The Creation is in Need of Allaah

 

Dr. Saleh as-Saleh رحمه الله

 

Man always looks for what benefits him and what protects him from harm. However, to accomplish this, man must be able to realize what is harmful. He must then know whom he should need, trust, and love so that he can attain what is beneficial as well as to feel good about his choice. He also must know the proper and good approach that would make him achieve this goal. This latter condition requires that man:

1.     Know about harm

2.     What ways can be used to drive harm away

Certainly, man can have no better guidance than that which comes from the One Who had perfected everything, and the One who Has no deficiency in Himself and in His Attributes. The One Who is Ever-Living and Who does not die. There can be no One better than the One Who Has no need for anything; the One Who is rich; the Giver; the One who, after all, controls man’s soul. Man is so poor to Him. He is Allaah, the True and only God. Man can bring harm to himself if he seeks other than Allaah for help. Allaah is the One Who can help man drive away any harm for it cannot occur without His Will and His Power.

Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى) sent down His Books and chose His Messengers to guide man to:

1.      Know His Lord as He (سُبحانه وتعالى) had explained about Himself, and

2.      Seek Him Alone while living in accordance with His plan

Knowing Allaah’s Names and Attributes liberates man from worshiping any form of creation because creation is weak and is in need of The Creator, Allaah. The knowledge about Allaah leads man to know that he is created to live according to Allaah’s way as revealed to the last Messenger Muhammad صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم. This Revelation contains a complete code of life. Everything that is beneficial or harmful is established so that man can center his life around this Revelation. If man commits wrong and knows that Allaah is Oft-Forgiving he would turn to Him and to Him alone seeking His forgiveness:

فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ

“Know, therefore, that there is no God Who deserves to be worshiped except Allaah; and ask forgiveness for your sins.”

(Muhammad, 47:19)

It is wrong to think or believe that Allaah created other ‘gods’ besides Him so that man turns to them for help; loves them or fear them, etc. He is the same God of all nations. He does not order that people should make of stars, sun, fire, Jesus, Moses, etc. gods besides Him. He (سُبحانه وتعالى) cannot be ‘contradictory’. He has one way (religion) that calls man to surrender his will only to Him. He warned that if man (even Muhammad would take partners with Him, then his work will fail and will be among losers:

 وَلَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

بَلِ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنْ الشَّاكِرِينَ

“And verily, it had been revealed to you (O Muhammad) as  has been revealed to those before you. If you join others in worship with Allaah (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain and you will certainly be among the losers. Nay!  But worship Allaah and be among grateful.”

(Az-Zumar, 39:65-66)

Let us know what Muhammad, the man-Prophet, who knew Allaah best, used to say:

“O Allaah, I seek refuge in You for Your Pleasure and against Your Wrath, and in Your Forgiveness and against Your Punishment and in You from You, I cannot Praise You as You can Praise Yourself.”

(Muslim, Abu Dawoud, at-Tirmidhi, ibn Majah)

“I have surrendered myself to You, I have directed my face to You, I have entrusted my affairs to You, I have compelled my back to refuge in You, in want and in fright of You, there is no resort nor survival from You except (in turning) to You. I have faith in Your book (i.e. the Qur’aan) which You brought down and in the Prophet (Muhammad) you have sent.”

(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

When we read in the Qur’aan that:

مَا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

“Whatever of Mercy (i.e. of good), Allaah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”

(Fatir, 35:2)

And when we read that:

This is for Allaah, What is for Me?

     

From Anas رضي اللّه عنـه who said: ‘A Bedouin came to the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم and said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah!  Teach me some goodness.’

So the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم took him by the hand and said:

  قل: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر

‘Say: ‘Far is Allaah from imperfection, and all praise be to Allaah, and there is none worthy of worship in truth except Allaah, and Allaah is the Greatest.’

(Subhana Allaahi, wal hamdu lillaahi, wa la illaah ila Allaah, wa Allaahu Akbar.)’

The Bedouin counted them on his hand, when he finished he began to reflect then came back to the Prophet.

The Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم smiled and said: ‘The desperate one has reflected.’

Then the Bedouin came and said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah! ‘Far is Allaah from imperfection, and all praise be to Allaah, and there is none worthy of worship in truth except Allaah, and Allaah is the Greatest.’  This is for Allaah, what is for me?’

The Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said:

اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني وعافني وارزقني واهدني

‘Say: O Allaah forgive me, and have mercy on me, and pardon me, and provide for me, and guide me.’

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Religion is in the heart????

Morals and etiquette of the Da`ee to Allaah

 

The morals and qualities necessary for a Da’ee (caller to Islaam) are highlighted by Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى) in many occurrences in the Qur’aan.

First: Devotedness. It is obligatory for a Da’ee to be so devoted to Allaah that he neither intends to show off, nor wants a good reputation or praise from people. Rather, he should only call to Allaah to please Him.  

Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى) says: Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم): "This is my way; I invite unto Allâh (i.e. to the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism)." He (سُبحانه وتعالى) also says: And who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allâh (believes in His Oneness) Therefore, you have to be devoted to Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى). It is the most important virtue and the greatest quality that has to characterize your way of Da`wah (call to Islaam), i.e. seeking Allaah and the Hereafter.

Second: Knowledge. Invite people to Allaah with firm knowledge. You should not be unaware of or ignorant about what you call people to. Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم): "This is my way; I invite unto Allâh (i.e. to the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) with sure knowledge."

Neither Slumber, Nor Sleep overtakes Allaah

– Sheikh ibn Uthaimeen

In His Saying:

{ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ}  

‘Neither slumber, nor sleep overtakes Him’,

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى did not say (what means): “He does not sleep,” instead He said: {لا تأخُذُهُ} (which means) “does not overtake Him” in order to comprise the sleep which overcomes and that arising by choice. If you say, “Does not sleep,” it would imply that He does not sleep by choice. However, Allaah, سُبحانه وتعالى does not sleep neither by ghalabah (overcoming) nor by choice, because sleep is an imperfect attribute which contradicts both the perfection of the Self and the perfection in relation to others.

The person who is given to sleep misses a lot of his work because of His sleeping. Consider, for example, the case of a person who has many people working for him and he sleeps a lot. He is unable to reckon with nor manage the business or other related matters. This is an imperfection with respect to others.

As regard to self-perfection, sleep is a deficiency because it  indicates that the person’s body got tired and thus he needed the sleep as a rest from what has passed, as well as a means to renew his activity to engage in what will come ahead. That is the why the people of al-Jannah do not sleep — because of the perfection of their lives and bodies. No illness or the like touches them.

If someone says, “We know that the person who does not sleep is unable to do so because of some kind of sickness or a defect, while you say that the lack of sleep is a perfection. Explain.”

Seven Phases of Shaitaan to destroy the son of Adam

 

 Ibnul-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

“Shaitaan tries to destroy the son of Adam in one of seven phases. Some of them are more intense than others. Shaitaan would not try to destroy him in the next phase until he fails to destroy him in a previous one.

These phases are:

1/ The phase of disbelief in Allaah.

His Deen, His perfect attributes, and in what Rasulullah [صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم] informed us about, and the fact that we will be resurrected. If Shaitaan is successful in misleading the slave in this phase, his enmity towards him would diminish and he would take rest. If the slave succeeds, and survives in this phase, Shaitaan would try to destroy him in the next phase.

2/ The phase of Bid’ah (religious innovation)

Whether it pertains to believing in other than the truth which Rasulullah [صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم] was sent with or by worshipping other than Allaah; such as worshipping idols, and the like. Shaitaan enjoys that one succumbs in this phase, for Bid’ah conflicts with the nature of the Deen and compels one to reject it. Furthermore, the one who observes innovated religious practices would not repent from his actions; rather, he would invite people to his Bid’ah! Observing innovated religious practices would compel one to forge lies against Allaah and speak without knowledge; thus it openly clashes with the Sunnah. Observing minor Bid’ah practices would lead one to observing major Bid’ah practices. In this manner, a person would eventually exit the folds of Islam. Scholars and people of knowledge alone know the real dangers of Bid’ah practices. If a person succeeds and survives in this phase by adhering to the Sunnah, and understanding its texts as the Pious Predecessors understood them, Shaitaan would seek to destroy him in the next phase.

3/The phase of major sins

If he is able to destroy the slave in this phase, he would beautify the deed that he is doing and probably compel him to say the following: “No sin would harm the Tawheed (creedal belief) as no good deed would benefit a man who has committed Shirk (i.e. to associate partners with Allaah)? If the person is successful and survives this phase, Shaitaan would seek to destroy him in the next phase.

Beautiful Description of Tawakul on Allaah

Sheikh ul Islaam Imâm Ibnul Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah Rahimahullah said: 

“The condition of the one who relies on Allaah is like the condition of the one who is given a dirham by a king, then it gets stolen from him; so the king says to him: ‘I have many times as much as that, so don’t worry. When you come to me, I will give you from my treasures much more than that.’ Thus if (this person) knows the truthfulness of the king’s statement, and trusts him, and knows that his treasures are full of that, then what he missed will not make him sad.”

[Madaarij us-Saalikeen, Tawakkul; Vol.1, pg.527]

Oh you who believe, stand out firmly for Justice....

Ignorance & Knowledge

Ibnl-Qayyim (رحمه الله) stated:

‘Allaah is not disobeyed except by way of ignorance and Allaah is not obeyed except by way of knowledge.’

{ Miftaah Daaris Sa-‘aadah 1/321}