9. Attributing Favors to Others but Allah

We have previously tackled the ruling on attributing the fall of rain to the appearance or disappearance of specific stars and seeking rain through their effective force. Now we are going to uncover the issue of generally attributing Allah's favors and graces to mundane causes instead of attributing them directly to Allah. Acknowledging the favors and blessings ofAllah and dedicating oneself to pay due praise and give thanks to Him are of the essences ofMuslim Creed. So whoever attributes beneficence to creatures should be regarded as one denying the favor of Allah. In this relation, Allah says: "They recognize the favor ofAllah; then they deny it and most of them are disbelievers." (Quran: An-Nahl: 83) r Commenting on the aforementioned Qur'anic verse, some exegetes have stated: "Though people who attribute Allah's favors and graces to others recognize that Allah is the Giver and the One Who bestows His bounty on them, they deny Him and claim the inheritance of such favors from their respective forefathers." Those people. thus. may say.

"It was only by the favor of so and so that I got such bounties:' They, in principle. attribute all graces to either their forefathers or to their false deities, and totally forget their main source and the real giver, Allah. Some people attribute their safety in the sea to the favorable winds and the skilled navigator while forgetting the real dispatcher of winds and the true causer of safety and security. They, for example, frequently use such phrases as "the wind was nice this journey and the navigator was skillful." Similarly, others attribute the abundance of natural resources and the prevention of catastrophic consequences of natural disasters to the efforts of governments or the new advancements of experimental sciences. Thus, sentences such as, "It was only due to the advancement of medicine that a lot of diseases were eradicated," become frequent among people. Hence, all these utterances should be avoided.

A Muslim should only attribute the ampleness of resources and affluence of bounties to Allah. As for the endeavors of peoples and governments to improve their conditions, they should only be viewed as causes, which are not held responsible for the attainment of final results. People are only thanked for their actions not for the final achievement of results. In the Quran, Allah has provided examples of the people who denied the graces of Allah and attributed the affluence of their wealth to other than Allah. Those who ascribed the graces of Allah to others were convinced that their fellow men deserved being the source of such favors.

They also believed that their personal experience or skill enabled them to be the makers ofsuch favors. About man, Allah has stated: '~nd if We let him taste mercyfrom Us after an adversity which has touched him, he will surely say, 'This is [due] to me, and I do not think the Hour will occur; and [even] if I should be returned to my Lord, indeed, for me there will be with Him the best: But We will surely inform those who disbelieved about what they did, and We will surely make them taste a massive punishment." (Quran: Fussilat: 50) ...- - . -...~.------------------- As for Qartln (Korah) who was given great treasures, but acted boastfully and insolently towards his fellow men and disregarded the admonition to repent of his sins and acknowledge the graces of Allah, he said: '~ .. '1 was only given it because ofknowledge 1 have' " (Quran: Al-Qa~a~: 78) Thus, when he claimed he achieved this wealth through his own intellectu­ ality, skill and experience, QarUn received the worst end and the most heinous chastisement; Allah caused the earth to swallow him and his house. It is worth noting that many people nowadays overestimate themselves and become self-conceited by introducing new inventions without acknowledging the favors of Allah Who endowed them with such capabilities to do so. They usually speak aloud of their own powers and strengths and, moreover, act in oppression and transgression against others.

Such people are more deserving of the punishment of Allah. Such was the case of the people of 'Ad who were proud of their own strength, as the Quran provided: '~for 'Ad, they were arrogant upon the earth without right and said, 'Who is greater than us in strength1' Did they not consider that Allah Who created them was greater than them in strength1 But they were rejecting Our signs. So We sent upon them a screaming wind during days ofmisfortune to make them taste the punishment ofdisgrace in the worldly life; but the punishment of the Hereafter is more disgracing, and they will not be helped." (Quran: Fussilat: 15-16) The following hadith provides the story of a group of people who were tested by Allah when He bestowed on them many graces and favors. However, some of them rejected to acknowledge the favors ofAllah when they attributed such graces to their own personal experience claiming that what they had was inherited from their forefathers. Others acknowledged the favors of Allah and praised Him, so Allah was pleased with them.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying: "Allah willed to test three from among the Children of Israel (Israelites) who were a leper, a baldheaded man and a blind man. So, He sent them an angel who came to the leper and said, 'What thing do you like most?' He replied, 'Good color and good skin, for this may remove from me what make people feel repulsion of me: The angel touched him and he was cured, and he was given a good color and beautiful skin. The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Camels (or cows).' ­ (The narrator is in doubt, for either the leper or the baldheaded man demanded camels and the other demanded cows.) - So he (i.e., the leper) was given a pregnant she-camel, and the angel said to him, 'May Allah bless you with it.' The angel then went to the baldheaded man and said, 'What thing do you like most?' He replied, 'I like good hair and wish to be cured of this disease, which makes people feel repulsion ofme.' The angel touched him and he was cured, and he was given good hair. The angel asked him, 'What kind ofproperty do you like best?' He replied, 'Cows.' So the angel gave him a pregnant cow and said, 'May Allah bless you with it.' Then, the angel went to the blind man and asked, 'What thing do you like most?' He said, '(I like) that Allah may restore my eyesight to me so that I may see the people.' The angel touched his eyes and Allah gave him back his eyesight. The angel asked him, 'What kind ofproperty do you like best?' He replied, 'Sheep.' The angel gave him a pregnant sheep.

Afterwards, all the three pregnant animals gave birth to young ones, and multiplied and brought forth so much that one of the (three) men had a herd ofcamels filling a valley, and one had a herd ofcows filling a valley, and one had a flock of sheep filling a valley. Then the angel, disguised in the shape and appearance of a leper, went to the leper and said, 'I am a poor man, who has lost all means of livelihood while on a journey. So, none will satisfy my need except Allah and then you. In the Name of Him Who has given you such nice color and beautiful skin, and so much property, I ask you to give me a camel so that I may reach my destination. The man replied, 'I have many obligations (so I cannot give you): The angel said, 'I think I know you; were you not a leper of whom the people used to feel repulsion?

Weren't you a poor man, and then Allah gave you (all this property)?' He replied, '(This is all wrong), I got this property through inheritance from my forefathers.' The angel said, 'If you are telling a lie, then let Allah make you as you were before: Then the angel, disgUised in the shape and appearance of a bald man, went to the bald man and said to him the same as he told the first one, and he too answered the same as the first one did. The angel said to him, 'Ifyou are --------~ .. - ------------------­ ..- ­..- -... telling a lie, then let Allah make you as you were before: Then, the angel, disguised in the shape of a blind man, went to the blind man and said, '1 am a poor man and a traveler whose means of livelihood have been exhausted while on a journey. 1 have nobody to help me except Allah, and after Him, you yourself. 1 ask you in the Name of Him Who has given you back your eyeSight to give me a sheep, so that with its help, 1 may complete my journey: The man said, 'No doubt, 1 was blind and Allah gave me back my eyesight; 1 was poor and Allah made me rich; so take anything you wish from my property. By Allah, 1 will not stop you from taking anything (you need) of my property for Allah's sake: The angel replied, 'Keep your property with you. You (i.e., the three men) have been tested and Allah is pleased with you (the blind man) and is angry with your two companions: " (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) The aforementioned hadith is a great reminder. When the first two men denied the favor of Allah and did not pay the rights due on their properties, Allah showed His discontent with them and consequently prevented them from receiving His favor.

On the contrary. the third man acknowledged the graces of Allah, attributed all favor to Him and fulfilled all rights due on his property, so that he deserved the pleasure of Allah and kept his property safe. Ibnul-Qayyim has stated: "The original meaning ofpraise is to acknowledge the gracious blesSings of the Benefactor while showing Him due submission, surrender and love. A person is not regarded as one fulfilling the duty ofpraising Allah if he does not recognize His favors and becomes unable to notice them. Similarly, if he recognizes the favor but does not attribute it to the real Giver, he will not be regarded as one fulfilling the rights ofdue praise. Moreover, he will be regarded as ungrateful ifhe recognizes the blessings and the Giver without showing gratitude.

Finally, if he recognizes the blessings and acknowledges the Giver without showingfull submission, surrender or love to Him, he will be regarded as one showing ingratitude too. The true grateful one is the one who shows gratitude to Allah with full acknowledgement, submission and love. Therefore, praise should be realized by heart and then put into action by showing attachment and surrender to Allah." ..f - - - - - - - - - - - . . . . ---~··------------------- Minor Polytheism Minor polytheism invalidates Tawb.id (Le., monotheism). There are cer­ tain acts of minor polytheism, against which Allah and His Messenger have warned us in order to safeguard our faith and protect our Tawb.id. Such acts may corrupt our Tawb.id and thus lead to major polytheism.

Allah, Exalted be He, says: (~ •. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him]:' (Quran: Al-Baqarah: 22) Ibn 'Abbas has commented: "Associating rivals with Allah is polytheism. It is so covert that it is not easily traced. Such polytheism is similar in invisibility to ants creeping on a black object in deep darkness. However, it may be realized in expressions such as swearing by the Name of Allah associated with other names, as saying, 'By Allah, by your life and by my life: or saying, 'Were it not for the doggy of so and so, thieves would attack us: or saying, 'Were it not for ducks in the house, thieves would attack us.' This also can be expressed in expressions such as, 'What you will and Allah wills: or 'Had it not been for Allah and so and so.' Do not associate others with Allah in such expressions, for all these words are acts ofpolytheism." (Related by Ibn Abu H~tim) While Ibn 'Abbas maintains that all such practices are deemed as acts ofminor polytheism, the Qur'anic verse bears the probability of including both minor and major polytheism.

Ibn 'Abbas includes these practices in minor polytheism, since they are frequently made by people either inadvertently or ignorantly. These practices include: 1. Swearing by things/creatures other than Allah: Swearing by the name of anyone or any creature is deemed as an act of polytheism. 'Umar Ibnul-KhattAb (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "He who swears by anything besides Allah is guilty ofan act ofdisbelief (or ofassociating something with Allah)." (Related by At-Tirmidhl who deemed it hasan, and by AI-Hakim who deemed it '§ahih) As for the saying "act of disbelief (or of associating something with Allah", it may either be due to the doubt of the narrator, or the conjunction 'or' may be meant to combine between both disbelief and associating others with Allah. At any rate, this is an act of minor polytheism.

Nowadays, a great number of people swear by abstract words like trust or by the name of the Prophet or even by their own lives. According to the badith, it is prohibited to swear by anything other than Allah. The main reason is that invoking the name ofanybody other than Allah is a means ofexaltation, while the only one deserving glory is Allah. Therefore, invoking any name other than Allah is an act of polytheism and a grave sin. Ibn Mas' Ctd has provided: "To falsely swear by Allah is less grave than invoking the name of anybody other than Him." It is wel1-known that taking a false oath is one of the major sins, but polytheism which is introduced by swearing by names other than Allah is a much graver sin even though it is an act of minor polytheism.

So, Muslims should be warned against such a practice. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever has to take an oath should swear by Allah or remain silent:' He (PBUH) also says: "Do not swear by your fathers." These badtths and others command us that if we are to take an oath, we are to swear only by Allah and not by anything else. On the other hand, if an oath, by Allah's Name, is taken to someone, one must be satisfied with such an oath. The Prophet (PBUH) says: "Whoever swears by Allah must tell the truth, and if it is sworn to someone by Allah's Name, he. must be satisfied, and whoever is not satisfied with Allah is not close to Allah." 2. Utterances Entailing Polytheism: Among the utterances which may entail polytheism are sayings such as "By the will of Allah and my will; which connotes associating the will of man with that of Allah.

On the authority of Qutaylah. Imam Ahmad and Al-Nasa'i relate: '11. Jewish came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said, 'You (i.e., Muslims) associate others with Allah as you say, 'What Allah wills and you will: and say (when swearing), 'By the Ka \bah: Thereupon, the Prophet (PBUH) ordered them (Muslims) to say, 'By the Lord of the Ka 'bah: if they want to swear, and to say, 'What Allah wills and afterwards you will:" An-Nasfi relates that Ibn \ Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) has narrated: '11. man said to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), 'What Allah wills and you will: Thereupon, the Prophet (PBUH) said to him, 'Have you made me an equal to Allah? Say, 'What Allah Alone wills: " The aforementioned hadiths prohibit saying utterances such as, "By the will of Allah and mine," "It was only by the favor of Allah and yours," and "I only seek refuge in Allah and you." Using the conjunction 'and' connotes setting up people as equals to Allah. Thus, it is more proper to say, "If Allah wills and then I will," "It was only by the favor of Allah and then the favor of you," or "I seek refuge with Allah and then seek your protection:' Here, the conjunction 'then' connotes sequence.

The will of man is subsequent to that of Allah; man's will is not in the same level as that of Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says: '~nd you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds." (Quran: At-Takwir: 29) This verse explains that man's will comes after that of Allah even though he has a will This contradicts the doctrine of Fatalists who totally negate the will of man and state that all events are predetermined by fate and therefore unalterable. However, mans will cannot absolutely work in contradiction with the will of Allah unlike the doctrine of Mutazilites that dictates that man has free-will that may contradict Allalfs Will; Allah is the Exalted above such doctrines.