بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الشهيد الرقيب
Ash-Shaheed, Ar-Raqeeb
Positions these Names are mentioned in the Qur'an:
الشهيد
#1 - Surah Al-Burooj [85:9]:
"Who, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And Allah is Witness over everything."
#2 - Surah An-Nisa [4:79]:
"Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself. And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allah is Sufficient as a Witness."
#3 - Surah Al-Hajj [22:17]:
"Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad SAW), 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."
الرقيب
#1 - Surah An-Nisa [4:1]:
"O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you."
#2 - Surah Al-Ahzab [33:52]:
"It is not lawful for you (to marry other) women after this, nor to change them for other wives even though their beauty attracts you, except those (captives or slaves) whom your right hand possesses. And Allah is Ever a Watcher over all things."
#3 - Surah Al-Maaidah [5:117]:
"Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world)."
The Meaning of the Name الشهيد:
المطلع على كل شيء - The One who is aware of and sees everything
الذي لا يخفى عليه شيء - Whom nothing is hidden from.
سمع جميع الأصوات خفيها و جليها - He hears all sounds, whether quiet or loud.
و أبصر جميع الموجودات دقيقها و جليلها صغيرها و كبيرها - And He sees every object in existence whether minute or large, small or big.
و أحاط علمه بكل شيء - His knowledge has encompasses everything
الذي شهد لعباده و على عباده بما عملوه - By His knowledge He witnesses for against His servants depending on what they have done.
The knowledge that Allah has is either going to testify for us or against us on the Day of Judgement. He is the witness to what we have done. He will either witness to the good we have brought or the evil we have done. He is the One who witnesses, sees, watches, and knows.
The Sheikh divided the meaning of الشهيد into four separate things:
1) الإطلاع - and this entails that Allah:
2) Sees everything
3) Hears everything
4) Knows everything
Therefore there is nothing in the heavens and earth He is unaware of. Therefore when they come on the Day of Judgement, كفى بالله شهيدا (Sufficienct is Allah as a witness [over them]).
There will be many witnesses on the Day of Judgement. Among them is that this Ummah will witness for the truthfulness of the previous Prophets when their nations will claim they did not convey the message. We will testify based on what we read in the Quran.
Allah also mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ will be a witness over this nation in Surah an-Nisa [4:41]:
"How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?"
A persons own hands and limbs will bear witness. In Surah Fussilat [41:20]:
"Till, when they reach it (Hell-fire), their hearing (ears) and their eyes, and their skins will testify against them as to what they used to do."
But as Allah says, sufficient is Allah as a witness.
The Meaning of الرقيب and its Difference to الشهيد:
المطلع على ما أكنته الصدور - The One who sees what the hearts conceal
With الرقيب, there is an emphasis on what is concealed, whilst the emphasis for الشهيد is both open and concealed.
القائم على كل نفس بما كسبت - Who stands in charge of every soul in accordance to what it has earned.
الذي حفظ المخلوقات و أجراها على أحسن نظام و أكمل تدبير - Who protects the creation and runs it upon the best system and perfect disposal of affairs.
رقيب للمبصرات ببصره الذي لا يغيب عنه شيء - He is the watcher over everything that can be seen with His sight from which nothing is absent from.
رقيب للمسموعات بسمعه الذي وسع كل شيء - He is watcher over all that is heard with His hearing which extends over everything.
رقيب على جمع المخلوقات بعلمه المحيط بكل شيء - He is the watcher over all of creation with His knowledge which has encompassed everything.
The emphasis here is on the fact that nothing can be hidden from Allah.
The Impacts of Knowing these Names:
Whoever reflects upon these two names finds there is a degree of similarity between the two. They are not exactly the same because none of the names of Allah are identical in meaning. Both indicate that Allah hears everything that can be heard, knows everything that can be known, sees everything that can be seen. With Allah's name Ar-Raqeeb, however, there is an emphasis on His knowing what the mind reflects upon and the tiny movements that happen for a fraction of a second inside a persons heart. So then how about the apparent things people do with their limbs?
It is for this reason that المراقبة (To be constantly aware that Allah is watching you) is from the highest and most noble actions of the heart. This is the worship that is the outcome of knowing these two names.
Constantly reminding oneself that Allah is watchful over him causes one to guard his inner self from every thought and secret that would make Allah angry and his outer self from every statement and action that would bring about Allah's anger.
Most of us do not go to the level of guarding our inner selves from making mistakes. Knowing these two names makes you frightened to think about something that will make Allah angry. And if someone is careful to guard his inner self, then how would he be with his outer self? This person will worship Allah with the level of Ihsan. And Ihsan is, as mentioned in the Hadith of Jibreel:
أن تعبد الله كأنه تراه فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك
To worship Allah as if you can see Him, for if you cannot see Him, verily He sees You. [Al-Bukhari]
If we know that another person is watching us or that there is a camera in the room we would behave better. How about the person who knows that Allah is watching him at all times?
When you're worried about Allah watching you, you become less worried about people watching you.
Also, you will not raise people to the level of Allah, which is Shirk, such as saying certain organizations can track and see you wherever you go and whatever you do.
Allah says in Surah Baqarah [2:235]:
"And there is no sin on you if you make a hint of betrothal or conceal it in yourself, Allah knows that you will remember them, but do not make a promise of contract with them in secret except that you speak an honourable saying according to the Islamic law (e.g. you can say to her, "If one finds a wife like you, he will be happy"). And do not consummate the marriage until the term prescribed is fulfilled. And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him. And know that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing."
And He says in Surah Al-Ahzab [33:52]:
"It is not lawful for you (to marry other) women after this, nor to change them for other wives even though their beauty attracts you, except those (captives or slaves) whom your right hand possesses. And Allah is Ever a Watcher over all things."
And in Surah Al-Hadid [57:4]:
"He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do."
There is more than one way to be 'with' someone. You can say "I'm with you" to mean "I'm on your side" or to mean "I'm next to you". The Scholars say it means that He is with you with knowledge and He is above His Throne.
In Surah Al-Alaq [96:14]:
"Knows he not that Allah does see (what he does)?"
And Allah says in Surah Tur [52:48]:
"So wait patiently (O Muhammad SAW) for the Decision of your Lord, for verily, you are under Our Eyes , and glorify the Praises of your Lord when you get up from sleep."
And Allah said in Surah Ghafir [40:19]:
"Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal."
Literally, خائنة الأعين is the betrayal of the eye. It is the glance of the Haraam, where your eyes move for one second to the unlawful.
Yer still someone might be able to see it, even though it is very subtle. Allah knows that, and even more than that:
"و ما تخفي الصدور"
and all what the breasts conceal
The concept of المراقبة is a high station among the stations of those who are on the path to Allah and the home of the hereafter. It is constant knowldge within the servant of Allah that Allah is watching His external and internal self and that this knowledge accompanies you with all times.
It is not that difficult to keep this مراقبة in you for a short period of time. The difficulty is in consistently and continuously feeling like that. And having certainty in it; without any doubt.
This مراقبة leads you to do things in the best possible way and keeps you far away from what Allah has prohibited, as the poet said:
If you are alone with yourself one day then do not say I am alone, but say there is a watcher over me
Do not think Allah is unaware for even a period of time, and do not think there is anything concealed from Him.
This feeling that Allah is watching you requires three things:
a) حضور القلب - The presence of the heart
b) اجتناب الغفلة - Avoiding heedlesness
c) دوام الذكر - Continuous remembrance
This leads to the happiness of the heart and the expansion of the chest and the coolness of the eye by being near to Allah. It makes you of the people most beloved and near to Allah. This is نعيم المعجل - a hastened blessing, so how about the blessings of the Hereafter?
Ibn Al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
إن سرور القلب بالله و فرحه به و قرة العين به لا يشبه شيء من نعيم الدنيا البته و ليس له نظير يقاس به و هو حال من أحوال الجنة،
Indeed, happiness of the heart with Allah, joy with Him, and having coolness of the eyes with Him; there is nothing from the pleasures of this Dunya that resemble it, nor is there is anything similar that it can be compared with. It is a state from the states of the People of Paradise.
This is the only thing you can do in this world that can make you feel like the people of Paradise. It is not a feeling that really belongs to this world.
حتى قال يعض العارفين: "إنه لتمر بي أوقات أقول فيها: إن كان أهل الجنة في مثل هذا إنهم لفي عيش طيب"
...until some of the people of knowledge said: "Indeed, there passes me times when I say: If the people of Paradise are in a state like this, they are living a joyful life"
The happiness of the people of Paradise is far greater, but this is the level of happiness a person can get being close to Allah.
True happiness and feeling of utter joy only comes from Allah. There is no lifestyle you can live in this world which will ever bring you close to that feeling.
و لا ريب أنّ هذا السرور يبعثه على دوام السير إلى الله و بذل الجهد في طلبه و ابتغاء مرضاته و من لم يجد هذا السرور و لا شيئا منه فليتهم إيمانه و أعماله، فإن للإيمان حلاوة من لم يذقها فليرجع و ليقتبس نورا يجد به حلاوة الإيمان.
And there is no doubt that this happiness comes to him upon his consistency in his journey to Allah and exerting efforts in seeking Him and His pleasure. Whoever does not find this happiness nor something from it should criticize his faith and actions, for verily faith has a sweetness. Whoever does not taste this sweetness should go back and seek a light by which he can find the sweetness of faith.
If someone is having a spoonful of honey and says it doesn't taste sweet, there is something wrong with his tastebuds.
That light is beneficial knowledge. You can't just hope for light, you have to go out and put your maximum amount of effort and study and learn what is going to make you taste the sweetness of faith.
و قد ذكر النبي ﷺ ذوق طعم الإيمان ووجد حلاوته فذكر الذوق و الوجد و علقه بالإيمان فقال:
The Prophet ﷺ mentioned tasting the sweetness of faith and finding the sweetness. He ﷺ said:
ذاق طعم الإيمان من رضي بالله رباً و بالإسلام دينا و بمحمد رسولا
He has found the taste of faith who is content with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his religion (code of life) and with Muhammad (ﷺ) as his Prophet. [Muslim]
In another Hadith, he ﷺ said:
ثلاث من كن في وجد بهن حلاوة الإيمان: من كان الله و رسوله أحب إليه مما سواهما، و من كان يحب المرء لا يحبه إلا لله، ومن يكره أن يعود إلى الكفر بعد إذ أنقذه الله منه كما يكره أن يلقى في النار
There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of Iman: To love Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) more than anyone else; to love a slave (of Allah) only for (the sake of) Allah; and to abhor returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would abhor to be thrown into the fire (of Hell)". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
و سمعت شيخ الإسلام إبن تيمية قدس الله روحه يقول: إذا لم تجد للعمل حلاوة في قلبك و انشراحاً فاتهمه فإن الرب تعالى شكور
يعني، أنه لا بد أن يُثيب العمال على عمله في الدنيا من حلاوة يجد في قلبه و قوة و انشراح و قرة عين فحيث لم يجد ذلك فعمله مدخول.
I heard Shaikh Islam Ibn Taymiyah say: If you do not find a sweetness in your heart for your actions and an opening of your chest, then criticize it (i.e. Say: my action was not accepted, there is a flaw in it, etc.) for indeed the Lord, Most Exalted, is Appreciative.
Meaning, He surely will reward the doer for his good deed in this world with sweetness he finds in his heart, strength, broadness of the chest, and coolness of the eye. So when that is not found, there is something wrong with the action.
There are indicators to our actions being accepted. One is when the action brings a sweetness to your heart, a relief in your chest, a pleasure in your eye, and contentment. It is not a guarantee nor a reason to not do anything else, but a sign.
Another sign is the ability to do more good deeds. If you finish your prayer and find it in yourself a desire and strength to pray another prayer, it is a good sign that your first prayer was accepted. Allah said in Surah Maryam [19:76]:
"And Allah increases in guidance those who walk aright...."
Source: - Points from Tim Humbles Names of Allah Lecture based on the Book "Fiqh Al-Asma" by Shaikh Abdur-Razzaq Al-Badr
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