Foundations of True Faith: Love for Allaah

Foundations of True Faith : Love for Allah

Al-Ibaanah Magazine , Issue No.1
By Shaykh ’Abdur-Rahmân ibn Hasan Âlush-Shaykh [1] , (d.1285H) - rahimahullâh

Source: Fathul-Majîd Sharh Kitâbit-Tawhîd (pp.470-473).

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Love for Allâh

Shaykh ’Abdur-Rahmân ibn Hasan said: [1]

“Allâh – the Most High - says:

“Say: If you truly love Allâh, then follow me, and Allâh will love you.” [2]

This âyah is also known as Ayatul-Muhabbah (the âyah about love). Some of the Salaf have said, “The people claimed that they loved Allâh, so Allâh the Most High revealed the âyah about muhabbah (love), “Say: If you truly love Allâh, then follow me, and Allâh will love you.” [3] So this âyah indicates the proofs and evidences for muhabbah and its fruits and benefits. So from the proofs of muhabbah and its clear signs is: to follow the Messenger sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam; and from its fruits and its benefits is: that Allâh will love you. So whosoever does not seek to follow the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam, then such a person will not attain the love of Allâh.

Characteristics of True Love

Allâh – the Most High – also says:

“O you who believe! If any of you turns back from his religion (then wait) Allâh will create a people who will love Him and He will love them, who will be soft and gentle with the Believers and harsh with the disbelievers, who will fight in the path of Allâh, and will not be afraid of the blame from the blamers.” [4]

Here, Allâh has mentioned four characteristics of those who love Him:

Firstly and Secondly: they are gentle and soft towards the Believers. It is said that this means: to be merciful, compassionate and kind. ’Atâ‘ (d.114H) – rahimahullâh – said, “A Believer’s gentleness for another Believer is like that of a child towards his father, or a slave towards his beloved master; and against the disbeliever, it is like that of a lion towards its prey: “Strong against the disbelievers, and merciful towards each other.” [5] ”

Thirdly, Jihâd in the Path of Allâh with the soul, the hand, the tongue, and with wealth and property. This is the characteristic by which the true muhabbah is ascertained.

Fourthly, they are not afraid of the blame and reproach of the blamers. This being the truest characteristic of muhabbah.

If the one claiming muhabbah, whilst loving his beloved, fears the blames and reproaches or others, then this is in reality, not considered to be true muhabbah. Allâh the Most High says:

“Those whom they call upon, themselves desire the wasîlah (means of approach) to their Lord to which of them should be nearest. They hope for His mercy and fear His punishment.” [6]

Here, three levels which are linked to muhabbah have been mentioned, [i] Love, which is desiring to seek nearness to Him; [ii] at-Tawassul (seeking the means of approach) to Him, through righteous and correct actions; [iii] Hope and fear, a proof of desiring the means of approach to Him through righteous and correct actions is that such actions are done hoping in His mercy and also fearing His punishment.

And it is known with necessity that seeking nearness (to Allâh) can only be achieved when there is a desire and love for this, and the desire and love for seeking nearness (to Him) stems from love of Him. Indeed, true love for Him necessitates desiring to draw near to Him. However, the Jahmiyyah and the Mu’attilah, none of this has any value. Since, in their (false) view, Allâh does not draw near to anyone, nor does anyone draw near to Him, nor does He love anyone. So they deny life for the hearts, bliss for the souls, coolness for the eyes and highlights the delights of this world and the Hereafter. And due to this denial, their hearts became hardened, and between them and Allâh there came barriers and obstacles from knowing Him and loving Him. They do not know Him, nor do they seek to love Him, nor do they mention Him, except by negating and denying His Names and Attributes. They criticize and condemn those who make mention of the perfect and majestic Names and the Attributes of Allâh, accusing them of that which is more befitting to be attributed to themselves! And sufficient is it for one possessing knowledge and possessing a heart with life, that they view the sayings of such people with harshness, contempt and hatred; knowing that such people have disassociated themselves from the love of Allâh the Most High and from knowing and understanding His Uniqueness and Oneness (with respect to His Names, Attributes and Actions).

A Comprehensive Definition

Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) - rahimahullâh - says:
“There cannot be clearer recognition of mahabbah than this, and this recognition in itself increases love for Allâh. And people have discussed (at lengths) about mahabbah - its causes, its signs, its fruits, its supports and its rulings. The most comprehensive of what has been said about this is what Abû Bakr al-Katânî relates from al-Junayd (d.297H):

Abû Bakr al-Katânî said:
A discussion about mahabbah took place in Makkah, during pilgrimage season. The Shaykhs who were present spoke about this topic, and al-Junayd being the youngest of them. They said to him: What do you say, O ’Irâqî? So al-Junayd lowered his head and tears were gushing from his eyes, then he said:

“A servant should overcome his soul,
And be continuous in the remembrance of his Lord,
Establishing the rights of his Lord,
Focusing upon Him with his heart,
The light of fear setting ablaze his heart,
Whilst drinking from the vessel of pure love,
And certain hidden realities being unveiled for him.
So when he talks, it is due to Allâh,
When he speaks, it is from Allâh,
When he moves, it is by the Command of Allâh,
And when he is serene, then it is from Allâh,
He belongs to Allâh, is for Allâh and is with Allâh.”

Upon hearing, the Shaykhs all started weeping, and they said: There is nothing left to add to that, may Allâh reward you O Crown of the Knowledgeable Ones.”

Developing Love for Allâh

Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullâh - says:

“The reasons which cause mahabbah of Allâh to develop, are ten:

Firstly: Reciting the Qur‘ân, reflecting and understanding its meaning and its intent.

Secondly: Drawing closer to Allâh - the Most High - through optional deeds, after fulfilling the obligatory duties.

Thirdly: Being continuous in the dhikr (remembrance) of Allâh, with the tongue, the heart and the limbs - under all circumstances. The more constant the dhikr, the more mahabbah develops and intensifies.

Fourthly: Giving precedence to what Allâh loves over personal loves, when being overcome by desires.

Fifthly: Contemplating and deliberating over the Names and Attributes of Allâh.

Sixthly: Recognising and remembering the favours and bounties of Allâh - both the manifest and hidden.

Seventhly: To be humble and submissive before Allâh - and this is the greatest matter.

Eightly: To be in seclusion reciting the Qur‘ân, during that time in which Allâh descends to the lowest heaven (which is the last third of every night), finishing this recitation with seeking Allâh’s forgiveness and repenting to Him.

Ninthly: To sit in the gatherings of true and sincere lovers of Allâh, reaping the fruits of their speech, and not to speak except if there is benefit in it and that you know that such talk will increase you in goodness and that it will benefits others as well.

Tenthly: To stay clear of all those causes which distances the heart from Allâh - the Mighty and Majestic.

So these are the ten reasons which cause the person to develop true love for Allâh and to reach the rank of al-muhabbah, by which he reaches his Beloved.” [7]

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References 

1. In Fathul-Majîd Sharh Kitâbit-Tawhîd (pp.470-473).
2. Sûrah Âli-’Imrân 3:31
3. This is the saying of al-Hasan al-Basrî, as is reported by Ibn Kathîr in his Tafsîr (1/366).
4. Sûrah Mâ‘idah 5:54
5. Sûrah al-Fath 48:29
6. Sûrah Mâ‘idah 5:54
7. Madârijus-Sâlikîn (3/17-18).
 

Abû Hurayrah - radiallâhu ’anhu - relates that the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said:

“Allâh - the Most High - has said: Whosoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I shall be at war with him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the obligatory duties. And My servant continues to draw near to Me with the optional actions, so that I shall love him. So when I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask something of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to ask Me for shelter, I would surely grant him it.”

Related by al-Bukhârî (11/340-341)

The Meaning Of The Testimony Of Faith

The Meaning Of The Testimony Of Faith 

BY: Sh. Hamoud M. Al-Lahim

Translated by:

Mahmoud R. Murad

http://www.al-sunnah.com/

Introduction

The testimony of faith is the decisive criterion by which man is judged to be a Muslim or a Kafir. This testimony is the foundation upon which Islam is based. The concept of life, the universe and man is diffused from it, and upon it is based the message of all Messengers beginning with Noah and ending with Muhammad, (peace be upon them all). Allah, the Exalted says:

‘We did not send the Messenger before you without revealing to him: “There is no god worthy of being worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.” (V. 21:25)

Allah has created men and jinn and the rest of creation on account of the testimony of faith, there is no god worthy of being worshipped except Allah. Consequently everything in this universe submits in worship to Allah, to Whom belong the creation and the authority. He is aware of all things.

The Meaning of the testimony of faith

The testimony (LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH) comprises two concepts: denial and affirmation.

First: The testimony of faith denies everyone and everything other than Allah, the Exalted, the attribute of divinity. All those other than Allah, such as the angels, the Prophets, and the rest of mankind, let alone the idols and the political regimes in the world, are not god nor do they deserve to be worshipped. Thus denial in this respect is not denial of the existence of the alleged gods, rather the denial of divinity which is attributed to them.

Second: The testimony of faith affirms and restricts divinity to Allah Alone. That is, the slave must believe Allah is the only true God, and dedicate accordingly no act of worship to other than Allah.

Since worship with all its legitimate acts and rites must be dedicated only to the God who deserve it, therefore, the true god to whom worship must be dedicated is the one who enjoys certain attributes, some of which are:

1-     Divinity, the Oneness of Allah Who is singled out as the only true God having no partner to share His divine attributes, nor His domain. He is the One the as-Samad [1].

2-     Self-sufficiency. Allah stands in need of no one; He needs neither a helper nor a spouse or a son.

3-     The capability of doing everything. There is nothing which frustrates His capability. He does anything He wishes without exhaustion or support. If He wills to do a thing, He only says to it, “Be”, and it is.

4-     The absolute life which is unaffected by perishment. Allah is Everlasting, and He is Al-Qayoom [2].

5-     Alertness: Allah never sleeps nor is He heedless, He is neither seized by slumber or sleep.

6-     Inclusive proprietorship: All existing things belong to Allah alone.

7-     Knowledge: Allah’s knowledge encompasses the whole universe that even an ant weight does not escape His knowledge. He is well aware of the hidden and the apparent, the past, the present, the future, and He knows the inner thoughts of man.

8-     Pride and grandeur: There is nothing greater that Allah neither in His essence or in his grandeur, nor in his supremacy.

9-     Merciful beneficence: Allah does not wrong a thing or punish unjustly rather He loves His devotees, and forgive the sins of those who repents to Him.

 

Hence, the One Who possesses such attributes deserves to be worshipped God. Allah, the Exalted, after all is the only One Who possesses such attributes. He is the King, the Powerful, the Wise, the One Who knows the seen and the unseen, the Merciful, the Beneficent.

Only the One to Whom the divine attributes belong is a true God Who is worthy of being worshipped and to whose greatness all creation submit. It is for this reason the testimony of faith constitutes denial of divinity to all other than Allah and confirming it to Allah Alone, for He is the only true God.

Allah, Who is far removed from every imperfection, exclusively enjoys the attributes of divinity. This divinity entails:

The right of legislating lows. Allah is the One who legislates laws for His creatures, therefore no one may legislates laws for himself or for others that do not confirm with those of Allah, or those given by His Messengers nor may any one design a mode of worship or a transactional regulation for individual or groups. Neither is it the right of anyone to deem things lawful or unlawful on his own accord. Nor is it the right of anyone to legislate a penal law on his own accord, for such rights are exclusively Allah’s. Whoever gives himself such rights presumptuously sets up himself as god. Whoever obeys him takes him for a god in lieu of Allah.

 

Allah the Exalted, has mentioned that Christians, have taken their scholars and monks as lords other than Allah only by obeying their lords who prohibited Allah’s lawful things, and legalized his prohibited things without divine sanction.

They did so after knowing that Allah is the true God to Whom worship must be dedicated and after knowing that Allah accepts only those acts of worship legislated by Him, and by His Messenger.

Hence we must know the acts of worship so that we dedicated them to Allah Alone. Once we know this, we know that He has created the creatures only to worship Him. Man as part of His creatures, must dedicate all his life worshipping Allah, he must be aware of Allah’s rulings respecting everything he does, thus every lawful thing he does, intending it to be a means of bringing him closer to Allah, turns to be an act of worship. Worship is an inclusive tern comprising every utterance and deed, apparent or hidden that Allah loves.

Having read this brief message about the meaning of the testimony of faith, and its requirements, you are probably anxious to profess it and apply its requirements of this testimony that are incumbent upon the person who confesses it to apply?

 

These requirements are:

1-               The belief that Allah is a true God to Whom worship must be dedicated.

He is the One Who possesses all attributes of perfection, and Who is far removed from every imperfection such as taking a spouse or a son.

2-               The belief that Allah is the Creator of existing things, the Sustainer, the Giver of life and death, the Proprietor of the universe, the only Ruler and Legislator.

3-               The belief that Allah possesses the attributes of perfection, and is far removed from every imperfection as Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), informed us in the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. The only two sources from which we know the attributes of Allah. Were Muhammad to forge lies against Allah, Allah would have definitely punished Him. On the contrary, Allah supported him with miracles that have proven his veracity and trustworthiness in conveying the Message of his Rubb.

Allah says:

“Were he Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), to forge some statement against Us, We would have seized him by his right hand and We would have cut off his artery.” (V.69: 44,45,46.)

4-               Taking the believers for friends, loving and supporting them. Allah says:

“Muhammad, is the Messenger of Allah and those who are with him are harsh against unbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating (in prayer), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are marks caused by prostration (during prayers). This is their similitude in the Torah and in the Gospel like a (sown) seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, it then becomes thick and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the farmers that He (Allah) may enrage the unbelievers with them. Allah has promised those among them who believe (i.e. all those who follow Islamic Monotheism, the religion of the Prophet Muhammad, (PBUH) till the day of Resurrection) and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward (i.e. Paradise )” (V.48:29).

5-               Disavowing the unbelievers and standing aloof from them.

Allah says:

“Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people; “Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you hostility and hatred forever, until you believe in Allah Alone, except the saying of Abraham to his father: “Verily, I will ask for forgiveness (from Allah) for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah. Our Lord! In you (Alone) we put our trust and to You Alone we turn in repentance, and to You (Alone) is (our) final Return,” (V. 60:4)

The above are some of the requirements of the testimony of faith, the testimony which is considered a prelude and access to Islam, rather its base. Whoever confesses it with sincere attestation, and applies its requirements, would ultimately be admitted to the Jannah, the heavenly garden, with the will of Allah. If such a person committed some sins and died before repenting, it is up to Allah, He either forgives him or punishes him by the fire but would the later take him out of it and admits him to Jannah having been purified from his sins. It is mentioned in the prophetic tradition that Musa, the Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), asked Allah to assign for him an act of worship and be particularly his to perform. Allah, the Exalted, commanded him: “O Musa, say ( لا إله إلا الله ) “There is no god who deserves to be worshipped but Allah. “Musa said: “My Rubb! All your slaves confess this testimony.” To indicate the significance of the testimony of faith, Allah then said: “O Musa, were the seven heavens and seven earths, and all what they contain put in one side of the scale and ( لا إله إلا الله ) was put on the other side of it would have overweighed them.

The Prophet, (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“He who conclude his life with uttering the testimony of faith, that is to be his last words before he dies, he will be admitted to the Janna”.

Confessing the testimony of faith must be coupled with fulfilling its conditions:

1-  Knowledge: which consists of recognizing Allah as the only true God to whom worship must be dedicated, and denouncing all gods worshipped beside all as false, and that they can neither extend benefit nor cause harm.

     2-  Certainty; that the belief in Allah must be unblemished with any doubt.

     3-   Acceptance; that is to accept all its conditions.

     4-   Submission; that is to fulfill its conditions submissively and willingly being content with Allah as the Rubb, and Muhammad, (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as His Prophet and Messenger.

     5-    Truthfulness; that is to fulfill its requirements truthfully.

     6-     Sincerity; that is to be sincere in worshipping Allah, dedicating all acts of worship to Him alone.

     7-     The Love Of Allah; the Exalted, and the love of His Messenger, Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the love of Allah’s devotees and the people of His obedience.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that Allah must be obeyed by following His commands and refraining from his prohibitions. Obedience to Allah must be associated with loving Him, fearing His punishment, and hoping for His reward, seeking His forgiveness, and adhering to the teachings of His Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), is the last of Allah’s Messengers and His Shari’ah (the laws and religious rites) abrogate all the preceding laws and religious rites. His comprises the best of every preceding Shari’ah.

The above is brief explanatory notes on the meaning of ( لا إله إلا الله ), and its requirements.

I pray to Allah that He may render it beneficial, and may He bless His slave, and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his household and all of his Companions.

[1] As-Samad is one of Allah’s beautiful names. It is mentioned in Surah #112, it signifies the following: The Lord to Whom recourse is had, or to Whom obedience is “rendered”, without Whom no affair is “accomplished”; or the One to Whom Lordship is ultimately pertains, or the Creator of everything, of Whom nothing is independent, and every created thing depends on Him for his or its means of subsistence, whose Oneness everything indicates.

[2] Ever-living, Self subsisting, by Whom all things subsist.