Kitab At-Tawheed

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 40

Allah's Words: " And Do Not Ascribe Partners to Allah When You Know [the Truth]"


" Oh, you people! Worship your Lord, Who created you all and those before you that you may become righteous, Who has made the earth a couch for you and the heavens a canopy and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith fruits for your subsistence; so do not set up Andaad with Allah" (Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:21-22)

Allah , Most High, commands the people to worship Him Alone, in sincerity, because He is the One Who created them and those before them from nothing and then bestowed upon them innumerable blessings, such as the earth which He flattened and fixed, that they may dwell upon it and the rain which He sends down in abundance, and from which they derive countless blessings, such as food to eat, water to drink and trees for shade. Then Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, says that in spite of this, they set up partners and equals with Him, though in reality, they know that He is their Creator and Provider; and this is mere willfulness on their part to commit kufr, Shirk and acts of disobedience.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. Evidence of a number of Allah's Blessings bestowed upon His creatures.

2. Evidence of Tawheed Al-Uloohiyyah (Tawheed of Worship) through Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah.

3. The obligation to worship Allah, Alone, without partners.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the obligation to abstain from obvious Shirk and from hidden Shirk, the latter including the saying of a person, for example: "Had it not been for the guard, the burglars would have come to us.

..ooOOoo..

Ibn `Abbas (ra) said, concerning this verse: "Al-Andaad means Shirk which is less conspicuous than a black ant crawling on a black stone in the darkness of the night, such as the saying: "By Allah and by your life, oh so-and-so!" or: "By your life," or: "If it had not been for this little dog, the burglars would have come to us," or "Had it not been for the duck in the house, the burglars would have come," or like a man's saying to his companion: "By Allah's and your will..." or: "As Allah and you will," or the saying of a man: "Had it not been for Allah and so-and-so..." - Do not mention anyone with Allah , because all of this is Shirk." (Narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim)

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the narration proves that Ibn `Abbas (ra), one of the best and wisest of the Companions in understanding the Religion, held the view that hidden Shirk includes swearing by other than Allah , such as the saying of a person: "By your life!"; and that like wise, it includes attributing benefit to the deeds of one of Allah's creatures, such as the saying: "Had it not been for the guard, the burglars would have stolen from us;" and it also includes the attribution of benefit to the deeds of another alongside Allah , such as the saying of a man: "Had it not been for Allah and so-and-so, the house would have burnt down.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (ra) said:


"Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed an act of kufr or Shirk." (Narrated by At-Tirmizi, who graded it as Hasan and by Al-Hakim, who graded it as Saheeh)

The Messenger of Allah informs us in this Hadith that swearing by other than Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, is tantamount to a denial of Allah , the One True God and equivalent to associating partners with Him. This is because the essence of swearing is glorification and it is not fitting that we should glorify any save Allah , the One True God and Rabb, for to do so is Shirk.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. That swearing by other than Allah is an act of major Shirk - according to some scholars, it takes one out of the fold of Islam, while according to others, it is a sinful act of Shirk which however does not necessitate one's becoming a disbeliever. It has also been said that it is an act of minor Shirk - and Allah knows best.

2. That there is no recompense for swearing by other than Allah , since it is an act of Shirk; the culprit must instead turn in repentance to Allah and seek His Forgiveness.

Important Note


(a) There is no contradiction between this Hadith and the words of the Prophet : "By his father! he has succeeded," and other similar Hadith, for it has been explained by scholars that this and other similar Ahadith have been abrogated by the above Hadith.

(b) There is no recompense for swearing by other than Allah nor is it binding upon anyone to fulfill a promise made by swearing by other than Him. What is incumbent upon him is to declare: "Laa ilaaha illallaahu Wahdahu Laa Shareeka Lahu," (None is worthy of worship except Allah , Alone, without partners) then he should spit over his left shoulder three times and seek refuge with Allah and he should never repeat this act of Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

Ibn Mas'ood (ra) said: "That I should swear by Allah upon a lie is more preferable to me than that I should swear by another upon the truth."

Ibn Mas'ood (ra) informs us in this narration that every lie upon which Allah's Name is invoked and every truthful statement upon which the name of another is invoked is a sin, but that the sin of swearing by Allah upon a lie is lighter than the sin of swearing by another upon the truth, because to swear by Allah upon a lie is a major sin, while to swear by another is an act of Shirk.

Benefits Derived From This Narration


1. The forbiddance of swearing by Allah upon a lie.

2. The permissibility of swearing by Allah upon the truth.

3. The forbiddance of swearing by other than Allah, whether to the truth or to a lie.

4. That if one is forced by circumstances to choose one of two courses of action, against one's will, he should do that which is less harmful.

5. The precise understanding of Ibn Mas'ood.

6. That swearing by other than Allah is a greater sin than swearing by Allah upon a lie.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that Ibn Mas'ood (ra) considered that swearing by other than Allah is forbidden, because swearing by one of Allah's creation entails glorification of that person or thing and glorification is a form of worship and directing an act of worship to other than Allah is Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of Huzaifah (ra), it is reported that the Prophet said:


"Do not say: "As Allah wills and so-and-so wills," but (instead) say: "As Allah wills and then as so-and-so wills." (Narrated by Abu Dawood with an authentic sanad)

Huzaifah (ra) informs us in this Hadith that the Prophet ordered his Companions not to equate the will of man with the Will of Allah , but to mention Allah's Will first, then the will of others, as this makes it clear that the will of man is subservient to the Will of Allah ; and it is clear that if man wills something but Allah wills it not, it can never happen, while if Allah wills something, even if the whole of mankind united to oppose it, it will, without any shadow of doubt, take place.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of equating the will of Allah's creatures with the Will of Allah .

2. The permissibility of mentioning the will of man after the Will of Allah by saying then as opposed to end.

3. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Will.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves the prohibition of equating the will of man with the Will of Allah by saying: "As Allah wills and so-and-so wills," because using the word and suggests parity between the Will of Allah and the will of man, which amounts to Shirk in matters of Rabbship.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of Ibraheem An-Nakha'i that he hated for anyone to say: "I seek refuge in Allah and in you," but he considered it permissible to say: "I seek refuge in Allah and then in you." Then he added: "A person should say: "If not for Allah , then so-and-so..." and he should not say: "If not for Allah and so-and-so."

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the narration proves that Ibraheem An-Nakha'i held that it is forbidden to link seeking refuge in Allah with seeking refuge in one of His creatures. Likewise he considered it forbidden to link the Actions of Allah with those of His creation, for do so is to set up a partner with Allah

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 41

What Has Been Said Concerning One Who is Not Satisfied With an Oath Sworn in Allah's Name

It is reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar (ra) that the Messenger of Allah said:


"Do not swear by your fathers: Whoever swears by Allah , let him speak the truth and the one for whom the oath is taken in the Name of Allah should be satisfied with it; and whoever is not satisfied with it, is not (one of the slaves) of Allah ." (Narrated by Ibn Majah, with a good Sanad)

In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah forbids the swearing of oaths in other than Allah's Name, because this entails glorifying Allah's creatures and humility towards them and Islam does not permit humility towards other than Allah . Then He commands those who swear in Allah's Name to speak the truth, because truth is a virtue at all times, even in ordinary speech, so what may be said of speech reinforced by an oath in Allah's Name?. Then He orders the one to whom an oath in Allah's Name is made, to believe his Muslim brother, unless it is proved that he has not spoken the truth, for it is incumbent upon the Muslim to think well of his brother and whoever does not do so, Allah has nothing to do with him.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of swearing by other than Allah.

2. The permissibility of swearing by Allah, so long as one is truthful.

3. The prohibition of swaering by Allah upon a lie.

4. The obligation to accept the word of one who swears by Allah , unless it is proved that he has lied.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the obligation to accept the word of one who swears by Allah .

Relevance of This Hadeeth to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the obligation to accept the word of one who swears by Allah , because by doing so, one is glorifying Allah and that is part of the completeness of Tawheed.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 42

Saying: "As Allah Wills and You Will."

It is reported on the authority of Qatelah (ra) that a Jewish man came to the Prophet and said to him: "Verily, you (Muslims) commit Shirk, for you say: "As Allah Wills and as you will;" and you say: "By the Ka'abah!" And so the Prophet ordered whoever wanted to swear, to say: "By the Rabb of the Ka'abah!" and to say: "As Allah Wills, then as you will." (Narrated by An-Nasaa`i, who said that it is authentic)

Qatelah (ra) informs us in this Hadith that a man from among the Jews of Madinah came to the Prophet intending to malign Islam and the Muslims; he told the Prophet that he and all the other Muslims were guilty of Shirk, as if he wished to say: "You and your Qur'an say that we, the Jews commit Shirk, then what about you, when you swear by the Ka'abah and when you say: "As Allah and you will," - is this not also Shirk?" Thenceforth, the Messenger of Allah forbade the Muslims from doing so, in order that, their Tawheed might be pure and so that there might not be even the slightest blemish upon the Muslims' Religion which their enemies might exploit; and He guided them to the correct manner of swearing an oath, which is to swear by the Rabb of the Ka'abah, not by the Ka'abah itself, for it is a created thing; and He told them that if they wish to mention Allah's Will along with the will of others, they should say: " As Allah Wills, then as you will," because the use of the word `then' does not imply parity between the Will of Allah and the will of others, as does the use of the word "and".

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. That the Jews know what minor Shirk is.

2. That a person knowing of the truth does not necessitate his believing in it.

3. That linking Allah's Will with the will of others by saying: "...and..." is minor Shirk.

4. That swearing by other than Allah is Shirk, no matter how elevated the status of the object upon which the oath is taken.

5. The obligation to accept the truth, no matter what its source.

6. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Will.

7. Confirmation of the Will of Allah's creatures, but in the knowledge that it is subordinate to the Will of Allah .

8. The permissibility of linking Allah's Will with that of His creatures by using the word then, as opposed to "and".

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves that saying: "As Allah Wills and you will," is an act of minor Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

An-Nasaa`i also narrate, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (ra) that a man came to the Prophet and he said: "As Allah and you, will," at which, the Prophet said: "Would you set me up as a partner beside Allah ? (Say "As Allah , Alone Wills."

Ibn `Abbas (ra) informs us that a man came to Allah's Messenger and consulted him about a certain matter; after hearing the Prophet's advice, he said: "As Allah and you will, oh, Messenger of Allah !" The Prophet rebuked him for this statement and explained to him that placing his will on a par with the Will of Allah was tantamount to ascribing him as a partner to Allah , which is prohibited to the Muslim. Then He guided the man to the correct manner, which is to say: "As Allah , Alone Wills."

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The obligation to reject that which is detestable.

2. That the ignorant man is excused due to his ignorance (until such time as he becomes aware of his mistake).

3. That linking the Will of Allah with that of His Creatures, using the word and, is an act of minor Shirk.

4. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Will.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves that saying: "As Allah and you will," is an act of minor Shirk.

Important Note

There is no contradiction between this Hadith and the saying of the Prophet : "Say: "As Allah Wills, then as you will," because to do so is permissible, while to say: "As Allah , Alone wills," is preferred.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of At-Tufail, the half brother of `A`ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both), it is reported that he said: "I saw in a dream that I came upon a number of Jews and I said to them: "You are indeed a good people were it not that you claim that `Uzair (as ) is the son of Allah ." They replied: "You too are good, were it not that you say: "As Allah Wills and as Muhammad wills." Then, I came upon a number of Christians and I said to them: "You are indeed a good people were it not that you claim that the Messiah (Eisa as ) is the son of Allah ." They replied: "You are also good, were it not that you say: "As Allah Wills and as Muhammad wills." When I awoke, I told someone about this, then I went to the Prophet and repeated it to him. He asked me: "Have you told anyone about this?" I said: "Yes." Then he went to the pulpit and, after praising Allah , he said: "At-Tufail had a dream which he has already communicated to some of you. You used to say something which I was prevented from forbidding to you until now. Henceforth, do not say: "As Allah Wills and as Muhammad wills," but say: " What Allah , Alone Wills." (Narrated by Ibn Majah)

At-Tufail (ra) informs us that he had a dream in which he saw the Jews and Christians and that he praised them both, except that he pointed out to them their shameful behaviour in elevating their Prophets to the status of deities, claiming them to be sons of Allah . They replied by praising the Muslims, except that they pointed out a blot on the Muslims' character, in that they used to link the Will of Allah with that of Muhammad . When At-Tufail awoke, he informed a number of people about what he had dreamt, and then he went to the Prophet and told him about it. The Prophet then rose and addressed the Muslims in the mosque: After praising Allah , Most High, he ordered them to be strict in their implementation of Tawheed, particularly in what concerns His Will. Then he told them that he had previously hated this saying, but that he had not been ordered to forbid it until now. Thenceforth, he forbade the Muslims from saying this, without fear of the truth, and regardless of its source.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The virtue of At-Tufail (ra).

2. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Will.

3. The prohibition of linking Allah's Will with that of His creatures, using the word `and', because to do so is to commit minor Shirk.

4. That in the time of the Prophet a dream might form the basis for a legal judgement.

5. The good character of the Prophet who did not hide anything from the people.

6. The lawfulness of beginning a speech by praising and thanking Allah .

7. The lawfulness of addressing the people on important matters.

8. The lawfulness of saying, after praising Allah : "Ammaa ba'adu..." 1

9. The lawfulness of making sure of the truth of a matter and not making hasty decisions.

10. The command to practise Tawheed in the matter of Allah's Will.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the prohibition of linking the Will of Allah's creatures with that of Him, Most High, using the word `and', for this suggests parity between the two and this leads to Shirk.

Footnotes

1. Ammaa ba'adu: As for what follows...

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 43

Whoever Curses Time Wrongs Allah

Allah , says:


" And they say: "There is nothing but our life in this world: We die and we live and nothing destroys us except time." And they have no knowledge of it, they only conjecture" (Qur'an 45:24)

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, informs us in this verse about the disbelieving dahris1 from among the Arabs and others, who do not believe in any life, save the life of this world, nor in the Rabb and Creator, Allah , Most High. They believe that nothing causes death except the passage of time. Then Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, refutes their claims, saying that they have absolutely no evidence for what they claim, but instead, depend upon surmise and their own vain opinions.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. That attributing good or evil to the passage of time is a sign of atheism.

2. Confirmation of a life after death for mankind.

3. That ad-dahr (time) is not one of Allah's Names.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That the verse rejects those who attribute events to time, for they commit a great wrong against Allah .

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it rejects those who attribute events to time, because in so doing, they are ascribing a partner to Allah , for it is He, Alone Who decrees what will be and what will not be.

..ooOOoo..

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet said: "Allah , Most Blessed, Most High, says: "The son of Adam wrongs Me: He curses time, though I am time: In My Hands are all things and I cause the night to follow the day." 2 In another narration, He says: "Do not curse time, for verily, time is Allah ."

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High informs us in this Hadith Qudsi, that man commits a great wrong against Allah when he curses time and attributes the occurrence of events to it, for Allah is the Rabb of time and the Disposer of affairs and it is by His Qadr that events take place. Therefore to curse time is to curse the Owner of time.

In the second narration, the Prophet forbids us from cursing time, saying that Allah is the Owner of time and the Disposer of it and all events and affairs, and this is confirmation of what was reported in the preceding Hadith Qudsi.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of cursing time.

2. That no actions may be attributed to time.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that to curse time is to commit a great wrong against Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves that cursing time is a great wrong against Allah , because those who do so believe that it is time which causes events to take place and this is shirk in Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah, for it is Allah , Alone Who determines events.

Footnotes

1. Dahris: An atheistic sect among the Arabs, their views are widely held in the West today: There is no God, no Resurrection, no punishment, no reward etc., etc.
2. Narrated by Bukhari.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 44

To Be Called Judge of Judges and the Like

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet said: "Verily, the lowest name to Allah is that of a man who calls himself "King of kings," for there is no king except Allah ."1 Sufyaan added: "Like the title Shaahinshaah." In another narration, it was said: "The man who angers Allah most on the Day of Ressurrection and the vilest..."

Allah's Messenger informs us in this Hadith that the vilest, most contemptible, most wretched human being in the sight of Allah is, the one who calls himself "King of kings" or the like, or is so called by others and is pleased with that, because in so doing, he has elevated himself to the position of Rabb, comparing himself to Allah , the true King of kings. Then He makes clear that there is no king of the universe, except Allah , the Almighty, the All-powerful. And here is a warning to all those who take such names and titles for themselves or attribute them to others, without perhaps, fully understanding the meaning or being aware of the great sin which they commit in so doing.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of naming oneself King of kings or any other name which carries the same meaning such as Emperor of all mankind, Judge of judges etc.

2. The obligation to abstain from using reprehensible expressions.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the forbiddance of taking the name King of kings.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith forbids taking or giving such names as King of kings or Judge of judges because this is Shirk in Rabbship.

Footnotes

1. Narrated by Bukhari.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 45

Honouring the Names of Allah and Changing One's Name Because of That

It is reported on the authority of Abu Shuraih (ra) that he used to be known as Abul Hakam, until the Prophet said to him: "Allah is Al-Hakam and His Judgement will prevail." Abu Shuraih (ra) replied: "When my people dispute in any matter, they come to me for adjudication; and when I judge between them, both parties are pleased with my judgement." The Prophet said: "How excellent is this! Do you have any children?" He said: "Yes, Shuraih, Muslim and `Abdullah." Then the Prophet asked: "Who is the eldest?" He answered: "Shuraih." Then the Prophet said: "Then (from now on,) you will be known as Abu Shuraih." (Narrated by Abu Dawood and others)

Abu Shuraih , whose real name was Haani Ibn Yazeed Al-Kindi, came to the Prophet in a delegation from his tribe; and his nickname at that time was Abul Hakam (Father of Judgement) 1 but when the Prophet heard his people addressing him thus, he rejected it, informing him that Al-Hakam is one of Allah's Names, for His is the final Judgement, from which there is no appeal. Abu Shuraih then explained to him that his people had given him this name because of his skill in adjudication and arbitration which in most cases, satisfied both parties. The Prophet was pleased with what Abu Shuraih (ra) told him and he praised him for his wisdom and good judgement. Then He asked him if he had any children. Abu Shuraih (ra) replied in the affirmative, stating that he had three sons, the eldest of whom was named Shuraih. At this, the Prophet informed him that thenceforth, he would be known as Abu Shuraih.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. That Islam erases what came before it.

2. That the ignorant man is excused his faults until such time as he is made aware of them.

3. The obligation to reject that which is detestable.

4. Confirmation of one of Allah's Names: Al-Hakam.

5. The permissibility of referring disputes to those who are capable of wise and fair judgement, even though he may not be an appointed judge and the obligation upon both parties to accept his judgement.

6. The virtue of accepting a Muslim's excuse when it is sound.

7. The permissibility of naming a person after his first-born daughter.

8. The lawfulness of naming onself after one's eldest child.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the obligation to change one's name if there is any similarity with the Names of Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith rejects similarity in men's names to the Names of Allah because to describe oneself by one of Allah's Names or a name with the same meaning is shirk, for it is a negation of Tawheed Al-Asmaa Was-Sifaat.

Footnotes

1. It was, and continues to be a practice among the Arabs, when they notice a certain trait in someone to name him (literally) father of that trait; thus Abu Hurairah (ra) - Father of Kittens, because he was so fond of kittens etc.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 46

Whoever Made Fun of Anything in Which
Allah, the Qur'an or His Messenger Are Mentioned

Allah , says:


" And if you question them, they declare emphatically: "We were only talking idly and joking." Say: "Was it at Allah, His Aayat and His Messenger you were mocking?" Make no excuses! You have rejected faith after you had accepted it, if We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were sinners" (Qur'an 9:65-66)

In these two verses, Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, refers to an incident in which the hypocrites, having taken part in the Battle of Tabuk with the Muslims, began to discredit and insult them and their Religion: He , Most High, informs His Prophet, Muhammad about the reply of those hypocrites, when they are questioned about their lack of faith, that they will put forward untruthful and invalid excuses for their behaviour, claiming that the slanders which issued from their mouths were spoken only as a jest. Then He , Most High, tells the Prophet to reply to them that their excuses are not acceptable, for they are guilty of mocking Allah , His Revelation, His Proofs, His Signs and His Messenger ; but in spite of this, He , Most Merciful does not close the door completely on the hope of forgiveness and mercy for those of them who cease their hypocrisy and turn sincerely in repentance to Allah . Finally, He , Most Blessed, Most High, confirms the severe chastisement which awaits them because of their hypocrisy and disbelief.

Benefits Derived From These Verses


1. That making fun of Islam and the Muslims is, an act of disbelief.

2. According to some scholars of the Hanbali school of fiqh, repentance is not accepted from anyone who makes fun of Islam and the Muslims, while others held the view that there is repentance for him. 1

Relevance of These Verses to the Subject of the Chapter

That they prove the disbelief of one who mocks Allah , His Aayat or His Messenger .

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar (ra), Muhammad ibn Ka'ab, Zaid Ibn Aslam and Qatadah that in the course of the Battle of Tabuk, a man came up and declared: "We have seen none greedier, none so untruthful and none so cowardly as these (Qur'anic) reciters of ours (i.e. Allah's Messenger and the Companions). `Awf Ibn Malik replied: "(In fact) you are the liar and a hypocrite; I shall inform the Messenger of Allah (about what you have said)." And so `Awf went to Allah's Messenger in order to inform him of what had occurred, but he found that Revelation had already preceded him. Then that man came to the Messenger of Allah when he was just starting out on a journey on his camel. The man pleaded: "We were only joking and indulging in travellers' talk to pass the time." Ibn `Umar (ra) said: "It is as if I see him before me now, clinging to the saddle-belt of the Allah's Messenger's camel and the rough stones were battering his legs as he ran and he was saying: "We were only talking idly and joking." But the Messenger of Allah replied: "" Was it at Allah, His Aayat and His Messenger you were mocking? Make no excuses! You have rejected faith after you had accepted it."" ." He did not look towards him, nor did he say anything further."

`Abdullah Ibn `Umar (ra) and the other above-mentioned narrators inform us in this Hadith, that during the Tabuk Campaign, a man from among the hypocrites began to malign the Messenger of Allah and the Companions and to mock them, claiming that they ate too much food and that they were liars and cowards in battle. When `Awf Ibn Malik (ra) heard these words, he became angry for Allah and His Messenger's sake and he refuted these words, branding him a liar and a hypocrite and warning him that he would inform the Prophet about what he had said; but when he came to him, he found that he already knew of the incident, because Allah had informed him through Revelation: The Qur'an had uncovered the baseness and deceipt of the hypocrites for all to see and cursed their disbelief. After this, the hypocrite came to the Messenger of Allah to try to explain his behaviour with patently false excuses, but Allah's Messenger refused even to look in his direction; he merely replied quoting the verse which Allah had revealed to him concerning this man and all those like him.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. The danger of the hypocrites to Islam and the Muslims.

2. That maligning Islam is a sign of hypocrisy.

3. That hatred for the Muslims and disparaging them is an act of kufr.

4. The obligation to refute immediately that which is evil.

5. The true faith of `Awf Ibn Malik.

6. The permissibility of branding a person a hypocrite if he exhibits unmistakable signs of hypocrisy.

7. Confirmation of the miracle of the Prophet in that he was informed by Revelation of the incident before `Awf came to him.

8. The non-acceptance of vain excuses.

9. The obligation to be severe with those who mock the Religion.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith and the verse contained there in, prove the disbelief of one who makes fun of Allah , His Book or His Messenger .

Footnotes

1. Those scholars of the mazhab of the great scholar of fiqh, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who held that there is no repentance for the one who mocks the Religion doubtless drew for evidence upon the Words of Allah (swt): (Qur'an 9:66). According to these scholars, the only alternative for such a person would be to embrace Islam anew, by testifying that none is worthy of worship except Allah (swt) and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 47

Allah's Words: " And Truly, If We Give Him a Taste of Mercy From Us, After Some Adversity Has Touched Him..."

Allah , says:


" And truly, if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is for me; I think not that the Hour will be established, but if I am brought back to my Lord, surely, there will be for me the best with Him." Then, We verily, will show to the disbelievers what they have done and We shall make them taste a severe torment" (Qur'an 41:50)

In this verse, Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, informs us when He blesses the disbelieving man or the doubter with health, well-being and wealth, after being afflicted with sickness, poverty or loss, he will not be thankful to his Rabb, but instead will boast that it is his right upon Allah . Then He , Most High, makes clear that the reason for this is his doubt in the reality of the Day of Judgement and all that it entails, including the Resurrection and the Gathering and that in his ignorance and stupidity, he exceeds even this, for he believes that should it prove that the Hereafter is a reality, he will find great blessings with his Rabb.

Then Allah warns him that he will be shown his deeds and that he will be held to account for them on that Day and he will receive a terrible punishment.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. That good and evil are by Allah's Decree.

2. The obligation to be thankful for Allah's Blessings.

3. Confirmation of the establishment of the Hour.

4. That doubt concerning the truth of the Resurrection is kufr.

5. That belief in Allah is not sufficient without belief in the Resurrection.

6. Confirmation of the reward and punishment.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that attributing blessings to other than Allah is kufr.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it forbids attributing blessings to other than Allah , because to do so is to set up partners with Him, Most High, in Rabbship.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: "Verily, three men from Bani Israel, a leper, a bald-headed man and a blind man were tested by Allah : He sent to them an angel, who came (first) to the leper and said to him: "What thing would you like most?" He replied: "A good complexion and a good skin and that that which causes the people to be averse to me (i.e. the leprosy) should depart from me." The angel touched him and his disease was cured and he was given a fair complexion and a good skin. The angel then asked him: "What kind of property do you prefer?" The man replied: "Camels," or "Cows." (Ishaq, the narrator is not sure which). So he was given a pregnant female camel, and the angel said to him: "May Allah bless you in it." Then the angel came to the bald man and said to him: "What is the thing most loved to you?" The man replied: "Good hair and that which causes the people to be averse to me (baldness) should depart from me." And so the angel touched him and his affliction was gone and he was given fine hair. Then the angel asked him: "What kind of property would you like best?" He replied: "Cows," or "Camels." The angel gave him a pregnant cow and said: "May Allah bless you in it." Then the angel went to the blind man and said to him: "What thing would you like best of All?" He said: "I would like that Allah restore my sight to me so that I might see the people." And so the angel touched him and Allah restored his sight to him. Then the angel asked him: "What kind of property do you most prefer?" He replied: "Sheep." So the angel gave him a pregnant sheep. Later, all three of the pregnant animals gave birth to young and multiplied until one of them had a valley full of camels, while another had a valley full of cows and the third had a valley full of sheep. Then the angel disguised as a leper, went to the leper and said: "I am a poor man who has lost all his means while on a journey, and so there is none who can satisfy my needs today except Allah and then you. I ask you by the One Who gave you your fair complexion and your fine skin and granted you so much wealth in livestock to give me a camel so that I may reach my destination." The man replied: "I have many obligations (so I cannot give you one)." The angel said: "I think I know you; were you not a leper to whom the people had a strong aversion? Were you not a poor man and then Allah gave you (all of this)?" The man replied: "(No,) I got this property by way of inheritance from my forefathers." The angel said: "If you are lying, May Allah make you as you were before." Then the angel went to the bald man, in the shape of a bald man and said to him the same as he had said to the first man, but he too answered as the first one had. The angel said to him: "If you are lying, May Allah make you as you were before." Then the angel, disguised as a blind man, went to the blind man and said: "I am a poor man and a traveller whose livelihood has been cut off during the journey. I have no one to help me except Allah and then you. I ask you by Him Who has given you back your sight to give me a sheep that I may, with its help, complete my journey." The man said: "Without doubt, I was blind and Allah gave me back my sight, so take what you wish from my property. By Allah ! I will not prevent you from taking anything of my property, which you may have for Allah's sake." The angel replied: "Keep your property with you. You have (all) been tested and Allah is pleased with you and is angry with your two companions." (Narrated by Bukhari)

The Prophet informs us in this Hadith about the true story of three poor men from the tribe of Bani Israel: A leper, a bald man and a blind man, whose faith Allah wished to test. He sent to them an angel who cured them of their afflictions, by Allah's Will and gave them wealth in livestock. Later, he came back to them and asked each of them for material help, assuming in each case, the form of the man prior to his cure and reminding each of them of Allah's Mercy and Beneficence to him when he was in need. As for the leper and the bald man, they were ungrateful to Allah and refused, while as for the blind man, he acceded gladly to the angel's request; as a result, the former two earned Allah's Anger, while the third earned His Pleasure and Allah allowed him to retain his wealth.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. Confirmation of the Prophetic miracle, in that Allah had granted him something of the knowledge of former peoples.

2. That attributing blessings to other than Allah is kufr and the cause of their loss.

3. That attributing blessings to Allah is to express gratitude to Him and causes them said blessings to continue.

4. Confirmation of the human attribute of will, but that it is subordinate to the Will of Allah.

5. Confirmation of Allah Divine Attribute of Pleasure.

6. Conformation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Anger.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that attributing blessings to other than Allah is an act of disbelief in Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith prohibits attributing blessings to other than Allah , because this is Shirk in Rabbship.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 48

Allah's Words: " But When He Gives to Them A Righteous Child, They Ascribe to Him Partners in That Which He Has Given Them"

Allah , says:


" It is He Who created you from a single being and made from it its mate, in order that he might dwell with her. When he united with her [in intercourse], she bore [i.e. becomes pregnant with] a light burden and she continued to carry it. When she grew heavy, they both prayed to Allah, their Lord: "If You give us a righteous child, good in every respect, we vow we shall be of the grateful ones." But when He gave them a righteous child, they ascribed to others a share in that which He had given them: But Allah is Exalted High above the partners they ascribe to Him" (Qur'an 7:189-190 )

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, informs us in these verses that He created mankind from a single human being, Adam (as ) and that He created from him a wife, Hawwa`,1 in order that they might live together in peace and harmony and that He created in them the desire for sexual intercourse and made it permissible to them, in order that they might enjoy complete stability and repose and that their progeny might continue to multiply. And when she became pregnant, they both called upon Allah , asking Him to give them a healthy, strong, righteous child and swearing that if He did so, they would be eternally be grateful to Him. But when Allah answered their supplications and gave them that which they had requested, they named him `Abdul Harith,2 thus ascribing others as partners with Allah ; and Allah is far above that which they attributed to Him.

Benefits Derived From These Verses


1. The superiority of man over woman in that he was created before her.

2. The preferability of marriage over bachelorhood.

3. The obligation to abstain from naming one's children with detestable names.

4. Evidence of the virtue of motherhood and of what a mother endures during pregnancy and childbirth.

5. The lawfulness of supplication and confirmation of its benefits.

6. That ascribing partners to Allah invalidates one's gratitude to Him.

7. The obligation to abstain from anthropomorphic concepts and ideas regarding Allah.

Relevance of These Verses to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the verses prove the correctness of the saying of Ibn `Abbas (ra), who said that submission to other than Allah by naming one's children as slaves of other than Allah is Shirk.

On the authority of Ibn `Abbas (ra) it is reported that he said: "When Adam (as ) joined with her, she became pregnant and then Iblees came to her and said: "I am your companion, who caused you to be expelled from Paradise. Obey me, or I will cause your child to grow two horns like a deer by which he will puncture your belly when he comes out! So do it! Do it! Thus he tried to frightened them into naming their child `Abdul Harith, but they did not obey him and a dead child was born to them. When Hawwa` became pregnant a second time, Iblees again approached them and repeated the same demand but again they refused and the child was born dead. She became pregnant a third time and Iblees came to them and made the same demand, reminding them of what had happened before. At this point, they were overcome by love for their (unborn) child and named him `Abdul Harith and this is why Allah , the Almighty, the All-powerful said:


" They ascribed to others a share in that which He had given them" (Qur'an 7:190)

..ooOOoo..

Ibn `Abbas (ra) informs us in this narration that when Hawwa` became pregnant by Adam , Allah wished to test them and so He allowed Iblees to come to them and demand from them that they obey him by naming their child `Abdul Harith and he kept on repeating this demand with threats to the unborn foetus' life, until eventually they gave in out of fear for their child and acceded to his ultimatum and Allah then saved the child from death as a trial to them, in order to see whether they attributed its safety to Allah or another.3

Benefits Derived From This Narration


1. Confirmation of Iblees' enmity towards Adam (as ).

2. The obligation to avoid Satan and his evil whispering.

3. Iblees' persistence in seducing mankind.

4. That Allah may test a righteous person by afflicting him with calamities.

5. The weakness of man's resolve.

6. That love of one's children is a natural instinct with which Allah has endowed us.

7. The prohibition of naming anyone as slave of other than Allah .

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that naming one's child as slave of other than Allah is an act of Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

Also narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim, with an authentic sanad, 4 on the authority of Qatadah is the following: "They attributed partners to Him by obeying other than Him, not by worshiping him (Iblees)."

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that naming one's children as slaves of other than Allah is an act of Shirk.

It is also authentically narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim, on the authority of Mujahid, that he said concerning Allah's Words:" If You give us a righteous child, good in every respect" : "They were afraid that the child would not be human." The same thing was said by Al-Hasan, Sa'eed and others.

Mujahid informs us concerning the above mentioned Qur'anic verse that the reason for Adam and his wife's calling their son `Abdul Harith was out of fear that he would be born in a non-human form after Iblees had deceived them into believing that he had the power to do as he had threatened - May Allah's curse be upon him.

Footnotes

1. Hawwaa`: Eve.
2. 'Abdul Harith: Slave, or worshipper of the cultivator.
3. Not because Allah (swt) did not know what they would do, for He knows all things, but in order that their action should be a proof either for or against them on the Day of Judgement.
4. In fact, this narration has been graded as weak by Ibn Katheer amongst others.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 49

Allah's Words: " The Most Beautiful Names Are For Allah, So Call on Him by Them"

Allah, Most High says:


" The most beautiful Names are for Allah, so call on Him by them, but shun those who deny His Names" (Qur'an 7:180)

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, informs us in this verse that His Names are of the utmost beauty and that He is Most Perfect and Complete in all of His Divine Attributes, then He tells us that we should supplicate Him using these Names, in order that our prayers be answered and that they be answered quickly. Then He , Most High, commands us to avoid those who reject His Names or knowingly alter their meanings in order to suit their deviated understanding of Tawheed. Then He , Almighty, All-powerful, warns them of the condign punishment which awaits those who deny His Names and Attributes on the Day of Resurrection.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the forbiddance of denying Allah's Divine Names and Attributes.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it forbids the denial of Allah's Divine Names and Attributes; such denial includes bestowing His Names upon His creatures or bestowing His creatures' names upon Him, for this is Shirk in the matter of His Names and Attributes.

Important Note


(a) Mentioning the Divine Names by which the Believer may enter Paradise may be described as being on three levels: (i) Pronouncing the words; (ii) understanding their meanings and (iii) calling upon Allah by them.

(b) Some of Allah's Names may be pronounced alone, such as Al-Hakeem (the Judge), while others may be pronounced together, such as As-Samee' (the All-hearing) and Al-Baseer (the All-seeing), while others must never be pronounced except together, such as An-Naafi' (the Benevolent) and Adh-Dhaarr (the Harmer), because Allah's Complete-ness is not made clear except by this combination, for were one to pronounce the Name Adh-Dhaarr alone, it would not be a word of praise unless the Name An-Naafi' was mentioned along with it.

(c) The rule regarding Allah's Names and Attributes is that we do not ascribe to Him any name or attribute which is not found in the Qur'an or the authentic Ahadith of the Prophet , and we reject all names and attributes which He and His Messenger have rejected, and we remain silent concerning matters connected with His Names and Attributes about which we have no knowledge.

(d) It is not permissible to derive names for Allah from the verbs used in the Qur'an to describe His Actions: Thus, we may not refer to Him as Al-Mun'im (the Provider of Blessings), even though the Qur'an speaks of His Ni'am (Blessings), nor is it allowed for us to call Him As-Sattaar (the Veiler) even though He has been described as As-Satteer (derived from the same verb) in an authentic Hadith; and whoever does so is in error.

(e) Denial of Allah's Divine Names and Attributes is of five types: (i) Bestowing Allah's Names or names derived from them upon idols, as the pagan Quraish did, when they named one of their gods Al-Laat, which is derived from the same root as Allah ; (ii) ascribing to Allah names which do not befit His Majesty, as the Christians do when they refer to Him as the Father, or as the philosophers do when they refer to him as the Active Cause, or the Power etc.; (iii) ascribing to Him attributes which He is far above, such as the Jews' obnoxious claim that He rested on the seventh day (i.e. Saturday); (iv) changing the meaning of Allah's Divine Names and Attributes and rejecting the true meanings as did the Jahmiyyah1 who claimed that Allah is the All-hearing, but He does not hear and that He is the Living, but He does not live;2 (v) Comparing the Attributes of Allah with those of His creatures, when in truth, we should affirm only that which does not suggest any comparison between Allah and His creation.

..ooOOoo..

Ibn Abi Hatim reported on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (ra) that he said: "Those who belie or deny His Names are guilty of Shirk."

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the narration proves that Ibn `Abbas (ra) held that ascribing Allah's Names to idols is an act of denial of those Names and it is confirmed that those who do so are guilty of Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of Al-A'amash that he said that they used to ascribe names to Allah which were not His.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That the narration is evidence that Al-A'amash was of the view that calling Allah by names which are not His is a denial of those Names and it has been confirmed that denial of Allah's Names is Shirk.

Footnotes

1. The Jahmiyyah: A deviant sect which perverted Islamic beliefs. Although, as a group, they are no longer present, many of their distorted beliefs have been adopted by others.
2. That is, these are just names, without meaning.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 50

One Should Not Say: Peace Be Upon Allah

It is authentically reported on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (ra) that he said: "Whenever we prayed behind the Prophet , we used to recite: "As-Salaam (Peace) be upon Allah from His slaves and As-Salaam be upon so-and-so and so-and-so, until the Prophet told us: "Do not say: "As-Salaam be upon Allah ," for verily, He is As-Salaam." 1

Ibn Mas'ood (ra) informs us that when he and the other Companions prayed with the Messenger of Allah , they used to invoke Allah's Peace and Blessings upon Allah and then upon a number of people during tashahhud (sitting). But then he forbade them from doing so, informing them that As-Salaam is one of Allah's Names, therefore it is not acceptable that they should invoke Allah's Peace and Blessings upon Himself, for He is not in need of peace or blessings rather He is the Owner and Source of all peace and blessings.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of invoking peace upon Allah .

2. That when Islam forbids a thing, it guides us to that which is better.

3. That As-Salaam is one of the Names of Allah .

4. The permissibility of supplicating Allah on behalf of His slaves in prayer.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that it is forbidden to invoke peace and blessings upon Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that invoking peace and blessings upon Allah is contrary to Tawheed, because As-Salaam is a form of supplication on behalf of the weak, and those in need and Allah is neither of these things.

Footnotes

1. Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 51

Saying: "Oh, Allah! Forgive Me if You Will."

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: "None of you should say: "Oh, Allah , Forgive me if You will," or: "Oh, Allah , Have mercy upon me if You Will." Rather he should always appeal to Allah firmly, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will."1 According to Muslim's report, He said: "One should appeal to Allah with firm determination for nothing is too much or too great for Allah to give it."

Because all of us are wretched and humble before Allah , Most High, and He is Self-sufficient, Most Praiseworthy, Allah's Messenger forbade anyone who supplicates Allah from adding to his request: "...if You will," as this suggests a lack of interest on Allah's part in the needs of His slaves, nor is it befitting the true spirit of humility in which the Muslim is supposed to approach his Rabb. Nor is it fitting to suggest that Allah treats His slaves in such a fickle manner, acceding to some requests, while rejecting others on a whim – Allah , Most High, is far above that. In fact He has informed us that he answers the supplication of everyone who asks Him:


" And when My slaves ask you about Me, I am indeed near: I answer the supplication of the suppliant when he asks Me" (Qur'an 2:185).

Then He , Most Glorified, Most High, commands us that when we ask Him, we should do so imploringly, beseechingly, whether the request is big or small since no request is difficult for Him, Most High, to grant, for He is the Owner of all things in the heavens and the earth, the absolute Disposer of all affairs therein and He is Able to do all things.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The prohibition of saying: "...if You will," when supplicating Allah .

2. The lawfulness of supplication and confirmation of its effectiveness.

3. Confirmation of Allah's Completeness and Perfection.

4. That imploring Allah firmly, rather than timidly and apologetically, is to think well of Him, Most Glorified, Most High.

5. Allah's freedom from all imperfection.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the prohibition of saying: "...if You will," when making supplication to Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that it is forbidden to say: "...if You will," when supplicating Allah , as this suggests some lack or imperfection in Allah , as if He might answer us or not according to His whim, and such an idea is incompatible with correct Tawheed.

Footnotes

1. Narrated by Bukhari.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 52

One Should Not Say: "My Slave," or: "My Slave-girl)

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah said: "None of you should say: "Feed your Rabb," or: "Help your Rabb in performing ablution," but instead he should say: "My master," or: "My guardian," and none should say: "My slave," or: "My slave-girl," but instead he should say: "My lad," or: "My lass," or: "My boy." 1

Because Rabbship and worship necessitate glorification - and none should be glorified but Allah , Almighty All-powerful - the Messenger of Allah forbade referring to a slave-owner as Rabb or to a bonded slave as `abd, 2 since this suggests some kind of partnership with Allah , when in fact, we are all His slaves and He is the only Rabb. Then the Prophet guided us to that which is better and does not connote Rabbship of the slave-owner or worship on behalf of the slave, which is to say: "My lad," or: "My lass," or: "My boy." This is better and safer for those whom Allah has tested with the responsibility of slave-ownership or the burden of being a slave.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The obligation to block all roads to Shirk.

2. That Ar-Rabb is one of Allah's Names which it is forbidden to ascribe to any other unless it is linked with something without sense, such as: Rabbul Bait (Owner of the House) or Rabbud-Daabbah (Owner of the beast).

3. The forbiddance of calling the slave `abd or the slave-girl amah.

4. The permissibility of referring to the slave-owner as master or protector.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it prohibits calling the slave `abd and the slave-girl amah.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith forbids calling the slave `abd and the slave-girl amah, because this is Shirk in matters of worship.

Important Note


(a) There are those who have claimed that it is permissible to call the slave-owner Rabb and that there is no restriction on this; as proof, they have cited the Words of Allah , Most High:

" Mention me to your lord" (Qur'an 12:42)

And the words of the Messenger of Allah : "...and the amah will give birth to her rabbah." The answer to these claims is that in the Qur'anic verse, the reference is to a time before the Messengership of Muhammad , when such terminology had not been forbidden. As for the above-mentioned Hadith, what is mentioned here is rabbah, which is the feminine form of the word rabb, and as such, does not connote Rabbship; rather, the word would mean mistress or lady.


(b) In this Hadith, the Prophet has permitted reference to a slave-owner as mawlaa, while in another Hadith, he has forbidden it. It may be that the way to understand both of these Hadith without refering any contradiction, is to say that, while it is permissible to do so, it is preferable not to; this would be particularly so in the case of those people who refer to their scholars or sheikhs as Mawlaanaa (our Protector) - for Allah has so described Himself in Qur'an Al-Baqarah, where He tells us to address Him thus:

" You are Mawlaanaa [our Protector] so give us victory over the disbelievers" (Qur'an 2:285)

Footnotes

1. Narrated by Muslim.
2. While it is true that the word 'abd means slave, it also connotes worship and submission, thus it is not permissible to say, e.g.: "'Abd Ahmad," meaning the bonded slave of Ahmad. Thus, Allah (swt) refers to His slaves in the Qur'an as 'Ibadullah (the slaves of Allah swt).

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 53

Whoever Asks in the Name of Allah Should Not Be Refused

It is reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar (ra) that he said: "Allah's Messenger said:


"Whoever asks for something in Allah's Name, give it to him; if anyone seeks refuge in Allah's Name, give him refuge; if anyone gives you an invitation, accept it; and if anyone does you a kindness, recompense him; but if you have not the wherewithal to do so, pray for him until you feel that you have recompensed him." (Narrated by Abu Dawood and An-Nasaa`i, who graded it as authentic)

The Prophet commands us in this Hadith to help whoever asks for assistance in Allah's Name in all that does not entail disobedience to Allah and His Messenger ; and to protect from evil whoever seeks protection in Allah's Name; and to accept an invitation when one is invited, so long as it does not entail anything forbidden;1 and to respond in kind to those who do favours for us; He also said that, if we are unable to respond in kind, then we should supplicate Allah on their behalf until we feel that we have repaid them in full. If we do all of these things, the result will be to foster brotherly love, compassion, generosity and unity amongst the Muslim community and put an end to enmity, division, strife, miserliness and disunity.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The obligation to give to the one who asks in Allah's Name.

2. The obligation to defend from evil the one who seeks shelter in Allah's Name.

3. The obligation to accept a brother Muslim's invitation to a meal, a wedding celebration, birth celebration etc. so long as doing so does not involve anything forbidden.

4. The obligation to recompense those who do good to us.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the obligation to give to whomsoever what is asked in Allah's Name.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that it is forbidden to refuse a person in need when he asks in Allah's Name because to do so is to fail to glorify Allah , as is His right upon us, and this conflicts with correct Tawheed.

Footnotes

1. For example, were one to be invited to a gathering where, drinking of alcoholic beverages, playing of music, smoking, playing of games of chance etc. were taking place, it would not be obligatory to attend; rather, it would be obligatory to decline the invitation.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 54

Nothing But Paradise Should Be Asked For by Allah's Countenance

Allah , says:


" After distress, He sent down calm on a group of you overcome with slumber, while another group was stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong thoughts about Allah - thoughts which belonged to the Jahiliyyah: They said: "Is this matter anything to do with us?" Say to them: "Verily, the matter is for Allah." They hide within themselves what they would never reveal to you: They say: "If the matter had been left to us, none of us would have been killed here." Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was written would have gone forth to their deaths." But [all this was] that Allah might test what is in your hearts and purge what is in your hearts, for Allah knows well the secrets of your hearts" (Qur'an 3:154)

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, informs us in this verse about the Believers upon whom He sent the blessing of slumber after they had been distressed and worried, in order that they might be invigorated and refreshed. Then He , Most High, tells us that among them were a number of hypocrites who did not share their faith and whose sole concern was for their own safety. This is why they asked of the Prophet in tones of criticism and rebuke why they should risk their lives in that battle. But Allah commanded the Prophet to inform them that the matter was for Allah to decide, not for him, but that Allah aids whom He wills.

Finally, Allah reveals their hypocrisy, saying that their faith in His Promise and that of His Messenger was not genuine, for were it so, they would not have feared to go out and fight and they would have realized that if death is written for someone, he cannot avoid it, no matter whether he go forth in battle or stay at home, and that all of this was no more than a test of their faith and sincerity to reveal their true nature.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. That good and evil are ordained by Allah, Almighty, All-powerful.

2. That adversity often reveals a person's true nature.

3. That rejection of Allah's Qadr is a sign of hypocrisy in belief.

4. That taking precautions against any eventuality will not prevent what Allah has decreed from taking place.

5. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of possessing a Face.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that it is forbidden to reject Allah's Qadr.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That the verse proves the obligation to submit to Allah's Qadr, because this is true Tawheed.

..ooOOoo..

Allah , says:


" Those who said about their brethren, while they, themselves sat at home: "If only they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed." Say: "Avert death from your ownselves, if you speak the truth!"" (Qur'an 3:168)

Allah , Most High, informs us in this verse about what took place in a heated debate between the Believers who had fought valiantly in Allah's cause, and the hypocrites, who had stayed away from the battle and sat at home: The hypocrites belittled the sacrifice made by the Believers who had died on the battlefield of Uhud due to the express command of the Prophet being ignored, saying that if only they had followed the example of the hypocrites and stayed at home, they would now be alive. But Allah , Most High, in response, challenged them that if they spoke the truth, then let them save themselves from death, for no warning can avert what Allah has ordained.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. The lawfulness of struggle (jihaad) in Allah's cause.

2. The danger of the hypocrites to the Muslim Ummah.

3. That warnings can not avert Allah's Qadr.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That the verse proves the prohibition of rejecting Allah's Qadr.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the obligation to accept Allah's Qadr, for this is an essential part of Tawheed.

..ooOOoo..

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: "Seek what benefits you, and seek help only from Allah and do not lose heart. If any adversity comes to you, do not say: "If I had only acted in such-and-such a way, it would have been such-and-such;" but instead, say: "Allah has decreed (it) and what He willed, He has done," for verily, (the word) (if) opens the way for the work of Satan." 1

Because Islam calls mankind to that which leads to success, prosperity and betterment of society, Allah's Messenger commanded the Muslims to take part in jihad in Allah's cause; and in order that they might attain the aforementioned blessings - in this life and the Hereafter – he ordered them to accept calamities - which are all from Allah's Qadr - with equanimity, and not to become depressed or open the door to regret or blame by saying: "If only I had done such-and-such a thing, I might have avoided this outcome;" for to do so will lead to anger and despair, and these are the works of the devil. Instead he guided them to that which is better and more worthy, which is to say: "Allah has decreed (it) and what He willed He has done."

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. That undertaking the necessary precautions in order to achieve one's objectives does not conflict with Tawheed.

2. That man has a measure of free will and is not driven helplessly by events.

3. That despair conflicts with seeking help from Allah .

4. The forbiddance of seeking help from other than Allah in those matters over which they have no control.

5. That Islam encourages the Muslim to work and be productive.

6. The prohibition of rejecting Allah's Qadr.

7. That good and evil are ordained by Allah .

8. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Will in a manner befitting His Majesty.

9. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Action.

10. That belief in Allah's Qadr is a cure for what ails the heart and leads to mental peace and stability.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the forbiddance of rejecting Allah's Qadr.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves the obligation to accept and submit to Allah's Qadr because this is an essential part of Tawheed.

Footnotes

1. Narrated by Muslim.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 55

The Prohibition of Maligning the Wind

On the authority of Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab (ra) it is reported that Allah's Messenger said:


"Do not malign the wind; if you see that which displeases you, say: "Oh, Allah ! We ask of You the good of this wind and the good that it is commanded to bring with it; and we seek refuge with You from the evil of this wind and the evil that it is commanded to bring with it." (Narrated by At-Tirmizi, who graded it authentic)

Because Islam has ordered us to be of good character and good manners, the Messenger of Allah forbade the Muslims from maligning or cursing the wind; this is because the wind is one of Allah's creations: It does not blow or remain still, or harm or benefit except by Allah's Command therefore vilifying it amounts to vilifying Him Who sent it. Then Allah's Messenger informs us that the wind may bear good or ill and that it is incumbent upon the Believer to ask Allah , Most High, for the good and to seek protection with Him from the evil.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The prohibition of maligning the wind.

2. The virtue of using the above-mentioned supplication when one sees anything disliked brought by the wind.

3. The lawfulness of supplication and its benefit.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the forbiddance of maligning the wind.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that it is prohibited to curse or vilify the wind because doing so amounts to maligning Him Who sent it and this conflicts with correct Tawheed.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 56

Allah's Words: " [They Were] Moved by Wrong Thoughts About Allah - Thoughts Which Belonged to the Jahiliyyah"

Allah , says:


" [They were] moved by wrong thoughts about Allah - thoughts which belonged to the Jahiliyyah: They said: "Is the matter anything to do with us?" Say to them: "Verily, the matter is for Allah." They hide within themselves what they would never reveal to you: They say: "If the matter had been left with us, none of us would have been killed here." Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was written would have gone forth to their deaths." But [all this was] that Allah might test what is in your hearts and purge what is in your hearts, for Allah knows well the secrets of your hearts" (Qur'an 3:154)

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That the verse proves the forbiddance of thinking ill of Allah .

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the obligation to think well of Allah for this is an essential aspect of Tawheed.

..ooOOoo..

Allah , says:


" And that He may punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the polytheists, men and women, who think evil of Allah: On them is a round of evil: The Wrath of Allah is on them: He has cursed them and prepared for them the Hell-fire: And an evil destination is it" (Qur'an 48:6)

In this verse, Allah , Most High, informs us that the disbelievers from among the hypocrites and the polytheists hold false beliefs concerning Allah , and they wish for the Believers defeat and destruction, but Allah will defeat their nefarious plotting and He promises them two punishments: One in this world, when their hearts will be crushed at the ultimate success of the Muslims over the disbelievers, and another in the Hereafter, when Allah's mighty Wrath will overtake them: They will receive no mercy from Him and they will be plunged into the Hell-fire to dwell therein for eternity.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. That the hypocrites are the greatest danger to the Muslim Ummah.

2. The forbiddance of thinking ill of Allah.

3. That the Qur'an customarily mentions males before females.

4. That thinking ill of Allah is a sign of hypocrisy.

5. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Anger in a manner befitting His Majesty.

6. The general permissibility of cursing the disbelievers.

7. Confirmation of the existence of the Hell-fire.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the forbiddance of thinking ill of Allah .

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That the verse proves the obligation to think well of Allah , because this is an essential aspect of tawheed.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said, concerning the first verse: "The explanation of this thought (of the unbelievers) is that they believed that Allah would not help His Messenger and that his affair (i.e. Islam) will be forgotten. It is also explained as meaning that the afflictions which befell him were not from Allah's Qadr and His Wisdom. It is therefore explained as a denial of Allah's Qadr and His Wisdom and denial that the matter (i.e. Message) of His Messenger would be completed and that it would prevail over all religions. These were the evil thoughts of the hypocrites and the polytheists as mentioned in Qur'an Al-Fath - and they are only that: evil thoughts. Any person who believes that falsehood will prevail over Truth (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) continuously, and that it will cause Truth to disappear, or who denies that things occur in accordance with Allah's Qadr and His Decision, or denies the overriding wisdom behind His Qadr, which is deserving of all praise, and thinks that it is due to an aimless, purposeless will: These are the thoughts of those who disbelieve. Woe to those who disbelieve in the Hell-fire - and most of them think ill of Allah , when it concerns that which affects them in particular and what He does to others, and none is saved from such evil thoughts except those who truly know Allah and His Divine Names and Attributes and understand the necessity of His Wisdom and of praising Him. Let the wise recipient of good counsel look at himself closely in this matter and repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness for having thought ill of his Rabb. And if you were to examine such individuals, you would see each of them in distress and anger with what Allah has decreed, blaming and finding fault in it and thinking that it should have been such-and-such. In this, some are more guilty than others. Examine yourself: Are you free from such thoughts? If you are saved from it, you have been saved from a great calamity, but if you are not, I cannot regard you as saved."

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 57

What Has Been Said About Those Who Deny Allah's Qadr

Ibn `Umar (ra) said: "By Him in Whose Hand is the soul of Ibn `Umar, if anyone possessed gold as much as the mountain of Uhud and spent it in Allah's cause, Allah would not accept it from him unless he believed in Allah's Qadr." Then he cited as evidence the words of the Prophet : "Eemaan (faith) is to believe in (i) Allah , (ii) His angels, (iii) His revealed Books, (iv) His Messengers, (v) the Day of Resurrection and (vi) Al-Qadr, both the good and bad of it."

In this narration, `Abdullah Ibn `Umar (ra) swears by Allah, that no matter how much wealth a person may spend in Allah's cause, no matter how many righteous deeds he may perform, it will benefit him nothing and Allah will not accept it from him if he does not believe in Allah's Qadr; this is because belief in, it is one of the six pillars of faith as expounded by the Messenger of Allah in a well known authentic Hadith, known as the Hadith of Jibreel (as ) in which he visited the Prophet in human form in front of a number of the Companions and questioned him about Islam in order to teach the Muslims their faith. This Hadith, Ibn `Umar (ra) cited as proof for what he had said concerning the obligation of belief in Allah's Qadr.

Benefits Derived From This Narration


1. That faith consists of six pillars without all of which, faith is invalid.

2. That good and evil are by Allah's Decree (Qadr) and His Decision (Qadhaa`).

3. The permissibility of swearing to something which is beneficial to the community.

4. The virtue of confirming the truth of important juristic rulings by swearing to them.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that those who reject Allah's Qadr are disbelievers.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that whoever rejects Allah's Qadr is a disbeliever, because denial of Al-Qadr is a form of Shirk in Rabbship.

Important Note


(a) Al-Qadr consists of four levels: (i) Allah's Knowledge of events before they take place; (ii) His having written them before the creation of all things; (iii) His irresistable Will, which none in creation can evade, nor can they evade His Deeds (iv) His creation of all things, in which He has no partners - and all besides Him is created.

(b) The Prophet said, in the above-mentioned Hadith that faith is to believe in His Qadr, both the good and the bad of it, while in another Hadith, he said: "...and evil is not from You." There is no contradiction here, for what is meant by the latter Hadith is that, while Allah created evil and ordained it, He does not do evil. It may be said that when Allah ordains evil for a person, it is only evil from the point of view of that person, for it is an affliction sent to him because of some sins he has committed; however, in Allah's Sight, it is not an evil, for it represents Allah's Wisdom, Justice and Knowledge.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of `Ubadah Ibn As-Samit (ra) that he said to his son: "Oh, son! You will never taste true faith until you know that whatever afflicts you would not have missed you, and whatever has missed you would never have come to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah say: "The first thing Allah created was the pen; He commanded it to write. It said: "My Rabb! What shall I write?" He said: "Write down what has been ordained for all things until the establishment of the Hour." Oh, my son! I heard Allah's Messenger say: "Whoever dies believing something other than this does not belong to me." In another narration by Imam Ahmad, it was reported: "Verily, the first thing which Allah , Most High, created was the pen, and He said to it: "Write;" and in that very hour all what was to occur (was written) up to the Day of Resurrection." In another version from Ibn Wahab, it was said: "Allah's Messenger said: "Whoever disbelieved in Al-Qadr, the good and the bad of it, will be burnt in the Hell-fire."

In this Hadith, `Ubadah Ibn As-Samit (ra) advised his son that faith has a taste and that none shall savour it except one who believes in Allah's Qadhaa` (Decision) and His Qadr, the good and the bad of it. As proof, he cited the Hadith of the Prophet in which he informed us that Allah commanded the pen to write the destiny of all things up to the Day of Resurrection and that whoever died without believing in Allah's Qadaa` and His Qadr would be outside the fold of Islam and that his eternal abode would be the Hell-fire where he would burn forever - a wretched end.


Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The lawfulness of a father advising and teaching his sons.

2. The precise understanding of the Companions of matters pertaining to Allah's Qadr and their faith in it.

3. That the first of all created things was the pen.

4. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Speech, in a manner befitting His Majesty.

5. That whoever rejected Allah's Qadr is a disbeliever.

6. That it is the last acts in a person's life which are important.

7. Confirmation of Allah's Promise of punishment for those who deny His Qadr.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves that whoever rejected Allah's Qadr is a disbeliever.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves that whoever denied Allah's Qadr is a disbeliever because this is Shirk in Rabbship.

Important Note

Which was created first, the Throne or the pen? It has been said that it was the Throne by some and by others it was said the pen. Those who said the pen cited as proof the above Hadith, understanding the word `pen' to be the object of the verb `created,' while those who said that the Throne was created first cited as evidence a number of authentic Ahadith which support this view. The latter group would therefore understand the first Hadith to say: "Verily, directly after creating the pen, Allah commanded it to write..."

..ooOOoo..

In Imam Ahmad's Musnad and in the Sunan of Abu Dawood, it is reported that Ibn Ad-Dailami said: "I went to Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab and said to him: "There is some doubt within me concerning Al-Qadr; please tell me of something by which Allah might take it (the doubt) from my heart." He said: "Even were you to spend gold equivalent in weight to the mountain of Uhud, Allah would not accept it from you until you believe in Al-Qadr. And know that what has afflicted you could not be avoided and what did not come to you could never be attained; and if you die believing other than this, then you are one of the people of the Hell-fire."

I then went to `Abdullah Ibn Mas'ood, Huzaifah Ibn Al-Yaman, Zaid Ibn Thaabit (ra) and all of them told me something similar from the Prophet ." (Narrated by Al-Hakim, who graded it authentic)

Ibn Ad-Dailami informs us in this narration that he was afflicted by doubts concerning Allah's Qadr, and so he went to Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab (ra) to seek counsel and guidance from him in the hope that he might teach him something which would assuage his doubts. Ubayy (ra) then narrated to him a Hadith of the Prophet which explained in simple terms what belief in Allah's Qadr entails: That whatever was written for us will happen and whatever was not written will never happen and that whoever disbelieves in Al-Qadr is a disbeliever in Allah who will never taste the fruits of success, even if he were to perform innumerable good deeds. Then, in order to make assurance doubly sure, Ibn Ad-Dailami went to a number of other Companions and asked them the same question, only to receive a similar answer from all of them.

Benefits Derived From This Narration


1. The obligation to seek guidance from the people of knowledge in matters of which one is ignorant.

2. The breadth of the Companions' knowledge and understanding of Islamic beliefs and jurisprudence.

3. That those who deny Al-Qadr are disbelievers.

4. That the most important deeds are those performed before a person dies.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that whoever denied Al-Qadr is a disbeliever.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that whoever rejected Allah's Qadr is guilty of disbelief because this constitutes Shirk in Rabbship.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 58

What Has Been Said About Those Who Make
Pictures (of Living Things)

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) it is reported that the Messenger of Allah said:


"Allah , Most High said: "And who is more unjust than those who try to create the likeness of My creation? Let them create an atom, or let them create a wheat grain, or let them create a barley grain." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

Allah , Most High, informs us in this Hadith Qudsi, through the mouth of His Prophet, Muhammad , that there is none more unjust than those people who make pictures of living things, wishing to resemble Allah in His act of Creation. Then He , Almighty, All-powerful, challenges such people to create even the smallest and most insignificant of His visible, living creations, which is an atom, or to create the simplest of plant materials, such as a grain of wheat or a grain of barley; this He , Most High, does, in order to expose their weakness and inability.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of making drawings, paintings or carvings of any living things.

2. The lack of proper regard and respect for Allah of those who depict living things.

3. The Power of Allah and His Ability to create what He Wills.

4. The weakness and incapacity of those other than Him to create even the simplest of things from nothing.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that depicting living things is forbidden.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith forbids making pictures of living things because this is an attempt to imitate Allah in His act of Creation, which is Shirk in Rabbship.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of `A`ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) it is reported that the Messenger of Allah said:


"The most severely punished of people on the Day of Resurrection will be those who try to make the like of Allah's creation." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet informs us in this Hadith that those who depict living creatures in their drawings, paintings and carvings, attempting to imitate Allah in His act of Creation, will face the most severe chastisement on the Day of Judgement for they are the worst of people in respect to Allah and the most wicked in committing evil - this is why they are most deserving of Allah's Wrath and His punishment.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The strictness of the forbiddance of making pictures of living creatures.

2. Evidence of the reason for the prohibition of depicting living things.

3. That punishment on the Day of Resurrection is in proportion to one's sins.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the forbiddance of making pictures of living things.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it forbids the depiction of living creatures because this is an attempt to imitate Allah in His act of Creation and this is Shirk in Rabbship.

Important Note

He who makes pictures of living creatures will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Judgement if he did so in order to have that image worshipped because in so doing, he is guilty of kufr, while if he intends by it to imitate Allah , he is also guilty of disbelief.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of Ibn `Abbas (ra) it is reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah say:


"Every picture maker is in the Fire. A soul will be placed in every picture made by him and it will punish him in the Hell-fire." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

Because the picture makers are the wickedest of people in respect to Allah , and the worst of them in performing deeds which Allah forbidden, the Prophet informed us in this Hadith that whoever made a picture of a living creature in this life, Allah will breathe life into it on the Day of Resurrection after which that image will punish him in the Fire and this is the recompense for his evil deeds. Therefore, it behoves every picture maker to fear Allah , the Almighty, the All-powerful and to abandon his evil employment; and if he does that, Allah will reward him, for whoever abandoned something for Allah's sake will be rewarded with something better by Him, Most High.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of making pictures of living creatures.

2. The permissibility of making pictures of things which do not possess a soul.

3. That reward is in accordance with one's deeds.

4. That the remuneration which the picture maker receives for his work is forbidden because when an action is prohibited, so too is profiting from it.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves that it is forbidden to make pictures of living creatures.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it prohibits making pictures of living things, because doing so constitutes an attempt to imitate Allah in His action of Creation and this is Shirk in Rabbship.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported in a marfoo' form, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (ra): "Whoever made pictures in this life, will be charged with breathing life into it and he will not be able to do so." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet informs us in this Hadith that whoever made pictures of creatures possessing a soul in this life, will be charged on the Day of Judgement with breathing life into them; and Allah knows that he will not be able to do so, but He will charge him thus in order to make clear to him his own powerlessness and weakness and to reproach him for his sin.


1. The forbiddance of depicting living creatures.

2. The permissibility of making pictures of things without a soul.

3. That reward is in accordance with one's deeds.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that it is forbidden to make pictures of living creatures.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it prohibits making pictures of living things because doing so is an attempt to imitate Allah in His action of Creation and this is Shirk in Rabbship.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of Abul Hayaaj Al-Asadi, it is reported that `Ali (ra) said to him: "Shall I not send you on a mission on which I was sent by Allah's Messenger ?


"Do not leave any image without erasing it, nor any elevated grave without leveling it to the ground." (Narrated by Muslim)

Because Islam is careful to block all roads to Shirk, whether apparent or hidden, `Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ra) informs us that the Messenger of Allah charged him with the task of effacing all of the pictures of living things which he might find and with leveling all of those graves which had edifices or grave stones over them. This he did in order to protect the Muslims' beliefs from the evils of worship of graven images and adoration of graves, because making pictures of living creatures and building over graves leads to their glorification and reverence and attributing to them that, which they do not deserve - that which is for Allah , Alone; and anyone who has travelled throughout the Muslim world will have found such things in profusion - things which make one with correct beliefs shudder and sadden his heart: Circumambulation of graves in the manner in which the pilgrims circumambulate the Ka'abah, in Makkah; animals sacrificed to the graves' inhabitants instead of their being slaughtered in Allah's Name, supplication of the graves' inhabitants and many other acts of Shirk and innovation unknown to the Messenger of Allah , his Companions or the pious generations who came after them.

Benefits Derived From This Narration


1. The obligation to reject that which is detestable.

2. That making images of living creatures is forbidden.

3. That building over graves is forbidden.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that making pictures of living things is prohibited.

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of Tawheed

That it prohibits the making of images of living creatures because doing so amounts to attempting to imitate Allah in His action of Creation and this is Shirk in Rabbship.

Important Note

This forbiddance of making pictures includes all living creatures which possess a soul. It is pure fancy to imagine that by putting a line across the neck of the image, or obliterating its features, it becomes permissible.

 

[abu'muhammad]

Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 59

What Has Been Said About Frequent Swearing

Allah , says:


" Allah will not call you to account for what is futile in your oaths, but He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: For expiation feed ten indigent persons what would be average food for your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. And whoever did not find [the means for that, let him] fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths you have sworn. But keep to your oaths. Thus does Allah make clear to you His Signs, that you may be grateful" (Qur'an 5:89)

Allah , Most High, informs us in this verse that He Will not hold accountable those who make unthinking oaths, only those who swear positively, knowingly. He also tells us that the atonement for one who swears falsely, which is to feed ten poor persons, without extravagance and without niggardliness, or to clothe them, or to free a believing slave, but that whoever does not find himself able to do any of these things must fast for three consecutive days. Allah has made this expiation as a solution for us, should we fall into error by making a false oath. Then Allah , Most High, commands the Muslims to keep to their oaths and not to make them excessively in order that they not swear falsely and be thus disgraced before their Rabb. Then Allah informs us that what He has made plain of His Judgements are Blessings from Him, Almighty, All-powerful, for which we should be grateful. Thus does Islam, by Allah's Grace and Mercy make things easy for us and provide a way out for us from the problems which we sometimes make for ourselves. And Allah called us and encouraged us to free the slaves more than fourteen centuries ago - long before the West awoke from its ignorance and claimed the initiative for the abolition of slavery for themselves.

Benefits Derived From This Verse


1. Evidence of the tolerance and forebearance of Islam.

2. That there is no sin and no expiation for unmindful oaths.

3. The forbiddance of deliberately making vain, false oaths.

4. The obligation to make expiation for swearing a false oath.

5. That Islam had taken the initiative in the abolition of slavery before any other nation.

6. The forbiddance of excessive swearing.

7. The obligation to preserve one's oaths from lying.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the prohibition of excessive swearing.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That the verse proves the forbiddance of excessive swearing because doing so diminishes the glorification which is Allah's right and is an imperfection in Tawheed.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that he said: "I heard Allah's Messenger saying:


"Swearing may benefit (the sale of) commodities, but it will erase the reward (in the Hereafter)." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet informs us in this Hadith that when a seller swears falsely as to the worth of his goods, he may attain some temporary benefit from it, but in the long term he will not gain by it, for he will lose the reward of it in the Hereafter and loss will come to him from other directions: He might lose his capital and his profits might dwindle to nothing, for Allah does not allow people to profit from disobedience to Him although He may delay their recompense. And in the end there awaits the disobedient ones loss and punishment in the Hereafter.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The forbiddance of excessive swearing.

2. The forbiddance of selling goods by means of swearing.

3. That lying in order to achieve a sale will result in loss in the Hereafter.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the forbiddance of excessive swearing without adequate reason.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it forbids excessive swearing because doing so diminishes the glorification which is Allah's right and is an imperfection in Tawheed.

..ooOOoo..

On the authority of Salman (ra), it is reported that the Messenger of Allah said:


"There are three types of people to whom Allah will not speak and neither will he bless them and for them is a severe torment. They are: (i) The white-haired old adulterer; (ii) the arrogant beggar; and (iii) the one who makes Allah as his merchandise: He does not purchase except by swearing (by Allah swt ) and he does not sell except by swearing (by Allah swt )." (Narrated by At-Tabarani, with an authentic Sanad)

The Prophet informs us in this Hadith that there are three categories of people to whom Allah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection nor will He cleanse them of their sins with forgiveness - this is because they committed sins without any excuse or justification; and the first of these three is the fornicator and adulterer who continues to sin in spite of his advanced years and consequent lessening of sexual urge, and his knowledge that the end of his life is near. The second is the man who behaves arrogantly towards people, though he possesses none of the wealth, rank or privilege which often leads men to behave thus. The third is one who treats Allah's Name with impropriety, frequently swearing by Him, Most High, without cause or valid excuse.1

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Kalaam (Speaking) in a manner befitting His Majesty.

2. Evidence that Allah will speak to the obedient ones.

3. The forbiddance of adultery, pride and excessive swearing of oaths.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the forbiddance of excessive swearing without reason.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith prohibits frequent swearing because doing so is demeaning to Allah and this conflicts with correct Tawheed.

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It is authentically reported on the authority of `Umran Ibn Husain (ra), that he said: "Allah's Messenger said:


"The best of my Ummah is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them." `Umran (ra) said: "I don't know if he mentioned two generations after his, or three." "Then after you," continued the Prophet , "there will come a generation who will testify without being called upon to do so and they will be treacherous and untrustworthy. They will swear oaths, but they will not fulfill them and obesity will be seen in them." (Narrated by Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah informs us in this Hadith that the best of this community of Muslims are his Companions and the two or three generations who succeeded them due to their adherence to Islam and their correct beliefs and practices and their freedom from hypocrisy, deviation and innovation. After them, the good will decrease in this Ummah and evil will increase with each succeeding generation until there will be seen people who will belittle the importance of giving testimony so that they will offer it even before it is requested from them and they will betray those who place trust in them and when they swear oaths, they will not keep them and they will become so immersed in the life of this world that obesity will become common amongst them due to their excessive eating of rich foods and lack of work or exercise.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. The virtue of the first three or four generations of Muslims over their descendants.

2. The forbiddance of treachery.

3. The obligation of keeping one's oaths.

4. The prohibition of becoming obsessed with the life of this world and its pleasures at the expense of the Hereafter.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the forbiddance of not keeping one's oaths.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it prohibits not keeping oaths because to do so is to demean Allah , in Whose Name the oath was taken and this is in conflict with correct Tawheed.

Important Note

There is no contradiction between this Hadith and the words of the Prophet : "The best of witnesses is the one who comes forward with his testimony before he is asked about it," because this means that it is preferable for him to present his testimony without being asked in cases where there is a danger that a person may lose his rights due to any delay on the witness's part. However, in cases where the evidence is known to the person concerned, the witness should not present his testimony before being asked.

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On the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (ra) it is reported that Allah's Messenger said:


"The best of people are those of my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, after which there will come a people whose testimonies will precede their oaths and whose oaths will precede their testimonies." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

In this Hadith, the Prophet informs us that the best and most virtuous people of this Ummah are the Companions, then the first two generations after them and that after them the doors of evil will be opened and much of what He has told us has already come to pass: Apostasy, atheism, materialism and following of baseless philosophies have become common and religious matters are taken lightly by many, including the swearing of oaths and giving testimony: People rush hastily into swearing oaths and bearing witness before they are requested to do so, as if these matters are of little moment.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith


1. Evidence of the superiority of the first generations over their descendants.

2. The miracle of the Prophet's predicting events which have since transpired.

3. The forbiddance of hastening to give testimony before one is asked to do so.

4. The prohibition of swearing without cause or necessity.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the forbiddance of hastily swearing oaths.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith prohibits hastening to swear oaths, because this demeans Allah and belittles His Majesty and this is in conflict with correct Tawheed.

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Ibraheem An-Nakha'i said: "When we were children, they used to beat us concerning oaths and testimonies."

Relevance of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter and to the Subject of Tawheed

That it shows that some of the Salaf used to forbid their children from hastily making oaths and giving testimony so as to protect them from falling into sin.

Footnotes

1. This is the case with many Arabic speaking Muslims today: The expression Wallaahi (by Allah I) is used in almost every sentence by some!