بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
8-1-1438
Muhammad Ibn AbdulWahhab رحمه الله began his book AlQawaa'id Al-Arba'a with the following Dua and Sheikh Saleh AlFawzan explained it. From it, we can deduce the description of the student of knowledge:
"I ask Allah, the Most Generous, Lord of the great Throne to take care of (protect) you in this world and the hereafter. And (I ask Allah) to make you blessed wherever you are. And (I ask Allah) to make you of those who are grateful when provided, patient when tested, and of those who repent when they fall into a sin, for these three issues are the core of happiness."
"أسأل الله الكريم ربّ العرش العظيم أن يتولّاك في الدنيا و الآخرة"
"I ask Allah, the Most Generous, Lord of the great Throne to take care of (protect) you in this world and the hereafter."
This introduction contains a supplication by the Sheikh for every student of knowledge who studies Aqeedah, intending by it to reach the truth, while refraining from every type of disobedience. This is the true student of knowledge, who is deserving of Allah taking care of him in this world and the hereafter. When Allah takes care of him, it is impossible for misguidance to reach him, neither in his religion nor worldly affairs.
In Surah Baqarah [2:257]:
"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever."
When Allah takes the believer into His Wilayah, He will take him out of the darkness of disbelief, ignorance, and sins into the light of belief, righteousness, and knowledge. This is for the person who is sincere in seeking the truth and knowledge.
In Surah Muhammed [47:11]:
"That is because Allah is the Maula (Lord, Master, Helper, Protector, etc.) of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no Maula (lord, master, helper, protector, etc.)."
If Allah is the Wali of a person, He will guide him to every good in this world, in his worldly and religious affairs. And in the hereafter, Allah will guide him to Paradise.
Of this guidance to good is guidance to the right Manhaj. Nowadays people are confused, because everyone claims to be on the right path; to be following the Qur'an and Sunnah. If you are truly sincere in seeking the truth, Allah will guide you to the correct Manhaj in this Dunya.
"و أن يجعلك مباركاً أينما كنت"
"And (I ask Allah) to make you blessed wherever you are."
The Student of Knowledge is a blessed person wherever he goes. Allah blessed him in his life, in his knowledge, in his work, in his offspring, etc.
He is blessed in his knowledge. Allah increases his knowledge, and wherever he goes he teaches people whatever he knows, especially about Allah.
The blessed person is not the one you touch and get blessings from, the blessed person is the one whom regardless of where you put him, benefits the people.
"و أن يجعلك ممن إذ أعطي شكر"
"And (I ask Allah) to make you of those who are grateful when provided"
The Student of Knowledge is a grateful person. He is thankful for whatever Allah gives him of blessings, even if it is little. He is not greedy nor does he covet after the Dunya and whatever people have. He is satisfied with whatever Allah has given him of blessings.
This is contrary to the person who always grumbles and complains, compares what he has to the people, etc. This is not the true student of knowledge, regardless of the amount of knowledge he has. The student of knowledge is عبدا شكورا. He useds whatever he has of blessings in obedience to Allah. There are some who direct what Allah has given them of bounties in disobedience to Allah.
Allah mentioned in the Qur'an that if you give thanks, He will give you more of His blessings. In [14:7]:
"And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe."
"و إذ ابتلي صبر"
"Patient when tested"
Whenever the student of knowledge is afflicted with any affliction, he shows patience. Allah tests His Slaves; this is the Sunnah of Allah. He tests His believing slaves with hardship, calamities, enemies, hypocrites; with different kinds of tests. What is required from the believer, and particularly the student of knowledge, is to:
1) Show Patience
2) Be optimistic; to have hope in Allah, wait for relief from Him.
3) To not despair of the mercy of Allah
4) To remain steady and firm on the right path; to not waver or surrender to calamities.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ عِظَمَ الْجَزَاءِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلَاءِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا ابْتَلَاهُمْ فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا وَمَنْ سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السَّخَطُ
"Verily, with greater rewards come greater trials. Verily, when Allah loves a people he will test them, so whoever is pleased then for him is satisfaction, and whoever is angry then for him is wrath." [Tirmithi #2396]
The Prophets and Messengers are those mostly tested by Allah. Then those who come next in faith to them: The righteous people and the believers.
عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَشَدُّ بَلَاءً قَالَ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ فَيُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ دِينُهُ صُلْبًا اشْتَدَّ بَلَاؤُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَمَا يَبْرَحُ الْبَلَاءُ بِالْعَبْدِ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهُ يَمْشِي عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مَا عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ
Mus’ab ibn Sa’eed reported: His father asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which people are tested most severely?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “They are the prophets, then the next best, then the next best. A man is tried according to his religion. If he is firm in his religion, then his trials will be more severe. If he is weak in his religion, then he is tried according to his strength in religion. The servant will continue to be tried until he is left walking upon the earth without any sin.” [Tirmithi #2398]
As the persons faith increases, as Allah tests him more. This does not indicate that Allah hates the person. The student of knowledge knows this fact so he is always optimistic and hopes for relief. He says that if the relief will not come today, then tomorrow, and if not tommorow, then the day after. He does nor surrender to the calamity, like the hypocrite in [22:11]:
"And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss."
This Dunya is not always comfort, enjoyment, luxury, and happiness. There is sometimes happiness and sometimes distress. Allah made the state of the Dunya like this in order to test our patience at times of adversity and gratitude during times of prosperity.
"و إذ أذنب استغفر"
"and of those who repent when they fall into a sin"
If the Student of Knowledge commits a sin, He asks Allah to forgive him. This is contrary to the person who sins and sins continuously and does not ask Allah to forgive him. This person is a شقي; a wretched miserable person. The Student of the Knowledge is not the ideal, perfect person who never commit sins. He commits sins because he is human, but when he does, he immediately asks Allah to forgive him, and does not lose hope in Allah nor believe he is a hopeless case.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ وَخَيْرُ الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُون
"Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.’” [Ibn Majah]
This is the state of the true student of knowledge and believer, as Allah mentioned in Surah Aal-Imran [3:135] regarding the believers who will enter Paradise:
"And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allah - And do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know."
And in [4:17]:
"Allah accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allah will forgive and Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise."
جهالة is not ignorance. The student of knowledge is knowledgeable, but as Sheikh Fawzan mentioned in his commentary, has lack of forebearance, deliberation, and intellect when he commits the sin. He is hasty and does not think before he takes the wrong action.
If the person commits sins and does not repent, he is a wretched a person, who is afflicted with misery.
"فإنّ هؤلاء الثلاث عنوان السعادة"
"For these three issues are the core of happiness."
These three descriptions:
-> Being thankful when given
-> Patient when afflicted
-> Repentant when sinning
Are the core of happiness. Whoever is given all these three characteristics has achieved happiness, and whoever is deprived of all three or one of them is an unhappy person.
Shaikh Muhammed Ibn AbdulWahhab always prayed for his students in his books. We should pray for our students.
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