Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (O you who believe, do not go before Allah and His Messenger)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (O you who believe, do not go before Allah and His Messenger)]
We will speak about Surat al-Hujurat because of the great and beneficial etiquettes it contains,which Allah began with His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: [al-Hujurat:1] Know that when Allah the Exalted begins the address with His saying: [al-Hujurat:1] it is, as Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [It is either a good thing you are commanded to do, or an evil thing you are forbidden from doing, so give it your full attention and listen to it for the good it contains] And when Allah begins the address: [Al-Baqarah 2:104] that indicates that adhering to what one is addressed with is among the requirements of faith, and that opposing it is a deficiency in faith.
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: [al-Hujurat:1] It is said that the meaning of: is: do not go before Allah and His Messenger, and the intended meaning is do not precede Allah and His Messenger in speech or in action,And it was said the meaning is: Do not put anything before Allah and His Messenger, and both meanings converge on the same point,And the meaning is: Do not precede Allah and His Messenger in speech or in action, and there are examples of this,So among that is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (Do not precede Ramadan by fasting one day or two days) because the one who precedes Ramadan by fasting one day or two days is as if he has gone before Allah and His Messenger, having started fasting before its time has come,'Amir ibn Yasir said: [Whoever fasts on the day of doubt has disobeyed Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him)] .
And among that -Meaning: of going before Allah and His Messenger- are innovations in all their types, for they go before Allah and His Messenger, indeed they are the most severe form of going before;Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me, and beware of newly invented matters) and he informed: (that every innovation is misguidance) and he (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke the truth, for the reality of the innovator's state is that he adds to Allah and His Messenger what he claims is better,As if he is saying: that the Shari'ah was not complete, and that he completed it with the innovation he brought,And this is completely opposed to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Ma'idah:3] so it is said to this man who innovated: Is what you did a completion of the religion?If he says: Yes.
For this statement necessitates denying the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Ma'idah:3] And if he says: It is not a completion of the religion,We said: then it is a deficiency;Because Allah says: [Yunus:32] So the innovation, as it is misguidance in itself, is in reality an attack on the religion of Allah, that it is deficient, and that this innovator completed it with what he claimed to be from the Shari'ah of Allah the Mighty and Majestic.
So all innovators have gone before Allah and His Messenger and did not care about this prohibition, even if their intention is good, their action is misguidance. He may be rewarded for his good intention, but he is burdened with sin for his bad action. For this reason, it is obligatory for every innovator who knows he is upon an innovation to repent from it, and return to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him.
And bid'ah (religious innovation) has many types: Innovations in creed, and innovations in words, and innovations in actions.
As for innovations in creed, they revolve around two things: either likening Allah to creation, or denial of the divine attributes.
Either tashbih (likening Allah to creation): By affirming the attributes for Allah but in a manner of similarity, for this is an innovation; because it was not from the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Rightly Guided Caliphs, so it is an innovation. For example, he affirms a face for Allah and makes it similar to the face of the created beings, or a hand he makes similar to the hands of the created beings, and so on. These are innovators without doubt,And their bid'ah is a denial of His saying, the Exalted: [al-Shura:11] ,And by His saying, Exalted is He: [al-Ikhlas:4] and for His saying the Exalted: [Maryam:65] .
As for ta'til (denial of the divine attributes): So he is the opposite of this,Ta'til (denial of the divine attributes): denying what Allah described Himself with. If the denial is rejection and disbelief, it is disbelief. If the denial is figurative interpretation, it is distortion of a text's meaning, and it is not disbelief if the wording allows for it. If the wording does not allow for it, there is no difference between it and the denial of disbelief,For example: If a person says: Allah the Blessed and Exalted said: [al-Ma'idah:64] and the meaning of the hands is grace, the grace of religion and the grace of this world, or the grace of this world and the grace of the Hereafter, this is distortion; because grace is not one, nor a thousand, nor millions, Allah the Exalted said: [al-Nahl:18] so grace is not two, neither in kind nor in type. So this is distortion and an innovation; because it is contrary to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions and the Imams of guidance after them received. This is an innovation in creed.
Bid'ah (religious innovation) in words: Such as those who innovate tasbih, or takbir, or takbirat that are not in the Sunnah, or who innovate supplications that are not in the Sunnah, and are not among the permissible supplications.
And as for actions, it is likewise, such as: Those who clap during dhikr, or shake their heads during recitation, or similar types of innovations. And also those who rub themselves against the Ka'bah other than the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner. And also those who rub themselves against the chamber of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the noble,And also those who rub themselves against the minbar which is said to be: that it is the pulpit of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Prophet's Mosque. And also those who rub themselves against the walls of the al-Baqi' cemetery or other than that.
The important point: That innovations are many: creedal, verbal, and practical, and all of them are going before Allah and His Messenger, and all of them are disobedience to Allah and His Messenger,For Allah says: [al-Hujurat:1] and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: (Beware of newly invented matters) .
And among the innovations is what is done in Rajab, such as the prayer of al-Ragha'ib which is prayed on the night of the first Friday of the month of Rajab, and it is one thousand rak'ahs, they worship Allah with it, and this is an innovation that does not increase them in anything from Allah but distance; because everyone who draws near to Allah with what He has not prescribed is a misguided innovator, Allah does not accept his worship for it, as it is established in the two Sahihs and others from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our command, it is rejected) .
And among putting [something] before Allah and His Messenger: That a person says a statement by which he judges between the servants of Allah, and it is not from the Shari'ah of Allah,For example, he says: This is forbidden, this is lawful, this is obligatory, this is recommended, without evidence. If this is the case, it is going before Allah and His Messenger. And it is upon the one who said a statement and it became clear to him that he erred in it to return to the truth, even if the statement became widespread among the people and spread and people acted upon it, it is obligatory for him to return, and to announce his return -also- as he announced his opposition, which he may be excused for if it was issued from independent legal reasoning. So it is obligatory to return to the truth. If a person persists in opposing the truth, he has gone before Allah and His Messenger.
We will speak about Surat al-Hujurat because of the great and beneficial etiquettes it contains,which Allah began with His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He:
O you who have believed, do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌO you who have believed
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواO you who have believed
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواAllah, Mighty and Majestic, says:
do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger
لا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِDo not go before
لا تُقَدِّمُواAnd among that -Meaning: of going before Allah and His Messenger- are innovations in all their types, for they go before Allah and His Messenger, indeed they are the most severe form of going before;Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me, and beware of newly invented matters) and he informed: (that every innovation is misguidance) and he (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke the truth, for the reality of the innovator's state is that he adds to Allah and His Messenger what he claims is better,As if he is saying: that the Shari'ah was not complete, and that he completed it with the innovation he brought,And this is completely opposed to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
This day I have perfected for you your religion
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْFor this statement necessitates denying the saying of Allah the Exalted:
This day I have perfected for you your religion
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْAnd what can be beyond truth except error?
فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ إِلَّا الضَّلالُSo all innovators have gone before Allah and His Messenger and did not care about this prohibition, even if their intention is good, their action is misguidance. He may be rewarded for his good intention, but he is burdened with sin for his bad action. For this reason, it is obligatory for every innovator who knows he is upon an innovation to repent from it, and return to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him.
And bid'ah (religious innovation) has many types: Innovations in creed, and innovations in words, and innovations in actions.
As for innovations in creed, they revolve around two things: either likening Allah to creation, or denial of the divine attributes.
Either tashbih (likening Allah to creation): By affirming the attributes for Allah but in a manner of similarity, for this is an innovation; because it was not from the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Rightly Guided Caliphs, so it is an innovation. For example, he affirms a face for Allah and makes it similar to the face of the created beings, or a hand he makes similar to the hands of the created beings, and so on. These are innovators without doubt,And their bid'ah is a denial of His saying, the Exalted:
There is nothing like unto Him
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌNor is there to Him any equivalent."
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌDo you know of any similarity to Him?"
هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيّاًAs for ta'til (denial of the divine attributes): So he is the opposite of this,Ta'til (denial of the divine attributes): denying what Allah described Himself with. If the denial is rejection and disbelief, it is disbelief. If the denial is figurative interpretation, it is distortion of a text's meaning, and it is not disbelief if the wording allows for it. If the wording does not allow for it, there is no difference between it and the denial of disbelief,For example: If a person says: Allah the Blessed and Exalted said:
Rather, both His hands are extended
بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِAnd if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them
وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوهَاBid'ah (religious innovation) in words: Such as those who innovate tasbih, or takbir, or takbirat that are not in the Sunnah, or who innovate supplications that are not in the Sunnah, and are not among the permissible supplications.
And as for actions, it is likewise, such as: Those who clap during dhikr, or shake their heads during recitation, or similar types of innovations. And also those who rub themselves against the Ka'bah other than the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner. And also those who rub themselves against the chamber of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the noble,And also those who rub themselves against the minbar which is said to be: that it is the pulpit of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Prophet's Mosque. And also those who rub themselves against the walls of the al-Baqi' cemetery or other than that.
The important point: That innovations are many: creedal, verbal, and practical, and all of them are going before Allah and His Messenger, and all of them are disobedience to Allah and His Messenger,For Allah says:
do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger
لا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِAnd among the innovations is what is done in Rajab, such as the prayer of al-Ragha'ib which is prayed on the night of the first Friday of the month of Rajab, and it is one thousand rak'ahs, they worship Allah with it, and this is an innovation that does not increase them in anything from Allah but distance; because everyone who draws near to Allah with what He has not prescribed is a misguided innovator, Allah does not accept his worship for it, as it is established in the two Sahihs and others from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our command, it is rejected) .
And among putting [something] before Allah and His Messenger: That a person says a statement by which he judges between the servants of Allah, and it is not from the Shari'ah of Allah,For example, he says: This is forbidden, this is lawful, this is obligatory, this is recommended, without evidence. If this is the case, it is going before Allah and His Messenger. And it is upon the one who said a statement and it became clear to him that he erred in it to return to the truth, even if the statement became widespread among the people and spread and people acted upon it, it is obligatory for him to return, and to announce his return -also- as he announced his opposition, which he may be excused for if it was issued from independent legal reasoning. So it is obligatory to return to the truth. If a person persists in opposing the truth, he has gone before Allah and His Messenger.