What is the meaning of the phrase used by one who says to the one who commits sins: "So-and-so has fallen from the eye of Allah"?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, regarding the phrase used by one who says: When we disobey Allah, the Exalted, and stray from what Allah has commanded, we fall from the eye of Allah, the Exalted?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : We fall from the eye of Allah.
The Shaykh : The Arabs use this phrase to mean that a person’s status and standing with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, diminish. They do not mean that the person was in the eye of Allah and then fell out of it; that never occurs to them. Rather, by saying "he has fallen from the eye of Allah," they mean that his rank with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has decreased.
Some distinguished scholars who are certain in their knowledge of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and creed—knowledge that many people, and indeed many scholars, do not reach—may use this phrase. This is the intended meaning.
If the intended meaning is known and there is no ambiguity of any kind regarding falsehood, there is no harm in using the expression, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when Mu'adh said to him:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 65:415.
You see that this is a supplication against him, wishing that his mother would lose him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend this. Rather, he used an expression that the Arabs use to mean urging and exhorting adherence to this matter.
Some scholars say that the meaning ofSunan Ibn Majah 3973Hasan (Darussalam) is "if you do not restrain your tongue," because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . However, the first meaning is the correct one. Similarly, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Sahih al-Bukhari 5090.
The meaning of this phrase is that your hands have become so poor that they are stuck to the dust, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not intend this, because he is urging the seizing of the one with religion. It is not possible for him to supplicate for poverty against him. Rather, the intended meaning of this phrase is the urging to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to, which is seizing the one with religion. Yes.
The questioner : A third question is possible.
The Shaykh : It will be your turn after this, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : We fall from the eye of Allah.
The Shaykh : The Arabs use this phrase to mean that a person’s status and standing with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, diminish. They do not mean that the person was in the eye of Allah and then fell out of it; that never occurs to them. Rather, by saying "he has fallen from the eye of Allah," they mean that his rank with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has decreased.
Some distinguished scholars who are certain in their knowledge of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and creed—knowledge that many people, and indeed many scholars, do not reach—may use this phrase. This is the intended meaning.
If the intended meaning is known and there is no ambiguity of any kind regarding falsehood, there is no harm in using the expression, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when Mu'adh said to him:
O Messenger of Allah, are we to be held accountable for what we speak? He said: May your mother lose you, O Mu'adh! Do people not fall into the Fire on their faces, or he said: on their snouts, except by the harvest of their tongues?
يا رسول الله إنا لمؤاخذون بما نتكلم به ؟ قال : ثكلتك أمك يا معاذ وهل يكب الناس في النار على وجوههم أو قال : على مناخرهم إلا حصائد ألسنتهمYou see that this is a supplication against him, wishing that his mother would lose him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend this. Rather, he used an expression that the Arabs use to mean urging and exhorting adherence to this matter.
Some scholars say that the meaning of
May your mother not found you, O Mu’adh
ثكلتك أمك يا معاذShall I inform you of the master key of that whole matter? He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. So he took hold of his own tongue and said: Restrain this.
ألا أخبرك بملاك ذلك كله ؟ قال : بلى يا رسول الله فأخذ بلسان نفسه وقال : كف عليك هذاA woman is married for four things, i.e., her wealth, her family status, her beauty and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman (otherwise) you will be a losers.
تنكح المرأة لأربع : لمالها وحسبها وجمالها ودينها فاظفر بذات الدين تربت يداكThe meaning of this phrase is that your hands have become so poor that they are stuck to the dust, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not intend this, because he is urging the seizing of the one with religion. It is not possible for him to supplicate for poverty against him. Rather, the intended meaning of this phrase is the urging to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to, which is seizing the one with religion. Yes.
The questioner : A third question is possible.
The Shaykh : It will be your turn after this, if Allah wills.