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.

Calm Your Mind If Something You Dislike Befalls You For You Are a Gainer

 

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

Every preordainment which a person dislikes and which is not favorable to him is either a punishment for a sin (he has committed) or a remedy to a sickness which if the Wise had not remedied it with the medicine, the sickness would have thrown him into destruction. Then again, it could be a means to a blessing that cannot be attained except by means of that misfortune.

Hence, the misfortune will come to an end and disappear, and that which results from it of blessing will be eternal without termination. Therefore, if a person comprehends these two issues, it will open up for him the door of being pleased with his Lord regarding everything He decrees and preordains for him.

Source: Madaarij as-Saalikeen bayna Manaazil (Iyyaaka Na‘bud wa Iyyaaka Nasta‘een), by Imaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah; transl. by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam