Lesson 7:
وقال البخاري رحمه الله: باب العلم قبل القول والعمل، والدليل قوله تعالى: (فالم أنه لا اله الا الله واستغفر لذنبك...) فبدأ بالعلم قبل القول والعمل.
Al‐Bukharee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Chapter: Knowledge precedes speech and action”, and the proof is the saying of Allah, the Most High; “Know that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and ask forgiveness of your Lord for your sin [Muhammad; 47:19]”. So he began by mentioning knowledge before speech or actions.
The statement of Imam al-Bukhari:
- The shaikh uses further evidence to demonstrate the obligation of knowing and acting upon the previously mentioned four matters and it is the statement of imam al-Bukhri in the Book of Knowledge, where he dedicated a chapter entitled “knowledge precedes speech and actions.”
- Imam al-Bukhari uses the following verse as proof for the obligation of beginning with knowledge before speech and actions and it is a textual proof:
فالم أنه لا اله الا الله واستغفر لذنبك
Know that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and ask forgiveness of your Lord for your sin. [Muhammad; 47:19]
- In this verse, Allah commands the Prophets with 2 things: He orders him with knowledge first, then follows it with an order for action, i.e seeking forgiveness.
- How can a person seek forgiveness from Allah and they do not know that Allah is all-Forgiving yet also swift and harsh in retribution?
- An intellectual proof to show that knowledge must precede sayings and actions is that sayings and actions will not be accepted unless they conform with the sharee3ah.
- There are things which a person can know through their fitrah (innate nature), such as that Allah is a single God. It does not require a great effort to teach this, but further more detailed matters of the Religion require learning and exertion.
- Imam Ahmad was asked: “Who is the Scholar?” he replied that knowledge is not the ability to memorize and lean vast amounts of narrations (Riwaya and Diraaya: Knowledge of taking A7kaam (rulings) from the hadeeth, but it is the fear of allah, and he quotes the following:
انما يخش الله من عباده العلماء ان الله عزيز غفور
It is only those who have knowledge from amongst His slaves that fear Allah. [Fatir; 35:28]
- Why does knowledge precede action? Because the knowledge corrects the intention which is an essential requirement for every speech and action.
This, is the conclusion of the first part of the Sheikh’s concise and meaningful introduction.
Part 2 of the Shiekhs intro:
أعام رحمك الله أنه يجب على كل مسلم ومسلمة تعلم ثلاث هذه الملسا والعلم بهن. الأولى أن الله خلقنا ورزقنا...
Know, may Allah have mercy upon you, that it is obligatory on every Muslim, male and female, to learn and act upon the following three matters:
THE FIRST: That Allah created us and provided sustenance for us ...
أن الله خلقنا
Allah is the creator
The first matter to know is that Allah is the creator. The proofs for this in the Quran (textual proofs) are many. Allah says:
ولقد خلقنا كم وصورناكم
And We created you and fashioned you. [Al‐A’raaf; 7:11]
ولقد خلقنا الانسان من صلصال من حما مسنون
And we created man (Aadam) from dry clay, from mud moulded into shape. [Al‐Hijr; 15:26]
وما حلقت الانس والجن الا ليعبدون
And I did not create jinn and mankind, except that they should worship me. [Adh‐Dhaariyaat; 51:56]
- Man did not create himself, since before coming into this life he did not exsist and that which does not exist is nothing, and that which is nothing cannot create anything.
- Using the above argument, we can conclude that our mothers and fathers did not create us. Nor did mankind randomly appear without a creator to bring into existence, since for everything which comes into existence thee must be something which brings it into existence.
- If you think and ponder at the amazing order and harmonious structure of the creation, then a person of sound mind will conclude that it is impossible that it all came about randomly.
- This produces with certain conclusion that Allah alone is the Creator of all things, and there is no other creator beside Him. He alone is sapable of creating something from nothing.
- As for the intellectual proofs that Allah created us, then it is indicated in the saying of Allah:
أم خلقوا من شيء أم هم الخالقون أم خلقوا السماوات والأرض بل لا يوقنون. أم عندهم خزئن ربك أم هم المصيطرمن
Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief. Or are the treasures of your Lord with them, or are they the managers of affairs? [At‐Toor; 52:35‐37]
- It is not known that any of the creation denied the Lordship of Allah except conceitedly or through arrogance.
- Allah revealed about the Mushrikeen at the time of the Prophet, sallalahu aleyhi wa sallam:
ولئن سألتهم من خلقهم ليقولن الله فأنى يؤفكون
And if you ask them, who created them, they will certainly say, Allah. How then are they deluded away (from the truth)? [Az‐Zukhruf; 43:87].
- Thus the Mushrikeen acknowledged that Allah was teh creator, yet they did not devote the worship alone to Him, but instead continued the worship of their idols falsely claiming that worshiping them drew then closer to Allah.
- When Jubayr ibn Mut3im who was a mushrik at the time, heard the Prophet, sallalahu aleyhi wa sallam reciting the above verses from surat at-Toor during Maghrib Salaat he said: “My Heart almost flew, and this was when Iman (faith) first settled in my heart.” (Bukhari) His heart was about to fly when he realizes the firmness of the argument within the verses.
ورزقنا...
Allah is the creator as well as the sustainer.
- Many people believe that Rizq (provision) is something material such as money or food. The meaning of Rizq is much more expansive than just material possession. Beilef in Allah is a great rizq, knowledge and forbearance are Rizq, as well as good manners, etiquette are rizq.
The textual proofs in the Kitaab and Sunnah that Allah is al-Razzaaq are many: Allah says:
قل من يرزقكم من السموات والأرض قل الله.
Say, O Muhammad: "Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?" say: "It is Allah. [Saba; 43:87]
وفي السماء رزقكم وما توعدون
And in the heaven is your sustenance, and also that which you are promised. [Adh‐Dhariyaat; 51:22]
- In the above verse, Allah says that our provision and sustanence is in the Heaven, yet the realist seems to suggest that our provision is on teh earth. How do we reconcile the understanding?
- On the earth are the Asbaab (means of provision).. the Asbaab themselves don't give or prevent nor do they harm or benefit except with the permission and order of Allah.
- Thus Allah is drawing attention that the rizq in indeed in teh heavens i.e the hands of Allah, and he Gives and holds back to whomever he desires from His slaves.
- At-Tawakkul is the sincere reliance upon Allah whilst implementing the Asbaab. The Prophet, sallalahu aleyhi wa sallam would fight in battles and seek medication and nourishment (The asbaab) knowning full well that the final decision was with Allah.
- As for the evidence in the Sunnah (Textual proof) that Allah is the Sustainer, it is the saying of the Prophet regarding the fetus, that an angel is sent down to write down four things about it’s life span, its actions, its provision and whether it is based or wreched on teh Day of Judgement (Bukhari).
As for the intellectual proofs, that Allah is the sustainer, then none of us can deny that without food or drink then we would persish. We must then ask ourselves, who created the food and drink? Surely it from Allah:
أفرأيتم ما تمنون. ءأنتم تزرعونها أم نحن الزارعون لونشاء لجعلناه حطاما فظلتم تفكهون. انا لمغرمون بل نحن محرومون أفرأيتم الماء الذي تشربون. ءأنتم أنزلتموها من المزن أمنحن المنزلون لو نشاء جعلناه أجاجا فلولا تشكرون
This verse clearly demonstrates in a rational manner which addresses the human intellect that our provision is indeed from Allah.
Review questions
(i) Explain the verse which Imam Al‐Bukharee used as proof to demonstrate that knowledge precedes action.
(ii) What intellectual proof can be used to demonstrate that knowledge precedes action?
(iii) In your own words explain the reasoning behind why mankind did not create himself.
(iv) How did Jubayr Ibn Mut’im describe his feelings when he heard the Prophet (saw) reciting verses 35‐37 of Surat at‐Toor? What message is being portrayed by Allah (swt) in these verses?
(v) Explain the meaning of verse 22 of Adh‐Dhariyaat in terms of rizq, asbaab and tawakkul.
