The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help."
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The Shaykh : All right, [Al-Fatihah 1:5] Abu, I ask you who are versed in grammar among you: is there a difference between "We worship none but You" and "You alone we worship"? Please, go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : There is a difference between them.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What is the difference?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And "You alone we worship"?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, I am asking: is there a difference between "We worship none but You" and "You alone we worship"? Is there a difference between them?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In meaning, yes, there is.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Rest a moment, please go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, one, yes, is there a difference between "You alone we worship"
and "We worship none but You"?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In meaning, as for the form, it is clear that there is a difference. Rest a moment, you go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : There is no difference, I am certain, there is no difference. Are you certain or not certain? If Allah wills, all right, yes, there is no difference between "You alone we worship" and "We worship none but You" in terms of meaning, but in terms of form, there is a difference between them. All right, so "You alone we worship" means "We worship none but You," and this is obligatory for every believer not to worship except Allah. Therefore, if your father orders you to commit a sin, your father to whom obedience is obligatory, if he orders you to commit a sin, do you obey him or not? Answer all of you: I do not obey him, because I worship Allah, I do not worship my father. And if I worship Allah, I must prioritize His obedience over the obedience of everyone. If the ruler orders you to disobey Allah, do you obey him?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The ruler, you do not obey him?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The ruler, you do not obey him, why?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Because I worship Allah, and obedience is worship. I do not obey him; if I obeyed him in disobedience to Allah, I would be worshipping him along with Allah. Therefore, whoever obeys anyone in disobedience to Allah is worshipping him. Allah the Exalted said: meaning the scholars meaning the monks [Ali 'Imran 3:64]. 'Adi ibn Hatim said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): So, obeying other than Allah in disobedience to Allah is worshipping Him. All right, so the believer says: I do not worship Allah, even if the closest person to me and the one with the strongest claim to my obedience ordered me, I would not obey him in disobedience to Allah. Thus, pay attention to my words: I say the closest person to me and the one with the strongest claim to my obedience. And let no one say in response to your words: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not respond. Why? Because the Messenger never orders disobedience. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) only orders what pleases Allah. [An-Nisa 4:80] [Al-Anfal 8:24] For what reason? .
[Al-Fatihah 1:5] "You alone we ask for help." This will present a problem. The meaning of "You alone we ask for help" is "We ask for help from none but You," is that not so? But it is objected to us that you seek help from a man, saying, "So-and-so, help me carry my goods to the car." So what is the answer? Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Well done, perfect. Meaning, you seek help from Allah with what only Allah is capable of; this is not possible to seek help from other than Allah. But you seek help from a created being in what it is capable of, and this is permissible. Is it not the case that a person takes medicine while sick to be healed, and the Healer is Allah? But this is also a cause. So you say to so-and-so, "Help me," and he helps you; this is a cause, so it does not contradict His saying:
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إياك نعبد وإياك نستعينThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : There is a difference between them.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What is the difference?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And "You alone we worship"?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, I am asking: is there a difference between "We worship none but You" and "You alone we worship"? Is there a difference between them?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In meaning, yes, there is.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Rest a moment, please go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, one, yes, is there a difference between "You alone we worship"
and "We worship none but You"?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In meaning, as for the form, it is clear that there is a difference. Rest a moment, you go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : There is no difference, I am certain, there is no difference. Are you certain or not certain? If Allah wills, all right, yes, there is no difference between "You alone we worship" and "We worship none but You" in terms of meaning, but in terms of form, there is a difference between them. All right, so "You alone we worship" means "We worship none but You," and this is obligatory for every believer not to worship except Allah. Therefore, if your father orders you to commit a sin, your father to whom obedience is obligatory, if he orders you to commit a sin, do you obey him or not? Answer all of you: I do not obey him, because I worship Allah, I do not worship my father. And if I worship Allah, I must prioritize His obedience over the obedience of everyone. If the ruler orders you to disobey Allah, do you obey him?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The ruler, you do not obey him?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The ruler, you do not obey him, why?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Because I worship Allah, and obedience is worship. I do not obey him; if I obeyed him in disobedience to Allah, I would be worshipping him along with Allah. Therefore, whoever obeys anyone in disobedience to Allah is worshipping him. Allah the Exalted said:
They took their rabbis
اتخذوا أحبارهمand their monks
ورهبانهمlords instead of Allah
أربابا من دون اللهO Messenger of Allah, we do not worship them. He said: Do they not make lawful what Allah has forbidden, and you make it lawful, and make forbidden what Allah has made lawful, and you make it forbidden? He said: Yes. He said: That is their worship.
يا رسول الله لسنا نعبدهم. قال : أليس يحلون ما حرم الله فتحلونه ويحرمون ما أحل الله فتحرمونه قال نعم قال تلك عبادتهمHe who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah
من يطع الرسول فقد أطاع اللهO you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you
يا أيها الذين آمنوا استجيبوا لله وللرسول إذا دعاكمwhen he calls you
لما يحييكمIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إياك نعبد وإياك نستعينThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Well done, perfect. Meaning, you seek help from Allah with what only Allah is capable of; this is not possible to seek help from other than Allah. But you seek help from a created being in what it is capable of, and this is permissible. Is it not the case that a person takes medicine while sick to be healed, and the Healer is Allah? But this is also a cause. So you say to so-and-so, "Help me," and he helps you; this is a cause, so it does not contradict His saying: