Qawa'id al Arba'a - First and Second Principle

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Qawaa’id al arba’a – Wasim Kempson

The First Principle

That you know the Kuffar, who theMessenger  fought,used to affirm that Allah, Ta’aala, was the Creator and the Disposer of all theaffairs but that didn’t enter them into Islam and the proof is the saying ofthe Most High: 

Say: Who provides for you from the skyand from the earth? Or Who owns hearing and sight? And Who brings out theliving from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? They will say:“Allah”. Say: Will you not then be afraid of Allah’s punishment (i.e.-for settingup partners with Allah)? [Yunus :31]

So this principle here is startingfrom the very bottom. As we know tawheed has been broken down into differentcategories. This shows the importance of breaking it down. There is tawheed ar ruboobiyyah,uloohiyah and Asma was Sifaat. Here we are talking about the tawheed of ar ruboobiyyah.The Quraysh accepted this. Tawheed ar ruboobiyyah is accepting that Allah hasno partner in sustaining the universe and that there is no other Creator exceptAllah. This verse mentioned is important because it shows the people affirmthis. When we define tawheed, we do not say it is ONLY accepting Allah as theCreator because the mushrikoon of Makkah did that too and yet that didn’t enterthem into Islam. Therefore this is not a sufficient definition. It is notsufficient for a person to JUST to recognise that Allah is the Creator,Sustainer etc because even the Jews say this. Rather, the Prophet foughtagainst them because they DIDN’T single out Allah in their worship, which isthe true definition of at tawheed. Tawheed is not JUST affirmation of tawheedar ruboobiyyah. This important rule that is being established here is that theProphet fought against those who accepted tawheed ar ruboobiyyah. The verse inSurah Yunus confirms this. Luqman:25 also supports this:

And if you asked them, "Whocreated the heavens and earth?" they would surely say, " Allah." Say, "[All] praise is [due] to Allah "; but most of them donot know. [Luqman:25]

Summary:

Allah tells us that mushrikoonaccepted Allah as the Creator, Sustainer but this was not enough for them toenter the fold of Islam therefore they were fought against, to establish theworship of Allah

The Second Principle

That they (the Mushrikeen) say:
“We do not call upon and turn towards them except to seek nearness andintercession (i.e.-with Allah)”. So the proof against seeking this nearness (throughothers, like Awliyyah) is the saying of the Most High:
And those who you take awliyyah besidesHim (they say): ‘We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah.”Verily, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly,Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever. [ Az Zumar:3]

And the proof of (i.e.-against) intercession (through Awliyyah) is the sayingof the Most High: And they worshipbesides Allah things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say: “Theseare our intercessors with Allah.”[ Yunus 10:18]

And intercession is of two types:
the prohibited intercession and the affirmed intercession:

The prohibited intercession is that which is sought from other than Allahconcerning that which only Allah is able to do. And the proof is the saying ofthe Most High:

O you who believe! Spend fromthat which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be nobargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers whoare the Dhaalimoon (wrong-doers, evil ones, etc.). [ Al Baqarah: 254]

And the affirmed intercession is that which is sought from Allah, and theintercessor is honoured with the intercession and the one interceded for , isone whom Allah is please with his speech and actions, after he givespermission, as He, Ta’aala, said:

Who is he that can intercede with Himexcept with His permission? [Baqarah:255]

Intercession

The mushrikoon are eternallyabiding in the hellfire because they rejected Allah’s Lordship but because theydidn’t worship Him alone.

There is two types:

1.     Legitimate– This has to fulfil two conditions:

·        Permission of Allah (Baqarah: 255)

·        The individual on whom on behalf the intercessionis sought must be firm upon at tawheed.

He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and theycannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves. And they, from fearof Him, are apprehensive. [Anbiya:28]

There is no intercession for themushrikoon. These people heard of the intercession but of course theirunderstanding of it was incorrect. The jahiliyyah Arabs understood the conceptof Ibadah but the true understanding was incorrect. They also understood thatyou could ask for intercession from Allah but the way they did was wrong. Whenthe Prophet will intercede on DoJ, it will only be by the permission of Allah.

2. Unacceptable – this is not by the permission by Allah. The best of creation, when the Prophet wants to intercede, it will only be by the permission of Allah.

The excuse given by the mushrikoon is false. Theirunderstanding is not accepted by Allah.

Summary:

The Jahiliyyah Arabs was to get close to Allah but theythought by approaching Allah by intermediaries, they thought their prayerswould be accepted. 

With this we conclude the first two principles. May Allah protect us from falling into shirk. Ameen

All good is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself

Qawa'id al Arba'a - Importance of the way of Ibrahim alayhis salaam

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Qawaa’id al arba’a – Wasim Kempson

Importance of the way of Ibrahim alayhis salaam

The next part of the text, the author talks about ‘alhanafiyyah’ and it is connected to Ibrahim alayhis salaam.

The Islamic meaning: The religion of Ibrahim alayhi salaamand that is you worship Allah alone and make the deen sincere for him alone.

The Hanif, the person is the one who accepts the deen ofAllah and rejects everyone else. He accepts Allah with the heart, deeds,intentions and their goals. A person who is Hanif is one who submits to Allahwill all of the above.

Al Hanafiyyah is primarily mentioned with Ibrahim

And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He haschosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is]the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah named you "Muslims"before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger maybe a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establishprayer and give zakah and hold fast to Allah . He is your protector; andexcellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper. [Hajj:78]

Here Allah tells us about the ‘milla’ (way of religion) thatwe are obliged to strive upon this particular way. Here Allah commands us tofollow the way of our father Ibrahim. Know may Allah guide you to His obedience,that Hanafiyyah is the religion of Ibrahim: That you worship Allah making thereligion sincerely for Him alone. It is NOT JUST to worship Allah but tomake the deen purely for him, alone. Allah has commanded the whole of mankindto submit to Allah.

Linguistically hanafiyyah means someone will turn away fromsomething while being firmly upon what he has diverted to. E.g. away from shirkand more upon tawheed.

Other places Allah, tells us to follow the deen of Ibrahim:

Say, "Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path- a correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he wasnot among those who associated others with Allah." [An’am:161]

 We find in manyplaces in the Quran that al Hanafiyyah is associated with Ibrahim. Why Ibrahim?

Ibrahim alayhi salaam, at his time was like a nation. He wasalone standing upon the tawheed of Allah. When all others called to the worshipof Allah, he stood alone therefore he was a nation upon himself. This is why hehas a great status amongst the anbiya al mursaleen. That is why he is called ‘abulanbiya’ in Surah An Nahl Allah says that Ibrahim is an example to follow:

Indeed, Abraham was a [comprehensive] leader, devoutlyobedient to Allah , inclining toward truth, and he was not of those whoassociate others with Allah . [Nahl:120]

The author then mentions the verse in the Quran

As He, Ta’aala, said:
{And I have not created the jinn andmankind except to worship Me (alone).} Adh Dhaariyaat (51):56

When someone is pondering, this is one of the most importantayats. First and foremost Allah tells us that he created us to worship Himalone. The hukm we take, we take from this ayah.

When you acknowledgethat Allah created you to worship Him, then you know that worship is not(regarded as) worship except with Tawheed.

Now the author is establishing a premise. This is a veryclear way of defining matters. Now we have extracted our purpose Allah in theway Ibrahim worshipped Allah. How are we going to define Ibaadat? There aremany types but is every type accepted by Allah? Many people think they canworship God in their own way but is it this ok?

Am I offering worship how I like or how the CREATOR likes?

The author gives an example:

Just as prayer is not(regarded as) prayer except with purification. So when shirk enters intoworship it corrupts it just like impurity when entered into purity (i.e.-itinvalidates it).

This is a logical approach. Allah did not create you so youcan earn for Him but to worship him. An act of worship is not consideredworship unless two conditions are fulfilled:

1. Purely and solely for Allah alone.
2. When it is purely for Allah, in what manner will I offer it? It must be upon the way of the Messenger of Allah ( "Whoever performs an action not in accordance with our matter, then it is rejected." [Saheeh Muslim]) When you offer an act of ibadah has to be upon the manhaj of the Messenger

Without these conditions, the actions are consideredrejected by Allah. We take a further benefit, that we are obliged to followAllah with that what we find in the Quran and that we are obliged to follow theMessenger of Allah, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam:

O you who have believed, obey Allah andobey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree overanything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allahand the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. [Nisa:59]

The author then says,                            

So when you realizethat if shirk enters into worship, it corrupts it, negates all the actions andthe one who does it is forever in the Fire, then you will realize the mostimportant matter (obligatory) upon you: knowledge and awareness of this fact,so that Allah may save you from the abyss of committing shirk with Him, ofwhich Allah, Ta’aala, said of it:

{Verily, Allah forgives not thatpartners be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives except that(i.e.-anything else) to whom He pleases}An Nisaa (4) :116)

If a person repents before they die, Allah may forgive them.Therefore we recognise the importance of shirk so we don’t only study theimportance of tawheed but the dangers of falling into shirk. The companions hadbalance in their questions. The danger of shirk is so great, it would forbidthat person from entering into Jannah:

They have certainly disbelieved who say, " Allah is theMessiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children ofIsrael, worship Allah , my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associatesothers with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is theFire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. [ Ma’idah:72]

When Allah told us to establish worship, there is details onHOW we are supposed to worship Allah. The matter has not just been made for usto make it up as we go along.

With this we finish the introduction. All good is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself

Qawa'id al Arba'a - Introduction

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Qawaa’id al arba’a – Wasim Kempson

The study of tawheed is the best topic to study in al Islam.That is to know Allah and how to worship Him and how to avoid displeasing Him. Thisbook is a short introduction into the study of shirk. If you’re ignorant ofwhat negates tawheed then you may fall into it. When you study tawheed, youwill need to study shirk. The books on shirk were written for the Muslims sothat they are able to be refuted. The works of Shaykh Abdul Wahhab were in aletter form.

The process of Abdul Wahhab’s dawah

Muhammad, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam came with the messageof al Islam and he was the seal of the Prophets. He was the messenger for thewhole of mankind, not just Arabian Peninsula.  The purity of the message had reached allcorners of the Arabian Peninsula. This continued through to the sahabas and thegenerations that came after. This Shaykh was born in the beginning of the 18^thcentury. He was born in a central place in Arabia he was born into a familywhich was known for its knowledge. Tawheed had been forgotten to some extent butmany practices of shirk and al bid’ah had entered into the Muslim communitiestherefore at this particular time, the Shaykh had memorised the Qur'an and realisedthat Muslims had split themselves up into different tribes and each tribe hadtheir own practices and shirk that existed amongst them. This doesn’t mean thatall peninsulas was declared as kuffar but it was know that Abdul Wahhab, Allahgave him an insight and he wanted to propagate this pure message. Shaykh Muhammadbegan writing some small treaties to certain people to call them back to thepure pristine message of ‘la illaha illah la’. He didn’t have much tribalbacking and therefore was rejected by many tribes because they wanted to remainon the practises they were on. They thought it was justified. He continued withhis message to purify this message of at tawheed. This message he came with wasnot a new message. They used to give him names like ‘wahhabi’ however al Wahhabis a name of Allah therefore the use was already not correct but it was alsoused in a derogatory way. He continued writing letters and teaching people thispure message and eradicate this filth of shirk. He done this and gave dawah forhis whole life. Allah gave him a good long life and that is the best life thatcan be given to somebody and that is in the path of Allah. During this time (dawahtime) he gained some form of standing with his dawah because he joined withanother tribe, an individual called Muhammad ibn Saud. He agreed with theteachings of Abdul Wahhab. Some say it was a negative coalition but if you lookat Abdul Wahhab’s standing, you could see that this coalition was for no otherreason but because he agreed with the dawah. Ibn Saud gave support to Abdul Wahhaband by tawfiq of Allah; they were successful in eradicating these practises

How are we going to teach tawheed?

Many people have different answer and what is the basis fortheir answer. We say, first and foremost we will go to the Qur’an, how doesAllah relay this message to us? Then how did the Prophet propagate this messageto the people?

Propagating tawheed is of two ways:

1. It is taught generally, without going into specifics. E.g. you will explain the meaning of at tawheed; you will explain that it is Allah who is deserving of our worship; you will explain that tawheed is the most important matter to understand; you will mention that is the call of all of Prophets and Messengers; you will also explain the blessings one will receive from Allah by establishing tawheed in your life. Depending on who you are talking to, you need to see if it is suitable but this general way is usually a suitable way of teaching it
2. This is to go into some details and explanation regarding at tawheed. Then you go into the meaning of at tawheed. Shaykh Abdul Wahhab said that tawheed is to single out Allah with your worship. Living at tawheed understands the true position of the Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wa sallam and this was given to the whole of mankind.

 If you have anaudience that have just begun learning tawheed and you go in really deep, it’squite overwhelming. Ali said, ‘You should address the people in the manner inwhich they understand, do you want them to belie Allah and the Prophetsallalahu alayhi wa sallam?’ This is the methodology that one as a Muslim mustfollow. There is a danger when we understand how we are going to teach tawheed.There is a time where we will teach it generally and a time in detail.

NB: When studying text, it’s highly recommended to read thetext alone before you read the explanation.

Introduction

The author begins with the basmalah and to begin with thisis seeking the barakah of Allah.

The author began by making a dua for the person who isreading this:

I ask Allah, AlKareem, Rub of The Mighty Throne, to protect you in this world and thehereafter.
And to bless you wherever you are and to make you from those who, when given,are thankful, when tested are patient, and when sinful seek forgiveness. Forcertainly, these are the three keys to happiness.

This shows the manner of the teacher to one who is readinghis work. As for befriending Allah in this life, it means by loving Him. As forAllah becoming your protector, it means that you will love Allah and you willask for His guidance and forgiveness and you will turn to Him alone. The authoris making further dua. What are the keys of happiness?

1. You are thankful
2. You are patient
3. You seek forgiveness

If you pay attention to these three matters, they encompassso much of the life of a Muslim.

THANKFUL

 If you are thankfulit is opposed to you being ungrateful and you being grateful is a way of youbeing increased in His ni’am. The fact that a Muslim is being thankful is asource of Allah increasing that person in blessings. Allah even commanded Dawudalayhi s salaam to give thanks

They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers,statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary kettles. [We said], "Work,O family of David, in gratitude." And few of My servants are grateful.[Saba:13]

Allah says in the Qur’an:

If you disbelieve - indeed, Allahis Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief.And if you are grateful, He approves it for you; and no bearer of burdens willbear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He willinform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within thebreasts. [Zumar: 7]

Being thankful to Allah is shown in a number of ways. Theulama have mentioned some:

1. First of all in your heart. You have this gratitude in your heart
2. You will with your tongue, talk about these ni’am: But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it]. [Duha:11]
   
   
   
3. Show your gratefulness through your limbs e.g. do sujood of shukr or fast

PATIENCE

Allah says: 

O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbidwhat is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is ofthe matters [requiring] determination. [Luqman:17]

Allah will test all of his slaves. He will test them withhardships and calamities and maybe with enemies and disbelievers. The believer shouldnot give up or despair and waiver on their trust and reliance on Allah.

“The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. WhenAllah(swt) loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His(swt)pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His(swt) wrath.”[Tirmidhi and Ibne Majah]

FORGIVENESS

Finally the Shaykh mentions, when they sin, they willrepent. One should always realise that this life is not always a life ofluxury, comfort and success. Allah will alternate these things between his creations.The one who does not seek forgiveness in Allah will become a miserable person.Allah tells us:

And those who, when they commitan immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seekforgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who]do not persist in what they have done while they know. [Imran:135]

With this we come to the end of the introduction. All good that you read and take from here is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself

The Test of Ibrahim - Nouman Ali Khan

The Test of Ibrahim alayhis salaam – Brother Nouman Ali Khan

This story has been playing around in my head for days, ever since I’ve listened to this lecture over a year ago. It’s about time everyone else got to have a read so here goes

Bismillah

When Ibrahim alayhis salaam passed the test, Allah made him an imam amongst the people, amongst all of humanity

And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah ] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." [Baqarah:124]

Ibrahim alayhis salaam goes through many tests from jumping through fire, sacrificing his son to leaving his family in the desert where death awaits them but he alayhi salaam puts all his faith in Allah, the Most High. When anything happens to Ibrahim alayhis salaam, he remembers Allah FIRST. How many of us do that?

‘He is the One who created me, guided me, fed me and when I’m ill, He cures me’… SubhanAllah.

The greatest gift from Allah is when He, the Most High is happy with you and so what does Allah do for Ibrahim alayhis salaam? He makes me him the imam. This is not enough for Ibrahim alayhis salaam, he worries about his children, the future. When Allah made him the imam, this was not enough because he said that he would be tied to them on the day of judgement so if your kids have lost the deen, what are they going to teach their children?! On the day of judgement can you compete with all their good deeds? Allah responds to brilliantly – ‘My covenant does not include the wrongdoers’. This, for example means from the Quraish, not all the children will be good people.

Ibrahim alayhi salaam does not give up. This dua is not enough. When he builds the house of Allah, he says:

And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people and [a place of] security. And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer. And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], "Purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer]." [Baqarah: 125]

And [mention] when Abraham said, "My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits - whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day." [ Allah ] said. "And whoever disbelieves - I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination." [Baqarah: 126]

Ibrahim alayhis salaam does not want to answer for the disbelievers but Allah says that He will even let the disbelievers enjoy in it too and then drag them into the punishment of the Hell-fire.

 Now, Ibrahim’s alayhis salaam has been answered twice but does he give up? He is building the house of Allah and then mentions Isma’il alayhis salaam in his dua:

And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. [Baqarah:127]

On a side note, the speaker mentioned that when you remember Allah by convenience, the best time to ask Allah for something is when you do something that Allah is pleased with i.e. after salah because you  have just obeyed Allah. The best place is the House of Allah; the best time is the last part of the night; the best month is the month of Ramadan. So here Ibrahim, alayhis salaam is doing one of the greatest acts, by building the house of Allah with his son. This is the best time to ask again but this time he modifies his dua, ‘Rabbana taqabbal minna’, OUR Lord accept from us. Before he said ‘ Rabbi’ (My Lord) but now he includes his son. This ensures at least one son. Allah does not respond with words and it is said the silence means acceptance thus implying Allah has accepted the dua. So, he goes on and asks another dua:

Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. [Baqarah:128]

Again, there is no response from Allah therefore it means Allah has accepted the dua, yet again. So Ibrahim alayhis salaam keeps going:

Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise." [Baqarah:129]

He, alayhis salaam, asks for a messenger to be sent that is from amongst them. Why? This is because an outsider is seen as less relevant. He didn’t just ask for a messenger but one who will read Your signs and teach them your Verses and one who’ll cleanse them and purify them. The response to this dua is of course the advent of the Messenger, Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wa sallam. When a concerned father makes sincere dua, Allah responds. The revelation is a response to the dua.

Allah tells us:

And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. [Baqarah:130]

When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds." [Baqarah:131]

And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], "O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims." [Baqarah:132]

The last ayah, Allah makes mention of Ibrahim and Yaqub who passed on this legacy to their children. Allah’s gift to us is giving us this deen of al Islam. Allah didn’t only answer the questions of Ibrahim and his son and his progeny but if that of Ishaq alayhis salaam, who wasn’t even there!

Allah says:

Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims [in submission] to Him." [Baqarah:133]

That was a nation which has passed on. It will have [the consequence of] what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do. [Baqarah:134]

This is an important lesson for us all. We all need to take heed, it is not too late to change ourselves!

The speaker then said that man must know of the age that he lives. Nowadays people are more concerned with culture than religion. Our legacy is not 50 years old! We are a 1400 plus ummah! Allah’s house has direct connection with preserving the future. When your kids grow up, they won’t listen to you. We need to open up the doors of communication. Look at Yaqub alayhis salaam; his sons took Yusuf alayhis salaam and dropped him into a well and how did he respond? ‘Fasabrun  Jamil’.

With this, we come to the end. All good is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself.