بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
12-8-1438H
The Prophet ﷺ said:
قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَجَبَتْ مَحَبَّتِي لِلْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَجَالِسِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَزَاوِرِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَبَاذِلِينَ فِيَّ
Allah Almighty said: My love is assured for those who love each other for my sake, who sit together for my sake, who visit each other for my sake, and who spend on each other for my sake [Musnad Ahmad #21525; Graded Saheeh by An-Nawawi]
If Allah loves you, your life will be a good life.
Of the goals we seek to attain is to increase in our knowledge about Allah day by day, and then accordingly, to increase in certainty. All of us have faith in Allah, the Angels, the Day of Judgement, but we lack in certainty. And this is the differentiating factor between us. There are some whose level of certainty is more than others, and this certainty motivates them to take the correct actions; actions which please Allah. We have to ask ourselves - has the knowledge we acquired made us reach the degree of certainty, so that we have no doubt, and so that it motivates us to take the correct actions?
Allah mentioned in the Quran that He is the One who shows us the signs in detail in order for us to reach the degree of certainty. Allah said in Surah Ar-Ra'd [13:2]:
"Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then, He Istawa (rose above) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course) for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord."
"الله الذي رفع السماوات بغير عمد ترونها" - Allah is the the One who raised the heavens without any Pillars you can see
"ثم استوى على العرش" - Then He rose over the Throne in a manner which suits His Majesty.
"و سخر الشمس و القمر كل يجري لأجل مسمى" - Allah subjected the sun and moon, and they all run their course to a specified time.
"يدبر الأمر" - Allah is the One managing and arranging the affairs of the whole creation.
"يفصل الآيات" - Allah shows us the signs in detail.
Why?
"لعلكم بلقاء ربكم توقنون" - That you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.
This is the purpose behind all what has been mentioned. Allah mentioned how He raised the heavens, subjected the sun and moon, etc. All these are signs from Allah, and Allah shows us His signs in detail, but how many of us have reached the degree of certainty in the meeting with Allah through these signs? No one has an excuse on the Day of Judgement - that no warner or signs came to him. It is enough for you to look into the Universal Signs and the Decreed Signs. The events you are going through are all signs of Allah.
Allah shows us signs after signs; what conclusion do you reach? We learn about our Creator. That He is Great, Merciful, High, Perfect, etc. Just as He manages the universal signs in the perfect way, He is managing our lives in the perfect way.
We learn about Allah from the Quran and Sunnah. After you learn, do you notice the signs of Allah? Reflect over the universal signs and decreed signs. When you observe these signs, your faith in Allah will increase, until it reaches the level of certainty.
When your faith increases, what will happen? Your way of thinking will be different. Your perspective will be different from others who do not have knowledge about Allah.
E.g. You have a relative who lost a beloved person in his life. You hear him saying, "I can't live without this person anymore, how will I manage my life without him, etc." and whenever you meet him, he remembers this deceased person in his life. Days and months pass and Allah, Al-Jabbar, will make him go through decreed events and busy him with it, until he forgets his sorrows. The deceased person becomes a forgotten distress. Allah, Al-Jabbar, is the One that made him forget.
E.g. A woman loves her deceased mother a lot. Months pass after the death of her mother, and she still mentions her. Allah, Al-Jabbar, mends her heart. She has an unmarried daughter and Allah brings a proposal for her daughter from where she did not expect. She started to become occupied with this engagement, forgetting the grief that was in her heart. Who had made her forget her grief and sorrow? No one except Allah. Allah is Al-Jabbar; the One who mends the broken hearts. Those who lose beloved ones have broken hearts, and no one can mend it except Allah.
You are an outsider witnessing these event happening to others. This is a sign for you, because Allah made you hear it, see it, and live it. You see how Allah mends the hearts of other people, and your belief in Allah will increase and increase until it reaches the degree of certainty; until you have no doubt that Allah is AlJabbar and mends broken hearts. Allah shows us the signs in detail, but we are either blind or seers. Allah teaches us who He is daily through the decrees that happen to us, but our problem is that we are heedless of Allah's actions and do not know how to explain it.
E.g. A mother has two unmarried daughters. She looks at her beautiful daughter, and feels at rest because she thinks that she can easily get proposals. She looks at her daughter who is not so beautiful, and thinks she needs more effort and dua to get her a husband. This is how people think - if a girl is beautiful, she will easily get a husband. If she is not, it will be difficult.
You may witness the one who is not beautiful getting proposals, or the one who is beautiful having a difficult marital life or it ending up with divorce, while the one who is not so beautiful lives
happily with her husband. How will you explain this situation?
Allah wants to teach us that marriage is a رزق (provision) from Allah. Allah يرزق من يشاء بغير حساب (provides for whomever He wills without limit). We do not decide the provision of Allah. Neither does beauty bring provision, nor does ugliness repel it. This is a mistake in our thinking. We do not know how to explain the situations we go through, although we know that Allah is الرزاق.
After Allah showed you this event in your life, you have a daughter that has reached the age of marriage. After Allah taught you about Him, how will you think and behave? Will you think as you did during the time of ignorance, when you did not know about Allah? Or has your way of thinking changed? This is what we want to reach - certainty in Allah's actions. And certainty is based on faith, and faith is based on knowledge. We have to learn and believe again and again until we reach the degree of certainty. Certainty will not come after one or two events, it will come through long times of ups and downs, failure and success in your life. يقين means that there is no doubt. No matter how much the people raise doubts, you will not listen to them, because you are certain in your heart. This is what we want to reach through our study of the Names of Allah.
Allah says in Surah Az-Zumar [39:9]:
"Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses)."
Allah honoured you with knowledge, so behave and think differently. Do not behave like the people of ignorance.The one who knows about Allah الستير is not like the one who does not know. When you know, you will deal with Allah differently.
E.g. If the Shaytan comes and makes you despair in the Mercy of Allah, your certainty will come and say: No, there is no desperation in the Mercy of Allah.
The Shaytan says there is no hope in the guidance of your children, you will say: No, as long as I am alive there is hope, Allah is able to guide them, He guides whomever He wills, etc. How much has Allah bestowed upon me, taken care of me, taught me, relieved me from distress? We should feel ashamed of ourselves if we think bad about Allah.
Do not accept any thought that cuts your way to Allah. Always walk to Allah while having حسن الظن بالله (Good Thoughts about Allah) The Prophet ﷺ said,
لاَ يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللَّه
"Do not let any of you die except while he is thinking good about Allah" [Ibn Majah]
There are many thoughts which are contagious. When you sit with people who are ignorant, you will think like them. If you sit with materialistic people, you will become like them. If you sit with people who are ungrateful, they will make you like them. Be careful of who you accompany. The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالْجَلِيسِ السَّوْءِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ، وَكِيرِ الْحَدَّادِ، لاَ يَعْدَمُكَ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا تَشْتَرِيهِ، أَوْ تَجِدُ رِيحَهُ، وَكِيرُ الْحَدَّادِ يُحْرِقُ بَدَنَكَ أَوْ ثَوْبَكَ أَوْ تَجِدُ مِنْهُ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً
"The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof." [Al-Bukhari]
We are either sitting with a حامل المسك or a كير الحداد. You are a person whom Allah honoured with knowledge; you have to behave differently from those who have no knowledge. This is how you thank Allah for the knowledge He granted you.
Allah says, "لعلكم بلقاء ربكم توقنون" - That you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord
This is the whole story.
The Name of Allah العليم
Continuation: Q. Since knowledge is a common attribute between Allah and the creation, how do we establish Tawheed with regards to it?
To establish Tawheed, we have to single Allah out in that attribute and negate it from others. But since knowledge is a common attribute between Allah and the Creation, we have to attribute Perfect complete knowledge to Allah and attribute deficient knowledge to the creation. We need to compare the knowledge of the creation with the knowledge of Allah in order to know how to make Tawheed.
The Knowledge of the Creation
What made many people become atheists, feel proud, reject Islam? They are deceived with the knowledge that they have, and the feats they have accomplished in technology.
What is the reality of the knowledge of the creation?
1) The knowledge of the creation can never encompass anything of the knowledge of Allah.
In Ayat Al-Kursi [2:255]:
"Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter . And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great."
"و لا يحيطون بشيء من علمه إلا بما شاء" - And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge, except that which He wills.
2) The creation do not know except what Allah teaches them.
-> Allah said regarding Adam عليه السلام and the Angels in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:30-32]:
"And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You." He (Allah) said: "I know that which you do not know."
"And He taught Adam all the names (of everything) , then He showed them to the angels and said, "Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful."
"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."
-> Allah addresses the Prophet ﷺ in Surah An-Nisa [4:113]:
"Had not the Grace of Allah and His Mercy been upon you (O Muhammad), a party of them would certainly have made a decision to mislead you, but (in fact) they mislead none except their own selves, and no harm can they do to you in the least. Allah has sent down to you the Book (The Quran), and Al-Hikmah (Islamic laws, knowledge of legal and illegal things i.e. the Prophet's Sunnah - legal ways), and taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad)."
الكتاب = The Quran
الحكمة = The Sunnah
"و علّمك ما لم تكن تعلم"
The Prophet ﷺ was illiterate. He had never read or written a Book. Everything he said and taught was from Allah. This was the miracle of the Prophet ﷺ. He was an illiterate man who brought knowledge which people are still discovering now. Undoubtedly, this knowledge can only be from Allah, العليم.
-> Yusuf عليه السلام said in Surah Yusuf [12:101]:
""My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me the interpretation of dreams; The (only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Wali (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, etc.) in this world and in the Hereafter, cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous."
"من تأويل الأحاديث"
Allah taught Yusuf عليه السلام some of the knowledge of interpretation of dreams.
-> Allah said regarding Dawud عليه السلام in Surah Al-Anbiya [21:80]:
"And We taught him the making of metal coats of mail (for battles), to protect you in your fighting. Are you then grateful?"
-> Allah said regarding both Dawud and Sulayman عليهما السلام in Surah An-Naml [27:15-16]:
"And indeed We gave knowledge to Dawud (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon), and they both said: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has preferred us above many of His believing slaves!"
"And Sulaiman (Solomon) inherited (the knowledge of) Dawud (David). He said: "O mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and on us have been bestowed all things. This, verily, is an evident grace (from Allah)."
Who gave Sulayman and Dawud عليهما السلام knowledge? Allah.
What did they say?
"و قالوا الحمد لله" - They said all praise and thanks be to Allah.
This is the attitude of the believers, they thank Allah for the knowledge He gave them.
"علمنا منطق الطير و أوتينا من كل شيء"
How did Sulayman عليه السلام understand the speech of the hoopoe and the ant? Who taught him the Speech of these creation? No one except Allah.
-> Al-Khidr in Surah Al-Kahf [18:65]:
"Then they found one of Our slaves, unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us."
"من لدنا" - from Us
Al-Khidr knew of some things which would happen in the future, which is why he made a hole in the ship, killed the boy, built the wall. Who taught him what will happen in the future? No one except Allah.
-> Allah said regarding Eesa عليه السلام in Surah Al-Maa'idah [5:110]:
"(Remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection). "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Remember My Favour to you and to your mother when I supported you with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)] so that you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and when I taught you writing, Al-Hikmah (the power of understanding), the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel); and when you made out of the clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My Permission, and you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My Permission, and you healed those born blind, and the lepers by My Permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My Permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from you (when they resolved to kill you) since you came unto them with clear proofs, and the disbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.' "
-> Allah taught all the Prophets and Messengers, and He taught all humans. Allah taught us the Quran.
In Surah Ar-Rahman [55:1-2]:
"The Most Beneficent (Allah)!"
"Has taught (you mankind) the Quran (by His Mercy)."
-> Who taught us to hold and write with the pen? Allah. In Surah Al-Alaq [96:4-5]:
"Who has taught (the writing) by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet Idrees (Enoch)]."
"Has taught man that which he knew not."
All what we have of knowledge is taught to us by Allah and no one else. We have to thank Allah for this blessing
However, instead of praising Allah and thanking Allah for the blessing of knowledge, people attribute their knowledge and intelligence to themselves, their course, the teacher, etc. We talk about everything except Allah.
Even if we do mention Allah for a second, we will talk about our intelligence, the means and precautions we took, the teacher we learnt from, etc. for one hour All this indicates that we are not thanking Allah for the blessing. Our heart is filled with the means and not Allah. The person whose heart is filled with Allah will always talk about Allah; He will feel ashamed to talk about other than Allah.
Allah said in Surah Az-Zumar [39:49]:
"When harm touches man, he calls to Us (for help), then when We have (rescued him from that harm and) changed it into a favour from Us, he says: "Only because of knowledge (that I possess) I obtained it." Nay, it is only a trial, but most of them know not!"
"قال إنما أوتيته على علم"
He does not even say, "آتَانِي الله" (Allah gave me). He says, "أوتيت", not even mentioning Allah.
"على علم" = Because of a knowledge I possess.
Man forgets Allah and just talks about his intelligence, experience, the means, the precautions, the university, etc. He talks about everything except Allah, as if he is the one who created his own ability and power to take the means. As if he brought everything, including the means, into existence.
This is like Qarun, when he said, as mentioned in Surah Al-Qasas [28:78]:
"He said: "This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount (of riches) they had collected. But the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) will not be questioned of their sins (because Allah knows them well, so they will be punished without account)."
"بل هي فتنة و لأكن أكثرهم لا يعلمون"
But this is just a test - will you think good about Allah or not? Will you thank Allah or not?
3) Our Knowledge in comparison to the Knowledge of Allah is very little, in spite of the abundant knowledge the children of Adam عليه السلام have acquired.
Men came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about the soul in our bodies. Allah then revealed in Surah Al-Isra'a [17:85]:
"And they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the Ruh (the Spirit); Say: "The Ruh (the Spirit): it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little."
Those who boast that they have Phd's and degrees do not even know about the nature of the soul which is between their two sides. They only know what Allah told us, that it departs the body when we sleep, and may or may not return, and at the time of death our eyes will follow the soul, and it will either reach the Illiyeen, or the gates of the heavens will be closed for it, then it will be returned to the body in the grave, and will be either in delight or torment. Do we know anything more that that?
We have to admit that our knowledge is nothing in comparison to the knowledge of Allah. In the story of Musa and Khidr عليهما السلام, when they both embarked on the ship, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice in the sea. Al-Khidr said, "O Musa! My knowledge and your knowledge compared to Allah's Knowledge is like the amount of water taken by this sparrow from the sea with its beak" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Do not be deceived by the technology you see nowadays. Who taught them? Allah.
What should our attitude be if we really believe that Allah is the One teaching us? We should show humility to Allah and not be arrogant. The Scholars said that the sign of the knowledge of a person is that the more Allah teaches him, the more he shows humbleness. And the sign of the ignorance of a person is that as Allah teaches him more, as he shows arrogance. Humility should be the impact of our knowledge on us. We should not feel arrogance in our heart towards people.
The knowledge of the Prophets and all the creation in comparison to the Knowledge of Allah is nothing. Then what about our knowledge? "و ما أوتيتم من العلم إلا قليلا" - And of knowledge, you (mankind) have only been given a little.
The Words of Allah (كلمات الله) are either:
1) Legal Words
2) Universal Words
If you use the ocean to be ink to write the words of Allah, and bring 7 seas to supply it, and take all the trees on earth to be pens, all these will exhaust, and the Words of Allah will never exhaust. This show us that we are nothing and our knowledge is nothing in comparison to Allah,
Comparing our knowledge to Allah is like comparing our ability with His ability, our wisdom with His wisdom. We can never be compared to Allah. We are weak, in need, incapable. And Allah is Perfect, and His knowledge is Perfect. The Prophet ﷺ said,
"...I cannot enumerate your praise, You are as you have praised yourself." [An-Nasaa'i]
In Salaat Al-Istikharah we say:
وَتَعْلَمُ وَلا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلامُ الْغُيُوبِ
"...And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things...." [Al-Bukhari]
The more you show humility to Allah, the more He will teach you.
In Surah Al-Baqarah [2:216]:
"Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know."
Allah is addressing the most knowledgeable nation, which is us, the Muslim nation.
"والله يعلم و أنتم لا تعلمون"
Look into your life and what you like and do not like of situations. Whatever you do not like is good for you. Allah knows, and you do not know. Any situation which is bothering you, disturbing you, upsetting you is good for you, because Allah knows and you do not know. This is what our belief should be.
-> Allah will say to the Messengers on the Day of Judgement as mentioned in Surah AlMaaidah [5:109]:
"On the Day when Allah will gather the Messengers together and say to them: "What was the response you received (from men to your teaching)? They will say: "We have no knowledge, verily, only You are the All-Knower of all that is hidden (or unseen, etc.)."
Why do they say this? This indicates their good manners, and that they know for sure that even the knowledge they have is nothing in comparison to Allah's knowledge,
"الغيوب" - This is mentioned in plural. Allah knows all the unseen.
If you bring a lamp on a sunny day and light it, will it have any effect? This is our knowledge in comparison to the knowledge of Allah, and this is what the Messengers admitted. We have to admit in order to humble ourselves. When you humble yourself, Allah will give you more. But if you feel satisfied with knowledge and that you do not need to attend a course or study it means that you are on the way of ignorance. We have to admit that we have no knowledge.
4) No deficiency, forgetfulness, ignorance befalls the knowledge of Allah. However, we as humans forget, are ignorant of many things, and our knowledge is deficient.
Allah negated forgetfulness from Himself in Surah Maryam [19:64]:
"And we (angels) descend not except by the Command of your Lord (O Muhammad). To Him belongs what is before us and what is behind us, and what is between those two, and your Lord is never forgetful,"
In Surah Ta-Ha [20:45]:
"[Musa (Moses)] said: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord, in a Record. My Lord is neither unaware nor He forgets, "
In Surah Ya-Sin [36:79]:
"Say: (O Muhammad) "He will give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He is the All-Knower of every creation!"
5) Never does a knowledge of something occupy Allah from another knowledge
When Allah knows something, it does not mean that He is ignorant of something else. He knows everything and the affairs of everyone, unlike us.
E.g. Hearing.
Allah's Hearing never occupies Him from hearing other things. For us humans, if only two people speak at the same time, we cannot concentrate and hear them both clearly. As for Allah, if all the creation invoked Him at the same time, He hears them all equally, and knows what is in all their hearts equally. Never does the knowledge or hearing of some of them occupy Him from the knowledge of hearing of others.
E.g. We may be experts in mathematics while having no knowledge about science. To be an expert in both is too much for us to handle. Allah knows all the Knowledges. When you see the deficiency in us, you would know the perfection of Allah.
In Surah An-Nahl [16:78]:
"And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allah)."
"لا تعلمون شيء"
Our knowledge is preceded with ignorance. We did not know, and Allah slowly taught us.
Allah has always been العليم and will always be العليم. Knowledge is a صفة ذاتية; an essential attribute of Allah. There has never come and will never come a stage where Allah does not know.
There are sects that claim that Allah does not know about a thing except after it happens. Allah knows about everything even before it happens. And there are sects that claim that Allah knows generally and not in detail. They have forged a lie against Allah. Allah's Knowledge is comprehensive and covers the details of matters.
What happens to our knowledge? It is not permanent; we forget. Our knowledge is followed with forgetfulness. We are bound between ignorance and forgetfulness, whereas Allah's Knowledge has always been perfect and will always be perfect.Allah is far above what people forge against Him.
Al-Khattab said regarding the knowledge of the creation, "Even though the sons of Adam are attributed with knowledge, it is directed to certain knowledges, and they may have it in one state, and not in another state. They may be afflicted with a sickness or an affliction which results in their ignorance after having knowledge and forgetfulness after knowing"
You cannot find anyone who has knowledge of everything. Even the Scholars do not know worldly knowledge in detail, except what they need. Humans do not have the ability to comprehend the knowledge of everything. And Allah's knowledge is real and perfect.
Conclusion: It is does not suit the deficient human to judge the actions of the One who is Perfect . If we admit that we are deficient in our knowledge, then how can we judge Allah who is perfect in His knowledge and Attributes?
This is one way of making Da'wah to Scientists and their like, who are arrogant and disbelieve in the Creator because of their knowledge. You can use this approach in order to show them who they are in comparison to Allah.
Comments
Post a Comment