The Shama continued, "So, now let us reflect on the wisdom of the Gentle, the Omniscient, when He endowed man with such knowledge as he may need for optimal life in this world and in the hereafter; while He withheld from man knowledge that he does not need, and which there is no harm in missing. He greatly facilitated the means of acquiring the required knowledge; the more that was required, the more did He facilitate its acquisition. He bestowed on man knowledge of and recognition of his Creator, Maker, Originator, the Almighty Lord - the way to such knowledge has been greatly smoothed.
There is nothing in the branches of knowledge that compares with this in importance, nor with its obviousness to the mind and innate nature; no branch of knowledge has as many ways and proofs as this knowledge, nothing is equal in obviousness and clarity - all that your eye sees, all that your ear hears, all that your mind thinks of, all that occurs to you, and all that any of your senses receive, is a proof of the Lord. The ways to knowing the Maker are innate and self-evident, so that nothing in the branches of knowledge is as manifest as this knowledge. The most compelling of proofs falls short of the fact it tries to prove. That is the reason the messengers of Allah used to say to their people: "Is there any doubt about Allah?" They addressed them in a tone that meant there should be no doubt whatsoever about the existence of Allah Almighty. He established proofs about His existence. Oneness, the attributes of His perfection of such abundance that no one but Allah can list all their variety or number; then He implanted that in the innate nature, and ingrained it in the mind in a general way; then He sent His messengers to remind people of Him.
The messengers also elaborated what innate nature and the mind know to be true in general. See how the innate nature has ingrained in it the assertion of Allah's existence. His Oneness, the attributes of His Perfection, Highness, and Wisdom as embodied in His creation and injunctions, which assert the truth of His messenger's message, and the compensation for the righteous with becoming reward, and the fitting punishment for the wrong-doer. If the innate nature were preserved in its original state which it had when created, if it had not been exposed to influences that contaminated it and corrupted it and diverted it from what it was made to be, it would have confirmed Allah's Oneness, the necessity of thanking Him and obeying Him, His attributes and Wisdom as embodied in His actions, and the belief in reward and punishment. But because it was corrupted and diverted from the way it was created, it denied things and rejected things.
This is why Allah sent His messengers as reminders that appeal to those with uncorrupted and undistorted innate natures. These people responded willingly, of their own volition, passionately and heartily, heeding to the evidence they found in their hearts: indeed some did not even ask for miracles and supernatural evidence; they rather perceived the truth of the call from its content; this alone was sufficient to make them sure of its being a irulhful call; being its proof in itself. The messengers also demonstrated their honesty and refuted the claims of those with corrupted innate natures, so that the latter should not complain to Allah that He did not send them guidance and illumination. These latter have been warned, and the proof of their being in the wrong has been established, so that when Allah tortures them and condemns them. He will not have been unjust to them.
The wisdom of Allah reflected in sending messengers to the various peoples in constant succession, each succeeding his predecessor after his decease; is due to the peoples' need for frequent messengers and prophets, as their minds were weak; and they did not take the message of the previous messenger in earnest. Things had changed, however, by the time of the prophethood of Muhammad bin Abdillah, Allah's Messenger and Prophet, (ﷺ). Allah sent him to convey the message to more enlightened intellects, to keener minds and better- informed nations. The message revealed to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was the maturest from the earliest days of mankind to his own time.
Consider now Allah's mercy in endowing man with the two forms of expression, the oral and the orthographic. They have been stressed by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in the course of listing His graces to man. See how Allah condenses all the phases of creation; the four levels of existence. He, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, starts with creation in general, which is the conferring of external existence; then, since man is the target of attention here. He turns to the uniqueness of the creation of man to point out the significance of the creation, which. He emphasizes, is wondrous. By just considering his own creation, man can observe the many aspects of Allah's bounties. In this place, the Quranic text only mentions the development of the human from a clot, while in other contexts it mentions the stages that preceded it. The first matter from which the creation of man was started is earth and mud, or 'sounding clay'. In some other locations in the Qur'an, however, another material of creation is stressed, the liquid of little worth (i.e. semen). The Qur'an mentions here the first stage of formation, the clot. Prior to this, there is the drop of semen, which directly leads to the clot.
In the present context, a third phase is mentioned, teaching by the pen, one of the greatest blessings bestowed by the Lord on His servants, since it is the means for preserving sciences, confirming rights, transmitting teachings, recording witnesses, and reckoning the accounts of dealings among people. It is by means of writing that knowledge about ancestors is preserved for their progeny. Without writing, the events of bygone periods would be inaccessible to a later period, traditions would fade away, rulings would become confused, and the succeeding generations would be ignorant of the convictions of their ancestors; the major hurdle to efficiency in people's worldly and religious affairs would be oblivion, which blots out the items of knowledge from their minds.
Writing is the vehicle that preserves knowledge from being lost, in the same way that cabinets preserve possessions from getting lost. Next to the Qur'an, writing is one of the most valuable of Allah's blessings. Although acquiring knowledge by the pen is realized by intelligence and skill, the means by which this Is made possible (i.e. writing) is a sheer blessing freely conferred by Allah, a free grant from Him and an additional bounty that raises man's capability, It is the Lord who taught man reading and writing, notwithstanding man's effort to learn. Man's act of learning is in response to the Teacher who taught by means of the pen; He taught man, and man learned, rather in the same way as He taught man speech, and he spoke.
Besides, Who gave man the mental power that enables him to perceive incoming messages, the tongue that expresses what he desires to state, the fingers that commit it to paper? Who provided his mind with the ability to acquire knowledge, an ability that all other animals were denied? Who enabled man's tongue to make utterances and his fingers to make dexterous movements? Who supported the fingers with the hand, the hand with the arm? Many a sign of Allah's teaching with the pen do we pass by heedlessly!
Now, let us dwell on the case of writing! Consider yourself, how you hold the pen, an inanimate object, apply it to the paper, another inanimate object, and from the meeting of the two objects emerge all sorts of wisdom and all branches of knowledge, the great variety of correspondence, sermons, prose and verse and treatises on specific issues. Who, then, caused ideas to occur to your mind in a flux, and impressed them on your memory? Who caused the utterances that represent those ideas to run along your tongue, then to be inscribed with a movement of your fingers? It is an amazing inscription that emerges there, implying even more spectacular wonders than its visible form; it enables you to fulfill your wishes, to represent what you conceive in the depths of your mind, and transmit it to far off lands and various territories; it functions there as your emissary, representing what you have to say; it announces what your tongue would announce, plays the part of your messenger, often more effectively than a human messenger. Who but He has taught with the pen, taught man what he did not know?
Teaching by the pen implies all three levels of existence: the levels of mental existence, verbal existence and orthographic existence. Teaching by means of the pen is an indication that the Almighty is the One who bestows those levels; Allah bestows material existence. In His words, He mentions all levels of existence axe attributed to Him, in creation and in teaching. He mentioned two creations and two acts of teaching, a general creation and a special creation, a general teaching and a special teaching. He also mentioned, referring to Himself, the attribute 'Akram' (the most generous, the noblest, the most perfect) which implies all good and perfection: all perfection belongs to Him as an attribute, and all good proceeds from him as action; He is the 'Akram' in Himself, in His attributes, and in His actions. The creation and teaching mentioned here are attributable to His generosity, liberality, and bounty; they do not proceed from any necessity that requires them: He is the Rich, the One deserving thanks.
Reflect, then, how the knowledge about Allah, the testification of His Oneness, the affirmation of His Names and Attributes, the message of His messengers and the resurrection have been shown to be ingrained in the innate nature, although man is often unaware of that. When the messengers called his attention and alerted him, they enabled man to notice that what they told him was in fact well-established in his innate nature, that his mind, and even his senses, and his whole being testify to it. This is the utmost that belief can achieve, the level of belief described in the Qur'an as dwelling in the hearts of Allah's friends and intimates."
Shama then said, "O my brothers and sisters, if you observed at what Allah was calling to be contemplated, it led you to the knowledge of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, about His unity, and the greatness of His majesty like wisdom, grace, justice, wrath, reward, and punishment. He, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, thus introduced Himself to His servants and called them to contemplate His words. And Allah knows best."
(Part 1)
Reference :
- Capt. Anas Abdul-Hameed Al-Qoz, Men and The Universe - Reflections of Ibn Al-Qayyem, Darussalam
- Sh. Al-‘Allamah Muhammad Amaan al-Jaami, The Keys to Happiness (Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim), Hikmah Publications
- Steven R. Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Franklin Covey Co.
The birds again gathered. As usual, the nation's first teacher, Parrot, acted as a moderator, while Shama, the second teacher of the nations, acted as a source. There were interesting things from the two teachers of this nation. Actually, the quality of Shama as a knowledgeable person was better than that of Parrot, but during the nation's teacher election, many birds did not yet know Shama. They preferred Parrot over Shama because Parrot was very well known. In addition to being clever, Nuri was also good at luring birds from his humorous behavior. In addition, the news, more often mentioned the Parrot rather than Shama. However, after time went by and the birds knew who really the Parrot was, they realized that with just facetiousness, it was not enough to be able to lead them to perfection. However, everything returns to Allah, life would still going on.
Then Shama said, "O my brothers and sisters, we must look at the lens through which we see the world, as well as at the world we see, and that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world. If we wanted to change the situation, we first had to change ourselves. And to change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions. A naturalist's or a physician's perspective of the things we have been talking about, is different from a knowledgeable believer's. The naturalist and physician are concerned with investigating aspects of preserving good health and averting sickness; a believer, on the other hand, contemplates things with a view to discerning proofs in them of their Creator and Maker; His exceeding wisdom, generous liberality and bounty, which He urges His servants to respond to with remembrance and gratitude.
Parrot asked, "What is paradigm?" Shama said, "The word paradigm comes from the Greek. It was originally a scientific term, and is more commonly used today to mean a model, theory, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. In the more general sense, it's the way we "see" the world—not in terms of our visual sense of sight, but in terms of perceiving, understanding, interpreting.
Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are—or, as we are conditioned to see it. When we open our mouths to describe what we see, we in effect describe ourselves, our perceptions, our paradigms. Looking, has two senses; there is "looking" with the eye, the external organ, by which one may see for instance the blue of the sky, its stars, its height and vastness. In such vision man is equal to other species, and so it is not the vision that man is exhorted to practice.
In the other sense, "looking" is to go beyond the first external vision to see with the mind's eye, so that the heaven's gates are opened to the observer; he wanders among its territories and lands, and associates with its angels. It is then that gates are opened for him, one by one, until his mind's journey carries him to the Throne of the Compassionate, where he envisions its huge and great size, its majesty, glory and elevation; he envisions the seven heavens, and the seven earths, whose mass is, compared to the Throne's, Like a ring to a desert; he envisions the angels circumambulating the Throne, with their hymns of praise and glorification of the Lord rising in chorus.
He sees with the mind's eye, Allah's commandments descend from above, managing the worlds and directing Allah's soldiers, whose swarms no one can count but their Lord and King. He realises how directives descend to determine the reviving of multitudes of creatures and the perishing of other multitudes; the honouring of some and the suffering of others; the enthroning of someone and the dethroning of another; the transporting of a blessing from one place to another place; and the fulfilling of all sorts of needs, in all their variety and abundance: the rescue of a bankrupt, the enrichment of an indigent, the healing of an invalid, the saving of someone stricken with disaster; the forgiveness of a sin, the resolution of a crisis, the supporting of a persecuted one, the guiding of a lost one, the educating of an ignorant one, the reclamation of an escaped slave, the safely of a terrified one, the succour of a succour seeker; the empowering of a feeble person, the support of a distressed one, the help of someone who is handicapped, lite revenge on an oppressor, the stopping of aggression; all decrees towards the establishing of justice, sympathy, wisdom and mercy, covering all corners of the world, no call distracts Him from another call, the great succession of pleas and petitions do not confuse Him, no matter how numerous, diverse, or simultaneous. He does not complain at the insistence of insistents, and His bountiful bestowings do not decrease the riches of His treasure by a fraction, for there is no god but He, the Majestic, the Wise.
Conceiving this, the believing heart is prostrated in the presence of the Compassionate, bending in awe of Him, subservient to His might; bound to His hegemony; it will prostrate in front of the King, the True, the Clear, a prostration that is never interrupted until the day of recompense. All this the heart does while it is still in its place, at home, and not leaving its residence which is a most marvelous wonder of the Lord's and an over whelming occurrence. Blessed be the journey, a most rewarding trip, lifting the human and blessing his life and rewarding him amply and ensuring good consequences. It is the trip that revives souls and wins the key to happiness; fills the minds and hearts with peace, not borne with hardship like other trips.
In relation to this, there is a difference between remembrance and thought. What is the difference, you may ask, between remembrance and thinking? Recognizing the difference is beneficial to those who realize it. Thinking and remembrance are the basis of guidance and success, the two poles of happiness. That is why we expatiated on thinking because of the great benefit connected to it and the great need for it. It is as Al-Hasan said: People of knowledge have always based remembrance on thought and thought on remembrance, and they addressed hearts until they came to be articulate, and they acquired hearing and vision.
Let it be known, then, that thinking is the search by the heart to acquire from the knowledge already attained, knowledge that is not yet acquired. This is the reality about thought, because if there is no objective to be sought by thinking, then thinking will be impossible; thinking without a focal destination is not possible; and the means to it is the facts that are already acquired. If those means are employed to acquire that which is already known there will be no thought. Realizing this, we may go on to say that a thinking person proceeds from premises and assumptions he already knows to the concept he seeks to unveil. Once that is attained and acquired, he remembers on the basis of that, and perceives what to seek and what to shun; what to hold as dear and what to avoid.
Remembrance, then, is the eventual fruit and outcome of thinking. Once a person has remembered, that remembrance enhances thinking, and so he can make inferences that he was unable to make before. This reciprocal relationship goes on, from thinking to remembrance and from remembrance to thinking, as long as reflection lasts: knowledge and the will have no limit to stop at, and a person can progress indefinitely drawing on knowledge and will. If you realize that Allah's signs operate as eye-openers and reminders, enlightening one to overcome the heart's blindness and to awaken it from its forgetfulness, it will then be dear that the opposite of knowledge is either the heart's blindness, and the remedy for this is enlightenment, or its forgetfulness, and the remedy for this is remembrance. The idea here is to awaken the heart from its forgetfulness by invoking some of Allah's signs. To try to follow that up to its end, we would have to devote all our life to it, and even then we would not be able to exhaust even the details of one of His signs comprehensively. But if the whole is not feasible, it should not follow that the matter should be dropped completely. The noblest employment of time and effort is the reflection on the signs of Allah and the wonders of His creation, to go on from there to linking the heart and will to Him rather than to any of His creations.
Consider, then, the wisdom of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in remembering and forgetting, a quality unique to the human species. Reflect on the many services they give, and the benefits that accrue to the human from them. Without the faculty of remembering, bestowed solely on man, there would be a great muddle in all his affairs; he would not distinguish what is due to him from what is his duty; what he received from what he handed out; what he heard from what he saw; what he uttered from what was addressed to him; he would not distinguish his benefactor from his antagonist; he would not recall those who had dealings with him; he would not remember to seek closeness to the one who had done good to him, nor to avoid the one who had done him mischief; he would not find a way that he had tried and found right even after going along it many times; he would not accumulate knowledge in any particular field even if he had devoted all his life to it; he would not benefit from experience, or draw a lesson from what has passed - Indeed he would cease to be a member of mankind.
Reflect, then, on the immense blessing of all these benefits. Think of the amount of good each aspect realizes for you, and then how much they represent in their totality! One of the most curious blessings is forgetting: without forgetting a human being would find no consolation for any loss, his grief would be without end; he could not get over the effect of a disaster; his mourning would be permanent, his malice would be for ever; he would not enjoy any of life's amusements with his mind full of the memory of catastrophes; he would have no hope of the relenting of an adversary, or the abating of the ill-feeling of an envier. Reflect, then, on Allah's bounty in providing you with the ability to remember and forget, despite their antithesis and opposition; each performing its respective part."
(Part 2)
Picus then came forward and said, "O my brothers and sisters, mankind are all travelers in this worldy life and every traveler is heading toward his aim and will stop at the place that pleases him. Whoever seeks Allah and the Last Day is a traveler and his aim in his travel is seeking the pleasure of Allah, and this is his aim, intention and destiny.
I often wonder whether or not there is a reason for success and failure or whether they are just according to will. The truth is that their reason is based on the level of gratefulness in the servant. For a servant to be in a suitable situation to accept a blessing he must know its value, and its potential danger, praise He who bestowed it on him, glorify Him, and know that it is a blessing from Allah without having had anything to do with it nor deserve it. The servant should acknowledge the oneness of Allah, use this blessing to praise Him, admit that it is because of His favor, and then he would know his faults and defects as he knows he could never praise Allah properly. The servant should know that if Allah continues to grant him this blessing, it is a favor, charity, and blessing from Him and if He chooses to take it away from him, he deserves that.
The more Allah grants His servant blessings, the more humility, submission, praise, and fear of Allah the servant should have and if it is taken away from him it is because he did not praise Him as He deserves. The Almighty may take His blessings away from whoever does not acknowledge or care for them as they deserve. If the servant does not praise Allah as he should and misuses this blessing, undoubtedly Allah will take it away. They are those who knew the value of those blessings, accepted, loved, and praised whoever granted them, and loved and thanked Him. The cause behind failure is unsuitability of place, inconvenience, and lacking the ability to accept the blessing; if he was granted the blessing he would say: this is mine and I got it because I deserve it.
When Prophet Sulaiman, alaihissalam, was awarded blessings and ownership he possessed, he said, "This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful!" He did not say: this is because of my honor. Prophet Sulaiman, alaihissalam, realized that whatever he gained is from his Lord and His favor and that he is afflicted with it. On the contrary, there was a man who got the grace from Allah, but he said, "This is for me, due to my merit."
Cinnamon asked, "O my brother Picus, who was that man?" Picus said, "Do you want to listen a story about him?" Cinnamon replied, "Yes, tell us, please!"
Then Picus said, "The story of a man, who lived in the time of Moses, peace be upon him, was named Korah ibn Izhar, known as Qarun. According to Malik Ibn Dinar, Moses Ibn Amram was the paternal cousin of Korah, whom Allah had given great wealth. According to Khaytamah, it was said that the keys of his storehouses would have been a burden for a troop of mighty men. It was also said that when Korah traveled, his keys were carried on sixty mules with white blazes and white legs.. No key was greater than a finger in length, and each one was connected to a treasure. Abu Salih said that the keys of his storehouses were carried by forty mules. Allah knows best!
Qatadah said that people called him "the light" for he had a melodious voice while reciting the Torah, but he became a hypocrite. Shahr ibn Hawshab related that the enemy of Allah rebelled because of the ill luck and trial Allah desired to inflict through him on His people due to the greatness of his wealth. It was said that his oppression of them consisted of his having surpassed them in luxurious garments. The people warned Korah about his oppression, forbade him to do it, and commanded him to expend what Allah given him for His sake and to make use of it in obedience to Him, they said to [Korah], “Do not exult! Allah does not love the exultant. But seek the abode of the Hereafter with what Allah has given you. Do not neglect your portion of this world, and be generous as Allah has been generous to you. Do not seek corruption in the earth; Allah does not love corrupters.’’
Korah's response showed his ignorance and his heedlessness of Allah's forbearance toward him, where Korah said to them: 'I have been given what I have been given of this world only on account of knowledge I possess.” Someone else said that he meant, "If Allah were not pleased with me and did He not know my excellence, He would not have given me this." But Allah refuted his statement, He said, “Did he not know that Allah had already destroyed of generations before him men who were mightier than he in strength and greater in respect to gathering of wealth. If Allah gives wealth and this world only to those who please Him and possess excellence with Him, then He would not have destroyed those who possessed great wealth before him whom He did not destroy, despite the quantity of it that He had given them."
Neither the warnings of those who warned him, nor the reminders of him who reminded of God and His good counsel, turned Korah back from his ignorance and oppression of his people through the use erf his great wealth. Instead, he persisted in his wrong course and in going astray. He would go out among his people in his finery, mounted on a white work horse with a purple saddle, and dressed in yellow-dyed garments. He took along with him three hundred slave girls in similar garb on similarly adorned nags, as well as four thousand of his companions. Someone has said that his companions, whom he took along in the same garb and adornment, numbered seventy thousand.
Mujahid said that the people who had gone astray, among those before whom Korah went forth in his pomp, wanted the like of what had been given him and said: “Ah, would that we had been given the like of what has been given to Korah! Lo! He is the possessor of great good fortune !”
But people knowledgeable of Allah disapproved of them for saying this, and they responded, " Woe unto you ! O You who desire what has been given to Korah! Rely on Allah. Do what Allah has commanded you, and desist from what He has forbidden. For verily Allah's reward and recompense to those who obey Him are better for those who believe in Him and His messengers and those who perform pious deeds, according to what He has commanded. Those who are steadfast in avoiding the pomp of the life of this world and who prefer Allah's great reward for pious deeds over the pleasures of this world and its passions and who act to obtain it as that requires."
When the evildoer became arrogant and continued his wrong course, undervaluing Allah's favor, Allah tried Korah, from His precept regarding his wealth and the right He obliged from him regarding it with what his avarice brought upon him, namely, the most painful of His punishments, by which he became a warning to those who have passed away and an exhortation to those remaining behind.
It was related by Abdallah ibn al-Harith, Korah treated Moses as an enemy and harmed him, while Moses would forgive and pardon Korah because of their kinship. This relationship persisted until Korah built a house, making its door of gold and placing on the walls sheets of gold. The chiefs of the Israelites would visit him in the morning and evening, and he would offer them food, and they would converse with him and make him laugh. Allah did not send down upon Korah his distress and misfortune until he sent for an Israelite woman known for obscene speech and famous for insult. She came, and he said to her: "Would you like me to make you wealthy, to give you gifts, and to let you consort with my wives? It is on the condition that you come to me while the chiefs of the Israelites are here and say, 'O Korah! will you not keep Moses from me ? ' " She said, "Of course." So when Korah sat with the chiefs of the Israelites, he sent for the woman. She came and stood before him, but Allah turned her heart, causing her to repent. She said to her self, "I will not find today any repentance better than not harming the messenger of God and chastising the enemy of God."
Then she said, "Verily Korah said to me, 'Would you like me to make you wealthy, to give you [gifts), and to let you consort with my wives? It is on condition that you come to me while the chiefs of the Israelites are here and say, "O Korah! will you not keep Moses from me? '" But I found no repentance better than not harming the Messenger of God and chastising the enemy of God." When she spoke these words, Korah was abashed, lowered his head, and fell silent among the chiefs of the Israelites, realizing that he had fallen into his damnation. Her speech spread among the people until it reached Moses. When Moses heard the news, his anger grew strong. He cleansed himself in water, then prayed and wept, saying: "O Lord! Your enemy is causing me harm ; he seeks my disgrace and shame. O Lord! Give me power over him!" Allah inspired him: "Command the earth to do whatever you want; it will obey you." Moses went to Korah, and when he met him Korah detected evil in Moses' face toward him, and he said, "O Moses! Have mercy on me!" Moses said, "O earth! Seize them!"
The house began to move and sank with Korah and his companions up to their ankles. Korah began begging, "O Moses! Have mercy on me!" But Moses said, "O earth! Seize them!" And his house moved and sank, swallowing Korah and his companions up to their knees, while he was pleading with Moses, "O Moses! Have mercy on me!" Moses continued, "O earth! Seize them! " And his house moved and sank, and Korah and his companions were swallowed up to their navels while he was pleading with Moses, "O Moses! Have mercy on me!" Moses continued, "O earth! Seize them!" And he, his house, and his friends were all consumed by the earth. Allah said to Moses, "O Moses! How harsh you are! But — by My glory — if only he had called to Me, I would have responded to him."
According to Ibn ‘Abbas, when the duty of alsmgiving was revealed, Korah came to Moses and agreed with him on giving one dinar for every thousand dinars, and for every thousand dirhams one dirham, and one article for every thousand — or he said, "for every thousand sheep, a sheep." Then Korah returned to his house, made an account of his possessions and found that his tax would be very high. So he gathered the Israelites and said, "O Children of Israel! Moses has given you commandments about everything, and you have obeyed him. Now he wants to take your possessions." They replied, "You are our elder and master, so command us as you wish." He said, "I command you to bring so-and-so, the prostitute, and offer her an agreed price. Then let her accuse Moses of committing adultery with her." So they called her and set a price, on the condition that she accuse him of adultery with her. Then Korah went to Moses and said, "Your people have gathered together for you to give them commandments and prohibitions." So Moses went out to them while they were on a plain of the land and said, "O Children of Israel! Whoever steals, we will cut off his hand; whoever forges a lie against someone, we will flog him eighty stripes; whoever fornicates and has a wife, we will flog him until he dies or stone him until he dies."
Korah said, "Even if it were you? " He replied, "Yes." Korah said, "Verily, you have done that." Moses said, "Woe to you! With whom? " He replied, "With so-and-so." Moses called her and said, "I adjure you by Him Who revealed the Torah, did Korah tell the truth? " She said, "My God! Since you have adjured me, then I bear witness that you are innocent, that you are the messenger of God, and that God's enemy, Korah, offered me a price to accuse you of adultery with me."
Moses sprang up, then prostrated himself. Allah inspired him: "Lift up your head, for I have commanded the earth to obey you." So Moses said to the earth, "Seize them!" And it seized them until they sank to their loins. Korah called out, "O Moses!" But he said, "Seize them!” And it seized them until they sank to their chests. He called out again, "O Moses!" But he said, "Seize them!" He continued: And they disappeared. Allah said to him, "O Moses! Korah called out to you for help, and you did not help him. But, if he had called to Me for help, I would have responded and would have come to his aid."
And so, he who was swallowed by the earth was Qarun, and those whom were drowned were Pharaoh, Haman and their troops because they were sinful. Imam Ahmad, in his Musnad, reported that once the Prophet (ﷺ) remembered the prayer and said: "He who observes it regularly and properly, it will be light, evidence and salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection. And, he who does not observe it regularly and properly, there will neither be -for him-light, nor evidence, nor salvation. And, on the Day of Resurrection, he will be (gathered) with Qarun, Fir'aun (Pharaoh), Haman and Ubaiy Ibn Khalaf".
Picus then said, "O my brothers and sisters, the believer realizes that all blessings belong to Allah and His favor and that Allah grants him blessings without him deserving it. It is continual charity from Him to His servant and He has the right to deprive anyone from this as He wills. If Allah prevents people from receiving blessings, He never prevents them from what they deserve. If the servant fails to realize that, he might think that he deserves it and would become conceited thinking that he deserves this blessing and that he is better than others.
The causes of failure are based on the state of the soul and its adherence to its nature; the origin of creation. The causes of success are according to Allah, Who enables the servant to accept His blessings. The causes of success are from Him and from His favor and He created both this and that as He created all the parts of the earth; one part accepts plant life and the other does not. He created trees; one grows fruit and the other does not. He created the bee and enabled it to produce honey with different colors as well as the hornet, which cannot do that. He created good souls that are able to remember, praise, thank, glorify, and advise His servants and also created evil souls who are not able to do that. He is the All Wise and the All-Knowing. And Allah knows best."
"Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful." - [QS.2:3-5]"
References :
- Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-Fawaid, Umm Al-Qura
- William M. Brinner, The History of At-Tabari : The Children of Israel, Volume III, SUNY Press
- Ibn Katheer, Stories of The Qur'an, Dar Al-Manarah
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to the common folk of the Muslims, O wise owl!" Owl said, "Making naseehah to the common folk of the Muslims would include: guiding them to what is good for them in both this life and the Hereafter, not harming them, teaching them about their religion and other things that they may be ignorant about, aiding them, concealing their faults, ordering them to perform good deeds and eradicating evil among them. It also includes having mercy for the young among them and showing respect for the elderly. One also should feel joy when they feel joy and one should be saddened when they are saddened. Imam Al-Nawawi pointed out that the pious forefathers would work for one another and advise one another to the point that they even sacrificed their own worldly interests out of preference to their brothers' needs.
When one is in a position of authority over other Muslims, it is important that he act sincerely toward them and do what is in their best interests according to the shareeah. The obligation of sincere conduct by the ruler towards the masses includes appointing people to governmental posts on the basis of their ability and qualifications.
A Muslim cannot be all to himself and not care about what happens to the other Muslims. Instead, it is his obligation to make naseehah to the other Muslims. This means he is required to wish the best for them and to bring about the best for them if he has the ability to do so."
Kea said, "Tell us about manners of making naseehah." Owl said, "Naseehah is a wonderful weapon, but like most weapons, if the user does not know how to use it properly, it can cause more harm than good. One major reason why Muslims are not giving due regard to this naseehah is that we have lost or we do not know the proper manners of giving Naseehah.
Now let's examine some of the best manners that a Muslim must have in making Naseehah. The first and foremost, it is necessary that a person have the intention of seeking the pleasure of Allah when making Naseehah. Only such an intention deserves reward from Allah and acceptance from His slaves. If the intention is contrary to this, then that person deserves the anger and wrath of Allah as well as the hatred and rejection of the people - including the one being advised.
The second manner is, not slandering the one being advised. This is an affliction that has befallen many Muslims. Many times, after taking a closer look, we find that the person giving Naseehah actually wants to slander the person he is advising because of personal hatred. This does not befit the one being advised and may lead to a worse situation with no benefit resulting from the Naseehah. An important part of naseehah is to advise one another and correct each others' actions. Speaking to another person concerning something that he does not like to have mentioned is common to both the praiseworthy act advising another person and the blameworthy act of shaming and humiliating another person. In fact, one of the early scholars said, "You do not really give me advice until you say to me in my face what I dislike." It is important to realize the difference between these two acts in order to fulfill the obligation of advising one's brother while remaining away from the sin of shaming one's brother.
It must be understood that mentioning another Muslim's faults or sins simply to blame, ridicule or shame him is forbidden. However, if there is some overriding benefit in mentioning such faults, then it can be either recommended or obligatory to mention them. That was, for example, the case with the scholars of hadith who were forced to mention the shortcomings of specific narrators. This action on their part was part of their naseehah to the Muslim nation as a whole, in order to accurately preserve the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Another example of that nature is the refuting of the misinterpretations of the Quran or sunnah that some people may try to spread throughout the Muslim community. It is a must to refute that evil, even if it is done publicly, as long as the goal is not to ridicule them but to correct their mistakes and stop their evil.
Third, naseehah is to be given in secret. Naseehah will bear its best fruits when given to a person when he is by himself, for in such a situation the person is less likely to be affected by the thoughts of others. The sincere advisor should not aid the Devil over his brother by publicly rebuking him and letting Shaytaan beguile his brother into not taking the naseehah. This closes the doors of goodness and reduces the chances of the Naseehah from being accepted.
Fourth, naseehah is to be given with kindness, gentleness and softness. A sincere advisor must be kind, soft and well-mannered in making naseehah to others, as this might get the desired response from the one he is advising. One must understand that accepting Naseehah is like opening a door, and that the door will not open without the proper key. The one who is given naseehah has a heart that has a lock in some matter - for he has abandoned something that Allah has demanded from him, or has committed something that Allaah I had forbidden him from. There is no better key to unlock the heart than kindness in giving advice, gentleness in exhortation and softness in speech as, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) has said, "Kindness is not to be found in anything but that it adds to its beauty, and it is not withdrawn from anything but it makes it defective."
Love is an important driving force behind naseehah. If one has strong love for Allah, His messenger, His book and so forth, his conduct with respect to them will be more sincere. Al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh said, "Love is better than fear. Do you not see that if you have two slaves and one of them loves you while the other fears you, the one who loves you will be sincere to you while you are present or absent due to his love for you. However, the one who fears you may be sincere to you when you are present and he fears you but he will deceive you and not be sincere to you when you are absent."
Fifth, do not compel others to follow one's naseehah: It is obligatory on the advisor to render sincere advice to others, but it is not his right to compel others to follow his advice as well. That is the right of the Muslim ruler upon his subjects or a Muslim Qadhi (Judge) in his jurisdiction. A sincere advisor is one who guides toward goodness, but he is not to command others to act upon it. lbn Hazm writes that one should not give Naseehah on the condition that it must be accepted, otherwise if one goes beyond this, he will be oppressing not advising, and seeking obedience and control.
Sixth, choosing the proper time to give Naseehah. The one giving naseehah must choose the right time to give his advice, since a person is not always ready to receive naseehah. A person may be angry about something, upset about not getting what he wanted, grieved for something he may have lost, or there may be some other reason that might prevent him from responding to the Naseehah.
Abdul Hamid Bilali writes, "Choosing proper time and place is one of the greatest causes for the acceptance of Naseehah and eradicating evil", and as Abdullah bin Mas'ud said, "Hearts sometimes yearn and are attentive, but sometimes they go through lapses and feed repulsion. So take from them when they are in a state of yearning and are attentive, and leave them alone when they go through lapses and are feeling repulsion."
Seventh, naseehah that is against lslam is not to be followed. Making Naseehah is part of sharee'ah. Therefore, if someone gives advice to leave a deed demanded by the sharee'ah or to perform a forbidden deed, then it is not called Naseehah. The one giving such should quit doing that and the one being advised should not accept it. For instance, if someone tells you to shave your beard, to expose some part of the body by taking off the Hijaab, to shake hands with women on job interviews, to date the girl you are interested in, to take a job at a place that sells alcohol, or to work in a Riba-based bank, then you should not obey. These matters are not counted as Naseehah which the Prophet (ﷺ) made part of the religion.
When naseehah is given with the proper manners, the result is usually healthy and beneficial; except where there is the presence of some factors that affect the receiving of such advice. One of the most important factors that contribute in rejecting a fellow Muslim's Naseehah is arrogance. Arrogance prevents one from accepting naseehah and acting upon it; whereas, the one who continuously strives to take arrogance out of his heart, finds it easy to accept naseehah.
Sultaan states that this naseehah is not just toward other Muslims. The Prophet (ﷺ) made naseehah to his people, the disbelieving Quraish of Makkah. A Muslim should try to make naseehah to the non-Muslims. This is done by teaching them about Islam and trying to show them the straight path. When fulfilling this type of naseehah for the sake of Allah, one should be willing to endure hardships as the Prophet (ﷺ) also had to endure hardships.
Naseehah is from the truth and the advisor is from the people while the arrogant person is one who rejects the truth and looks down on the people. Arrogance and pride prevent such person from complying with the Naseehah, even when he sees the truth of it. On the contrary, a humble person will accept Naseehah from others with an open heart, no matter where the advisor comes from, because he knows that a Waajib (obligatory deed) is being conveyed."
Then the Owl said, "O my brothers and sisters, the reality of this religion, the essence of this religion or a necessary component of this religion is naseehah. This naseehah to Allah, His Book, the messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and the common folk of the Muslims is something that affects every second of the Muslim's life. There is really no moment that passes except that the person must exemplify this quality of naseehah. Therefore, if a Muslim cannot truly characterize himself as making naseehah then he should, in fact, question his religion as a whole. If he is not making the minimum requirements of naseehah to Allah or His book or messenger, and so on, can he really call himself a Muslim? Where is his Islam or lmaan without this naseehah? This is what the Prophet (ﷺ) clearly pointed out when he said, "This religion is naseehah."
Naseehah also plays an important role for the health of the Muslim society as a whole. It is one of key aspects protecting Muslim society from the spreading of evil, as those who may slip and commit evil are sincerely, out of love and brotherhood, encouraged and helped to stop. Such behavior genders love, cooperation and togetherness among Muslims while removing selfishness and hatred. And Allah knows best."
"You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah . If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient." - [QS.3:110]
(Part 1)
Reference :
- Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, Commentary On The Forty Hadith Of Al Nawawi Volume 1, Al-Basheer Publications
- Darussalam Research Section, Golden dvice Series : Do Not Become Angry, Darussalam
The Owl said, "O my brothers and sisters, indeed, human always forget, they commit sin if they forget Alah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. So, Allah send the prophets from their own to give them naseehah." The birds said, "Tell us about the naseehah, O wise owl!" Owl said, "Naseehah is an Arabic word that is usually translated to mean "sincerity" or "sincere advice", but actually embodies every type of virtue. It is usually translated as "sincerity" since one of its essential connotations is the negation of deception or cheating. That is definitely one of its interpretations. However, here it has been intentionally left in transliterated form. The word naseehah has two basic linguist meanings: firstly, to clean, purify or improve something of all unwanted elements, as in purifying honey from unwanted materials, and secondly, to unite or join something together that is scattered or separated, as in sewing a garment. Ibn Uthaimeen says that naseehah implies that a person loves for his brother what is good, calls him to it, makes it clear to him and encourages him to do it. This is part and parcel of the true religion of Islam. This is the real way of the believers. It is when the believers fulfill this type of condition that they meet the description given of the true believers in the Quran surah al-Hujurat[49]:10, "The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.." So, that brotherhood is the result of the correct and true naseehah.
Naseehah implies that one advises and guides others to what is best for them in this life and the Hereafter. This was first and foremost the job of the Messengers. Indeed, it should be a major characteristic of the believer is that very important characteristic of giving advices. Being from the people of Naseehah or having the characteristic of being 'Naasih' is something that Allah has commanded. It is also one of the important characteristics that the Prophets came with. This affair of Naseehah is something, which is fundamental and a most important characteristic for every Muslim. Hence, when a person is fulfilling the obligation of naseehah to his fellow Muslims, he is actually fulfilling a role that was also an obligation upon the most noble of creation, the messengers of Allah.
Owl paused, then said, "There is a hadith about naseehah, in sahih Muslim, on the authority of Abu Ruqayyah Tameem ibn Aus, radiallahuanhu, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The religion is naseehah." The people said, "To whom?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "To Allah and to His Book and to His Messenger and to the Leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of the Muslims."
This is a profound statement. If one studies the meaning of naseehah closely and looks at all of the meanings of this hadith, he would then be able to understand why the Prophet (ﷺ) made such a statement. It can be argued that there is truly nothing in the religion of Islam beyond what is encompassed by the naseehah to the objects mentioned in this hadith. In this one brief sentence the Prophet (ﷺ) has described the essence of Islam. Its implication is one of all inclusiveness. One of the interpretations of this is that one's religion cannot be complete unless he fulfills the naseehah to Allah, His book and the others mentioned in the hadith. The meaning is not that naseehah is all there is to Islam. But the meaning is that naseehah forms the bulk and the most important pillar of this religion. It encompasses Islam, imaan and ihsaan. And Allah knows best.
And there is another hadith concerning naseehah, Muslim recorded on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stated, "The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are six." It was asked, "What are they, O Messenger of Allah ?" He (ﷺ) replied, "When he meets him, he greets him; when he invites him, he responds; if he seeks his sincere advice, he advises him; ifhe sneezes and praises Allah, he asks Allah to have mercy on him; if he is ill, he visits him; and when he dies, he follows him (that is, his funeral procession)."
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to Allah, O wise owl!" Owl said, "When asked to whom this naseehah is due, the Prophet (ﷺ) first said, "To Allah." Making naseehah to Allah requires the fulfilling of the obligatory duties in the best way possible, ie. ihsaan. The naseehah to Allah cannot be complete or perfect without this. This should be a goal of every Muslim. However, this cannot be done without a love for what He has ordered. This also implies that a Muslim should strive to get as close to Allah as possible by doing voluntary good deeds and by forbidding the forbidden and avoiding disliked acts. Making naseehah to Allah includes all of the following acts of worship: believing in Him, denying any partners to Him, affirming all of His attributes that are stated in the Quran and the sunnah, obeying Him, fulfilling His commands, abstaining from what He has forbidden, doing one's best to emember Him under all circumstances, loving and hating for His sake, being friends to those who support Him and who work for His cause, and being against those who are against Him and who fight against His cause, having honor for the sake of Allah and being upset when the laws of Allah are ignored and disrespected, recognizing the blessings He has bestowed and properly thanking Him for those blessings, and so on. This is the making of naseehah to Allah.
Note that all of the above have some aspect of purifying something, such as one's beliefs, or of joining something together, such as, one's relationship to Allah and the believers in Him. This is the complete and desired naseehah and this is the religion of lslam as the Prophet (ﷺ) stated. Naseehah to Allah, implying having the correct intention in one's heart to fulfill the rights of Allah, is obligatory under all circumstances, even under those circumstances wherein other duties are no longer obligatory because they are beyond one's ability to perform them.
Obviously, the one who benefits from this naseehah is not Allah. Allah is Self-Sufficient and is not in need of any of His creatures. Instead, it is the servant of Allah himself that benefits from this act. When he makes naseehah to Allah, he is purifying himself and bringing himself closer to Allah. Hence, Allah has made this act obligatory upon individuals and it is the person himself who alone benefits from this act. Such is the grace and mercy of Allah."
Kea said, "Tell me about naseehah to His book!" Owl said, "The word, "His book," refers to the whole class of revelation. Hence, it includes all of the previously revealed scriptures as well as the Quran revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ). Naseehah to the book of Allah requires that one believe that the Quran is from Allah, that it is the speech and uncreated word of Allah, and that it is not like the word of man. In addition, the complete naseehah to the book of Allah requires that one, according to one's ability, reads and recites it properly, applies it, studies its admonitions, lessons and parables. Calling others to believe in the book of Allah is also part of this naseehah.
An important aspect of making naseehah to the Quran is to defend and protect it from any kind of distortion or misinterpretation. Naseehah to the book of Allah includes defending it against the false claims made against it. Having the proper respected and treating the Quran in the proper manner is also part of this naseehah. A Muslim should not touch the Quran while he is in a state of sexual defilement. Indeed, it is preferable that he not touch the Quran unless he has made ablution. One should also never do any act which would be considered an act of disrespect toward the Quran, such as throwing it down to the ground or leaving it on a pile of garbage. Since naseehah is such an essential aspect of the religion, every Muslim should consider these points and ask himself if he is truly really make naseehah to Allah and to the Book of Allah."
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to His Messenger!" Owl said, "The naseehah to the Prophet (ﷺ) includes believing his message, believing in all that he brought as being divinely inspired, obeying him, helping and defending him, defending his honor and respecting his status. An essential and most important aspect of this naseehah is that one accepts the Prophet (ﷺ) as the true leader and only human final word with respect to the religion. He is the only real human authority, and everyone else's opinions and statements come after his. If any Muslim follows another person's opinion in opposition to what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has said, then he is not making the proper naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Making naseehah to the Messenger (ﷺ) also includes being a friend to those who love him and an enemy to those who are against him. Also important are reviving his sunnah and fighting any innovations, spreading, learning and teaching his message, making supplications for him (ﷺ).
Making naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) includes loving his family and his companions. Ibn Uthaimeen notes that it is especially important that one love and respect the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This is because somebody's companions are, in essence, his closest friends and confidantes. Among the Companions, the Prophet (ﷺ) chose to be closest to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan, Ali and others. This was his choice and he expressed his love for his Companions on a number of occasions. When one insults or denigrates such noble Companions, one is actually insulting the Prophet (ﷺ) for taking such people as his comrades. Indeed, ibn Uthaimeen points out, one is actually insulting Allah when insulting the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). It was Allah who chose those noble souls to be the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) and to be the people who would carry this religion, preserve the Quran and carry on the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). Furthermore, when one denigrates the Companions and casts doubt on their piety, one is casting doubt on the religion itself since it was through these people, by the will of Allah, that the religion was spread and passed on to following generations.
Finally, making naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) includes loving those who follow, defend and strive to revive his sunnah. They are working for the sake of Allah in supporting the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), hence, there is no room for anyone to have hatred in their heart for them."
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to to the Leaders of the Muslims!" Owl said, "There are two kinds of "leaders" among Muslims, the first are the religious leaders or scholars while the second are the worldly leaders or rulers. The wording of this hadith implies both categories ofleaders. The importance of naseehah to those in authority can be found in other hadith. For example, Imam Malik recorded that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah is pleased with you for three matters and displeased with you concerning three maters. He is pleased with you for worshipping Him and not ascribing any partner to Him, for clinging to the cord of Allah and not dividing, and for being mutually sincere with those whom Allah has put in charge of your affairs..."
There is no one above receiving or accepting naseehah. Everyone is deserving of sincere conduct and sincere advice. Everyone is in need of naseehah and it must be given to everyone, no matter how high ranking or prestigious the person may be. With respect to submitting to Allah and the shareeah, all are equal. No one is above the law and no one is above needing advice. Indeed, a ruler or a scholar should be the first to accept sincere advice from others. At the same time, they are among the first who are deserving of respect and sincere relations.
Making naseehah to the leaders of the Muslims includes: helping them when they are following the truth, obeying them in what is right, reminding them if they should err or forget, being patient with them when they do things the person does not like, making jihad with them and not revolting against their proper authority. One should also pray for their guidance and piety, as their guidance and piety will benefit the Muslims as a whole. Abu Uthmaan Saad ibn Ismaaeel al-Khairi said, "Sincerely advise the ruler and pray for him that he be righteous and guided in his statements and actions for if he is righteous, the affairs of the people will become good. And do not pray against them, thereby increasing their evil and increasing the trials for the Muslims."
Ibn Uthaimeen states that one should advise them directly to their face if that is possible; otherwise, one could write to them or contact those who are in direct contact with them. Imaam Malik said, "It is a right for every Muslim or man in whose heart Allah has placed knowledge and understanding to go the people in power and order them to do good, forbid them evil and admonish them. This is because if the scholar goes to the ruler and orders him to go good and forbids him from evil, if there is any, this is the virtue beyond which there is no further virtue."
This hadith stresses that one must have sincere conduct with respect to the legal Muslim rulers. Muslim rulers are human beings and they are apt to make errors. Therefore, they are in need of naseehah and sincere advice like any other Muslim. However, since what they do has an affect on so many others, making naseehah to them is of even greater importance. Al-Qarni states that this is why one can find so many hadith emphasizing making naseehah to the rulers, advising them to do what is right and forbidding them from what is evil.
The goal of one's interaction with the rulers or one's discussions about the rulers should be pious and to bring them back to what is correct. Therefore, speaking to them in an un-called for harsh manner, showing a complete lack of respect for them and seemingly simply trying to embarrass them is not the proper way to make naseehah to the rulers. In fact, when Allah sent Moses and Aaron to the Pharaoh, whose evil and harshness they knew quite well, Allah commanded them, in Surah Taha[20]:44, "And speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may be reminded or fear Allah."
Furthermore, spreading the wrong or evil of rulers without any overriding need or benefit goes against the naseehah that one should have toward the rulers. In general, the result of such deeds is hatred and evil without any corresponding good. Instead, when they are wrong, they should be told that they are wrong-- but one must always be careful and ascertain that the steps he is taking lead to greater benefit than harm. For this reason, many of the pious forefathers of Islam emphasized advising the rulers in private and not publicly. Indeed, recorded by Al-Haakim and Ahmad, the Prophet (ﷺ) himself made that point in his statement, "Whoever wishes to give advice to a ruler about a matter should not do so publicly. Instead, he should take him by his hand and be alone with him [to talk to him] about it. If he accepts the advice from him [the matter is finished successfully]. If he does not [accept the advice], the person has fulfilled [the obligation] upon him."
Part of the naseehah to the rulers also inlcudes when the ruler puts a person in charge of any matter or gives him a job to do that is sanctioned by the shareeah, that person should discharge his duties honorably and honestly and not deceive or cheat the ruler in any way. Al-Khattaabi mentions that one should not deceive the rulers by bestowing false praises upon them. In other words, one must deal with them in a way that is pleasing to Allah and do so for the sake of Allah and fearing His punishment.
The Muslim scholars are leaders in the sense that they guide the others to the teachings of the Quran and sunnah. They are the ones who understand and are aware of how the shareeah is to be applied in daily life. Their position is one of great importance for the community as a whole. Hence, it is essential that the proper naseehah be made toward them.
Naseehah to them implies, for example, taking the knowledge that they pass on, accepting their personal rulings if they give sound proofs for their decisions, having good thoughts about them and not suspecting them of evil. Furthermore, as ibn Uthaimeen notes, one should not attempt to find their faults or mistakes. All scholars are human and they are all prone to make mistakes. One must accept that fact and one should correct them in the proper way. However, to search for their mistakes and expose them is not proper. When one does so, one is not just casting doubt on that one scholar but, in essence, one is casting doubt on all scholars and the shareeah as a whole.
(Part 2)
The Seagull continued, "Verily, man has been created for a noble and great purpose and that he may worship Allah alone, without any partners. And the greatest and most noble form of worship is du'a." Sparrow asked, "What is du'a?" Seagull said, "Du'a is the essence of worship. Du a is a noble, spiritual form of worship which allows the created to appreciate the majesty and eminence of the Creator. It is amongst the greatest acts of worship, and one of the best ways to bring a worshipper closer to Allah.
The word du'a is the verbal noun (masdar) of the verb da'a which signifies to call out, to summon. Al-Khattabi said: "The meaning of du'a is the servant's asking his Lord for His Help, and asking His continued support. Its essence is that a person shows his neediness to Allah, and frees himself from any power or ability to change (any matter by himself). This characteristic is the mark of servitude, and in it is the feeling of human submissiveness. Du a also carries the meaning of praising Allah, and attributing to Him Generosity and Bounteousness."
Ibn al-Qayyim defined it as, "Asking what is of benefit to the person, and asking the removal of what is harming him, or (asking) the repelling of it (before it afflicts him)".
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has said: "Verily, your Lord has said: "Call upon Me, and I will answer you! " Those who are arrogant to worship Allah will enter Hell, humiliated!""
Allah has commanded us to ask Him and petition Him, and counted those who do not ask Him among those who are too arrogant to worship Allah. From this, it is understood that du a is among the acts of worship, and this meaning was explicitly stated by the Prophet (ﷺ). Nu'man ibn Bashir reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Du'a is worship".
When one makes a du'a to Allah, one is implicitly acknowledging that Allah exists, and that He is the true Lord. The person so doing is stating by his actions that Allah controls all matters, for only Allah has the power and capability to respond to his du'a. He is admitting that Allah is the Nourisher, Sustainer, Creator and Master of the entire creation, and all of this is the essence of Tawhid al-Rububiyyah.
Du a also necessitates that only Allah deserves to be worshipped (Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah), for if only Allah has complete control over creation, and if only He can respond to the call of the one in distress, then only He deserves our complete submission and worship.
Du a also obligates that Allah has the most Perfect Names and Attributes (Tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat). For only He can hear the whispering plea of the servant, no matter where the servant is, and only He can understand the situation that the servant is in. His knowledge is far more complete than the knowledge of the servant himself concerning the plight that he is in. Likewise, only Allah has the complete power and ultimate authority in granting what the servant desires.
So du'a is a powerful indication of tawhid in all of its three aspects.
Sparrow asked, "Are there any type of duas?" Seagull said,"Du'a can be categorised in a variety of ways, depending on the perspective that one is using. When one examines the texts of the Qur'an and sunnah, one finds that there are two types of duas that are mentioned. The first type, which is the one that most people are familiar with, is known as du'a al-mas'alah, or the du'a of asking. This is when a person asks to be given something that is of benefit to him, or asks that some harm be removed from him. So the worshipper asks Allah to fulfil a need; for example, he says, "O Allah! Grant me good in this world, and good in the Hereafter!" So this is an example of du'a al-mas'alah.
The second type of du a is known as du'a al- ibadah, or the du'a of worship. This is a very broad concept, for every single act of worship includes in it this type of du'a. Every praise that a person pronounces, every prayer that he performs, is done with an intrinsic plea and cry that emanates from the heart of every believer: "O Allah! I am doing this act of worship because you are All-Mighty and Powerful! You are the only one that deserves all types of praise! O Allah! Accept this act from me!" Therefore, when a person says, ' Alhamdulillah or 'SubhanAllah, this can be taken to be examples of du'a al- ibadah. When a person prays the salat, or gives zakat, or fasts, all of these are examples of dua al-ibadah.
These two types of duas are inherently related to one another. Every du a al-masalah intrinsically contains a du'a al-ibadah, and every du'a al-ibadah necessitates a du'a al-masalah.
When the Muslim prays, "O Allah! Bless me with pious off-spring", then this is a clear example of a du'a al-mas 'alah, as he is asking for some benefit. However, this simple du'a implies, without him saying anything, that Allah is the One Who hears his prayer, and responds to it, and He is the One that gives sustenance, and blesses people with offspring. It implies that Allah is the Ever-Living, the Giver of life, the Ever-Merciful who responds to His servants. This simple du'a necessitates that the person who makes it attributes to Allah many beautiful and perfect attributes. Thus, this du'a al-masalah intrinsically contains du a al-ibadah at the same time.
When a person says, 'La hawla wa la quwwata ilia billah', this expression, is du'a al- ibadah, as nothing is actually being asked from Allah. However, this expression necessitates that a person make du'a al-mas'alah to Allah. When a person affirms that there is no power, nor is it possible to change anything, except with the Will and Permission of Allah, then this automatically necessitates that he ask Allah, and only Allah, whenever he wishes to achieve something. So, this du'a al- ibadah necessitates du'a al-mas'alah.
Whenever the word 'du a occurs in the Qur'an and Sunnah, it has one of three possibilities: it either refers to both types of du'a, or it refers to du'a al-mas'alah, or it refers to du'a al- ibadah.
Du'a is, by its very nature, a call or request to another being. Therefore, it is possible to categorise du'a with respect to the one being asked, for it is possible that the one that is being asked is Allah, and it is possible that it is a false deity. It is also possible that the person making du a combines du'a al-mas'alah and du'a al-ibadah to the same deity at all times, or he differentiates between them. So this leads to four categories of people. The first category are those people who worship other than Allah, and call out to these others at all times. These people do not acknowledge Allah as the Lord or One that deserves worship.
The second category are those who believe in Allah, and worship Him, yet never ask anything of Him. Instead, basing their idea on perverted logic, they use intermediaries in order to approach Allah, and ask these intermediaries to bless them with what they need.
The third category are those people who believe in Allah, and worship Him, but only turn to Him at times of severity. When they are in extremely desperate situations, they combine their du'a al-ibadah and du'a al-mas'alah to Allah, but at times of ease, they call out to other than Allah.
The last category are the true Muslims, those that always combine du'a al-ibadah and du'a al-mas'alah and direct it to Allah, and only to Allah. So they direct their worship, prayer, and charity, to Allah, and they turn to Him only for all of their needs.
Du'a is the most noble act in the sight of Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him. This is due to the fact that du'a is a means of showing one's poverty and incapability to Allah. It is a manner of humiliating one's self to Allah and acknowledging the power and capabilities of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
When a person realises that everything that occurs is by the Will and Power of Allah, then he also realise that the best way to achieve any goal is to ask Allah, Afterall, the wise man is he who makes the best plan to arrive at his destination, and uses the optimum means to achieve his goal.
One of the duas that has been guaranteed a response is the du'a that a Muslim makes for his Muslim brother in his absence. This is because such a du'a is a clear sign of love and solidarity between Muslims. The fact that a person remembers another Muslim in his absence, and raises his hands to Allah to make a special du'a for him, clearly proves that he wants only good for him. It demonstrates the concern and care that he has for his fellow Muslims.
Du'a is the cure for all of diseases. Diseases are of two types: physical, and spiritual. Physical diseases are the sicknesses that man faces from time to time, such as fever and other aches and pains of the body. Spiritual diseases, or diseases of the soul, can also be divided into two categories: diseases of doubt and diseases of desires. All the problems relating to the soul stem from these two types of disease.
The diseases of desires are those impermissible urges and cravings that afflict a person that he does not have the power to fight or overcome. So the one that steals only does so because he is too weak to control his desire for money, and does not have the iman necessary to limit himself to permissible methods of earning money. Likewise, the one who fornicates only does so due to a weakness in his faith that causes him to leave permissible methods of satisfying his desires and to follow impermissible avenues.
The diseases of doubts are those diseases that occur due to misconceptions or misunderstandings. Such misconceptions could be intentional or unintentional. So, for example, when some ignorant Muslims make du a to other than Allah, it is due to the fact that they have not understood the concept of du'a, and not appreciated Allah's Names and Attributes. Therefore, they turn to others, ascribing them with Attributes only Allah deserves.
Du'a is the cure for all of these diseases. As for diseases of the body, then it is clear that a person prays to Allah to cure him of any physical affliction or ailment that he is suffering from. As for diseases of desires, the way that a person removes them is by turning to Allah, praying that Allah grants him the iman that is necessary for avoiding the sins that he is doing. By realising that only Allah can grant him such an increase, he is automatically showing his trust and hope in Allah, and in the process increasing his iman. As for diseases of doubt, the way for a person to cure them is by sincerely praying to Allah to grant him guidance, and to bless him with proper iman y and an understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
When a person makes du a, he finds in this du'a a way out of the problems he is facing. No matter how great the problem is, he realises that there is an exit from this problem through du'a. So his spirits are lifted, and he is optimistic about his situation. Du a gives him hope, and increases his trust in Allah's mercy. It opens up a door that shows him the escape from the cage of problems that he is in, and it lights up the path that grants him an exit from his darkness.
The person who makes du'a sincerely opens up a new 'relationship' with Allah that did not exist before he started his du'a. He calls upon Allah, sincerely, with his full heart, concentrating on his du'a, believing that Allah is hearing him, hoping Allah's response, and fearing its delay. He calls upon Allah with His most beautiful Names and Attributes, perhaps realising for the first time the true meaning and application of these Names and Attributes. His iman increases, as his hopes and fears increase, and his love of Allah also increases. At the same time, he remembers his sins, for sins are like closed doors that prevent the du'a from being responded to, and he fears that, because of these sins, his du'a will be rejected. So he repents to Allah, and changes his life, striving to please Allah, realising that only Allah can change his situation, and thus, in the process, he develops a new relationship with Allah. "
Seagull then said, "O my brothers and sisters, it is desirable to only attach ones hope to Allah' and not to fear oppression and wrong-doing from Him for Allah does not oppress the servant in the slightest, instead it is they who oppress themselves. He should, however, fear that Allah recompense him for his sins. Du'a is a plea from the very heart of a believer directed towards Allah — the Hearer of all things, the Knower of all secrets. It is a confession that emanates from the heart of a believer that he is weak and helpless, that he cannot achieve anything without Allah's help and aid. It is an implicit affirmation of every single Name and Attribute of Allah, for it affirms that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Controller of all Affairs, the Hearer, the Seer, the Merciful, the Great, the All-Powerful, the Ever-Capable. And Allah knows best."
"And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided." - [QS 2:186]
Reference :
- Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, Du'a The Weapon of the Believer, Al-Hidaayah
Sparrow asked, "What is the meaning of Jonah's suplication?" Seagull said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The invocation of my brother Dhun Nun, "None has the right to be worshipped save You; glory be to You, far removed are You from any imperfection; I have been amongst the wrongdoers," none who is experiencing difficulty employs it except that Allah would relieve him of his difficulty.'"
According to Ibn Taymiyyah, the statement, 'none has the right to be worshipped save You' comprises an acknowledgement of Tawhid al-Ilahiyyah, which in turn includes one of the two types of du'a. This is because the Ilaah is the One Who deserves supplication, both the supplication of worship and the supplication of request. He is Allah, there is none worthy or worship save Him.
The statement, 'I have been amongst the wrongdoers' comprises an acknowledgement of his sin which in turn includes the request for forgiveness. This is because the one seeking something, asking for it, either does so by stating phrases that denote this clearly or he does so by stating phrases that contain some information that alludes to this, information about ones own state or the state of the one being asked or the state of both.
This method is employed by way of displaying good manners in asking and in supplicating. Therefore if one says to another whom he respects and from whom he desires something, 'I am hungry, I am sick' he is displaying good manners in asking. This, even though if one were to say, 'Feed me, give me medicine', he is being resolute in his asking, the first method manifests ones state and informs another of this by way of humbleness and displaying need which in turn alludes to the request, whereas this method portrays a resolute desire and a straightforward request.
This latter method, the method of direct request, if it arises from one who is able to attain the object of desire from the one asked, it is said using the form of a command. The reason for this is either to express the need of the one asking or due to the benefit it contains. If it arises from one who is totally needy, being directed to one who is completely self-sufficient, then it is to be considered a simple request said by way of humility, displaying ones need and manifesting ones state.
Hence asking via describing ones state and need is better from the perspective of knowledge and description of ones state; asking directly is clearer with regards expressing ones intent and objective. This is why the generality of supplications are of the second type, the supplicant brings to mind what he desires and asks for it. So he asks immediately after his objective has come to mind without his pausing to mention or depict the condition of the one asking and the One being asked. If, however, this person were to mention his condition and the condition of the One being asked coupled with a direct request, this would be the better form of supplication.
Now the question arises as to why it befitted the Sah al-Hut and others in similarly dire circumstances to supplicate by describing their states rather than asking directly? The response is that the situation calls for an acknowledgement that the evil that has afflicted one is because of his sin. Therefore the source of this evil is sin, the immediate objective is to repress the harm, to remove the difficult; whereas the desire to ask for forgiveness comes secondary to this. However, he did not directly ask for the harm to be removed because he had the overwhelming feeling within himself that he had committed a sin, oppressed himself, and that he himself was the cause of this harm. Therefore it befitted his situation that he mention that which would remove the cause of harm, i.e. the
acknowledgement of his sin. The soul, by its nature, seeks after its immediate need, in this case the removal of the immediate harm it faces before the removal of any harm it fears may occur in the future.
The immediate objective in this situation is the desire to see the harm removed followed by forgiveness, this was what was foremost in his mind, and the best way to acquire this was to efface the cause and hence he stated that which would accomplish his objective.
This becomes clear when one understands the meaning of "glory be to You; far removed are You from any imperfection" for this statement comprises exaltation of the Lord as well as absolving Him of all deficiency. The situation that Yunus found himself in demanded that Allah be absolved of oppression and that He be absolved of punishing without cause, therefore he said, 'You are Holy, absolved of oppressing me or punishing me without cause, rather I am the oppressor who has oppressed himself.'
Hence it is upon the servant to acknowledge the justice of Allah and His benevolence; He, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, does not oppress man in the slightest and does not punish anyone except for a sin that he committed. He is always bestowing His grace upon man, therefore every punishment from Him arises from pure justice, and every favour from Him arises from His benevolence.
So the saying of Jonah, 'there is none worthy of worship save You' affirms that Allah alone is singled out with regards to Ilahiyyah includes within it the affirmation of the perfection of Allah's knowledge, power, mercy, and wisdom just as it comprises the affirmation of His benevolence. This is because the word Illaah means the one who deserves to be worshipped, the ma'luh. The fact that He, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala deserves to be worshipped is because of His attributes that necessitate that He be loved with an absolute and complete love and that he be submitted to completely. The reality of worship is absolute and complete love combined with total submission and humility before Him.
His saying, 'glory be to You; far removed are You from any imperfection' comprises exaltation of Him combined with absolving Him of oppression and all other deficiencies. In a similar fashion, saying `SubhanAllah' comprises absolving Him of all evil and oppression, this negation in turn comprises exaltation of Him. This is because the oppressor only ever oppresses because of his need to oppress or because of his ignorance, Allah is in no need of anything and He knows everything. He stands in no need of anything whereas the whole creation stands in dire need of Him, this statement then implies complete exaltation.
Moreover this supplication combines tahlil (the saying of La Ilaaha illAllah) with tasbih (the saying of SubhanAllah). The tahlil is found in the statement, "None has the right to be worshipped save You" and the tasbih is to be found in the statement, 'Glory be to You; far removed are You from any imperfection,' It is established in the Sahih al-Bukhari and Ibn Majah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best and most noble statements after the Qur'an are, and they are from the Qur'an: 'SubhanAllah, al-Hamdulillah, La ilaha illAllah and Allahu Akbar."
Tahmid goes hand-in-hand with tasbih and follows on from it, takbir (the saying of Allahu Akbar) goes hand-in-hand with tahlil and follows on from it. It is established in Muslim and al-Tirmidhi that the Prophet (ﷺ) was asked which speech is best and most noble, he (ﷺ) replied, 'That which Allah chose for his Angels: SubhanallAh wabihamdihi.' And in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'There are two statements that are light upon the tongue, heavy in the Scales, and beloved to the All-Merciful: 'SubhanallAhi wa bilhamdihi and SubhanAllahil 'Aziim.'
So these two statements, one has been mentioned conjoined with tahmid (the saying of Alhambulillah) and the other has been mentioned conjoined with ta'zim (the exaltation and magnification of Allah), tasbih comprises the negation of all evil and defects from Allah and in turn includes the affirmation of all beautiful qualities and perfection. Tahmid has been mentioned in the same context as ta'zim in just the same way that jalaal (majesty) is mentioned alongside ikram (honour and reverence), not every thing that is exalted is necessarily beloved and praised and neither is everything that is beloved necessarily praised and exalted. Worship is founded upon complete love, exemplified by praise, in the phrase SubhanAllah wa billamdihi, and complete humility, exemplified by exaltation in the phrase SubbänAllahil 'Azim. Hence in worship one experiences love of Allah and praise of His beautiful qualities, just as one experiences humbleness before Him arising from His grandeur and magnificence. Moreover it comprises magnification and reverence, for Allah is the One who is deservedly described with possessing al-jalal and al-ikram and is deservedly magnified and revered.
The saying of the supplicant, 'there is none worthy of worship save You; glory be to You, far removed are You from any imperfection", includes within it the meaning of the four phrases that are the best and most superior words after the Qur'an. These four phrases in turn encompass the meanings of the beautiful Names of Allah and His lofty Attributes, hence they contain perfect praise.
His saying, 'I have been amongst the wrong doers' comprises an acknowledgement of the reality of his situation. It is not possible for any of the servants to ever be free of wrongdoing or to declare himself free of it, especially when intimately conversing with his Lord. It is established in the Sibah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'It is not desirable that a servant say, 'I am better than Yanus bin Matta'. He (ﷺ) also said, "Whoever says, 'I am better than Yianus bin Matta' has lied."
Whoever thinks he is better than Jonah, thinking that he has no need to acknowledge his sins, is a liar. This is why the leaders of the creation would never think themselves better than Jonah in this respect, instead they would acknowledge just as was done by their father Adam and the seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (ﷺ)."
Sparrow asked, "Why does this supplication remove harm?" Seagull said, "The testification to tawhid opens the door to good and asking for forgiveness closes the door to evil. A believer, when calamity stroke him, would never blame his Lord. Instead, he will turn to Allah, begging for His forgiveness and put his hope in Allah alone. Hence hope should be placed in Allah and not any object of creation, not the ability or strength of a person or his actions. To put hope in other than Allah is a form of shirk, this applies even though Allah has set up means and causes that lead to the procurement of good, but these means cannot exist independently, rather their must exist something that supports and aids them to achieve the goal, just as any obstacle hindering this achievement must be absent; hence it cannot be achieved and it cannot endure except by the will of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And Allah knows best."
"Then We will save our messengers and those who have believed. Thus, it is an obligation upon Us that We save the believers." - QS.33:36]
Reference :
- Ibn Taymiyah, The Relief from Distress, An Explanation to the Dua of Yunus, Daar Us-Sunnah
