And his saying: “Except Allah, it is not correct to parse Allah as the predicate of the negation, because the Divine Name Allah is a definite noun; rather, the grammarians say that it is the most definite of all definite nouns.”

The Shaykh : And his saying: It is not correct to parse as the predicate of the negation, because the Divine Name Allah is a definite noun; rather, the grammarians say that it is the most definite of all definite nouns.
And the negation of genus (la nafiyat al-genus) does not operate except with indefinite nouns. Accordingly, it is not correct to parse Allah as its predicate, because one of its conditions is that it operates with indefinite nouns.
So then, where is the predicate?
The predicate is omitted. Some estimated it to be: “There is no existing deity.” This estimation is not correct. Why? Because there exist deities other than Allah. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: , and He said: . So deities do exist.
And He said regarding the invalidity of the deities of the polytheists: . They call them deities, but are they deities in truth?
No. Accordingly, we say: Whoever estimates “There is no existing deity” has made a grave error from two aspects:
The first aspect: Reality refutes it, because there exist deities other than Allah.
The second aspect: If one says “There is no deity except Allah,” it necessitates that these deities are Allah, and this is a grave error. So what do we estimate?
We estimate what the Qur’an indicates: . So we estimate “truth” (haqq), and this is better than estimating “by truth” (bi-haqq), because if you estimate it as “by truth,” it necessitates that “by truth” is a preposition and its object, attached to an omitted word, and the estimation would be: “There is no existing deity by truth except Allah.” And whenever it is possible to avoid omission, that is preferable, especially since avoiding omission aligns with the Qur’an: . Accordingly, we estimate: “There is no true deity except Allah.”
So if someone says: Does that mean the meaning is not clear?
We say: It is clear. You say: “There is no standing man except Zayd.” Is that possible or not?
It is possible. “There is no standing man except Zayd.” We say: “Man” is its subject and “standing” is its predicate.
Accordingly, we say: The Divine Name Allah serves as a substitute for the omitted predicate. A substitute has the grammatical status of the word it substitutes. So in this case, the meaning is: There is no true deity except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And this is what is required.
: Is “alone” (wahdahu) an emphasis of affirmation or of negation? The student: Of affirmation.

The Shaykh : Of affirmation. It is an emphasis of affirmation.
is an emphasis of negation. And “truth” (haqq) is a word that, by its great meaning, deserves to be emphasized, indicating that Allah alone is the Truth, having no partner and no share in this divinity.
We say regarding “I bear witness” (ash-hadu) here what we said regarding the first “I bear witness.” And regarding “Muhammad” here: does it remain heavy (with the dammah) or is it lightened (with the kasrah)?
It remains heavy because it is correct to insert it into a nominal sentence: “I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.”
Muhammad is a common proper name among the genus of proper names. So who is he?
Yes, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him). It was not qualified with a description to specify him because he has filled the hearts. It is a name that is known to be so-and-so. A name does not specify the person itself, but it specifies the one named. And if the one named, for example, were ten people, would it be ambiguous or specific?
Ambiguous. But because his recognition is established in the hearts, the heart cannot turn to anyone else, which suffices for mentioning the descriptive attribute. So the intended meaning of Muhammad is: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, the Hashimi, the Qurashi (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him). And he has realized for us and for you the following of him.
: This is the most specific type of servitude, because servitude has types: General servitude: which is worshipping Allah (the Exalted) in a cosmic sense. Worshipping Allah in a cosmic sense encompasses all of creation. All of creation worships Allah in a cosmic sense; it is impossible for them to ever exit His obedience. Even the disbeliever? Even the disbeliever is a slave?
The student: In the general sense?

The Shaykh : Yes, in the general sense, in cosmic worship?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Yes, even the disbeliever is a slave to Allah. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: , . And this general servitude is not something for which a person is praised, because the person is compelled. Specific servitude: which is servitude by the Shari’ah, and it is worshipping Allah by His Shari’ah. This is what a person is praised for, and it is the basis of praise.
Servitude to Allah by the Shari’ah has categories, some more specific than others. So the servitude of the righteous is not like the servitude of the awliya (close friends of Allah), because the servitude of the awliya is more specific. The servitude of the awliya is not like the servitude of the prophets; the servitude of the prophets is more specific. The servitude of the prophets is not like the servitude of the messengers; the servitude of the messengers is more specific, because they are charged with conveying the message to the slaves of Allah and fighting for it if they are permitted to fight. From which type of servitude did the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) describe himself?
From the most specific of the specific. Rather, he (peace and blessings be upon him) and his brothers among the Ulul ‘Azm (those of determined resolve) are the most specific type of servitude. So look at his deeds (peace and blessings be upon him); what does he do?
He mentioned seeking forgiveness, prayer, charity, and giving, with no parallel. So much so that when he (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray until his feet would crack, he was told about it, and he said: . Meaning, this is complete servitude. As for the message, let it be mentioned without hesitation:
He would go out to the people in their homelands, calling them to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and return while they had bled his heels and not responded to him, and yet he was patient.
And his going out to the people of Ta’if and calling them, then their insulting him until they threw stones at him and bled his heels, then he returned and did not regain consciousness until the valley of Thaqalib. And the angel of the mountains came to him, greeting him and saying: . Now the matter is in his hand by the permission of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If he had willed, he would have ordered the angel of the mountains to crush them with the two mountains, but what did he say?
He said: I am patient. . And this happened.
Do you find anyone more patient than this?
Even fitrah and nature require that a person take revenge on these people and their like, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) never takes revenge for himself; rather, his command is for Allah. So he is characterized by the most perfect type of servitude.
means the one sent by Him, by Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So he is a messenger from Allah to whom?
To the jinn and the humans, to all people, from Jews and Christians to polytheists and atheists, to all of creation.
And was he sent to the angels or not?
This is a place where there is no need to investigate it, but he was sent to the jinn and the humans. So the jinn and the humans are all obligated to accept his message and testify to his messengership.
How beautiful is the word said by the Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), who said: “He is a slave who is not worshipped, and a messenger who does not lie”. This is a very good phrase, and its visualization is easy, and it is comprehensive: “He is a slave who is not worshipped, and a messenger who does not lie”. And we will come to the benefits of this hadith in the research, if Allah wills: that people have become two sides and a middle:
One side worshipped him, and one side lied about him, and the middle are those who worshipped Allah by his message and believed in him. These are the middle. –The questions are announced as they come in, or not? Or do you want us to continue with the explanation?– So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: :
Always in the Noble Qur’an, Allah refers to these two testimonies in several places. We will mention one place and you can extrapolate the rest. Allah (the Exalted) said: . This includes the testimony to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), where His saying, which is His speech, affirms the oneness of Allah. : This is the testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And this occurs frequently in the Qur’an, that Allah mentions first what includes the oneness of Allah, then what includes the messengership.
His saying: : : It is known that Paradise is not on earth, and that the speaker does not see it or see its gates. But when the news comes from the Truthful and the One who makes others truthful, what is our position regarding it?
That we believe in it more than we believe in what we see with our eyes, because the eye may err, and the news of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not err. And it is obligatory for us to believe in this unseen matter, and that when a person purifies himself and completes the wudu’ and says this: the gates of Paradise will be opened for him.
So what is the consequence of their opening?
The consequence of opening it for him is that Allah facilitates for him all the deeds by which one enters these gates. You know that the gates of Paradise include: a gate for prayer, a gate for fasting, a gate for charity, and a gate for jihad, as mentioned in the hadith. Thus, the implication of this is that Allah the Exalted facilitates for this person who completed his ablution with tawhid, which is the purity of the heart, the deeds by which he enters the eight gates of Paradise, entering whichever one he wishes.
" It was narrated by Muslim and al-Tirmidhi, and al-Tirmidhi added:

O Allah! Make me among the repentant, and make me among those who purify themselves.

اللهم اجعلني من التوابين واجعلني من المتطهرين

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 55Da'if (Darussalam)

" :
meaning, O Allah, that is: make me one of those who repent, who frequently repent from every sin they have committed.
Those who purified their bodies and their hearts, and this is derived from the saying of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He: .
So if Allah makes you one of the repentant and the purified, then you will thereby attain the love of Allah, yes.
The student : Shaykh, may Allah reward you, we previously passed through the point that the eight gates of Paradise are entered through the gate of fasting by those who fast the most.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student : And those who fast the most, and there are many people who say this phrase, "righteous deeds," does this have a counterpart, meaning, is it included in his statement, and is he among those who enter them?

The Shaykh : The reality is that this question comes after mentioning the benefits, but there is no harm in answering it:
All the causes mentioned in the Book and the Sunnah are true, but there are obstacles. The obstacles in righteous deeds may be from the aspect of the heart and its sincerity, or from the aspect of following the Sunnah, and the like. Even in worldly matters, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Is that not so?
And yet, many sick people use them as treatment and do not benefit from them. This is not a negation of the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it is due to the presence of an obstacle. So these matters are important, or this issue you raised is important. We must believe that the worldly and religious causes that Allah has made causes are true, and if they fail, it is either due to a deficiency in the cause or the presence of an obstacle. Yes, yes, Yahya?
The student : May Allah reward you, the saying of Allah the Exalted: "The repentant" is a form of exaggeration.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student : Does one who repented once fall under this?

The Shaykh : No, he falls under it, and even more so. The repentant are those who repent; a person does not repent except from a sin. So if he sins and repents, sins and repents, sins and repents, sins and repents, Allah loves him. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed about a man who committed a sin and then repented to Allah. Then his self overcame him afterwards, so he did it and repented to Allah. Then his self overcame him the third time, so he did it and repented to Allah. So Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: And in another wording: : This is from one aspect. From another aspect: the form of exaggeration may be considered in terms of the multitude of those who repent, not the multitude of repentance from one person. Did you understand? Good.
Yes, good?
The student : His saying: .

The Shaykh : What?
The student : His saying to the man who saw a gleam on his foot.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student : ... for a long period, and it is known that if the continuity is prolonged ... ?

The Shaykh : It is possible that he performed ablution around the mosque, or the Messenger saw him outside the mosque, or it may have been during one of his travels, he finished his ablution and immediately saw it.
The student : O Shaykh, this supports the third opinion.

The Shaykh : What is it?
The student : The first possibility is that the continuity was prolonged, meaning between the command to perform ablution and the command to repeat it, so the meaning is just excellence, meaning, go back and perfect the ablution of the limb.

The Shaykh : Yes, I advise you and your brothers not to look at the texts with a squinted eye, lest you be misguided. The other hadiths that say: are explicit in that he commanded him to repeat it.
And we said in the explanation that "excellence" may mean excellence in the entire ablution, so he starts from the beginning, and it may mean completion or perfection. And you see that those who went astray among people, even in matters of creed, did so through this path: that a person looks at the texts from one side only. The people of likening Allah to creation likened Allah to His creation; what did they look at?
They looked at the texts of affirmation, and the people of denial of the divine attributes looked from one side only, which is the texts of transcendence or the negation of likening. So the important thing is that I advise you not to look at the texts from one side only. The Shari'ah is one; some of it restricts some of it, and some of it specifies some of it. Yes?
The student : May Allah reward you, in our saying, if "was" is followed by an imperfect verb, it usually indicates continuity.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student : It usually indicates continuity. Does it mean that some of the evidence where the verb "was" and the imperfect verb are used indicates continuity, so we usually continue with it in this case?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is usually yes. It usually indicates generality and continuity.
The student : Usually related.

The Shaykh : It usually indicates continuity, and it may come for other than continuity. Yes?
The student : The Messenger of Allah used to perform ablution with a mudd. Does this indicate that the water was very little? So did he always perform ablution once?

The Shaykh : That is the usual case. The usual case is that he performed ablution with a mudd.
The student : And once?

The Shaykh : How?
The student : Is the ablution usually done once?

The Shaykh : You cannot say that. A person can take a small amount and say "like this" and let it flow. But the reason we find this strange is that we are not accustomed to it. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: He used to perform ablution and there was not a drop under his ablution. We are not accustomed to this. Is that all?