January 13 2009 Islamic Education- Ways of access and signs of acceptance- Lesson(11-70): (Following [Al Ittiba'a] the prophetic Sunnah and staying away from innovation [Al Ibtida'a] Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us. You are the All- Knower, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us what is good for us, and benefit us from what You taught us, and increase our knowledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. Following (ittibaa ): Dear brothers, we will tackle a new topic in our series "Ways of access and signs of acceptance", and it is about: Following (Al Ittiba'a). Follow and don't invent. The linguistic sense of Ittiba'a is that to follow someone, who is walking, from behind, whereas the idiomatic sense is exactly as it was mentioned in the following Ayah, Allah the Almighty says: ((Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e.muhammad))) [Al-A'raf, 157] Namely, following the messenger in his sayings, actions and all the matters which he admitted. 1
((Whom they find written with them in the Taurat (Torah) (Deut, xviii, 15) and the Injeel (Gospel) (John xiv, 16), - he commands them for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allows them as lawful At-Taiyibat [(i.e. all good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khaba'ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allah's Covenant), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur'an) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful.)) [Al-A'raf, 157] Ittiba'a is to follow the commands and refrain from prohibitions mentioned in the noble Quran and in the Authenticated prophetic Sunnah. Reasoning or desire are the only paths of Ittiba'a: What catches the attention is that there are two paths only for ittiba'a, either you follow reasoning or you follow your desire, i.e. either you choose the worldly life or you choose the hereafter. The first option of ittiba'a is mentioned in the following Ayah: ((Follow what has been inspired to you (O Muhammad))) [Al-An'am, 106] O believers, follow the divine revelation. ((Follow what has been inspired to you (O Muhammad) from your Lord, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) and turn aside from Al-Mushrikun.)) [Al-An'am, 106] The second option of ittiba'a is mentioned in the following Ayah: ((O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan), then, verily he commands Al-Fahsha' [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse, etc.)], and Al-Munkar [disbelief and polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; to speak or to do what is forbidden in Islam, etc.)].)) [An-Nur, 21] Both options are mentioned in the following Ayah: 2
(( Allah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the Right Path.)) [An-Nisa', 27] Hence, you don't have a range of options in ittiba'a, instead the options come down to two only: either you follow the truth or you follow falsehood, either you follow goodness or you follow evil, either you follow the hereafter or you follow the worldly life, either you follow principles and values or you follow lusts and desires, and either you are supernal oriented or you are satanic oriented, hence in all cases you have only two choices and nothing more. Following one s desire deprives him from happiness: You should know that you have to follow one of the two paths and the proof is in the following Ayah: ((But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts.)) [Al-Qasas, 50] Unless you are following the truth, you are, God forbids, following falsehood, and unless you are following the guidance of Allah the Almighty, you are following your own desires for sure. ((But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?)) [Al-Qasas, 50] When Allah says: "without guidance from Allah", that embraces the adverse sense which is: you are able to follow your own desire according to the guidance of Allah. Namely, if you long for a woman you can marry her and have dutiful sons and chaste daughters who later on will be married to pious sons in law. Therefore: ((And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?)) [Al-Qasas, 50] Verify, every desire installed in mankind has a lawful path through which it can be fulfilled. 3
((Verily! Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, disobedient to Allah, and polytheists))) [Al-Qasas, 50] Namely, if you follow your lust without guidance from Allah, you will be wronging your own self and will be depriving it from the everlasting happiness. Other sorts of ittiba'a: 1- Ittiba'a the path of infidels and hypocrites: We have different kinds of ittiba'a all of which fall within the devilish path, one of them is mentioned in the following Ayah: ((And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muham) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. )) [An-Nisa', 115] Believers have principles in their celebrations, grieving, selling, buying, attendance and absence, for values and principles are the frame of reference for believers and whoever parts from them: (( and follows other than the believers' way. )) He/she will be following the path of Kuffar (Infidels) and Munafiqeen (hypocrites). ((And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination.)) [An-Nisa', 115] This is a very serious matter indeed. 2- Ittiba'a Al Zann (ill thoughts): ((And those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture.)) [An-Nisa', 157] Those, who claim that the genes are responsible for being sexually perverted, assumed that those people shouldn't be blamed for such behavior! Well, are you sure? This whole thing has begun after the genome (the stunning scientific breakthrough) was announced to the world by Clinton (the president of the United 4
States at the time), who said: Genes are responsible for the behavior, and accordingly, lots of people justified the gays' behavior by having special genes (which make them that way). Accordingly, this wrong assumption led to wrong spillovers such like accepting the perverts socially after justifying their behavior. ((They follow but a guess)) [An-Najm, 23] The proof to the otherwise is merely based on faith. Is it possible that Allah the Almighty wrongly programmed human being and thus would hold him responsible for that defect? Lots of unproved theories turn out to be mere delusions afterwards. Darwin's assumptions are comfortable to some people; however they are nothing but rootless falsehood. People tend to accept them because they entail no responsibilities and they are based on the assumption that there is no God. Reading unproved thought in a book and hanging on to it, just because you like it, is nothing but "ittiba'a Al Zann" which is one of the paths which leads to the devil. To elaborate the meaning of "Ittiba'a Al Zann", let us assume that there are two persons, one of them wants to buy a car but he didn't, whereas the other one wants to buy a car and he did, then after a while there were rumors about a law according to which the customs duties will be decreased by half, in this case, the one who bought a car will deny that rumor without any proof, whereas the one who didn't buy a car will believe the rumor without any proof. Hence, "Ittiba'a Al Zann" is to deny something without a proof or believe something without a proof as well. (( They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture.)) [An-Nisa', 157] 5
Hence, following a subsidiary path, other than believers' path, falls within the devil's path, and if you subsidiarily followed the Zann, that surely falls within the devil's path. 3- Ittiba'a the path of Mufsideen (mischief-makers): Now: ((And follow not the way of the Mufsidun (mischief-makers))) [Al-A'raf, 142] The "Mufsidun" meant for the beauty of women to be exposed on TV screens, and there is a group of people who are fond of these programs. (( and follow not the way of the Mufsidun (mischief-makers))) Those "Mufsidun" are destroying the hereafter of mankind. Pay attention to the following Ayah: ((Such were 'Ad (people). They rejected the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord and disobeyed His Messengers, and followed the command of every proud obstinate (oppressor of the truth, from their leaders).)) [Hud, 59] Before leaving the oval office, George W Bush didn't admit his mistakes, and instead he was stubborn enough to say: I was misled and all the information, which was given to me about the mass destructive weapons in Iraq, was untrue. Therefore: ((And followed the command of every proud obstinate (oppressor of the truth, from their leaders).)) [Hud, 59] Following the tyrant in order to avoid his evilness and aiming for advantages is nothing but ittiba'a that falls within devil's path. ((Such were 'Ad (people). They rejected the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord and disobeyed His Messengers, and followed the command of every proud obstinate (oppressor of the truth, from their leaders).)) It was reported: 6
((There will be after me successors followed by princes)) [Tabarani by Qais Ibn Jaber Al Sadafi, by his father and grantfather] They were trying to establish justice but not according to the prophetic method, and they lived in palaces and led lives in luxury. (( and after the princes there will be kings followed by tyrants)) [Tabarani by Qais Ibn Jaber Al Sadafi, by his father and grantfather] The tyrants build their triumph on the wreck of nations, they build their lives on the death of individuals, and they live on humiliating people, and indeed tyrants are the stupidest amongst Allah's creations. The outcome of following (ittiba'a) the way of Allah: 1- It brings the Muslim out of darkness unto light: If you were to follow Allah's path, what would be the results? Allah says: (( Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace)) [Al-Ma'idah', 16] You will be in peace, upright, and comfortably enjoy a full sleep like a king, and that is because no one has rights over you, and you didn't oppress any one, furthermore, you are in peace in your house because you have chosen a pious devoted wife who looks after you and your children, you raise your children rightly, and you deal with people honestly and faithfully and thus you earned their love. (( Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace)) 7
Obviously, the title of this series "Ways of access and signs of acceptance" was derived from the following Ayah: (( And He brings them out of darkness by His Will unto light)) [Al-Ma'idah', 16] There is a big difference between the person who is totally blind in darkness and another who lives in the light. (( And guides them to a Straight Way (Islamic Monotheism).)) [Al-Ma'idah', 16] The straight way grants guidance and leads the Muslim, who follows (ittiba'a), from darkness unto light. ((ways of peace)) 2- He shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery: Another outcome is mentioned in the following Ayah: (( Then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery.)) [Ta-Ha, 123] Neither his mind shall go astray, nor shall his soul fall into distress and misery. 3- He shall neither regret the past, nor fear the future: Now: ((And whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.)) [Al-Baqarah, 38] He will not regret the past or fear the future, and this is what happiness of worldly life is all about, isn't it? Again: Neither his mind shall go astray, nor shall his soul fall into distress and misery, and he will not regret the past or fear the future. (( O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan), then, verily he commands Al-Fahsha' [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse, 8
etc.)], and Al-Munkar [disbelief and polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; to speak or to do what is forbidden in Islam, etc.)].)) [An-Nur, 21] One more thing: (( That is because they followed that which angered Allah, and hated that which pleased Him. So He made their deeds fruitless.)) [Muhammad, 28] Their deeds were fruitless even if they were good deeds, but what about if the deeds were evil? I know a person who built a night club in his eighties. (( So He made their deeds fruitless.)) Following the path of evil made all their good deeds fruitless and they were declined from any reward or merit. Allah will not accept anybody's claim of love but by a proof: Allah will not accept anybody's claim of love but by a proof, He says: (( Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins.)) [Aal-'Imran, 31] He will not accept any claim of love but by a proof, and those who said: (( "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones.")) [Al-Ma'idah', 18] Allah's response to their saying was the following: (( Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?")) [Al-Ma'idah', 18] If Muslims said today: We are the followers of Muhammad's nation PBUH (without being up to that claim), the prompt divine response to that claim would be the following: (( Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created,)) [Al-Ma'idah', 18] 9
A man who has a job with a high income and a merchant whose income is average are close if compared to each other, but if we were to compare a person who enjoys a happy life among his wife and children and a person who is in jail, there would be a huge difference between the two. Difference between the Muttabe'e (follower) and the others: Accordingly, listen to the difference between the Muttabe'e and the one who is not: (( Is then one who follows (seeks) the good Pleasure of Allah (by not taking illegally a part of the booty) like the one who draws on himself the Wrath of Allah (by taking a part of the booty illegally - Ghulul)? - his abode is Hell, - and worst, indeed is that destination!)) [Aal-'Imran, 162] There is a huge difference, for one of them is in light whereas the other is in total darkness, one is in paradise whereas the other is in hellfire, one is in prosperity and the other is in adversity and one is in happiness whereas the other is in misery. (( Is then one who follows (seeks) the good Pleasure of Allah (by not taking illegally a part of the booty) like the one who draws on himself the Wrath of Allah (by taking a part of the booty illegally - Ghulul)? - his abode is Hell, - and worst, indeed is that destination!)) Now: (( those who hope not for their meeting with Us, say)) [Yunus, 15] Those who believe in worldly life and deny the hereafter: 10
(( Bring us a Qur'an other than this)) [Yunus, 15] They were acting rigidly, stubbornly and harassingly. (( Or change it. "Say (O Muhammad): "It is not for me to change it on my own accord;)) [Yunus, 15] The most exalted among mankind, the master of creations, the beloved to the Haq (Allah) and the head of Adam's children (i.e. Muhammad PBUH) said: (( I only follow that which is revealed unto me.)) [Yunus, 15] I am only a follower (to the divine revelation), and Assideeq said: and I am not an innovator. (( I only follow that which is revealed unto me. Verily, I fear if I were to disobey my Lord, the torment of the Great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).")) [Yunus, 15] Disfigure them as they disfigured your uncle's body, but the prophet PBUH said: I will never disfigure any of them so that Allah will not disfigure me out of justice even though I am a prophet. (( Say: "I will not follow your vain desires. If I did, I would go astray)) [Al-An'am, 56] 11
A basis on which Muslims and non-muslims interact: Now we come down to the Ayah which establishes the ground on which Muslims and non-muslims should interact: (( Verily, they were about to tempt you away from that which We have revealed (the Qur'an) unto you (O Muhammad), to fabricate something other than it against Us)) [Al-Isra', 73] This means that the other party doesn't prevent you from building mosques, holding religious celebrations and attending Islamic conferences, all of which are easy and not threatening to them, but in regard of the detailed Islamic method they tend to alter it, moreover be sure that in the countries where Islam is mostly fought, you find noticeable Islamic outward appearances. (( Verily, they were about to tempt you away from that which We have revealed (the Qur'an) unto you (O Muhammad), to fabricate something other than it against Us, and then they would certainly have taken you a friend!)) [Al-Isra', 73] They will resort to Normalization of Relations (taking us as a friend). ((And then they would certainly have taken you a friend! And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined to them a little.)) [Al-Isra', 73-74] (( In that case, We would have made you taste a double portion (of punishment) in this life and a double portion (of punishment) after death. 12
And then you would have found none to help you against Us.)) [Al-Isra', 75] All the efforts of the western world towards Muslims are paid for the purpose that is mentioned in the following Ayah: (( to fabricate something other than it against Us)) Quran is unchangeable so it is subject of misinterpretations: Given that the Quran is unchangeable; they paid efforts to put it down by giving misleading Fatwas, canceling Sunnah and adopting false interpretations. (( Eat not Riba (usury) doubled and multiplied)) [Aal-'Imran, 130] But if Riba is in little amounts, then there will be no problem in eating it (according to their misleading claims). Hence, false interpretations, misleading fatwas and canceling Sunnah were the ways to bash the Quran, and their purpose, in all that, is to: (( to fabricate something other than it against Us)) (( Say (O Muhammad): "This is my way; I invite unto Allah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allah i.e to the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge. And Glorified and Exalted be Allah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah; those who worship others along with Allah or set up rivals or partners to Allah).")) 13
[Yusuf, 108] (( But whoso follows me, he verily is of me.)) [Ibrahim, 36] Be with the believers even though they are few: All of us are addressed by the divine ordained commands: (( And keep yourself (O Muhammad) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.)) [Al-Kahf, 28] Be ware of consulting, asking for advice or following the orders of a heedless person who turned away from Allah: (( and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience)) [Luqman, 15] (( and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.)) Don't be fooled by the large numbers of those people, Allah says: 14
(( And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah's Path. They follow nothing but conjectures, and they do nothing but lie.)) [Al-An'am, 116] Be part of the minority of devoted believers not part of the heedless unreligious majority. The characters of misled groups of people: The delicate idea, dear brothers, is that there is only one truth versus countless kinds of falsehood. (( "And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious))) [Al-An'am, 153] "Follow not (other) Paths" means: when the religion is deviated, people tend to elevate certain persons to a divine status, to decrease religious duties and to consider weak or false religious texts. Be aware that the aggressive attitude of the Kufr group of people is the same since old ages till nowadays: (( The chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said)) [Al-A'raf, 90] The disbelievers might catch people's admiration, for they own luxury houses, cars and businesses. 15
(( The chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said (to their people): "If you follow Shu'aib, be sure then you will be the losers!")) [Al-A'raf, 90] On the other side, thousands of people say to you: if you follow the path of faith you will be doomed: (( The chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said (to their people): "If you follow Shu'aib, be sure then you will be the losers!")) Triumph lies in following the people of truth through hard times: Triumph lies in following the people of the truth through hard times, not only when they achieve victory by Allah's support. Listen to the following Ayah: (( Allah has forgiven the Prophet (), the Muhajirun (Muslim emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al-Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition, etc.))) [At-Taubah, 117] To elaborate the idea: If a political party suffered from being jailed and tortured by the authorities, but after a while this party was able to rule the country, millions of people then will follow that party (after it rules), but the actual triumph is to follow it at times of hardship. (( Allah has forgiven the Prophet (), the Muhajirun (Muslim emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al-Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition, etc.))) 16
In times of distress, hardship and fear. When the Master of all creations and the beloved to Allah (i.e. Muhammad PBUH) passed by Ammar Ibn Yaser while he was under grave torment, he said to him: ((O members of the family of Yasir! Be patient. You have been promised Paradise)) [Tabarani by Uthman Ibn Affan] The prophet PBUH has no power to take away their pain, yet they believed in him though he was helpless at the time, and this precious belief is what really counts, unlike when the person is strong and everybody believes in him out of fear or aiming for advantages. Hence, triumph lies in believing in the truth when the latter is in weak status. (( who followed him (Muhammad) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition, etc.))) Triumph lies in following the great Islam whilst it is fought in the Islamic world. Triumph is achieved when you follow the truth whilst it stands in a weak status, and don't expect to believe today and become a rich person the next day. (( And (O Muhammad), follow the inspiration sent unto you, and be patient till Allah gives judgement. And He is the Best of judges. )) [Yunus, 109] Allah has decreed for the economy of the western world to be destroyed, and this is still nothing comparing with what is awaiting, for there will be bankruptcies, systems' collapsing, companies' and bank's bankruptcies, and all of which are nothing but divine affliction. (( and be patient till Allah gives judgement. And He is the Best of judges. )) Triumph lies in longing for exaltation in the sight of Allah: However those who follow the prophet and know Allah are the poorest (just to make it clear that it is poor that is meant fuqara a) (in worldly standards). (( The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: "We see you but a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanest among us)) [Hud, 27] Poor is like when a person is an average employee and owns a small house. The previous Ayah tells us that those disbelievers are addressing the noble prophet and they are demeaning his followers (because they are poor, weak and 17
wretched). A person came to the prophet PBUH so the prophet said to him: Welcome with the one whom I was told about by Gabriel to which the man asked: Who am I to be mentioned by Gabriel? so the Prophet PBUH said to him: Yes, brother, you are one low profile person on earth but a beacon in Allah s sight Being exalted in the sight of Allah should be your goal. The Quranic interpretation of Muslims reality nowadays: The Quranic interpretation of Muslims reality nowadays is in the following Ayahs: (( Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me)) [An-Nur, 55] (( Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.)) [Maryam, 59] And we, Muslims, tasted the hell of worldly life. This is the exact interpretation of Muslims' reality nowadays. (( and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.)) Unfortunately, there are people who assume that praying, being upright and having a wife who wears a head cover (hijab) entails being destroyed, well who told you so? On the contrary, for by doing all that you will be exalted in the sight of Allah. (( And they say: "If we follow the guidance with you, we would be snatched away from our land.)) [Al-Qasas, 57] This assumption is absolutely impossible. Dear brothers, there is lot more to cover on this topic and we will tackle it next time Inshallah, for it is one of the most serious issues. It has been said: Three advices that can be carved in stone (better expression that written on the nail ) (because they are concise and right to the point): follow and 18
don't innovate and be humble and don't be arrogant, for piety can't embrace those contradictory concepts. Be moderate in spending your money or in saving it. Translation : Noura Al-Sharabi Edited by : Ghada Homad 19