Prophets are greater than saints (awliya)

Posted on October 26, 2011 by sara

Prophets are greater than the friends of God (awliya’) who are not prophets. A wall cannot have a way to God in which he may dispense with Muhammad (pbuh). Whoever says that Muhammad was sent with exoteric knowledge but not with esoteric knowledge believes in one part of Islam and rejects the other.

The Salaf, the a’immah and all the awliya’ of the ummah are agreed that prophets are greater than the awliya’ who are not prophets. God has classified the people who deserve His favor in four categories. He says, “All who obey God and the Messenger shall be in the company of those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings: the prophets, the siddiqun (who are most true to their faith) the shuhada ‘ (who lay down their lives for truth), the salihun; and how goodly a company are these!” (4:69)…

The best of Muhammad’s (pbuh) ummah are the people of the first generation (qarn). In an authentic hadith reported through more than one channel, the Prophet said, “The best generation (qarn) is the one in which I have been sent, then those who come after them, and then those who come after them.”665 This hadith has been recorded in both Sahih collections and narrated by more than one set of narrators.

Of the Companions of the Prophet, the first group of Muhajirun and A nsar are better and more honorable than the others. God has said,  Not equal among you are those who spend (freely) and fought before the victory (with those who did so later). They are the higher in rank than those who spent (freely) and fought afterwards. But to all has God promised a goodly (reward)” (57:10). Victory here means victory in the form of the truce of Hudaybiyyah which came before the conquest of Makkah and regarding which God has said, “Verily We have granted you a manifest victory, that God may forgive you your faults of the past and those that may follow” (48:1-2). When people asked the Prophet whether it was really a victory he said, “Yes, it was.”666

The best among the first Muslims were the four caliphs, and the best of them was Abu Bakr and then `Umar. This was well known among the Companions, their righteous Successors, the a’immah of the ummah and the Muslims in general. The evidence that supports this is multiple; we have discussed them at length in our book Minhaj as-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah ft Nagd Kalam AshShi `ah wa al-Qadariyyah’…

A group of mistaken people has claimed that the Seal of the Saints” is the best of all the friends (awliya) of God. They proffer the concept of the “Seal of the saints” on the pattern of “the Seal of the Prophets.” However, no one among the early Sufi masters put forward the idea before Muhammad Ibn `Ali Al-Hakim At-Tirmidhi.” He wrote a book on the subject and expounded therein all sorts of erroneous ideas. After him, many a Sufi in later ages claimed that he was the Seal of the Saints; some even said that “the Seal of the Saints” was higher in rank than “the Seal of the Prophets” since he had a better knowledge of God, and that the prophets received their knowledge of God through him. This is what Ibn `Arabi, the author of Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah and the Fusus has claimed, in opposition to both revelation and reason, and in opposition to all the prophets and the friends awliya ‘ of God…

Everyone who comes to know of Muhammad’s message cannot become a friend of God unless he follows Muhammad (pbuh). All that is part of the true religion and divine guidance can only be had through Muhammad (pbuh). The general rule in this regard is that whoever gets the message of the prophet who is sent to him will not be entitled to the friendship of God unless lie follows that prophet.

Whoever says that there have been friends of God who got the message of Muhammad yet approached God in a way in which they did not need his guidance is a heretic and an infidel. If he claims that he needs Muhammad’s guidance only in matters exoteric but not in matters esoteric, or in matters of the Shari’ah but not in those of the hagigah, he is worse than the Jews and the Christians who said that Muhammad was sent to the Gentiles, not to the People of the Book, who only believed in one part of the religion and rejected the other parts, and therefore became infidels. Similarly, anyone who says that Muhammad was sent with exoteric knowledge but not with esoteric knowledge also believes in one part of the Muhammadan revelation and rejects the other. In fact, he is a worse rejecter and a greater infidel than the others, for esoteric knowledge is knowledge of things of the heart, faith, knowledge, feeling and sentiments which reside in the heart, and which constitute the real faith; this knowledge is better than knowledge of external action and behavior.

Hence, if anyone says that Muhammad taught about external actions only, not about the realities of faith, and that these realities are not to be learned from the Quran and Sunnah, he declares in effect that he believes only in part of Mulhammad’s revelation and not the rest. He is worse than the one who says that he believes in one part of his revelation and not in another but does not say that the part he rejects is inferior than the one he accepts.

These heretics believe that sainthood (walayah) is better than prophethood (nubuwwah) and endear the view to the people by saying that the walayah of a prophet is better than his prophethood.’ They say:

The stage of prophethood is in between, Above the messenger and below the saint.

They claim that they participate in the walayah of the Prophet which is higher than his messengerhood (risalah). This is their biggest error; no one participates in the walayah of Muhammad, not even Abraham or Moses, not to speak of these heretics.

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RANKS OF THE BELIEVERS

Source: Book: [Fatawa 11:221- 61] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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The friends of God are of different levels

Posted on October 26, 2011 by sara

The friends of god are of different levels according to their faith and piety. Broadly speaking, they come under two categories, one, the front-runner favorites; the other, the middle-ranking “People of the Right Hand”.

Since God’s friends are those who are faithful and pious, their ranks as friends will differ according to their faith and piety. Those who are more perfect in faith and piety will be the greater friends of God. The strength of their faith and the quality of their piety will determine their rank in God’s friendship.  Similarly, the faithlessness and hypocrisy of a person will determine his status in his enmity with God…

God’s friends come under two categories, one, the front-runner favorites; and two, the middle-ranking People of the Right Hand. God has mentioned them at various places in His Book, in the beginning and at the end of Surat Al-Wagi`ah (56), in Surat Al-Insan (76), Al-Mundfiqun (63), and Fatir (35). In Al-Wagi`ah, for example, He has said, “When the inevitable comes to pass, no soul will entertain falsehood concerning its coming. Many will it bring low; many will it exalt; when the earth shall be shaken to its depths, and the mountains shall be crumbled to atoms, becoming dust abroad. And you shall be sorted out into three classes: the People of the Right Hand, and what will be the People of the Right Hand! and the People of the Left Hand, and what will be the People of the Left Hand!  and those Front-Runners,  the Front-Runners, they will be the ones nearest to God” (56:1-11)…

These two categories of God’s friends have been mentioned in the sublime words that the Prophet has quoted from God: “Whoever opposes a friend of Mine declares war against Me. None of my servants comes closer to Me through anything than by doing what I have enjoined upon him. And My servant draws nearer and nearer to Me by doing supererogatory works, till I love him. And when I love him I become his ears by which he hears, his eyes by which he sees, his hands by which he strikes, and his legs by which he moves.”66′ In light of this hadath, the righteous servants (abrar) of God are the People of the Right Hand, who approach Him by performing their duties, doing what God has enjoined on them and refraining from what He has forbidden. They do not take up supererogatory works nor abstain from things that are superfluous though permitted.

The Front-Runner favorites are those who seek God’s favor by doing supererogatory works after they have fulfilled their duties. They do what is incumbent upon them as well as what is desired of them and refrain from the forbidden as well as the undesirable. So when they seek God’s favor through everything they can do for the sake of God, God gives them His love. He has said, “My servant comes closer and closer to Me by doing supererogatory works till I love him.” This is the most perfect love… For these favorites that which is permissible becomes an act of devotion by which they seek the favor of God. All their actions become worship; they will be given the pure drink to take, as the service that they had rendered was pure. The middle-rankers, on the other hand, do those things also which are only for themselves; they will neither be punished for them nor rewarded for them. They will have a drink which will not be completely pure; it will be something mixed. Just as they had mixed in their work things of the world, their drink shall also be mixed…

In Surat Fatir (35), too, God has mentioned the front-runners and the middle-rankers. He has said, “Then We gave the Book for inheritance to such of Our servants as We have chosen. But there are among them some who wrong their own souls, some who follow a middle course, and some who are, by God’s leave, foremost in good deeds. That is the highest grace” (35:32)… The middle-rankers are those who fulfill their duties and refrain from forbidden things, and the foremost in good deeds are those who do both the obligatory and the supererogatory works.

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RANKS OF THE BELIEVERS

Source: Book: [Fatawd 10:175-83] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Friends of God are found in every section of the ummah

Posted on October 26, 2011 by sara

The awliya’ of God have nothing visible to distinguish them from others. They are found in all sections of the ummah, scholars of the Quran, masters of knowledge, men of war and jihad, traders, industrialists, farmers, rich and poor.

The awliya ‘ of God have no visible signs to distinguish them from others. They do not have to wear any particular clothing and avoid others which are permissible. They do not have to shave their heads, cut their hair short or trim it if it is within the limits permitted. The saying goes that there are many pious men in plain clothes and many heretics in religious garb. The friends of God may belong to any section of the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh). What is required is that they keep away from every doctrine which is unjustified and eschew every practice which is immoral. They may be scholars of the Quran, masters of knowledge, men of the sword and jihad, traders, craftsmen, industrialists, farmers, and so on. God has mentioned different sections of them in the verse, “Your Lord knows that you stand forth (to pray) nigh two-thirds of the night, or half of the night, or a third of the night, and so does a party of those with you. But God does appoint night and day in due measure. He knows what you are unable to keep count thereof. So He has turned to you (in mercy). Read, therefore, of the Quran as much as may be easy for you. He knows that there may be some among you in ill health, others traveling through the land seeking God’s bounty, yet others fighting in God’s cause. Read, therefore, as much of the Quran as may be easy for you” (73:20).

The Salaf used to call the men of religion and learning qurra’ (sing. gari), which besides scholars (`ulama’) also included devotees (nussak). Then the word sujiyyah (singular Sufi) and fugara’ (sing, faqir) came to be used. The Sufi was one who wore wool (suj); this is the correct derivation of the term. The word fugara’ later come to mean the people of suluk, who followed a particular tarigah.. But this is a more recent use of the term. The question arose as to what is the better word to use, Sufi or faqir? People also debated the issue of who is better, the rich person who gives thanks to God or the poor one who is patient. The controversy over this issue goes back to Al-Junayd616 and Abu Al-`Abbas Ibn ‘AP’.” Both views have been ascribed to Ahmad. The correct view, however, is the one which God has stated in this verse: “Mankind! We created you from a single (pair of) male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may come to know one another. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you” (49:13). An authentic hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah (raa) says that the Prophet was asked, “Who are the most honored people?” He said, “The most God-fearing among them.” He was told that such was not the question. He said, “Then it is Joseph, the prophet of God, son of the prophet Jacob, son of the prophet Isaac, son of the most intimate friend (khalil) of God, Abraham.” He was again told that such was not the question. “Are you then inquiring about the original tribes of the Arabs? Look, people are like mines, such as the mines of gold and silver. The best of them in the period of Ignorance (al-Jahiliyyah) will be the best in Islam, provided they learn Islam.658

The word faqr in the language of the shar ` means either lack of money and property or the dependence of created beings on the Creator. In the Quran we have, “The alms (of zakah) are for the poor and the needy” (9:60); “Men! It is you who depend upon God” (35:15). God has singled out two kinds of poor men (fugara) for praise, those people deserving charity (sadagah), and those people sharing in booty (fay). The former He has mentioned in this verse: “(Charity is) for those in need (fugara) who in the cause of God are restricted (from travel) and cannot move about in the land, seeking (trade or work). The ignorant, because of their modesty, think that they are free from want. You shall know them by their (unfailing) mark: they beg not from all and sundry” (2:273). The latter, who are better, God has mentioned in this verse: “…to the indigent immigrants (al fugara ‘ al-muhajirin), those who were expelled from their homes and their property while seeking grace from God and His Messenger. Such are indeed the true ones (in their faith)” (59:8).

This is the description of those muhajirun who refrained from evil deeds and fought the enemies of God, open and hidden. The Prophet has said, “The mu’min is one whom men can trust with regard to their lives and property; the muslim is one from whose tongue and hands people are secure; the muhajir is one who eschews what God has forbidden; and the mujahid is one who exerts himself most in the affairs of God.”659

As for the hadith reported by some people that on the way back from Tabuk the Prophet said, “We now turn from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad,”‘ it has no basis. No one versed in the words and deeds of the Prophet has reported it. Moreover, jihad against the infidels is one of the most honorable deeds, rather the best of all the supererogatory works one can engage in. God has said, “Not equal are those Believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of God with their goods and their persons. God has granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than those who sit (at home). Unto all (in faith) has God promised good. But those who strive and fight has He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward” (4:95). He has also said, “Do you make the giving of drink to pilgrims, or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to (the pious service of) those who believe in God and the Last Day, and strive with might and main in the cause of God? They are not comparable in the sight of God. And God guides not those who do wrong. Those who believe and suffer exile and strive with might and main in God’s cause with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of God. They are the people who will achieve (happiness). Their Lord does give them glad tidings of a mercy from Himself, of His good pleasure and of gardens for them wherein are delights that endure. They will dwell therein forever. Verily in God’s presence is a reward, the greatest (of all)” (9:19-20).

The Sahihayn have a hadith that `Abdullah Ibn Masud asked the Prophet what work was best in the sight of God. He replied, “Salah in its time.” “Then what?” `Abdullah asked; the Prophet said, “Good behavior to parents.” “Then what?” he asked again. The Prophet said, “Jihad in the cause of God.” `Abdullah Ibn Masud says that it is absolutely true that the Prophet said this, and that if he had continued in his questioning the Prophet would have said many more things.`’ The Sahihayn also have the hadith that the Prophet was asked what action was the best. He replied, “Faith in God, and jihad in His cause.” “Then what?” the questioner asked; he said, “The hajj which is accepted (by God).”" There is a third hadith also in the Sahihayn. Someone said, “Messenger of God, tell me of a deed which is comparable to jihad in the cause of God.” He said,  You could not do it, or could barely do it.” The man said, “Please tell me.” The Prophet said, “Is it possible for you to fast and not eat, to offer salah and not take a rest from the time the mujahid goes out on jihad?”663

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RANKS OF THE BELIEVERS

Source: Book: [Fatawa 10:194-9] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Awliya , friends of God, are those Believers who are pious

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

A wall is one who believes in God, wills what God wills, loves what He approves of, hates what He disapproves of, enjoins what He commands and forbids what He prohibits. The Prophet is the dividing line between the friends (awliya’) of God and His enemies. No one is a waft who does not believe in him and in what he teaches, as well as follow him in the external and internal actions. Those who claim to love God and be His friends but do not follow him are not at all the friends of God.

The awliya ‘ of God are those that have faith and cultivate piety. God has said, “Behold! Verily in ‘the friends (awliya’) of God there is no fear, nor shall they grieve, those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil” (10:62). Al-Bukhari and others have recorded the hadtth reported by Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said, “God says that whoever opposes a friend (wall) of Mine declares war against Me, or (as it is in another version) I declare war against him. My servant does not come close to Me through anything so much as he does by doing the duties I have laid upon him. However, My servant draws near to Me by doing supererogatory acts till I love him, and when I love him I become his ears by which he hears, his eyes by which he sees, his hands by which he strikes, and his legs by which he moves. He hears, sees, strikes and moves with My powers. When he asks Me I give him, and when he seeks My protection I protect him. I do not hesitate to do what I decide upon, except in taking out the soul of My servant who is faithful. He does not like death and I do not like to displease him, but he cannot avoid it.s651 This is the most authentic hadtth regarding the friends of God. It says very clearly that one who opposes a friend of God declares war against God. In another hadith we have God saying, “I take action for My friend like a fearless lion;”652 that is to say, God avenges for His friend just as an angry lion attacks his pray.

This is because the friends of God are those who believe in Him and side with Him, who love what He loves, and hate what He hates, like what pleases Him and dislike what displeases Him, enjoin what He commands and forbid what He prohibits, give to the one He would like and withhold from the one He would not like. At-Tirmidhi and others have recorded that the Prophet said, “The strongest link in the chain of faith is love for the sake of God and hatred for the sake of God. ,653 In another hadith which Abu Dawud has recorded, the Prophet said, “He who loves for God, hates for God, gives for God and withholds for God, perfects his faith.”654

Walayah, friendship, is the opposite of `adawah, enmity. The essential idea in walayah is love and intimacy, and the essential idea in `adawah is hatred and keeping at a distance. It has been said that wall is called wall because he is steadfast in obedience and devoted in it. However, the first explanation is more correct. Wall is one who is close. We say hadha yali, `it is close’… Now, if the wall is one who wills what God wills, does what He enjoins and abstains from what He forbids, the one who is his enemy will also be the enemy of God. God has said “You who believe! Take not My enemies and yours as friends offering them (your) love” (60:1). Those who oppose the friends of God oppose God, and those who oppose Him war against Him. That is why He has said, “He who opposes a friend of Mine declares war against Me.”

The best friends (awliya’) of God are His prophets, and the best of the prophets are the messengers, and the best of the messengers are the u la al- `azm, steadfast in their determination: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all… and the best of the ulu al- `azm is Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, the leader of the pious, the greatest son of Adam and the chief of the prophets and messengers… By sending him God has drawn a dividing line between His friends and His enemies. No one will be a friend of God who does not believe in him and in what was revealed to him, and who does not follow him in letter as well as in spirit. Those who claim to love God and enjoy His friendship but do not follow Muhammad, peace be upon him, cannot be God’s friends; in fact if they oppose him they are His enemies and friends of Satan. God Himself has declared, “Say (Muhammad!) If you do love God follow me; God will love you”

(3:31). Al-Hasan Al-Basni655 (raa) said, “Some people claimed that they loved God, so God revealed this verse as a test for them. He made it clear that they only love Him who follow the Messenger, and those who do not follow the Messenger cannot be friends of God”…

Whatever heights a person may rise to in his abstinence, worship and knowledge, if he does not believe in all that was revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) he is neither a Believer nor a wall of God. This is true for everyone, be he a scholar of religion or a devotee from among the Jews and Christians, or a so-called gnostic and votary from among the pagans of Arabia, Turkey, India, or any other country. All the saints of India and Central Asia who are known for their knowledge and devotion in their religion but who do not believe in all that was revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) are infidels and enemies of God, even if some may think that they are His friends.

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RANKS OF THE BELIEVERS

Source: Book: [Fatawa 11:159-71] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Rida: resignation and willing obedience

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

(a) Rida is of two kinds. One is willingness to carry out what God has commanded and refrain from what He has forbidden; this is a duty. The other is to resign oneself to suffering poverty, illness, etc.; this is commendable. Only sabr in it, or bearing it patiently is obligatory. As for resignation (rids) to unfaith, immorality and sin, it is forbidden. No Believer should resign himself to them in any situation. Many theologians and Sufis have entertained wrong ideas in this matter. Below is a refutation of those ideas.

Rida is of two kinds: One is willingness to do what God has commanded and to refrain from what He has forbidden. This includes the use of things which God has allowed without entering, however, into anything forbidden. God has said, “It is more fitting that they should seek the pleasure of God and His Messenger” (9:62); or, “If only they had been content with what God and His Messenger gave them, and had said, `Sufficient unto us is God; God and His Messenger will soon give us of His bounty. To God do we turn our hopes”‘ (9:59). This kind of assent is obligatory. That is why God has condemned those who fail in it: “Among them are men who slander you in the matter of (the distribution of) the alms. If they are given part thereof, they are pleased, but if not, behold, they are indignant. If they had been content with what God and His Messenger gave them, and had said, `Sufficient unto us is God; God and His Messenger will soon give us of His bounty. To God we turn our hopes”‘ (9:58-9).

The second kind of rich is to resign oneself to any suffering, such as poverty, illness or humiliation. One opinion is that this resignation is commendable, another is that it is obligatory. The correct view is that it is sabr, or patiently bearing, those sufferings that is obligatory. Al-IIasan639 said, “Indeed resignation (ridd) is very difficult; the believer must take to patience.” Ibn `Abbas has reported these words of the Prophet: “If you can carry on willingly and with conviction, go ahead; but if not, then patiently bear the things you do not like; it is a great good.”

But as for resigning oneself to unbelief, immorality and sin, the a’immah of the religion do not approve; God does not approve of them. He has said, “He does not like ingratitude and faithlessness from His people” (39:9); “Allah does not like disbelief’ (2:205); “But if you are pleased with them God is not pleased with those who disobey” (9:96); “If a man kill a Believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein, and the wrath and the curse of God are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him” (4:93); “This (is) because they followed that which called forth the wrath of God, and they hated God’s good pleasure, so He made their deeds of no effect” (47:28); “God has promised the hypocrites, men and women, and the rejecters of faith, the Fire of Hell. Therein shall they dwell, sufficient is it for them” (9:68); “Evil indeed are (the works) which their souls have sent forward before them (with the result) that God’s wrath is on them, and in torment will they abide” (5:83); and, “When at length they provoked Us, We exacted retribution from them, and We drowned them all” (43:55). Since what they were doing did not please God, rather it angered Him, His wrath and curse fell upon them. How could one not dislike them and condemn them just as God has condemned them.

Two groups of people have developed wrong ideas about ridd. One group, which consists of those who claim to follow the Sunnah in their controversy with the Qadariyyah, have come to accept the view that God’s love or wrath or disapproval should be reduced to His will, even though, in opposition to the Qadariyyah they do believe that God wills everything that happens in the world. But they say that He also loves what He wills. Having said that, they begin misinterpreting the texts. For example, they say that the verse, “God does not love mischief’ (2:205), only means that He does not will it, or does not want the Believers to will it; or the verse, He is not pleased with the faithlessness of His servants” (29:7), simply means that He does not want the Believers to do it. This is a serious mistake. In their view these statements are just like saying that He does not like faith or is not pleased with faith, that is to say, He does not will that the infidels have faith or that He does not like it that they should believe. The ummah, on the other hand, is agreed that whatever God enjoins is loved by Him, and may either be incumbent upon us or desirable for us to do whether or not we do it. For a details on this point one should look to other places.

The second group consists of certain Sufis who have gone astray. They perceive the order of things and exclaim “that God is the Lord of the whole universe, and that He determines everything and wills it, so they cannot but say that they are pleased with everything which He ordains and brings into being, even if it be faithlessness, immorality, or sin. Some even want to say that love is a fire which bums out everything in the heart except the will of the Beloved, and since He has willed the whole universe, it is to be loved in its entirety. This is how they have gone far away from the truth. They have not distinguished between the efficient and the prescriptive will (iradah) of God, between existential and religious permission (idhn), the cosmic and the religious command (amr), and the natural and the religious dispatch (irsal) which we have discussed in detail elsewhere.

This attitude of theirs is also the cause of their failure to distinguish between the obligatory and the forbidden, between the friends of God and His enemies, and between the pious and the wicked. They put those who believe and do good and those who do mischief on the earth on the same level, and the pious and the wicked, the obedient and the disobedient in the same category. They abolish the distinction between command and prohibition, between joyful promise and wrathful threat, between things enjoined and things forbidden. They call this the realization of truth (hagigah). By God, this is only the perception of existential reality (hagigah), and it is nothing to be proud of. Even the worshiper of idols knew that God has said, “If you ask them who it is that created the heavens and the earth, they will certainly say, ‘God!”‘ (31:25); or, “Ask: To whom belongs the earth and all beings therein? (Say) if you know! They will say, `To God!’ Say: Yet will you not receive admonition?” (23:4-5). This means that the polytheists who worshiped idols also recognized that God was the Creator of everything, and that He was their Lord and Master. Hence, those whose truth (hagigah) comes only to this are only close to the worshipers of idols.

A Believer differs from an unbeliever in that he believes in God and His messengers, believes in the truths they communicate, obeys what they enjoin, and engages in what God commands or loves for him, and not in the faithlessness, immorality, and sin which He determines and ordains. He is not to be resigned to the calamity that befalls him, or to be happy with the evil that he commits. He is to seek forgiveness for his sins, and bear patiently the affliction he has to suffer. In short, he has to do as God has said: “Patiently persevere, for the promise of God is true, and ask forgiveness for your faults” (40:55). God has mentioned obedience along with patience at various places in the Quran, such as, “If you are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you” (3:120); “But if you persevere patiently and guard against evil, that will be one great thing” (3:180). Joseph repeated the same thing when, he said, “For him that is righteous and patient, never will God suffer the reward to be lost of those who do right” (12:90).

[Fatawa 10: 682 -6]

(b) Rida and celebrating the praises of God (hamd)

Rida is an act of the heart, but its consummation is hamd, celebrating the praises of God. That is why some people explain hamd in terms.of rida and it is also the reason why the Quran and the Sunnah advise people to praise God in every situation. It is because rida involves resignation to God’s decrees. A hadith says, “The first people to be called to Paradise will be those who praise God in prosperity as well as in adversity.”" Of the Prophet, it is said,  When something good happened to him he would say, `Praise be to God by Whose favor good things become possible.’ But when something unpleasant happened to him he would say, `Praise be to God in every situation. `642

[Fatdwa 10:43]

 

(c) Boastful utterances (shathat) of the Sufls regarding rida.

Abu Nu’aym has related the story of SamnunTM3 which he heard from Abu Bakr A1-Wasiti.Ci44 Samnun addressed God and said, “Lord I shall be happy with anything that You ordain for me.” Thereafter, for two weeks he was not able to pass urine, and would roll around on the ground like a snake that twists and rolls left and right. When he was relieved he said, “Lord! I repent and turn to you (for ‘Your’ mercy).s645 Abu Nu’aym writes that Samnun realized at the first touch of affliction the mistake which he made though his love for God was so well known that everyone talked about it.

In the chapter on rids in his book Al-Qushayri646      has mentioned a similar incident regarding Ruwaym al-Mugri,` a friend of Samnun’s. He writes: Ruwaym once said, “He only resigns himself to God who if Hell is put on his right side will not pray to God to put it on the left.” Al-Qushayri then adds: This is like the saying of Samnun, “Lord You may test me as You wish.” But if Samnun could not bear it when his urine was withheld, how could Ruwaym bear it if Hell were put on his right side! ,18 Fudayl Ibn `Iyad`9 was at a level higher than these two. When he had difficulty in passing urine and was down with the pain he prayed, “Lord! Just for the love that I have for You relieve me from this pain!” And he was relieved…

Words like that of Samnun are spoken by those who are in an intense emotional state, who are not aware of the consequences of their words. Never should they be imitated or followed; they only indicate the resignation (ridd) and the love of the person who utters them. Remember that such people are not fully aware of the manners of the Way (tarigah); they do not know what kind of piety and patience is within their powers and what is not. Prophets fully know the way to God, pursue it perfectly and guide people best. Hence those who move away from their practices follow a way which is not straight, commit mistakes and end in despair, even though they do not sin or defy or deny God’s command. Their case is like that of a Bedouin who was down with fever. The Prophet visited him and asked whether he prayed to God for anything. He said that he did say, “Lord! if You were going to punish me in the Hereafter do it here in this life.” The Prophet said, “Exalted is God! You could not bear that, you could not stand that. Why did you not say, “Lord! Give us the good of this life and of the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the Fire.’(2: 201).i650

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RELIGIOUS VIRTUES

Source: Book: [Fatawa 10:691-2] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

Posted in RELIGIOUS VIRTUES | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Love of God

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

(a) Love for God is the essence of faith and religion.

Love for God, or rather Love for God and His Messenger, is one of the essential parts and most important principles of faith; it is the essence of all the works of faith and devotion, just as it is the basis of all the commitments of faith and religion. Every activity in the world proceeds from one love or another, either love for something desirable or for something undesirable, as we have explained in the tract on the principles of love (Qa `idat al-Mahabbah).C04

All the acts of faith and religion proceed from the love which is commendable, which is rooted ultimately in love for God. On the other hand, acts which proceed from a love which is not approved by God are not good acts. In fact, all acts of faith and religion are to proceed from nothing but love for God, for God does not accept an act which is not done to please Him. The Prophet has reported these words of God: “Of all those whom people associate with Me I am the One Who cares least for the services which they offer. If anyone does something for Me as well as for others I do not accept it at all; I leave it for those whom he associates with Me.”605 his hadith has been mentioned in the Sahih collections. They also have the hadith which says that “the first group to enter the Fire will be the group of people who recite the Quran to please others, who participate in jihad to please others, and who spend in charity to please others.”606

Religion is for God alone. He does not accept any devotion or service which is not done to please Him alone. This is what every prophet and messenger in every age has preached, what every book which God has revealed has declared, and what all the leaders of faith have proclaimed. This is the essence of every prophetic mission and the center of all Quranic teachings. God has said, “The revelation of this Book is from God, the Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom. Verily it is We Who have revealed the Book to you in truth; so serve God, offering Him sincere devotion. Is it not to God that sincere devotion is due?” (39:1-3). In fact the whole surah which begins with these words is devoted to this subject. Look at this verse: “Say: Verily I am commanded to be the first of those who bow to God in islam” (39:11-2)… The people of all eras, earlier and later, have been given the same message. With regard to the Jews and the Christians God has said,  The People of the Book did not make schisms until after there came to them clear evidence, and they were commanded no more than to serve God offering Him sincere devotion” (98:4-5).

Now, if the most essential thing in religion is sincere devotion to God, that is, seeking God alone, then what is sought for itself is loved for itself, which is what perfect love is. However, the ultimate goal is described as `ibadah rather than love. For example, “I have only created j inns and men that they may serve Me (ya `buduna)” (51:56); or “You people! Adore and serve (i `budu) your Guardian-Lord Who created you and those who came before you” (2:21.); and so on. `Ibadah entails perfect love and complete submission with humility. The being whom you love but do not revere nor submit to in humility is not your god (ma `bud), nor is he your god whom you only revere but do not love. That is why God has said, “Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides God, as equal (with God). They love them as they should love God. But those of faith are overwhelming in their love for God.” (2:165)…

The word love has been applied to many things. Besides God, the Believer loves His messengers, His prophets, and His righteous devotees. But all these loves are part of his love for God, and the love that he has for God is reserved only for Him. This is why love has been mentioned along with those things which are reserved for God alone, such as worship (‘ibadah), repentant return (inabah) and exclusive devotion (tabattul). to God; all these things also involve love for God…

(b) Love, fear, and hope

Since love is the essence of all religious activity, fear, hope and other similar virtues involve love and are involved in love. One hopes for those things only which one loves, not which one hates; and one fears something only because one loves to secure something else. God has said, “Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord, even those who are nearest hope for his mercy and fear His wrath” (17:57); and, “Those who believed and those who suffered exile and, fought (and strove and struggled) in the path of God they have the hope for the mercy of God” (2:218).

God’s mercy (rahmah) encompasses everything good, and His wrath (‘adhab) encompasses everything evil. Paradise is the abode of perfect and unmixed mercy, and Hell is the place of unmixed wrath. This world, on the other hand, is a combination of both. We hope for Paradise because Paradise stands for every possible good, the best of which is the vision of God, as we have in a hadith narrated by `Abdur-Rahman Ibn Ubayy through Suhayb, and recorded by Muslim in his Sahih . The Prophet (pbuh) said, “When the people of Paradise enter Paradise a voice will call, `People of Paradise! God has still to fulfill a promise He gave you.’ They will ask, `What is that? Has God not brightened our faces? Has He not tilted the scales in our favor? Has He not admitted us to Paradise and saved us from the Fire?’ At that time God will remove the veil (from His face) and they will look upon Him. There will be nothing more dear to them than to look upon Him. This is what has been referred in the Quran (10:26) as “more”.6″0

In this light one should look at the words which have been attributed to a saint: “I did not worship You in the hope of Your Paradise nor in the fear of Your Bell; I worshiped You only to see You.” The person who has said these words, he and his followers, think that Paradise is only for enjoying food, drink, women, song, fine clothes and other similar goods… That is why, when a saint heard the verse, “Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that aspire for the Hereafter” (3:152), he said, “Where are those who yearn for God?” Another saint, on hearing the verse, “God has purchased of the Believers their person and their goods for theirs (in teturn) is the Garden (of Paradise)” (9:111), said, “If our persons and goods are sold for Paradise, then for what shall we secure a look at God?” All these misconceptions are due to the fact that these people fail to see that the vision of God is part of Paradise. The truth is that Paradise is the name for all the good taken together of which the best and the highest is the vision of God. That seeing God is an integral part of the joys of Paradise is stated in many Quranic verses and ahadith…

No action can be conceived of without some kind of desire and love. Some ascetics have held out that possibility but they are wrong. They think that the perfection of man lies in getting rid of all desires. They advance that idea in light of their experience of self-effacement (fana). But they do not realize that persons in the state of fang are occupied with their love, that they are not without desire and love, even though they are not aware of it. They think that they are free from all desires, but that is not true. You cannot think of someone moving without any motive, without any love, hate or desire. The Prophet has rightly said, “The truest names are harith, the cultivator, and hammam, the aspirant,”608 for every person has something that he cultivates, and everyone has some aspiration which moves him. In the case of one, it is love for God which moves him to obedience to Him; in the case of the other it is awe and the fear of Him which keeps him away from sin. `Umar is on record as having said about Suhayb,609 “What a good man Suhayb is! Were he not to fear God, even then he would not commit a sin.” That is to say, he would not disobey God even if he did not fear Him, but now that he fears God you can imagine how deeply pious he is, his awe and reverence for God keep him away ‘from all sins.

One who looks for God also fears Him; his hope and his fear are related to God’s appearance or non-appearance to him. And you know that one looks for seeing God only because one loves Him. It is love for Him that generates longing for His appearance and fear of being deprived of it. But if his fear or hope is related to some created object which gives him pain or pleasure, he tries to avoid it or secure it by serving God, which does imply love for Him. One who feels pleasure in loving God will find it sweeter than any other love. That is why the best thing that the people of Paradise will engage in will be remembering God. A hadith says that the people of Paradise will be inspired to glorify God just as they will be inspired to breathe.”610 This means that the best joy of Paradise will be the remembrance and love of God. In short, one’s fear for a created thing or hope for it may drive him to God, which is the essence of all devotion.

The Quran and Sunnah are replete with statements regarding the love of the faithful for God, for example, “Those who have faith are overflowing in their love for God” (2:165); “He loves them and they love Him” (5:54); “Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses or your kindred, or the wealth that you have gained, or the commerce on which you fear a decline, or the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than God and His Messenger or the striving in His cause, then wait until God brings about His decision” (9:24). The Sahihayn have recorded that the Prophet said, “He certainly feels the pleasure of faith who holds God and His Messenger dearer to him than anything else, who loves naught but for the sake of God, and who hates to return to unbelief after God has rescued him from it as much as he hates to be thrown into Fire.”61

Love for the Messenger follows from love for God. This comes out in the verse in which God has joined love for the Messenger with love for His own Self, “If… (they) are dearer to you than God and His Messenger…” (9:24). The Sahihayn have the words of the Prophet, “By the One Who has full control over my life, none of you will be a Believer unless I am dearer to him than his children, his parents, even the whole of mankind.”612 Al-Bukhari has recorded the words of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab: “By God, Messenger of God, you are dearer to me than everything else except myself.” On hearing that, the Prophet said, “No, `Umar, not till I am dearer to you than your very self.” After that `Umar said, “Now, by God, you are dearer to me than my own self,” whereupon, the Prophet said, “Now, yes (you are a true Believer) `Umar!”613

The love for the Companions and the family of the Prophet (pbuh) is similarly a corollary of one’s love for God. The Prophet has said,  The proof of faith is love for the Ansar, and the proof of hypocrisy is hatred towards the Ansar.”614 He also said, “No one who believes in God and the Hereafter will hate the Ansar.”615 `Ali (raa) said, “The unlettered Prophet (pbuh) has given me the word that no one will love me except the Believer, that no one will hate me except the hypocrite.”616 The Sunan collections have that the Prophet said to `Abbas, “By the One Who has my life in his hand, people will not enter Paradise unless they love you people for the sake of God and because you are my kith and kin.” He meant the descendants of Hashim.61 Ibn `Abbas has also reported a hadith from the Prophet: “Love God since He nourishes you with His bounties; love me because of your love for God, and love my family because of me.”618

As for God’s love for His devotees, we have a number of verses such as, “God did take Abraham for a friend” (4:125); “They love Him and He loves them” (5:54); “Do good; for God loves those who do good” (2:195); “Make peace between them with justice and be fair; for God loves those who are fair (and just)” (49:9); “Truly God loves those who fight in His cause in battle array, as if they were a solid, cemented structure” (61:4); And, “Surely, those who keep their plighted faith and act aright -verily God loves those who act aright” (3:76)…

(c) God is loved for Himself.

The truth which everyone believes, the Elders, the a’immah of the ummah, the ahl al-hadith and ahl as-Sunnah, and all the leaders of the religion who have a following, and all eminent Sufi shaykhs, is that God is loved for Himself and loved in truth and reality. In fact, love for Him is the most perfect of all love. He has Himself said, “Those who believe love God the most.” (2:165). Similarly, God loves His faithful devotees in reality.

The Jahmiyyah have denied the possibility of love for God and by God, for in their view love can take place only between people who have something in common, and since there is nothing in common between the Eternal and the contingent, there can be no love between them. The first man to put forward this heretical idea in Islam was Al-Ja’d Ibn Dirham in the beginning of the second century Hijri… He said that God did not take Abraham for a friend, nor did He speak to Moses directly… Al-Jahm, Ibn Safwan took this idea from him, preached it and advanced arguments in its support… Then the Mu’tazilah, the followers of `Amr Ibn `Ubayd took the idea and preached it openly during the caliphate of Al-Ma’mun, till the a’immah of Islam were put to the test and were asked to subscribe to it.

The doctrine was originally expounded under the influence of such polytheists and Sabaeans as the Brahmins, the philosophers and heretics from among the people of the Book who believed that God had no positive attributes at all. They were opposed to Abraham, the dearest friend of God, since they worshiped stars and erected temples to them and the intelligences and other beings. They denied that God took Abraham for an intimate friend or that He spoke to Moses directly.

Kkullah means the most perfect love that takes hold of the whole being of the lover. A poet says of his beloved: “You have permeated in me (takhallalti), just like the soul. That is why the Khalil (i.e. Abraham) was called the Khalil. ” This is supported by a hadith reported by Abu Said. The Prophet said, “Were I to take an intimate friend (khalil) from among the people of the earth I would take Abu Bakr to be my khalil. But your Companion is the khalil of God.”6’9 He was referring to himself. In another hadith he has said, “I have no one as my khalil; had I taken anyone from among the people of the earth as khalil I would have taken Abu Bakr as khalil.”620 These ahadith make it perfectly clear that it did not behoove the Prophet to take any mortal to be khalil, and were he to take one he would have taken Abu Bakr.

However, for a number of people the Prophet has said that he loves them. For example, he said to Mu’adh, “By God, I love you.”" He also expressed his love for the Ansar.622 Zayd Ibn Harithah623 was known to be his darling, as was his son Usamah.624 `Amr Ibn Al-`As once asked him, “Who is dearest to you?” He “W said, “`A’ishah.”625             ho among men?” he asked again. The Prophet said, “Her father.”626 To Fatimah, his youngest daughter, he once said, “Would you not love whom I love?” She said, “Surely, why not?” He said, “Then love `A’ishah. 127 Regarding (his grandson) Al-Hasan he prayed to God, “Lord! I love him, so Lord! You also love him, and love those who love him, sG28 and so on.

It is therefore certain that the Prophet said that he loved some people. On the other hand, it is also true that he said, “I have no khalil at all; and had I to take one I would have taken Abu Bakr for my khalil.”629 This means that khullah is a higher form of love, or the most perfect love that permeates the whole being of the lover, who loves him for no other reason but for himself. The one whom you love for something else is inferior to one whom you love for himself. Since khullah is the most perfect love, it cannot have more than one being as its object; it takes hold of the whole being of the lover and leaves no room for another.

Khullah cannot admit of another, or give priority to anyone else. Its object must be loved for his own sake and without the participation of any other. Such a love can be for God alone, and cannot be directed to anyone else besides Him. God alone is loved for Himself, all other beings that are loved are to be loved for the sake of God. If ever any being other than He is loved for himself that love is wrong. Cursed is the world, and cursed is all that is in it, except what is loved for God. Let me hope that the meaning of khullah is now clear. So if anyone denies that God is loved for Himself he denies that anyone can take God for his khalil; similarly, if anybody denies that God loves any of his devotees, he denies that God can take anyone for His khalil, that He loves any of His devotees with perfect love, and that any of his servants may love Him with perfect love.

[Fatawa 10:48-69]

 

(d) Love for God not only means submitting to His commands and devoting oneself to Him; it also means to love Him for His own Self.

When Islam was dominant and people read and understood the Quran, it was not possible for those who had submitted externally to Islam to deny any part of the Quran. But they could misinterpret God’s names and, taking Quranic verses out of their contexts, could explain love for God simply as submission to His commands and an effort to come closer (taqarrub) to Him. This is sheer ignorance, for you do not try to come near to anyone unless you love him, and if you do not love him you do not seek his nearness, for seeking nearness is only a means, and love of the means is subject to love of the end. It is not possible for you to love the means without loving the end.

The same is true of worship (`ibadah) and obedience (ta `ah). You do not love to worship or obey the One Who is Lord and God unless you love Him for Himself. Love for worship of and obedience to Him is subject to the love for Him Himself; if He is not loved for Himself you would not like to worship or serve Him. And if you serve someone only to secure something from him or to ward off some chastisement from him you will be serving him only to have something in return or to save you from some evil. You will be neither loving him nor loving to serve or worship him. Love for someone does involve love for the things which are means to him, but that love is something different from the love which is essentially for the means. The latter is characterized as love for something in return, or love for safety from something evil. Love of God has nothing to do with either.

God has also distinguished between love for Himself and love for some action for His sake. He has said, “If they (i.e. the things that He has enumerated) are dearer to you than God and His Messenger and jihad in His cause..” (9:24). He has also distinguished between love for Himself and love for His Messenger, saying, “…dearer to you than God and His Messenger.” Were love for God identical with the love for some action the latter would be simply a consummation of the former or would have been mentioned just as a particular thing is mentioned along with its class. But both interpretations are to be avoided unless there is some reason to justify them. Just as love for God is not to be reduced to love for the Messenger, it is not to be reduced to love of the actions performed for His sake. Again, when we want to say that we love someone we simply say we love him; we do not say that we love to obey him. The latter is not even a metaphorical way of saying the former. Hence, to interpret love for God in terms of love for actions in obedience to His commands is simply to misinterpret the language.

We have stated the truth at various places that no one other than God deserves to be loved for himself, just as no one other than He exists by himself. There is no lord except Allah, and there is no god except Him; He is the only Being That deserves to be loved for Himself and to be glorified for Himself with most perfect love and glory. Every good quality that we think of and admire God deserves in its perfection, and everything that we praise in beings other than Him in fact comes from Him; thus He deserves our best and most perfect love. To deny that love to Him is in fact to deny that He is the God Whom we should worship and adore. Similarly, to deny that He loves His devotees is to deny His will, and to deny that He is Lord and Creator of the universe and the God of all. This is what the doctrine of the misinterpreters and negators of God’s love amounts to.

That is why the best teaching that we have in the religions of the two communities of Moses and Jesus that have gone before us is, “Love God with all your heart, with all your reason, and with all your will.”63° This is the real faith of Abraham, which is the basis of the Torah, the Gospel and the Quran. Its denial first came from the polytheists and the Sabaeans who opposed Abraham, and then from those who took the ideas and followed them from among the philosophers, theologians, jurists and heretics.

[Fatawa 10:69-73]

 

(e) Knowledge of God is the basis of love for God. He is loved for His blessings on man, as well as for the perfections He is qualified with.

Knowledge of God is the basis of love for God. There are two grounds for this love. One, He deserves our love because of the numerous blessings that He showers on us. This is accepted by everyone; it is part of our nature that we love those who do us good and hate those who do us wrong. Our real benefactor is God; from Him proceeds ultimately any good that comes to us from any source, since He controls all the sources and brings into being all the causes. However, if this love does not rise up to the love of God for Himself, we would be loving nothing other than ourselves, for if we love someone only for the good he does to us we love none but ourselves. However, this kind of love for anyone is something good, not bad. The Prophet has referred to this love in these words: “Love God because He feeds you and nourishes you with His bounties. Love me because of your love for God, and love my family because of your love for me.”63′ However, the person who loves God only for this reason is ignorant of the other reasons he should love Him. He knows only one reason, God’s blessings on him. It is said that praise for God is of two kinds, praise which is only thanksgiving, and which is inspired by God’s blessings on us; and praise which is the celebration of His glory and loving Him for Himself.

The other basis of love for God lies in Him Himself. It is love that He deserves in Himself. One loves God in this way when one knows the perfections which He has and which inspire love. He deserves to be loved for every aspect of His being which His names and attributes highlight, as well as for all the things that He does, for every good that proceeds from Him is a favor from Him, and every chastisement that He inflicts upon us is just and fair. That is why He is to be praised in all situations, in prosperity and in adversity. This form of love is better and higher, and is given to the chosen ones only. It is they who look for a vision of the gracious face of God, who delight in remembering Him and speaking to Him, and hold that dearer than a fish holds water. If they ever cease to remember Him they will find it so painful that they will not be able to bear it. They are the fore-runners (sabiqun) mentioned in the hadith which Muslim has recorded on the authority of Abu Hurayrah. Once the Prophet went up a mountain called Hamdan. He asked his Companions to go around the mountain, and said, “The mufarridun win the race.” “Who are the mufarridun?” people asked him. He said, “Those men and women who remember God very much.”632 In another version of the hadith, the words are, “Those who devote themselves fully to remembering God (mustahtirun bi-dhikr Allah), dhikr will reduce their burden so that they will feel light when they see God on the Day of Judgment.”633 Mustahtir is one who loves to remember God, feels pleasure in it and does not stop remembering Him.

Harun Ibn `Antarah has narrated through his father that Ibn `Abbas said, “Moses said to God, `Lord! Which of your people are most dear to You?’ God said, `Those who remember Me and do not forget Me.’ Moses asked again, `Which of Your people are most knowledgeable?’ He said, `Those who are eager to learn from people and increase their knowledge of things which show them the right path and save them from pitfalls.’ Moses asked the third time, `Which of Your people are most wise?’ God replied, `Those who judge themselves by the same standards they judge others, and judge others as they judge themselves.”‘ This tradition, which mentions love, knowledge and justice, comprehends all the good. [Fatawa 10:84-6]

(f) Signs of love for God: imitation of His Prophet and striving for God’s sake.

The true servant of God is one who likes what God likes and dislikes what He dislikes, who loves what God and His Messenger love and hates what they hate, and who is the friend of God’s friends and the enemy of His enemies. It is he whose faith is perfect. The Prophet has said, “He who loves for God, hates for God, gives for God, and withholds for God, perfects his faith.”634 He also said, The strongest link in the chain of faith is love for the sake of God and hatred for the sake of God.”635 He has further said, “Whoever has three qualities feels the joy of faith: that he holds God and His Messenger dearer to him than anything else; that he loves none except for God’s sake; and that he abhors to return to the life of faithlessness after God has rescued him from it just as he abhors to be thrown into fire.”

One whose likes and dislikes are same as the likes and dislikes of God would naturally hold God and His Messenger dearer to him than anything in the world. Again, since he loves people for the sake of God and not for anything else, he will perfect his love for God. Love for things which are dear to the person one loves perfects his love for him. So when one loves God’s prophets and His friends just because they work for things God loves, not because of any other thing, he loves them for God and for nothing else. The Quran says, “Soon will God raise a people whom He will love as they will love Him, lowly with the Believers, mighty against the rejectors” (5:57). This is why the Quran says to the Prophet, “Say: If you do love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive you your sins” (3:31). The Prophet commands only that which God loves and forbids only that which He hates, does only that which He approves of and preaches only that which He wants people to believe. Hence whoever loves God should follow His Messenger, believe what he says, obey what he commands, and imitate what he did. If he does that he does what God likes and He will, therefore, love him. There are two things by which you will know the lovers of God: they follow His Messenger and engage in jihad for His cause.

Jihad means to exert oneself to secure the faith and righteousness which God loves, and to fight the unfaith, immorality and sin which God hates. He has said, “Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses or your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear decline, or the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than God or His Messenger, or striving (jihad) in His cause, then wait until God brings about His decision, and God guides not the rebellious” (9:24). This is the warning that God has issued to those who hold their families and their wealth dearer than Him and His Messenger and striving in His cause. There is a hadith in the Sahih collections that the Prophet said, “By the One Who has my life in His hands, not one of you will truly believe unless I am dearer to him than his sons, and his parents and the whole of mankind. ,636 We have also in the Sahih collections that `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said to the Prophet, “Messenger of God you are certainly dearer to me than anything in the world except my own self.” The Prophet said, “No, `Umar, you cannot be a Believer unless I am dearer to you than everything else, Then `Umar said, “By God, you are now dearer to me than my own self,” whereupon the Prophet said, “Yes, `Umar, now. ,637

Jihad is to exert oneself to the utmost to secure what God loves and eliminate what he hates. So if you withdraw from jihad while you have the power to carry it on, it only means that your love for God and His Messenger has weakened. You know that you do not secure what you hold dear, whether good or bad, unless you exert yourself; you do not earn money, achieve power or win a woman without toiling hard and taking pains in this life, besides what you may suffer in the life to come. So if you love God and His Messenger and are not prepared to take the trouble which those who work for worldly objects take to secure them, your love for God is weak indeed.

[Fatawa 10:190-3]

 

(g) To call people to God and His religion is part of one’s love for God.

It is part of your love for God that you call people to God, call them to believe in God and in what His Messenger says and do what he commands. In fact, to call people to the Prophet is to call them to God. Again, to call them to abstain from what God has forbidden is to call them to Him. You also call them to God if you ask them to do what He and His Messenger approve of and to eschew what they disapprove of, whether it is a matter of action or belief: belief regarding His names and attributes, or any other unseen realities such as the Throne, the Footstool, angels, and the prophets whom He has sent to people at different times, as well as actions like loving God and His Messenger more than anything else.

Calling people to God and preaching to them His religion is a duty incumbent upon everyone who believes in Prophet Muhammad and joins his ummah. Read what God says: “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures), in the Torah and the Gospel, who commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil, allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is evil (and impure), who releases them from their burdens and from their yokes that are upon them; those who believe in him, honor him, help him and follow the light which is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper” (7:157). This is the description of the Prophet, and following is the description of his ummah: “You are the best of peoples evolved for mankind; you enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in God” (3:110); and, “The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, forbid what is evil, observe regular prayers (salah), practice regular charity (zakah), and obey God and His Messenger. On them God will pour His mercy, for God is Exalted in power, Wise” (9:71).

This mission is the duty of the ummah as a whole; a collective duty which is considered fulfilled on behalf of the community even if only some from the community render it. The basis of this rule is the verse, “Let then arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. They are the ones to obtain felicity” (3:104). The whole community is to stand in place of the Prophet and carry out this mission. This is the reason why their consensus wields authority. In case they differ they must refer the issue to God and His Messenger. Now, when this is clear, it is the duty of every Muslim that he love what God and His Messenger love and hate what they hate, as is laid down in the Quran.

It is not right to take the word of anyone other than the Messenger or the statement of anybody other than that of the Quran as an authority in religion. Those who raise anyone, whoever he may be, to the status of authority and follow his words and practices, are the ones about whom the Quran says, “They split up their religion and become (mere) sects, each party rejoicing in that which is with itself’ (30:32). You may study the religion and cultivate piety following the path of any imam or shaykh whom Muslims follow, but you should not make him or the promoters of his ideas or ways the arbiter of truth, siding with him on every issue and opposing those who differ with him. You must think over the issue in your own mind and act upon the view you arrive at. I hope this will serve as a caution. Certainly what goes on within the heart comes up at the time of trial.

Never should anyone call someone to a view or believe in it himself just because it is the view of his party or sect; nor should he ever fight for it. He should rather call to it because it is what God and His Messenger say or command and because it is his duty to submit to them. A preacher of Islam should first refer in his preaching to what is in the Quran, for the Quran is the light and guidance. He should then turn to the imam al-a’immah, the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and only as the last resort to the words of the a ‘immah.

The preacher is either a mujtahid, an independent scholar who can form views in the light of the Quran and Sunnah on his own, or a muqalid, one who follows an imam. If he is an independent scholar (mujtahid), he should look into the works of the scholars of the first three generations (qurun), compare different views and choose what he thinks best. But if he is a follower, he should follow the Elders, because the people of earlier times are as a whole were better than the people of later times. Now that this is clear we will say what God, our Lord, has said: “Say: We believe in God and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord. We make no difference between one and another of them, and we bow to God (in islam)” (2:136). We will enjoin what He has commanded and forbid what He has prohibited, either in His Book or through His Prophet. He has said, “Take what the Messenger gives you, and abstain from what he withholds from you” (59:7). The basis on which this religion stands is the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus.

[Fatawa 20:7-9]

 

(h) Errors regarding love for God.

To love God is to perfect our service to God. However, it is only a part of that service. The other part is awe and fear (khashiyyah). When love is not combined with awe and fear one often becomes arrogant, makes high claims inconsistent with his servant-ship (`ubudiyyah) and violates the Shari `ah. This is what a number of Sufis do who abandon themselves in love.

Love for God is the completion of our service (`ubudiyyah) to God. Some people have a wrong idea of service. They think that our servanthood (`ubudiyyah) requires only submission and acquiescence, and has nothing to do with love. On the other hand, they think that love (for God) permits them to do whatever they like, even make claims which conflict with the divinity and lordship of God. This is why, when people wanted to discuss love in the presence of Dhu an-Nun,638 he asked them not to enter into it lest someone indulge in high claims. Many a person of knowledge and gnosis shun’the company of those who talk of love without fear. The Elders have said that whoever serves God with love alone is a zindiq, whoever serves Him with hope alone is a Murji’i, and whoever serves Him with fear alone is a Khariji; only one who serves Him with love, fear and hope is a true Believer. That is why many Sufis who in later ages took liberties in love turned arrogant and made high claims which were not consistent with their servanthood. some even claimed a part in Lordship (a r. rububiyyah), which is reserved for God, some boasted of going above the level of the prophets and messengers, some prayed to God for things which in their absolute forms behoove neither the prophets nor the messengers, but only God.

Many $ufis have fallen in this trap. Their sense of their status as servants of God as expounded by His messengers and laid down in their revelations has weakened. Their reason by which they should have known their status has also been weak. And when reason becomes weak and knowledge of the religion fades, and love for God becomes strong, one begins to take liberties, just as a weak-minded person takes liberties, with the person he loves. He thinks that since he loves God he may do whatever he likes, even if it is wrong and foolish. This is sheer folly. It is the same kind of love that led the Jews and the Christians to claim, We are the sons and friends of God” (5:18). God retorted by saying, “Say: Why then does He punish you for your sins? No, you are but men of the (same kind) He has created. He forgives whom He pleases and punishes whom He pleases” (5:20). Since He punishes them for their sins it means that they are not His beloved people, and that their relation to prophets is no credit for them. It only means that they are just like any other created beings.

Whomever God loves He engages in doing what He loves and approves of, and keeps him away from what He dislikes and disapproves of, such as faithlessness, immorality and sin. He dislikes anyone who commits a grave sin, persists in it and does not repent, just as He loves anyone who does good. His love for a person is in proportion to the latter’s faith and piety. Those who think that their sins will not harm them since God loves them, and persist in their sins, are like those who think that if they take poison and go on taking it and shun the antidote, it will do them no harm.

Even a layman who thinks over the stories of the prophets which God has related in His Book, the way they repented and sought God’s forgiveness, and the hardships they encountered which purified them and raised them in honor, will know that sins do harm their doers, however great they may be. You know that if a lover neither knows nor does what is good for the person he loves, and does instead what he himself wants to do, something undesirable and unfair, he will only incur the wrath of his beloved and invite his chastisement.

Many Sufis have done things that are wrong and unjustified in the name of God’s love;. they have crossed the limits which God has set, for them, failed in the duties which He has enjoined, and made boastful claims that are completely unjustified. One, for example, has said that if a disciple of his leaves anyone to suffer in the Fire he will have nothing to do with that disciple. Another has said that if any disciple of his cannot stop a Believer from entering into the Fire, he will have nothing to do with him. The former makes it incumbent on his disciples to rescue everyone from the Fire, and the latter to stop the perpetrators of grave sins from entering into the Fire. A third has said that on the Day of Judgment he will put up his tent on the banks of Hell and will not let people enter it. Many more boastful statements have come down from renowned Sufi shaykhs; some of them, to be sure, are falsely attributed to them, but some have really been said by them. Such things occur from Sufis in the state of ecstasy (sukr) and self-effacement (fang), states in which one loses reason completely or finds its hold to have weakened so that he does not know what he is saying. Sukr is rapture accompanied by loss of the sense of discrimination. That is why when they become normal they recant from what they had said in that state.

Sufi shaykhs who love to hear songs of love and passion, yearning and desire, complaint and reproof, madness and infatuation, only want to kindle their love. They should know that God has made a test for love when He has said to the Prophet, “Say: If you love God, follow me, God will love you” (3:31). However, many people who claim to love God cross the limits of the Shari`ah and go beyond the practice of the Prophet and say things we cannot discuss here. Some have claimed that they have no longer any duties to fulfill and no unlawful things to eschew, which obviously contradicts the Shar!’ah. On the contrary, God has held jihad in his way as proof of love of Him and His Messenger, for jihad involves utmost love for what God has enjoined and utmost aversion for what He has forbidden. He has described those who love Him and whom He loves in these words: “Lowly with the Believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of God” (5:57). This is also the reason why the love of this ummah for God is more perfect than the love of the communities before it, as its service to God is more perfect than their service. And of them those who are most perfect in these respects are the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh), and those whose lives resemble their lives the most. Those claimants to God’s love whom I have mentioned before bear no comparison with them.

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RELIGIOUS VIRTUES

Source: Book: [Fatawa 10:206-210] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Sincerity (ikhlas)

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

Muslims are generally sincere in their devotions, (salah) and fasting. However, they are less sincere in deeds which are for the welfare of society.

People have tried… to define sincerity (ikhlas). Some have said that a sincere Muslim is one who would not care to lose all the honor and respect that people have for him in order to set right his relation with God, or one who would not like anyone to know of even the smallest part of the good that he does, and so on. All these definitions are fine. They seem, however, to imply that one has to be sincere in each and every deed. This is not possible for all the people, not even for the majority of them. In general, Muslims are sincere in many of the acts which are required of every one of them, such as fasting in Ramadan. The vast majority of them do fast on those days only to please God. Similarly, those who offer their prayers regularly pray only for His pleasure. But of those who are not regular, some pray for fear of someone, some to please others, and some for other worldly motives. That is why the Prophet said, “When you see a person going to the mosque regularly, you may bear witness to his faith, because God says, `The mosques of God shall be visited and maintained by such as believe in God and the Last Day, establish salah and pay zakah”‘ (9:18).601 At-Tirmidhi has recorded this hadith.

One who does not offer saldh without making ablution or bathing properly does not offer salah except to please God. That is why the Prophet (pbuh) has said in a hadith recorded by Ahmad and Ibn Majah at the report of Thawban, “Just try to keep yourself on the right path. You will not be able to do all that is right. Know that the best of all your deeds is salah, and no one makes ablution properly except one who is (really) faithful, because ablution is a secret thing between him and his Lord.s602 Sometimes the ablution is broken and no one else can know, so when one maintains it, one maintains it only for the sake of God, and such a person can be none other than a Believer. However, sincerity in matters whose benefits reach out to people other than the doer is not so widespread as in the acts of devotion. That is why we have in a hadith recorded in both Sahih collections that the Prophet said, “Seven people will be under the shade provided by God on the Day when there will be no shade other than His shade: the ruler who is just; the youth whose days are passed in the service of God; the man who is ever-mindful of his prayers; friends who love each other, get together, and disperse just for the cause of God; the person who is invited by a beautiful and charming woman but ignores her call, saying that he fears God; the man who gives charity in such a way that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given; and the man who remembers God in secret such that his eyes burst into tears.”603

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RELIGIOUS VIRTUES

Source: Book: [Fatawd 18:260-1] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Trust

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

Trust in God is required of everyone, the commoner and the elite. Whoever says that it is only required of the common man is wrong. Moreover, trust is not required of you in worldly matters only, but in religious matters, too. You must put your trust in God in working for the purification of the heart, for the cultivation of piety, as well as for saving yourself from saying or doing anything evil. Trust in Him is very dear to God, and is required of everyone all the time. It is one of the most effective means to securing good and dispelling evil.

Virtues of the heart like love, trust and sincerity (ikhlas) in devotion to God are all good, pure and unmixed, and they are good for everyone: prophets, the most perfect in faith (siddiqun), the martyrs (shuhada) and the righteous (salihun). The view that they are the spiritual stages only for the common man to aspire for but not for the elite is absolutely wrong. No Muslim can ever dispense with them except for the hypocrite or the infidel…

They do, however, vary. They are different for the common man and for the elite, but the sense in which they are commonly thought to differ is not correct. It is said, for example, that the trust of the common man is a struggle against himself in the pursuit of his provision, whereas the elite do not have to struggle against themselves. It is also said that the common man uses his trust to secure various things, whereas the gnostic sees things in all their details, hence he does not strive for anything. I will say, first of all, that trust is not confined to worldly affairs; one does trust in God in one’s efforts to purify one’s heart, cultivate piety, guard one’s tongue and will against evil, and these are certainly much more important things with regard to who should trust in God. We do say to our Lord in every salah, “You do we serve, and Your aid do we seek” (1:5). He Himself has commanded us, “Worship Him and put your trust in Him” (11:123). Elsewhere He has directed everyone to say, “In Him I trust and unto Him I look (for help)” (11:88); and, “Say: He is my Lord. There is no god but He. On Him is my trust, and to Him do I return” (13:30)…

Second, trust in God is an essential part of religion, and no religious deed, whether obligatory or commendable, can be perfect without it. To ignore or disregard it is to disregard what God holds dear to Him and wants us to do… Third, trust in God is something very dear to Him, something that He has commended as well as enjoined. He has asked us to put our trust in Him in every matter all the time. And what is loved, commended and enjoined by God for all times cannot be for the average Muslim only and not for those who are dear to Him. These are the three observations which I wanted to make with regard to the view that those who put their trust in God do so only to secure some of their material interests.

As for saying that there is no room for trust since everything has been fore-ordained, that is like saying that we should not pray for anything because if it has been ordained there is no need to pray for it, and if not, prayer will not avail. This is one of the most fallacious statements in the judgment of revelation as well as reason. Similarly false is the statement that trust in God or prayer to Him does no good, nor does it save one from evil; it is only an act of worship. In fact, trust is no more than resignation (to the will of God). This view has been expounded by some Sufi masters, but no matter who has done it, it is absolutely wrong. Equally wrong is the view that supplication (dud’) is just a form of worship and nothing more.

There is one root cause of all this misconception. People think that the fact that things are fore-ordained means that one should not look for their causes and engage in them even though they are supposed to be done by us. They do not know that when God decides upon anything and ordains it He also ordains the causes which bring it into being, whether they are human actions or anything else. If the said view were correct all human activity would cease.

The Prophet (pbuh) was questioned many times in this regard, and he made the issue fully clear. The Sahahayn have the hadath reported by `Imran Ibn Hasin that some people asked the Prophet whether the people of Paradise have been demarcated from the people of Hell. He said, “Yes.” “What then is the purpose,” they asked, “of action?” He replied, “Everyone is provided with the means to work for what he was created for.”598 `Ali Ibn Abi Talib says that they once were with the Prophet at a funeral. He was sitting with a small stick in his hand and scratching the ground with it. He then raised his head and said, “No one comes into being whose fate, whether he shall be happy or unhappy, is not decided already or whose place in Paradise or Hell is not determined beforehand and written down.” Hearing that, someone in the audience said, “Prophet of God, should we then not rely upon what has been written down for us and resign? Those who are destined to be happy shall be happy and those who are destined to be unhappy shall be unhappy anyway.” The Prophet said, “Work on. Everyone is provided with the means to work for what he was created for. The happy ones are provided for to work for happiness and the unhappy ones are provided for to work for unhappiness.” Then he recited the Quranic verse, “So he who gives (in charity) and fears (God) and (in all sincerity) testifies to the good, We will indeed make smooth for him the path to bliss. But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, and gives the lie to the good, We will indeed make smooth for him the path to misery” (99:5-10).599 This hadath has been recorded in the Sahih as well as the Sunan and Musnad collections. At-Tirmidhi has recorded that the Prophet was asked whether medicines and charms and the like which people used could dispel anything which God had ordained. He replied, “All of these are part of what has been ordained by God.”Ci0° This point has been made in a number of ahadith.

The Prophet has made it absolutely clear that God’s fore-knowledge or fore-writing of anyone’s happiness or misery does not preclude his happiness or misery being caused by his good or evil deeds. God knows things as they are and thus does He write them. He knows that the happy shall be happy by doing good deeds and the unhappy shall be unhappy by doing evil deeds. Hence one who is destined to be happy shall be provided with the means to do the good deeds which will bring him happiness, and one who is destined to be unhappy shall be provided with the means to do the evil deeds which will bring him misery. Everyone shall have the path smoothed for him to the end he was created for, and shall be led to it according to the all-comprehending cosmic will of God, which He has mentioned in the verse, “They will not cease to differ, except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy. And for this did He create them” (11:119).

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RELIGIOUS VIRTUES

Source: Book: [Fatawa 10:17-24] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Patience (sabr)

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

Patience (sabr) is of two kinds, patience in anger, and patience in affliction. One should not, however, invite trouble. The merits of patience are discussed.

(a) Patience is of two kinds, patience in anger and patience in affliction. Al-Hasan589 (raa) has said, “No one drinks a greater dose than the dose of forbearance at the time of anger, and the dose of patience at the time of affliction.” This is because the essential thing common to both is patience in a painful situation, and one who is patient in such a situation is really strong and brave. When the cause of pain is removable it produces anger, but when it cannot be removed it produces grief. Your face turns red when you are angry; this is because your blood surges up when you feel that you can do something. But your face turns pale when you are sad, for you feel that you cannot do anything.

The Prophet has referred to both facts in a hadith recorded by Muslim in his Sahih of a report by Ibn Masud. Addressing the people around him, he asked, “Whom do you call raqub?” They said “Raqab is one who has no children.” He said, “That is not raqub. It is one who does not send any of his children before him.” He then asked them, “Whom do you call sura `ah?” They said, “It is a person who is not defeated by anyone in wrestling.” He said, “That is not the case. The sura `ah is one who controls himself at a time of anger.”"‘ He thus defined sabr at the time of affliction and at the time of anger.

This is what the Quran says with regard to affliction: “Give good tidings to those who patiently persevere, who say when afflicted with calamity: `To God we belong, and to God is our return”‘ (2:155). With regard to anger it says, “No one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint (sabr), none but the persons of greatest good fortune” (41:35). Sabr in affliction is mentioned here along with sabr in anger. But at times it is mentioned with self-restraint (sabr) in prosperity. For example, “If We give man a taste of mercy from Ourselves, and then withdraw it from him, behold, he is in despair and (falls into) blasphemy. But if We give him a taste of (Our) favors after adversity has touched him, he is sure to say, `All evil has departed from me.’ Behold! He falls into exultation and pride. Not so do those who show patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward” (11:9-11). And, “(This was) in order that you may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favors bestowed upon you; for God loves not any vainglorious boaster” (57:23).

[Al-Istigamah 2:271-4]

(b) One should not, however, invite trouble and impose on oneself what the shar’ has not imposed. One should not, for example, swear to do something difficult, vow something arduous, strive for power, or enter a land where a plague is raging. The Sahihayn have recorded the hadith reported through various channels that the Prophet discouraged making vows, saying, “It does not do any good, except take money out of the pocket of a miser.”591 The Sahihayn have also the hadith that the Prophet said to `Abdur-Rahman Ibn Samrah,592 “Do not ask for governorship; for if you are given it at your request, you will be left to it. But if you are given it without asking for it, you will be helped in meeting its responsibilities. If you vow to do something and then see something better for you, do the one which is better and atone for your vow.”593 Regarding plague, his advice was, “If you hear of one raging in a place do not go there, but if it breaks out at the place you are in do not flee from there.”594 This is also recorded in the Sahihayn. We also have in them the hadith that the Prophet said, “Do not pray to God for war; pray for peace. But when you meet the enemy be firm and steadfast (isbiru), and remember that Paradise is under the shadow of swords.”595 These and other ahadith underline the point that one should not impose on oneself things that one finds difficult to perform or avoid. Many people vow such things to God and then fail to do them.

It is imperative that when a person passes through an ordeal he be patient and persevering and not give in; he should be firm in his faith and persevere in his duties. All this requires patience. That is why the ummah is agreed that perseverance in meeting obligations and avoiding forbidden things is necessary. Patiently bearing all the afflictions that may come along the way and restraining oneself against temptation for forbidden things are no less necessary too.

God has spoken of sabr at more than ninety places in His Book. Sometimes He has mentioned it along with salah such as, “No, seek God’s help with patient perseverance (sabr) and praye; it is indeed hard except for those who bring a lowly spirit” (2:45); “Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer (salah), for God is with those who patiently persevere” (2:154); “Establish regular prayer (saldh) at the ends of the day and at the approaches of the night. For things that are good remove those that are evil; this is the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord). And be steadfast in patience; for truly God will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish” (11:11-5); “Patiently persevere, for the promise of God is true, and ask forgiveness for your fault, and celebrate the praises of your Lord in the evening and in the morning” (40:55); and, “Be patient with what they say, and celebrate (constantly) the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting” (20:130).

God bestows leadership in religion on those who demonstrate patience and firmness in faith. He has said, “And We appointed from among them leaders giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our signs” (32:24). For religion is to know the truth and act upon the truth, and you cannot act upon the truth without patience. Mu`adh Ibn Jaba1596 (raa) has said, “Strive for knowledge; for to seek knowledge is to worship God, to comprehend it is to fear Him, to work for it is to make jihad, to impart it to those who do not have it is to practice charity, and to discuss it is to engage in the glorification of God. With it we know God, serve Him, glorify Him, and affirm His unity. Through it God will raise up nations and make them leaders of mankind, whose precedents will be imitated and ideas followed.” This shows that Mu`adh (raa) considered the pursuit of knowledge part of jihad, and certainly you cannot carry out jihad without patience. That is why God has said,  By (the token of) time (through the ages) man is in loss, except such as have faith, do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, patience and constancy” (103:1-3). He has also said, “Commemorate Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, possessors of power and vision” (38:45).

To acquire useful knowledge is to take the first step in the right direction, and to act upon it is to walk on the right path; the opposite of the first is ignorance, and the opposite of the second is to go astray; the first is acting without knowledge, and the second is indulging in evil desires. God has said, “By the star when it goes down, your Companion is neither ignorant of truth nor does he pursue evil desires” (53:1-2). You cannot follow the truth without knowledge, nor pursue the right course without restraining yourself (sabr). That is why `All597 said, “Sabr is to faith (imdn) as the head is to the body; if the head is removed the body will fall.” Saying that, he raised his voice and proclaimed “You cannot have faith without patience.”

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RELIGIOUS VIRTUES

Source: Book: [Fatdwd 10:38 -40]  / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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Giving thanks (ash-Shukr)

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sara

People give thanks for the good which is done to them. They can do so in the heart, with the hands, and with the tongue.

Hamd means to praise someone, to mention his good qualities and deeds, whether he has done any good to the person praising him or not. But shukr is to give thanks for the good that one has done to the person who thanks him. Hence hamd has a wider meaning than shukr, for it is done for the good qualities one has, as well as for the good one does to the person concerned. God is praised for the good attributes and sublime qualities He has, and for the good things that He creates in this life or will create in the life to come. He has said, “Praise be to God, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made darkness and light” (6:1); “Praise be to God, to Whom belong all things in the heavens and on the earth, (and) praise be to Him in the Hereafter” (34:1); “Praise be to God, Who created out of nothing the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, two, three or four (pairs). He adds to creation as He pleases” (35:1).

Shukr, on the other hand, is only for the favor one does; it is, therefore, for things more limited. But it may be given in the heart, with the hand and with the tongue. An Arab poet has said: “Your favors have put my three organs in action, My hands, my tongue, and my heart.” That is why God has said, “Work you, sons of David (with) thanks” (34:13).

Hamd is done with the heart and the tongue. In this respect shukr is more comprehensive than hamd, even though the reasons for hamd are more comprehensive than those for shukr. That is why the Prophet has said, “Praise (hamd) to Allah is the chief thanksgiving, so one who does not praise God does not give thanks to Him.”587 In the Sahih collections we also have his saying, “God loves for His servants to thank Him for every morsel of food they eat and every drop of water they drink.”

Author: Ibn Taymiyyah

Islamic Topic: RELIGIOUS VIRTUES

Source: Book: [Fatawa 11:133-4] / Also mentioned in “Ibn Taymiyyah Expounds on Islam”

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