Whoever is for Allah, Allah will be for him

Question: Is the hadîth, “Whoever is for Allah, Allah will be for him,” which is written in Forty Ahâdîth by Sadraddîn Konawî, authentic?
ANSWERAsking this is much absurder than having an elementary child check a mathematical operation done by a professor of mathematics. Did Hadrat Sadraddin Konawî not have as much knowledge as we have? Was he so heedless and ignorant as to report a made-up hadîth in his book? The meaning of this hadîth-i sharîf is as follows:
(Whoever’s objective is the pleasure of Allah, Allahu ta’âlâ will make him attain to his objective.)
There are similar verses in the Qur’ân al-karîm. Some of them are as follows:
(Allah is pleased with those who fear [who avoid sins] their Rabb [He accepts their acts of worship. That is how he is pleased with them], and they are pleased with Him [because they have attained more than they expect].) [Sûrat-ul-Bayyinah, 8]

(Remember Me, and I will remember you.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 152]

That is, if you remember Me through acts of worship, I will remember you with compassion. If you pray to Me, I will respond to your prayer. If you remember Me in the world, I will remember you in the Hereafter. If you remember Me in times of ease and comfort, I will remember and help you in times of distress.

(If you help Allah, He will help you.) [Sûrat-u Muhammad, 7]

That is, if you strive to serve Allah’s religion, Allah, in turn, will help you against your enemies.

(Allah helps those who help Him.) [Sûrat-ul-Hajj, 40]
Helping Allah means serving His religion. In other words, Allah is the helper of those who work for the cause of Him. He multiplies His rewards in return for His slave’s a little effort. For a single good deed, He grants a tenfold recompense or seven hundredfold recompense or even more than this. (Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 261)
There are many hadîth-i qudsîs on this subject. Some of them are as follows:
(I will be the eyes which see, the ears which hear, the hands which hold things, the feet which walk, the tongue which talk, of My born servant I like. I will give him whatever he wants.) [Bayhaqî]

(Whoever approaches Me by the length of a hand-span, I will approach him by a cubit. Whoever approaches Me by a cubit, I will approach him by the length of two outstretched arms. If anyone comes to Me walking, I will approach him running.) [Bukhârî, Imam-i Ahmad, Ibni Shâhin]

(Remember Me with My tâ'at, and I will remember you with My forgiveness. Whoever remembers Me obediently, I will forgive him. Whoever remembers Me disobediently, I will remember him with My torment.) [Daylamî]

(You are grateful as long as you remember Me. You are in disbelief [that is, you are ungrateful] as long as you forget Me.) [Hatib]

(If a person remembers Me in private, I will remember him near angels. If a person remembers Me at a gathering, I will remember him at a gathering which is better and bigger than that one.) [Tabarânî]

(O son of Âdam! When you get angry, remember Me. In this way, when I become angry, I will remember you with My forgiveness and will not destroy you among those who will be destroyed.) [Ibni Shâhin]

(I am with My slave as long as his lips are moving with My dhikr [remembrance].) [Bukhârî]

The justice of Allahu ta’âlâ

Question: Because what God does is contrary to my reason, I do not believe in Him. God is testing us by force. For example, if I go to school and pass the examinations, I will graduate and receive a diploma. If I do not go to school, I will not graduate. Here I have a choice: I will attend school, or I will not attend it. However, when I was born and when I was put the examination of servitude, I was not asked anything regarding it. If I had been asked, I would in no way have taken it. I may have preferred to be an animal or soil. Is it compatible with justice that I was created without being asked and then I will be called to account? How can such a god be just?

ANSWER
The justice of Allahu ta’âlâ is unlike the justice among human beings. As it is wrongly likened to the justice among humans, the matter cannot be settled.

The justice among humans means to act within the limits of laws and regulations established by someone predominant or a ruler in order to govern a country. And injustice means to go beyond these laws.

Allahu ta’âlâ, who created everything out of nothing, is the Ruler of rulers, the true Owner and the only Creator of everything. He does not have a commander or an owner above Him to hold Him liable to some laws. For this reason, one cannot say, “Allah’s such and such deed is not compatible with justice.”
“To use what is one’s own property” is another definition of justice. And injustice means to trespass on other’s property or possessions.

Since Allahu ta’âlâ is the Creator of the universe and all that is in it, since there is no Creator other than He, since nobody possesses anything, whatever our Rabb does is not an act of trespassing on other’s property or possessions. Concerning the deeds of Allahu ta’âlâ, it cannot be said, “They are incompatible with justice.” He can make a formerly unlawful thing lawful later, and vice versa. Everything belongs to Him, and He can use it at will. No one has any rights to question Him.

If Allahu ta’âlâ had willed, He could have created you to be a cat or a dog. Then would you have had the right to ask the reason why He had created you to be an animal? We buy, for example, sugar at the grocer’s. Some people use this sugar in tea while some others use it to make dessert and eat it. Does sugar have a right to say anything? Can sugar question people why some people use it in tea and why others use it to make dessert? Since sugar is mine, I can use it at will. Nobody has any rights to ask why I have used it in dessert.

Everything, living or lifeless, animals or humans, belongs to Allah. He can use them as He wishes. No one can ask anything. It is He, too, who has bestowed the faculty of speech upon us. He is the Possessor of sovereignty. He, alone, is the Creator of everything from nothing. He says that He will put those who do such and such deeds into Hell and that He will put those who do such and such deeds in Paradise. So He has put us to the test. He will send those who pass the test to Paradise, but He will send those who fail the test to Hell. In fact, He could have put whomever He wills in Hell and whomever He wills in Paradise without testing them at all. It cannot be said to be incompatible with justice because all things are His. If Allahu ta’âlâ put all the created in Hell, it would not be injustice, either. But He, out of His mercy, has declared that He will put those who do such and such deeds in Paradise, which is a favor. If He put us in Hell, could we say anything? Could we raise an objection? Even if we raised an objection, were there anything to be gained?

Some passages from the answer given by Sayyid ‘Abdulhakîm Arwâsî to an atheist are as follows:

by Sayyid ‘Abdulhakîm Arwâsî

As you have not come out of nonexistence to this world of existence by yourself, so you cannot go there by yourself. Your eyes, your ears, your other organs, all the roads you will pass, all the places you will be, in short, all the members and systems connected with your body and soul, all of them, are Allahu ta’âlâ’s possessions and creatures. You cannot misappropriate anything from Him! He sees, knows, hears, and every moment He keeps in existence everything that exists. Even for a moment, He is never unaware of the state of all things, nor does He ever fail to control all of them. He does not let anybody steal His property. He is never incapable of punishing those who disobey His commands.

The purport of a hadîth-i qudsî is as follows:
(If [all of] your ancestors and descendants, the young and the old, the alive and the dead, human beings and genies were like My most devoted, Most obedient human creature, My greatness would not be increased. Conversely, if you all were like My enemy, who opposes Me and despises My prophets, My greatness would not ever decrease. Allahu ta’âlâ is free from needing you; He needs none of you. As for you, in order that you might exist and keep on existing and everything you do, you always need Him.) [Muslim]

Operating the machine of your body, He hands it over to you so that you may use and utilize it conveniently. He does all these things not because He needs you, your will, or help, but to make you happy by giving you a distinguished position and authority among His creatures. If instead of leaving it your hands, your feet, and all your limbs, which you can use according to your wish, He used them without you knowing it, as is the case with the beating of your heart and the circulation of your blood, if He controlled you by force, with reflex actions, with paralyzed hand or feet, if each of your actions were a vibration, what could you do?

Do you think of your state before and after you were born?
Where were you, in what were you, during the creation of this globe, on which you live, eat and drink, go about, amuse and divert yourself? On this planet, you have discovered the means that are remedies for your diseases and the ways of defending yourself against the attacks of your enemies and the harms of wild and poisonous animals. Where were you while the stones and soil of this globe were being baked on fires in the ovens of creation and while its water and air were being distilled in the chemistry laboratories of the Omnipotence? Have you ever thought: Where were you while the lands, which you claim to be yours today, were gliding away from the seas, while mountains, rivers, plateaus and hills were being laid down? Where and how were you while, with Allahu ta’âlâ’s omnipotence, the salty waters of the seas evaporated and formed clouds in the sky, while the rains, falling from those clouds, took substances [of nourishment prepared by lightning and waves of power and energy in the sky] into the motes of burnt, dried soil, and while these substances, stirred, vibrated and nourished the cells of life?

How should Allah be loved and feared?

Question: How should Allah be loved and feared?

ANSWERJust as love is of different kinds, so is fear. The love of Allah is different from the love of parents, children, a wife, and the nature. Likewise, the fear of Allah is a far cry from the fear of enemies. It is declared in the Qur’ân al-karîm, “Fear Allah as He should be feared” (Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 102).
The fear felt for Allah the way He wants is termed taqwâ. Taqwâ is to believe in Allah, to love Him, to be a servant to Him, that is, to observe His commandments and prohibitions. It is not taqwâ to fear enemies, for enemies are not believed in. Nor do they have the authority to put people in Hell or Paradise. One fears enemies only because they may do harm. Then there is a world of difference between these two types of fear. Again, it is declared, “If you have believed, do not fear them [enemies], but fear Me” (Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 175).
A lover is afraid of upsetting his or her beloved in any way. Not only we must love our Rabb much, who has created us from nothing and has conferred various favors upon us, but also we must be very much afraid of losing this love. As a matter of fact, the Qur’ân al-karîm purports:
(Fear Allah! Know that Allah’s torment is extremely severe.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 196]

(Fear Allah, so that you can attain to salvation.) [Sûrat-ul-Mâ’ida, 100]

Fearing Allah should not be supposed like fearing a cruel person. It is the fear combined with reverence and love. In poems which lovers wrote to their darlings there are many couplets telling about similar fear in them. A lover who regards his darling much higher than himself does not deem himself worthy of this love and explains his feelings in such a fear.

Certainly, the fear of Allah is out of the question for disbelievers. As for the Believers, they must love Allah greatly and be very much afraid of becoming a disbeliever so that they can get the taste of îmân. A hadîth-i sharîf declares:
(A person who loves Allah and His Messenger more than everything else, who loves only those whom Allah loves, and who is afraid of becoming a disbeliever more than he is afraid of being burnt in fire relishes îmân.) [Bukhârî]

Most of the scandals and crimes arise mainly from lack of chastity. Most people cannot refrain themselves from indulging in the things of the wrong path even though they may know the result of being unchaste. The remedy that can lead them to right path in the face of this strong feeling is an educational and ethical matter. Religion means ethics. A person who fears Allah cannot be unchaste. Consequently, it must be our primary duty to try to teach our children the fear of Allah.

In order to fear Allahu ta’âlâ, one should know Him very well. To know Allahu ta’âlâ well, we must learn His grandness and attributes. To fear Allah is a matter of knowledge, work, and effort. It will not emanate from a vacuum.

The wings taking people to happinessFear of Allah and love of Allah are like two wings taking people to salvation and happiness. Our master the Prophet said:
(If a person fears Allah, everything fears him. If he does not fear Allah, he fears everything.) [Abushshaikh]

(The wisest of you is the one who fears Allah most and who observes commandments and prohibitions best.) [Ibni Muhbar]

(The extent of a person’s intellect will be evident in the extent of his fear of Allah.) [I. Mâwardî]

A Believer who obeys Allahu ta’âlâ’s commandments loves his Rabb immensely. It is purported in the Qur’ân al-karîm:

(The Believers’ love of Allah is very strong.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 165]

(A Believer is such that his heart feels fear when the name of Allah is mentioned.) [Sûrat-ul-Anfal, 2; Sûrat-ul-Hajj, 35]

It is not possible for people to love or fear what they do not know. Those who love Allah much and know Him well fear Him very much. Since the one who knows Him best is our master the Prophet, he is certainly the one who fears Him most. As a matter of fact, he stated:
(It is I who, among you, fear Allah most.) [Bukhârî]

After prophets, people who know Allahu ta’âlâ best are savants, who are prophets’ inheritors, and those who are close to them. It is purported in the Qur’ân al-karîm:
(Only ‘ulamâ’ fear Allah among His servants.) [Sûrat-u Fâtir, 28]

(Those who obey Allah and His Messenger and those who fear Allah and guard themselves against violating His commands are the ones that will be saved on the Day of Judgement.) [Sûrat-un-Nûr, 52]

When our master the Prophet was asked concerning the people mentioned in the sixtieth verse of Mu’minun Sûra that reads (in English) “Their hearts beat with fear as they will return to their Rabb” whether they are thieves or fornicators, he answered:
(They are the ones who perform namâz, who fast, and who give zakât. And they fear whether their acts of worship have been accepted.) [Tirmudhî]

The fear of Allah is highly useful for sustenance as well. Our master the Prophet declared, “The sustenance of a person whose capital is the fear of Allah comes to him without trading or capital,” and then recited [the second and third verses of Talaq Sûra, which purport] “Whoever fears Allah, He grants a way out for him and sends him sustenance from places which he does not expect.” (Tabarânî)

The fear of Allah is a great blessing that makes people attain endless bliss. It is purported in âyât (verses):
(There are two Paradises for the person who fears his Rabb.) [Sûrat-ur-Rahman, 46]

(He who fears Allah receives warning.) [Sûrat-ul-A’lâ, 10]

(Fear only Me.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 40]

(Do not fear human beings but fear Me.) [Sûrat-ul-Mâ’ida, 44]

Furthermore, it is declared in ahâdîth:
(The sins of a person whose heart shivers with the fear of Allah fall off just like leaves falling off a tree.) [Bayhaqî]

(He who remembers his sins and cries over them will enter Paradise without any questioning.) [I. Ghazâlî]

(He who weeps out of the fear of Allah will not enter Hell.) [Nasâî]

(If you feared Allah thoroughly, you would attain knowledge that does not contain ignorance.) [Ibni Sunnî]

The love of Allah is one of the conditions of îmân. The following ahâdîth declare:
(Îmân is to love Allah and His Messenger more than everything else.) [I. Ahmad]

(You will not be considered to have îmân unless Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to you than everything else.) [Bukhârî]

TWO REQUIERMENTS OF LOVE

Love necessitates that you love the friends of your darling and disklike the enemies of the darling. This love and this enmity are not within the power of faithful lovers; they cannot help themselves. This happens by itself without striving, without taking pains. The friend’s beloved ones seem beautiful, and His enemies seem ugly and evil. Also, the love that occurs within those who are seized by the pretty appearance of the world entails the same requirements. Unless the person who says that he loves keeps away from the enemies of his darling, he is not regarded as a man of his word. He is called a hypocrite, that is, a liar.

Shaikh-ul-Islam Abdullah Ansari ‘quddisa sirruh’ says, “One day Abul Huseyn bin Sam’un offended my teacher Husri. Since that day my heart has been feeling unfriendly towards him.” It will be appropriate here to mention a famous saying of the great, “If you are not offended by the one who offends your master, a dog is better than you are.” These two principles of love are declared in the Qur’an and hadiths ^[1]. As is understood from these ayat-i-kerimas ^[2], it causes a man to be away from Allahu ta’ala to feel sympathy for the enemies of Allahu ta’ala.

Unless there is enmity, there will be no love. Yet one should not let this enmity be perverted into hostility towards the Ashab-i-kiram ^[3], for it would mean to pander to the enemies of those great people . Enmity is to be felt towards the enemies. Hostility felt towards friends, as in the example of Rafidis and Shiites, is rejected. Because all the Ashab-i kiram were honoured with attaining our Prophet’s presence and company and his blessed looks, which were nourishment for the heart and soul, they loved one another and felt hostility towards disbelievers.

[1] hadith: a saying of the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).
[2] Ayat al-karima: a verse of al-Qur’an al-kerim.
[3] As’hab-i kiram: the Companions of Rasulullah.