The Shaykh : Where we left off last time. Yes. His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He, in describing the servants of the Most Merciful. We read:
(63) And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace, (64) And those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer] (65) And those who say, "Our Lord,
وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْناً وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمْ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلاماً وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّداً وَقِيَاماً وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا
What is it?
"Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell. Indeed, its punishment is ever adhering; (66) Indeed, it is evil as a settlement and residence." (67) And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate
ربنا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَاماً إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرّاً ومُقَاماً وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَاماً
. Then he said—starting this session—:
And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity
وَالَّذِينَ لا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهاً آخَرَ
Rather, they invoke Allah alone. This is the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) that the messengers brought and upon which they agreed. As Allah the Exalted said:
And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut."
وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولاً أَنْ اُعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ
. And He said:
And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ
. All the messengers agreed upon this. And they have the right to agree upon it, because Allah the Exalted commanded them to do so. And Allah the Exalted said:
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ
. So they do not invoke any other deity along with Allah, neither in supplication for needs nor in supplication of worship. Supplication of worship: bowing and prostration and all types of worship. So they do not slaughter for an idol. Nor do they make vows for an idol, or a grave, or the sun, or the moon. Rather, they direct worship to whom? To Allah who created them. And they do not invoke anyone other than Allah in supplication for needs either. They do not come to the owner of a grave and say: “O my master, O my lord, O friend of Allah, give me such and such.” They do not say this, because they know that other than Allah does not possess any benefit or harm, neither for himself nor for anyone else. And if the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was commanded by Allah to say and declare:
Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me.
قُلْ لا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعاً وَلا ضَرّاً إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنْ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِي السُّوءُ
. And if Allah commanded him to declare:
(21) Say, "Indeed, I do not possess for you [the power of] harm or right direction." (22) Say, "Indeed, there will never protect me from Allah anyone [if I should disobey], nor will I find in other than Him a refuge.
قُلْ إِنِّي لا أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرّاً وَلا رَشَداً قُلْ إِنِّي لَنْ يُجِيرَنِي مِنْ اللَّهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَنْ أَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَداً
how then, if I cannot ward off harm from myself if Allah the Exalted intends harm for me? How can I possess that for you? And if Allah commanded him to declare:
Say, [O Muhammad], "I do not tell you that I have the depositories [containing the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me."
قُلْ لا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلاَّ مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ
how can the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) be taken as a deity along with Allah, invoked to remove distress? This is impossible. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) we know with certainty that if he had gone out against these people, he would have fought them and considered their blood, wealth, and women lawful, because they are mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah), because they are mushrikin. So the servants of the Most Merciful do not invoke any other deity along with Allah.
