Part 13

So, it is not fitting that a person should regard the response to be slowin coming, and to give upon the supplication, and stopmaking it. Rather he should beseech Allah in his supplication, for every supplication which you make to Allah, the Almighty, the AllPowerful is an act of worship which brings you closer to Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful and increases your reward. Therefore, my brother, you should supplicate to Allah, the Almighty, the AllPowerfulin all your affairs, both general and specific, and when you are in difficulty and when you are at ease, even if there is no result from your supplication except that it is worship of Allah, the Most Glorified, the Most High, it would still be worth a person’s effort to be intent upon it. And Allah is the Granter of success.

Q. 21. What is the meaning of Ikhlas? And if the worshipper desired to worship something else, what is the ruling?

"1 Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of Invocations, in the Chapter: The Worshipper is Answered as Long as He is not Impatient (6340) and by Muslim in the Book of Supplication and Remembrance of Allah, in the Chapter: Clarification That the One Supplicating is Answered as Long as He is not Impatient, Saying: 1 Supplicated, But He Did not Answer Me (2735).

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A, Ikhlas towards Allah means that by his worship, a person intends to draw closer to Allah, the Most Glorified, the Most High, and to gain access to the Abode of His Generosity (i.e. Paradise). If someone desired something other than this by his worship, then that requires elaboration in accordance with the following categories:

1. That he desires to draw closer to other than Allah by this worship, and to be praised for it by his fellow-creatures, this renders the deed in vain and it is a form of Shirk. It is reported in an authentic Hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet #% said that Allah, the the Most High s said:

435 8 “Iam the One Who does not stand in need of any partners. If anyone performs a deed in which he associates anyone else with

Me, I shall abandon him and his Shirk.”"") 2. That he intends to achieve some worldly gain, such as leadership, rank or wealth, without intending to get closer to Allah, the Most High, this action of his is in vain and it does not bring him closer to Allah, the Most High, according to the Words of Him, the Most High:

bY Ay SB sy GA St Lg ok > SAA ans es il Ou “Whosoever desires the life of the world and i its ter to ‘hem We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds therein, and they will

"] Reported by Muslim in the Book of Asceticism and Softening of the Hearts, in the Chapter: Whomever Associated Partners With Allah in His Deeds (2985).

have no diminution therein. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire, and vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which they used to do.”"")

The difference between this and the one before him is that the first intends to be praised for worshipping Allah, the Most High, while the second does not intend to be praised for worshipping Allah, and it is not important to him that the people praise him for it.

3. That he intends to draw closer to Allah, the Most High and he also intends to achieve some worldly motive thereby. Such intending to worship Allah, the Most High by performing ablution while also intending to invigorate his body or to clean it. Or, he intends to exercise his body by praying, and to stimulate movement in it, and he intends to lose weight by fasting and to remove impurities, and he intends by Hajj to participate in its events and see all the pilgrims. This decreases the reward of Ikhias, but if he mainly intends to worship Allah by it, he will have missed the completeness of the reward for it, although he is not guilty of committing a sin or falsehood, according to the Words of Allah, the Most High regarding the Hajj pilgrims:

“There is no sin on you if you seek the bounty of your Lord. But if his intention is mainly something other than worship, then he has no reward in the Hereafter, and his reward is only what he achieves in this life. I fear that such a person is a sinner due to this, because he has made worship, which is the highest goal, a means to attain some wretched worldly goal, so he is like

* those of whom Allah says:

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6 Ge ek J as to Ge WEA Sa g BS ced “And of them are some who accuse you (O Muhammad #8) in the matter of (the distribution of) the alms. If they are given part thereof, they are pleased, but if they are not given thereof, behold! They are enraged!’|"! In Sunan Abu Dawud, it is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that a man said: “Oh, Messenger of Allah! (What is your opinion of) a man who wishes to fight Jihad and he also wishes to gain some worldly goods?” The Prophet #% said:

“There is no reward for him.”

The man repeated his question three times and the Prophet said:

“There is no reward for him.’"?!

In the Two Sahihs, it is reported on the authority of ‘Umar bin AlKhattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet # said: “Whoever emigrated for some worldly benefit or to marry a woman,

then his emigration will be for that to which he migrated.’

'21 Reported by Abu Dawud in the Book of Jihad, in the Chapter on One Who Fights Seeking Some Worldly Gain (2516) and by An-Nasa’‘i in the Book of Jihad, in the Chapter on One Who Fights Seeking Some Worldly Gain and Fame (3140).

If the two objectives are equal in him, and the intention to worship is not greater, nor is the intention not to worship, then the matter requires further investigation. Here, the closest to the truth is that there is no reward for him, like one who acts for Allah and for other than Him. The difference between this category and the aforementioned one is that the purpose in the last category must necessarily be other than worship so, his intention must necessarily be other than worship, so it is as if he wanted what is that deed includes from the life of this world.

If it was said: What is the measure by which we may determine whether his intention for the worship is greater, or his intention for something other than worship? We say:

The measure is that if he cares nothing for things other than worship, and it is the same to him whether he achieves them or not, then that proves that the greater intention is to worship and vice versa. In any case, the intention which is the saying of the heart is a very important matter, for it could raise the worshipper to the level of the righteous people, or it could reduce him to the lowest of the low. One of the Salaf said: I have not struggled with myself over any matter more than over the matter of Ikh/as. So, we ask Allah, for us and for you, to grant us Ikhlas in our intentions and righteousness in our deeds.

Q. 22. What is the way of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama‘ah regarding hope and fear?

A. The scholars have differed as follows regarding whether a person should put hope first or fear:

Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: His fear and _ his hope should be equal, and the fear should not be greater than the hope, nor the hope greater than the fear. He, may

Revelation, in the Chapter: How the Revelation to the Messenger of Allah #8 Began (1) and by Muslim in the Book of Government (1907).

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Allah have mercy on him said: Whichever of them outweighed the other, the person will be destroyed. This is because if the hope is greater, it causes the person to feel secure against Allah’s Plan, while if the fear is greater, it will cause him to be among those who despair of Allah’s Mercy.

Some of the scholars said: The hope should be greater than the fear when a person performs an act of obedience, and the fear should be greater than the hope when a person commits an act of disobedience. This is because if he performs an act of obedience, he has done what is required of having a good opinion (of Allah), and so the hope should be greater. That is, the hope of acceptance. But if he intends to commit an act of disobedience, the fear should be greater so that he does not commit that sin.

Others said: A healthy person should fear more and a sick person should hope more. This is because if the fear is greater in a healthy person, he will avoid committing sins, while if the hope in a sick person is greater, he will meet Allah while holding a good opinion of Him.

My opinion regarding this question is that the case differs according to circumstances. And that is if a person feels that his fear is greater that might make him desperate of Allah’s Mercy, he should counter it and replace it with hope; and if he feels that his hope is greater that makes him feel secure against Allah’s Plan, then he should counter it by increasing his fear. In this matter a person is in reality his own physician, as long as his heart is alive; but as for one whose heart is dead and neither treats it nor cares about its state, then this matter becomes unimportant to him.

Q. 23. Does undertaking the necessary means to achieve an end nullify Tawakkul (reliance upon Allah)? During the Gulf War some people undertook what they felt were the necessary measures, while some of them abandoned them, saying: We place our trust in Allah.

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A. It is an obligation upon the believer to attach his heart to Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful and to sincerely rely upon Him in bringing about what is beneficial and in repelling what is harmful, because the kingdom of the heavens and the earth is in the Hands of Allah Alone, and to Him all matters return (for decision). Allah, the Most High says: