Condition VIII

That he/she shall hold faith, the honour of faith and the cause of Islam dearer than his/her life, wealth, honour, children, and all loved ones.

The pledge to prefer faith over the world is a pledge that everyone who is constantly linked with the Jama‘at and attends meetings and ijtima‘at repeats over and over again. Banners are set up at every ijtima‘, jalsah, etc. Often, one of these banners displays the idea of giving preference to faith over the world. Why has this matter been given so much importance? Without it, faith cannot survive. It is not an easy task to act upon this requirement. To achieve it, one should constantly ask for Allah’s help. This high standard can only be established with His grace. For us who are (with the grace of Allah) in bai‘at of the Promised Messiah(as), Allah the Almighty has given the instruction in the Holy Qur’an:1

And they were not commanded but to serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience, and being upright, and to observe Prayer, and pay the Zakat. And that is the religion of the people of the right path…

By offering Salat on time and in congregation, and by spending in the cause of Allah and helping the needy, we can establish ourselves upon the correct religion. Thus, we can incorporate the teachings into our lives and enforce them in our conduct; and when we worship Allah and act upon His teachings, Allah the Almighty will give us the ability to do so. He will strengthen our faith to such an extent that ourselves, our ambitions, and our children will all appear insignificant in comparison to our faith. So, when everything will be purely for Allah the Almighty, and nothing will be considered our own possession, then Allah will not let us go to waste. He guards the honour, protects the children, and puts His blessings on such people. He enlarges their possessions, always keeps them wrapped in His Mercy and Favour, and removes all their fears. As Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:2

Nay, whoever submits himself completely to Allah, while he is excellent in conduct, shall have his reward with his Lord. No fear shall come upon such, neither shall they grieve.