بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ الله
ص ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعْرِ،
لا يُرَى عَلَيْهِ
أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ، وَلا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أحَدٌ، حَتَّى جَلَسَ إلَى النَّبِيِّ ص، فَأَسْنَدَ
رُكْبَتَيْهِ إلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ، وَوَضَعَ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ،
أخْبِرْنِي عَنْ الإسْلاَمِ.
فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ص: الإِسْلاَمُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَ اللهُ وَأَنَّ
مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ،
وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيتَ
إِن اسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً. قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ، فَعَجِبْنَا لَهُ يَسْأَلُهُ وَيُصَدِّقُهُ. قَالَ:
فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِيْمَانِ، قَالَ: أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللهِ، وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ،
وَرُسُلِهِ، وَالْيَوْمِ
الآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ. قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ، قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي
عَنِ الإِحْسَانِ. قَالَ: أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ
يَرَاكَ. قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي
عَنِ السَّاعَةِ، قَالَ: مَا الْمَسْؤُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ. قَالَ:
فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ أَمَارَاتِهَا، قَالَ: أَنْ تَلِدَ الأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا،
وَأَنْ تَرَى الْحُفَاةَ الْعُرَاةَ
الْعَالَةَ رِعَاءَ الشَّاءِ يَتَطَاوَلُونَ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ. ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ فَلَبِثْتُ
مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا عُمَرُ أَتَدْرِي مَنِ السَّائِلُ؟ قُلْتُ: اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، قَالَ: فَإِنَّهُ جِبْرِيْلُ أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ
دِيْنَكُمْ
رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ
Also on the
authority of 'Umar, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said:
"While we were
one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, there
appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black
hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and
none of us knew him.
He sat down close by
the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, rested his knee against his thighs,
and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." Said the Messenger of Allah,
sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, "Islam is that you should testify that there
is no deity save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should
perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform
Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find
a way to
it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the man),
"You have spoken truly."
We were astonished
at his thus questioning him and telling him that he was right, but he went on
to say, "Inform me about iman (faith)." He (the Messenger of Allah)
answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and
His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and
in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken truly."
Then he (the man)
said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered,
" It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for
though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about
the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About that the one
questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well,
inform me about the signs thereof (i.e.
of its coming)." Said he,
"They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her
mistress, that you
will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the
sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon
the man went off.
I waited a while,
and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Umar, do you know who that
questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know
better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your
religion.""
[Muslim]
Background
Al-Imam Muslim says:
Towards the end of his life, Abdullah bin 'Umar (the son of 'Umar bin
al-Khattab) was told by two people that a new Islamic sect had emerged from
Iraq. They were called Al-Qadariah and they denied al-qadar (fate). Thus
Abdullah bin 'Umar narrated this hadith which mentions qadar as one of the
pillars of Iman to refute the misconception of this sect.
Lessons
This hadith teaches
the adab (ethics) of seeking knowledge:
• We should be clean and wear clean clothes.
• We should sit properly and closer to the speaker.
• Asking questions for better understanding.
• Seek knowledge from the right source/authority.
The method of
seeking knowledge is through asking questions:
• The type of questions we ask should be meaningful - questions that
will lead to valuable knowledge and good action.
• Asking good questions will result in better learning as well as
teaching. Those who are present when the questions are asked will also learn
from the answers - thus, the questioner is teaching the others.
• When Ibn Abbas, one of the greatest Scholars among the Sahabahs, was
asked how he obtained all his knowledge, he replied: "with an inquisitive
tongue (i.e. he always asked questions) and a contemplating heart".
• In many hadiths the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, himself
will start by asking questions before he imparts with knowledge. Asking
questions will prepare the mind/heart so that it will be ready for the
answers/knowledge - ready to absorb and learn. In this hadith he calls Jibril
"the questioner" which implies full appreciation and encouragement of
asking questions specially the ones that will lead to gaining more knowledge.
• In the Quran itself there are more than 1,200 questions - to serve
different purposes - to provoke the mind of the reader and force it to indulge
in thinking about what he/she reads.
Scholars say that
qadar can be seen at two levels:
i. We believe that Allah
knew, with His ultimate knowledge, what all His creations will do, even before
the creations took place. Allah recorded all this knowledge in Al-Lauhulmahfudz
- the preserved tablet.
ii. We believe that it is the
will of Allah that these things will take place, whether they are good or bad.
Allah created our
willingness and our ability of doing things - we can only do something if we
are willing and able to do it. However, we are responsible for the choices we
make.
Misconceptions
about Qadar
Many Muslims believe
that what they are going to do is caused by what has already been written in
Al-Lauhulmahfudz - they confuse 'causation' with 'association'. In truth what
we have is association, not causation. What we do
is not caused by what is written
by Allah. Allah with His ultimate knowledge knew what we are going to do. He
could easily have put the good-doers into Jannah and the evil-doers into the
Hellfire. But Allah is Adil (Just) so He created us in this life as to test us
which way to go. What we are going to do will match what has already been
written but it's not a matter of causation - what we do is out of our own
willingness and ability and we do have full responsibility on whatever choice
we make.
Looking at guidance
and misguidance, guidance (hidayah) is a gift (rahmah) from Allah. It is Allah
who created us and gave us the mind so we can distinguish between right and
wrong to a certain capacity. It is Allah who equipped us with fitrah to like the
truth and good and to dislike the wrong and evil It is Allah who gave us the
ability and power to do things and it is Allah who sent the Messenger with the
Message to guide us in things, which are beyond the reach of our conception. So
when it comes to guidance it is a bounty from Allah.
But when it comes to
misguidance, it has to do with us. When we do bad deeds,
it is from our own
willingness and ability.
Those who turn away
from guidance do so because they want to turn
away, i.e. they choose not to be
guided. They have been misguided because
they are arrogant - they refuse to
listen.
And so when they
swerved from the right way, Allah let their hearts swerve
from the truth.[Surah As-Saff (61):
ayat 5]
Nevertheless there
are people who have not received the Message of Islam/guidance at all or the
Message has not reached them in the clearest form, i.e. it is incomplete or
distorted. These people are called Ahlul Fatrah and will be excused and not be
punished, even though there are misguided.
There
are certain situations where we can do something about our qadar.
For example:
• Illness/sickness is qadar - but we have been commanded by the
Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, to look for a cure should we become ill.
Finding a cure is also qadar. Thus, a qadar could be dealt with through another
qadar.
• If something unfortunate happens to us, e.g. if we lost our job, we
don't just say that it's qadar and do nothing about it. We look for another
job, the consequence of which is another qadar.
'Umar bin al-Khattab
was traveling with a group of Sahabahs during his Khilafah (leadership). They
were coming to a town when they heard that it had a contagious/infectious
disease, i.e. cholera. 'Umar asked his group whether they should proceed or go
back (to Madinah). The majority of the Sahabahs said they should go back but
some said they should proceed. Then one Sahabi said he knew a hadith where the
Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said, "If you hear that this disease
exists in a country, don't travel to that country." So 'Umar decided that
they should go back. Another Sahabi (it seems from the second group) asked him
whether he was running away from a qadar. 'Umar replied that they were moving
away from one qadar to another qadar.
Thus, whenever there
is a problem, a challenge or any hardship which we can remove, overcome, solve
or minimize, it is a must that we do so. Some scholars like al-Imam al-Jilani
use the term: "overcoming qadar" in this regard.
In one hadith, the
Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said, "Be keen for whatever is
beneficial for you. Seek the help of Allah. And don't be reckless." This
hadith implies we must make the effort. The right concept of qadar is: we are
responsible for whatever we do.
For example: If we
were to drive recklessly and caused an accident where someone died or was
injured, we cannot simply say that it is qadar, abusing the concept to justify
our mistakes. It is qadar that the incident took place because it is by the
permission of Allah. But we are responsible for the death because it is through
our willingness and ability that it happened. That's why in the courts we will
be found guilty. If qadar can be used as an excuse, then many crimes will go
unpunished - a thief can simply claim that his stealing was qadar!
Those who abuse the
concept of qadar are those who fail to be responsible. They abuse it to justify
their failure. The correct way of using qadar as an excuse is: if someone
exerts himself to do his best to fulfil an obligation but due to an unavoidable
circumstance, which was out of his control, he could not achieve that
obligation - then he might be excused. For example, a student has studied hard
for an exam but on the day of the exam he falls sick and does poorly or cannot
even attend the exam, then he can say that it is qadar and that it is the will
of Allah.
When it comes to
religious obligations, the matter is the same. We cannot blame qadar for
committing sins or failing to do a wajib as some Muslims might do. We have to
know that we are responsible. We might get into a weak status of Iman in doing
a sin or delaying a wajib. Islam is such a practical religion that it gives us
room for repentance and getting back to the right path.
In the above hadith
the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, defines Al-Islam, i.e. the five
pillars, as the outward actions of the limbs, Al-Iman as being associated with
belief - the inner actions of the heart, and Al-Ihsan as the highest level to
attain. But the first two definitions can be interchanged with each other -
sometimes Islam can be used to describe internal actions and Iman can mean
external actions. There are a few hadiths which The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi
wasallam, mentions that there are more than seventy actions which are
considered as Iman.
If the term Islam is
used on its own, it means the whole thing - Al-Islam, Al-Iman and Al-Ihsan.
Similarly, when Iman is used on its own it means Al-Iman, Al-Islam and
Al-Ihsan. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, mentions at the end of this
hadith that the deen consists of these three things.
If the Iman is weak
it will affect Al-Islam (good deeds/actions). According to al-Imam Abu Hanifa:
Even though Al-Iman and Al-Islam are different, Al-Iman necessitates the
actions (Al-Islam).
Some Scholars say
the Muslims are considered strangers among the
Disbelievers; and the Mua'minin
are considered strangers among the
Muslims; and the Muhsinin are considered
strangers among the Mua'minin.
Al-Ihsan (the
highest level of Iman where we worship Allah as if we see Him or if we don't
see Him we know He sees us) is about fearing Allah and glorifying Him. This
will lead us to strive for our best in performing our ibadah - we will be more
sincere in our ibadah. Thus Al-Ihsan is also about the best actions of the
heart. The actions that will lead to Al-Ihsan: to love Allah the most, to fear
Allah the most, to seek the help of Allah, to have hope in Allah that He will
give us mercy and guide us, to trust Allah wholly.
When Jibril, aliyyhi
as-Salam, asks the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, about the Hour (the
Day of Judgement), the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, replies that
neither he nor Jibril knows the answer. This is an example set by the Prophet,
sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, where even someone with vast knowledge like
himself does not know everything and admits so.
Al-Imam Malik was
asked forty questions by someone and to most of them he answered "I don't
know - Allah knows better". The man was surprised that the great Imam
Malik didn't know the answers. Seeing the man surprised, Imam Malik told him
that when he goes back to his town, to tell the people that he met and asked
al-Imam Malik questions and Imam Malik said he didn't know the answers. Al-Imam
Malik didn't want to be accountable for giving wrong answers. Thus, if we are
to become an educator or a scholar, we should have the courage to admit what we
do not know. We should not give an answer which may contain incorrect
information.
The signs of Akhirah
mentioned in this hadith are minor signs, as opposed to major ones. We believe
in these signs but we should not worry about them too much - we should not
worry about when these signs will occur. We should actually be careful as some of
these signs are bad deeds and we must steer away from these bad deeds.
Conclusion
This hadith contains
everything about Islam: the five pillars of Islam, the beliefs that make up
Iman (including the belief of fate or qadar), the attainment of the highest
level of Iman which is Ihsan, the adab of seeking knowledge and of teaching.
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