- Names of Allah
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- Names of Allah- 1996
Allâh’s Beautiful Name: Al-Haqq:
Now, we go on to the twenty-fifth of Allah’s Beautiful Names, “Al-Haqq” (The Truth), which is very frequently and commonly used by people. This is because Allah, All Mighty, is the Truth; His Divine Words are the truth; His Divine Promise is the truth; His Divine Threat is the truth; and His Divine Acts are the truth.
Before we start the talk about this word “Al-Haqq” (The Truth), let us have the following examples: If you have an electrical machine that needs electrical energy in order to work, and if you plug it into a certain socket, but you find out that it does not work, this means that the socket does not have any electrical current. In order to make the electrical machine work, you have to look for another socket where there is an electric current. In this case, we say that the former socket is untrue, or false, while the latter is true. So, what does the word “True” here mean?
We say that a certain thing exists only if it really does exist. And in fact, Allah, All Mighty, is “Al-Haqq” (The Truth) in the sense that if you seek another one instead of Him, you shall find only a mirage and nothing else: false promises and void meaningless words. In other words, if you seek Allah, All Mighty, you find everything. Hence, the first meaning of the word “Al-Haqq” (the truth) is “something or someone that exists”, which is the opposite of “Al-Batil” (falsehood), which means “something or someone that does not exist”. If someone promises you something and keeps his promise, this means that his promise is true, but if he fails to keep his promise, this means that his promise is untrue or false. If you fancy that Jinn can do a certain thing, this is mere illusion, because Allah, All Mighty, did not give Jinn any power. Therefore, your belief that Jinn can do anything good or harmful to people, or that they can exalt someone and debase another, is absolutely wrong, because it simply clashes with the truth. If you say that someone has super powers, you are wrong, simply because he is a mere human being, just like you, and cannot do anything unless Allah, All Mighty, gives him adequate power. In other words, if something really exists and you believe, and confess, that it exists, this is the truth; while if something does not really exist, but you misbelieve that it exists, this is falsehood. If you misbelieve that something exists while it does not really exist, this is a false belief; and if you say that something exists while it does not really exist, this is a false saying. I reiterate: the truth is something that really exists; while falsehood is something that does not really exist. Also, when your belief conforms to reality, it is true; but if it clashes with reality, it is false. When you say something that is in conformity with reality, your saying is true; but when you say something that clashes with reality, your saying is false.
The most serious and sorrowful thing in life happens when you seek someone who owns nothing, when you believe in something that falls in contradiction with reality, when you say something that lacks conformity with reality. In fact, falsehood stands behind the loss of the majority of people: They believe in something for lots of years, but then, suddenly, they find out that such thing is false. They believe that a certain principle is good, but then, they suddenly find out that it is no good at all and that it brings only misery and wretchedness to humanity.
Therefore, if you are with the truth, you are happy and prosperous. Why? The answer is: because you stand on firm grounds, as you are with things that really exist. This is the whole idea, or perhaps its main outlines.
Now, existence is of two kinds: certain and probable. The only certain kind of existence is that of Allah, All Mighty, the Creator, Who is Infinitely Pre-Existent, and Whose Existence is certain and undisputable, simply because the human mind does not accept that all such accuracy of creation of the universe can ever be without a Creator, a Maker, or Originator, Who is All-Wise, Omnipotent and Omniscient. All other existing things, including mankind, have a probable existence. For example, as human beings, our existence is probable, i.e. we may, or may not, exist. Also, our existence is subject to the Maker’s Divine Will. That is why it is rightly said: whatever Allah, All Mighty, wills is, and whatever He, Glory to Him, does not will is not. In this context, Allah, Most Gracious, says
“And Satan will say, when the matter has been decided: ‘Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth; and I, too, promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you, except that I invited you and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me as a partner with Allah. Verily, there is a painful torment for the wrong-doers.’”
Satan’s promise is false: sometimes, he frightens you, but his frightening is false; and sometimes, he promises you poverty, but his promise is untrue. This is not a mere theoretical or fancied issue; it is really something serious and decisive. Suppose you were told that you had to go to Aleppo, for example, to receive a big amount of money that would help you solve all your financial problems, and that you should be there at a certain hour on a certain day. Now, if you took the right train, you would achieve your goal although you might commit tens of mistakes while being on the train during the trip to Aleppo. So long as the train was going to Aleppo, everything would be all right, because you would be on the right train, on the true train. But if you, by mistake, took the wrong train that was going to another city, Dar’a for example, you would be on the wrong train, on the false train because it would never take you to your destination. The first train symbolizes the truth, while the second symbolizes falsehood.
Allah, All Mighty, is The Truth; and the universe is also the truth only because Allah, All Mighty, has created it. Moreover, existence of the universe, or anything else except Allah, All Mighty, is probable, i.e. it may or may not exist. Also, Allah, All Mighty, is Infinitely Pre-Existent, so if you believe that He exists, your belief is true; and if you confess that He exists, your confession is true. If you believe, or say, that a certain human being can do you good or harm, your belief, or saying, is false. This takes us to another idea, namely that the truth in the universe is not numerable, i.e. there is only one truth in existence. To this effect, Allah, All Mighty, says
“Such is Allah, your Lord, the Truth. So after the truth, what else can be save error? How then are you turned away?”
If someone’s beliefs contradict with Allah’s Book, the Holy Quran, this means that he is by all means wrong, and that he has to correct his misconceptions.
If someone, for example, believes that man’s life is totally dependent on health care, and nothing else, his belief is wrong, because man’s life goes on until it is caused by Allah, All Mighty, to end, one way or another.
One of our brother told me the following story:
“Some forty-five years ago, I was born in a house where my family lived together with the families of my two uncles. At that time, my uncle’s wife was seriously ill, and four doctors said that she would not live for more than one hour. But tens and tens of years have passed, and she is still all right. Only a few days ago, she came to pay me a visit in my new house.”
We learn from this story that although the four doctors told the woman that she would die in only one hour, the woman has been alive for forty-five years! The doctors’ words were by no means true; they were false!
Verily, a physician has knowledge whereby he cures people,
So long as there is a respite in their lives.
But should the days of their lives end,
The physician is baffled, and his drugs betray him.
Dear reader! Do you know who the real hero is? The real hero is someone whose beliefs are in conformity with reality, whose words are in conformity with the truth, whose deeds are in conformity with Allah’s Religion. If, for example, you have a very complicated, but very expensive and useful, machine, you should be very careful about it. So, what would the case be with you: the first and foremost creature?!
Hence, the word “Al-Haqq” (the truth) is a very important word; and I would like each Muslim brother to settle accounts with himself and reconsider his beliefs and conceptions about religion in order to make sure such beliefs and conceptions are true and conform to reality. I would like each one to check whether his conceptions about Allah, All Mighty, and His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH), are true. I would like each one to check whether his opinions about modern issues are true. But some people might ask: What is the importance of our individual opinions?
I mentioned once that a civil war broke out in a neighboring country and lasted for fourteen years. Due to Allah’s Grace and Mercy, it finally ended. However, the war can be explained as a kind of conflict between Arab countries, or sectarian or even international conflicts. But it can also be explained in terms of Allah’s Divine Book, the Holy Quran, in which Allah, All Mighty, says
“And Allah puts forward the example of a township that dwelt secure and well-content: its provision coming to it in abundance from everywhere. But it denied Allah’s Favors, so Allah made it taste extreme of hunger and fear because of that which they (its People) used to do.”
This is a religious explanation. It is the explanation of the Creator of the universe, Allah, All Mighty. But which explanation is true? The answer is: Definitely the religious one! And if you opt for other explanations than that of Allah’s Divine Book, the Holy Quran, you are wrong, and your explanation is untrue.
An earthquake might take place in a certain city and bring complete destruction to it. This can be naively attributed to disturbances in the earth’s crust. This so-called scientific explanation, however, does not clash with the religious one that is to be found in Allah’s Book, the Holy Quran, which goes
“And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully while their people were right-doers.”
Therefore, you shall never be a real hero unless you are able to discern the truth and unless your beliefs, words and actions conform to the truth.
If you have any problems, it is wrong and untrue to attribute such problems to bad luck or to envious people. No one can ever do you any harm unless you are careless or you deserve it. The proper true thing to do is to say, “No stumbling, convulsion of vein, or scratch of a prick, can ever happen except due to what people’s hands earn; and that which Allah overlooks is far more.” Every day, you encounter thousands of false sayings; therefore, wisdom necessitates that you should know and say the truth. And you shall never be on the side of the truth unless you know, and believe in, it; and you shall never say the truth unless you know it. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“The essence of religion is to know Allah.”
Other examples can be derived from vocations. If a professional person does something wrongly, we say that his method is wrong or untrue. If a builder constructs a wall properly in an upright position, we say that such wall is true and sound because it will last for a long time; but if he constructs the wall improperly, we say that it is untrue and unsound because it will soon collapse. So, what is the truth? In this sense, the truth is “something that really exists and endures”. But here we have to add something: In His Divine Book, the Holy Quran, Allah, All Mighty, says
“And We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with the truth; and the Hour is surely coming, so overlook (O Muhammad) their faults with gracious forgiveness.”
“Do they not contemplate their own selves? Allah has created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with the truth and for an appointed term. And indeed, a great many people deny the Meeting with their Lord.”
“And We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without purpose (in falsehood)! Such is the ill thought of those who disbelieve! Then, woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire.”
From this point of view, falsehood is “something that does not exist or is perishable”; while the truth is “something that exists and is imperishable”.
Now, let us add another thing: Allah, All Mighty, is Infinitely Pre-Existent. He is Everlasting in the sense that nothing can out-live Him. He, Glory to Him, is Ever-Existing, Unique in His Existence, and Perfect in His Existence. If you know Him, you know everything; but if you fail to know Him, you fail to know anything. Even if you are the richest, most important, and most knowledgeable person in the world, and if you achieve all your ambitions in life, but fail to know your Lord, Allah, the Absolute Truth, you are nothing. This is so simply because you are not self-existent, i.e. your existence depends on Allah, the Pre-Existent. If He, Glory to Him, so desires, He puts an end to your entire existence and, hence, in just one single instant, you become nothing.
I was once invited to a celebration in one of the mosques of Damascus city. At the entrance to the mosque stood a number of men to receive the guests. I shook hands with them and went forward into the mosque. On the way, I asked the person who invited me to the celebration, “Who sponsors the celebration?” “My father-in-law.” He said. “Where is he?” I asked. “He is inside.” The man replied. When I entered the mosque, the man’s father-in-law, a handsome good-looking healthy stout man, welcomed me warmly and took me with great respect to my place. A religious scholar was delivering a speech, and I was listening carefully, when suddenly there was some disturbance and a couple of men hurried out. I did not understand why they suddenly got out. However, when the scholar’s speech was over, I stood up to deliver my speech, which took 20 minutes. As soon as I finished my speech, someone came to me and whispered, “The man has just died!” Of course he meant the handsome stout good-looking man who sponsored the celebration. In other words, the man who invited me to deliver a speech at the celebration did not live long enough to listen to my speech!
That is not surprising, since man is by no means immortal, and Allah, the Pre-Existent and Immortal, may, at any moment, put an end to his entire existence. The man was waiting to listen to my speech when Allah, All Mighty, suddenly took his soul, and he simply could not listen to the speech I was about to deliver. Therefore, the celebration was cancelled, and we went to hospital to see the man lying dead in the intensive care room. As a human being, you are by no means immortal, you are by no means the truth; Allah, Alone, is the Truth. If you were the Truth, the following Quranic Verse would be applicable to you:
“Then, why do you not – if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense – bring back the soul (to its body) if you are truthful.”
Yes, indeed! We are by no means exempt from the reckoning and Recompense!
When it rains, everyone rejoices; but if Allah, All Mighty, were to withhold rain from us, what would happen to us? What would happen to our entire existence? If wells and rives were made to dry up, plants would die, and so would we. Therefore, the self-imposing question is: Are we self-existent? The answer is: Of course not! Our whole existence is conditional on Allah’s Irresistible Divine Will, and this is the case with all things in existence.
How stupid it is for man to think that he is self-existent or immortal, or that he earns his living by his own abilities and talents! This is by no means true! This is mere falsehood! Therefore, the more knowledge you acquire about Allah, the more you know how tiny and insignificant you are, and how Great, Mighty and Majestic Allah is. So, who is a true believer? It is someone who sees none but Allah. To this effect, the Verses go:
“Verily, those who are giving pledge to you (O Muhammad) are (in fact) giving pledge to Allah. His Hand is over their own hands.”
“I was not you who killed them, but it was Allah Who killed them. And it was not you who threw, but it was Allah Who threw, that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”
“And to Allah belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth; and to Him return all affairs (for decision). So worship Him and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you do.”
You might ask: Why does so-and-so say things that he does not really believe in? The answer is: simply because he does not see that Allah is Supreme. He sees that other fellow human beings are really powerful and can do him good or harm, exalt or debase him. In other words, the less you believe in Allah’s Oneness, the more astray from the truth you are. The holy Prophet, Abraham, (PBUH), knew this fatal fact. Therefore, he (PBUH) addressed his polytheist people
“So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving living creature but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Path (the truth).”
The issue we are talking about is far more serious than mere listening to lectures, impressive and purposeful as they might be, and then everyone goes home. The issue we are talking about has to do with our everlasting forthcoming life in the Hereafter! Are you on the side of the truth? Do your beliefs conform to the truth? Do your conceptions conform to the truth? Do your deeds conform to the truth? Do your attitudes conform to the truth? Do you give or withhold in conformity with the truth? And do you get pleased or displeased for the truth?
Your contentment or discontentment, donation or withholding, and maintenance or severance of ties or relationships with sh3er, should always be in conformity with the truth. When you know that Allah, the All Mighty, the Truth, is Pre-Existent, Everlasting, Unique in His Existence, and Perfect in His Existence, and that unto Him is the Final Return, you disconnect all relationships with anyone else but Him, and turn to Him with sincere love and faithful devotion. Such issue is far more serious and important than just to attend a few lectures, perform a few prayers or give out a few pounds. It is really a decisive issue. It is a matter of truth or falsehood! In this context, Allah, the Truth, say
“Such is Allah, your Lord, the Truth. So after the truth, what else can there be save falsehood? How then are you turned away?”
Furthermore, you should know, dear reader, that if your belief is not definitive – like when someone asks you, “Do you believe in Paradise?” and you answer, “Well, I most probably do.” – this kind of belief is false and by no means true; and it avails you nothing. If someone asks you, “Do you believe that Allah will ask you about everything you do?” and you answer, “Well, I think He is not going to be so strict. I think He will be tolerant and lenient. He will not recompense us except according to our mental abilities.” This is also false and by no means true. Do you believe in Allah’s Words:
“Is then one against whom the Word of torment has been justified? Will you (O Muhammad) rescue him who is in the Fire?”
By virtue of the above Quranic Verse, Allah, All Mighty, addresses His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH):
“O Muhammad! You shall not rescue from Hell-Fire those against whom the Word of torment has been justified.”
You might say, as some usually do: “Someone told us that Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), shall not enter Paradise until he makes all wrongdoers and sinners of his nation enter with him. So, our end is safe and secure by Allah’s Grace.” This is also false and by no means true. Therefore, you should reconsider truthfulness and validity of your beliefs and conceptions. This is because sometimes, after attending a few lectures or hearing a few inadequate sermons here and there, falsehood may creep into one’s mind and, hence, his deeds may be rendered erroneous and sinful. For example, when you ask someone, “Why do you cheat?” he might says, “Well, I have children, and things are too expenses, so what shall I do?” Such answer does not conform to the truth and is, therefore, false, because those who utter such words, seem to have forgotten that Allah, All Mighty, is the Provider of sustenance and the One Powerful over all things, and that each and every good deed has its own reward and each and every sin has its own punishment. Therefore, it is better for you to purify your beliefs from all kinds of misconceptions, whereby holy Prophets were accused:
“And indeed she did desire him and he (Joseph) would have inclined to her desire unless he had seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus it was that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our chosen (rightly guided) slaves.”
You should say, “Well, Joseph, (PBUH), was a holy Prophet, and he would never have inclined to commit adultery.” In other words, you should never think badly of Allah’s Holy Prophets but rather defend them. What really happened, however, is that the woman tried to seduce Joseph, but he (PBUH) pushed her away. Such is the true interpretation that befits holy Prophets, (PBUT).
Allah, All Mighty, casts light into a true believer’s heart; and this light helps him see the truth as it really is and falsehood as it really is.
“And if We had so willed, surely, We would have given every self its guidance, but the Word from Me (Allah) took effect (about evil doers) that I shall fill Hell with both jinn and mankind.”
You should understand the Holy Quran in a way that conforms to the truth and not falsehood; and you should also understand the words of Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), in a way that conforms to the truth:
Narrated Abu Hurairah that Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said:
“By Him (Allah), in Whose Hand is my soul! If you did not commit sins, Allah would cause you to perish and bring other people who would commit sins and beseech Allah, and He would forgive them.”
What does Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), mean by this Hadith? Shall we hasten to commit sins? No, of course not! This is not the true meaning of the Hadith. The Hadith actually means: “If you become too sinfulness to realize that you have committed sins, this means that your hearts are dead and, hence, you deserve that Allah makes you perish. For, example, those who spend a whole night backbiting or slandering other fellow humans and then go to bed comfortably as if they did nothing wrong, they are not aware of the Prophetic Hadith that goes
“Slander is more sinful than (committing) adultery.”
If someone commits sins and is unaware of committing them, this means that his heart is dead, and hence, he is dead. But a true believer spends his time doing deeds of righteousness.
Also, you should have an ideology that conforms to the truth concerning Allah, All Mighty, Who says
“They think wrongly of Allah: the thought of ignorance.”
In fact, lots and lots of people have wrong misconceptions as regards Allah and His Messenger. For example, some people ignorantly say: “Allah’s Messenger was one day walking near Zaid’s house when the latter’s door opened and his wife appeared, naked with her long hair flowing down her back. So, Allah’s Messenger admired her and said, “Praise to Allah! Praise to Him Who has full command over the hears!” Such a saying is absolutely untrue, because it does not befit such a great holy Prophet as Muhammad, (PBUH), to do such an indecent thing, which an ordinary believer dare never do. Such a superstitious story is by no means true. It was undoubtedly fabricated against Islam and its Messenger.
Allah, All Mighty, says
“And indeed, We (Allah) do know the first generations of you (mankind) who have passed away, and We do know the present generations of you, and those who will come afterward.”
Some malicious people claim that this Quranic Verse was revealed for some of the Prophet’s Companions, that while they were performing prayer, a beautiful woman came to perform prayer with them, and that some of them stood before the woman, while sh3er stood behind her to see her beautiful body while she was bowing and prostrating in prayer. They misinterpret the above Quranic Verse as:
“And indeed, We (Allah) do know those who stood before (the woman in prayer) and those who stood behind (her).”
Such an interpretation is absolutely false and does not befit the Prophet’s venerable Companions. You should be very careful as regards such false interpretations! You should know the truth and what conforms to the truth! You should know Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes. And you should know what befits Allah’s Holy Prophets and Messengers, (PBUT)!
Another example of false interpretations is what some ignorant people say about the holy Prophet David, (PBUH). They claim that although he had ninety-nine wives, he loved the wife of one of his leaders. Therefore, he plotted to get rid of that leader by getting him killed in a war. This made Allah, All Mighty, blame David, (PBUH), and admonished him to shun his desires and caprices. Such claim is a mere fabrication and by no means true. The true thing about the holy Prophet, David, (PBUH), is that he got so deeply involved in worship and prayer that he was not aware of, or perhaps failed to solve, other people’s problems. Therefore, Allah, All Mighty, sent to him two angels, who stood near his niche while he was offering prayer and pretended to quarrel together. Because he desired to settle the quarrel quickly in order to go back to his prayers, David, (PBUH), listened to one of them, but he did not listen to the other, and hastily judged in favor of the one to whom he listened. He said hastily, “Your brother has wronged you.” Therefore, Allah blamed him. The desire for which Allah blamed David was not a lowly desire but a sublime one, namely to prefer worship to solving people’s problems. In other words, the story had nothing to do with wives or women. Interpretation of Quranic Verses should be in conformity with the truth and that which befits Allah, All Mighty, His Holy Prophets and His great Religion. We should have a true faith, say true things, and do proper truthful things. We should be with the truth.
Once again: the truth is something that is inconformity with reality. When someone claims something that is untrue, i.e. clashes with reality, we reject it; and, in fact, the world abounds in liars who ornament false words in order to deceive people. Some pseudo religious scholars may often advice a woman who has troubles with her husband to slaughter a black-and-white sheep if she desires to set things right with him. Other pseudo religious scholars may also call for Allah by doing some extraordinary acrobatic things as piecing their bodies with swords or similar sharp things. What good does this kind of thing do to Muslims?! It is mere falsehood! If a patient went to a doctor for medical help, but instead of examining the patient and prescribing the proper medicine for him, the doctor does some acrobatic movements in the clinic, like climbing a rope, for example, what good would the patient get from such a doctor?!
In fact, I have put forward the foregoing examples simply because we are in bad need of reform. We are in bad need of psychological comfort and balance. We are in bad need of real happiness. We are in bad need of the truth, which does not prove, later on, to be false. Too many conceptions and beliefs last for quite a long time, but then people suddenly find out that they are not only false but also dangerous and destructive. In short, the truth is that Allah, Alone, is the Truth!
Muslims should know that their beliefs and conceptions are true only if they conform to reality; and they should know that their words are also true only if they conform to reality.
If the red oil-light is lit on a car’s board, but the driver thinks that it is only for amusement and nothing else, this means that he does not know what it is really meant for. His conception about this red light is untrue. The red light is not meant for amusement but rather to show that there is something wrong with the engine.
Once again: Your knowledge, conceptions, beliefs, attitudes, donation, withholding, maintenance or deference of relationships, anger, delight, …etc, should all be in conformity with the truth. Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), would joke, but only in the truth. And you can also joke in the truth, i.e. for the sake of fun and not for the purpose of hurting someone’s feelings or disparaging someone or some job. You can tell a funny joke while you are truthful, like Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH).
I hope I have made clear enough the word “Al-Haqq” (the truth), which occurs hundreds of times in Allah’s Book the Holy Quran. Allah, All Mighty, is The Truth, while all other existing things are by no means the truth. They exist by Allah’s Irresistible Divine Will. At any moment, if He so desires, He causes anything to perish. If His Divine Command is, “Be!”, things come into existence; but if His Divine Command is, “Perish!”, things perish. All things exist, continue to exist, or perish only by Allah’s Irresistible Divine Will. In this context, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), used to invoke
“O Allah! I am (existing) by You, and (shall return) to You.”
Allah, All Mighty, is the Real Owner of all things, for He, Glory to Him, is the Owner of ownership. This means that your eye, for example, belongs to Allah, All Mighty; and you see with it so long as He allows you to do. At any moment, if He so desires, He makes you lose your vision without any reason. Yes, indeed! Allah, Glory to Him, is The Truth!
Allah, All Mighty, is the Owner of all things including your ears, heart, tongue, and all other parts of your body. One of our brother told me that dormitory No. 6 in the Asylum near Damascus is very dangerous, because people there are incredibly mad: They tear off their clothes, they eat their feces, blood and hair, and they destroy everything in the dormitory. Unfortunately, they have strong bodies but insane minds. It is Allah, All Mighty, who has made them insane, because it is He Who owns their minds. It is Allah Who gives you your good social status, your job, your profession, …etc. At any moment, if He so wills, He takes them away from you; and you become nothing. You build your house, or have it built for you; and you decorate it and live in it with your wife and children. If anything goes wrong with your mind, they hasten to take you to an Asylum, although you are their father and owner of their house. In one single moment, you may lose your mind, vision, hearing or everything, simply because you are not the real owner of anything, not even of your own self. You have a couple of healthy kidneys that work regularly. But they might suddenly stop working, and your life becomes unbearable or even impossible. At any moment, if He so desires, Allah commands your own kidneys to stop working. Do you own your kidneys? By Allah! No! Do you own the valve of your heart? By Allah! No! Do you own your veins and arteries? By Allah! No!
Someone told me that the strength of his body has recently begun to fade away. At first he could easily climb up to the fourth floor, but after some time he could only climb up to the third floor, and then to the first. Now, he gets tired after climbing only a couple of stairs. He has recently had an operation that cost him a million pounds but it was not successful. Do you own the arteries of your heart? No, of course not! Do you own your supra-renal gland, which provides your body with regular sugar? Of course, not! If anything goes wrong with it, you hasten to seek help.
Your whole life is conditional on the proper function of your liver, supra-renal gland, heart valves, arteries, veins, kidneys, nerves, muscles, non of which you own. Moreover, if a drop of blood clots in your brain, it costs paralysis or even death, while you can do nothing. Once again: You own nothing:
“Say (O Muhammad): ‘O Allah, Possessor of the Kingdom! You give the kingdom to whom You will, and take away the kingdom from whom you will. You honor whom You will and humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is (all) Good. Verily, You are Powerful over all things.”
As for your existence and happiness, Allah, All Mighty, sometimes gives you the world but does not give you happiness and contentment. Wealth avails you nothing and brings you no happiness if you lack tranquility and peace of mind, or if you are deprived of good health or security or stability. That is why the holy Prophet, Abraham, (PBUH), addressed his people:
“And how should I fear those that you associate in worship with Allah, while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah things for which He has not sent down to you any authority? So which of the two parties has more right to be in security, if you but know? It is those who believe and confuse not their belief with wrong-doing: for them (only) there is security and they are the rightly guided ones.”
The most important thing in your life is to know the truth! I began my lecture with this example: If you plug an electrical machine in a false socket that does not have an electric current, it will never work. Such a socket is false; while another socket that has an electric current is a true one. This is exactly the difference between the truth and falsehood. I also said that Allah, All Mighty, is the only Truth, as He, Glory to Him, is Infinitely Pre-Existent, and His Divine Existence is Perfect. If you firmly believe in this, your belief is in conformity with the truth, and if you confess this, your confession is in conformity with the truth.
I reiterate: “Al-Haqq” (The truth) is everything, word or utterance that proves to conform to reality. However, the truth requires sufficient and adequate evidence. If a certain utterance lacks evidence, it is mere imitation. Let me make this point clear. If someone bears witness that no one has the right to be worshipped except Allah, his words are true in themselves; but if he does not know to prove this, or fails to provide adequate evidence to support his claim, we say that his testimony lacks adequate evidence. The truth always needs adequate evidence.
Also, if your belief in the truth is not firm and definitive, it is valueless. To this effect, Allah, All Mighty, says
“Such is the Book, whereof there is no doubt.”
“Believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and lives for the Cause of Allah. Such are the truthful.”
If your belief is blemished with any kind of suspicion or uncertainty, it is untrue. If your belief is only 30% certain, it is, as we say in Arabic, “Wahm” (conjecture); if it is 50% certain, it is “Shak” (suspicion); if it is 70% certain, it is “Thann” (doubt); if it is 90% certain, it is “Ghalabatu Thann” (approximate certainty); and if it is 100% certain, it is “Haqq” (The truth, i.e. absolute certainty). Your belief in Paradise, Hell-Fire, and the Reckoning on the Day of Judgment, must be absolutely certain. Your belief must be 100% certain as regards such facts as that Allah, All Mighty, shall inevitably destroy the wealth of someone who deals in usury, that He shall impoverish those who commit adultery, that He shall deprive of happiness those who do not lower their gaze at unlawful or indecent things, that He shall destroy the wealth of those who earn money illegally, that all mankind shall stand before the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, for reckoning and reward. If your belief in such issues is 100% certain, this means that you are with the truth; and the truth does not accept conjecture, suspicion, doubt, or approximate certainty.
A well-known poet, Al-Ma’arri, says:
The fortuneteller and the doctor both claimed
That humans shall not be mustered, so I said, “Listen!
If what you say is true, I shall not be a loser;
But if what I say is true, loss shall be yours.
I would like to say that such belief is untrue. It is untrue to say about the Hereafter: “If there is going to be a Hereafter, we shall be safe; but if there isn’t, we shall lose nothing.” This is not true religion. It is mere suspicion and disbelief in Allah’s Words.
Once again, the truth does not accept any kind of uncertainty, conjecture, suspicion, doubt, or approximate certainty. It accepts only Absolute certainty.
I repeat: the truth is something that is 100% certain and is in full conformity with reality. Whatever you say or claim is false unless it conforms to reality. Therefore, we should omit from our religious beliefs thousands of false claims and conceptions, and thousands of unrealistic fabricated stories. For example, in some books of Islamic history, it is claimed that due to certain old pre-Islamic rancor or hatred, Omar Bin Al-Khattab discharged Khalid Bin Al-Waleed, the venerable Companion and hero, who took part in more than a hundred victorious battles. Such malicious unrealistic biased claims are by no means true. Nay! They are absolutely false and do not befit the Prophet’s venerable righteous Companions! Had the Prophet’s venerable Companions been as the false claims say, they would have never got out of Mecca or conquered any part of the world. However, the true version of this story is the following: When Omar Bin Al-Khattab discharged Khalid Bin Al-Waleed, Khalid came to Omar and asked him, “O Commander of the Faithful! Why did you discharge me?” Omar said in reply, “O Aba Sulaiman! I swear by Allah that I love you!” Khalid asked, “Then, why did you discharge me?” Omar said, “I swear by Allah that I did not discharge you for anything except for fear that people may be charmed out of faith by your extraordinary feats for the Cause of Allah!” In other words, Omar discharged Khalid from army leadership not because of any personal rancor or hatred, as some malicious historians claim, but rather because some people began to think that it was Khalid who gave them victory due to his extraordinary ingenuity and heroism. They began to forget that victory comes from the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Alone. By discharging Khalid of army leadership, Omar intended to show Muslims that victory was granted by Allah, and did not come due to any ingenuity or heroism of a certain warrior or leader. He intended to show Muslims that so long as they were faithful and dutiful to the Lord, Glory to Him, He granted them victory, whether Khalid was their leader or not. This version of the story befits the two venerable Companions, Omar and Khalid, and conforms to the truth.
In fact, there are quite a few stories and narrations that are false and unrealistic and distort the good image of the venerable Companions. This is Devilish work of people of deviation and falsehood.
Once again, the truth does not accept any kind of uncertainty, conjecture, suspicion, doubt, or approximate certainty. It accepts only Absolute certainty.
Nowadays, we hear some people say about certain religious texts: “These words are true only to a certain degree.” This means that they are not at all certain of the truthfulness of the words. If something is 80% or 50% true, it is not the truth: the truth is always 100% true.
The truth is something that is absolutely true, is in conformity with reality, and is supported with adequate evidence. Without evidence, it becomes mere imitation; and if you imitate sh3er in religion, your religion is not acceptable. This means that you always have to seek valid evidence for your beliefs. If someone tells you, “Allah is not Merciful because of the great many diseases and disasters that we witness everyday”, and if you say, “Yes, that’s right. I agree with you. I shall imitate you,” on the Day of Judgment, Allah, All Mighty, will ask you, “Why did you believe that I am not Merciful?” Will you say, “O Lord! I imitated so-and-so! He said that, and I just believed him and took what he said for granted.” Allah will ask you, “But where was your mind? Why didn’t you use it properly?” In short, imitation is not acceptable in religion. You must always look for evidence. You must always be 100% sure whether people’s claims are true or false! If you report something, you must be 100% truthful; and if you claim something, you must provide adequate evidence. Nothing should be built upon uncertainty. In this context, Allah, All Mighty, says
“O you who believe! If a liar comes to you with any news, verify it lest you should harm people in ignorance and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.”
The truth always needs adequate evidence. It needs to be in full conformity with reality. It needs to be absolutely certain. Therefore, if you can reconsider all of your ideas, conceptions and beliefs and make them all in conformity with the truth, i.e. check whether they are in full conformity with reality, whether they supported with adequate evidence, and whether they are in full conformity with absolute certainty, you are one of those who are really successful and prosperous. This is because this kind of knowledge is the essence of Islamic religion, and you should be very careful where you should get your knowledge. To this effect, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“O son of Omar! (Take care of) your religion, (take care of your religion)! It is (as it were) your flesh and blood! Take (it) from those who are straightforward, but do not take (it) from those who are deviant.”
Hence, Allah, All Mighty, is The Truth; His Words are true; Paradise is true (i.e. existing and real); Hell-Fire is true; the Reckoning is true; the Punishment is true; the Straight Path is true; and the Prophet’s Station and Fountain, on the Day of Judgment, are true. Also, lowering one’s gaze at indecent or unlawful things conforms to the truth in the sense that if you do it, you reap its good fruits. Honesty conforms to the truth in the sense that if you are honest, you win people’s trust and love and you become popular and successful. Therefore, honesty is real richness. In fact, if you do anything that conforms to the truth, you reap its good fruits. Time is priceless and life does not wait except for work and actual practice. If you are one of those who attend religious lectures in mosques, you gain no benefit out of such lectures unless you translate that which you hear into action. That is why Allah, All Mighty, bids His Messenger, (PBUH)
“Say (O Muhammad): ‘Work!’”
This is very serious because Allah, All Mighty, and His Messenger, (PBUH), bid us to deal with religion seriously and to put it into action in order to get to our ultimate goal, success and prosperity.
Also, you should consider the notion that the Hereafter is eternal while the present world is ephemeral. Do you work in accordance with such notion? A certain belief might be true, but its application is wrong and untrue. If you are with the truth, Allah will help you even after some time. But if you are with falsehood, Allah will inevitably uncover and destroy you. Therefore, you should always be with the truth; otherwise there will be failure, bad reputation and destruction.
However, the issue that I would like to make clear, with Allah’s Help, is the fact that Allah, Most Gracious, gives you a respite so that you do whatever you like while you are healthy and powerful, and so that you make your own choices in life. If He, All Wise, were to hasten His Punishment to you at each and every sinful deed, you would be straightforward, not because of your love for Allah or obedience to Him but rather because of your fear of Him. In this case you would not be free but rather compelled. Allah, Most Gracious, gives you freedom to do whatever you like, righteous or evil, and then gives you a respite to repent and reform, and does not hasten His Severe Punishment to you.
In His Divine Book, the Holy Quran, Allah, All Mighty, says
“Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge, verily, you would see the blazing Fire. But then you shall see it (the Fire) with your very own eyes.”
If you see smoke from behind a wall, you are 100% sure of the existence of fire, as there is no smoke without fire. The knowledge you get by witnessing smoke from behind the wall is called “certainty”. However, if you go behind the wall, you see the fire with your own eyes. In this case, your knowledge becomes “eye-certainty”. But if you touch the fire with your own hand, this is “true certainty”, which is 100% true. Therefore, man’s knowledge is of different degrees: certainty (80%), eye-certainty (90%), and true certainty (100%):
“Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge, verily, you would see the blazing Fire. But then you shall see it (the Fire) with your very own eyes.”
Therefore, if we really want our Lord, Allah, All Mighty, to exalt us in honor and dignity, we must know the truth; we must speak the truth; we must behave in a way that conforms to the truth; and we have to be always with the truth. And when, in the end, Allah, All Mighty, causes the truth to triumph, He, Alone, will exalt His obedient dutiful slaves in honor and dignity. To this effect, Allah, All Mighty, says
“And invoke not any other god besides Allah: there is no god but Him. Everything shall perish save His Face. His is the Decision, and to Him you (all) shall be returned.”
To sum up, the truth is to say “O Lord! He who finds you misses nothing; but he who misses you finds noting!” This is because if Allah, All Mighty, stands with you, none can ever stand against you; but if He, All Mighty, stands against you, none can ever stand with you!
In the whole universe, there is only one Truth, namely Allah, All Mighty, Alone. Therefore, everything that brings you near to Allah is true; and everything that takes you away from Him is false. That is why you must know Allah, All Mighty; and you must know and practice His Religion, simply because it is the truth, while all other doctrines and cults are false. And Allah, All Mighty, makes true believers witness, with their own eyes, that falsehood may stand for quite a long time, even for seventy years, but then it collapses like a spider’s house, like a wall that has been improperly built. Allah, All Mighty, addresses this issue:
“And say (O Muhammad): ‘The Truth has come and Falsehood has vanished! Verily, Falsehood is ever bound to vanish.”
Yes, indeed! Falsehood is ever bound to vanish: false beliefs are ever bound to vanish, and so are evil false manners.
