The conformity of individuals to godly and humanely conscious gestures, in both action and speech, is what can be attributed to being righteous, and upholding a virtuous, morally upright disposition – to complement one’s existence as a righteous person – does not necessarily make one a perfect or an error-free individual. We are bound to occasionally walk in the fold of error, either intentionally or unintentionally, as the human nature is such that imperfection is that perfect scenario that rightfully describes us. The lesser the tendency to go the sinful/erring ways, the better our righteousness manifests, and efforts to achieving Allah’s pleasure gets productive.
The Almighty is a lover of those who bite firmly, with their molar, every manner of righteousness, that is devoid of intentional reversal to evils or ills that may render one’s good acts void. The fact that our Creator loves those with this inclination makes it a default character that needs to be possessed, even if it means learning and getting used to the bits that will form the whole of it. “Allah has promised those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, that for them there is forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).” [Surah Al-Maidah 5:9]. Righteousness will earn us not only Jannah in the hereafter, but Allah’s forgiveness and mercy, in this world, that will assist us in plying that route the more, until Jannah is certain to be our abode in the hereafter.
Every unit of the world, I believe, should adopt that mindset of staying righteous, for compassion and inclination to the Supreme Being breeds softness in character and not the other way round, which may be toxic and distasteful. Bold narrowing of one’s path to the trivial and transient toxic pleasure of this world – which drives a person away from goodness – should be implemented by units; families, schools, governments, agencies, states, countries, continents, in order to foster selflessness and active roles in quota contribution towards the positive development of our world. It pays to be morally and spiritually upright, as we are the ones that will still reap what we sow of it.
In marriage, we will be highly favored when righteousness becomes the foundation, right from the stage of spousal selection. In our profession, it breeds integrity and an excellent professionalism that designs an emblem of trustworthiness and reliability in our business. In the society at large, it creates a world of balance in logical and selfless interaction, that is not devoid of sanity. To our Creator, we will be showered with unequalled love and mercy, with an ultimate gift of Jannah, which we all crave.
May Allah make us see how it pays to be righteous, and count us among those that will be described as truly righteous in this world and favoured in the hereafter, Aameen.
Ismail Abogunde, Editor-in-Chief at The Muslim Voice, Nigeria. Contact: abogundedarey@gmail.com
