. J; 1," (cont.)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) described Umar ibn al-Khattaab as having the greatest insight and inspiration. However, Umar himself realized that he could not rely upon that insight. Everything he did had to be judged according to the Quran and sunnah. He took advice and consulted with his companions to ensure that what he was doing was correct. This further demonstrates that no one is ever in a position where he is free from error or is not in need of judging himself according to the Quran and sunnah. Cf., ibn Hajr, Fath (al-Maktaba al-Tijaariyyah), vol. 1 3, p. 148. 5 Lauh, vol. I, p. 57. 1 135 . Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi Allah and the Sufis pray to the auliyaa for aid in this world. This is, of course, a type of shirk or associating partners with Allah. 1 These misconceptions, which are unfortunately not rare among some Muslims today, concerning the auliyaa of Allah must be corrected or eradicated. The auliyaa of Allah are the people of imaan and taqwa as clearly mentioned in the Quran. Among the masses, even those who are not openly influenced by Sufism, the concept of wali has taken on a strange new meaning. As al-Meeli points out, the masses in many parts of the Muslim world consider the fortune­ tellers, charmers, magicians and others as auliyaaeven if they are known to be completely ignorant of the religion, do not pray or fast and are known to commit all sorts of sins. The standard is no longer the adherence to the Quran and sunnah but the standard is whether or not the person can perform some kind of act that will amaze and astound the masses. If he can do that, he is considered a wali.2 The Statement is in the Reciprocal Form The words Hadith #38: "Whoever Shows Enmity to . . . " pious person vis-a-vis an impious person, one who is a scholar vis-a-vis an ignorant person or one who is from the devoted servants of Allah vis-a-vis an enemy of Allah. For example, the people of innovations, in general, hate those people who strictly follow the sunnah. Their hatred is solely based on the fact that those auliyaa are refusing to follow their innovations and heresies. Their hatred is intensified by the fact that many times the innovators know that the people who are truly following the Prophet (peace be upon him) have the knowledge and information that it takes to refute the people of innovations. Hence, the innovators' hatred for the people of the sunnah can be so great that they hate them even more than they hate the disbelieving Jews and Christians. 1 Similarly, the evildoers hate the auliyaa because the auliyaa are against what they are doing. The auliyaa try to convince them to stop their practices and they also try to convince others not to join in with their evil. Furthermore, the auliyaa are reminders to the evildoers of the evil that they are doing and how they are supposed to behave with respect to Allah. Hence, the evildoers' hatred for the auliyaa is directly related to the fact that the auliyaa are obeying Allah and having taqwa. 2 According to al-Shaukaani, the enmity that exists between a scholar and ignorant person is obvious. The scholar stays away from the ignorant person and has enmity toward him due to the latter's ignorance of the religion, his failure to learn the religion and his lacking in applying the religion.3 The closer one gets to Allah, the greater he will be envied and hated by those who want such blessings but are not willing to strive for them. They possess a strong hatred in their hearts for those who sacrifice and earn the love of Allah. Ibo Hubairah also states that the meaning of this phrase is that the person opposes the other only because he is from the auliyaa of Allah.4 When a person does that, then he is deserving of the punishment stated in this hadith. This is because he is opposing the auliyaa of Allah simply because they are obeying Allah. Hence, in reality, they are not just opposing the auliyaa of Allah but they are truly opposing Allah. What is Not Meant by This Threat from Allah The hadith being explained here is a warning to those who dislike the auliyaa of Allah or oppose them simply because they do their best to implement and follow the law of Allah. The enmity referred to in this hadith 1 Cf., al-Shaukaani, Qatr, p. 275. 2 Cf., ibn Hajr, Fath (al-Maktaba al-Tijaariyyah), vol. 13, p. 144; al-Shaukaani, Qatr, pp. 273275. 3 Al-Shaukaani, Qatr, p. 274. 4 Quoted in ibn Hajr, Fath (al-Maktaba al-Tijaariyyah), vol. 13, p. 144. Also see al-Sindi, Sharh, p. 1 14. 1 137 . Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi does not apply to worldly disputes that may occur between two people who still have a love for each other in their hearts.