Warning Against Some Common Expressions

The Shaykh : Some of these expressions about which the question was asked are undoubtedly errors. And as I told you earlier, we have in some of the Syrian countries something similar to them, such as their saying: "Ya, what did we say earlier?"
We say something else: "We place our trust in Allah and in you."

The questioner : Shirk.

The Shaykh : Shirk. And "What Allah wills and what you will" is shirk. Yes, but the correct expression is "What Allah wills, then what you will." Most Arabs today do not distinguish between "then" and the conjunction "and." The phrase "We place our trust in Allah and in you" is disbelief in the saying of Allah the Exalted: , meaning in Allah alone. So he says, without caring: "We place our trust in Allah and in you." When does he say this? When he explains a case to him or presents a complaint and wants him to work on resolving it, he says to him, "It is on my eyes and not on you. We place our trust in Allah and in you." This is shirk. Likewise, they say in our area, "The hand of Allah and the hand of you." So here there are some expressions.

The questioner : "I am with Allah, then with you." This means, I come to Allah, then to you, to save me from so-and-so... This is in worldly matters, then... or "The Most Merciful ate with you"... "You have the Most Merciful."

The Shaykh : No problem, but why are you looking into the obvious and going around it, while leaving the problems?

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : But you are saying to leave this, while this must be investigated.

The questioner : No, I am giving you the correct wording. It is to say, "I am with Allah, then with you, help me against so-and-so," meaning as if you are assisting.

The Shaykh : There is no objection to this...

The questioner : Or in the second expression, he says, "Please, come with us, O Shaykh," and he says, "The angels ate with you," or "The Most Merciful ate with you." These are the words in clear text.

The Shaykh : What is the second expression?

The questioner : "The Most Merciful ate with you," "You have the Most Merciful"?

The Shaykh : Is there nothing wrong with this?

The questioner : This is with you; I am not saying there is nothing wrong with it.

The Shaykh : Is there something wrong with it or not?

The questioner : I do not know; Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : Does Allah eat? Does our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, eat?

The questioner : Yes? The Most Merciful does not eat.

The Shaykh : No, this is disbelief. This is likening the Creator to the created. Well, what about the others?

The questioner : He says, "You have the Most Merciful." He says, "Please, come to us?" He says, "You have the Most Merciful?" These are phrases and sentences we are accustomed to.

The Shaykh : No problem, let us hear its interpretation from the father.

The questioner : O Shaykh, please come to us. He is dark-skinned and eats with us. He apologizes and says: "You have the Most Merciful." He does not say to him, "I am not coming to you." He brings it in a gentle language.

The Shaykh : There is no harm, but what does "You have the Most Merciful" mean?

The questioner : It means the Most Merciful is the blessing, the good. Forgive me, I am not coming to you. He does not want to give him a dry answer. "I am not coming to you, I am not sitting with you. You have the Most Merciful," and he is satisfied with this.

The Shaykh : Heh, but since he does not want to come with a harsh word, he says a word that is not permissible in the Shari'ah.

The questioner : He is thinking of a kind word.

The Shaykh : He is thinking of it, but we want to correct his thought.

The questioner : If there is a sin in it, let us be aware of it and praise Allah.

The Shaykh : No, it is not permissible to say "You have the Most Merciful," because look now: the people of innovation accuse the people of hadith and those who hold to what the Salaf, the earliest generations, were upon, and those who believe in the verses of attributes and the hadiths of attributes. They call them, they address them as "likeners" and "corporealists," meaning generally they say that we are corporealists because we say: , meaning: He rose above in a manner befitting His perfection. So if you say in your interpretation of this verse: , "He rose above" means "He sat on the Throne," you open the door to criticism of you and support their claim that you are corporealists.
This saying: "You have the Most Merciful," they are not accepting that we say , which is a verse, and we interpret it as the Salaf interpreted it, meaning He rose above. They are not satisfied with the meaning because they are imagining likening Allah, Mighty and Majestic, as if He is sitting on the Throne, while He is free of need of the worlds. How would it be if they heard us saying: "You have the Most Merciful"? Meaning, you have the Most Merciful as a guest, the Most Merciful is sitting with you. These are very ugly meanings. The Most Merciful rose above the Throne. It is possible to interpret this with a beautiful meaning, but from the etiquette of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to his believing followers is his saying: And I do not intend that Allah Himself, the Exalted, is with you, but I intend His good, His grace, His blessing, etc. This interpretation, this interpretation has no good in it. So in the other hadith: , meaning do not speak a word that you need to say, "By Allah, I intended such and such." No, leave this.

The questioner : Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt.

The Shaykh : Well done, this is it.