Summary
A reflective essay inspired by the Qur’anic command “فَٱسۡتَقِمۡ كَمَاۤ أُمِرۡتَ” (“Remain steadfast as you have been commanded.”)
It explores how personal discipline, inner jihad, mastery over desire, and commitment to ihsān form the foundation of meaningful revival. Drawing from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the wisdom of early scholars, this piece outlines a compelling vision of an Islamic civilisation rooted in purity of creed, depth of worship, strength of character, and beauty of conduct.
A heart-stirring call to believers who aspire to rise, reform, and rebuild.
{ فَٱسۡتَقِمۡ كَمَاۤ أُمِرۡتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَۖ وَلَا تَطۡغَوۡا۟ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرࣱ }
“So remain steadfast as you have been commanded, you and those who have turned back to Allah with you, and do not transgress. Indeed, He sees everything you do.”
[Hūd: 112]
There are verses in the Qur’an that don’t simply speak to us; they summon. They call to the depths of our souls before the mind has even finished contemplating them. The āyah I have opened this piece with stands among them, carrying a weight so profound that some reports mention it as one of the verses that caused the hair of the Prophet ﷺ to turn grey! Not from fear, but from the sheer magnitude of responsibility it places upon the one who believes.
Steadfastness, or istiqāmah, is not a momentary burst of devotion. It is the lifelong commitment to walk a path drawn by revelation, even when desire tugs the heart in every other direction. And when we observe our history and the heights our civilisation once climbed, it becomes clear that istiqāmah is not only the foundation of an upright believer but also the backbone of a functioning, flourishing, God-conscious society.
We carry the Book of Allah in our hands, the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ in our hearts, and a history radiant with integrity and sacrifice. With these gifts, we are not only capable of contributing to the renewal of civilisation, but are also responsible for it. But such a civilisation must rest upon a creed aligned with the pure nature Allah created within us.
Once one of my teachers eloquently elaborated on this idea by highlighting that it entails:
- A creed in harmony with the human fitrah. It must be driven by worship that inspires purposeful action rather than escapism.
- Worship that pushes us toward building and cultivating the earth. Its mind must be a mind illuminated by revelation rather than dragged by the whims of desire.
- A mind guided by divine clarity, not enslaved to impulse.
- Its knowledge must lift, not corrupt; a knowledge tethered to faith.
- Its faith must blossom into action, and its action must mature into da‘wah, a faith that becomes work and work that becomes invitation.
- Its character must ascend through excellence, denoting morals refined by ihsān.
- Its physical strength must be uplifted by spiritual nourishment, a body enlivened by the spirit.
- Its families must safeguard the individual, a family that protects and nurtures.
- Its laws must establish true benefit and justice, legislation that secures public good and fairness.
- Its manners must beautify life, etiquette that adorns our dealings.
- Its justice must be supported with ihsān, justice enriched with mercy and compassion.
- Its strength must be bound by truth rather than ego, power restrained by principle.
- Its art must reflect meaning, beauty, and moral purpose; art that elevates rather than degrades.
- And its goodness must be clothed in ihsān, goodness wrapped in excellence.
This is not romantic language. This is the architecture of a civilisation that once was and can be again if the hearts of its people commit to the struggle within. For the greatest barrier to building outwardly is the enemy that whispers inwardly.
Our predecessors warned us repeatedly about hawa, unrestrained desire. ‘Alī رضي الله عنه said:
«أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى وَطُولُ الْأَمَلِ؛ فَإِنَّ اتِّبَاعَ الْهَوَى يَصُدُّ عَنِ الْحَقِّ، وَطُولَ الْأَمَلِ يُنْسِي الْآخِرَةَ»
“The most frightening things I fear for you are following desire and long, unchecked hopes; for following desire blocks you from the truth, and long hopes make you forget the Hereafter.”
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was once asked, “Which form of jihad is best?” and he replied:
«جَاهِدْ هَوَاكَ»
“Strive against your own desire.”
Ibn Taymiyyah echoed the same realisation when he wrote:
«جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ وَالْهَوَى أَصْلُ جِهَادِ الْكُفَّارِ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ؛ فَلَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى جِهَادِهِمْ حَتَّى يُجَاهِدَ نَفْسَهُ وَهَوَاهُ أَوَّلًا»
“The struggle against the self and its desires is the foundation of the struggle against disbelievers and hypocrites; one cannot overcome them until he first overcomes himself.”
And Bishr al-Ḥāfī summarised the human condition with shocking clarity:
«الْبَلَاءُ كُلُّهُ فِي هَوَاكَ، وَالشِّفَاءُ كُلُّهُ فِي مُخَالَفَتِهِ»
“Every affliction lies in your desire, and every cure lies in opposing it.”
The Prophet ﷺ warned us of the “destroyers”:
«شُحٌّ مُطَاعٌ، وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعٌ، وَإِعْجَابُ الْمَرْءِ بِنَفْسِهِ»
“Greed that is obeyed, desires that are followed, and a person’s admiration of himself.”
(Reported by al-Bazzār and al-Ṭabarānī, and judged to be sound by a later ḥadīth scholars.)
It is no surprise, then, that Ibn al-Qayyim placed the jihad of the self at the beginning of his thirteen ascending levels of struggle: to learn the truth, to act upon it, to call to it, and to remain patient upon its burdens, and only then to confront desires and doubts.
Allah commanded His Prophet ﷺ:
{ وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا }
“Strive against them with it, i.e with the Qur’an, a tremendous striving.”
(Qur’an 25:52)
And He promised:
{ وَٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا۟ فِينَا لَنَهۡدِيَنَّهُمۡ سُبُلَنَا }
“And those who strive for Our sake,We will surely guide them to Our paths.”
(Qur’an 29:69)
Before Madinah illuminated the world, its first bricks were placed by purified hearts. Before Baghdad became a cradle of knowledge, its people first conquered themselves. Before Andalus shone with light, its believers first extinguished their hawa.
Civilisation always begins in the heart.
And so the āyah comes again, no longer as a command to a Prophet alone, but as a personal invitation to every believer who dreams of contributing to something greater than themselves:
{ فَٱسۡتَقِمۡ كَمَاۤ أُمِرۡتَ }
“So remain steadfast as you have been commanded.”
(Qur’an 11:112)
A verse that greys the hair of prophets, yet revives the hearts of those who yearn to rise, for this is the verse that aged the hair of the Prophet ﷺ, yet it is the verse meant to strengthen the resolve of his ummah.
A single command that carries the blueprint of revival. A verse that tells every believer:
- Before you build the world, build your soul.
- Before you shape society, shape your inner state.
- Before civilisation can rise, the heart must rise first.
- If we conquer our hawa, Allah will open for us the doors of purpose.
- If we polish our intentions, He will polish our impact.
- If we hold fast to istiqāmah, He will allow us to hold the mantle of civilisation once more.
For the promise of Allah has never changed:
{ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡ }
“Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.”
(Qur’an 13:11)
So we begin where every generation began:
- With the Qur’an in our hands.
- The Sunnah in our hearts.
- The struggle against hawa in our chests.
- And the vision of civilisation in our sights.
If the heart stands firm, the ummah will stand firm. And if the ummah stands firm, then by Allah, its light will shine again. In shā’ Allāh.
P.S. For those eager to travel further along this path, I invite you to read my book, The Journey to Success: The Roadmap of Ikhlās, Iḥsān, and Istiqāmah. In it, I share a framework for nurturing sincerity, striving for excellence, and holding firm with consistency, qualities that define true success in this world and the next.
Your brother
Sajid Umar
Location: 'somewhere en route to the hereafter'
10/06/1447 (AH) - 06/12/2025
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