Reconciling Allah's saying: (The words with Me are not to be changed) with the Messenger's appeal to his Lord to reduce the prayer on the night of the Isra
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[Reconciling Allah’s saying: (The words with Me are not to be changed) and the Messenger's appeal to his Lord to reduce the prayer on the night of the Isra]
His Eminence the Shaykh: How do we reconcile the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: [Q:29] with the Messenger's appeal to his Lord in the hadith of the Isra to reduce the prayer from fifty to five prayers? May Allah reward you with good.
There is no contradiction between the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Q:29] and what you mentioned,Did Allah, the Exalted, say: Do we change the words? No.
Rather, He said: [Q:29] for it is: [Yunus:64] No one is able to change the words of Allah.
And if we say: The verse is constructed in the passive voice, and it is He Himself who does not change what He, the Exalted, has said;So we say: What happened regarding his (peace and blessings be upon him) appeal to his Lord regarding the prayer was to complete the word that He had originally approved, namely that it would be five, but He, the Exalted, legislated fifty for His Prophet for a wisdom, which is the manifestation of the extent to which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) accepts what Allah imposes upon him, from this perspective.
And the second aspect: That the reward of fifty prayers be recorded for this Ummah; because we now pray five, but we are like the one who prays fifty. This is not from the perspective that a good deed is rewarded ten times over, for in every righteous deed the good deed is rewarded ten times over, but from the perspective that one prayer is recorded for us as ten prayers, and this is a great blessing, and it is from the wisdom and mercy of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
So the original is the first word that Allah, the Exalted, approved and decreed that it would be five prayers, but He made it obligatory as fifty for this wisdom;First: So that the extent of the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) acceptance of the obligations of Allah, the Exalted, may be manifested, even if they are in the form of something difficult, and there is no doubt that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most accepting of people regarding what his Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, has obligated upon him.
And secondly: So that the reward of fifty prayers be recorded for the Ummah, even though the Ummah actually performs it as five, and this is from the mercy of Allah, the Exalted, to this Ummah.
His Eminence the Shaykh: How do we reconcile the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic:
The word will not be changed with Me, and never will I be unjust to the servants."
مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ وَمَا أَنَا بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِThere is no contradiction between the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
The word will not be changed with Me, and never will I be unjust to the servants."
مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ وَمَا أَنَا بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِRather, He said:
The word will not be changed with Me
مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّNo change is there in the words of Allah
لا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِAnd if we say: The verse is constructed in the passive voice, and it is He Himself who does not change what He, the Exalted, has said;So we say: What happened regarding his (peace and blessings be upon him) appeal to his Lord regarding the prayer was to complete the word that He had originally approved, namely that it would be five, but He, the Exalted, legislated fifty for His Prophet for a wisdom, which is the manifestation of the extent to which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) accepts what Allah imposes upon him, from this perspective.
And the second aspect: That the reward of fifty prayers be recorded for this Ummah; because we now pray five, but we are like the one who prays fifty. This is not from the perspective that a good deed is rewarded ten times over, for in every righteous deed the good deed is rewarded ten times over, but from the perspective that one prayer is recorded for us as ten prayers, and this is a great blessing, and it is from the wisdom and mercy of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
So the original is the first word that Allah, the Exalted, approved and decreed that it would be five prayers, but He made it obligatory as fifty for this wisdom;First: So that the extent of the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) acceptance of the obligations of Allah, the Exalted, may be manifested, even if they are in the form of something difficult, and there is no doubt that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most accepting of people regarding what his Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, has obligated upon him.
And secondly: So that the reward of fifty prayers be recorded for the Ummah, even though the Ummah actually performs it as five, and this is from the mercy of Allah, the Exalted, to this Ummah.