Acceptance,
Submission and
the Testimony of Faith
Written by: Sk
Younis Salih
Translated by Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
18
Rabee-al-Thani 1429H
25
April
2008AC
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When Allah (May He be
Exulted) bestowed upon us the guidance to Islam, the last and best of all
religions, and when Allah sent to us the last and best of His messengers, and
when Allah sent down to us His best and most complete of His books, when He
bestowed upon us all this; He made it conditional in order to be accepted by
Him is to passively surrender to His laws, and to be in total obedience to
Him. Consequently, whoever does not surrender to Allah, and be led to Him
through obedience and shed off polytheism then he/she is not a Muslim.
Today’s talk is about
obedience and acceptance to being led and the relation of that with the
testimony of “No God but Allah”. The talk can be summarized into the following
four points:
First:
that submission to Allah, and following His laws and obedience to Him are the
conditions of His acceptance and for Him to be pleased.
Second: that
glorification and exaltation of Allah require exaltation and glorification of
His rulings and laws.
Third:
knowing the signs and indications of glorifying His legal provisions.
Fourth:
looking at some examples of the initiative and quick actions of the companions
of the messenger to upholding and conforming to Allah’s commands and the
glorification of His law.
First:
that submission to Allah, and following His laws and
obedience to Him are
the conditions His acceptance and for Him to be pleased.
Because Islamic law (or
Shariaa) contains some rulings which disagree with some people’s desires and
suspicion, and consequently accepting such rulings is done by some; with some
hesitation, reluctance and lack of enthusiasm and with some discomfort in
their hearts. That is if actually not put a side such rulings all together.
Or be adamant and skillful in interpreting or misinterpreting those rulings
and finding loopholes in them in order to fulfill their desires and
suspicions.
It wouldn’t be
surprising if this dangerous approach came from non Muslims like the Jews or
Christians and others. Allah says: {They would love it if you would to
become disbelievers as they are; then you would all be the same}. But what
is surprising in this dangerous attitude is when some Muslims who may become
happy and satisfied with the knowledge of this worldly life; which they have
achieved. They start evaluating the Islamic law rulings with their minds.
Anything that agrees with their knowledge or logic they accept; and anything
that does not agree with their thoughts then they interpret and change it to
suit their desires. They made their brains in charge and in control of the
law. Those rulings and laws are no longer glorified and sacred in their hearts
and those people feel that they can no longer be led by Islamic laws.
Second: that
glorification and exaltation of Allah require exaltation and glorification of
His rulings and laws.
In order to glorify
Allah it is necessary to glorify his rulings and His laws that are in Koran or
Sunnah. Indeed, a believer knows his God through the message God sent to
him/her with His messenger (PPBU). God’s message requires obedience to His
commands and prohibition. That can only be through glorifying Allah and
obeying Him. This is done through magnifying what He commands and what He
forbids. Doing the acts He orders to be done, and abstaining from the acts He
forbids from doing. Glorifying of a command by the believer is an indication
of glorifying the one who issued the command.
Third:
signs and indications of glorifying His legal provisions.
Those who glorify and
magnify the legal rulings in the Koran and in the Sunnah have sings and
indications. This who does not possess such indications is in a grave danger.
One of the signs of glorifying a particular legal statement is having no
option or having second thoughts about accepting the ruling of Allah. On the
contrary, one should have absolute submission and acceptance with no
hesitation or doubt. Allah says: {When Allah and His messenger give a
ruling then No believing man or woman would have a choice in the matter. And
this whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger is misguided with evident and
clear misguidance}.
One of the sings of
glorifying the legal rulings is the lack of discontentment when hearing the
legal statement. This becomes evident during implementation. Allah says: {Believe
in your God, that they would not have faith until such time that they would
come to you for arbitration in their disagreements, then they would have no
hassle within themselves about your ruling, and they accept it submissively}
One of the sings also
is not to over indulge into the search for the idea or the wisdom behind a
ruling, or doing detailed study and analysis of the ruling. For that
contradicts the acceptance and the total disobedience to Allah. In fact, it
could just happen that it can lead one to disagree with some of the legal
rulings unless the wisdom of such rules has first become known. A Muslim is
required to have respect towards the status of the Allah’s rulings. Despite
this, there is no problem with asking and enquiring about the wisdom if it was
possible to see. On the basis that comes with the total acceptance regardless.
Another sign of
glorifying the rulings of Allah; is feeling abhorred and annoyed when Allah’s
rulings are violated or infringed upon. The sign also includes trying to the
best of one’s ability; to change or undo the violation or infringement.
A-esha (the Messenger’s
wife) said: “Whenever the messenger had a choice in two matters, he would
always select the easier one, as long as it is not a sin. If it was a sin then
he would be further away from it than all people are. And the messenger never
took revenge for himself, unless something which Allah has forbidden is
violated; then he would take revenge in it; for Allah”
Whenever one is caring
and attentive over Allah’s limits, and promptly responsive in denouncing any
violations or infringements; and guiding those involved then that is a clear
sign that the individual does glorify the Islamic rulings and respectful of
their boundaries.
Another sign of those
who glorify Islamic laws is that they would hold back from what they do not
know. And they would be careful from launching into arguments without proper
knowledge. Allah say: {And do not pursue or assume that of which you have
no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart about all those an
individual will be responsible}
Arguing into the
meaning of Allah and His messenger’s words without knowledge, or coating Allah
unknowingly is a great sin. Not even considering the harm and misguidance it
would bring to others.
It is a disgrace that
Allah and His messenger’s words, rulings and laws become the center of
discussion and arguing by people with no; or little knowledge of Islamic law.
Such arguments would produce many misinterpretations, wrong meanings and
disrespect to such legal statements. It leads to fewer glorifications, and to
being less abided to; by those listening to such discussions and arguments.
Examples of this take place on many television satellite stations.
Fourth:
examples of the initiative and quick actions of the companions of the
messenger to upholding and conforming to Allah’s commands and the
glorification of His law.
Best of examples were
given by the companions; not just when the command involved an obligation to
act upon it, but also their examples included the desirable and recommended
actions too; to the point that Allah Himself commended them in His Koran.
One example is given by
Abu-Baker when Allah’s cleared A-esha from the vilification and slander
stirred up about her, Abu-Baker said: “I will never give charity or give help
to Mosatah after the rumors he spread about Aesha”. Abu-Baker was rich and
Mosatah was poor and he was a relative to Abu-Baker. Abu-Baker used to pay him
a charity on regular bases. But this verse came down: {Let those of you who
have, not to withhold and let them bring to the kin, the poor, and immigrants
in the cause of Allah to forgive and pardon. Would they not like Allah to
forgive them too, Allah is the Most Forgiving the Most Kind}. Abu-Baker
said “Yes, I would like Allah to forgive me, I will bring back the payments to
Mastah, and I will never withhold it ever again”.
Omar ebn Al-Khattab
pulled off a gutter (a roof drainage gutter) that comes off the roof of the
home of Al-Abbas because the gutter was obstructing pedestrians or may cause
them harm. Al-Abbas said to Omar that the Messenger himself (PPBU) installed
it in this location. Omar then insisted that he (Omar) to bend over and that
Abbas stands on his back to put the gutter back where it was.
Abdullah ebn Rawaha was
coming to the mosque while the messenger (PPBU) was giving the Khutbah; when
he heard the messenger saying: “Set down”. Ebn-Rawaha sat where he was out
side the mosque until the messenger finished his talk. The messenger later was
told about that, so he said to ebn-Rawaha: {May Allah increase your
attentiveness to the obedience to Allah and his messenger}.
Allah says: {If the
faithful are called upon to come to Allah and His messenger to arbitrate
between them; that they would only say, “We listen and we obey” and they are
the successful ones. And those whoever obeys Allah and his messenger, and be
Allah fearing and guard himself from Allah, those are the winners}
