We Cry,
He Hears
A lecture
on perseverance in supplication
Jumuʿah Khuṭbah | Friday, 27th
May 2011
duʿā | supplication | universality
Bismillāh wa al-ḥamdu lillāh
wa al-ṣalātu wa al-salāmu ʿalā rasūlillāh,
ʿāmmā baʿd:
The blessed
Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) has been narrated to
have said, “Whenever a muslim makes duʿā to Allāh and it does not include a
request for aid in sin or a request to diminish or eliminate ties, Allāh
reciprocates with either of three things; first: a duʿā is accepted in this
world. What is asked for is granted; second: a duʿā is granted in this world
but is presented in a form that was not expected because of which one is
protected by an immediate or imminent problem, difficulty or catastrophe; and
third: a duʿā is kept as treasure for them on yaum al-qiyāmah (day of judgement)”
Upon hearing this, the companions (Allāh is pleased
with them) said, “Like this we will be able to earn a lot (for this world and
the next).” To which the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations
and peace) replied, “Allāh’s bestowment and forgiveness is far greater than
this (than your capacity to ask).”[1]
Upon the
surface, aḥādīth al-nabawī
seem as if they are addressing only one issue at a time, however,
if one were to look slightly deeper, they are usually multifaceted. This is
also true for the aforementioned ḥadīth as although the main lesson is
about duʿā, the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and
peace) touches upon a range of very important things, albeit, by implication.
In turn we shall discuss them and try and understand the hidden ḥikmah (wisdom) behind
the aforementioned ḥadīth al-nabawī.
The meaning of “Does
not include a request for aid in sin”
This is pure hidāyah
(guidance) we are given from the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family
salutations and peace). It connects with the idea that Allāh has decreed what
is ḥalāl (permissible)
for us and what is ḥarām (prohibited).This
is why making duʿā to Him in desire of the latter is not an option. Sins
blacken our hearts and the heart plays a large part in our faith as we believe
that it is within the heart that our intentions manifest. Doctors stress the
importance of the preservation of our hearts because it is linked closely to
our general health and well being. However, the classical Islamic scholars,
those who are masters of ṭibb (Islamic
Medicine) and spirituality, add even more emphasis to the concept of
preservation because they know that it is not simply the physical heart that
must be taken care of, it is the spiritual one as well and this resides within
the physical heart. This notion is highlighted in the ḥadīth that is
narrated by the companion Abū ‘Abdullāh al-Nuʿmān bin Bashīr (Allāh
is pleased with him) that the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family
salutations and peace) said, “Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is
unlawful is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful
which many people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his
religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges,
in fact, in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a
preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and
the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body
there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is
corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart.”[2]
So, not only have
we been informed that the lawful is lawful and unlawful is unlawful, thereby we
must stick to such predetermined aspects of our way of life, but also that, if
one were to tamper with the latter, it could corrupt the heart. As has been mentioned before, our entire faith
is based on the heart. Entering into Islam relies on taṣdīq bi al-qalb (the
attestation of the heart), and if our hearts are not sound then our dīn
will suffer. This is a dangerous situation to be in and we must strive to
protect ourselves from such a catastrophe.
Furthermore,
one must remember that it is vital that the command of the blessed Prophet (upon
him and his family salutations and peace) be adhered to. This, too, is a major
tenet of our faith and failure to do as such could result in our destruction in
the hereafter. As such, the companion Abū Hurairah (Allāh is pleased with him)
narrates that the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and
peace) said, “Avoid that which I forbid you to do and do that which I
command you to do to the best of your capacity. Verily the people before you
were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their
disagreement with their Prophets.”[3]
In essence,
therefore, Allāh and His beloved Prophet (upon him and his family salutations
and peace) have made things ḥalāl for us and others ḥarām. We must
strictly adhere to these directions. As such, one of the things that we are
prohibited to do is to make duʿā to Allāh for aid in sin. This is how it
has been decreed and it is precisely what we must follow.
The meaning of “Does
not include a request to diminish or eliminate ties”
Making duʿā
to Allāh for help in diminishing or eliminating ties (more specifically, the
ties of the womb) is, again, a very disliked and evil thing to do. In order to
understand this further, we must turn our attention to a ḥadīth al-qudsī
(Divine Tradition) which specifically discusses this matter in reassuring
detail.
Before we delve
into the ḥadīth al-qudsī, it is vital that we first gain an
understanding for what one is. A ḥadīth al-qudsī is narrated by the
blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) but is
attributed to Allāh and Him alone. It is what Allāh says but in the words of
the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace). Saying this,
there seems little difference between the aḥādīth al-nabawī and the aḥādīth al-qudsī, yet a
distinction can be made.
Ibn Hājar
writes, “The ḥadīth al-qudsī is narrated by the Prophet in his words for his
Lord. The ḥadīth al-nabawī (Prophetic Tradition) is, in words and meanings,
attributed to the blessed Prophet, though transmitted by Allāh.”[4] On the other hand, al-Ḥalabī suggests
that a ḥadīth al-qudsī consists of those words that were transmitted by
Allāh to the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) on
laylah al-miʿrāj (the night of
ascension). They are described as the secrets of revelation. In light of this,
Ibn Hājar adds, “It is necessary to show the difference between the recited
revelation which is the Qur’ān and transmission narrated by the Prophet (upon
him and his family salutations and peace) for his Lord.”
It is not
enough that we make a mention of a ḥadīth al-qudsī just as we do a ḥadīth
al-nabawī. A difference in method of narrative is crucial. Thus when
narrating a ḥadīth al-qudsī there are two methods one may use; first:
narrator may say, “The blessed Prophet narrates for Allāh as saying...”;
second: narrator may say, “Allāh, in what is narrated by His beloved
Prophet, says...”
Finally, before
discussing the concerned ḥadīth al-qudsī, an emphasis is drawn upon the
necessity of distinguishing between the Qur’ān and ḥadīth al-qudsī as
stated by al-Amīr Hamīd al-Dīn in his al-Ithāfāt al-Saniyyah. He says
there are six points of distinction:
1) The
Qur’ān is miraculous and the ḥadīth al-qudsī cannot be described in the
same way;
2) The ṣalāh
cannot be performed without the recitation of the Qur’ān and as for ḥadīth
al-qudsī, they cannot be recited in ṣalāh;
3) The
denial of the Qur’ān is kufr (disbelief ), while the denial of ḥadīth
al-qudsī has been regarded as wickedness;
4) The
Qur’ān was revealed by Allāh through the angel Jibrīl (Gabriel), unlike the ḥadīth
al-qudsī;
5) The
words of the Qur’ān are purely from Allāh, while the words of ḥadīth
al-qudsī are from the Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and
peace); and
Now that we
have understood what a ḥadīth al-qudsī is, we can resume our analysis:
The blessed
Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) said, “Whenever a
muslim makes duʿā to Allāh and it does not include the request to diminish or
eliminate ties, Allāh reciprocates [...]” The question is,
why is there specific mention and emphasis on the preservation of ties? The
answer can be found in a ḥadīth al-qudsī which has been narrated in two
slightly varying styles, by the Prophet (upon him and his family salutations
and peace) from Allah. Thus on the authority of Ibn ‘Awf (Allāh is pleased with
him), the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace)
reported Allāh as saying, “I am the al-Raḥmān. I created
the raḥm (womb) and
derived its name from My attribute. He who keeps relation with it, it will keep
relation with him, and he who cuts relation with it, it will cut relation with
him. He who affirms it, it affirms him. Verily My Mercy has preceded my Wrath.”[6]
The blessed
Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) reported Allāh as also
saying, “God addressed Himself to the raḥm saying: ‘I
have created you with My Hand and I derived your name from one of My
attributes, and made your position near to mine. I swear by My Divinity and
Glory, I will keep relation with him who keeps relation with you and cut
relation with whim who cuts relation with you. Certainly, I will not be
satisfied until you too are satisfied.’”[7]
Here, Allāh
enlightens us, through the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations
and peace), that He has created the raḥm with His hand (of
which we know no example) and has derived its name from His own name. The link,
therefore, the raḥm has with Allāh
is very special indeed. What we understand from this is, inevitably, Allāh is
merciful, He is forever merciful, and He is especially merciful upon His
creation of humanity. In fact, humanity is His most beloved creation. If it was
otherwise He would have sent the blessed Prophets Muḥammad, ʿĪsā, Mūsā,
Ibrāhīm (upon them all salutations and peace) in the form of that creation and
therefore not human. This love, however, is not limited to the mere physical
form of humanity that we see ourselves fashioned in within this world, in fact,
it extends to our spiritual form. This then includes the state before this
world as well as the instance where the spirit and body meet for the first time
(within the womb, and it is this we shall focus on below) and when they finally
depart (death).
There is a
world before this physical world in which our spirits existed before our bodies
did, “Am I not your Lord?” and they replied, “Yes we bear witness.” (Qur’ān
[7:172]). So when the spirit is blown into the mother’s womb[8] it is simply
transferred from one world to the next, i.e. from ʿālam al-arwāḥ (world of the
spirits) to, what the scholars call, ʿālam al-jasad or ʿālam al-raḥm (the world of
the physical body or the world of the womb). Thus the body makes a journey from
one place (of mercy) to the next. Remember that the womb is a place of mercy as
Allāh created it with His hand and derived its name from His attribute al-Raḥmān (the Merciful).
In essence, therefore, once we come from the world that is so closely connected
to Allāh (ʿālam al-arwāḥ), He does not
leave us alone in darkness and despair. For the nine months we reside within
our mother’s wombs, taking form, becoming human, receiving air, water and
nourishment, getting ready to take our first breath in this world, Allāh
surrounds us with His Mercy, even then, whereby we are living in a room where
we are nourished by and in His Mercy. This, indeed, is one of the
most beautiful and beloved blessings that the Almighty has bestowed upon us and
the magnitude and magnificence of which we cannot even begin to comprehend. It
is no wonder then that Allāh swears by His Glory and Divinity for the
preservation of this connection (of the raḥm) and so anyone
who keeps good relations with it, He will and anyone who keeps ill relations
with it or cuts from it, He will also.
Considering the
above, there is one issue that remains slightly elusive. What is truly meant by
the relationship of the womb? Know that the relationship of the womb would
generally only extend to the father, mother, brother, sister, son and daughter;
in essence then, the nuclear family. Does this mean we are only supposed to
hold ties and good relationships only with the aforementioned and have
complete freedom to be unjust to all others? The answer to this is simple and
the simplicity of it is embedded deeply within our dīn. It is the idea of ḥuqūq al-ʿibād (the rights of
people) and ḥusn al-akhlāq (good morals
and mannerisms).
The idea of
protecting the rights of people and treating them with good morals and
mannerisms is not just limited to those who are connected to you by blood, in
fact, it extends to all of humanity. It would thus be unfair if we applied the
notion of upholding relationships only to the aforementioned. Indeed they hold
a unique position in this matter, the difference of which can be found that
neglecting those connected to us by raḥm will have
profound effects in the hereafter as the preservation of such a relationship
is, in fact, a Divine command, whereas treating all others with good morals and
mannerisms is part of our dīn and is highly
encouraged. Remember that the principle is specific in definition but general
in practice. We are obliged by Allāh to appreciate and love all His creation,
and so, one need not be a direct relation, a close one or a loved one in order
for you to be kind and just to them. In essence, we must be merciful upon all
of Allāh’s creation even those who are not of the same jins (form of
creation) as us.
In one
instance, the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace)
taught his companions that, “The believers in their mutual mercy, love and
compassion are like a (single) body. If one part feels pain, the rest of the
body will join it in staying awake and suffering fever.”[9] Here it seems
as if this lesson is being taught just to the muslimīn (Arabic plural
for muslim), however, we must also remind ourselves about the potential one may
have to embrace the folds of Islam and so the need for one to be merciful to
non-Muslims, especially, becomes even more important than ever, as aiding
someone to embrace Islam is a great deed with even greater rewards. In saying
this, classical Islamic history books bear witness that Islam did not spread to
Europe and Asia by the sword, rather through taṣawwuf (the spiritual
path of Islam) which in its entirety encapsulates the idea of sincerity,
respect, love, good morals and mannerisms, self-control, and so on. Furthermore,
as long as a child is truly youthful and childlike and not childish, even they
are more receptive to something that is explained with kindness as opposed to
brashness which inevitably leads to further psychological problems in the
future.
Nothing the
blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) taught his
companions was ever empty of ḥikmah and in following
the example he set, the nature of being merciful and compassionate becomes
embedded within us and it thus becomes our nature. We would then behave like
this with all, irrespective of our beliefs. It is no wonder why the words of
the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) are more
suggestive than assertive. He has not limited us to only love those who are of
the same faith; he has simply turned our attention to an ideal way of emotive
behaviour. It is how we should be and no restriction has been applied as to
whom we may treat with kindness and who not. In fact, on one occasion a ṣaḥābiyah (female
companion) Asmā’ (Allāh is pleased
with her) came to see the Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and
peace) and said, ‘“O Messenger of Allāh, my mother is coming to visit me but
she has great dislike for Islām, how shall I treat her?” The
blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) replied,
“Continue to keep your relationship with her as before”’[10] Kindness,
compassion, mercy and peace are at the core of who we are and what we should
be, especially in the case of the unbelievers.
Let us, for the
sake of deepening our understanding, consider the word muslim and the
implications of its inherent, linguistic meaning in brief detail. The root word
for muslim is sīn, lām and mīm (the equivalent in
English being s, l and m) and has various meanings in
Arabic, one of which is ‘obedience’ and this obedience is to none other than
Allāh and His divine commands as given to us by his Messengers and Prophets (upon
them all salutations and peace). As such, al-salam means ‘protected’ and
al-silam means ‘in or at a state of peace’, or ‘peacemaker’. Amongst other words salima means ‘to
be free from blemish’ whilst salāma means ‘safety and security’.
Protected,
peacemaker, safety and security: it is a shame all these words have no bearing
or applicability upon some of us any longer, simply because we no longer
represent the meaning of what we are called anymore. We should be perfect
examples of mercy upon others irrespective of their faith, colour and gender,
and so, embody the model of life that the blessed Prophet (upon him and his
family salutations and peace) left us. Yet we are bent over, working hard on
cruel and cold hearted labour that uses so much negativity and produces nothing
but lies, backbiting and treachery, and results in enmity, rivalry and indeed
this hurts people, gravely. Remember, however, if the ‘other’ happens to be a
disbeliever, it does not matter because they are still human. What truly matters
is how you conduct yourself and how you treat others because whether you know
it or not, bad behaviour can only take place when your heart has hardened and
the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) is narrated
to have said, “Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to
mankind.”[11] Again, the
mention is not of muslimīn in specific, rather mankind in general, and
so, it includes everyone.
Thus in closing
this discussion, what would we now make of the ḥadīth al- qudsī
mentioned above? Considering that the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family
salutations and peace), through his actions and teachings all throughout his
life, taught us mercy and compassion, it would be correct to say that although the
issue of upholding relationships and maintaining ties is uniquely regarded as a
sacred act for the nuclear family, on the other hand, being morally just,
upright and being merciful to mankind in general, is not limited to our
brothers and sisters, etc. only. In fact, it is extended to all humanity.
Looking beyond restricted views we must remember that we are all banī ādam
(children of Adam). Whether others think this or not is not of our concern,
what is, however, is what our conduct is with them. We must be obedient to
Allāh’s and His beloved’s command. This means that we must be kind to all those
who directly and indirectly share our origin. Not only human but all animate
and inanimate objects created by Allāh.
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[1]
Mishkāt
[2]
Bukhārī and Muslim.
[3]
Ibid.
[4] Fatḥ
al-Mubīn
[5]
There is much scholarly discussion over the permissibility of touching Divine
or Prophetic Traditions without purity. What must be made clear here, however,
is that impurity does not refer to ritual impurity, rather it indicates to the
absence of ritual ablution. So one would be ritually pure but not possess
ablution. In any case, this matter would then be dependent upon an individual’s
level of piety. Muftī Ghulām Rasūl (upon him Allah’s Mercy), for example,
writes that one should be in the state of ablution when they are performing
ritual salutations and peace upon the blessed Prophet (upon him and his family
salutations and peace). In my opinion, I would find that it would be
disrespectful and negligent if one were to handle the Divine and Prophetic
Traditions as they too may contain verses, or even singular words, from the
Qur’ān, which without ritual ablution are not permissible to be touched. And
Allāh and His beloved (upon him and his family salutations and peace) know
best.
[6] Aḥmad,
Bukhārī, Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Ḥibbān, Ḥākim & Bayhaqī.
[7]
Bukhārī and Muslim.
[8] The
blessed Prophet (upon him and his family salutations and peace) has been
narrated to have said, “Verily the creation of any one of you takes place
when he is assembled in his mother’s womb. For forty days he is as a drop of
fluid, and then it becomes a clot for a similar period. Thereafter, it is a
lump looking like it has been chewed for a similar period. Then an angel is
sent to him, who breathes the rūḥ into him.” Bukhārī and Muslim.
[9]
Bukhāri and Muslim.
[10]
Bukhārī.
[11]
Ibid.
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