[Part 1]The statesman said, "‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us carrying two books. He asked, “Do you know what these books are?” We replied, ‘Messenger of Allah, no, not unless you tell us.’ About the book that was in his right hand he said, “This is a book from the Rabb of the worlds containing the names of the inhabitants of Paradise, the names of their parents and their tribes (in detail). It is completed to the last man and they will not increase in number, nor decrease in number.” About the book in his left hand he said, “This is a book from the Rabb of the worlds containing the names of the denizens of the Fire, the names of their parents and their tribes (in detail). It is completed to the last man and they will not increase in number or decrease in number.” His Companions asked, “Messenger of Allah, if the affair is already decided, why work deeds?” He replied, “Remain firm, steadfast and balanced. The last act of an inhabitant of Paradise will be a deed of the people of Paradise no matter what he may have done, and the last act of a denizen of the Fire will be a deed of the people of the Fire no matter what he may have done.” Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gestured with his hands, dropping the books, “Your Rabb has decided everything about the servants: ‘one group is for Paradise and one group is for the Blasting Fire!’" - [Imam Ahmad, at-TirmidhI and an-Nasa’i; Hasan by Ibn Hajr and al-Albani]
It is about a book that has been completed a long time ago: the pens have been lifted from it, or the pens employed to write it have dried, or the page has dried. From ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah recorded the fates of all creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth .” - [Sahih Muslim]
From Abu’l-Darda’ that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah has decided five matters for every servant: his lifespan, his provision, his deeds, his lying down, and whether he is wretched or felicitous.” - [Imam Ahmad; Sahih by Ibn Hibban]
So, the statement '“The Pen has dried (after having written) all that will occur,” serve as a metonymy (kinayah) referring to the workings of the decree and to the fact that they have all been recorded in an erstwhile, comprehensive book. “The Pens have been lifted,” and are no longer writing the decrees “and the scrolls have dried, ” having recorded the judgements of creation until the Day of Rising. No Pen will be placed on them again to commence writing anew or to alter something already recorded. Therefore the decrees have all been recorded in the Preserved Tablet and nothing new will now be recorded. The setting of the decree and ordainment has been referred to as the lifting of the Pens and the drying of the scrolls by way of analogy to an author of a book, in this life, completing his work. Allah says,
As for the statement, “If the whole of creation, in its entirety, was to try and effectuate some benefit for you through something that Allah has not decreed, they would not be able to do so; and if they wished to harm you through something that Allah has not prescribed, they would not be able to do so,” means that every harm or benefit that the servant encounters in this world is already decreed for him, it is impossible for him to face anything that has not been decreed for him even if the whole of creation strove their utmost in bringing it about. In short, only Allah's decree is in effect. From ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A servant will not believe until he believes in the decree - the good and bad thereof: until he knows that what afflicted him would never have missed him and what missed him would never have afflicted him.” - [at-Tirmidhi and at-Tabarani; Sahih by al-Albani]مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ"No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being - indeed that, for Allah, is easy." - [QS.57:22]
When a servant realises that he will encounter no good or evil, nor benefit or harm unless Allah has first ordained it for him, when he realises that if the whole of creation strove their utmost in trying to effectuate something other than His decree, their efforts would be wholly ineffectual, he will then recognise that Allah alone is the One Who brings about benefit and causes harm, and that He alone is the One Who grants and the One Who withholds. This recognition will lead the servant to perfect the Tawhid of his Rabb. He will ask Him alone for help, he will entreat Him alone, and He will submit and humble himself before Him alone. And he will worship Him alone and obey Him alone.
One of the qualities that grant success in power and wealth is patience. Allah says,
وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ"...And if there are among you one hundred [who are] steadfast, they will overcome a thousand of those who have disbelieved because they are a people who do not understand." - [QS.8:65]Therefore, the Prophet's (ﷺ) saying, “and that victory comes with patience,” subsumes patience and steadfastness in striving against both the external and internal enemy. The victory against the enemy “comes with patience,” in the face of trial and tribulation. External enemy is disbelievers, and internal enemy is the lower self and base desires. Indeed, fighting these is one of the greatest forms of Jihad. The Salaf would view this latter patience: patiently striving against the self and desires to be better than patience in the face of tribulation. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr replied to a person who asked about Jihad by saying, ‘Start with your self and strive against it. Start with your self and start a campaign against it!’
So, Jihad also requires patience, whoever steadfastly strives against himself, his desires and his shaytan, he will achieve victory. Whoever, on the other hand, despairs and gives up patience will be overcome, defeated and imprisoned. He will become subjugated and mean, imprisoned by his shaytan and his desires. Know that your self is like an animal, if it knows that you are firm and resolute, it will not waver, but if it knows that you are lazy and irresolute, it will take advantage and hanker after its wants and pursue its lusts.
As for the statement “and that relief comes with distress,” is proven by the sayings of Allah,
The meaning is that Allah is amazed at the despondency of His servants, their fear, their misgivings and their giving up hope of His mercy when He has decreed that their circumstances are soon to change, while they remain unaware, and rain is to fall. Allah has narrated numerous stories that deal with relief coming after distress and hardship. He told us of His rescuing Nuh and those with him on the ark from the “terrible plight" wherein the earth’s population were all drowned. He informed us of His saving Ibrahim, 'alayhis-salam, from the fire kindled by the polytheists and how He made it “coolness and peace for him. “That relief comes with distress,” that strikes at the very soul. At such a time, relief is swift in coming. Anyone who is in such a state should be patient, expectant of reward, hoping for swift relief, and at all times having a good opinion of his Master. He is the Most Merciful of all those who are merciful, even one’s own parents.وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا قَنَطُوا وَيَنْشُرُ رَحْمَتَهُ وَهُوَ الْوَلِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ"And it is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy." - [Qs.42:28]
The hadith shows that trials are a cause of divine grace as is proven by the statement, “and that with hardship comes ease.” At times of adversity a person comes to know the magnificence of Allah and at times of grace a person comes to know the beauty of Allah. One person said, ‘When He confers a blessing on you, witness His generosity, and when He withholds something from you, witness His overwhelming might In every circumstance He is tending to you, showering you with His providential care.’
“And that with hardship comes ease,” i.e. facilitation. A state of richness is called yasar, ease and prosperity, because matters are facilitated therein. The opposite of yusr, ease, is usr, hardship. This statement occurs as a verse in the Qur’an which is repeated twice to show that every hardship is accompanied with two eases. Humayd ibn Hammad ibn Abu al-Khuwar narrated that ‘A’idh ibn Shuraih narrated to him that he heard Anas ibn Malik saying, ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting in front of a hole in the ground and remarked, “If hardship were to enter this burrow, ease would follow it in and remove it.” Then Allah revealed,
Finally, Allah explained in the Qur’an that the only people who truly worship Him are those who give thanks (gratitude) to Him, so those who are not among the people of gratitude are not among the people of ibadah. Allah says,فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا"For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease." - [QS.94:5]
Allâh has told us that His pleasure may be attained through gratitude,يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ"O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship." - [QS.2:172]
And Allah mentioned that gratitude is the purpose of creationوَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ"...And if you are grateful, He approves it for you..." - [QS.39:7]
Then the stateman said, "O young man, 'Safeguard Allah and He will safeguard you' is a central foundation in tending to the rights of Allah Ta'ala, relegating oneself to His judgement, witnessing His Tawhid, and highlighting mankind’s innate inability and dire need of Him. When seen in this light, one could justifiably say that this hadith constitutes one half of the religion, indeed all of it. This is because the legal laws either deal with Allah or other than Him and this hadith deals with all that is connected to Allah explicitly and to all that is connected to others implicitly. And Allah know best."وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأبْصَارَ وَالأفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ"And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful." - [QS.16:78]
إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِنْ تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ"If good touches you, it distresses them; but if harm strikes you, they rejoice at it. And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do." - [QS.3:120]
References :
- Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, The Legacy of the Prophet, Daar us-Sunnah
- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Patience and Gratitude, Taha
