The Fourth Principle: (Which is in) His saying:
“… giving guidance under Our Command…” [Soorah as-Sajdah
(32):24].
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In this is an evidence for the obligation of (their) following what
Allaah has revealed to His Messenger ρ and of (their) guidance by it
alone, as opposed to the other sayings, opinions, sects and
methodologies.9 Rather, they do not guide (themselves and others)
except by His command, specifically.
(34) So from this (it is gathered) that the leaders of the religion
who are sought as (models of) guidance, are the ones who have
combined patience, certainty and calling to Allaah with the Sunnah
and the Revelation, not with opinions and innovations. They are the
vicegerents (successors) of the Messenger ρ in his ummah – and
they are his special ones and close friends (awliyaa). Whoever
shows enmity to them or fights against them has shown enmity to
Allaah, the One free of all imperfections, and has waged war against
Him.
(35) Imaam Ahmad said in the initial address of his book ‘Ar-Radd
‘alal-Jahmiyyah,’
“All praise is for Allaah Who, in every age and interval between the
Prophets, raises up a group from the People of Knowledge who call
the misguided to guidance and patiently bear ill-treatment and
harm. With the Book of Allaah they give life to the dead, and by
Allaah’s light they give sight to the blind. How many a person killed
by Iblees have they revived. How many people astray and
wandering have they guided. How beautiful their effect has been
upon the people, and how vile people have been towards them.
They repel from the Book of Allaah the alterations of those going
beyond bounds, the false claims of the liars and the false
interpretations of the ignorant ones-those who uphold the banner of
innovation and let loose the trials and discords. Who differ about the
Book, oppose the Book and agree to oppose the Book. Those who
speak about Allaah and His Book without knowledge, argue about
what is ambiguous in the Book and deceive the ignorant with such
ambiguities. We seek refuge in Allaah from the trials of the
misguided ones.” [‘Ar-Radd ‘alal-Jahmiyyah waz-Zanaadiqah (p.2)
of Imaam Ahmad].
9
Refer to Chapter Eleven: The Methodology of a Muslim.
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THE WAYS OF ATTAINING BENEFITS
(36) Amongst the things with which it is desirable to be concerned
and occupied in terms of knowledge, acquaintance, intent and
desire, is the knowledge that every person – rather every living
creature – strives for that which will bring about pleasure, bliss and
a good life and which will repel the opposite of that. This is a correct
and proper need which comprises six matters:
The first: Knowledge of that which is beneficial to the servant,
favourable to him and which will attain pleasure, joy, happiness and
a good life for him.
The second: Knowledge of the way which will take him to that.
The third: Traversing upon this way.
The fourth: Knowledge of that which is harmful, injurious and
repelling and which makes his life harsh and miserable.
The fifth: Knowledge of the way which, if he adopts, will lead aim to
that.
The sixth: Avoiding this way.
(37) So these are six matters and the pleasure of a servant, his
joy, happiness and welfare cannot be perfected except by their
perfection and any deficiency in them will bring back his bad state
and miserable life.
(38) Every intelligent person strives in these matters. However,
most people err in attaining this beloved and beneficial need. Either
due to lack of knowledge and proper conception or due to not
knowing the path which will lead him (to this need). The cause of
these two errors is ignorance, and this can be removed with
knowledge.
(39) However, sometimes he may have attained knowledge of this
need and of the path that will lead him to it, but there are wants
and desires in his heart which come between him and his yearning
for this beneficial need and traversing its path. Whenever he desires
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this path, these wants and desires obstruct him and come between
him and his desire for this beneficial need.
(40) He will not be able to abandon them (the desires) and give
precedence to the beneficial need except by one of two things:
(i) Either a love that perturbs (shakes him) or a fear that
discomforts, (as a result of which) Allaah, His Messenger, the
home of the Hereafter, Paradise and its bliss all become more
beloved to him than these desires and lusts. He (also) realises that
he can never combine both of these things together (in his heart) so
he prefers the higher of the two beloved things (to him) over that
which is lower.
(ii) Or he attains knowledge of what (unresting) fears and harms he
would gather by choosing these lusts and desires, (fears and harms)
which are more severe and lasting than the mere pain of missing
out on them.
(41) So when these two types of knowledge take root in his heart
he will choose what is desirable and will put it ahead of everything
that is besides it, because the special characteristic of
intelligence can only be realised by giving preference to the
greater of two beloved things over the lesser of the two, and
bearing the lesser of two dislikeable/harmful things to
escape from the greater of them.
THE DIVERSITY IN PEOPLES CHOICES AND DECISIONS
(42) By this principle you will know the minds of people and be able
to differentiate between the intelligent person and other than him,
and the diversity in the (levels of) intelligence of people will become
apparent. Where then, is the intelligence of the one who prefers the
worldly, exciting (but) troublesome pleasures which are like
confused dreams or like an apparition by which he entertains the
one who visits him in his dream over the pleasure which is of the
greatest of (all) pleasures, and a rejoicing and a delight which is of
the greatest of (all) delights, which is everlasting, never ceases, nor
perishes and is never cut off? He sells this for a pleasure which
fades and perishes, one which is filled with harms and which is only
obtained by (undergoing) harms and whose consequences are (but)
harms.
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(43) If the intelligent person were to compare between the pleasure
and harm, pain and benefit of the two, he would become ashamed
of himself and of his intelligence. How can he strive to seek it and
waste his time by occupying himself with it, let alone preferring it
over that which no eye has seen, no ears have heard and has never
been conceived of in the heart of man?
(44) Allaah, free from all imperfections, has purchased the souls of
the Believers and has made Paradise their price. He put this
covenant into effect upon the hand of his Messenger and close
friend, the best of His creation. So it is a commodity (i.e., the souls
of the Believers) which the Lord of the Heavens and the earth is a
purchaser of. The pleasure of looking at His Noble Face and listening
to His Speech in His home (of the hereafter) is its price (in return).
(45) How can it befit the intelligent person that he should waste
and neglect it, and to sell it for an insignificant price, in a ceasing,
wasting, perishing place. Is this but the greatest of frauds? This
senseless and foolish fraud will become manifest on the Day of
Resurrection, when the scales of those having taqwaa of Allaah will
be heavy (with good deeds) and the scales of the falsifiers will be
light (devoid of good deeds).
THE PRECURSOR TO THE BLISS OF THE HEREAFTER
(46) When you have known (and understood) this introduction,
(then you will realise) that perfect pleasure, rejoicing, happiness, a
goodly life and bliss – all of that lies in (having) knowledge of Allaah,
in His Tawheed, in being at ease with Him, fondness in meeting with
Him and combining one’s heart and making one’s (sole) concern for
Him. For the most troublesome life is the life of the one whose heart
is scattered and whose concerns are diverse so that there is no
resting place upon which his heart can settle nor any beloved one in
whom he can find refuge and comfort. As the poet has explained in
his saying:
(He) does not taste the sweetness of life
The one for whom there is no beloved
In which he can find comfort and serenity
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(47) A goodly living, a beneficial life and the pleasure of the eye
(all) lie in being tranquil and serene with the first (original) beloved
(i.e., Allaah) and if the heart were to wander and traverse to all
(other) beloved things, it would never be tranquil nor serene. Nor
would it find the pleasure of the eye until it was tranquil and serene
with its Deity, Lord and Protector, the One besides Whom there is
no protector or intercessor. The (heart) does not have any
self-sufficiency from Him (even) for the blinking of an eye. As the
poet has said:
Take your heart wherever you wish amongst the desires
There is no (real) love except for the first beloved
To how many places in the earth has a youth traversed
(Yet) his everlasting desire is always for the first
(48) Therefore be eager that your concern is only one (concern)
and that that is Allaah, alone, because this is the objective of the
servant’s happiness and the one who is in this condition is in a
paradise of this world before the Paradise of the hereafter, and in a
present state of bliss. As some of them have said, “Verily, there
pass over the heart times about which I say, ‘If the people of
Paradise are in the likes of these (feelings), then they are certainly
in a good life.’” Another one has said, “Verily, there pass over the
heart times in which it dances with joy.” And another one said, “The
paupers of this world depart from it and they do not taste the best
of what can be found in it.” So it was said, “And what is the best of
what can be found in it?” He replied, “Knowing Allaah, loving Him,
finding ease and pleasure in nearness to Him and being fond of
meeting Him.”
(49) There is no pleasure in the world which resembles the pleasure
of the People of Paradise with the exception of this one, and for this
reason the Prophet ρ said, “(Two things) from your world have
been made beloved to me: women and scent (perfume), and
the prayer has been made the pleasure of my eye.”
(50) So he ρ informed that two things from the world have been
endeared to him: women and scent and then he said, ”And the
prayer has been made the pleasure of my eye.”
(51) “The pleasure of the eye …” is above (the level of) love, for
the eye does not find pleasure with every beloved thing. The eye
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only finds pleasure in that beloved thing which is loved as
(something) in itself, and that is none but Allaah, besides Whom
there is none deserving of worship. As for everything that is besides
Him, then it is loved (with a love) that follows from His love, so it is
loved for His sake and it is not loved along with Him, for loving
(something) along with Him is shirk (associationism) and loving
(something) for His sake is Tawheed. [Refer to Chapter Three: Ways
to Bring About the Love of Allaah]