''I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah
who is without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) is the Rasool.''
"O Allah, Shower Your Peace come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have brought peace to Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, Shower your blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious." I am Satisfied with Allâh as My Rabb and Cherisher, I am Satisfied With Islam as My Din(religion) and I am satisfied with Muhammad as a Rasulallah (Messenger)sallallahu alaihi was salam .------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Great Oath
Allah
ta'ala said:
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no
Iman until they set you (Muhammad) judge in any disputes that arise among them, and then find in their souls no resistance against your decisions but accept them with the fullest submission." [
Al-Qur'an 4:65]
Here Allah
the Exalted makes the greatest oath - by His own Self, Glory be to Him, that the
Iman is not confirmed for a person, and he is not one of its People, until he accepts the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam as the judge in all matters of dispute and in all aspects of the
Din.
Using the term "any disputes" in this
ayah absolutely negates the presence of
Iman unless the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is made the judge in all disputes. In addition, Allah
ta'ala has required satisfaction of the heart with the Messenger's judgment so that one would find no resistance in his soul. One should accept his judgment with satisfaction and submission. Taking the judgment with dissatisfaction, or following it in spite of oneself is contrary to the meaning of
Iman. So, the Messenger's judgment should be accepted with satisfaction and pleasure of the heart.
Once a person knows this, he should always examine himself and look into his heart [to see how true is his submission to the Messenger's judgements]. He should do this whenever a judgment comes from the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, in a major or a minor matter, conflicting with his desire or differing from the way of his ancestors. Allah
ta'ala says:
"Nay, man will be evidence against himself, even though he were to put up excuses." [
Al-Qur'an 75:14-15]
Glory be to Allah! In how many instances have people hated quotations [from the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam] and wished that they were never said! What hatred in their hearts and what dryness in their throats did some of the texts leave! Their secret thoughts will be revealed to them, causing them pain and humiliation on that Day:
"The Day when all the secrets [of hearts and intentions] will be uncovered and tested." [
Al-Qur'an 86:9]
Furthermore, Allah
ta'ala concludes the above
ayah by requiring the fullest submission to [the judgements and commands of] the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
Loving the Messenger and Submitting to Him
This submission is not that of a defeated fighter who is forced to surrender to his enemy.
Rather, it is the submission of an obedient subordinate to his master who is dearer to him than any other creature, when he realizes that only through this submission will he achieve happiness and success.
It is the submission of one who realizes that, compared to his own self, this master has more concern and compassion for him, and is a better counsellor who is more knowledgeable about what benefits him, and therefore more capable of saving him.
When a person realizes these meanings{qluetip title=[9]}When applied to the Prophet
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, these meanings must be understood within the boundaries of Islam. They should not be influenced by extreme tendencies like the sufis who glorify him beyond his honourable human status, bestowing on him some divine attributes, and believing that he can answer the supplications and help and protect people while he is in his grave. Thus he
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam should be (next to Allah) dearer to a person than his own self; to submit to him means to submit to his
Sunnah; his mercy and compassion and ability to counsel and save the people are by virtue of what Allah
ta'ala has taught him, and, after his death, this takes place through his
Sunnah and teachings.{/qluetip} with respect to the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, he will surely submit himself to him
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and surrender every desire in his heart in obedience to him. He will then comprehend that he cannot attain happiness except through this submission and obedience.
This matter is not easy to express in words. The heart needs to open up for it to allow it to sink down to its depths. It cannot be attained by mere claims or wishes. A poet once said:
"Everyone claims to be the lover of Layla, But Layla does not commit to any of them."
There is a great difference between knowing the meaning of love and being truly in love. People frequently confuse between knowledge and experience.
Similar to this is the example of a sick man who is under the influence of a disease; he knows the meaning of health and well-being; however, his knowledge does not make him experience what a healthy man enjoys of good health, even if the latter cannot describe his healthy status in an expressive way.
Another example is that of two persons, one of them knowing the meaning of fear, and the- other is subjected to it and is really experiencing it.
Methods of Emphasis in this Ayah
In the above
ayah (
An-Nisa' 65), notice how Allah
ta'ala emphasizes the obligation of obeying the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam in several ways:
1. Starting with a Negation
First, He precedes the oath with the negation, "But no, by your Lord ... "
This style of starting a sentence with a negation when making an oath concerning a negated matter (in this case, their
Iman is what is being negated) common in the language of the Arabs. For instance As-Siddiq [Abu Bakr] said:
"No, by Allah! He shall not turn around to one of Allah's lions, who fought for Allah and His Messenger, and give you his booty." {qluetip title=[10]}The occasion for saying this is the following: Qatadah narrated that he was with Allah's Messenger in the battle of Hunayn. When the Muslims approached victory, he saw a man of the disbelievers about to kill a Muslim. He ran to him from behind and hit him with the sword between the shoulders. The disbeliever turned around to Qatadah, held him, and squeezed him so hard that he felt he was about to die. But then, death came to him (because of Qatadah's hit), and he let go of him. After the battle was over, the Prophet
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said three times, "Whoever kills an enemy and has a proof of it then he has the right to his booty." Qatadah asked if anyone would testify before the Prophet
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam that he killed that man. A man then stood up and said, "He is saying the truth, O Messenger of Allah; and I have taken his booty; so give him something to satisfy him instead." Then Abu Bakr said, "No, by Allah! He shall not turn around to one of Allah's lions, who fought for Allah and His Messenger, and give you his booty." The Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam responded by saying, "He is right! So give him [his booty]." And he gave it to him. [Recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]{/qluetip}
Examples of this style are very numerous in the Arabic poetry as in the following two example:
"No, by your father{qluetip title=[11]}As explained in a footnote below, swearing by the fathers is prohibited in Islam.{/qluetip}, O daughter of the one from the tribe of 'Amir, People cannot claim that I ever run away (in the battlefield).""No, by Allah! One cannot find for what ails me, Or what ails them - ever - a cure."
If you examine the sentences in the
Qur'an which include oaths, and which start with negation articles, you will find in most of them that the thing about which the oath is made is itself negated as well. This general rule is not revoked by Allah's saying:
"But no! I swear by the setting of the stars - and verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but know - that this is indeed a most honourable
Qur'an, in a Book well guarded (with Allah)." [
Al-Qur'an 57:75-78]
The intention in these
ayat is to first negate the fallacies of the disbelievers regarding the
Qur'an: that it is poetry, magic, or fables of the past. Then they confirm the opposite. Thus they tell them, "But no! It is not what you claim, but is rather an honourable
Qur'an." In other places, Allah
ta'ala explicitly mentions both the negation (underlined) and the affirmation (italics). For example, He
ta'ala says:
"But no! I swear by the planets that disappear during the day, running in their courses in secret, and the night as it departs, and the dawn as it brightens. Verily this (the
Qur'an) the words (brought) by a honourable messenger (Jibril), endowed with power and with rank before the Lord of the Throne (Allah), obeyed (by the Angels), trustworthy therein (in the heavens). People! Your companion (Muhammad) is not a madman; indeed he saw him (Jibril) in the clear horizon; and he does not withhold (from you) a knowledge of the
ghayb{qluetip title=[12]}
Ghayb: Domains beyond the human senses. This is commonly and erroneously translated as "the Unseen". It is used in the
Qur'an to denote all those sectors or phrases of reality which lie beyond the range of human perception: as, for instance, Allah's existence, His attributes, the Hereafter, the angels, and unrecorded events of the remote past or future.{/qluetip} and it (the
Qur'an) is not the word of an outcast devil." [
Al-Qur'an 81:15-25]
And:
"But no! I do swear by the Day of Resurrection, and I swear by the self-reproaching soul (of a believer). Does the human being think that We shall not assemble his bones? Yes, We are Able to put together in perfect order the tips of his fingers." [
Al-Qur'an 75:1-4]
Therefore, opening the oath with articles of negation emphasizes the matter being discussed, and confirms the absence of false claims or erroneous beliefs regarding it.
2. Using an Oath
The second method of emphasis is that Allah
ta'ala used an oath [to negate
Iman from those who do not fulfill the conditions of submitting to the Prophet's judgment as set forth in the rest of the
ayah].
3. Swearing by Himself
The third method is that Allah
ta'ala chose to swear by Himself and not by any of His creatures, which He does on some occasions.{qluetip title=[13]}People, however, may only swear by Allah
ta'ala, His Names, or His Attributes. The Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam instructed that anyone who wants to make an oath, should either make it by Allah
ta'ala or remain silent. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]{/qluetip}
4. Requiring the Absence of any Resistance
The fourth method of emphasis is that Allah
ta'ala requires submission to the Messenger's judgment, such that no resistance to it remains in the souls.
5. Complete Submission
And the fifth method of emphasis is in repeating the verb "submit" in the abstract form. Literally, this would be stated as: " ... and submit a submission." In Arabic, this reflects the meaning: " ... and submit completely or fully".
The Prophet's Claim on the Believers
The eloquent methods of emphasis applied here, and the great care taken to confirm this in the souls of the worshipers, are because of the great need of this important matter. Allah
ta'ala said:
"The Prophet has a higher claim{qluetip title=[14]}The Arabic word used here is
Awla which means that he
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam has more right and claim on a person. It also caries the meaning of closeness, ie. that he
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam must be closer to a person that his own self. Some translations use this latter meaning and we use it sometimes in this text.{/qluetip} on the believers than [they have on] their own selves." [
Al-Qur'an 33:6]
Some people think that the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam cannot have more claim on them than their own selves. This
ayah indicates that anyone who thinks like this is not one of the believers.
This Prophet's claim on the believers involves the following two important matters:
1. Dearer than One's Self
The Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam should be more beloved than one's own self. This is so because the Prophet's claim on a believer is based on love; and a person usually loves himself more than others; yet the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam should have more claim on him, and be dearer to him than himself. A person who fulfils this acquires the quality of
Iman.
Once a person submits to the Prophet's claim on him and loves him more than any other creature, then there follows full compliance, obedience, and all the other consequences of love, such as satisfaction with his judgment, submission to his orders, and favouring him over anyone else.
2. The Ruler Over One's Self
A person should not have an independent rule over himself; this authority is the right of the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. His rule is superior to a master's rule over his slave or a father's over his son. Thus, a person has no right of disposal over himself except in accordance with what the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam disposes, for he
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam has more claim on him than himself.
Deviation from True Love
How then could such a closeness (to the Messenger) ever be attained by a person who isolates the Messenger's message from the position of authority [over himself and his life], who is more satisfied and pleased with someone else's judgment, who claims that the guidance is not acquired from him
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam but from the dictates of the minds, and who claims that the Messenger's message does not offer full certainty? These and other similar views reflect a deviation from him
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and from his Message, and that indeed is the worst misguidance.
There is no way to establish the closeness to the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam except by isolating oneself from all but him, following him in everything, and checking what anyone else says against that with which he
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam came. So, if the Messenger's testimony supports it, it is accepted, and if it invalidates it, it is rejected; and if it were unclear whether his testimony is for or against it then it is treated as the talk of the People of the Scripture, and no decision is made concerning it until he is sure which of the two judgments is closer to it.
The one who follows this method will have his journey of
hijrah straightforward, his knowledge and deeds will be upright, and the people will aspire to him from every direction.
One of the greatest forms of mutual help in righteousness and piety is to help one another in the journey of migration to Allah and His Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. This help should be done by hands, tongues and hearts - through teaching, advising, educating, guiding, and caring.
If a person has this attitude toward Allah's creatures, prosperity will rush to him from all directions, Allah will move His creatures' hearts toward him, will open the gates of knowledge for his heart, and will facilitate the path of bliss for him.
Conversely, one with an opposite attitude will receive opposite consequences.
One might then ask, "You have described a very great journey and a very important matter; but what provisions should be taken along? Which way to follow? And what are the means to use for transportation?" The answer to this is provided in the following sections.
The Trip's Provisions
The provisions for this journey are the knowledge inherited from the Seal of Prophets
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam - there are no other provisions.
Let anyone not prepared with these provisions stay in his home and sit with those who lag behind. He would then find multitudes of other laggers to accompany. Let him follow their example; but let him know that this company will not avail him anything on the Day of Distress. Allah
ta'ala said:
"On that Day, it will avail you nothing that, since you have done wrong [together], you shall be partners in punishment [as well]." [
Al-Qur'an 43:39]
Thus Allah
ta'ala assures that the wrongdoers' association in punishment will not profit them. In this life, people find comfort in sharing disasters, as Al-Khansa (an Arab poetess) said:
"If it were not for the abundance of people wailing around me, Because of the loss of their brethren, I would have killed myself. And even though none of them wails the like of my brother, yet, I comfort myself in that we all share similar disasters."
However, this kind of consolation will not exist among those sharing the punishment on the Day of Resurrection.
The Way
The way to accomplish this journey is through exerting at full capacity and striving to the extreme. It can neither be accomplished by wishes, nor attained through loitering. It is only as a poet once said:
"Dive into the darkness of death, and rise to eminence, Thus will you earn a distinguished and lasting honour. No good is in a soul that fears death, Nor in a willpower that worries about the reproachers' criticism."
It is not possible for a person to take this way unless one satisfies two matters:
First, as long as one is following the right way, one should never be concerned about the reproaches of those who like to find faults. Some types of reproach can hit even a strong knight so hard as to cause him to drop from his horse to the ground dead.
Second, one's soul should be so worthless to him, for Allah's sake, that he would rush forward, fearless of any perils. The moment the soul becomes frightened, it retreats and turns away from facing dangers, preferring the lowliness of the earth.
These two matters cannot be further fulfilled without patience. One who exercises patience for just a short while will find dangers turn into a smooth breeze which can carry him where he wishes. Thus the danger that he feared suddenly changes to become his best helper and assistant. This is a matter that cannot be comprehended well except by those who have tried it.
The Means of Transportation
The means of transportation in this journey [of migration] is to take refuge in Allah
ta'ala, and to turn to Him with one's whole being. It is to exhibit, by all means, full reliance on Him and true confidence in Him. It is to lie down before Him like a subdued and defeated person who possesses nothing - a person who looks up to his Master for dignity and security and for attaining some of His bounty, hoping that He would shelter him.
Such is the one whom, it is hoped, Allah will guide and show what has been concealed from others concerning the way of this
hijrah and its ranks.
Contemplating Allah's Ayat
The pinnacle of the whole affair [of performing a successful journey] and its central pillar is the continued contemplation on Allah's
ayat - to such an extent that these
ayat would overpower the person's thoughts and fascinate his heart.
Once the meanings of the
Qur'an replace the passing thoughts of the heart - once the
Qur'an masters the person and controls his heart until he becomes its sole obeyed leader, then his journey goes smooth, and his course becomes manifest; and even when it appears to people that he is standing still, he would, in fact, be moving ahead so fast as to race with wind. [As Allah
ta'ala said:]
"You see the mountains and think them firmly fixed. But they pass away as the clouds pass away. [Such is] the mastery of Allah who disposes of all things in perfect order. Indeed, He is well acquainted with all that you do." [
Al-Qur'an 27:88]
One might ask, "You have pointed to a great aspiration. Would you disclose the door which opens into it; and would you raise the curtain that conceals it? Would you reveal how to understand thoroughly the meanings of the
Qur'an, and how to reflect upon its extraordinary delights and treasures? We have in our hands the books of
tafsir{qluetip title=[15]}
Tafsir: Explanation or interpretation. It frequently refers to volumes which include explanations and commentary of the
Qur'an.{/qluetip} of various Imams; are there any additional interpretations to be offered beyond what they have already done?"
I shall then present (in the next chapter) some examples that may be followed and taken as guide in this endeavour.
Establishing Justice
It is surprising to find someone claiming closeness to the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and complete love for him while he strives to follow and establish someone else's opinions. He bases his anger, love, and satisfaction on such opinions; he referees them; and he compares the Messenger's statements to them - if they agree with those opinions then he accepts them, otherwise he applies all sorts of tricks and takes all measures to reject them and to turn away from them.
Allah
ta'ala said:
"Believers! Stand out firmly for fair dealings, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin; be he rich or poor, Allah can best protect both. So follow not the lusts [of your hearts] lest you may avoid justice. If you distort your testimony or refuse to provide it, verily, Allah is ever Well-Acquainted with what you do." [
Al-Qur'an 4:135]
This
ayah carries great meanings that should be emphasized because of people's dire need for them.
Allah
ta'ala commands the believers to establish equity and justice. It should be rendered toward everyone, whether enemy or friend.
It is even more important to establish justice in matters of ideas, opinions, and beliefs, because they relate to Allah's commands and teachings. Allowing whims and disobedience to influence one's opinions and beliefs conflicts with Allah's commands and with His Messenger's Message.
Establishing justice in ideas, opinions and beliefs is the mission of the successors to the Messenger
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam in his
Ummah (nation) - those who are worthy of carrying the trust among his followers. No one deserves such description of honesty except those who establish absolute justice in this, as an advice for Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and His worshipers. These are indeed the true inheritors [of the glorious Message].
Thus a person is not worthy of this description if he takes his company, ways, and opinions as measures and indicators of the truth - loathing or befriending people because of them.
How far is such a person from establishing the justice that Allah mandated on everyone, especially in these matters of belief where the obligation is higher!