ISTIQÂMAH – إستقامة

Etymology & Literal Meaning: Derived from the root q-w-m (قوم), istiqâmah fundamentally denotes being straight or upright. Literally, it means straightness, rectitude, uprightness and integrity.

As an Islamic Term: Istiqâmah is the state of living within the boundaries of the commands of Allah ('Azza wa Jalla), remaining strictly inside the sphere of the Sunnah as-Saniyyah and the Sharî’ah, and holding fast to as-sirât al-mustaqîm. Every faculty, sentiment and power (quwwa) — especially the three primary quwwas, quwwa al-aqliyyah, quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah and quwwa ash-shahawiyyah — alongside their branches and fruits, such as belief, thoughts, imagination and feelings like love, obstinacy, ambition and compassion, has its own specific istiqâmah rooted in the Sunnah and the Sharî’ah. This haqiqah is as indicated in the Qur'an by the following âyahs:

فَٱسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

"Stand firm in istiqâmah as you have been commanded, along with those who have turned to Allah in tawbah with you, and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Al-Basîr, Who sees what you do." (Hûd 112)

فَلِذَلِكَ فَادْعُ وَٱسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۖ وَقُلْ آمَنتُ بِمَا أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِن كِتَابٍ...

"So invite [to tawhîd] and stand firm in istiqâmah as you have been commanded, and do not follow the inclinations of their nafs; and say, 'I have believed in what Allah has revealed of the Book...'" (Ash-Shûrâ 15)

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ

“Indeed, this is My path, which is straight in istiqâmah, so follow it and do not follow other ways.” (Al-An'âm 151)

(For further explanation, please refer to the compilation on As-sirât Al-mustaqîm.)