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According to al-Ajmi, its chain is hasan. See al-Ajmi's notes to ibn Rajah, Noor, p. 86, fn. I. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi him. He has no reason to fear anyone except Allah. He has no reason not to stand up for the truth and for the religion of Allah. He has no reason even to have a fear of death as a result of his actions because he knows that death will come to him at its appointed time as decreed by Allah. Allah says, .w ,,.. .,. ,J J. ,,. / J ,,,. -,., / J. J. :z '" ࣁ ࣂ\ 'p--:-. I ߅-- ._:S' . .l)\ -:".:'1 п- " • ߆ ߇· ࢙I Ji'- -.¢.Jt..>- - • • ':! JJ:-' _r.-1 . J y \. ; ,,,,. ; k ,,,. ,,.. '-' .. ,,,,. / (...; - ,... "Say: Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death" (ali-Imran 154).1 "All of Creation" In the other narration of the hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "If all of the creation . . . " rather than, "if the Nation were to gather together. . . " In the former narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) left no doubt that no one, without any exception, individually or collectively, can harm or benefit any human being except by the will and permission of Allah. The Relationship Between this Portion of the Hadith and the Remainder of the Hadith According to ibn Rajah, all of the advice that the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave to ibn Abbaas revolves around and returns to this portion. A Muslim should realize that nothing in creation can harm him in any way. This means that Allah alone is the One who brings about harm, the One who brings about benefits, the Giver, the Preventer. When the Muslim truly realizes this, the natural result is a true implementation of tauheed. In other words, the person who realizes this would only seek help in Allah; he would ask only of Allah. In fact, since everything is under Allah's control, the wise person would then submit to no one other than Allah. He would only worship and obey Allah. This, says ibn Rajah, is because an intelligent person would not worship something if there were no call or benefit in worshipping that object. In the Quran, Allah censures those who worship the idols that cannot harm them or benefit them in any way. Ibn Raj ab goes on to say that many people who do not fully realize the concept of tauheed give preference to obeying created beings rather than obeying the Creator. They are hoping to benefit from such obedience or to 1 Cf., al-Bugha and Mistu, p. 128. This does not mean that the person will not have any kind of natural fear whatsoever. For example, Allah stated about the Prophet Moses, "He [Moses] said, 'My Lord! I have killed a man among them and I fear that they will kill me'" (al-Qasas 33). There are numerous verses of this nature in the Quran. It refers to a fear that Allah will give those feared people the ability or allow them to use the ability that they have been given by Allah in a detrimental manner. The real fear is of Allah who will allow them to do such. However, the person is aware that the other human has no power unless Allah allows him to do something. Hadith #19: "Young man, I shall teach you some words ... " ward of some harm. But if one realizes that those objects of worship and obedience can do nothing, in reality, for him, he will single out Allah for all acts of worship and obedience. He will give preference to obeying Allah over obeying any of His creatures. In the same way, he will also ask only of Allah and seek help only from Him. 1 "The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." In this portion of the hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is making a clear reference to the belief in al-Qadha wa al-Qadar or "preordainment". 2 Allah has recorded everything that is going to occur in this existence. Nothing will occur except by the will of Allah and Allah has already recorded what He has willed for all times. This recording was done even before the creation of mankind. Allah says in the Quran, J ,,. ,.. ,,,., ,,. / ,,. l-2/i . "' '- 1/)b . \ '2a··i - . -g/ . '2· 1 . ৬ . ._,bi l: u:-- ŵ / / ( • / ) uPJ ( ·) ࢒ . / ... / ,,. ,/ "No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book [of Decrees] before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah" (al-Hadeed 22).