keen to walk and stop at their directive, then this is nothing but Islam. The words (3: 20) أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِي لِلَّهِ (I submit myself to God, (3:20)) and (2: 131) أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْن (I submit to the God of the worlds, (2:131)) which the prophets of God speak are meant to convey this very reality.

It is evident from the Quran that the best examples of Islam are the prophets themselves. Thus we have been directed to follow them to reach this position of submitting to God and being content and happy with His decisions. The Quran says:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (31:3)

Tell them: “If you love God, obey me, God will love you and forgive your sins and [you very well know that] God is Ever-Forgiving and Ever-Merciful.” (3:31)

The awareness and vigour with which this obedience should take place is thus explained by Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi:

… a prophet is an embodiment of obedience to God and every action of his is a sign of his cognizance of God. For this reason, those who love God love every action of a prophet. They see that knowledge in a prophet which is the result of his cognizance of God and they witness deeds from him which are produced by this cognizance; similarly, they see in him the habits which please God and they observe in him the attributes which God likes and they perceive in his personality the grandeur which is a reflection of God’s grandeur. Thus they diligently seek every imprint left by a prophet and try to follow it and since they do all this to please God, they are rewarded by Him by becoming His favoured ones.[1]

(Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)

(Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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[1]. Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tazkiyah-i nafs, 117