Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on the Saying of Allah the Exalted: “They suppose about Allah other than the truth, the supposition of the age of ignorance. They say, ‘Is there any share of the command for us?’ Say, ‘Indeed, the entire command belongs to Allah.”
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The Shaykh : Then the author said: “The Chapter on the Saying of Allah the Exalted [Ali 'Imran 3:154]” The pronoun in “they suppose” refers to the hypocrites. *Zann* (supposition) is the weaker probability. However, *zann* can also be used to mean certainty, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted [Al-Baqarah 2:46]. Here, “they suppose” means “they are certain,” but originally, *zann* is the stronger probability, and its opposite is the weaker probability. The weaker probability is called *zann*, and the two are [Ali 'Imran 3:154]. Then he clarified this supposition by saying . Thus, “the supposition of the age of ignorance” is an explanatory apposition to his saying , meaning that it is a false supposition based on ignorance. So, *jahiliyyah* here means the state or condition of ignorance. That is, they suppose about Allah a supposition of the state of ignorance in which the one who supposes does not know the magnitude of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His greatness. So they did not attribute to Allah what is due to Him in His magnitude. Know that supposition about Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is of two types: the first is to suppose good of Allah, and the second is to suppose evil of Allah.
As for the first, it has two aspects: the first aspect relates to what He does to you, and the second aspect relates to what He does in this universe. As for the second type, it is obligatory for you to suppose the best of Allah in what He (Glorified and Exalted is He) does in this universe, such that you believe that He did not do it except for a profound wisdom, which the intellects may or may not reach. If you consider all the actions of Allah that you observe in the universe to be based on good supposition of Him, then the greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His wisdom in determining them will become clear to you. Do not suppose that when Allah does something in the universe, He did it out of a bad intention. Rather, you must suppose the best of Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). As for the aspect relating to you, supposition of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) must be based on the best supposition, but on the condition that you have the reason that necessitates that good supposition. If you suppose good of Allah while you are negligent, lax, and not fulfilling His obligation, then this is not good supposition of Allah; rather, it is the supposition of the one who is careless and reckless. This is not from good supposition of Allah, because if you supposed that Allah would reward you while you persist in His disobedience, would that be good supposition of Allah? No, that is bad supposition of Allah, because the wisdom of Allah rejects such a thing. If you supposed and said, “I have the best supposition of Allah, and I neglect the obligations, commit the forbidden, and have the best supposition of Allah that He will forgive me and have mercy on me,” and so on, we would say this is a supposition in the wrong place. Rather, it is bad supposition of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because you are wanting Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to contradict the requirement of wisdom. But if you do the action you are commanded to do and leave what you are forbidden from, then that is the place for good supposition of Allah. If you worship Allah (the Exalted) in accordance with His Shari'ah with sincerity to Him, then you now have two possibilities: the possibility that Allah accepts from you, and the possibility that Allah does not accept. What is the good supposition in this? It is to suppose that Allah (the Exalted) accepts, as long as you have acted according to what He prescribed for you with sincerity to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). At that point, the station of good supposition comes. So you must have good supposition of Allah and not have bad supposition. Do not say, “By Allah, I am not worthy that Allah should accept from me.” That is a mistake. Do not look at yourself; look at the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and have good supposition of Him. You committed a great sin and repented from it. Now you have two matters: the possibility that Allah accepted from you, and the possibility that Allah did not accept. What is good supposition of Allah? That He accepted from you, because you did what was obligatory upon you, which is ceasing from this disobedience and repenting to Allah (the Exalted) from it. This is good supposition of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding what He does to you. As for what He does with the creation, we mentioned a little while ago that everything He does, you must have good supposition of Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) regarding it, and that He did not do it except for wisdom. And in the authentic hadith, Allah (the Exalted) saidSahih al-Bukhari 7405 Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. It is interpreted as bad supposition of themselves, not of Allah. That is, they may see that they are negligent and have not fulfilled what is obligatory upon them. They fear that they have not fulfilled the obligation. As for when a person has done what is obligatory, what Allah made obligatory upon him, then he should have good supposition of Allah. Yes.
The questioner : ... Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon ...
The Shaykh : Yes, it has signs. Among its signs is the expansion of the heart and its tranquility, loving what is right, and hating what is wrong. Yes, and the ease of obedience for the person. All of these are signs of acceptance. So, how do we divide good supposition of Allah? We say: good supposition of Allah regarding His general action. This is obligatory upon us to have good supposition of Allah in everything He does, even in what He decrees of matters that are considered evil for us, such as disasters and catastrophes and the like. Because we know that He did it for a great wisdom, so in this regard, it is good. As for what He does to us in the specific regard, if it is from the category of divine decree and destiny, like the first, we must have good supposition of Allah, even if we are afflicted, for example, with poverty or illness or the loss of wealth or the loss of family. We must have good supposition of Allah in this, and that Allah did not decree it upon us except for wisdom. But what is from the category of reward for deeds, that is what needs what? It needs detail. If the person has done what he should do in that, he is commanded with what? With good supposition of Allah. But if he has not done it, how does he have good supposition of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He will reward him while he has not worked? Rather, good supposition of Allah in such a state is that you believe that you are not worthy that He should reward you, that you are not worthy of His reward. Otherwise, every person would be careless and say, “Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, I have good supposition of Allah.” So, do what is the cause of good supposition. Yes.
The questioner : How to reconcile the fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed 'Umar that he is among the people of Paradise
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And he fears ...
The Shaykh : That is, he fears that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed him based on his state in those days, and then something occurred that necessitates that he fear hypocrisy. And for this, 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that he had three states: the state of disbelief, the state of faith, and the third state when the world was opened to them. So he feared for himself when the world was opened. So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed me of that based on what he knew of my state before, but now I have taken charge, I have taken charge of the affairs of the nation and its matters, and I was responsible for them, so I fear that there may be hypocrisy in me.” Yes.
The questioner : So, we said that he improved his work and fulfilled what was upon him, so he should have good supposition of Allah that He accepted it.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And these Companions are the best of people in the fear of Allah regarding their work. How do they say such words ...
The Shaykh : They do so because they suspect themselves.
The questioner : So, what is the limit by which a person knows from himself whether he suspects or does not suspect?
The Shaykh : For example, if you get up and perform wudu' for prayer, a prescribed wudu', and you enter into prayer and establish it according to what is prescribed, then at that point, have good supposition of Allah. And likewise, if you supplicate to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with a supplication asking for a matter, then I have good supposition of Allah that He will answer me, because the one who is guided to supplication is guided to the answer[Ghafir 40:60]. And were it not for this hope that a person has from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the person would not be motivated to work, but he has good supposition of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). For this reason, he said ... Sahih Muslim 2877c Yes.
The questioner : Is it excluded from ... if the reality, for example, is ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Is it excluded ... the removal of this ...
The Shaykh : No, it is acted upon, it is acted upon, because Allah (the Exalted), as He said, shows you His might and reveals His kindness, and shows you (Glorified and Exalted is He) the wisdom in what He casts upon you of evils. But He also shows you His kindness in what He decrees of causes that alleviate that thing.
thinking of Allah other than the truth - the thought of ignorance, saying, "Is there anything for us [to have done] in this matter?" Say, "Indeed, the matter belongs completely to Allah."
يظنون بالله غير الحق ظن الجاهلية يقولون هل لنا من الأمر من شيء قل إن الأمر كله للهWho are certain that they will meet their Lord
الذين يظنون أنهم ملاقوا ربهمthinking of Allah other than the truth
يظنون بالله غير الحقthe supposition of the age of ignorance
ظن الجاهليةother than the truth
غير الحقAs for the first, it has two aspects: the first aspect relates to what He does to you, and the second aspect relates to what He does in this universe. As for the second type, it is obligatory for you to suppose the best of Allah in what He (Glorified and Exalted is He) does in this universe, such that you believe that He did not do it except for a profound wisdom, which the intellects may or may not reach. If you consider all the actions of Allah that you observe in the universe to be based on good supposition of Him, then the greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His wisdom in determining them will become clear to you. Do not suppose that when Allah does something in the universe, He did it out of a bad intention. Rather, you must suppose the best of Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). As for the aspect relating to you, supposition of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) must be based on the best supposition, but on the condition that you have the reason that necessitates that good supposition. If you suppose good of Allah while you are negligent, lax, and not fulfilling His obligation, then this is not good supposition of Allah; rather, it is the supposition of the one who is careless and reckless. This is not from good supposition of Allah, because if you supposed that Allah would reward you while you persist in His disobedience, would that be good supposition of Allah? No, that is bad supposition of Allah, because the wisdom of Allah rejects such a thing. If you supposed and said, “I have the best supposition of Allah, and I neglect the obligations, commit the forbidden, and have the best supposition of Allah that He will forgive me and have mercy on me,” and so on, we would say this is a supposition in the wrong place. Rather, it is bad supposition of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because you are wanting Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to contradict the requirement of wisdom. But if you do the action you are commanded to do and leave what you are forbidden from, then that is the place for good supposition of Allah. If you worship Allah (the Exalted) in accordance with His Shari'ah with sincerity to Him, then you now have two possibilities: the possibility that Allah accepts from you, and the possibility that Allah does not accept. What is the good supposition in this? It is to suppose that Allah (the Exalted) accepts, as long as you have acted according to what He prescribed for you with sincerity to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). At that point, the station of good supposition comes. So you must have good supposition of Allah and not have bad supposition. Do not say, “By Allah, I am not worthy that Allah should accept from me.” That is a mistake. Do not look at yourself; look at the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and have good supposition of Him. You committed a great sin and repented from it. Now you have two matters: the possibility that Allah accepted from you, and the possibility that Allah did not accept. What is good supposition of Allah? That He accepted from you, because you did what was obligatory upon you, which is ceasing from this disobedience and repenting to Allah (the Exalted) from it. This is good supposition of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding what He does to you. As for what He does with the creation, we mentioned a little while ago that everything He does, you must have good supposition of Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) regarding it, and that He did not do it except for wisdom. And in the authentic hadith, Allah (the Exalted) said
I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they
أنا عند ظن عبدي بي وأنا معه إذا ذكرني فإن ذكرني في نفسه ذكرته في نفسي وإن ذكرني في ملأ ذكرته في ملأ خير منهمThe questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. It is interpreted as bad supposition of themselves, not of Allah. That is, they may see that they are negligent and have not fulfilled what is obligatory upon them. They fear that they have not fulfilled the obligation. As for when a person has done what is obligatory, what Allah made obligatory upon him, then he should have good supposition of Allah. Yes.
The questioner : ... Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon ...
The Shaykh : Yes, it has signs. Among its signs is the expansion of the heart and its tranquility, loving what is right, and hating what is wrong. Yes, and the ease of obedience for the person. All of these are signs of acceptance. So, how do we divide good supposition of Allah? We say: good supposition of Allah regarding His general action. This is obligatory upon us to have good supposition of Allah in everything He does, even in what He decrees of matters that are considered evil for us, such as disasters and catastrophes and the like. Because we know that He did it for a great wisdom, so in this regard, it is good. As for what He does to us in the specific regard, if it is from the category of divine decree and destiny, like the first, we must have good supposition of Allah, even if we are afflicted, for example, with poverty or illness or the loss of wealth or the loss of family. We must have good supposition of Allah in this, and that Allah did not decree it upon us except for wisdom. But what is from the category of reward for deeds, that is what needs what? It needs detail. If the person has done what he should do in that, he is commanded with what? With good supposition of Allah. But if he has not done it, how does he have good supposition of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He will reward him while he has not worked? Rather, good supposition of Allah in such a state is that you believe that you are not worthy that He should reward you, that you are not worthy of His reward. Otherwise, every person would be careless and say, “Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, I have good supposition of Allah.” So, do what is the cause of good supposition. Yes.
The questioner : How to reconcile the fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed 'Umar that he is among the people of Paradise
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And he fears ...
The Shaykh : That is, he fears that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed him based on his state in those days, and then something occurred that necessitates that he fear hypocrisy. And for this, 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that he had three states: the state of disbelief, the state of faith, and the third state when the world was opened to them. So he feared for himself when the world was opened. So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed me of that based on what he knew of my state before, but now I have taken charge, I have taken charge of the affairs of the nation and its matters, and I was responsible for them, so I fear that there may be hypocrisy in me.” Yes.
The questioner : So, we said that he improved his work and fulfilled what was upon him, so he should have good supposition of Allah that He accepted it.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And these Companions are the best of people in the fear of Allah regarding their work. How do they say such words ...
The Shaykh : They do so because they suspect themselves.
The questioner : So, what is the limit by which a person knows from himself whether he suspects or does not suspect?
The Shaykh : For example, if you get up and perform wudu' for prayer, a prescribed wudu', and you enter into prayer and establish it according to what is prescribed, then at that point, have good supposition of Allah. And likewise, if you supplicate to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with a supplication asking for a matter, then I have good supposition of Allah that He will answer me, because the one who is guided to supplication is guided to the answer
And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you."
وقال ربكم ادعوني أستجب لكمNone of you should die but hoping only good from Allah
لا يموتن أحدكم إلا وهو يحسن الظن بربهThe questioner : Is it excluded from ... if the reality, for example, is ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Is it excluded ... the removal of this ...
The Shaykh : No, it is acted upon, it is acted upon, because Allah (the Exalted), as He said, shows you His might and reveals His kindness, and shows you (Glorified and Exalted is He) the wisdom in what He casts upon you of evils. But He also shows you His kindness in what He decrees of causes that alleviate that thing.