The Shaykh’s explanation of when an act is done seeking the Face of Allah the Exalted.

The questioner : First, peace be upon you;

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.

The questioner : We have been hoping for a long time to see you and get to know you.

The Shaykh : Welcome.

The questioner : I have known you for a long time, before I ever saw you.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed; welcome.

The questioner : I saw you in a dream twice.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed, but you are not a lover...

The questioner : No, no, I am not a lover; I saw you twice in the mosque.

The Shaykh : Welcome, my brother.

The questioner : It is a happy opportunity that I got to know you, may Allah greet you, and I love you for the sake of Allah, by Allah.

The Shaykh : ...May Allah make you happier.

The questioner : I have, my brother, two or three questions.

The Shaykh : As Allah willed.

The questioner : The first question, if Allah wills: If a person does something not knowing that it is a recommended practice (sunnah), but in reality it is a recommended practice, and he intends in his heart that if he hits the recommended practice, he has... and if he does not hit the recommended practice, he seeks with it the Face of Allah.

The Shaykh : If he does not hit the recommended practice, he seeks the Face of Allah; how does this work?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I understood your words, but I did not understand from your words: that if he does not hit the recommended practice, he seeks with this act the Face of Allah; how is this? How do we conceive of this? I mean, let us not go far from the previous discussion that our brother here raised: One person gets up to keep the night of the middle of Sha'ban awake, and he does not know whether this is a recommended practice or an innovation. He says, for example, "I am going to pray the night of the middle of Sha'ban; if it is a recommended practice, then praise be to Allah; and if it is not a recommended practice, then I seek with it the Face of Allah." How is this conceived?

The questioner : There is a text regarding this that it is an innovation.

The Shaykh : Leave me alone for now; this is an example. I will bring you an example. Can you bring an example from yourself?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : Relax, I brought you an example. My intention with this example is to understand your last statement: that if it is not a recommended practice, I still seek with it the Face of Allah. How do you conceive of this? I am not speaking about you; I am speaking about someone else. He said, "There is much disagreement regarding the night of the middle of Sha'ban. These Salafis, the people of hadith, say this is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. And these people say, 'The Messenger of Allah said... and what is in it,' and so on. It is lost. It is not you; it is someone else. It is lost between here and there. What do they say? It is lost between here and there, and our melodies are lost. And this is lost. But it is not you, it is someone else. Listen, the man is lost. What did he say to himself? 'I am going to keep it awake. If it is a recommended practice, then the recommended practice is a virtue. And if it is not a recommended practice, then I do it seeking the Face of Allah.' How is the second part? If it is not a recommended practice, he seeks with it the Face of Allah. Seeking the Face of Allah is not permissible except with a condition mentioned in the Qur'an: So you assumed the second scenario, that this is not a righteous act, correct? I mean, you assumed two scenarios... You would have done a righteous act with no problem. The second scenario: if it is not a righteous act, I seek with it the Face of Allah. This is inconceivable, clear?