The Ruling on Attributing Blessings to Knowledge and Experience
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The Shaykh:
Yes, indeed. He denies the blessing of Allah upon him and attributes this to his own entitlement to this blessing from Allah. This is ingratitude for the blessing, and may Allah protect us from that. Yes.
The presenter:
Allah the Exalted said: "But it is a trial." That is, the matter is not as they claimed. Rather, We bestowed this blessing upon him to test him in what We bestowed upon him: will he obey or will he disobey? With Our prior knowledge of that. So it is a trial, meaning a test.
The Shaykh:
Yes, so it is a trial. This statement is a trial. He became proud of himself and denied the blessing of Allah upon him, saying, "This is my right upon Allah; I am entitled to it." This is undoubtedly a corruption of the creed and a corruption of the oneness of Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
But most of them do not know. Therefore, they say what they say and claim what they claim.
The Shaykh:
So this statement of mine is not based on knowledge, but rather on ignorance of the right of Allah the Sublime and the acknowledgment of His blessing. Yes.
The presenter:
[Az-Zumar 39:50].
The Shaykh:
They said this statement that they are entitled to these blessings, and they did not acknowledge the favor of Allah the Sublime and Exalted.[Al-Hijr 15:84] So earning is a blessing from Allah, and it is not an entitlement of the servant upon Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
[Az-Zumar 39:50] That is, many of those who came before said this statement, claimed this claim, and asserted this assertion. [Az-Zumar 39:50]
The Shaykh:
Yes, they denied the blessing of Allah and rejected His favor. This is a corruption of the creed of the oneness of Allah, because among the meanings of the oneness of Allah is acknowledging the blessings of Allah the Sublime and Exalted upon the servant, and that Allah bestowed them upon him, and they are not from his earning, and he is not entitled to them upon Allah the Sublime and Exalted. So Allah is not obligated to give any right to any of His creation; rather, it is a right that He obligated upon Himself, the Sublime and Exalted.
The presenter:
[Az-Zumar 39:51] Which of those addressed will be struck by the evil of what they have earned, just as those before them were struck, and they are not able to escape it.
The Shaykh:
Yes, so they were too proud to acknowledge the blessing of Allah upon them. This is a custom from the customs of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.[Az-Zumar 39:50] That is, before the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Ummah of the call. [Ghafir 40:82-83] The command of Allah the Sublime and Exalted came, and the calamities descended upon them. If these blessings had been from themselves, they would have held onto them and preserved them. Yes.
The presenter:
As Allah the Exalted said, informing about Qarun:[Al-Qasas 28:76-78].
The Shaykh:
Qarun was a king among the previous kings. And he had blessings from Allah the Sublime and Exalted that He bestowed upon him, so he denied the favor of Allah with these blessings. He said, "These blessings are only due to knowledge I have," meaning by the means of earning. I took them because I know, because I know the means of earning, so I am the one who created them. He denies the blessing of Allah upon him, and this is disbelief in Allah Mighty and Majestic. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:76].
The Shaykh:
Qarun. Allah Glorious and Exalted said:[Al-Qasas 28:76] The keys to these treasures, their keys, are such that the group is unable to carry them due to their quantity and weight. So when Allah Glorious and Exalted sent down His punishment upon them, this earning that they claimed did not benefit them. The punishment took them, and these blessings were removed from before them, and they were unable to hold onto them. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:76].
The Shaykh:
[Al-Qasas 28:76] Meaning, he rejoiced with arrogance. As for rejoicing in the blessing of Allah, it is one of the types of the oneness of Allah, but do not rejoice in it with arrogance and claim that it is from your toil and earning, denying the favor of Allah upon you. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:77].
The Shaykh:
Seek in what Allah has given you of this wealth the Hereafter, so spend it in obedience to Allah and in worshipping Allah, and do not seek corruption in the earth by transgressing with this wealth, thereby corrupting the earth and harming Allah’s servants by being arrogant toward them. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:77]
The Shaykh:
[Al-Qasas 28:77] Enjoy what Allah has given you, with gratitude to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). A person does not deprive himself of Allah’s blessings under the pretext that this is worship; this is not worship, this is ingratitude for the blessing. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:77].
The Shaykh:
And do good with this wealth by giving charity from it. Give to the needy, as Allah has done good to you by giving you this wealth and being generous with it. So among its gratitude is that you do good to the needy people. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:77].
The Shaykh:
And do not seek corruption in the earth with this wealth through sins and evil deeds.[Al-Qasas 28:77] The implication of this is that Allah loves those who do good, as He has explicitly stated this in other verses. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:78].
The Shaykh:
He denied the blessing of Allah and said, "I was given this only because of knowledge I have," meaning knowledge from me. In the interpretation of the verse, "knowledge I have" means experience from me in the means of earning, and there is no favor of Allah upon me in that, or no favor of anyone upon me in that. He denied the blessing of Allah and rejected the favor of Allah upon him. This is a deficiency in the oneness of Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:78]؟
The Shaykh:
[Al-Qasas 28:78] The generations, meaning from the previous nations, [Al-Qasas 28:78] regarding wealth, [Az-Zumar 39:50] from these monies, and what was averted from them of Allah’s punishment (Glorified and Exalted is He) when it came down upon them, indicates that these blessings are from Allah; He is the One who gives them and He is the One who strips them from the servant. Yes.
The presenter:
[Al-Qasas 28:78].
The Shaykh:
[Al-Qasas 28:78]. Rather, they will be taken with them and punished with them. Yes.
The presenter:
And Allah the Exalted said:[Saba 34:35].
The Shaykh:
And the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance said:[Saba 34:35]. They were arrogant with their wealth and children and thought that Allah would not punish them and that these wealths and these children would avert the punishment of Allah from them. Allah Glorious and Exalted said in response to them: [Ghafir 40:82-83] The command of Allah came; their wealth did not avert the punishment of Allah the Sublime and Exalted from them. Yes.
The presenter:
The speech of Al-Imam Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) has ended.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. What about the one who says when he gets a job, "I only got it because of my certificate or my experience"? Does this fall under this as well?
The Shaykh:
Yes, indeed, without a doubt.[Al-Qasas 28:78]. The certificate is knowledge. So he attributes to his certificate what Allah gave him of blessings. And he denies the favor of Allah upon him. And this is contrary to the oneness of Allah. Yes.
Yes, indeed. He denies the blessing of Allah upon him and attributes this to his own entitlement to this blessing from Allah. This is ingratitude for the blessing, and may Allah protect us from that. Yes.
The presenter:
Allah the Exalted said: "But it is a trial." That is, the matter is not as they claimed. Rather, We bestowed this blessing upon him to test him in what We bestowed upon him: will he obey or will he disobey? With Our prior knowledge of that. So it is a trial, meaning a test.
The Shaykh:
Yes, so it is a trial. This statement is a trial. He became proud of himself and denied the blessing of Allah upon him, saying, "This is my right upon Allah; I am entitled to it." This is undoubtedly a corruption of the creed and a corruption of the oneness of Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
But most of them do not know. Therefore, they say what they say and claim what they claim.
The Shaykh:
So this statement of mine is not based on knowledge, but rather on ignorance of the right of Allah the Sublime and the acknowledgment of His blessing. Yes.
The presenter:
Those before them had already said it
قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْThe Shaykh:
They said this statement that they are entitled to these blessings, and they did not acknowledge the favor of Allah the Sublime and Exalted.
So nothing availed them [from] what they used to earn.
فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَThe presenter:
Those before them had already said it
قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْThose before them had already said it, but they were not availed by what they used to earn.
مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَThe Shaykh:
Yes, they denied the blessing of Allah and rejected His favor. This is a corruption of the creed of the oneness of Allah, because among the meanings of the oneness of Allah is acknowledging the blessings of Allah the Sublime and Exalted upon the servant, and that Allah bestowed them upon him, and they are not from his earning, and he is not entitled to them upon Allah the Sublime and Exalted. So Allah is not obligated to give any right to any of His creation; rather, it is a right that He obligated upon Himself, the Sublime and Exalted.
The presenter:
And the evil consequences of what they earned struck them. And those who have wronged of these
فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا وَالَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْ هَٰؤُلَاءِThe Shaykh:
Yes, so they were too proud to acknowledge the blessing of Allah upon them. This is a custom from the customs of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.
Those before them had already said it
قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْbut they were not availed by what they used to earn. (83) And when
فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ فَلَمَّاThe presenter:
As Allah the Exalted said, informing about Qarun:
thereupon his people said to him, "Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant. (77) But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters." (78) He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have."
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِيThe Shaykh:
Qarun was a king among the previous kings. And he had blessings from Allah the Sublime and Exalted that He bestowed upon him, so he denied the favor of Allah with these blessings. He said, "These blessings are only due to knowledge I have," meaning by the means of earning. I took them because I know, because I know the means of earning, so I am the one who created them. He denies the blessing of Allah upon him, and this is disbelief in Allah Mighty and Majestic. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter:
thereupon his people said to him, "Do not exult
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْThe Shaykh:
Qarun. Allah Glorious and Exalted said:
And We gave him of treasures whose keys would burden a band of strong men
وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَا إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِThe presenter:
thereupon his people said to him, "Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant.
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَThe Shaykh:
his people said to him, "Do not exult
قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْThe presenter:
But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَThe Shaykh:
Seek in what Allah has given you of this wealth the Hereafter, so spend it in obedience to Allah and in worshipping Allah, and do not seek corruption in the earth by transgressing with this wealth, thereby corrupting the earth and harming Allah’s servants by being arrogant toward them. Yes.
The presenter:
But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world.
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَاThe Shaykh:
do not forget your share of the world
وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَاThe presenter:
And do good as Allah has done good to you
وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَThe Shaykh:
And do good with this wealth by giving charity from it. Give to the needy, as Allah has done good to you by giving you this wealth and being generous with it. So among its gratitude is that you do good to the needy people. Yes.
The presenter:
And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters."
وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَThe Shaykh:
And do not seek corruption in the earth with this wealth through sins and evil deeds.
Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters."
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَThe presenter:
He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have."
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِيThe Shaykh:
He denied the blessing of Allah and said, "I was given this only because of knowledge I have," meaning knowledge from me. In the interpretation of the verse, "knowledge I have" means experience from me in the means of earning, and there is no favor of Allah upon me in that, or no favor of anyone upon me in that. He denied the blessing of Allah and rejected the favor of Allah upon him. This is a deficiency in the oneness of Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him of generations those who were greater than him in power and greater in accumulation [of wealth]?
أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًاThe Shaykh:
Did he not know that Allah had destroyed
أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِنthose who were greater than him in power and greater in accumulation
مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًاbut they were not availed by what they used to earn.
فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَThe presenter:
But the criminals, about their sins, will not be asked.
وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَThe Shaykh:
But the criminals, about their sins, will not be asked.
وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَThe presenter:
And Allah the Exalted said:
And they said, "We are more [than the believers] in wealth and children, and we are not to be punished."
وَقَالُوا نَحْنُ أَكْثَرُ أَمْوَالًا وَأَوْلَادًا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَThe Shaykh:
And the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance said:
We are more [than the believers] in wealth and children, and we are not to be punished."
نَحْنُ أَكْثَرُ أَمْوَالًا وَأَوْلَادًا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَbut they were not availed by what they used to earn. (83) And when
فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ فَلَمَّاThe presenter:
The speech of Al-Imam Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) has ended.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. What about the one who says when he gets a job, "I only got it because of my certificate or my experience"? Does this fall under this as well?
The Shaykh:
Yes, indeed, without a doubt.
I was only given it because of knowledge I have.
إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِي
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 7 - شرح كتاب فتح المجيد الحلقة السابعة ( فيديو ) الشيخ - صالح الفوزان 04-2-1443 هـ — youtube.com (4:35)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.