19
“O Allaah I ask You for beneficial knowledge, and I seek Your refuge from knowledge
which does not benefit.”16
This was said by Imaam Aboo Bakr al-Aajuree, rahimahullaahu ta`aala who lived at the
end of the fourth century17 and corruption increased and multiplied greatly since his
time – and there is no might and no strength except by Allaah’s will.
From the subtle afflictions caused by love of status is seeking after and aspiring
positions of authority – this is something whose reality is hidden and obscure. It is not
understood except by those who have knowledge of Allaah, those who love Him and
who are at enmity with those ignorant one’s from His creation who desire to compete
with Him with regard to His Lordship and Divinity and right to worship, despite their
despicability and the contemptible position they have before Allaah and in the eyes of
His chosen servants who have knowledge of Him. It is just as al-Hasan (al-Basree),
rahimahullaah, said about them, “Even if the hooves of mules clatter for them and riding
beasts strut for them, yet still the humiliation of sin rests upon their necks. Allaah has
refused except that He will humiliate those who are disobedient to Him.” Know that
love of status attained by having one’s orders and prohibitions obeyed and enacted, and
by merely the attainment of a position above the people and to have importance over
them, and that it be seen that the people are in need of him and seek their needs from
him – then the soul of this person is seeking to compete with Allaah in His Lordship
and His Divinity and right to worship. Some such people may even seek to put the
people into such a condition of need that they are compelled to request their needs from
them, and to display their poverty before them and their need of them. Then he is
inflated with pride and self-importance because of that, whereas this befits none except
Allaah alone. He who has no partner. Allaah, the Most High, Says,
“Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad (salAllahu
‘alayhi wa sallam)). And We seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth)
and loss in health with calamities so that they might believe with humility.”
Al-An`aam (6):42
It also occurs in some narrations that Allaah, the Most High, sends adversity upon His
servant in order to hear him call upon him with full humility. There also occurs in the
narrations that when the servant whom Allaah loves supplicates to Allaah, the Most
High, then He, the Most High, says, “O Jibreel! Do not hasten to carry out his need, for I
16 Reported with this wording by al-Aajuree (p.134) and Ibn Hibbaan (no.2426). It also reported by Ibn
Maajah (no.3843) and Ibn `Abdul-Barr (1/162) with the wording, “Ask Allaah for beneficial knowledge
and seek Allaah’s refuge from knowledge which does not benefit.” Its chain of narration is hasan (good)
and there is similar narration from Umm Salamah reported by Ibn Majah and others.
17 Al-Aajurree, rahimahullaah, died in the year 360H.
love that I should hear him calling with full humility.”18 So these matters are worse and
more dangerous than mere injustice and are more sinister, and they are a part of shirk –
and shirk is the greatest injustice and transgression with Allaah. It is reported in the
Saheeh from the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he said, “Allaah, the Most High,
says, ‘Pride is my cloak and majesty is my lower-garment so whoever vies with Me
regarding them I will punish him.’”19
It also happened that one of the people of the past was a judge and he saw in a dream
that someone was saying to him, “You are a judge and Allaah is a Judge.” So he awoke
in a distressed state and removed himself from the position of a judge and abandoned it.
Some of the pious judges used to prevent the people from calling them ‘Judge of judges’
(Qaadiyyul-Qudaat) since this name resembles the name ‘King of kings’ which the
Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) censured that one should use as a title, and ‘Judge
of judges’ is like that.
Also related to this is the one having status and authority loves that he is praised and
commended for his actions and seeks that from the people. Those who do not comply
with this suffer as a result. It may even be that his actions are actually more deserving
of blame than of praise, or he manifests something that is apparently good – and loves
to be praised for it, yet in reality he is intending something evil and is happy that he is
able to deceive the people and fool them about it. This falls under the saying of Allaah,
the Most High:
“Think not that those who rejoice in what they have done (or brought about), and
love to be praised for what they have not done, think not that they are rescued from
the torment, and for them is a painful torment.”
Aal-‘Imraan (3):188
Since this Aayah was sent down regarding those who have these attributes, and this
attribute (i.e. seeking praise from the creation and loving it and punishing those who do
not give it) is not fitting except for Allaah, alone, having no partner. This is why the
rightly guided leaders used to forbid people to praise them for their actions and any
18 The meaning of this is reported in the hadeeth qudsee which is mentioned by Shaikh Muhammad alMadanee in his book al-Ittihaafaatus-Sunniyyah fil-Ahaadeethil-Qudsiyyah (no.438) – and he mentioned that
Ibn `Asaakir reported it with a chain of narration containing Ishaaq ibn `Abdillaah ibn Abee Farwa who
is abandoned as a narrator.
19 Reported by Ahmad, Aboo Daawood (transl.3/1141/no.4079) and Ibn Maajah from the hadeeth of Ibn
Maajah, except that their wording ends, “…So whoever vies with Me regarding any of them…” and in a
wording, “…. Anything from them, I will fling him into Hell-Fire.” And in a wording, “…the Fire.” Its
chain of narration is saheeh. Muslim (transl. 4/1381/no.6349) also reports one version of the hadeeth.
21:good which if they did, and they would order that rather praise be given to Allaah
alone, having no partner – since all blessings are from Him.
`Umar ibn Abdul – `Azeez, rahimahullaah, was very particular about this and he once
wrote a letter to be read out to the people performing Hajj. It contained an order that
they should be treated well and that oppression of them should stop, and in it there
occurred, “And do not praise anyone for this except Allaah, since if He abandoned me
to my own devices I would be just like the others.”
There is a also a well-known narration about what occurred with him concerning the
woman who requested from him that he should provide an allowance for her orphaned
daughters. She had four daughters and he gave an allowance to two of them and she
praised Allaah. Then he gave an allowance to the third so she thanked him, so he said,
“We were giving an allowance to them as long as you were giving praise to the One to
whom it is due, but now order this third one to share her allowance with the fourth,” or
as he said, radiyAllaahu `anhu. He wanted to make it known that the position of
leadership is only established so that Allaah’s commands are carried out, and so that
the servants can be commanded to obey Allaah, the Most High, and forbidden from
those things which Allaah has prohibited, and so that the leader acts with sincerity
towards Allaah’s servants by calling them to Allaah. His intention is that the Deen
should in its entirety be for Allaah, and that honour be for Allaah. Along with this he is
fearful that he is himself falling short with regard to the rights of Allaah, the Most High.
So as for those who love Allaah, then the limit of their desire with regard to the creation
is that they should also love Allaah, obey Him and single Him out with all worship and
recognise His Divinity alone. (Then how about one who seeks to vie with Him in this?!)
Rather this type of person does not desire any reward or any thanks from the creation,
but hopes for reward for his actions from Allaah, the Most High:
“It is not (possible) for any human being to whom Allaah has given al-Hukma
(knowledge and understanding of the laws of Religion etc.) and Prophethood to say
to the people: “Be my worshippers rather than Allaah’s.’ On the contrary (he would
say): ‘Be you rabbaaniyyoon (learned men of Religion, who practice what they know
and also preach to others) because you teach the Book, and you study it.’ Nor would
he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords (gods). Would he order you to
disbelieve after you have submitted to Allaah’s Will?”
Aal-`Imraan (3):79-80
22:He (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians
praised the Messiah, the son of Maryam. Indeed I am only a slave. So say the slave of
Allaah and His Messenger.”20 Allaah’s Messenger (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also used
to criticise anyone who did not keep to this manner of address with regard to him, just
as he (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not say, ‘Whatever Allaah has willed and
Muhammad has willed, ` but rather say, ‘Whatever Allaah has willed, then what
Muhammad has willed.’”21
He also replied to a person who said, “Whatever Allah and yourself have willed,” by
saying, “Have you made me a rival for Allaah! Rather say, ‘Whatever Allaah alone has
willed.’”22
Due to this khulafaa` who have succeeded the Prophets, and their followers – the just
rulers and their successors, and their judges, never used to call to glorification of
themselves but rather to the glorification of Allaah alone and that He is to be singled
out with worship and divinity. From them were those who did not wish for leadership
at all except as an aid to calling to Allaah alone. Some of the righteous people who
accepted the position of judge said, “Indeed I accepted this in order to use it to help me
in ordering the good and forbidding the evil.”
Indeed the Messengers and their followers would persevere in the face of injury and
harm which they suffered whilst calling to Allaah, and in carrying out Allaah’s
commands they were put into the severest hardship by the people and yet they bore it
with patience. Indeed being pleased with that, since one who has love may find
pleasure in any harm he meets whilst seeking to please the one whom he loves. Just as
`Abdul-Maalik ibn `Umar ibn `Abdul-Azeez used to say to his father when he was the
khaleefah and he had keen desire that the truth and justice be established, “O father I
would have loved that we had been forced into boiling cooking pots for the sake of
Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.”
Another righteous person said, “I would have loved that my flesh were cut away with
scissors if it meant that all the creation would obey Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.”
This saying of his was related to a certain wise person, so he said, “If what he was
speaking of was sincere concern for the creation, otherwise I do not know.” Then he
fainted. The meaning of this is that the one who said this had true and sincere concern
20 Reported by al-Bukhaaree (transl.vol.4, p.435, no.654) and others.
21 Reported by ad-Daarimee (2/295) with this wording and its chain of narration is saheeh. It is also
reported with the wording, “Do not say, ‘Whatever Allaah and so and so have willed.’ but rather say,
‘Whatever Allaah has willed and then what so and so has willed.’” It is reported by Ahmad, Aboo
Daawood (transl. vol.3, p.1386, no.4962) and others and its chain of narration is saheeh.
22 Reported by Ahmad, Al-Bukhaaree in al-Aadabul-Mufrad (no.783) and others, and its chain of narration
is hasan
for the creation and pity for them, fearing Allaah’s punishment for them, so he would
have loved that they could have been saved from Allaah’s punishment at the expense of
his ownself. It could also be that he was considering the Majesty and Greatness of
Allaah and the glorification, honour, obedience and love due to Him, so he wished that
the creation would fulfil that even if it meant the most severe harm to himself. This is
the state of mind of the distinguished ones who love Allaah and have knowledge of
Him and keep Him in mind. This is what caused the man to faint.
Allaah, the Most High, also described in His Book those who love Him as being those
who fight Jihaad in His cause and do not fear the blame of those who seek to blame.23
Concerning this someone said:
“I find that being blamed whilst pursuing what you desire
is delightful,
For having love for your remembrance let those who wish to
blame me do so.”