بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
11/1/1439H
The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَبْتَغِي فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَلَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ
Whoever takes a path upon which he seeks knowledge, then Allah makes a path to Paradise easy for him.
This either means that Allah will guide him to perform righteous deeds that will lead him to Paradise or that Allah will enter him into Paradise without any trouble or difficulty.
وَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ
And indeed the angels lower their wings in approval for the one seeking knowledge.
The Angels either truly lower their wings expressing their appreciation for what the seeker of knowledge is doing, or they stop flying and sit to listen to the knowledge.
وَإِنَّ الْعَالِمَ لَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ حَتَّى الْحِيتَانُ فِي الْمَاء
Indeed forgiveness is sought for the knowledgeable one by whomever is in the heavens and whomever is in the earth, even the fish in the waters.
We cannot enumerate the amount of creatures in the heavens and the earth, and yet all of them - the ones we know and we do not know, the ones we see and the ones we do not see, the ones in the heavens and the ones on the earth and the ones in the depths of the sea and in the air and on other planets - all seek Allah's forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge. This is an honour for the knowledgeable person.
وَفَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ
And superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like the superiority of the moon over the rest of the celestial bodies.
The moon enlightens the entire earth, whereas the stars do not enlighten the earth; they just enlighten themselves or the place they are in. The benefit of the Scholar reaches everyone, just like the superiority of the moon to the stars.
إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلاَ دِرْهَمًا إِنَّمَا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِهِ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ
Indeed the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets do not leave behind Dinar or Dirham. The only legacy of the scholars is knowledge, so whoever takes from it, then he has indeed taken the most able share. [At-Tirmithi]
There is a story related to narration of this Hadith:
عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ، قَالَ قَدِمَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلَى أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ وَهُوَ بِدِمَشْقَ فَقَالَ مَا أَقْدَمَكَ يَا أَخِي فَقَالَ حَدِيثٌ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُحَدِّثُهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ أَمَا جِئْتَ لِحَاجَةٍ قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ أَمَا قَدِمْتَ لِتِجَارَةٍ قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ مَا جِئْتَ إِلاَّ فِي طَلَبِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ....
Narrated Qais bin Kathir: "A man from Al-Madinah came to Abu Ad-Darda when he was in Dimashq. So he said: 'What brings you O my nephew?' He replied: 'A Hadith reached me which you have narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' He said: 'You did not come for some need?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Did you come for trade?' He said: 'No, I did not come except seeking this Hadith.' So he said: 'Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying....."
When Abu Dardaa رضي الله عنه was sure that the man had only travelled from Madinah to Damascus for that Hadith, he mentioned the aforementioned Hadith. This teaches us that whoever seeks beneficial knowledge purely for Allah's sake, what is mentioned in the Hadith will be his reward. This man travelled in search of one Hadith.
If you attend having this intention in your heart; to remove ignorance from yourself, to remove it from others, to protect the Religion from being forgotten, to defend and support the Religion, then this will be your reward.
Seeking knowledge is an عبادة (act of worship). We are thus required to have a pure intention. And the most important knowledge one should focus on, especially if he is in the beginning of his journey, is knowledge about Allah. When a person knows Allah very well, he will become content. This knowledge will help him overcome all the spiritual sicknesses that he has and his soul will be reformed.
#1 - To be Pleased with Allah as your Lord
a) To be pleased with Allah as our Lord (Rabb) who has brought us into existence, and provides us with sustenance, and all that we need in our existence.
We should be pleased with the share that Allah has written for us.
b) To be pleased with Allah as our Lord who bestowed upon us many blessings and to use these blessings in obedience to Allah.
c) To be pleased with Allah as our Lord with regards to what He opened for us of gates of goodness and use it to enter Paradise.
Allah is العليم الحكيم (Al-'Aleem Al-Hakeem) and knows what suits us. He may open the gate of knowledge for you, and open the gate of fasting or spending for your sister. Do not look at what Allah has opened for other people of gates of goodness. Be content with what Allah has given you of talents with which you can reach Paradise while you are pleased and Allah is pleased with you. Some people only look at performing abundant good deeds, and forget that it is not about the quantity of the matter, but the quality.
Pondering over one verse and acting upon it is better than reciting the entire Quran without Tadabbur. If you do an action with sincerity, it is better than doing many good deeds without sincerity. It is not about how much you do, but on how much you do it with Ihsan. This is what should concern you. And after you finish performing a good deed, ask Allah to accept it from you.
Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه did not have much fasting and prayer, but it was a matter that was established in his heart - his faith - which made him excel the rest of the companions.
d) To be pleased with what Allah has ordained upon us
You have to accept it whether it is something you like or dislike. When the Prophet ﷺ's son Ibrahim died, his eyes shed tears, and he said:
إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلاَ نَقُولُ إِلاَّ مَا يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا
The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord. [Bukhari]
The believer knows that there is something good behind whatever Allah decreed upon him. He will never doubt that something good is waiting for him if he experiences any misfortune or difficulty in his life. The person who does not know Allah is the one who immediately thinks bad about Allah when he goes through a difficulty. The believer thinks good about Allah and expects good.
Everyone is pleased with all during good decrees, but inspect your heart during the decrees which are disliked to you.
Whoever is pleased with Allah as His Lord, Islam as his Religion and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as his Prophet, will be able to answer the questions in his grave easily.
#2 - To be Pleased with Islam as your Religion
The person looks into every law and legislation and checks whether he is pleased with what Allah legislated. The believer, who is pleased with Islam as his Religion, says that these laws and legislations are ordained by One who is العليم الحكيم (Al-'Aleem, Al-Hakeem), who knows what is good for His slaves. He is All-Wise; He knows what to ordain for us which will conform to our nature and purify our souls.
Allah did not enjoin prayer, fasting, Zakat, Hajj, except to reform ourselves and purify our souls. There is good in every law that Allah ordained; there is purification in it for our souls. When you put your head on the ground in prostration, you are curing the pride you have in your heart. When you fast one month abstaining from food and drink, you are purifying your soul. The human soul loves money, so when you spend in Zakat, it purifies your soul.
E.g. The Prophet ﷺ said:
الْحَمْوُ الْمَوْتُ
The brother in law is death. [Muslim]
A woman says: "But when I got married to his brother he was just a baby and I raised him, he is like my son."
This is a law in the Religion of Islam. Are you pleased with Islam as your Religion? Do not open the gate of affliction for yourself. Say سعنا و أطعنا (We hear and we obey).
E.g. In Surah Al-Baqarah [2:282], Allah commands to write it down when you take a loan. A person may say, "But I trust him, I know him, etc."
If you are pleased with Islam as your Religion, you will say سمعنا و أطعنا (We hear and we obey)
#3 - To be Pleased with Muhammad ﷺ as your Messenger
To be pleased with Muhammad ﷺ as your Messengers entails reading his narrations and taking him as a good example to be followed in your life. You will not be able to take him as an example unless you learn his biography and characteristics, read about his Sunnah, his statements and actions, his relationship with his family, with his companions, with his enemies. If you do not know him, you will not be able to follow him. You should own and read the books of Hadith.
After knowing the meaning of رضيت بالله ربا و بالإسلام دينا و بمحمد نبيا, we should ask ourselves if we are truly pleased with Allah as our Lord, Islam as our Religion, and Muhammad ﷺ as our Prophet. If you are, you will have a good life and wellbeing in your heart. Your soul will be purified and you will be content. You will have صلاح البال. This is just one benefit of learning about Allah.
The Name "الله"
The most noble knowledge is the knowledge about Allah and the greatest verse in the Quran is Ayat alKursi because it talks about Allah. Surah AlIkhlas is equal to one third of the Quran, because it tells you who Allah is. Allah honored His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ by teaching Him about His noble self, and the Messenger ﷺ taught us.
If people are abandoning the noblest knowledge, then what are they acquiring? If they are acquiring Dunya related knowledge and ignore learning about who Allah is, will their degrees or worldly knowledge benefit them on the Day of Judgement? If a person does not know who Allah is, but is an expert is mathematics, he is not considered successful with Allah. How will he say my Lord is Allah in his grave, whilst he does not know who Allah is?
We have to know Allah by His Names, attributes, and actions. These are all included in the answer: ربي الله (My Lord is Allah). This is a very concise answer, which if a person answers with, he is considered a successful person with Allah. His grave will turn into a bed from Paradise, it will be made vast for him, and a window to Paradise will be opened for him.
Notice, he did not say ربي العزيز (My Lord is Al-'Azeez), nor ربي الرحيم (My Lord is Ar-Raheem), but he said ربي الله (My Lord is Allah). We have to know the meaning of the name "الله".
What is the secret behind the name of Allah "الله"? Shaikh Abdul-Razzaq Al-Badr حفظه الله answered this in Fiqh Al-Asmaa. He said that the name Allah has special characteristics:
من خصائص هذا الإسم أنه الأصل لجميع أسماء الله الحسنى و سائر الأسماء مضاف إليه و يوصف بها
From the characteristics of this name is that this name is the basis for all the names of Allah and all the other names are added to it.
E.g. You say Allah Ar-Rahman, Allah Al-Kareem, Allah Al-Hakeem, but you do not say Al-Kareem Allah or Al-Hakeem Allah. Allah includes the meaning of all the names of Allah - it includes the meanings of the name of Allah Al-Kareem, Ar-Rahman, etc.
This means that the more you know the names of Allah and their meanings in detail, the more you will strengthen and complete the meaning of the name "الله" in your heart. The less you know the names of Allah, the lesser the completion of the meaning of the name "الله" is in your heart.
Therefore, the person who says ربي الله in his grave knows who Allah الرحمن (Ar-Rahman), الرحيم (Ar-Raheem), الكريم (Al-Kareem), etc. is. He knows all the names, their meanings, the attributes they imply, and the impact of the attributes - which all fall under the meaning of the name "الله". We have to work throughout our lives learning more and more about Allah, in order to strengthen the meaning of الله in our hearts.
He also said:
من خصائص هذا الإسم أنه مستلزم لجميع معاني الأسماء الحسنى
From the characteristics of this name is that it requires the knowledge of the meaning of all the names.
The names of Allah explain and show us the attribute of the divinity of Allah in detail. All the attributes of majesty, glory, beneficence, are added to Al-Uloohiyah.
The more you learn the names of Allah, the more the name "الله" will be completed. It is easy to utter this name but it is difficult to complete its meaning, because it requires you to know the rest of the names of Allah, their meanings, and their impacts in detail. You need to learn about Allah and see the impacts of your Names in your life.
E.g. You learn about Allah Al-Aziz and see the impact of His عزة (Might) in your life.
As the days pass, you increase in knowledge about Allah, and you increase in certainty, until your lifespan comes to an end and you know who Allah, your Lord is.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
يُصَاحُ بِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى رُءُوسِ الْخَلاَئِقِ فَيُنْشَرُ لَهُ تِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ سِجِلاًّ كُلُّ سِجِلٍّ مَدَّ الْبَصَرِ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هَلْ تُنْكِرُ مِنْ هَذَا شَيْئًا فَيَقُولُ لاَ يَا رَبِّ فَيَقُولُ أَظَلَمَتْكَ كَتَبَتِي الْحَافِظُونَ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَلَكَ عُذْرٌ أَلَكَ حَسَنَةٌ فَيُهَابُ الرَّجُلُ فَيَقُولُ لاَ . فَيَقُولُ بَلَى إِنَّ لَكَ عِنْدَنَا حَسَنَاتٍ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ ظُلْمَ عَلَيْكَ الْيَوْمَ فَتُخْرَجُ لَهُ بِطَاقَةٌ فِيهَا أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ قَالَ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ مَا هَذِهِ الْبِطَاقَةُ مَعَ هَذِهِ السِّجِلاَّتِ فَيَقُولُ إِنَّكَ لاَ تُظْلَمُ . فَتُوضَعُ السِّجِلاَّتُ فِي كِفَّةٍ وَالْبِطَاقَةُ فِي كِفَّةٍ فَطَاشَتِ السِّجِلاَّتُ وَثَقُلَتِ الْبِطَاقَةُ
“A man from my nation will be called before all of creation on the Day of Resurrection, and ninety-nine scrolls will be spread out for him, each one extending as far as the eye can see. Then Allah will say: “Do you deny anything of this?” He will say: “No, O Lord.” He will say: “Have My recording scribes been unfair to you?” Then He will say: “Apart from that, do you have any good deeds?” The man will be terrified and will say: “No.” (Allah) will say: “Indeed, you have good deeds with Us, and you will not be treated unjustly this Day.” Then a card will be brought out on which is written Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah wa anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluhu (I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger). He will say: “O Lord, what is this card compared with these scrolls?” He will say: “You will not be treated unjustly.” Then the scrolls will be placed in one side of the Balance and the card in the other. The scrolls will go up (i.e., be light) and the card will go down (i.e., will weigh heavily).” [Ibn Majah]
We are thus required to learn the names of Allah in detail, their meanings, their attributes, the impacts of their attributes, and to live in accordance with it. Everything around you tells you who Allah is. Allah endears Himself to us through His favour and blessings, although He is in no need of us.
We can see the impacts, but we do not see. Allah is showing the impacts of His attributes, of His mercy, greatness, and the person does not see. Allah shows us His management and disposal of affairs. He shows us his protection, He shows us His might, yet we live our lives heedlessly - eating, sleeping, and going to work.
و من خصائصه: أنه لا يسقط عنه الألف و اللام في حال النداء
From its special characteristics is that you do not drop the Alif and Lam from it when it is preceded by ياء النداء (The ياء of Calling)
All the names of Allah start with ال. If you add "يا" to it, you omit the ال. Instead of الرحيم, you will say يا رحيم. However, when you add يا to الله, you do not cancel the ال. This is the only name where if you add يا المنادي, you do not omit the ال.
و من خصائصه أنه الاسم الذين اقترنت به عامة الأذكار المأثورة
Another characteristic of this Name is that is used in most of the remembrances of Allah.
E.g. سبحان الله، الحمد لله، لا اله الا الله، الله اكبر، لا حول و لا قوة الا بالله، بسم الله، حسبي الله
و من خصائصه: أنه أكثر أسماء الله الحسنى ورودا في القرآن الكريم، فقد ورد هذا الإسم في القرآن أكثر من ألفين و مائتي مرة، و هذا ما لم يقع لاسم آخر، و قد افتتح الله جل و علا به ثلاثا و ثلاثين آية
Another characteristic of this name is that it is the name which is mentioned most in the Quran. It is mentioned over two thousand two hundred times in the Quran, which does not occur with any other name, and Allah has opened thirty three Surahs with it.
And he mentioned that Ibn Qayyim رحمه الله said regarding the spiritual characteristic of this Name:
فما ذكر هذا الاسم في قليل إلا كثره، و لا عند الخوف إلا أزاله، و لا عند كرب إلا كشفه، و لا عند هم و غم إلا فرجه، و لا عند ضيق إلا وسعه، و لا تعلق به ضعيف إلا أفاده القوة، و لا ذليل إلا أناله العزة، و لا فقير إلا أصاره غنيا، و لا مستحوش إلا آنسه، و لا مغلوب إلا أيده و نصره، و لا مضطر إلا كشف ضره، و لا شريد إلا آواه، فهو الإسم الذي تكشف به الكربات و تستنزل به البركات و الدعوات و تقال به العشرات، و تستدفع به السيئات، و تستجلب به الحسنات..."
This Name is not mentioned on something little except that it becomes many, nor at the time of fear but it will remove it, nor during distress but it will relieve it, nor during grief but it will dispel it, nor during tightness but it will broaden it. It is not attached to by a weak person but he will be strengthened, nor one who is humiliated except that he will attain honour, nor one who is poor but he will be enriched, nor one who is lonely but he will find delight, nor an oppressed person but he will be supported, nor a person touched with harm but his harm will be removed. This is the Name by which distresses are removed, and blessings are sought, and evil is repelled, and good is attained...
The Meaning of the Name الله:
The best and most concise explanation of this Name is as narrated by Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him).
He said: الله ذو الألوهية و العبودية على خلقه أجمعين - Allah is the Owner of divinity and worship over all His creation
This meaning of the name comprises of two parts:
One part pertains to Allah and the second part pertains to the slave.
ذو الألوهية -> Allah
و العبودية على خلقة أجمعين -> The slave
ذوا = Owner (صاحب)
الألوهية = The one who deserves to be loved and magnified most
Why? Because He is the owner of perfect attributes. To Him belong the attributes of greatness, mercy, beauty, etc. Therefore, He deserves to be the God (إله) who is loved and magnified most.
People take Bhuddha as their god, loving and magnifying him, because they think that he has perfect good attributes. Hindus take Krishna and the cows as their gods, loving and magnifying them, because they think that they have perfect attributes. They see that they have attributes of greatness, kindness, mercy. The cow gives them milk, so they love it.
If someone takes someone as a god it means he loves and magnifies him. What makes him love and magnify him? He sees that he has perfect good attributes, so his heart becomes attached to him.
Only Allah deserved to be the God. Only He deserves to be worshipped with love and magnification, because only He is perfect in all aspects.
و العبودية على خلقة أجمعين
Allah is the One who deserves to have acts of worships directed to Him and no one else.
You call Allah and He responds to you. This indicates that He is near to you and knows what is in your heart. This should make you love Allah and magnify Him. Allah says in Surah Zukhruf [43:84]:
"It is He (Allah) Who is the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) in the heaven and the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) on the earth. And He is the All-Wise, the All-Knower."
He is the One loved, magnified, and worshipped, by those in the heavens. And He is the One loved, magnified, and worshipped, by those on the earth. This is the meaning of إله; of الله.
As-Sa'di رحمه الله said:
فهو تعالى المألوه المعبود، الذي يألهه الخلائق كلهم، طائعين مختارين، وكارهين
He is the One who is deified and worshipped by the entire creation; by those who do so obediently and willingly and those who do so unwillingly.
The people of the heavens and the people of the earth all worship Allah willingly and unwillingly. The believers worship Allah willingly and the disbelievers submit themselves to Allah unwillingly. Whenever the disbelievers are struck with any calamity they will admit with dislikeness that it is something beyond their ability; that someone more powerful than them had done this.When the disbelievers become sick and all the doctors fail to cure them, then Allah cures them by His power, they admit with unwillingness (كرها) that a powerful one had done this. Allah shows them and they have to admit. Yet they still disbelieve in Him.
The believers, however, submit willingly to Allah. They accept and are pleased with whatever He wills. They worship Allah with heart, tongue, body. These are the slaves of الرحمن (Ar-Rahman).
All the people of the Heavens and the earth submit to Allah's grandeur. If Allah wills death for them, they cannot repel it. If Allah wills life, they will live. If Allah wills to give them something, they will get it. They cannot avoid it. And this is what the believers know about Allah.
Thus, people are of two categories:
a) Those who worship Allah willingly
b) Those who worship Allah unwillingly
The meaning of the name Allah is mentioned in many Surahs in the Quran. For example:
#1 - Surah Ta-Ha [20:14]:
"Verily! I am Allah! La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship Me, and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance."
ذو الأولوهية - Related to Allah
"إنني أنا الله لا إله إلا أنا" - Verily! I am Allah! La ilaha illa Ana
على خلقه أجمعين - Related to the Slave
"فاعبدني" - so worship Me
#2 - Surah Al-Anbiya [21:25]:
"And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad SAW) but We inspired him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)."
ذو الألوهية - Related to Allah
"أنه لا إله إلا أنا" - (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)]
والعبودية على خلقه أجمعين - Related to the Slave
"فاعبدون" - so worship Me (Alone and none else)
#3 - Surah Maryam [19:65]:
"Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, so worship Him (Alone) and be constant and patient in His worship. Do you know of any who is similar to Him? (of course none is similar or coequal or comparable to Him, and He has none as partner with Him). [There is nothing like unto Him and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer]."
ذو الألوهية - Related to Allah
"هل تعلم له سميا" - "Do you know of any who is similar to Him?"
والعبودية على خلقه أجمعين - Related to the Slave
"فعبده واصْطَبِر لعبادته" - "and all that is between them, so worship Him (Alone) and be constant and patient in His worship."
This is the other way around. It is as if it is said: Worship Allah and be patient on His worship because there is no one similar to Allah in His attributes.
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