Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #090 The Great Weight of Affirming Divine Oneness Introducing Imam Ghazalis Letter to a Disc
AI: Summary ©
The collection of prophetic hadiths is designed to encourage people to use their faith to support and reassure others, emphasizing the importance of actions and faith in achieving salvation and faith in achieving promises of Islam. The speaker also discusses the use of the " referringential" label for those who want to fight and win, and the importance of faith in protecting from sin and confirming actions and outcomes. The collection also includes a book and YouTube page providing translation of the label.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the daily guidance for seekers
with Sheikh Rasra Benny.
Muhammad.
In our daily Roha,
which is held Mondays
through Fridays
at 7 PM Toronto time,
we have been looking
at guidance of the prophet
from a collection of 40 sets of 40
hadiths.
And we have reached the 5th collection
of prophetic hadiths after having looked at one
collection of
hadith Qudsi.
And this collection
is 40 hadiths on the virtues of
And
this is the most noble of truths,
the greatest of realities,
the most virtuous of statements,
and we'll see the many virtues
of this.
And the purpose
of looking at the virtues of
ultimately
is not theoretical.
The ultimate purpose of it is
at the level of practice
that we
make much mention
of it.
Right?
And at the level
of
realization
that we go
from simply
affirming
the oneness of Allah,
to understanding
the oneness of Allah,
to consciousness
of the oneness of Allah,
to
the higher levels of realization
of the realities
of divine oneness.
Right?
Which is why Imam
as Sanusi Rahimahullah in his statement of divine
oneness,
umul barahin, the foundational proofs, he discusses how
all the meanings
of divine oneness,
all of them without exception,
all that we affirm about Allah
and all that we affirm about the attributes
of Allah, all of it goes back
to
There is no God but God.
Well, it doesn't it's not simply saying that
there is no other god.
Right? But it affirms
that the qualities of divinity
belong to Allah alone,
and that no one else possesses any of
the qualities
of divinity
that Allah necessarily possesses.
And we'll touch upon
some of the meanings of the statement of
divine oneness as we go through
this collection on the virtues of this statement.
And
after explaining how all the meanings of divine
oneness go back
to the statement,
Imam al Sanusi very memorable
says,
It is upon
the the person
of
intelligence
to make much mention
of this noble
statement
until it becomes
a
it'd be completely
mixed with their very flesh and blood.
Right?
So
this is the purpose of understanding these virtues,
that we strive
at the level of
'amal, at the level of action, to be
of those
who mench make much mention of the statement
of La ilaha illallah. And the level of
understanding
that we commit
to going
from mere affirmation,
from mere
from mere affirmation
of divine oneness
to understanding,
to consciousness,
to awareness,
to the levels of realization. So that we
ascend
in the levels of Yaqeen, of certitude.
Because the believer has Yaqeen, but the prophet
said,
Ask Allah
for certitude
and for well-being.
And so,
Imam
Yusuf al Nabhani,
the author of these collections of hadith,
he says
that and we won't translate this part. He
said, I have found
a precious work of the great scholar,
Shamsidine Mohammed Al Bakri,
the the son of Abu Hassan Al Bakri,
2 great,
scholars of the spiritual path and 2 distinguished
scholars
on the virtues of
And he mentioned in this collection on the
virtues of
by,
Shamsidine Mohammed Al Baqiri
contained,
109 hadiths, but some of them were
repeated.
So Sheikh Youssef An Nabhani took his collection
of 40 hadiths on the virtues of
from this larger collection.
But we see from this that there are
numerous
hadith on the virtues of
In English, we are blessed to have a
wonderful work
on the statement
of faith
by Sheikh Youssef by, Sheikh Abdullah
Sirajuddin,
the author of the work, our master Mohammed.
And it's a beautiful book,
and ably translated. It was published by Sunnah
Books on the the it on the statement
of divine oneness.
And you can find it
at Ferdows books, for example.
And we'll include it in the notes
for this lesson.
So he begins.
So
may Allah be well pleased with him, relates
that the messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings be upon him, said, truly
Allah has made forbidden
for the fire
who whoever
says,
seeking
thereby
the countenance of Allah, meaning Allah himself.
That Allah has made prohibited for the fire
whoever says
there is no God but Allah. Meaning whoever
says it with the tongue affirming it with
the heart.
Seeking thereby
the countenance of Allah.
Meaning Allah himself.
Right?
Meaning seeks affirming it with sincerity.
And this is related by
Bukhari and Muslim, Rahu Shaikhan. So here there's
a few things. Right? We see the the
salvific
power
of. Something some Christians use against Muslims say,
Muslims only talk about works, and that is
not true.
Right? We also
we share with the sense that salvation is
by the grace of God.
Our understanding of divine grace is is distinct
in that, but you are morally responsible to
act and actions
strengthen
and support
and safeguard
faith.
And faith on its own,
without actions
will be weakened,
endangered,
and susceptible
to loss.
So
but we that we believe that salvation is
by the grace of God
and on the basis of faith. But actions,
we will see in the Hadith
are
they they're the the they they
safeguard,
sustain
and increase
faith.
And
the condition here of
seeking
Allah thereby,
that one is sincere
in that. Right? One is sincere in that.
Now somewhat and part of sincerity
is to act accordingly.
Because you say there is no God but
God,
but you are from what you affirm when
you say there is no God but God,
that there's none worthy of worship but God.
So if you affirm that,
your actions
should confirm that as well.
Right?
So someone who does not act on that
faith,
there's a degree of sincerity that is lacking.
There's a divine promise
that the fire is prohibited for those who
affirm it sincerely.
If you affirm it fully, meaning with the
tongue, with full confirmation with your acts, then
there then
the divine grace encompasses you fully, and you
would not be touched by the fire in
any way.
But if you affirm it,
but you lack some of the sincerity
entailed by it, some of the trueness
entailed by it,
then
Allah will protect you from the fire
in so far as you will not be
there
eternally,
but to the extent that you fall short
in your actions and fall into sin,
right? Or wrongdoing,
they may be punishment in the fire for
that.
And of course, a danger
is
that
the lack of acting on faith
can weaken your faith such
that you end your life
bereft of faith.
We ask Allah for protection
from that
dangerous state.
That is why we take great hope in
hadith such as this, but we are also
wary of the implication which is that this
is a promise
which is manifest fully for those seeking Allah
thereby.
Right? Seeking Allah thereby. So we nurture that
meaning
of seeking Allah thereby.
We also see of course for people who
are striving
to, you know, for success in life, that
the highest aspiration
for the human being is to seek God
himself.
Right? There are levels of motivation,
but the highest motive it is clear, it
is
We feed thee only for the sake of
Allah. We affirm divine oneness not merely to
be saved from the fire, not may not
merely to get into paradise, not merely for
some reward,
though all of that is a promise of
our gracious and generous lord, but,
right, as this hadith makes clear.
Seeking thereby
the countenance of Allah.
Right?
We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to attain
that. The next hadith on
hadith number 2
So saying Anas relates to the Messenger of
Allah
said that,
taken out from the fire will be, firstly,
whoever says there is no God, but God.
And in their heart there is
of the good to the extent
of
1 grain of
barley.
Then taken out from the fire will be
whoever affirms
there is no God but God and in
their heart there is of the good
to the weight of
wheat.
Right?
Right?
And then taken out from the fire will
be
whoever affirms La ilaha illallah and there is
in their heart of good to the extent
of an atom.
Right? Of an atom or
a fine grain,
Ra'ul Bukhari a Muslim.
This is premised on that faith remaining
in in your heart
because the danger of sin and of the
worst of sin is wrongdoing.
Is that wrong sin and sin
chips away at faith. Wrongdoing
chop,
you know,
the sin chisels away at faith.
Wrongdoing chops away
the state of one's faith.
And it is possible
that all that remains of one's faith is
formed without substance.
Right? It'd be like a rotten facade
so that when
the final moment comes,
one's faith collapse.
That's why the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
himself used to ask and encourage us to
ask for Husnil Khatima,
a good ending.
Right? A good ending.
So this is not a get out of
responsibility
card.
It is a promise.
Right? But as it's clear here, whoever has
of the good in their heart.
Right?
Right?
Right?
Right? So it's a promise, but it is
premised upon at
least
striving to uphold the good, seeking to uphold
the good.
So the 3rd hadith,
Waqbani bin Malik relates that
the messenger of Allah
said that a servant will
will continue to be granted on the day
of resurrection
for for saying there's no god but but
but there's no god but god
having sought thereby
Allah himself,
except that Allah will have
at the end
of the reward for that, it Allah will
have forbidden for them the fire.
Right.
This is related by Imam Ahmed and
Al Bukhari.
The 4th hadith,
So Abu Zar relates to the messenger of
Allah said, there is no servant
who says there is no God but Allah,
and then dies upon that except that they
enter paradise.
The critical thing
for the conscious believer
is to realize and
and they die upon it. So this
should imbue us with hope, but should not
give us security.
Because you know that you have faith right
now,
but you have no
certitude
that you will die upon it
unless you take the means to it.
Right?
This is this is something that is clear
in all the Hadith of the prophet
regarding
the great hope for the people
of faith.
But that hope is not, is a hope
that does not give you a sense of
false security.
Because the moment after this one, there is
no guarantee
for your faith.
Allah will
is merciful and he will preserve it
if you
if you
strive, if you strive, if you are sincere,
if you are humble.
So this is a big promise.
Was shocked.
So he said, even if
they
commit,
commit sexual
impropriety,
and even if they steal,
the messenger of Allah said,
even if
they
commit
sexual impropriety,
and even if they steal.
And he said, even if they commit and
steal, and the messenger of Allah
said, even if
they commit and steal.
And then Abu Zar said here,
in the the 4th time,
which also indicates here that he was embarrassed
because he did ask a 4th time. He
didn't mention asking it a 4th time.
Right? Because he's embarrassed by having repeatedly asked.
In the 4th time the prophet salallahu alaihi
wa sallam repeated the same answer and then
he says, even
if
despite
how Abu Dar feels about it.
And raghma anfi literally means despite the nose
of Abu Dhar.
It means despite
how they feel about
it. Because, you know, if you're sensitive about
something, you
you stick your so you're sticking your nose
into it. Right?
And this is related by Imam Ahmed and
Buhar Imam Buhari and others. It's a rigorously
authentic hadith, because
sin
sin does not
remove
faith.
Sin diminishes
the strength of faith.
Right? But faith itself
is to confirm as true what the messenger
of Allah
has come with. That is faith.
Faith is to confirm as true what the
messenger of
has come with.
So
acting upon it
is something that is entailed by faith
and relates to the strength
or weakness of that faith.
But faith itself is to
confirm as true
what the messenger of Allah
has set has come with of the things
necessarily known to be of the religion.
Actions
are entailed by faith, that's why the prophet
referred to them as
to to good deeds as,
the branches
of faith.
And we'll see this meaning further.
So we're going to take one more hadith,
The 5th hadith from Baburay
that the messenger of Allah
said,
this a hadith that is often
misinterpreted,
so pay attention. The messenger sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam said, I have been commanded
to struggle against people
until they bear witness that there is no
god
but Allah.
So whoever
says there's no god but Allah protects from
me
their wealth and their person, except
by its rights,
and their reckoning is with Allah.
This is related by Muslim and Nisais, a
rigorously authentic hadith.
The hadith says,
I have been commanded
to struggle against people. Some people translate this,
I have been commanded to fight people.
Right? So there's a few things here.
Right? The Fa'ala pattern has a sense of
engaging with another in the meaning of the
verb.
Right?
To
and why would you engage in another in
fighting?
Because they're fighting you.
You know
right?
That's what what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells
us in the Quran.
Yeah. Fight those who fight you.
I bet again,
Right? It's it's
fight those who fight you. So
because there is
there's
someone you who's fighting you and you you
you are fighting with them.
Right?
So that fighting has a basis. It's not
just I've been commanded
to declare war on people. No.
And this
is the first part, and which is why
language is so important.
The second is
the scholars agree that the hadith have been
commanded
to
fight
the people.
The al here,
al ness is referential.
It is not categorical. I've been commanded to
fight everybody.
May it be absurd,
right? Rather
the people here refers
to Imam al Qurtubi,
the Hadith commentator
in his commentary on his own abridgment
on Shar Sahih Muslim on of
Muslim
of Sahih Muslim,
Imam al Qutubi says that the scholars are
in consensus
that Adnan's the people here
refer is referential and not categorical. It's not
all people,
but it's it's referential.
Some said that the people
was referring
specifically to Quraysh
after they had broken the covenant.
Right?
They had made a treaty
of cessation of hostility
after Hudaybiyyah.
And it is the it's Quraysh who declared
war declared war
by breaking the treaty
openly and treacherously.
And that's the context of Surat At Tawba.
Right? The context of Surat At Tawba was
a declaration of war because the other party
had declared war.
By breaking the treaty
and by treacherous contravention
in ways that endangered the well-being
of
the Muslims. Right?
So that's so the l is referential,
Meaning, it's either for those who fight you.
Right? You fight them
until either until they stop fighting,
right, either by
either they lose
or
the, you know, they they lose or surrender
or there's they you agree to peace
or in the other case, if someone
declares their Islam, then you can no longer
fight them.
Right? But this has nothing to do with
spreading Islam by the sword.
And the the the the lands where Islam
reached first,
Iraq,
the Persian lands,
Egypt
did not become Muslim in the 1st generations
of Islam, because there's no attempt. So much
so that even many orientalists
argued
that it appears that and it's a it's
it's this is a baseless
argument.
It appears that the Muslims did not want
people to convert to Islam,
because they could
gain taxes from them.
But it's not because they could gain taxes,
because we were we're this is not what
the what the guidance of the prophet
was.
This was not the the neither was it
his example
in his own victories.
Many a land was conquered. Many a tribe
was defeated.
Many a land was conquered. Mecca itself
was
conquered without,
you know
you know,
the the Meccans surrendered,
but there is no imposition of
faith on them. They entered willingly into faith.
It was not imposed.
Right? So
so that that has to be very clear.
Right? That I have been commanded
to that's why one could translate
as to struggle against people. Right? Or to
fight
those
who fight us.
Right? To to to make clear that the
l is referential.
Until,
you know, they,
right, bear witness that there's,
you know and you one could translate
until meaning,
Right? 1 you know,
if they do so. Right?
Meaning at that point, one must stop. Right?
Except for the things that arise
after
someone become Muslim that except with its rights.
Right? That if someone,
you know, their their their wealth and and
life is safe except to the say extended
criminal punishments are due on them. Someone steals,
you know, it has to it if you
don't pay up for the theft, it is
taken from your wealth,
etcetera.
And their ultimate reckoning is with Allah.
So we will stop
with these first 5 hadiths on the virtues
of
of the statement of divine oneness.
We normally read 2 works when we look,
in our
in our daily RoHA, and upon much
consultation and discussion.
The second work we're going to be looking
at
is
a blessed
brief but comprehensive
council of Imam Al Ghazali
called Ayyahu al Walad,
my dear child,
which is a counsel
to a student of his
who had studied a long time,
but
he wanted advice that he could hold on
to. And we'll begin next class by looking
at some of the background to the treatise
and to the opening,
context of the the opening of the treatise,
which mentioned,
you know, why he
asked
for advice from Imam al Ghazali, and Imam
al Ghazali's opening advice, just briefly.
And the focus
of the treatise of Imam al Ghazali, Ayyul
Walad, is very clear.
It is
that
the knowledge that matters
is
beneficial knowledge.
And
beneficial knowledge
is knowledge that would draw you closer to
Allah.
Knowledge
by that makes you seek the next life.
But that knowledge of what draws you closer
to Allah, knowledge
of
that knowledge that enables you to seek the
next life will only benefit you if you
then
act upon it in order to draw closer
to Allah.
If you act upon it in order
to
prefer the next life over this.
Otherwise,
knowing
eternal truths
without
acting accordingly
would be a case
against you
and not a case for you.
And
that knowledge ultimately,
the call of guidance is a call
to be
pleasing
to Allah.
It's a call
to be
beloved
by Allah.
And that call
is only truly answered by one
who's seeking the pleasure of Allah in the
choices that they make. It is only truly
answered by one who
is
expressing
love
for Allah
in the actions
and choices
of their life.
Imam Al Ghazali shares some very profound
advice on this
and it's an urgent advice. Why?
Because the general state of human beings is
heedlessness,
is raflah.
So we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
that this,
reading
be a means for us to take heed
as well.
And this treatise
is translated in a number of translations into
English, a few of which are available online.
And there's
a capable translation of it that includes the
Arabic published by
Islamic Text Society
called Letter to a Disciple
and
that that is available through good online book
publishers such as Firdaus Books or Mecca Books.
So you can check that out. And we'll
be reading that in the second half
of our
daily Roja.
And you can find the daily Roja, of
course, as a podcast on
the Seekers Hub page, if you go to
SeekersHub dot org slash podcast. And you can
also find it in iTunes, if you look
for Seekers Hub, we have a whole number
of podcasts, this and a dozen almost a
dozen others now.
So we ask Allah Subha Ta'ala for steadfastness
and success that we view of those who
are realizing the realities of divine oneness,
the realities of love for him and his
messenger, and in the realities
of
acting upon and being realized by,
the realities of beneficial knowledge and we seek
Allah's forgiveness from falling short of the radiant
standard of his beloved messenger.
Thank you for listening to the raha, daily
guidance for seekers with Sheikh Farazrabani.
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