Refuting the truth on the grounds that only the weak follow it
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Question:
The questioner cites as evidence the mention of the dual form of a thing, arguing that only the weak narrators used it, such as Allah the Exalted saying, "Is it unjust for you?" and "Did the earth follow?" and His saying[Al-An'am 6:53] to which He responded by saying, "Is not Allah most knowing of those who are grateful?"
Answer:
The eighth: Refuting the truth on the grounds that only the weak follow it. This is a calamity. It was the cause of the destruction of previous nations. The truth is not despised. It is not rejected because only the weak follow it. The truth is accepted. One does not look at the fact that only the weak follow it.
This is proven by the fact that the people of Noah said,[Ash-Shu'ara 26:111] meaning the weak ones. In the other verse, [Hud 11:27] at first glance, meaning they have no opinions; they are people who do not think. They have superficiality in their reflection, so they followed him because they have no reflection. Their opinions are superficial, and they did not think, and they are weak as well. So we do not imitate the weak, nor do we mix with the weak, nor do we become followers of them. In fact, they asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to drive the weak ones out of his gathering so that they could hear his words. Their arrogance led them to ask the Messenger not to allow Suhayb, 'Ammar, Bilal, and the weak Muslims to attend the gathering of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when they came. This was out of arrogance.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to win their hearts out of eagerness for their guidance, so he wanted to prevent the weak from attending when these people came, and to clear the gathering for them. So Allah rebuked him, and He the Exalted said:[Al-An'am 6:52]. And likewise, "And We test some of them with others," meaning We tested some of them with others; We made this one rich and this one poor, as a matter of trial and examination. As He the Exalted said in the other verse: [Al-Furqan 25:20], meaning, "Will you be patient?" And Allah tests His servants with one another. [Al-An'am 6:53]? They find it hard to believe that Allah will guide these people and bestow His favor upon them from among the people. Because they are weak and poor, why does Allah single them out for guidance and favor? This is proof that they are not sincere in their faith, according to the claim of these people. [Al-An'am 6:53]? Allah the Exalted said: [Al-An'am 6:53] Allah, Glorious and Majestic is He, is more knowledgeable about who accepts the truth and who does not, and He knows the grateful from the disbeliever. So He places things in their proper places. Thus, He deprived these people of guidance because they do not thank Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and He gave it to those people and bestowed it upon them because they thank Allah, Glorious and Majestic is He. So He, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the most knowledgeable.
And this is part of His wisdom, and wisdom is placing a thing in its proper place. So He, Glorious and Majestic is He, does not place guidance except in those who deserve it, and He does not place misguidance except in those who deserve it as a punishment for them. So the consideration is not the state of the person, whether he is rich or poor, but rather the consideration is his acceptance of the truth or his rejection of the truth. The one who accepts the truth, his poverty does not harm him. And the one who rejects the truth, his strength, wealth, and nobility do not benefit him. This is what the people of Noah said to Noah: "We do not believe in you, and we follow you only because you are of lowly status among us." The obligatory response.[Hud 11:27]. And Noah (peace be upon him) said: [Hud 11:29-30] This is the response of Noah (peace and blessings be upon him). So this is from the custom of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). Yes. That the truth. That this is from the custom of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) that they reject the truth because its followers are from the poor. Without looking at the truth itself. Without looking at the truth itself. So the truth is not known by men, but men are known by the truth. Allah mentioned what the people of Noah issued regarding the followers of Noah, and He mentioned what the disbelievers of Quraysh and the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) issued regarding the followers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). For this reason, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote to the kings, inviting them to Allah, the kings of the earth, he wrote to them inviting them to Allah and to follow him, because he is the Messenger of Allah to them all. As for Kisra, he tore the letter and threatened the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so Allah tore his kingdom.
And as for Heraclius, the king of the Romans, he was a man of reason. When the letter came to him and he read it, he asked: Is there anyone in Sham from the people of this man? They said: Yes, because the people of Makkah used to go to Sham for trade, so the merchants of Quraysh were in Sham under the leadership of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith. So Heraclius summoned them and brought them into his council in the presence of the scholars of the Christians, their bishops, and their elders. He seated them before him, then ordered the letter to be read. So he began to ask them about this letter, clause by clause, and word by word. And they were unable to lie about the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because they are too proud to lie, and they are disbelievers. And he was asking Abu Sufyan because he was the leader, so he was unable to tell a single lie regarding what was in this letter. Among his questions, he asked them: Does the weak follow him or the strong? They said: Rather, the weak follow him. He said: So it is with the messengers; only the weak follow them. Meaning, this question was part of these questions, which fits our topic: Does the strong follow him or the weak? They said: Rather, the weak follow him. He said: So it is with the prophets; only the weak of their people follow them.
So the result is that this is the habit of the people of ignorance, that they. They reject the truth looking at the fact that the people upon it are weak and poor, and they are people of arrogance and vanity, and they do not want to mix with the weak and the poor. They reject the truth for the sake of arrogance, and I seek refuge in Allah. And this is the defect of arrogance, that it leads its owner to reject the truth, and he knows that it is truth, but he leaves it out of pride and arrogance and self-importance in his soul. So this is from the customs of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah).
The questioner cites as evidence the mention of the dual form of a thing, arguing that only the weak narrators used it, such as Allah the Exalted saying, "Is it unjust for you?" and "Did the earth follow?" and His saying
And thus We have tried some of them through others that the disbelievers might say, "Is it these whom Allah has favored among us?" Is not Allah most knowing of those who are grateful?
أَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَا أَلَيْسَAnswer:
The eighth: Refuting the truth on the grounds that only the weak follow it. This is a calamity. It was the cause of the destruction of previous nations. The truth is not despised. It is not rejected because only the weak follow it. The truth is accepted. One does not look at the fact that only the weak follow it.
This is proven by the fact that the people of Noah said,
They said, "Should we believe you while you are followed by the lowest [class of people]?"
قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الْأَرْذَلُونَand we do not see you followed except by those who are the lowest of us [and] at first suggestion
وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا بَادِيَ الرَّأْيِThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to win their hearts out of eagerness for their guidance, so he wanted to prevent the weak from attending when these people came, and to clear the gathering for them. So Allah rebuked him, and He the Exalted said:
And do not send away those who call upon their Lord morning and afternoon, seeking His countenance. Not upon you is anything of their account and not upon them is anything of your account. So were you to send them away, you would [then] be of the wrongdoers.
وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَAnd We have made some of you [people] as trial for others
وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةًthat the disbelievers might say, "Is it these whom Allah has favored among us?"
لِّيَقُولُوا أَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَاIs it these whom Allah has favored among us?
أَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَاIs not Allah most knowing of those who are grateful?
أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّاكِرِينَAnd this is part of His wisdom, and wisdom is placing a thing in its proper place. So He, Glorious and Majestic is He, does not place guidance except in those who deserve it, and He does not place misguidance except in those who deserve it as a punishment for them. So the consideration is not the state of the person, whether he is rich or poor, but rather the consideration is his acceptance of the truth or his rejection of the truth. The one who accepts the truth, his poverty does not harm him. And the one who rejects the truth, his strength, wealth, and nobility do not benefit him. This is what the people of Noah said to Noah: "We do not believe in you, and we follow you only because you are of lowly status among us." The obligatory response.
a man like ourselves, and we do not see you followed except by those who are the lowest of us [and] at first suggestion. And we do not see in you over us any merit; rather, we think you are liars."
بَشَرًا مِّثْلَنَا وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا بَادِيَ الرَّأْيِ وَمَا نَرَىٰ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِن فَضْلٍ بَلْ نَظُنُّكُمْ كَاذِبِينَAnd I am not one to drive away those who have believed. Indeed, they will meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people behaving ignorantly. (30) And O my people, who would protect me from Allah if I drove them away? Then will you not be reminded?
وَمَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّهُم مُّلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَلَٰكِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ وَيَا قَوْمِ مَن يَنصُرُنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ إِن طَرَدتُّهُمْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَAnd as for Heraclius, the king of the Romans, he was a man of reason. When the letter came to him and he read it, he asked: Is there anyone in Sham from the people of this man? They said: Yes, because the people of Makkah used to go to Sham for trade, so the merchants of Quraysh were in Sham under the leadership of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith. So Heraclius summoned them and brought them into his council in the presence of the scholars of the Christians, their bishops, and their elders. He seated them before him, then ordered the letter to be read. So he began to ask them about this letter, clause by clause, and word by word. And they were unable to lie about the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because they are too proud to lie, and they are disbelievers. And he was asking Abu Sufyan because he was the leader, so he was unable to tell a single lie regarding what was in this letter. Among his questions, he asked them: Does the weak follow him or the strong? They said: Rather, the weak follow him. He said: So it is with the messengers; only the weak follow them. Meaning, this question was part of these questions, which fits our topic: Does the strong follow him or the weak? They said: Rather, the weak follow him. He said: So it is with the prophets; only the weak of their people follow them.
So the result is that this is the habit of the people of ignorance, that they. They reject the truth looking at the fact that the people upon it are weak and poor, and they are people of arrogance and vanity, and they do not want to mix with the weak and the poor. They reject the truth for the sake of arrogance, and I seek refuge in Allah. And this is the defect of arrogance, that it leads its owner to reject the truth, and he knows that it is truth, but he leaves it out of pride and arrogance and self-importance in his soul. So this is from the customs of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah).
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 3/3/14 شرح مسائل الجاهلية / الشريط الثالث / جزء٣ — youtube.com (12:55)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.