Part 14

Illustrating the above point are the following sayings of the Prophet (pbuh): “A person who believes in Allah and the Last Day never nurses a grudge against the al-Ansar, the Helpers,” and “The love of al-Ansar is the sign of Iman, and hatred against them is the sign of hypocrisy.” For whoever knows what al-Ansar did for the Prophet, like obeying Allah and supporting His Messenger, and loves Allah and His Messenger, definitely loves al-Ansar, which is in tum a sign of heartfelt belief. However, for he who hates them, Allah has ordained no belief in his heart.

Whoever does not have hatred in his heart against what Allah and His Messenger hate—what He prohibits like unbelief, sin, and rebellion—does not have true belief in his heart. To put it differently, whoever does not hate what Allah prohibits, does not have belief, as will be indicated later, in sha?a Allah. Likewise, whoever does not love his brother, the believer, that which he loves for himself, does not have true belief, for Allah does not negate one’s belief unless he abandons part of that required belief. Hence, he will be one of those subject to punishment, and he does not deserve Paradise without punishment.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever cheats us is not one of us and whoever takes up arms against us is not one of us,” for if one neglects an obligation or commits what Allah and His Messenger prohibit, his true belief is negated and he is not one of the believers who deserve Paradise without punishment.

Likewise, Allah says: “They say, we believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey: then after that, a group of them turn away: they are not believers. And when they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, behold, a group of them decline. If the right is on their side, they come to Him with all submission. Is it that there is an affliction in their hearts? Or do they doubt? Or are they in fear that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them? No, it is they themselves who are wrongdoers. The answer of the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that he may judge between them, is no other than this. They say: ‘ We hear and we obey.” Those are the successful ones” (24:47-5 1). Indeed, the word Iman, belief, if used in an absolute sense in the sayings of Allah and His Messenger, indicates fulfilling one’s obligations and abandoning what is prohibited. Thus, whoever Allah and His Messenger declared to be without belief, must have abandoned an obligation or

committed something prohibited. Hence, he is subject to punishment and does not deserve Paradise without punishment.

The same applies to Allah’s saying: “. .. Allah has endeared belief to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief, sin, and rebellion: such indeed are the righteousness ones” (49:7).

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBEDIENCE AND DISOBEDIENCE WITH REGARD TO IMAN

Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Marwazi said that some acts of disobedience can be classified as unbelief but others cannot. Three kinds are noted: kufr, unbelief, fusiiq, sin, but not kufr; and ‘Isyan, rebellion, which is neither unbelief nor sin. All these are made hateful to believers. And since all acts of obedience comprise one’s belief, they are not divided into kinds. Allah endears belief, obligations, and all acts of obedience to believers. Indeed, He combines them all by saying: “... Allah has endeared belief to you. . .” (49:7). Here, the word belief implies all acts of obedience. For example, Allah endears prayer, zakah, and all acts of obedience to the believers. He says that He endears belief to them and has made it beautiful in their hearts: “. .. Allah endears belief to you . . . (49:7). He also makes hateful to the believers all acts of disobedience, whether unbelief or sin. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever’s good deed pleases him and his bad deed displeases him is a believer.” For Allah endears good deeds and makes bad deeds hateful to believers.

Concerning this, the author remarks: making all kinds of disobedience hateful requires liking all kinds of obedience. Thus, abandoning acts of obedience leads to disobedience. It is inevitable that the heart should have a will. If one hates all evil, then he must love the good. Whatever is a lawful act through good intent is good, and by bad intent is evil. Thus an act is performed willingly and by one’s own desire. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The most beloved names to Allah are “Abd Allah and ‘Abd al-Rahman, and the most sincere names are Harith and Humam, and the ugliest of names are Harb and Murrah, as these two names mean war and bitter respectively.”

The reason that the Prophet said that Harith and Humam are sincere names is because every human being is Harith or Humam. The literal meaning of Harith is the one who works and earns, and the literal meaning of Humam is the generous

ADHERENCE TO THE WORDS OF ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER = 57

and heroic one. Every person is considered sensitive by his own will. If one does a lawful deed, he must have an ultimate goal related either to himself or to others. For if his ultimate goal is worshiping none but Allah and if Allah is dearer to him than anything else, then this will lead him to the love of Allah. Consequently, a person is rewarded for his lawful deeds, through which he aims at obeying Allah, as recorded in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari from the Prophet (pbuh), who said: “What a man spends on his family is recorded by Allah as charity.” When the Prophet visited Sa‘d Ibn Abi Waqqas,'* who fell ill in Makkah, he said to him: “Whenever you make an expenditure for the sake of Allah, you will be raised to a higher degree, even when you place a morsel in the mouth of your wife.” Mu ‘adh Ibn Jabal’* said to Abu Missa: “Indeed, I am reckoning when I go to sleep and I am reckoning when I get up.” A certain tradition also stated that the sleep of a religious scholar is reckoning to [praising] Allah.

Nevertheless, if one’s basic goal is worshiping anyone other than Allah, good things are not made lawful for him. For Allah makes good things lawful for the believers among His servants. Indeed, unbelievers, criminals, and the sinful will be questioned on the Day of Judgment about every kind of joy they indulged in, without being grateful to Allah or worshiping Him. Allah says: “. .. You received good things in the life of this world, and you took your pleasure out of them; but today you will be recompensed with a penalty of humiliation: for you were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that you ever transgressed” (46:20). Allah also says: “Then, you will be questioned on that Day about al-na‘im, the pleasure, you indulged in!” (102:8); that is, you will be questioned about praising Allah. The unbeliever does not praise Allah for the pleasure he indulges in; therefore, he will be punished. By contrast, Allah makes these pleasures lawful for believers to indulge in and commands them to praise Him for this. He [Allah] says: “ Oh you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah. . .” (2:172).

" Sa‘d Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Ishaq (2-675 A.D.), was a Companion of the Prophet, a military leader, and a governor. [Al-Zirikli, vol. 3, p. 139.]

* Mu‘adh Ibn Jabal (?~18 A.H.) was a very close Companion of the Prophet, a great supporter of Islam, and a transmitter of hadith. The Prophet sent him on missions, the most famous of which was when he led a delegation to Yemen, where he was appointed (by the Prophet) as a judge of that country. In addition, he helped to collect the revelations of the Qur’an. [M. M. Azami, p. 53 and al-Fihrist, vol. 2. p. 1045.]

The Prophet (pbuh) said: ““May Allah be gracious to a servant of His who praises Him when he eats food and praises Him when he drinks” (recorded in Sahih Muslim). Similarly, in the Sunun of Ibn Majah and others, it is said: “The grateful eater is in the same status as the one who fasts patiently.”

Allah says to the Messengers: “Oh Messengers! Eat all good things and do righteous deeds. . .” (23:51). Allah also says: “. .. Lawful for you [as food] is any livestock animal, with the exceptions named. What is not permitted are animals of the chase while you are in the state of pilgrimage . . .” (5:1). Al-Khalil, [the Prophet Abraham] said that Allah says: “... And feed His people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day .. .” (2:126); and Allah says: “... As for the one who rejects belief, I will grant him his pleasure for a short period, but will soon drive him to the torment of Fire, an evil destination indeed!” (2:126). Thus, al-Khalil prayed that Allah would grant good things, particularly to the believers; Allah permits livestock for food but forbids game. The believers were ordered by Him to eat good things and to be thankful to Him. In this saying, Allah distinguishes between addressing people in an absolute sense and addressing the believers specifically. Allah says: “Oh, you people! Eat from what is on earth, lawful, and good; and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan, for he is to you an avowed enemy. For he commands you to do what is evil and shameful, and that you should say of Allah that of which you have no knowledge. When it is said to them: ‘follow what Allah reveals,’ they say: ‘No! we shall follow the ways of our fathers.’ What! Even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance?” (2:168-70). These verses indicate that Allah permits people to eat what is on earth on two conditions: if the food is good and if it is lawful. Then, He adds: “Oh, you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him you worship. He has only forbidden you maytah, a dead animal, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name has been invoked besides that of Allah . . .” (2:172-73).'* Allah makes it permissible for the believers to eat the good things and does not place a condition on disbandment. Nothing was prohibited except what is specified above. Thus, other than what has been specifically prohibited, the believers are permitted to eat