Explanation of the Book of Tawhid-52
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The Shaykh : Then he said: "And from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that some people said: O Messenger of Allah, O our best one, and son of our best one, and our master, and son of our master" "O Messenger of Allah": This is a good form of address. [An-Nur 24:63] The meaning is: Do not address him as you address one another, saying O Muhammad, but say O Messenger of Allah, O Prophet of Allah. The other meaning in the verse is: [An-Nur 24:63] meaning, when the Messenger calls you, do not make his call like the call of one person to another, where you may answer if you wish or not answer if you wish. It is like His saying: [Al-Anfal 8:24] The important point is that their saying "O Messenger of Allah" is a sound and good form of address. "O our best one" is correct, for he is their best one. "And son of our best one"
The student: No.
The Shaykh : This is not correct, because the father of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not a Muslim. But if they meant by "best" the nobility of lineage, then this is correct, because the father of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was from Banu Hashim, and they are the nobles of Quraysh and their masters. And we say the same regarding "our master, and son of our master. He said:" Say what you say, which is what you addressed me with first, and that is
The student: O Messenger of Allah
The Shaykh :"O Messenger of Allah" The evidence is his saying:Sahih Muslim 1780c and his saying: So you love him and follow his paths. Similar to that is the saying of the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:71] Yes, he said: Sahih Muslim 1780c (peace and blessings be upon him). These two descriptions are the most eloquent, noblest, and best description by which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is characterized. Therefore, Allah the Exalted described His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with servitude in the greatest stations. He mentioned it in the station of revelation, the revelation of the Qur'an to him, as in His saying: [Al-Furqan 25:1] He mentioned it in the station of the Night Journey: [Al-Isra 17:1] He mentioned it in the station of the Ascension: [An-Najm 53:8-10] He mentioned it in the station of defending him, saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:23] Yes, and Allah described His prophets with that, with servitude, in the station of praising them: [Al-Isra 17:3] There is no doubt that servitude to Allah is among the greatest attributes of a person, for a person either worships Allah or worships Satan. Allah Mighty and Majestic said in Surat Yasin: [Ya-Sin 36:60] And what is its opposite? So a person must worship something, either Allah or Satan, just as he must fight, either in the path of Allah or in the path of the taghut and Satan. Ibn al-Qayyim said in al-Nuniyyah (may Allah have mercy on him):
"They fled from the slavery for which they were created *** So they tasted the slavery of the self and Satan"
We seek refuge in Allah. The slavery for which they were created is the worship of Allah, and they fled from it. But did they become free? Never. They tasted the slavery of the self and Satan. We ask Allah for well-being. So the noblest attribute of a person is to be a servant of Allah. I ask Allah to make me and you among His righteous servants.
The student: Amen.
The Shaykh : This is the noblest description for a person, and the poet says about his beloved:
"Do not address me except as O your servant *** For it is the noblest of my names"
I seek refuge in Allah. He says: Do not say O so-and-so, O servant of Allah, O Muhammad, O Khalid, O Sulayman. No, say O servant of so-and-so. We do not know what the name of his beloved is. Yes, "For it is the noblest of my names" So we have understood that worship of the Beloved is among the attributes that the worshiper loves, is that not so? And with regard to Allah, it is the noblest attribute for a person to be a servant of Allah.
He said: This is also among his noblest attributes, because the Messenger of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is at the peak of the righteous classes. [An-Nisa 4:69] And the prophets include the messengers, indeed they are the best of them, and the best of the messengers are the Men of Resolve, and the best of the Men of Resolve is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Muhammad. Is it possible to find a description nobler than these two descriptions: a servant of Allah and a messenger of Allah? And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, chose him from among all creation to convey this great message. And Allah says: [Al-An'am 6:124] So the messengers are worthy of the message because they possess a devotion to Allah and a bearing of the harm of Allah's servants that others do not have. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I do not like... I am Muhammad, the servant of Allah. I am Muhammad, that is his name. Servant of Allah is his description, and His Messenger is also his description. And among the phrases of the author (may Allah have mercy on him), the Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, the Shaykh of Islam, he says: "He is a servant who is not worshipped, and a messenger who does not lie" Yes, and two groups have gone to extremes regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). One group exaggerated in his regard until they worshipped him and made him a partner to Allah in times of ease and hardship, and their worship of him became a worship alongside Allah, and they called upon him alongside Allah. And another group lied about him and denied him, claiming that he was a liar, a sorcerer, a soothsayer, a poet, and a madman. And those upon whom Allah bestowed favor took the middle path and said: He is the servant of Allah and the Messenger of Allah. So he is a servant who is not worshipped, and a messenger who does not lie. Then he said, (peace and blessings be upon him): As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 64:726 "Ma" is a negation, and the object is "An" and what it entered upon is in the sense of a source noun, the object of "I love." Meaning, I do not like for you to raise me above my status, not in words, not in titles, not in circumstances, never. Do not make me a god alongside Allah who removes harm and brings good, and do not lower me below my status in titles, names, and descriptions. For this reason, he forbade us to exaggerate in his regard as the Christians exaggerated in the regard of Jesus, son of Mary. And his saying: It is derived from this that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the One who grants excellence to His servants, placing them in their stations, or not? And this is clear in the hadith, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) protected the side of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) with the utmost protection, even in words.
The connection of the chapter to tawhid in the Book of Tawhid is apparent. What is the connection?
The student: Protecting tawhid
The Shaykh : Protecting tawhid, and tawhid is to be protected from every angle, even in words. Yes.
Then he said: "Chapter on what came regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted", there are issues in it.
Do not make [your] calling of the Messenger among yourselves as the call of one of you to another.
لا تجعلوا دعاء الرسول بينكم كدعاء بعضكم بعضاDo not make [your] calling of the
لا تجعلوا دعاء الرسولO you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life
يا أيها الذين آمنوا استجيبوا لله وللرسول إذا دعاكم لما يحييكمThe student: No.
The Shaykh : This is not correct, because the father of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not a Muslim. But if they meant by "best" the nobility of lineage, then this is correct, because the father of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was from Banu Hashim, and they are the nobles of Quraysh and their masters. And we say the same regarding "our master, and son of our master. He said:
O people, say what you say, and do not let Satan delude you
يا أيها الناس قولوا بقولكم ولا يستهوينكم الشيطانThe student: O Messenger of Allah
The Shaykh :"O Messenger of Allah" The evidence is his saying:
I am Muhammad, the bondman of God and His Messenger
أنا محمد عبد الله ورسولهAnd do not let Satan delude you, meaning do not let Satan incline you
ولا يستهوينكم الشيطان أي لا يستميلنكم الشيطانlike one whom the devils enticed [to wander] upon the earth
كالذي استهوته الشياطين في الأرضI am Muhammad, the bondman of God and His Messenger
أنا محمد عبد الله ورسولهBlessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant
تبارك الذي نزّل الفرقان على عبدهExalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa
سبحان الذي أسرى بعبده ليلا من المسجد الحرام إلى المسجد الأقصى(8) Then he approached and descended (9) And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer. (10) And he revealed to His Servant what he revealed.
ثم دنا فتدلى فكان قاب قوسين أو أدنى ، فأوحى إلى عبده ما أوحىAnd if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant
وإن كنتم في ريب مما نزلنا على عبدناO descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant.
ذرية من حملنا مع نوح إنه كان عبدا شكوراًDid I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan - [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy -
ألم أعهد إليكم يا بني آدم أن لا تعبدوا الشيطان إنه لكم عدو مبينAnd that you worship Me; this is the straight path.
وأن اعبدوني هذا صراط مستقيم"They fled from the slavery for which they were created *** So they tasted the slavery of the self and Satan"
We seek refuge in Allah. The slavery for which they were created is the worship of Allah, and they fled from it. But did they become free? Never. They tasted the slavery of the self and Satan. We ask Allah for well-being. So the noblest attribute of a person is to be a servant of Allah. I ask Allah to make me and you among His righteous servants.
The student: Amen.
The Shaykh : This is the noblest description for a person, and the poet says about his beloved:
"Do not address me except as O your servant *** For it is the noblest of my names"
I seek refuge in Allah. He says: Do not say O so-and-so, O servant of Allah, O Muhammad, O Khalid, O Sulayman. No, say O servant of so-and-so. We do not know what the name of his beloved is. Yes, "For it is the noblest of my names" So we have understood that worship of the Beloved is among the attributes that the worshiper loves, is that not so? And with regard to Allah, it is the noblest attribute for a person to be a servant of Allah.
He said:
and His Messenger
ورسولهAnd whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous
ومن يطع الله والرسول فأولئك مع الذين أنعم الله عليهم من النبيين والصديقين والشهداء والصالحينAllah is most knowing of where He places His message
الله أعلم حيث يجعل رسالتهI do not like that you elevate me above the position that Allah has assigned to me
ما أحب أن ترفعوني فوق منزلتي التي أنزلني الله بهاthe position that Allah, the Exalted, has assigned to me
التي أنزلني الله عز وجلI like
أُحبthat you lower me below the position that Allah has assigned to me
أن تنزلوني فوق منزلتي التي أنزلني اللهthe position that Allah has assigned to me
الذي أنزلني اللهThe connection of the chapter to tawhid in the Book of Tawhid is apparent. What is the connection?
The student: Protecting tawhid
The Shaykh : Protecting tawhid, and tawhid is to be protected from every angle, even in words. Yes.
Then he said: "Chapter on what came regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted", there are issues in it.