Doubtful matters and lusts are the most serious matters in man's life:
Dear noble brothers, it was reported that holding onto a good thought of Allah is the price for Jannah (Paradise). Man with his limited capabilities cannot prove Allah's Justice unless he has knowledge that is similar to Allah's, which is impossible. Hence, our belief in Allah's Justice should be out of faith but not related to proofs.
The most serious things in man's life are the doubtful matters and lusts. The doubtful matters have two sides, they seem in one side similar to the truth, but they seem on the other side similar to falsehood. For instance, if I say, "Give so and so person 1.500 Dirhams", the meaning is crystal-clear, and there are no other deep meanings. It is simple and clear. Yet, if I say, "Give so and so person 1.000 Dirhams and a half", what does "half" refer to? Does it refer to 500 Dirhams or to half a Dirham? If we say that it refers to 500 Dirhams, the meaning of this sentence is doubtful; you may understand it as 1.500 Dirhams, and you may understand it as 1.000 Dirhams and a half Dirham.
The "not entirely clear" Ayaat in the Noble Quran are mentioned due to Profound Divine Wisdom. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad PBUH) the Book (this Qur'an). In it are Verses that are entirely clear… ﴿
These Ayaat are crystal-clear. The Ayah goes as follows:
﴾ …They are the foundations of the Book [and those are the Verses of Al-Ahkam (commandments, etc.), Al-Fara'id (obligatory duties) and Al-Hudud (legal laws for the punishment of thieves, adulterers, etc.)]; and others not entirely clear. So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.), and seeking for its hidden meanings… ﴿
In this Ayah of Surat Aal-'Imran, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, shows us that there are clear, simple and definitive Ayaat, while other Ayaat are not entirely clear. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.)… ﴿
Someone may say to you, "Allah has not guided me yet." How does he dare to say such a thing, while he fulfills his lusts and seeks his own interests unlawfully? Not to mention, he is as far from religion as the earth is from the sun. How could he say, "Allah the Almighty has not guided me yet"? Why has he not been guided yet? The answer is in the following Ayah:
﴾ … But He sends astray whom he wills and guides whom he wills… ﴿
Who told you that the subject of the verb "wills" is Allah? Well, it is not, but rather the subject is whoever is not willing to be guided by Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …But He sends astray whom he wills ﴿
The same goes for guidance (it is given to whoever is willing to be guided):
﴾ …And guides whom he wills ﴿
Pay attention to the Noble Ayah, please:
﴾ Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. ﴿
Allah the Almighty says in another Surah:
﴾ Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful. ﴿
The choice is yours; you are given the free will, so your choices are not chosen for you. You choose whatever you want to do, and then Allah the Almighty arranges things for you according to your own choice. For instance, when you intend to pray and ask Allah, "O Allah I want to perform my prayers", Allah the Almighty provides you with strength from Him to be able to pray.
Aqeedah is the most serious matter in Islam:
Dear brothers, Aqeedah is the most serious matter in Islam; if it is right then your beliefs are right, but if it is corrupted, all your beliefs will be corrupted. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive admonition except men of understanding. (Tafsir At-Tabari). ﴿
I would like to give you an example about the "not entirely clear" Ayaat:
﴾ And if We had willed, surely! We would have given every person his guidance, but… ﴿
The Divine Will is based on man's own will. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And if We had willed, surely! We would have given every person his guidance, but the Word from Me took effect (about evil-doers), that I will fill Hell with jinn and mankind together. ﴿
The Ayah seems to be one of the Ayat that are not completely clear, because it might be understood that if Allah had willed, He would have guided all people, but He had not willed to guide them.
In fact, dear brothers, these Ayaat have a positive role in the believer's life; whoever reads them will have an intellectual and doctrinal conflict. Yet, if he reads the interpretation and the different denotations they have, things will be different for him since he believes that man has the free will. On the other hand, whoever commits a sin will justify that by saying, "Allah wills that I sin." Such a person mistakenly justifies all the negative things he does in life as if they are decreed by Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. In contrast, when this person succeeds in his business he says, "My success is due to following up with my business, checking the prices, and buying the goods at the lowest prices in the market. This is why I increased my profits." (Korah) Qarun said as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾ He said: "This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess." ﴿
These are the words of Quran which are similar to those said by whoever contribute all the positive things he does in life to his intelligence, experience, smartness, and good traits, but if he is asked why he does not pray, he says, "Allah has not willed that I pray." Why do you simply say, "Allah has not willed that I do so and so" when it comes to negative things in your life? Why do you contribute the positive things to yourself? Accordingly, due to Allah's Profound Wisdom, there are very clear and definitive Ayaat in the Noble Quran:
﴾ …They are the foundations of the Book [and those are the Verses of Al-Ahkam (commandments, etc.), Al-Fara'id (obligatory duties) and Al-Hudud (legal laws for the punishment of thieves, adulterers, etc.)]; and others not entirely clear. ﴿
Man is responsible for his deeds because he has the free will:
Let me repeat this example one more time, if you say "Give so and so person 1000 Dirhams and a half", which as I have mentioned earlier is not clear in meaning, for it may mean 1000 Dirhams and half of this amount (500 Dirhams) or 1000 Dirhams and a half Dirham. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.), and seeking for its hidden meanings, but none knows its hidden meanings save Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive admonition except men of understanding. (Tafsir At-Tabari). ﴿
People accused Allah the Almighty of imposing their deeds on them. Had Allah the Almighty forced His servants to do whatever He wills, He would have forced them to be guided, but Allah the Almighty has given them a precious gift, which is the free will. According to this precious gift, you are free to do whatever you will; you can choose whether to pray or not, and whether to give Sadaqah (charity) or not.
Because you have been given the free will, Allah the Almighty has subjugated the following to you:
﴾ And has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him. Verily, in it are signs for a people who think deeply. ﴿
Pay attention to this Ayah, please:
﴾ Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's Torment). But man bore it. ﴿
Since you have been given the free will, you are responsible for all your deeds. If a father tells his sons, "Whoever works with me in the factory will be given a monthly income, a house and a car, but the one who graduates from the Faculty of Business Administration at an American university will be given half of the factory as his own", owning half of the factory will be based on the son's choice (whether he chooses to graduate from the faculty of business administration or not). In such a case, the one who chooses not to study at that faculty will be deprived of the inheritance.
The universe is subjugated to man:
When Allah the Almighty offered Al-Amanah to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, they declined to bear it, but man bore it, so Allah the Almighty has subjugated the following to him:
﴾ And has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him... ﴿
Everything has been subjugated to man for two purposes: as means to get to know Allah the Almighty, as he should, and in order to be honored by Allah the Almighty. If he bears Al-Amanah as he supposed to, his rank will be higher the angels':
﴾ Verily, those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah, and in His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH)) including all obligations ordered by Islam] and do righteous good deeds, they are the best of creatures. ﴿
They are the best of all creatures:
﴾ Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of Islam, the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikun will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures. ﴿
Man is either elevated to a rank that is above the one of angels or degraded to a rank that is below the one of the worst animal. Allah the Almighty says in the following Ayah:
﴾ Verily, those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah, and in His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH)) including all obligations ordered by Islam] and do righteous good deeds, they are the best of creatures. ﴿
He also says:
﴾ Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of Islam, the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikun will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures. ﴿
When man's beliefs are right, his deeds will be based on them, and they will be right, but when his beliefs are wrong, his deeds will be wrong too. The most serious thing in life is Aqeedah (from which man beliefs are derived).
(( Indeed this knowledge is faith (it contains the rules of religion), so carefully consider from whom you take your faith.))
[ Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, on the authority of Abu Hurairah ]
(( O Ibn Umar, your religion, your religion is your flesh and blood. Take it from the pious ones, and do not take it from those who deviated. ))
[ Mentioned in the relic
]
Interpreting the reported text in a logical way:
Imam Ghazali, may Allah have mercy upon his soul said, "If the reported text is illogical, it should be interpreted in a logical way." Pay attention to this Hadith, please:
(( Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them. ))
What does this Hadith mean? Does it mean that man should sin? Definitely, it does not. Regarding this point, listen to the following Ayah, please:
﴾ Say: "Nay, Allah never commands of Fahisha. Do you say of Allah what you know not? ﴿
Great scholars interpreted the Hadith, "If you, sinners, do not feel guilty upon committing a sin, you are but living dead." When someone feels guilty, and he cannot sleep all the night, because he backbit a person, he is a believer. On the other hand, the one who commits a crime and says, "I have not done anything wrong (while he spread mischief)", is metaphorically dead. Success lies in feeling guilty upon doing something wrong. If you feel guilty, you are alive in Allah's Sight, but if you do not, then you are not included in the following Ayah:
﴾ "They are dead." Nay, they are living, but you perceive (it) not. ﴿
Feeling your guilt means that you are alive. In this context, it is said, "When you consider a sin trivial, it becomes significant in Allah's Sight, but when you consider it significant, it becomes minor in Allah's Sight." Feeling your guilt upon committing a sin means that the one who commits it is spiritually healthy, while the reckless person does not have such a feeling upon sinning. It was reported that, "In the eyes of the hypocrite, the sin is as insignificant as the fly, whereas in the eyes of the believer, the sin is as huge as the mountain." Let me repeat these words, "When you consider a sin trivial, it becomes significant in Allah's Sight, but when you consider it significant, it becomes minor in Allah's Sight."
Holding onto a good thought of Allah is the price for Jannah:
I would like to clarify the difference between a major sin and a minor one. The major sins are like turning the steering wheel in a 90-degree sudden move which will lead you straight to the valley. The minor sins, on the other hand, are like turning the steering wheel only one inch and keeping it steady at that position, so it will take a longer distance, but eventually you will also end up in the valley. In contrast to such a hard situation, if you drive on a wide road, and you turn the steering wheel in a 90-degree move, you have enough distance to return it to its right position before you end up in the valley. Hence, "The minor sins turn into major ones upon persisting on committing them, whereas the major sins turn into minor upon seeking Allah's Forgiveness and stop committing them."
These are critical facts, dear brothers. Bear in mind that when man's Aqeedah is right, his beliefs are right, so the one who thinks bad of Allah, has a problem with his beliefs. Such a man says, "Allah has not guided me to Him yet" or he says, "Allah the Almighty has not willed to guide me". This is nonsense. Allah the Almighty has guided you, but you refuse to keep on the Right Path, and that is it. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Allah is He Who created you, then provided food for you ﴿
The universe, the Prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them, the Du'aat (Islamic missioners), Allah's Actions, and whatever happens to you are all means of guidance you are provided with. To make this point clear, consider the portable radio you have; the broadcasting is always on, but you choose the radio station, which is like the means of guidance. Therefore, if you do not choose that station, then this is your own choice not Allah's.
Your value as a human being is based on your free will. Well, if man's free will were canceled, Paradise or Hell-Fire would no more exist, so would the Divine Reward or the Divine Punishment. Regarding man's free will, Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Had Allah the Almighty forced His servants to obey Him, the Divine Reward would have been pointless, had He forced them to commit a sin, the Divine Punishment would have been worthless and had He left them do whatever they wish, He would have been accused of having no Power over them."
Concerning the same point, our Master Ali, may Allah ennoble his face, was asked, "Was our travel to Ash-Sham (the Levant) by Qada' and Qadar (Allah's Will and Decree)? He answered, "Woe to you! You take it as a final and unavoidable destiny (according to which we are bound to act). If it were so, there would have been no question of reward or chastisement and there would have been no sense in Allah's Promises or Warnings. (On the other hand) Allah, the Glorified, has ordered His servants to act by free will and has cautioned them (from evil). He has placed easy obligations on them and has not put heavy ones on them. He gives them much (reward) in return for little (action). He is disobeyed, not because He is overpowered. He is obeyed but not under force…"
The main thing that I would like you to bear in mind, dear brothers, is that holding onto a good thought of Allah is the Price for Jannah. As for the Ayaat that are not entirely clear, Allah the Almighty tells us what to do about them:
﴾ So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not. ﴿
Be pretty sure that whatever question you have in mind but has an answer except for the questions about the Divine Entity of Allah the Almighty. You are supposed to ponder over Allah's Creation and not over His Divine Entity, lest you are doomed. As a human being you have limited capabilities, in the sense that with your reason you can know Allah the Almighty and reach Him, but you can never compass Him, and there is a big difference between the two things.
If you go for a picnic to Al-Aqbah by your car, the car will help you reach to Aqabah where you can see the sea, but the car cannot sail. This explains why it is said, "Thinking that you know all about Allah the Almighty is actually mere ignorance about Him." Why? Let me elaborate by giving you this example. If you are standing by the shore of the Mediterranean in Beirut, and someone asks you, "How many liters are there in the sea?", no matter what your answer is, it is wrong, and the right answer is "I do not know." Thus when you say that you do not know, your answer reflects your intelligence and prudence, and whatever number you say will be incorrect. Your mind has limits that cannot be surpassed.
As I said yesterday, there is tangible certitude that is proved by the senses, like seeing these twinkling chandeliers. I see its brightness with my own eyes, and so the means of the tangible certitude is the five senses and whatever related to them (whatever supports their function). Here in Amman, a brother has a telescope through which I was able to see the planet that is surrounded by rings, which is Jupiter I think. The telescope and the microscope are accessories for the eye. I repeat; the tangible certitude is confirmed by the five senses and everything supports their functions.
As for electricity, it cannot be seen. There is electricity in the Masjid, which is comprehended by the mind, and had there not been electricity, the lamps, the air conditioners, and the amplifier would not have worked. The amplifier, the air conditioners and the brightness of the lamps are all traces of the electricity.
Based on the aforementioned facts, the means of certitude of the things that are before us is the five senses, and the means of certitude of the things that are hidden from, but their traces are there is the mind.
If an unseen thing belongs to the past or to the future and it has no traces, we don't have means to know it unless it is mentioned in Quran, The True Book of Allah.
In the Noble Quran, there are three kinds of certitude: the tangible certitude, the rational certitude and the informative certitude. Beware of discussing informative things with an atheist, because the only proof you have about their existence is Allah's Words. You cannot tell this person that you believe in the existence of jinns, because Allah the Almighty has told you about them in the Noble Quran. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you assembly of jinns and mankind! ﴿
[ An-An'am, 130
]
I do not have a scientific proof of the existence of jinns, so the proof is informative.
I think I have discussed many things in this lesson, but the main subject of it is very serious. The gravest thing one may do is having a bad thought of Allah the Almighty, so be certain that every question has a convincing answer.
﴾ So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not. ﴿
Whatever is related to the Divine Entity of Allah is a red line, so ponder over the creation of Allah and never think of His Divine Entity, lest you are doomed. I would like to repeat the Ayaat we have discussed in this lesson:
﴾ In it are Verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book [and those are the Verses of Al-Ahkam (commandments, etc.), Al-Fara'id (obligatory duties) and Al-Hudud (legal laws for the punishment of thieves, adulterers, etc.)]; and others not entirely clear. So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.), and seeking for its hidden meanings, but none knows its hidden meanings save Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive admonition except men of understanding. (Tafsir At-Tabari). ﴿
