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From Idols of Stone to Idols of Systems
An Era Where Ṣalāh Is Delayed, Faith Is Negotiated, and True Success Is Forgotten
Every era has its trial.
Every generation has its idol.
The tragedy of our time is not that people stopped worshipping —but that they no longer recognize what they worship.
When Livelihood Was Owned by Kings and Priests
In the ancient world, livelihood was centralized and controlled.
- Kings owned land and markets
- Priests controlled marriage, burial, and legitimacy
- Tribes were employment, protection, and survival
Leaving the official religion meant:
- Economic boycott
- Social death
- Hunger or exile
This is why many people recognized Islam as truth, yet hesitated to accept it. They said:
“If we follow the guidance with you, we will be snatched away from our land.”
(Qur’an 28:57)
Their fear was real.Faith endangered existence itself.
Allah answered them:
“Have We not established for them a secure sanctuary to which fruits of all kinds are brought?”
(Qur’an 28:57)
Meaning:
Rizq was never owned by kings or priests — they were only a test.
From Physical Idols to Ideological Idols
When Islam shattered stone idols, Shayṭān did not stop.He changed strategy.
Earlier idols were:
- Visible
- Named
- Openly worshipped
Today’s idols are:
- Invisible
- Justified
- Normalized
No one says:
- “Worship the exam”
- “Worship the job”
- “Worship the system”
Instead, society whispers:
“Without this, you cannot live.”
This is functional worship.
Allah already exposed it:
“Have you seen the one who takes his desire as his god?”
(Qur’an 45:23)
Fear, status, survival anxiety —these have become modern deities.
The Exam and Career Culture: A False Measure of Worth
Modern ideology teaches:
- Pass → you matter
- Fail → your life is finished
Students are pushed into:
- Depression
- Loss of ṣalāh
- Loss of sleep
- Loss of hope
- Sometimes suicide
The whisper becomes brutal:
“Either pass — or die.”
But Islam declares:
- Failure is a test, not a verdict
- Suicide is a major sin
- Rizq is not tied to grades
- Human worth is not tied to papers
“No soul bears the burden of another.”
(Qur’an 6:164)
Any system that decides dignity, future, and survival is doing what idols always did.
Livelihood as the New Idol
Earlier:
Today:
- Corporations control salary
Earlier:
Today:
- Institutions control respect
So people begin to say:
- “I’ll obey Allah later”
- “I’ll pray when life settles”
- “Allah understands my situation”
This is where ṣalāh begins to disappear.
An Era of Leaving Ṣalāh to “Earn More Time”
This is one of the clearest signs of our age.
People do not deny ṣalāh.They delay it.
- Fajr missed for sleep
- Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr skipped for work
- Maghrib rushed
- ʿIshāʾ delayed in exhaustion
Ṣalāh is no longer the axis of the day —it becomes an interruption.
But Allah says:
“Indeed, ṣalāh has been decreed upon the believers at fixed times.”
(Qur’an 4:103)
Fixed — not flexible around income.
The great lie of this era is:
“Without extra hours, survival is impossible.”
Allah refutes it:
“And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised.”
(Qur’an 51:22)
Rizq never came from time stolen from Allah.
Silent Shirk of Schedules
No one bows to statues.
But many bow their time.
- When work calls → ṣalāh waits
- When money calls → Allah waits
Allah warned:
“So woe to those who pray — those who are heedless of their prayer.”
(Qur’an 107:4–5)
Not those who abandon it entirely —
but those who push it aside under pressure.
Where True Izzah and True Success Really Lie
This era defines success by:
- Salary
- Stability
- Approval of people
Allah rejects this definition completely.
“Whoever desires honor (ʿizzah) — then to Allah belongs all honor.”
(Qur’an 35:10)
Allah’s Definition of Success
Allah says:
“So whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise — he has truly succeeded.”
(Qur’an 3:185)
Not survival.
Not comfort.
Not dunya.
But safety before Allah.
The Highest Reward: Seeing the Noble Face of Allah (Ru’yatullāh)
Allah promises something greater than Paradise itself.
“For those who do good is the best reward — and even more.”
(Qur’an 10:26)
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah agreed:
“Even more (ziyādah)” = seeing the Noble Face of Allah.
Allah confirms it clearly:
“Faces, that Day, will be radiant — looking at their Lord.”
(Qur’an 75:22–23)
This is true ʿizzah.This is real success.
Ru’yatullāh in the Sunnah (Clear and Decisive)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon. You will have no difficulty in seeing Him.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This seeing will be:
- Real
- Clear
- Without confusion
- Without resemblance
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
“When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah will say: ‘Do you want anything more?’ … Then He will remove the veil, and they will not be given anything more beloved to them than looking at their Lord.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This proves:
- Jannah is a gift
- Seeing Allah is the greatest reward
The Greatest Failure: Being Veiled from Allah
Failure is not poverty.
Failure is not hardship.
Failure is this:
“No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they will be veiled.”
(Qur’an 83:15)
This is worse than Hellfire.
Because:
- Fire punishes the body
- Being veiled from Allah destroys the soul
Allah defines true loss:
“Indeed, the losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Qur’an 39:15)
The Prophet ﷺ: Humiliated by Creation, Honored by Allah
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was:
- Mocked
- Insulted
- Rejected
- Attacked
- Expelled
Yet when creation humiliated him,
he raised his hands to Allah, not to people.
Allah promised him:
“And your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied.”
(Qur’an 93:5)
He lost nothing —
because he never lost Allah.
Final Conclusion
In the past:
Faith threatened livelihood.
Today:
Livelihood threatens faith.
This era teaches:
“Secure dunya first. Obey later.”
Islam teaches:
“Obey Allah — and He will secure everything else.”
Success is not standing confidently before people.
Success is standing accepted before Allah and seeing Him.
Failure is not losing the world.
Failure is being veiled from Allah and His Paradise.
Whoever chooses Allah —
Allah chooses him.
And whoever sees Allah —
has already won everything.
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