Always assuming the best about Allâh
Friday, August 1, 2008
IT IS wrong for any Muslim to think ill of Allâh. A Muslim should always assume the best about his Lord.
As long as the Muslim is striving to engage in good deeds, he should expect the best outcome: that Allâh will accept his good deeds; that Allâh from His grace will forgive him; and that Allâh will bless him to live out his life, until its conclusion, upon faith.
Ibn al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah says:
"There can be no doubt that assuming the best about Allâh only comes as a result of righteous conduct.
It is the righteous person who assumes the best about his Lord, since he knows that Allâh will reward him for his good deeds and will never break His promise."
On the other hand, the sinner who persists in wrongdoing, injustice, and disobedience is prevented by his evil deeds from assuming the best about his Lord.
We can see a similar situation in how people relate to each other.
A runaway slave, for instance, is not going to assume the best of his master. Good assumptions never go hand in hand with the disturbed state of disobedience.
A sinner is estranged from his Lord to the extent of his sinfulness. The person who has the best outlook on his Lord is invariably the one who is the most obedient to his Lord.
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "The believer assumes the best about his Lord so he does the best deeds. The sinner assumes the worst about his Lord, so he does evil deeds."
The Prophet related to us that Allâh says: "I am as My servant thinks of Me. I am with him when he remembers Me. If he mentions Me within himself, I mention him within Myself. If he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in a better assembly. If he comes near to Me a handspan, I come near to him the distance of a cubit. If he comes near to Me the distance of a cubit, I come near to him the distance of two outspread arms. If he comes to Me walking, I come to him running." (Narrated both in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
The first thing Allâh calls us towards is to have a positive outlook about Him under all circumstances, since He will be as His servant thinks of Him. Allâh will relate to the person the way the person expects Him to.
The Prophet said: "When you beseech Allâh in supplication, be convinced that He will answer you." (Sunan Al-Tirmizi)
Assuming the best about Allâh is one aspect of our belief in Allâh, since it is based upon our belief in His mercy, His power, His generosity, and His might. It is also a fundamental aspect of our reliance upon Allâh, which is essential to or monotheistic belief.
Allâh rebukes a group of people who thought ill of Him. Allâh shows their bad expectations about Him to be one of the clearest signs of their hypocrisy.
He says about the hypocrites who abandoned the Prophet and his Companions during the Battle of Uhud:
"Another party was stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong suspicions of Allâh - suspicions due to ignorance." (Translation of the Quran surah Ali-Imran: 154)
Elsewhere, Allâh says about the hypocrites:
"The hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the idolatrous men and the idolatrous women, who think an evil thought concerning Allâh." (Surah al-Fath: 6)
We must never despair. We must never see our sins to be too great for Allâh's forgiveness. That despair itself is a great sin.
Allâh says, conveying to us the words of his prophet Ya'qub, peace be upon him: "Never despair of Allâh's mercy.
No one despairs of Allâh's mercy except the unbelieving people." (Surah Yusuf: 87)
Islam Today
As long as the Muslim is striving to engage in good deeds, he should expect the best outcome: that Allâh will accept his good deeds; that Allâh from His grace will forgive him; and that Allâh will bless him to live out his life, until its conclusion, upon faith.
Ibn al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah says:
"There can be no doubt that assuming the best about Allâh only comes as a result of righteous conduct.
It is the righteous person who assumes the best about his Lord, since he knows that Allâh will reward him for his good deeds and will never break His promise."
On the other hand, the sinner who persists in wrongdoing, injustice, and disobedience is prevented by his evil deeds from assuming the best about his Lord.
We can see a similar situation in how people relate to each other.
A runaway slave, for instance, is not going to assume the best of his master. Good assumptions never go hand in hand with the disturbed state of disobedience.
A sinner is estranged from his Lord to the extent of his sinfulness. The person who has the best outlook on his Lord is invariably the one who is the most obedient to his Lord.
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "The believer assumes the best about his Lord so he does the best deeds. The sinner assumes the worst about his Lord, so he does evil deeds."
The Prophet related to us that Allâh says: "I am as My servant thinks of Me. I am with him when he remembers Me. If he mentions Me within himself, I mention him within Myself. If he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in a better assembly. If he comes near to Me a handspan, I come near to him the distance of a cubit. If he comes near to Me the distance of a cubit, I come near to him the distance of two outspread arms. If he comes to Me walking, I come to him running." (Narrated both in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
The first thing Allâh calls us towards is to have a positive outlook about Him under all circumstances, since He will be as His servant thinks of Him. Allâh will relate to the person the way the person expects Him to.
The Prophet said: "When you beseech Allâh in supplication, be convinced that He will answer you." (Sunan Al-Tirmizi)
Assuming the best about Allâh is one aspect of our belief in Allâh, since it is based upon our belief in His mercy, His power, His generosity, and His might. It is also a fundamental aspect of our reliance upon Allâh, which is essential to or monotheistic belief.
Allâh rebukes a group of people who thought ill of Him. Allâh shows their bad expectations about Him to be one of the clearest signs of their hypocrisy.
He says about the hypocrites who abandoned the Prophet and his Companions during the Battle of Uhud:
"Another party was stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong suspicions of Allâh - suspicions due to ignorance." (Translation of the Quran surah Ali-Imran: 154)
Elsewhere, Allâh says about the hypocrites:
"The hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the idolatrous men and the idolatrous women, who think an evil thought concerning Allâh." (Surah al-Fath: 6)
We must never despair. We must never see our sins to be too great for Allâh's forgiveness. That despair itself is a great sin.
Allâh says, conveying to us the words of his prophet Ya'qub, peace be upon him: "Never despair of Allâh's mercy.
No one despairs of Allâh's mercy except the unbelieving people." (Surah Yusuf: 87)
Islam Today
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