The Book of the Prayer of the Traveler and Its Shortening-06b
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The reciter: Yahya ibn Yahya narrated to us, saying: I read to Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu 'Abd Allah al-Aghr and from Abu Salama ibn 'Abd al-Rahman from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 758a.
And Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us...
The Shaykh : We begin by explaining the hadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, and he is the most truthful of creation in speech, the most knowledgeable of creation regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the most sincere of creation toward the community, and the clearest of creation in speech and eloquence. He said: "Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, to its end." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that Allah descends. And when an action is attributed to Allah, it is attributed to His own Self (Mighty and Majestic), not to another. In everything that has come in the Qur'an or the Sunnah, if something is attributed to Allah, it is to His own Self, regardless of which pronoun is used, whether it is the pronoun of absence likeSahih Muslim 758e, or the pronoun of address, or otherwise. The important point is that everything attributed to Allah, it is obligatory for us to believe that the intended meaning is what? His own Self. If we take the statement away from its apparent meaning, there must be evidence; otherwise, it is obligatory to leave it on its apparent meaning. Based on this, if we were asked: Does He descend with His own Self or something else?
The student: His own Self.
The Shaykh : He descends with His own Self. This is what is understood from the statement, and this is what the Companions understood, and they are the purest of people in minds and the strongest of them in intellect. They understood this and did not return to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to ask what it is that descends: is it His command, or an angel from His angels, or His mercy, or something similar? Never. They accepted the hadith. Pay attention, they accepted the hadith that it is Allah who descends to the lowest heaven. And is there any sin upon them if they believed that regarding their Lord?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Never, there is no sin upon them, because they would say in response to this: Your Messenger, who conveyed this hadith to us, and upon us is submission and belief, and not to go beyond what the speech of the Prophet (peace be upon him) indicates. What remains for us are estimations that the mind makes, especially in the present time. Some people say: He descends when the last third of the night remains. How can this estimation be possible when the last third of the night is still on the Earth? If it moves from one side, it settles on another side. Does that mean that Allah is descending to the lowest heaven all night, and also during the day, because the night on this side of the Earth is...
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : ...daytime for the other side? It is said that this objection is from innovations, a denounced innovation that is not permissible to raise, just as Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the one who said "He rose above the Throne, how did He rise?" He said: "This is an innovation." "I do not see you as anything but an innovator". Asking about this is an innovation, so we say that this is first of all an innovation, and we return this question to the face of its raiser, because He, Exalted and Glorified is He, descends while He is established above His Throne. So He descends to the lowest heaven as long as the last third of the night is on the face of the Earth. When the last third of the night leaves this Earth to another Earth, He becomes descending with respect to the other Earth, not descending with respect to the first Earth.
The student: The first one.
The Shaykh : The first one, and there is absolutely no problem with this. Second, some people ask, saying for example: He descends to the lowest heaven. If He descends, does He become in the heaven itself, and does the lowest heaven carry Him and the second heaven shade Him? We say: Glory be to Allah, this is a great slander. Who would imagine this imagination except one who does not attribute to Allah His due right? Is Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in need of the lowest heaven? Never, or else for what purpose did He create it? Rather, all of creation is in need of Him. And is it possible for the second heaven to be above Him?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : It is not possible. And if the seven heavens are in a palm, like a mustard seed in one of our palms, how can He be inside them? So this question is slapped in the face of its owner, and it is said that you are an innovator because the Companions did not ask about that, and that you are diminishing your Lord, you have not attributed to Him His due right, otherwise this imagination would not have occurred to you. Thirdly, some people say, then He says "Who is calling upon Me that I may respond to him?" Do people hear so that they can benefit from this statement? We say: Glory be to Allah, do you believe the Messenger or do you lie about him?
The student: We believe him.
The Shaykh : If he said he lies about him, we would seek his repentance; if he repents, otherwise we would cut off his neck. And if he said "I believe him," we would say: Thus the Messenger informed us, and we believe that Allah says that, even if we do not hear it. And it is not necessary that we hear it, because this is from the matters of the unseen, in which faith is not realized except by believing in them. For if faith were only in what is witnessed, faith would have no benefit, because what is witnessed is believed in even by donkeys. You see the wolf and you flee from it, or you stand until it eats you. So faith in the unseen is the true test of faith. We believe that Allah says this statement, and when we call upon Him in that hour, we imagine that He is saying "Who is calling upon Me" and that we are among those who call upon Him, if Allah wills. And for this reason, when the chests of some people became narrow regarding this hadith and regarding attributing to Allah His due right, they began to interpret it, and I seek refuge in Allah, or rather, more correctly, they began to distort it. They say that it is impossible for Allah to descend with His own Self. Are you more knowledgeable or the Messenger of Allah?
The student: The Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt, the Messenger of Allah. He says "He descends," and you say "It is impossible." And what is it that descends in your opinion? He said: "His mercy descends." We say to him: You are wrong. The mercy of Allah (the Exalted) descends at all times. The world has not been devoid of the mercy of Allah (Exalted and Glorified) for the blink of an eye. Then what benefit is there for us if the mercy descends to the heaven without reaching the Earth? No benefit. He said: "His command descends." ... This is also a calamity. The command of Allah (the Exalted) descends at all times and moments. Everything that exists or is destroyed is by His command (Mighty and Majestic)[Ya-Sin 36:82] [As-Sajdah 32:5]. Then who said that the limit of the command is the heaven? And Allah says [As-Sajdah 32:5]. They said: "An angel from His angels descends." An angel. It is said: Glory be to Allah, was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) unable to say "An angel from the angels of Allah descends" and say so? No, he was not unable. So why did he obscure it for the servants to whom he was sent and commanded to convey the clear message? Why did he obscure it and say "Our Lord descends" when he meant "An angel from His angels descends"?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : An angel from His angels. Is this anything but a slander against the Messenger (peace be upon him), and thereby a slander against Allah, where He did not reprimand His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) for this statement? Then we say, and this is a refutation of all that preceded: Is it possible for the command, or the mercy, or the angel to say to the servants of Allah: "Who is calling upon Me that I may respond to him?"
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Or is it not possible?
The student: It is not possible.
The Shaykh : It is not possible. It is not possible for any angel to say "Who is calling upon Me that I may respond to him." The angels (peace be upon them) disavow those who worshipped them, so how would they say to people "Call upon us"? And the result is that all these distortions revolve around judging by reason what Allah has informed about His Self and what His Messenger has informed about Him, and comparing the Creator to the created. For this reason, the deniers of attributes are likeners and deniers, because they first likened when they understood that the texts indicate likening, and then they denied. And the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) was truthful in his saying: "Every likening is a denial, and every denial is a likening".
The Shaykh : I seek forgiveness from Allah and I repent to Him. I seek forgiveness from Allah. Shall we begin?
The reciter: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon His servant and our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his Sahih, in the Book of the Prayer of the Traveler and its Shortening, in the Chapter on Encouraging Supplication and Remembrance in the Last Part of the Night and Response therein.
Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him?
ينزل ربنا تبارك وتعالى كل ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الأخر فيقول: من يدعوني فأستجيب له ومن يسألني فأعطيه ومن يستغفرني فأغفر لهAnd Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us...
The Shaykh : We begin by explaining the hadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, and he is the most truthful of creation in speech, the most knowledgeable of creation regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the most sincere of creation toward the community, and the clearest of creation in speech and eloquence. He said: "Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, to its end." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that Allah descends. And when an action is attributed to Allah, it is attributed to His own Self (Mighty and Majestic), not to another. In everything that has come in the Qur'an or the Sunnah, if something is attributed to Allah, it is to His own Self, regardless of which pronoun is used, whether it is the pronoun of absence like
He descends to the lowest heaven and says
ينزل ربنا إلى السماء الدنيا فيقولOur Lord descends
ينزل ربناThe student: His own Self.
The Shaykh : He descends with His own Self. This is what is understood from the statement, and this is what the Companions understood, and they are the purest of people in minds and the strongest of them in intellect. They understood this and did not return to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to ask what it is that descends: is it His command, or an angel from His angels, or His mercy, or something similar? Never. They accepted the hadith. Pay attention, they accepted the hadith that it is Allah who descends to the lowest heaven. And is there any sin upon them if they believed that regarding their Lord?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Never, there is no sin upon them, because they would say in response to this: Your Messenger, who conveyed this hadith to us, and upon us is submission and belief, and not to go beyond what the speech of the Prophet (peace be upon him) indicates. What remains for us are estimations that the mind makes, especially in the present time. Some people say: He descends when the last third of the night remains. How can this estimation be possible when the last third of the night is still on the Earth? If it moves from one side, it settles on another side. Does that mean that Allah is descending to the lowest heaven all night, and also during the day, because the night on this side of the Earth is...
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : ...daytime for the other side? It is said that this objection is from innovations, a denounced innovation that is not permissible to raise, just as Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the one who said "He rose above the Throne, how did He rise?" He said: "This is an innovation." "I do not see you as anything but an innovator". Asking about this is an innovation, so we say that this is first of all an innovation, and we return this question to the face of its raiser, because He, Exalted and Glorified is He, descends while He is established above His Throne. So He descends to the lowest heaven as long as the last third of the night is on the face of the Earth. When the last third of the night leaves this Earth to another Earth, He becomes descending with respect to the other Earth, not descending with respect to the first Earth.
The student: The first one.
The Shaykh : The first one, and there is absolutely no problem with this. Second, some people ask, saying for example: He descends to the lowest heaven. If He descends, does He become in the heaven itself, and does the lowest heaven carry Him and the second heaven shade Him? We say: Glory be to Allah, this is a great slander. Who would imagine this imagination except one who does not attribute to Allah His due right? Is Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in need of the lowest heaven? Never, or else for what purpose did He create it? Rather, all of creation is in need of Him. And is it possible for the second heaven to be above Him?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : It is not possible. And if the seven heavens are in a palm, like a mustard seed in one of our palms, how can He be inside them? So this question is slapped in the face of its owner, and it is said that you are an innovator because the Companions did not ask about that, and that you are diminishing your Lord, you have not attributed to Him His due right, otherwise this imagination would not have occurred to you. Thirdly, some people say, then He says "Who is calling upon Me that I may respond to him?" Do people hear so that they can benefit from this statement? We say: Glory be to Allah, do you believe the Messenger or do you lie about him?
The student: We believe him.
The Shaykh : If he said he lies about him, we would seek his repentance; if he repents, otherwise we would cut off his neck. And if he said "I believe him," we would say: Thus the Messenger informed us, and we believe that Allah says that, even if we do not hear it. And it is not necessary that we hear it, because this is from the matters of the unseen, in which faith is not realized except by believing in them. For if faith were only in what is witnessed, faith would have no benefit, because what is witnessed is believed in even by donkeys. You see the wolf and you flee from it, or you stand until it eats you. So faith in the unseen is the true test of faith. We believe that Allah says this statement, and when we call upon Him in that hour, we imagine that He is saying "Who is calling upon Me" and that we are among those who call upon Him, if Allah wills. And for this reason, when the chests of some people became narrow regarding this hadith and regarding attributing to Allah His due right, they began to interpret it, and I seek refuge in Allah, or rather, more correctly, they began to distort it. They say that it is impossible for Allah to descend with His own Self. Are you more knowledgeable or the Messenger of Allah?
The student: The Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt, the Messenger of Allah. He says "He descends," and you say "It is impossible." And what is it that descends in your opinion? He said: "His mercy descends." We say to him: You are wrong. The mercy of Allah (the Exalted) descends at all times. The world has not been devoid of the mercy of Allah (Exalted and Glorified) for the blink of an eye. Then what benefit is there for us if the mercy descends to the heaven without reaching the Earth? No benefit. He said: "His command descends." ... This is also a calamity. The command of Allah (the Exalted) descends at all times and moments. Everything that exists or is destroyed is by His command (Mighty and Majestic)
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إِنَّما أَمرُهُ إِذا أَرادَ شَيئًا أَن يَقولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكونُHe arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth
يُدَبِّرُ الأَمرَ مِنَ السَّماءِ إِلَى الأَرضِHe arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth
يُدَبِّرُ الأَمرَ مِنَ السَّماءِ إِلَى الأَرضِThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : An angel from His angels. Is this anything but a slander against the Messenger (peace be upon him), and thereby a slander against Allah, where He did not reprimand His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) for this statement? Then we say, and this is a refutation of all that preceded: Is it possible for the command, or the mercy, or the angel to say to the servants of Allah: "Who is calling upon Me that I may respond to him?"
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Or is it not possible?
The student: It is not possible.
The Shaykh : It is not possible. It is not possible for any angel to say "Who is calling upon Me that I may respond to him." The angels (peace be upon them) disavow those who worshipped them, so how would they say to people "Call upon us"? And the result is that all these distortions revolve around judging by reason what Allah has informed about His Self and what His Messenger has informed about Him, and comparing the Creator to the created. For this reason, the deniers of attributes are likeners and deniers, because they first likened when they understood that the texts indicate likening, and then they denied. And the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) was truthful in his saying: "Every likening is a denial, and every denial is a likening".
The Shaykh : I seek forgiveness from Allah and I repent to Him. I seek forgiveness from Allah. Shall we begin?
The reciter: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon His servant and our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his Sahih, in the Book of the Prayer of the Traveler and its Shortening, in the Chapter on Encouraging Supplication and Remembrance in the Last Part of the Night and Response therein.