It Is either For Allaah or Shaytaan

 

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Everything a person uses for the sake of Allah, He will protect him from the evil of utilizing it for himself and for the devil; and anything he does not use for the sake of Allah, he will surely use it for himself and for his desires. So if knowledge is not for Allah’s sake, then it will be for one’s soul and desires; and if an action is not for Allah’s sake, then it will be for show off and hypocrisy. Likewise, if wealth is not spent in obedience to Allah, it will be spent in obedience to the devil and base desires; and if prestige is not used for Allah’s sake, its possessor will use it for his desires and fortunes.

If strength is not employed in carrying out the order of Allah, it will be employed in His disobedience. Whoever accustoms his soul to working for Allah’s sake, there will be nothing more difficult for him than working for other than Allah; and whoever accustoms his soul to working for his desires and fortune, nothing will be more burdensome to him than sincerity and working for the sake of Allah. This is true regarding all forms of actions. Nothing is more burdensome to the one who spends for Allah’s sake than spending for the sake of others; likewise the converse.

Source: Uddah as-Saabireen wa Dhakheerah ash-Shaakireen by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah; translated by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam

The Dearest and Most Detested Creature to Allah

 

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated:

 Since Allah – exalted be He – is the Most Grateful in truth, the dearest of His creatures to Him is one who is characterized with the attribute of gratitude just as the most detested creature to Him is one who lacks this trait and is characterized with its opposite. This is the reality of His beautiful Names. The dearest creature to Him is he who is described as putting them into effect, and the most hated being to him is he who is characterized by the inverses. That is why He hates the ungrateful, the wrongdoer, the ignorant, the hardhearted, the miser, the coward, the mean and the evil person.

He – exalted be He – is Beautiful and loves beauty, the Knowing and loves the scholars, the Merciful and loves those who show mercy, Good and loves the good doers, Grateful and loves those who are grateful and Patient and loves those who are patient. In addition, He is Generous and loves people of generosity, Covering and loves those who cover people’s fault, Capable and condemns incapability; and a strong believer is dearer to Him than a weak believer. Likewise, He is the Pardoning and loves those who pardon, Odd and loves odd number, and everything He loves is from the effects of His Names and Attributes and necessities. And everything He hates is among that which opposes and negates them.

Source: Uddah As-Saabireen wa Dhakheerah ash-Shaakireen, by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah; transl. by Abdus-Samee’ Abdus-Salaam

Rejecting What You Don’t Know is A Practice of Jaahiliyyah

 

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The people of the pre-Islamic days of ignorance would debate and dispute regarding matters they had no knowledge of. What is obligatory upon a person is that he should not debate except with knowledge. As for what he does not know, he should remain silent concerning it. Allah the Exalted said: “Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them.” [Yoonus: 39]

This comprises of two aspects:             

The First Aspect: A person should not delve into that which he does not know nor reject that which he does not know. Rather, he should: “Allaah knows best.” As such, Allaah told His Prophet, Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam): “And say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” [Taa Haa: 114] So a person should not claim to have all the knowledge. Rather, he should limit himself and know his own worth. Even if he has a lot of knowledge, what is unknown to him is more. Allah the Exalted said: “But over every possessor of knowledge is one [more] knowing.” [Yoosuf: 76] until knowledge ends with Allaah, the All-Knowing.

The Second Aspect: He should not reject something that someone else knows. Therefore, if someone else possesses some knowledge that is unknown to you, do not reject the knowledge with someone else. This is because, there is no human being that has been given all of the knowledge. That is why the scholars say this phrase that they always repeat:

من حفظ حجة على من لم يحفظ

                                                                     

“Whoever memorized (some knowledge) is a proof against one who didn’t memorize.”

Source: Sharh Masaa’il Al-Jaahiliyyah, p. 293-294 by Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, transl. by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.