بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم.
"Indeed there was for Saba' (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling place, - two gardens on the right hand and on the left (and it was said to them) "Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him, a fair land and an OftForgiving Lord."
17-4-1438H
Who do you deal with at work?
What do people do when they need to work? They search for a job online, on a newspaper, ask people, etc. That is the first thing they do. But what is the first thing they should do? Have faith in their Lord; in الرب.
Linguistic Meaning: The Owner, the Master, the Arranger, the Educator, the Guardian, the Reformer, the Bestower, the Mender
Religious Meaning: Allah is the Lord of the worlds, the worshipped of all the worshippers. He owns the owner of the house, and owns what is owned by him, and He owns all the creation.
This Name compromises of many descriptive actions of Allah such as Creating, Bestowing, Giving, Restraining, etc.
His Lordship is of two types:
1) General Nurturing
This is for all His creation; the disbelievers and the believers, the faithful and unfaithful slaves. Allah nurtures them through creation, sustenance, arrangement, mastery.
2) Special Nurturing
This is nurturing His pious worshippers; His Prophets, the faithful, the believers, by reforming their hearts, souls, morals. Therefore you find them invoking Him by this glorious Name as they request this special nurturing.
When you are near to الرب, He will be the first one in your heart, and the first one you think of when you need a job. When you find yourself thinking of your Lord before anything else when in need, then it is indication you are one of the pious. But if you find yourself immediately running to the newspapers, going online, asking friends, until when you do not find anything, you raise your hands and ask your رب, then you are just like everyone else.
-> Allah's Lorship is so grand and glorious is that He is free from all flaws and defects. In Surah An-Naml [27:8]:
"But when he came to it, he was called: "Blessed is whosoever is in the fire, and whosoever is round about it! And glorified be Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)."
سبحان = Negating all bad things from the thing that is described.
-> Allah's Lordship is so grand that it is a lordship of forgiveness. In Sura Saba [34:15]:
-> Allah's Lordship is a lordship of mercy and help. That is why we should first think of Him when we need anything. In Surah AlAnbiya [21:112]:
"He (Muhammad ﷺ) said:"My Lord! Judge You in truth! Our Lord is the Most Beneficent, Whose Help is to be sought against that which you attribute (unto Allah that He has offspring, and unto Muhammad ﷺ that he is a sorcerer, and unto the Quran that it is poetry, etc.)!"
-> It is a Lorship of honour, power, might. In Surah Sad [38:66]:
"The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving."
It is a Lordship so grand that Allah settled over His Throne, and yet He alone arranges all the matters of the Kingdom. He gives sustenance. He gives life and takes it away, He restrains and expands, He responds to the needy. And He is over His Throne.
One of Allah's Name that refers to ownership is الملك. And there are three Names: المالك، الملك، المليك
The Linguistic Meaning: المالك is the one who owns things, full ability is at his disposal.
The Religious Meaning: Allah is the Omnipotent King and Owner. The sources and the solutions all belong to Him. He is settled over His Throne, and nothing is concealed from Him. He is the King of all Kings.
Whenever people think of someone to help them, they think of someone who has high ability; more power. And yet the highest of people are all slaves under the Kingdom of the real King.
He is the ultimate possessor who disposes everything. He gives power to whomever He wills and takes it away from whoever He wills.
We all already know this, but is it in our hearts? We are not practicing this knowledge and using it in this life.
-> Allah has no partner or assistants with Him in His Kingship. He says in Surah Al-Mu'minoon [23:116]:
"So Exalted be Allah, the True King, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne!"
All the other Kings are false kings because their kingdoms will eventually fade away. They will either leave the kingdom, or the kingdom will leave them.
And Allah says in Surah AlFurqan [25:2]:
"He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has begotten no son (children or offspring) and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion. He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements."
-> In Surah At-Taghabun [64:1]:
"Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. His is the dominion, and to Him belong all the praises and thanks, and He is Able to do all things."
الحمد لله our sustenance is in no ones hands except Allah.
One of the Names of Allah which all Muslims know is الصمد; The Self Sufficient Master. In Surah Al-Ikhlas [112:1-2]:
"Say (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him): "He is Allah, (the) One."
"Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks)."
When we want to get a job we should show our need to Him, go to Him, ask Him, because we are in great need of Him.
Linguistic Meaning: The obeyed Master, the one who is needed, none is above Him, the sublime in everything.
Religious Meaning: Allah is الصمد, the Master who is Perfect in His Glory, The Honourable who is perfect in his honour, The Great who perfect in his greatness, The Forgiver who is perfect in his pardoning, The Rich who is perfect in richness, for He is Allah, All Praise be to Him. He is resorted to by all creatures; humans and jinn. The whole universe resorts to Him. He is Self Sufficient to the degree that He neither eats nor drinks, begets not nor is begotten. He is Rich and Mighty in all aspects.
This Name indicates many attributes all of which include vastness, abundance, and ampleness.
When we resort to Allah and show our poverty and need, what do we think that He will do to us? That He will answer our requests and our need, because one of His Names is المجيب. In Surah Hud [11:61]:
"And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Salih (Saleh). He said: "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no other Ilah (God) but Him. He brought you forth from the earth and settled you therein, then ask forgiveness of Him and turn to Him in repentance. Certainly, my Lord is Near (to all by His Knowledge), Responsive."
"Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong."
It is our because of our belief that He will respond to us and answer our call that we ask Him.
Linguistic Meaning: The one who responds
Religious Meaning: Allah is the responder to the needs of the supplicant. His answering has two types:
1) General
For whoever asks for, it if they supplicate in the right way, wherever and whoever they are.
2) Special
This is for those who obey Him, submit to His laws, are sincere in their supplication and worship, and who put their hope in the Creator.
The human being becomes angry when he is asked multiple times. But as the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ لَمْ يَدْعُ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ غَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ
"Whoever does not call upon Allah, He will be angry with him." [Ibn Majah #3827]
This is contrary to the human beings,who do not like people to ask them, even if they have. Allah even answers the disbelievers if they are sincere in their supplication. The disbelievers, when in great agony, do not ask any of their deities, they go directly to Allah, as Allah says in Surah Al-Ankabut [29:65]:
"And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him only, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others."
Why do you go to work? To earn a living. But we deal with things as if living comes from work. If you want money you directly use your ATM card with great certainty and no thinking of Allah, expecting the money to come out of the machine. You are very sure that you will get the money. But how many times have you gone to the machine and it was not working? How many times have you found that there was no money in it? How many times have you looked for your card because you forgot where you put it? The materialism we live in makes our hearts hard. We need to soften it. Before you go to withdraw any money, ask Allah الرزاق for sustenance. Before you put your card, say بِسْم الله, while your heart is with Allah - that He will give you the money. If the amount that you want comes, say الحمد لله. He is the One who provided it for you.
Allah is الرزاق; The All-Provider
And He is الرازق;The Ever Provider
Allah says in Surah Al-Maa'idah [5:114]:
"Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread (with food) that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a festival and a sign from You; and provide us sustenance, for You are the Best of sustainers."
Allah also says in Surah Adh-Dhariyat [51:58]:
عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ غَلاَ السِّعْرُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ سَعِّرْ لَنَا . فَقَالَ " إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمُسَعِّرُ الْقَابِضُ الْبَاسِطُ الرَّزَّاقُ
Narrated Anas "Prices became excessive during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so they said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Set prices for us!' So he said: 'Indeed Allah is Al-Musa'ir, Al-Qabid, Al-Basit, Ar-Razzaq" [At-Tirmithi #1314]
Linguistic Meaning: The extreme of the Providers.
Rizq is if two types:
1) Apparent
E.g. Food which is for the body
2) Inner
E.g. Knowledge which is for the heart and soul
Most people who ask for provision ask for the apparent type of رزق, while their hearts are starving, thirsty, weak, sick. Most human beings are not looking to feed their hearts.
Religious Meaning: Allah is the Constant Provider to all creatures. He provides both the believers and disbelievers; So, If the disbelievers or believers have food it does not mean Allah loves or does not love them - this is something general for the creation.
His sustenance for the Slaves is of two kinds:
1) With the person taking the means for it
In Surah Al-AlHijr [15:20]:
"And We have provided therein means of living, for you and for those whom you provide not [moving (living) creatures, cattle, beasts, and other animals]."
2) Without the person taking the means
E.g. A newborn baby's father passed away leaving behind huge amount of wealth. This baby did not do anything to get this wealth.
Allah gives the slave divine sustenance and gifts without the slave having to do anything, as it is destined for the slave. Sometimes you get gifts, and you have done nothing to get it. It is a rizq from Allah.
Allah is sublime in giving sustenance to all creatures. This is for the body. In Surah Al-Ankaboot [29:60]:
"And so many a moving (living) creature there is, that carries not its own provision! Allah provides for it and for you. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower."
Not all creatures gather its sustenance and save it for tomorrow. The bird, for example, go out every morning depending on Allah for their sustenance, and they return with their bellies full. Allah makes it easy for them to get sustenance in spite of their weakness. He sends sustenance to every creature including the birds in the air and the fish in the water.
There is special sustenance, which is sustenance for His obedient worshippers, and that is sustenance of the heart. There are people who have starving hearts, which need to be quenched. Allah provides the heart with knowledge, faith, love of Allah, fear of Allah, hope in Him.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَسَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ أَخْلاَقَكُمْ، كَمَا قَسَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ أَرْزَاقَكُمْ
"Allah Almighty shared out your character between you as He divided your provision between you" [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad #275]
And Allah glory and honour be to Him gives the Dunya to whom He loves and whom He does not love. But He does not give faith except to whom He loves,
Look in your heart. How is your faith? How quick it is it increasing? Is it the same as it was 5 years ago? Do you feel it is stable and unshaky? You know if Allah loves you or not from your faith. If you are always trying to increase your faith, it's a proof that Allah loves you, you want Him to love you,
The ultimate sustenance is in Paradise. Allah said in Surah Ghafir [40:40]:
"Whosoever does an evil deed, will not be requited except the like thereof, and whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female and is a true believer (in the Oneness of Allah), such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided therein (with all things in abundance) without limit."
Allah, the Praiseworthy, says in Surah Sad [38:54]:
"(It will be said to them)! Verily, this is Our Provision which will never finish;"
No matter how great our provision in this Dunya, it will finish. We will either die and leave it, or it will leave us.
The best sustenance in Paradise is seeing Allah and having the Pleasure of Allah. The believers in Paradise have two ranks:
1) People who see Allah every Friday
2) People who see Allah twice a day
The reward is waiting for you, you just need to work hard to get it, because you trust the One who promised you. He promised that we get to see Him, but most people do not reach the high standard due to the weakness of faith.
Knowing the grandeur of this Name will make a person never feel in poverty, because our sustenance is destined to reach us.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Provision chases the servant of Allah more than death" [At-Tabarani]
No one can escape death. Likewise, no one can escape a sustenance which Allah has destined to reach you, whether you run away from it or look for it.
You got the job. People commit so many sins why they are in their work place. They backbite, gossip, mix with the opposite sex, misuse time, corruption, etc.
What are the Names of Allah which if they bear in mind, they would not do these things?
The Name of Allah السميع. Allah said in Surah Shura [42:11]:
"The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from yourselves, and for the cattle (also) mates. By this means He creates you (in the wombs). There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer."
Allah is السميع whose hearing has encompassed everything that can be heard. Sometimes we work with different nationalities. When you do not want a person to know what you are saying, you use your own language. Allah is السميع. The person may hear but not understand, but Allah hears everything and understands all languages. His hearing is of two kinds:
1) He hears all hidden sounds, to the extent of complete comprehension of all of them.
Sometimes people talk loudly, other times quietly, other times within themselves. Allah hears it all.
2) Responding to those who call Him
In Surah Ibrahim [14:39]:
"All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has given me in old age Isma'il (Ishmael) and Ishaque (Isaac). Verily! My Lord is indeed the All-Hearer of invocations."
When the worshippers says سمع الله لمن حمده in his prayer it means Allah responds to those who praise Him, that is why we say ربنا و لك الحمد - because He hears, responds, and rewards us when we say it.
The Grander of this Name: No sound or language is misunderstood by Allah. Sometimes we talk the same language but misunderstand each other. No sound can occupy or overload Him. If we all invoke him with all different languages at the same time, He will hear us all and is able to respond to all of our invocations.
Sins can be spoken sins and sins of the limbs. Allah is البصير. In Surah Shura [42:11]:
"The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from yourselves, and for the cattle (also) mates. By this means He creates you (in the wombs). There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer."
Linguistic Meaning: The one who can see things, either apparent or hidden.
Religious Meaning: Allah is the All-Seeing, His seeing has encompassed every visible and invisible thing in the heavens and earth.
1) He has perfect vision. Nothing is concealed from Him whether in the heavens or the earth
2) He has insight. He knows the nature of everything.
When you say "you're right" to the person, Allah knows whether you actually approve of what the other person is saying, or you just want to end the conversation.
He is Able to see the movement of the black ant on the black rock in the blackness of the night and He can even see its internal organs. The One who created it knows and sees everything. He can see the tiny details of the creation of the bee, of the ant, of even at atom, and even smaller than that.
If you did not say anything or do anything, but you have something hidden in your heart, Allah is العليم. In Surah Baqarah [2:32]:
"They (angels) said: "Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us. Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise."
Linguistic Meaning: Knowing the thing and recognizing it with its reality
Religious Meaning: Allah is العليم, He knows what has happened, what had happened, what is happening, what will happen, what has not yet happened. His Knowledge is comprehensive of all matters, the open and the hidden, the things that will happen, and the things which are impossible to happen. Nothing can escape His Knowledge in any moment of time or any place. The unseen to Him is seen, the secret to Him is announced, the veiled to Him is unveiled. We can never hide from Him in any place or time.
Allah wrote the destiny of all creation before He created the heavens and earth by 50,000 years. All destinies occur according to His precise Knowledge, without delay, failure, change.
Allah is الشهيد - The All Witness.
Allah is the All-Witness, nothing can be hidden from Him.
Many people take things from the workplace, thinking that no one sees them. Allah is a witness over what you are doing, and it is written in you record.
Allah witnesses everything, and He is over His Throne.
His witness includes knowledge, vision, organization, ability. He testifies His oneness in Surah Aal-Imran [3:18]:
"Allah bears witness that La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), and the angels, and those having knowledge (also give this witness); (He is always) maintaining His creation in Justice. La ilah illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the All-Mighty, the All-Wise."
The Angels and those who have knowledge also witness to this. And this is the greatest and highest witness coming from the Most Sublime.
He also is a witness for the weak and oppressed, and this witness necessitates support and help. And this witness will ultimately be on the Day of Judgement. In Surah AlHajj [22:17]:
"Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ), and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah, truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily! Allah is Witness over all things."
If nothing happened to the person who commits sins in this life, then one of Allah's Names is الديّان;- He is the most accurate Judge.
The Prophet ﷺ said: The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection naked, uncircumcised and Buhman.’” I said: “What is Buhman?” He replied: “Nothing with them. Then He (Allah) will call them with a sound that all those who are far can hear, as well as those who are near, ‘I am the King, I am the Dayyaan, there is no one from the people of Hell that will enter the Hell-Fire and he has a right with one of the people of Paradise until I set off his right. And there is no one from among the people of Paradise that will enter Paradise and he owes a right to one of the people of Hell, until I set off his right, even if it was a slap (on the face).’” We said: “How would that be, while we come unto Allah naked, uncircumcised and having nothing with us? ” He ﷺ said: “By the good and evil deeds.” [Ahmed, Bukhari, AlBaihaqi]
Ad-Dayyan is The Ruler; The Judge; The Obeyed King. The whole universe is inferior to His greatness. He takes full account of all Slaves, judging all of them fairly. He is so accurate in His judgement, He does not punish the disbelievers for doing harm to the believer, but even the believer for doing harm for the believer. He prevents his follower from entering Paradise until He settles accounts, even though the believer is beloved to Him.
Many people commit sins. Is there a way to go back from their sins? Yes. They should repent. Allah's Name is التواب; He is the Acceptor of Repentance. In Surah Al-Baqarah [2:128]:
"Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajj and 'Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful."
Linguistic Meaning: To quit the sin in the best possible manner.
Religious Meaning: Allah is التواب. He described himself as the Acceptor of Repentance in the extreme exaggeration form. The repentance of the slave is surrounded by two actions from His Lord:
1) He guides and opens the door to repent for His slave
2) He accepts the repentance and is pleased with the slave
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اللَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ سَقَطَ عَلَى بَعِيرِهِ، وَقَدْ أَضَلَّهُ فِي أَرْضِ فَلاَةٍ
"Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than anyone of you is pleased with finding his camel which he had lost in the desert." [Bukhari #6309]
Allah does not need our repentance. We need it. He prepared the cause of repentance for us and accepts it from us. It is only logical that we love Him and be shy of Him.
Conditions for Repentance:
1) Sincerity; Not out of fear of anything or hope from anyone
2) Regret.
Whenever the person remembers his sin, he is displeased.
There are people who think they have repented, but when they remember what they did before, instead of feeling ashamed, they boast about their previous acts of disobedience, This is not the feeling of the person who repents.
3) Stop doing the sin.
If it is a related to one of the rights of Allah, and it is a prohibited deed, he should abstain, and if it an obligation, he should perform it. If I it is related to the rights of people he should hasten to fulfill their rights. If he is unable to, he should ask forgiveness for the owner.
4) Resolve never to go back to it
5) Repent before death or before the sun rises from the west.
Why does Allah accept our repentance? Because He is الرحمن الرحيم. Allah said in Surah AlBaqarah [2:163]:
"And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God - Allah), La ilaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful."
الرحمن is the One with vast mercy. He gives it to every creature, obedient or disobedient; believer or disbeliever. All the good things that happen in the universe happen as a result of His mercy. Any problem or evil that is prevented is a result of His mercy. That is why Allah combines His Name الرحمن with استوى على العرش (Rising over the Throne) in some verses in the Qur'an;- Because the Throne is the greatest of all that is created, and it surrounds everything. Similarly, His mercy extends over everything as well.
The Grandeur of this Name: Allah created 100 mercies, out of which He sent one for humans, jinn, and animals with which they are merciful and compassionate to one another. And He delayed 99 mercies which He will bestow on the Day of Judgement. Each mercy is as vast as the vastness of the heavens and earth.
His Mercy is so glorious that it has preceded His wrath. It is not exclusive to the faithful slaves, but also covers their offspring as an honour for them.
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