Islamic Sufism Spirituality

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: “None of you should say: “Oh, Allah , Forgive me if You will,” or: “Oh, Allah , Have mercy upon me if You Will.” Rather he should always appeal to Allah firmly, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will.”¹ According to Muslim’s report, He said: “One should appeal to Allah with firm determination for nothing is too much or too great for Allah to give it.”

Because all of us are wretched and humble before Allah , Most High, and He is Self-sufficient, Most Praiseworthy, Allah’s Messenger forbade anyone who supplicates Allah from adding to his request: “…if You will,” as this suggests a lack of interest on Allah’s part in the needs of His slaves, nor is it befitting the true spirit of humility in which the Muslim is supposed to approach his Rabb. Nor is it fitting to suggest that Allah treats His slaves in such a fickle manner, acceding to some requests, while rejecting others on a whim – Allah , Most High, is far above that. In fact He has informed us that he answers the supplication of everyone who asks Him:

” And when My slaves ask you about Me, I am indeed near: I answer the supplication of the suppliant when he asks Me” (Qur’an 2:185).

Then He , Most Glorified, Most High, commands us that when we ask Him, we should do so imploringly, beseechingly, whether the request is big or small since no request is difficult for Him, Most High, to grant, for He is the Owner of all things in the heavens and the earth, the absolute Disposer of all affairs therein and He is Able to do all things.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith

1. The prohibition of saying: “…if You will,” when supplicating Allah .

2. The lawfulness of supplication and confirmation of its effectiveness.

3. Confirmation of Allah’s Completeness and Perfection.

4. That imploring Allah firmly, rather than timidly and apologetically, is to think well of Him, Most Glorified, Most High.

5. Allah’s freedom from all imperfection.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That the Hadith proves the prohibition of saying: “…if You will,” when making supplication to Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves that it is forbidden to say: “…if You will,” when supplicating Allah , as this suggests some lack or imperfection in Allah , as if He might answer us or not according to His whim, and such an idea is incompatible with correct Tawheed.

Footnotes

1. Narrated by Bukhari.

Allah , says:

” And they say: “There is nothing but our life in this world: We die and we live and nothing destroys us except time.“ And they have no knowledge of it, they only conjecture” (Qur’an 45:24)

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, informs us in this verse about the disbelieving dahris¹ from among the Arabs and others, who do not believe in any life, save the life of this world, nor in the Rabb and Creator, Allah , Most High. They believe that nothing causes death except the passage of time. Then Allah , Most Glorified, Most High, refutes their claims, saying that they have absolutely no evidence for what they claim, but instead, depend upon surmise and their own vain opinions.

Benefits Derived From This Verse

1. That attributing good or evil to the passage of time is a sign of atheism.

2. Confirmation of a life after death for mankind.

3. That ad-dahr (time) is not one of Allah’s Names.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That the verse rejects those who attribute events to time, for they commit a great wrong against Allah .

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it rejects those who attribute events to time, because in so doing, they are ascribing a partner to Allah , for it is He, Alone Who decrees what will be and what will not be.

..ooOOoo..

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet said: “Allah , Most Blessed, Most High, says: “The son of Adam wrongs Me: He curses time, though I am time: In My Hands are all things and I cause the night to follow the day.” ² In another narration, He says: “Do not curse time, for verily, time is Allah .”

Allah , Most Glorified, Most High informs us in this Hadith Qudsi, that man commits a great wrong against Allah when he curses time and attributes the occurrence of events to it, for Allah is the Rabb of time and the Disposer of affairs and it is by His Qadr that events take place. Therefore to curse time is to curse the Owner of time.

In the second narration, the Prophet forbids us from cursing time, saying that Allah is the Owner of time and the Disposer of it and all events and affairs, and this is confirmation of what was reported in the preceding Hadith Qudsi.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith

1. The forbiddance of cursing time.

2. That no actions may be attributed to time.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that to curse time is to commit a great wrong against Allah .

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves that cursing time is a great wrong against Allah , because those who do so believe that it is time which causes events to take place and this is shirk in Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah, for it is Allah , Alone Who determines events.

Footnotes

1. Dahris: An atheistic sect among the Arabs, their views are widely held in the West today: There is no God, no Resurrection, no punishment, no reward etc., etc.

2. Narrated by Bukhari.