. J (cont.)

Therefore, He is deserving of praise and glorification because He avoided those acts of zulm although He had the ability to do them. In the same way that Allah is free of any blameworthy or shortcoming attributes, He is also free and exalted above any blameworthy or shortcoming actions.4 1 Recorded by Abu Dawood and ibn Maajah. According to al-Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Albaani, sahih Sunan Abi Dawood, vol. 3, p. 890. 2 This example was taken from al-Haitami, Fath, p. 191. It forms part of his presentation of this view which he then goes on to refute. 3 lbn Taimiya, Majmoo, vol. 18, pp. 143-145. 4 lbn Taimiya, Majmoo, vol. 1 8, p. 146. Hadith #24: "O My Servants, I have Forbidden Wrongdoing . . . " The conclusion is that Allah, in His Mercy and by His Wisdom, has decreed for Himself that He will commit no injustice. It is not the case that "by His nature" it was impossible for Him to have committed injustice. He definitely has the ability to commit many forms of injustice but He, no one else, has determined that He would not commit them. Allah alone has determined for Himself to act in this manner. Understanding this fact should increase the believers' love for Allah. It should also increase their glorification and praise of Him. This approach toward this phrase of the hadith--- that Allah could commit zulm but that He has forbidden it for Himself-- is the approach of ibn Taimiya, ibn Rajab,1 Sultaan,2 al-Sabbaagh3 and ibn Uthaimeen.4 A Second Approach Other scholars take a very different approach to this phrase, "I have forbidden zulm . . . " According to them, Allah is exalted and purified from committing any type of zulm by His essence. In other words, zulm is an a priori impossibility on Allah's part. They come to this conclusion by saying that zulm is to violate another person's right without due right or to go beyond the limits. This in their view is the only proper meaning for the word zulm. They say that both cases are impossible with respect to Allah because Allah is the Owner and King of all creation and no one has any rights upon Him. Al-Haitami argues that, in this hadith, the purpose is not to demonstrate one of Allah's attributes for which He must be praised. Hence, the argument that He must be able to commit zulm as otherwise this would not be a praiseworthy statement is irrelevant. He argues that the point of this statement is to emphasize the prohibition of zulm. If it is "forbidden" for Allah, then it must be even more so "forbidden" for His servants. This is a common form of exaggerating or stressing a statement in Arabic that no one, says al-Haitami, can refute. It is the same rhetorical style that Allah uses in the verse that was addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), .... .J. ,,.. .... ... ... / .... ;:i:i..1 ,,.. ... ... .J. ... ୈ F H_>i ୉ dQ ๅ p.:UI JI) v\ w ->-Ji :uJj ,,,. ... .... A A ย .... " 1 lbn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 35. 2 Sultaan, p. 215. It seems that Sultaan prefers this choice. He wrote (p. 215), "If Allah willed to commit zulm no one could prevent Him from that." Despite that, right after stating this, he quoted al-Nawawi as saying that zulm is an impossibility on Allah's part since all of the creation belongs to Allah. Apparently, he did not notice that al-Nawawi's view contradicts what he had just stated. Allah knows best. 3 Al-Sabbaagh, p. 93. 4 lbn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 3, pp. 138-139. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi "And indeed it has been revealed to you [O Muhammad], as it was to those before you, if you join others in worship Allah, [then] surely all your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers" (al-Zumar 65). This verse does not imply that the Prophet (peace be upon him) may conceivably commit shirk. Instead, it is meant to emphasize the prohibition of shirk and how even if the Prophet (peace be upon him) were to commit it, all of his deeds would then be in vain. According to al-Haitami, this is the view of the majority of the scholars.1 It is the view of al-Nawawi,2 al-Ubayy,3 al-Azhari,4 al-Bugha and Mistu,5 Taataay6 and al-Baitaar.7 Conclusion Regarding the Meaning of This Phrase The view of ibn Taimiya and others discussed above seems to be the stronger approach. It is more consistent with the literal meaning of this hadith and is consistent with the general meaning of zulm. It is also consistent with the explanation of some verses of the Quran, as noted above. The other view represents a form of reinterpretation (taweel) that is not necessary or needed, while taweel is only to be resorted to in cases of need.8 The understanding of the first approach gives more meaning to this hadith.