Explanation of the Book of Tawhid-06a

The reciter: Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us, and Hammad ibn Yazid narrated to us from Ayyub from Abu Usman from Abu Musa, who said: .

The Shaykh : This hadith states: Abu Musa is 'Abd Allah ibn Qays , and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had taught them that when they ascended, they should say Allahu Akbar, and when they descended into a valley, they should say Subhan Allah. The connection here is apparent, for ascending is rising, and when a person rises, he sees pride in himself, so he says Allahu Akbar. When he descends, descending is going down, and going down is a decrease, so it is appropriate to say Subhan Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So when you descend into a valley, say: Subhan Allah, and when you ascend, say: Allahu Akbar. Similarly, as it appears, an airplane says Allahu Akbar when it takes off and Subhan Allah when it lands, because this descent is downward. They were saying Allahu Akbar, but they were raising their voices and overburdening themselves with the takbir. So he said: , meaning, be gentle with it, do not overburden it. Here he said, "You are not calling out," and did not say, "You are not saying Allahu Akbar," to one who is deaf. This is because dhikr (remembrance) includes du'a (supplication), for the one who remembers Allah, why does he do so? For what purpose? So that He rewards him for it. Thus, it is a supplication by the state of one's condition. If you asked the one who remembers Allah why he remembers Him, he would say: "So that He rewards me for it." He said, "You are not calling out." It is also possible that they were saying Allahu Akbar and making du'a, so the du'a was omitted from the takbir, and the takbir was mentioned. However, the first interpretation is closer: that dhikr is du'a, because the one who remembers Allah calls upon Allah the Exalted by the state of his condition. means, He does not hear unless you raise your voices to Him. And He is not absent, hidden from your condition; rather, you are calling upon One who is Hearing and Seeing. "Hearing" is the opposite of "deaf," and "Seeing" is the opposite of "blind." Here, blindness was not mentioned, but it was mentioned in the second part, for Allah the Exalted always pairs His saying "Hearing" with "Seeing." The meaning of hearing is perceiving what is heard, and the meaning of seeing is perceiving what is seen. "Near" is the opposite of "absent." You are calling upon One who is Hearing, Seeing, and Near. In another wording, , and they were on their mounts, so He is closer than the neck of the mount (Mighty and Majestic). In this hadith is what is in the chapter title, which is His saying: "Hearing, Seeing." The chapter . And His saying: "Seeing." The One who is Seeing is the One who perceives what is seen, so He (Exalted and Majestic is He) is not hidden from anything He perceives. And His saying: "Near." Is the meaning of nearness nearness by His Essence, or is the meaning of nearness nearness by His Knowledge? If we take the wording at its apparent meaning, we say that He is near by His Essence. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) stated this in his book *Al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah* that it is nearness by Essence, that He is near by His Essence. But a difficulty arises for us: if He is near by His Essence, is He not above His Throne? So how can this be reconciled? We say that the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) do not resemble the attributes of the created beings. Therefore, the Shaykh al-Islam said in *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*: "Indeed, Allah is Near in His Highness, and He is Near in His Closeness". So He (Mighty and Majestic) combines highness and nearness, and it is a true nearness. The principle is that everything attributed to Allah is attributed to His Essence; this is the principle. But it becomes a concomitant of things, for example, His nearness necessitates His knowledge, His hearing, His seeing, His management, and other concomitants of Lordship. Then "in my self" means I do not utter it with my tongue: "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah." "La hawla" is a compound sentence consisting of "la" (the negator of genus) and its subject. So where is its predicate? Its predicate is omitted, meaning: there is no power existing, and no strength existing, except with Allah. What is the meaning of "hawla" (power) and what is the meaning of "quwwah" (strength)? The meaning of "hawla" is transitioning from one state to another, so we have no transition from one state to another except with Allah. Strength is known, the opposite of weakness, and we have no strength either except with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The "ba" (with) here is for causality or for assistance. The meaning is: we are not able to transition, nor are we able to be strong in that, except with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And this phrase is a phrase of seeking help, not a phrase of seeking refuge (istirja'), contrary to the usage of the common people, for the common people use it for istirja'. So when a person is struck by a calamity, he says: "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah." But the correct thing is that when you are struck by a calamity, you say: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" (Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return). However, there is a basis for their usage of it, as if they are seeking help with it to bear patience and receive the calamity. But what was transmitted, which is istirja', is better and more excellent. He said to me: , and he is Abu Musa al-Ash'ari. It is necessary for a person, when a significant matter befalls him, to say: "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah," because it is a phrase of seeking help. For this reason, we say in the response to the mu'adhdhin when he says: "Hayya 'ala al-salah, hayya 'ala al-falah" (Hasten to prayer, hasten to success), we say: "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah."