{ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَأَخۡرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ رِزۡقً۬ا لَّكُمۡۖ فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ}
Surah al-Baqarah v21
In this verse, Allah ta’ala is addressing us and all people -{يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ} (v20). In other words, Allah ta’ala is addressing every single person. All people are included – the people who have no faith, those who have Iman, and also the Munafiqs, the hypocrites. All three groups are being addressed directly here, and Allah is making a clear announcement: { فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ} Allah is saying ‘Do not set up rivalry with Allah; do not do Shirk; do not challenge Allah.’ Allah warns against setting up rivalry and Shirk and invites towards Oneness. Who is Allah addressing? Not just those who have no faith, but rather, every human being. It is such a big sin that there is no sin worse than or bigger than Shirk. Allah ta’ala forgives every sin, but Allah ta’ala does not forgive Mushriks unless they do Tawbah from their Shirk. Allah purifies from all sins. He forgives all sins and will purify a person from all sins in Jahannam and send a person into Jannah, but the Mushrik will not be forgiven and will remain in Jahannam forever. That is how big a sin it is.
Abdullah bin Ma’sud radhiAllahu anh narrates a Hadith where he asked “أَىُّ الذَّنْبِ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ” – “What is the biggest sin to Allah? What is the biggest sin, the worst sin?” This is a brilliant question for those who want to get close to Allah, so that throughout their lives they can try to avoid this sin. This was a very big question that was asked for the whole of humanity, namely, ‘For Allah, which is the worst sin?’ And why was this asked? Not so he could increase his ‘Ilm or so that he could write a book about it, or give a lecture with technical points, no. This was asked because he had fear of Allah, and he did not want to do anything which would displease his Lord, his Rabb, and so that he could escape from all sins. So he posed the question directly to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam: ‘What is the worst sin that will cause Allah’s displeasure?’
Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam replied “أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِلَّهِ نِدًّا وَهْوَ خَلَقَكَ” – ‘Do not commit Shirk, do not ascribe any partner to Allah, do not set up any rival to Allah.’ { فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُون} Why? Because Allah ta’ala has created you! What a beautiful point here. You are not the Khaliq - Allah ta’ala is the Khaliq and you are the Khalq. Allah ta’ala is the Creator, and you have been created. So how can the one who has been created oppose and challenge the Creator? How can we stand stubbornly in front of Allah? What a big warning this is. Could you have created yourself? If today you do Shirk with Allah, ask yourself – could you have come into this world just like that? Did you exist before? Where were you before? You reached maturity and understanding ten or twelve years after your birth, and then you do Shirk with Allah? Never do Shirk with Allah! In another Hadith, the meaning is conveyed that even if you are in pieces, in the worst of situations, do not commit Shirk with Allah. Do you understand brothers?
So Allah is addressing all three categories: those without faith, those with faith, and the hypocrites. So he who done Shirk with Allah, then he is a disbeliever. Now it is stated in Hadith that shaytan flows like blood in the veins of a person, so what does he do? Shaytan’s biggest mission is to get people to do Shirk with Allah. Why? Because he won’t succeed – Allah is so displeased with him that Allah will never forgive him unless he does Tawbah, comes back from his Shirk and leaves his sin. Shaytan knows that Allah will also never forgive a human being who does Shirk unless he does Tawbah and comes out of that Shirk. So shaytan works hard all life long so that the one who has been created by Allah does Shirk and starts to worship things that Allah has made. He starts to submit and prostrate to flowers or trees, or he starts to do Sujud to the earth and the soil, or to rocks, or to dangerous animals that he is afraid of, or to cows or buffalo, or he will prostrate to snakes. He will make the sun his Lord. There is no basis or structure to his life – he will leave the source, Allah, the Real, and do Shirk. Shaytan makes him do this big sin.
Then Allah makes such a great point, saying {وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ} – ‘So you can fly planes, you can sail the seas, you have science and are advanced scientifically, you launch rockets into space, and yet you don’t understand how terrible it is to prostrate to a scorpion or a flower or a tree? How can your ‘Aql accept this?’ And a person gets so foolish that he starts to drink urine! Allah says ‘And yet you know better!’ Allah says ‘How can you start to prostrate to human beings that you think of as stronger than you, or start to treat a Prophet as a god?’ In other words, shaytan makes human beings into wasters when they start to think and do actions of Shirk. He gets confused, and with his own hands, he makes some idol and puts it into his pocket - something that he has made and manufactured himself by picking up soil and solidifying its shape into an idol. How a person’s brain is overwhelmed because he forgets that there is a very big punishment for Shirk, for this disbelief.
So Shirk is a very big sin, and the punishment for Shirk is that while Allah subhana wa ta'ala will forgive everybody else, the Mushrik will not be forgiven. Now, Allah has addressed the whole of mankind, and has said {يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ}. Allah has said ‘Oh Mankind, Oh people’, which means that a Muslim who has Iman can do Shirk, because Allah ta’ala has addressed all three groups. Who are the groups? Allah ta’ala is addressing the disbelievers, about whom it is clear that they are doing Shirk, so it is not hidden in that case. But then there are those with Iman, who say ‘La ilaha illa’llah, Muhammadur-Rasoolullah’ who pray Salah, attend Salah, prostrate, give Adhan, go to Hajj and Umrah – they do all of these actions. They give Qurbani, and make the sacrifice at the time of Eid ul-Adha – they do all the practices of Islam. Allah ta’ala has also included them in this message. So how do these people do Shirk? Can those who believe commit Shirk, those who do deeds and worship and other practices? But Allah ta’ala has announced this to all three groupings. So the Shirk of the first group is clear, but how can a person with Iman do Shirk? There are Muslims who do Shirk, and this has been explained so that we can be saved from this and prevent this from coming into our lives.
Riya, showing off, Kibr, pride – these are aspects of Shirk. This is stated in Hadith. The disbeliever who is worshipping idols is doing Shirk al-Akbar. But when a person of Iman does Shirk al-Asgar, that is also Shirk. What Shirk is that? Hadhrat Abu Hurayrha radhiAllahu anh relates a Hadith that is recorded in at-Tabarani, that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained about a person who pays more attention to the Dunya rather than the Hereafter in his deeds – listen to this. A person’s Salah, his Sadaqah, his Dhikr, his Bai’ah at the hands of a Wali of Allah, his becoming a Hafidh or a Qari or a scholar, his Umrah, his Hajj – Allah allows him to worship, but he doesn’t have the Niyyah for the Hereafter in all these deeds, but rather his Niyyah is for the world. I’ve heard this with my own ears. One person said to his brother ‘Look, I have become an Alim – you should do the same, you foolish person! Everyone will run after you in the Dunya, and people will stand for you and hold you in respect and awe.’ So it is stated that a person who does the deeds of the Hereafter but with the intention for gain in the world, wanting respect, esteem, people running after them for their speeches etc, for such a person the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that he is recognized as La’anati, wretched and cursed, by everyone in the heavens and the earth. Everyone recognizes that this person is wretched and cursed. Allah has given that person Qur’an, Uloom, knowledge, Hadith, Salah, Hajj, Umrah, Dhikr of Allah and other great deeds, but his intention is Dunya. He wants Dunya to acknowledge him and see him, and so he is recorded and recognized as accursed in the heavens and the earth. So in this Sahih Hadith in at-Tabarani, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that a person who seeks fame in this world by implementing Hereafter deeds is wretched and lost; his name is written in hell, his face is disfigured, and his reputation is spoiled. In other words, there is a big punishment for a person who has an intention for name and fame and pomp and glory in the world, wanting people to respect him and hold him in high regard. For such, his face is disfigured, his name is spoiled, and he is made degraded and wretched and accursed. What a big punishment for Shirk!
Allah ta’ala is addressing this verse of the Qur’an to {يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ} – ‘Oh Mankind!’ May Allah ta’ala give us all the Tawfeeq to be saved. My brothers, what an extraordinary point, that this can apply, despite the fact that Allah ta’ala gives us all the A’mal and deeds. Hadhrat Shaddad bin Aws radhiAllahu anh, a noble Companion, a beloved Companion, related a Hadith recorded in Baihaqi that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds, stated that if a person prays Salah, gives Sadaqah, fasts, and does all the deeds just to show people that he is pious, then he becomes a Mushrik. If deeds are done for show and to gain fame, then he is a Mushrik, and in the Hereafter he will stand as a Mushrik. This is a clear announcement and a lesson for the Mu’mineen. {وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ} Allah says ‘Don’t you know? You do know better, so why are you still doing these things? Don’t these Hadiths have any effect on you? Do they not put fear into you? Do you still run after recognition in the world, from people?’
In Sahih Muslim and in Nisaee, there is a Hadith that records a very lengthy event that mentions this. Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah radhiAllahu anh narrates that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam gave a massive example of a selection of people in this Hadith whose status is unimaginably high - a Hafidh, a wealthy person who spends on Allah’s Path, and a person who becomes Shaheed while on an expedition on Allah’s Path. So this is about famous Huffadh with the whole Qur’an in their hearts, SubhanAllah, who recite the Qur’an to the people in Taraweeh in Ramadhan, and other people of high rank, like a Shaheed on the Path of Allah, or a person who spends money on the Path of Allah, all of whom are praised and recognized by people in the world, and who have great rewards waiting for them which have been detailed in Hadith. For example, the rewards for the Hafidh include that his body will not decay in the grave! But how does he waste this reward? He contaminates it with worldly, material ambitions.
This Dunya is very wretched, and shaytan, who is flowing in the veins, turning people into disbelievers or Mushriks, makes more of an effort on people of Iman by making Mu’mins implement Shirk in a way that they cannot imagine. Allah ta’ala will question the Hafidh and the Shaheed and the wealthy donor on the Day of Judgement. Allah will ask these people, and the Hafidh will say ‘I memorized Your Kitab, and I did Hifdh of this Qur’an that was revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and then I recited it day and night. I memorized your Kalam and recited it in Taraweeh prayer – I recited fifteen Juz, twenty Juz.’ Allah ta’ala will say ‘You are a liar! You did not read the Qur’an for Me, rather you did this for your own recognition and fame. You didn’t recite for Me.’ Allahu Akbar. ‘You attained your objective of becoming famous, and you didn’t recite for My sake. So how can you present this to me as a deed?’ And Allah ta’ala will question the wealthy person about the Sadaqah and wealth that he gave to good causes, and he will say ‘Yes, oh Allah, I gave money in charity; I spent the money that You gave to me in Your way.’ Allah ta’ala will say ‘You are a liar! You did not do this for Me, but for yourself, for your fame and for your recognition.’
We need to think about this deeply, extensively. If people call us generous, man or woman, and praise us, then we have attained what we wanted – end of story! This applies even to the Shaheed – imagine his status and rank. He gives himself for Allah. He will also be asked, and will say ‘Oh Allah, I gave my own life in Your Way. I gave everything for you, my time, my health, everything.’ Allah ta’ala will say ‘You are a liar! You did not do it for Me, rather, you wanted people to call you brave and courageous and recognize you and say that you were great. Well, you got that worldly recognition, and you got the titles that you wanted.’ And then the Hadith states that all three examples, all three groups who do their actions for show, will be thrown into Jahannam first. What will happen to these three types of people, who showed off and became Mushriks by doing Shirk al-Asgar? First, they will be tipped into the mouth of Hell, and then they will be dragged by their own mouths into Hell. May Allah ta’ala forgive. My brothers, we need to think about this - this is the Qur’an. What clear, transparent and straightforward lessons we are being given.
The third group, the Munafiqs, are also addressed here, alongside the disbelievers and the people of Iman, whose examples we have just gone through. So what about the Munafiq? His situation is that there is no limit to the extent of his Shirk. His hypocrisy itself is an unimaginably bad expression of Shirk. How? He stood in Salah, praying, saying that he wanted to be saved from the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen – this is what we pray for isn’t it? So he is saying {ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ(٦) صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ (٧)} - that he wants to follow the Straight path and not that of the wretched and accursed people, but all life long, at home, outside, with wife, with children, wherever, his actions are exactly those of the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen! His is with them one hundred percent, solidly. No action of his in his life does not relate to the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen. What a hypocrite – he stands in Salah and requests this, but his actions in life are the exact opposite. He is such a two-faced person that there is no limit to his Shirk. And beyond even that, he openly and flagrantly dislikes and hates the Shari'ah and Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and demonstrates this. He likes the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen, but he won’t accept the ways of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, not his face, nor his appearance, not the injunctions of Purdah or the requirement of the sisters to remain at home. He says ‘I won’t follow that lifestyle, and will not require my children to do so, neither sons or daughters.’ The Munafiq openly declares this.
Whilst Riya, for example, is concealed, in this respect the inner attitude is clearly displayed. So these Munafiqs openly, flagrantly and blatantly reject faith. If you go into their homes, they are with the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen; they are running after them. They openly criticize and mock the Shari'ah and Sunnah and the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam; they degrade and laugh at it. How? Even if they don’t say so from their tongues, in practice it is clear. What they do and what the Magdhoob do is the same. They stand like the Dhaalleen stand, they eat, they stand, they sit, they move, they go about in the same way, saying, ‘We want progression in the world – we don’t want Akhirah. We need advancement and recognition in the world.’ May Allah ta’ala save us from these diseases, and may He protect us from this mirage. The world has tricked them, telling them that they are generous and that they have achieved and have done great service to Islam.
Now amongst all of mankind, there only a very, very few who do not fall into one of these three groups we have considered - those disbelievers who do Shirk al-Akbar, the Mu’mins who do Shirk al-Asgar, and the Munafiqs. Only a tiny fraction of human beings are outside of these three groups, so why would punishment not come? Why would Allah ta’ala not take our opportunities for Ibadah away? This is nothing! Allah has given us a chance, otherwise our situation is such that we are not even capable of providing Rizq for ourselves. Allah ta’ala is so Kareem, Raheem, and He has given us chances and opportunities. Such a great opportunity is before us, alhamdulillah, that Allah ta’ala has told us openly and clearly. Allah ta’ala is allowing me and enabling me to recite these verses of the Qur’an. In my life, I have never read the Qur’an in this way – I am telling you the truth. This is so that hypocrisy can come out of me, so that Shirk can come out of me, so that showing off and pride can come out of me. How great a chance that Allah ta’ala has given us in this way.
We shouldn’t run away from these words, from these lessons. We shouldn’t cry and get scared and afraid. This is Islah, reformation, if you make a pact or a firm resolve to change from today. Look, how could it be that a person lies down somewhere with a young girl beneath the sky and openly does Zina? The earth and the heavens shake in horror at such an act, where someone forces a young child into such an act. But if even that person asks Allah ta’ala for forgiveness, Allah can forgive! Allah is so Kareem, so Merciful. His Fadhl and grace and generosity are everywhere. Even if you commit major sins, if you ask Allah for forgiveness, He will forgive. But shaytan runs in our veins as the blood flows, and we don’t even dare to ask Allah for forgiveness. We don’t do Tawbah. It is not me - this is the Qur’an that is telling us. It is teaching us and explaining beautiful points to us - SubhanAllah.
{ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَأَخۡرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ رِزۡقً۬ا لَّكُمۡۖ فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ}
SubhanAllah, what a great verse! Allah says ‘Don’t do Shirk! Don’t show off! Don’t commit hypocrisy! You know what will occur. You know, but shaytan has overwhelmed your brain and diminished your thought processes. You know what is better, but your Yaqeen doesn’t allow you to contemplate what will happen to you.’ You hear the Qur’an today, but you say ‘No, no, this can’t happen to us. No, it is not that strict – this is not the reality. It is just words – Islam is not that strict. How can you say that this is going to happen? Allah is not that severe. No, we have to live with the times.’ Our Nafs just will not accept, and that is why Allah ta’ala says {وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ}. Even though you know better, shaytan won’t allow you to have certainty and accept this. When the jolt and shake of death arrives, then you will understand.
In what a beautiful way and style Allah ta’ala has explained this:
{ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬}
Allah says ‘I have made the earth a resting place for you.’ Listen to the Qur’an! In other words, Allah ta’ala has given an example in a beautiful way to teach us. What a quality Allah ta’ala has put into the earth. If we pay attention, in every word of Allah’s Kitab there are oceans of knowledge – oceans of knowledge in every word! Oceans of Ma’arifat and knowledge are contained in every word. Look at the example Allah ta’ala has given of the earth. Three examples are given: the earth, the sky and also water. Three things have been mentioned in this Ayah, SubhanAllah, each of which is different, with different qualities. Look, after explaining the three diseases of Shikr al-Akbar, Shirk al-Asgar and Nifaq, Allah ta’ala says { جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا} ‘Become the way I have made the earth!’ – which is how? { فِرَٰشً۬ا}. Allah says ‘I have laid it out for you, nice and clean and soft and warm – a resting place, like a mattress. You cannot imagine how great is the quality of this earth that I have made for you.’ This earth that we sit on and stand on and move about on has such a high rank. Allah ta’ala has elevated, glorified and given respect to the earth. Look at the qualities of the earth; it has unique properties. The earth’s crust has unique properties – it is so unique that all of the bodies of the honourable, graceful bodies of the Ambiya are laid to rest in the earth. Imam-ul-Ambiya sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and with him al-Farooq and as-Siddique, are resting in Hujrah Aishah. Where are all these great people? Are they in the first or second or third heaven? No, they are in the earth! SubhanAllah. How respected is the earth!
Allah ta’ala has made the earth so honourable, so respectable, so sacred, that Allah ta’ala has made the best position of worship that person submits to his Lord, prostrates to his Lord, and rubs his forehead on what? On the ground, on the earth! Allah prefers the ground, the earth. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam would do lengthy prostrations on the dusty soil, while rain fell and it was muddy, and the honourable forehead of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam did Sujud on the earth, on the crust of the earth, SubhanAllah. May we give our all for his blessed and honourable forehead. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam would prostrate and pray on the earth. Where did he sit? On the earth! Tell me – what honour Allah ta’ala has given to the ground, to the earth! The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and his noble Companions are resting there. Why? Allah ta’ala has given the example – listen carefully. Think – think carefully and listen carefully to the discussion points. After hearing about the sins that we have learnt today, Allah ta’ala is bringing a person to a solution. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Why have I given such a high status to the earth? Why not to the heavens? Why do I not give a higher rank to the sky? Why did I give a big rank and status and honour to the earth? What is the property of the earth? What is the quality of the earth? SubhanAllah.
The property and quality of the earth is so brilliant that whoever has this property and quality will also get the honour and rank of the earth. And what is that property? The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is resting within that earth, so whoever has the property of that earth will be embraced by the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam on the Day of Resurrection. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam’s blessed and honourable body is lying down in the earth, so a person should treat the earth correctly. The final words of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam included that he would lie down upon that earth and would be raised up from that earth on the Day of Resurrection. Why did he like this? If this property is developed and engrained within a human being, then he will have nearness to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam just like the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has the nearness to the earth. So what was that quality? The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “مَنْ يَتَوَاضَعْ لِلَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ دَرَجَةً يَرْفَعْهُ اللَّهُ بِهِ دَرَجَةً”. That special property of the earth is that it has extreme humility and humbleness. The skies above ascend – one, two, three, four, in the air and above, but the earth is beneath us. This soil, earth and dust has great lowliness and humility. We urinate and excrete on the earth, as do animals, and we spit on the earth. We do so many dirty actions on the earth, SubhanAllah, but despite that, what does the earth do? It provides for us! All of our Rizq comes from the earth, MashaAllah – apples, bananas, different fruit, wheat, vegetables; all our sustenance comes from the earth. The earth says ‘You can do bad things to me, but I am humble, and that humility demands that I provide for you.’ SubhanAllah. The Qur’an refers to this humility here.
These points come from the Qur’an, from this Kalam of Allah; not one word of the Qur’an is devoid of meaning. Allah hasn’t given the example of the earth for nothing. Allah hasn’t put these words here for nothing; this is not mentioned here with no reason, so that it can just be bypassed, no. We are not in the habit of passing over these words heedlessly. I stop at every word, and until Allah ta’ala allows the understanding to come into my heart, I don’t move ahead. Wa’llahi, I was reading this verse, and I said to myself ‘I will not move on until the meaning comes into my heart. Why are the earth and sky mentioned? What is the point about these creations that Allah has made?’ So Allah ta’ala has explained the sins, about those of Kufr, of disbelief, and the showing off of people who believe, and the hypocrisy of the Munafiqs, and is then saying ‘Become humble and embrace humility and lowliness just like My earth, which has a great rank due to this quality, that earth in which the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is resting.’ Even the ‘Arsh is envious! The Malaaika have to come down to the earth; the earth does not go up to the sky. Why? Because the earth has honour and rank. ‘I contain the Imam-ul-Ambiya, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, so you have to come down to see me!’ So they all have to come – Hadhrat Gibreel alayhi salam, Maikaeel, Israfeel - all the great angels have to come to the earth to carry out their tasks. So humility and humbleness is great, and has a high rank.
“مَنْ يَتَوَاضَعْ لِلَّهِ” – SubhanAllah! How does a person achieve greatness? That individual who embraces humility for the sake of Allah, Allah ta’ala gives him a very lofty rank. No one has a higher rank and status than a person who has humility. Nobody had humility and humbleness to compare with that of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, nobody. So who has the highest of ranks and the most lofty status? The Imam-ul-Ambiya sallallahu alayhi wasallam, SubhanAllah, because he had this quality of the earth of humility, humbleness, lowliness and simplicity, and Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is lying and resting in the earth. So a person must develop this humility.
Hadhrat Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rafa’i rahmatullah alayh was a great pious elder, a Wali of Allah, who lived at the time of Hadhrat Abdul Qadir al-Jilani rahmatullah alayh. They lived in the same generation. On one occasion, Sheikh Rafa’i went for Ziyarah and presented himself at the holy grave of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and as he did so he thought to himself - and this was from the sincere heart of a Faqeer - ‘It would be so nice if I could shake the hand of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.’ Straightaway, from the Rawdah Mubarak the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam extended his hand and said ‘Shake my hand!’ All those who were present at the time witnessed the blessed hand of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam – they all saw his blessed hand being extended. Due to this Faqeer, the people of that time witnessed this event, SubhanAllah. This event occurred due to his humility and his humbleness, a brilliant, momentous event that had never before taken place in history. He left immediately and lay down at the door of Masjid an-Nabawi, saying to the people ‘Kick me! Whoever passes here has to kick me, because I don’t want my Nafs to expand and become fat, and I don’t want to become proud or to show off or fall into Riya.’ SubhanAllah! He said ‘I have nothing, no achievement. Kick me as you pass by, and belittle me!’ This was Sheikh Ahmad Rafa’i, who spent his life in great humility.
My friends, I have given my life and all my efforts, leaving no path untried and no stone unturned, and the experience of my life has shown that this is the right path. There was nothing lacking in my efforts to adopt all the practices of Sidq, honesty and sincerity, but I will remind you and tell you again, SubhanAllah, that I have not seen any practices beyond humility and lowliness and humbleness that can make you the beloved of Allah. Lowering yourself and belittling yourself is so important, and Sheikh Rafa’i attained the Maqam shown in this event due to his humility and sincerity. This is the function of the Walis of Allah, but when we attain something in the world, our necks extend and our heads get big, and we forget how to walk properly. We only need to get a little bit of status in the world and we get big heads, our noses stick up in the air, and unless we have three or four sidekicks running along behind us, we are not satisfied.
Look at the example of Hadhrat Abu Bakr as-Siddique radhiAllahu anh. He said ‘I am grateful to Allah that Allah ta’ala showed me that path by which I attained Allah.’ Allahu Akbar! He said ‘I am grateful that Allah explained that path to me by which I attained the nearness of my Lord. All my Maqams and statuses were acquired through the method of humility and simplicity. Allah ta’ala gave me this practice.’ He was Siddique al-Akbar, but sometimes he would address the leaves of trees or birds or the ground, saying ‘You are better than me!’ Every noble Companion had this great attribute and quality. Hadhrat Umar radhiAllahu anh did not get the status lightly through which he came to rest at the side of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. He had Tawaadhu’, humility. How did this manifest itself? When he was the Khalifah and the Amir-ul-Mu’mineen, kings would shake when they heard his name, and he ruled over many thousands of square miles of land. If there was a storm, or if there was an earthquake, he was known to strike his staff upon the ground to remind the elements to quieten down. He ruled not only over human beings, but also over animals and creation. He was such a great ruler and Khalifah, who had great Jalal and passion, but SubhanAllah, when someone came looking for the Amir-ul-Mu’mineen, they would find him in a corner, lying on the sandy, dusty earth, with a rock as a pillow for his head. This Hadhrat Umar al-Farooq radhiAllahu anh would cry and say ‘Oh Allah forgive me, forgive me! Umar is bone-idle! Allah forgive me, Allah forgive me!’ SubhanAllah!
The Qur’an is telling us this – do you understand? { ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا} Become like this earth, which is tender and soft. And then Allah says { وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬} – and here Allah ta’la is giving this example to show what will happen if we do so, for just as the sky is elevated, Allah is saying that He will take us to the heights, and give us the qualities of the sky, which is an elevated canopy that shields and shades. And further { وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَأَخۡرَجَ} - Allah is saying ‘Just like the rain that falls from the canopy of the sky, My Rahmah and Mercy will pour down. I will allow my Mercy and Rahmah to rain down upon you!’ Allahu Akbar! Such a beautiful understanding and meaning emerges from this verse of the Qur’an. I said that I would not move until I had realized these lessons of the Qur’an, and the reasons behind Allah ta’ala giving the examples of the earth and the sky, and the reason for rain also being mentioned, SubhanAllah.
So both routes have been mentioned for us human beings. Allah ta’ala is addressing us all - { يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ} – and we could be a disbeliever who is doing Shirk al-Akbar, or a Mu’min who is doing Shirk al-Asgar, or a Munafiq; or we can embrace humility like the earth which is simple and humble, in which case Allah says ‘I will elevate you to the skies, to the heights.’ Allahu Akbar! { وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ} And Allah says ‘My Mercy will rain down upon you in the world and the Hereafter. I will bathe you in My Mercy!’
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar – { وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ } - Allah says ‘You know better, so why don’t you understand what I am saying?’ Why does shaytan attract you? Why has shaytan enlisted you? What is left for you in the four or five days of life that remain to you? Once you were young, and you used to wander around on the streets wearing nice clothes, thinking you were young and strong, and then you got married and your teeth started to decay, and then you began to stoop and your height reduced, and then illnesses started and you had to keep tablets in your home, and you became so old that people told you that you were too old to go to the Masjid. Your age is increasing, it doesn’t matter what you do. No matter how much walking and talking you do, this process cannot be reversed. You cannot become young again, no matter how much effort you put in. Whatever you do, the jolt of death will come.
So brothers, if we see a person in the morning and he is walking and talking, this is no guarantee against death. When the call comes, that’s it – death will come. So Allah ta’ala says { وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ } – ‘You know better, so why don’t you accept? Why don’t you implement when you know better? Why don’t you accept and implement?’ Make tonight a valuable night – come out of Kufr! SubhanAllah. Reject Shirk al-Asgar, the minor Shirk, and come out of Riya and Kibr and hypocrisy and pride. Embrace the Shari'ah and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and do not be with the Maghoob and the Dhaalleen. Leave their path and come to this path. Wash your homes, clean your homes, and take the idols out. Do Tawbah and repent to Allah. Allah ta’ala promises that he will make you as lofty as the sky! Allahu Akbar! You will be like the earth, fertile and soft and tender, and Allah will elevate you to the heights of the skies and heavens.
May Allah ta’ala give us all the Tawfeeq to do Amal on this. Ameen
وَءَاخِرُ دَعۡوَٮٰهُمۡ أَنِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ
{ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَأَخۡرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ رِزۡقً۬ا لَّكُمۡۖ فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ}
Surah al-Baqarah v21
In this verse, Allah ta’ala is addressing us and all people -{يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ} (v20). In other words, Allah ta’ala is addressing every single person. All people are included – the people who have no faith, those who have Iman, and also the Munafiqs, the hypocrites. All three groups are being addressed directly here, and Allah is making a clear announcement: { فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ} Allah is saying ‘Do not set up rivalry with Allah; do not do Shirk; do not challenge Allah.’ Allah warns against setting up rivalry and Shirk and invites towards Oneness. Who is Allah addressing? Not just those who have no faith, but rather, every human being. It is such a big sin that there is no sin worse than or bigger than Shirk. Allah ta’ala forgives every sin, but Allah ta’ala does not forgive Mushriks unless they do Tawbah from their Shirk. Allah purifies from all sins. He forgives all sins and will purify a person from all sins in Jahannam and send a person into Jannah, but the Mushrik will not be forgiven and will remain in Jahannam forever. That is how big a sin it is.
Abdullah bin Ma’sud radhiAllahu anh narrates a Hadith where he asked “أَىُّ الذَّنْبِ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ” – “What is the biggest sin to Allah? What is the biggest sin, the worst sin?” This is a brilliant question for those who want to get close to Allah, so that throughout their lives they can try to avoid this sin. This was a very big question that was asked for the whole of humanity, namely, ‘For Allah, which is the worst sin?’ And why was this asked? Not so he could increase his ‘Ilm or so that he could write a book about it, or give a lecture with technical points, no. This was asked because he had fear of Allah, and he did not want to do anything which would displease his Lord, his Rabb, and so that he could escape from all sins. So he posed the question directly to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam: ‘What is the worst sin that will cause Allah’s displeasure?’
Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam replied “أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِلَّهِ نِدًّا وَهْوَ خَلَقَكَ” – ‘Do not commit Shirk, do not ascribe any partner to Allah, do not set up any rival to Allah.’ { فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُون} Why? Because Allah ta’ala has created you! What a beautiful point here. You are not the Khaliq - Allah ta’ala is the Khaliq and you are the Khalq. Allah ta’ala is the Creator, and you have been created. So how can the one who has been created oppose and challenge the Creator? How can we stand stubbornly in front of Allah? What a big warning this is. Could you have created yourself? If today you do Shirk with Allah, ask yourself – could you have come into this world just like that? Did you exist before? Where were you before? You reached maturity and understanding ten or twelve years after your birth, and then you do Shirk with Allah? Never do Shirk with Allah! In another Hadith, the meaning is conveyed that even if you are in pieces, in the worst of situations, do not commit Shirk with Allah. Do you understand brothers?
So Allah is addressing all three categories: those without faith, those with faith, and the hypocrites. So he who done Shirk with Allah, then he is a disbeliever. Now it is stated in Hadith that shaytan flows like blood in the veins of a person, so what does he do? Shaytan’s biggest mission is to get people to do Shirk with Allah. Why? Because he won’t succeed – Allah is so displeased with him that Allah will never forgive him unless he does Tawbah, comes back from his Shirk and leaves his sin. Shaytan knows that Allah will also never forgive a human being who does Shirk unless he does Tawbah and comes out of that Shirk. So shaytan works hard all life long so that the one who has been created by Allah does Shirk and starts to worship things that Allah has made. He starts to submit and prostrate to flowers or trees, or he starts to do Sujud to the earth and the soil, or to rocks, or to dangerous animals that he is afraid of, or to cows or buffalo, or he will prostrate to snakes. He will make the sun his Lord. There is no basis or structure to his life – he will leave the source, Allah, the Real, and do Shirk. Shaytan makes him do this big sin.
Then Allah makes such a great point, saying {وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ} – ‘So you can fly planes, you can sail the seas, you have science and are advanced scientifically, you launch rockets into space, and yet you don’t understand how terrible it is to prostrate to a scorpion or a flower or a tree? How can your ‘Aql accept this?’ And a person gets so foolish that he starts to drink urine! Allah says ‘And yet you know better!’ Allah says ‘How can you start to prostrate to human beings that you think of as stronger than you, or start to treat a Prophet as a god?’ In other words, shaytan makes human beings into wasters when they start to think and do actions of Shirk. He gets confused, and with his own hands, he makes some idol and puts it into his pocket - something that he has made and manufactured himself by picking up soil and solidifying its shape into an idol. How a person’s brain is overwhelmed because he forgets that there is a very big punishment for Shirk, for this disbelief.
So Shirk is a very big sin, and the punishment for Shirk is that while Allah subhana wa ta'ala will forgive everybody else, the Mushrik will not be forgiven. Now, Allah has addressed the whole of mankind, and has said {يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ}. Allah has said ‘Oh Mankind, Oh people’, which means that a Muslim who has Iman can do Shirk, because Allah ta’ala has addressed all three groups. Who are the groups? Allah ta’ala is addressing the disbelievers, about whom it is clear that they are doing Shirk, so it is not hidden in that case. But then there are those with Iman, who say ‘La ilaha illa’llah, Muhammadur-Rasoolullah’ who pray Salah, attend Salah, prostrate, give Adhan, go to Hajj and Umrah – they do all of these actions. They give Qurbani, and make the sacrifice at the time of Eid ul-Adha – they do all the practices of Islam. Allah ta’ala has also included them in this message. So how do these people do Shirk? Can those who believe commit Shirk, those who do deeds and worship and other practices? But Allah ta’ala has announced this to all three groupings. So the Shirk of the first group is clear, but how can a person with Iman do Shirk? There are Muslims who do Shirk, and this has been explained so that we can be saved from this and prevent this from coming into our lives.
Riya, showing off, Kibr, pride – these are aspects of Shirk. This is stated in Hadith. The disbeliever who is worshipping idols is doing Shirk al-Akbar. But when a person of Iman does Shirk al-Asgar, that is also Shirk. What Shirk is that? Hadhrat Abu Hurayrha radhiAllahu anh relates a Hadith that is recorded in at-Tabarani, that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained about a person who pays more attention to the Dunya rather than the Hereafter in his deeds – listen to this. A person’s Salah, his Sadaqah, his Dhikr, his Bai’ah at the hands of a Wali of Allah, his becoming a Hafidh or a Qari or a scholar, his Umrah, his Hajj – Allah allows him to worship, but he doesn’t have the Niyyah for the Hereafter in all these deeds, but rather his Niyyah is for the world. I’ve heard this with my own ears. One person said to his brother ‘Look, I have become an Alim – you should do the same, you foolish person! Everyone will run after you in the Dunya, and people will stand for you and hold you in respect and awe.’ So it is stated that a person who does the deeds of the Hereafter but with the intention for gain in the world, wanting respect, esteem, people running after them for their speeches etc, for such a person the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that he is recognized as La’anati, wretched and cursed, by everyone in the heavens and the earth. Everyone recognizes that this person is wretched and cursed. Allah has given that person Qur’an, Uloom, knowledge, Hadith, Salah, Hajj, Umrah, Dhikr of Allah and other great deeds, but his intention is Dunya. He wants Dunya to acknowledge him and see him, and so he is recorded and recognized as accursed in the heavens and the earth. So in this Sahih Hadith in at-Tabarani, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that a person who seeks fame in this world by implementing Hereafter deeds is wretched and lost; his name is written in hell, his face is disfigured, and his reputation is spoiled. In other words, there is a big punishment for a person who has an intention for name and fame and pomp and glory in the world, wanting people to respect him and hold him in high regard. For such, his face is disfigured, his name is spoiled, and he is made degraded and wretched and accursed. What a big punishment for Shirk!
Allah ta’ala is addressing this verse of the Qur’an to {يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ} – ‘Oh Mankind!’ May Allah ta’ala give us all the Tawfeeq to be saved. My brothers, what an extraordinary point, that this can apply, despite the fact that Allah ta’ala gives us all the A’mal and deeds. Hadhrat Shaddad bin Aws radhiAllahu anh, a noble Companion, a beloved Companion, related a Hadith recorded in Baihaqi that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds, stated that if a person prays Salah, gives Sadaqah, fasts, and does all the deeds just to show people that he is pious, then he becomes a Mushrik. If deeds are done for show and to gain fame, then he is a Mushrik, and in the Hereafter he will stand as a Mushrik. This is a clear announcement and a lesson for the Mu’mineen. {وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ} Allah says ‘Don’t you know? You do know better, so why are you still doing these things? Don’t these Hadiths have any effect on you? Do they not put fear into you? Do you still run after recognition in the world, from people?’
In Sahih Muslim and in Nisaee, there is a Hadith that records a very lengthy event that mentions this. Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah radhiAllahu anh narrates that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam gave a massive example of a selection of people in this Hadith whose status is unimaginably high - a Hafidh, a wealthy person who spends on Allah’s Path, and a person who becomes Shaheed while on an expedition on Allah’s Path. So this is about famous Huffadh with the whole Qur’an in their hearts, SubhanAllah, who recite the Qur’an to the people in Taraweeh in Ramadhan, and other people of high rank, like a Shaheed on the Path of Allah, or a person who spends money on the Path of Allah, all of whom are praised and recognized by people in the world, and who have great rewards waiting for them which have been detailed in Hadith. For example, the rewards for the Hafidh include that his body will not decay in the grave! But how does he waste this reward? He contaminates it with worldly, material ambitions.
This Dunya is very wretched, and shaytan, who is flowing in the veins, turning people into disbelievers or Mushriks, makes more of an effort on people of Iman by making Mu’mins implement Shirk in a way that they cannot imagine. Allah ta’ala will question the Hafidh and the Shaheed and the wealthy donor on the Day of Judgement. Allah will ask these people, and the Hafidh will say ‘I memorized Your Kitab, and I did Hifdh of this Qur’an that was revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and then I recited it day and night. I memorized your Kalam and recited it in Taraweeh prayer – I recited fifteen Juz, twenty Juz.’ Allah ta’ala will say ‘You are a liar! You did not read the Qur’an for Me, rather you did this for your own recognition and fame. You didn’t recite for Me.’ Allahu Akbar. ‘You attained your objective of becoming famous, and you didn’t recite for My sake. So how can you present this to me as a deed?’ And Allah ta’ala will question the wealthy person about the Sadaqah and wealth that he gave to good causes, and he will say ‘Yes, oh Allah, I gave money in charity; I spent the money that You gave to me in Your way.’ Allah ta’ala will say ‘You are a liar! You did not do this for Me, but for yourself, for your fame and for your recognition.’
We need to think about this deeply, extensively. If people call us generous, man or woman, and praise us, then we have attained what we wanted – end of story! This applies even to the Shaheed – imagine his status and rank. He gives himself for Allah. He will also be asked, and will say ‘Oh Allah, I gave my own life in Your Way. I gave everything for you, my time, my health, everything.’ Allah ta’ala will say ‘You are a liar! You did not do it for Me, rather, you wanted people to call you brave and courageous and recognize you and say that you were great. Well, you got that worldly recognition, and you got the titles that you wanted.’ And then the Hadith states that all three examples, all three groups who do their actions for show, will be thrown into Jahannam first. What will happen to these three types of people, who showed off and became Mushriks by doing Shirk al-Asgar? First, they will be tipped into the mouth of Hell, and then they will be dragged by their own mouths into Hell. May Allah ta’ala forgive. My brothers, we need to think about this - this is the Qur’an. What clear, transparent and straightforward lessons we are being given.
The third group, the Munafiqs, are also addressed here, alongside the disbelievers and the people of Iman, whose examples we have just gone through. So what about the Munafiq? His situation is that there is no limit to the extent of his Shirk. His hypocrisy itself is an unimaginably bad expression of Shirk. How? He stood in Salah, praying, saying that he wanted to be saved from the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen – this is what we pray for isn’t it? So he is saying {ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ(٦) صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ (٧)} - that he wants to follow the Straight path and not that of the wretched and accursed people, but all life long, at home, outside, with wife, with children, wherever, his actions are exactly those of the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen! His is with them one hundred percent, solidly. No action of his in his life does not relate to the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen. What a hypocrite – he stands in Salah and requests this, but his actions in life are the exact opposite. He is such a two-faced person that there is no limit to his Shirk. And beyond even that, he openly and flagrantly dislikes and hates the Shari'ah and Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and demonstrates this. He likes the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen, but he won’t accept the ways of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, not his face, nor his appearance, not the injunctions of Purdah or the requirement of the sisters to remain at home. He says ‘I won’t follow that lifestyle, and will not require my children to do so, neither sons or daughters.’ The Munafiq openly declares this.
Whilst Riya, for example, is concealed, in this respect the inner attitude is clearly displayed. So these Munafiqs openly, flagrantly and blatantly reject faith. If you go into their homes, they are with the Magdhoob and the Dhaalleen; they are running after them. They openly criticize and mock the Shari'ah and Sunnah and the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam; they degrade and laugh at it. How? Even if they don’t say so from their tongues, in practice it is clear. What they do and what the Magdhoob do is the same. They stand like the Dhaalleen stand, they eat, they stand, they sit, they move, they go about in the same way, saying, ‘We want progression in the world – we don’t want Akhirah. We need advancement and recognition in the world.’ May Allah ta’ala save us from these diseases, and may He protect us from this mirage. The world has tricked them, telling them that they are generous and that they have achieved and have done great service to Islam.
Now amongst all of mankind, there only a very, very few who do not fall into one of these three groups we have considered - those disbelievers who do Shirk al-Akbar, the Mu’mins who do Shirk al-Asgar, and the Munafiqs. Only a tiny fraction of human beings are outside of these three groups, so why would punishment not come? Why would Allah ta’ala not take our opportunities for Ibadah away? This is nothing! Allah has given us a chance, otherwise our situation is such that we are not even capable of providing Rizq for ourselves. Allah ta’ala is so Kareem, Raheem, and He has given us chances and opportunities. Such a great opportunity is before us, alhamdulillah, that Allah ta’ala has told us openly and clearly. Allah ta’ala is allowing me and enabling me to recite these verses of the Qur’an. In my life, I have never read the Qur’an in this way – I am telling you the truth. This is so that hypocrisy can come out of me, so that Shirk can come out of me, so that showing off and pride can come out of me. How great a chance that Allah ta’ala has given us in this way.
We shouldn’t run away from these words, from these lessons. We shouldn’t cry and get scared and afraid. This is Islah, reformation, if you make a pact or a firm resolve to change from today. Look, how could it be that a person lies down somewhere with a young girl beneath the sky and openly does Zina? The earth and the heavens shake in horror at such an act, where someone forces a young child into such an act. But if even that person asks Allah ta’ala for forgiveness, Allah can forgive! Allah is so Kareem, so Merciful. His Fadhl and grace and generosity are everywhere. Even if you commit major sins, if you ask Allah for forgiveness, He will forgive. But shaytan runs in our veins as the blood flows, and we don’t even dare to ask Allah for forgiveness. We don’t do Tawbah. It is not me - this is the Qur’an that is telling us. It is teaching us and explaining beautiful points to us - SubhanAllah.
{ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَأَخۡرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ رِزۡقً۬ا لَّكُمۡۖ فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ}
SubhanAllah, what a great verse! Allah says ‘Don’t do Shirk! Don’t show off! Don’t commit hypocrisy! You know what will occur. You know, but shaytan has overwhelmed your brain and diminished your thought processes. You know what is better, but your Yaqeen doesn’t allow you to contemplate what will happen to you.’ You hear the Qur’an today, but you say ‘No, no, this can’t happen to us. No, it is not that strict – this is not the reality. It is just words – Islam is not that strict. How can you say that this is going to happen? Allah is not that severe. No, we have to live with the times.’ Our Nafs just will not accept, and that is why Allah ta’ala says {وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ}. Even though you know better, shaytan won’t allow you to have certainty and accept this. When the jolt and shake of death arrives, then you will understand.
In what a beautiful way and style Allah ta’ala has explained this:
{ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬}
Allah says ‘I have made the earth a resting place for you.’ Listen to the Qur’an! In other words, Allah ta’ala has given an example in a beautiful way to teach us. What a quality Allah ta’ala has put into the earth. If we pay attention, in every word of Allah’s Kitab there are oceans of knowledge – oceans of knowledge in every word! Oceans of Ma’arifat and knowledge are contained in every word. Look at the example Allah ta’ala has given of the earth. Three examples are given: the earth, the sky and also water. Three things have been mentioned in this Ayah, SubhanAllah, each of which is different, with different qualities. Look, after explaining the three diseases of Shikr al-Akbar, Shirk al-Asgar and Nifaq, Allah ta’ala says { جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا} ‘Become the way I have made the earth!’ – which is how? { فِرَٰشً۬ا}. Allah says ‘I have laid it out for you, nice and clean and soft and warm – a resting place, like a mattress. You cannot imagine how great is the quality of this earth that I have made for you.’ This earth that we sit on and stand on and move about on has such a high rank. Allah ta’ala has elevated, glorified and given respect to the earth. Look at the qualities of the earth; it has unique properties. The earth’s crust has unique properties – it is so unique that all of the bodies of the honourable, graceful bodies of the Ambiya are laid to rest in the earth. Imam-ul-Ambiya sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and with him al-Farooq and as-Siddique, are resting in Hujrah Aishah. Where are all these great people? Are they in the first or second or third heaven? No, they are in the earth! SubhanAllah. How respected is the earth!
Allah ta’ala has made the earth so honourable, so respectable, so sacred, that Allah ta’ala has made the best position of worship that person submits to his Lord, prostrates to his Lord, and rubs his forehead on what? On the ground, on the earth! Allah prefers the ground, the earth. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam would do lengthy prostrations on the dusty soil, while rain fell and it was muddy, and the honourable forehead of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam did Sujud on the earth, on the crust of the earth, SubhanAllah. May we give our all for his blessed and honourable forehead. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam would prostrate and pray on the earth. Where did he sit? On the earth! Tell me – what honour Allah ta’ala has given to the ground, to the earth! The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and his noble Companions are resting there. Why? Allah ta’ala has given the example – listen carefully. Think – think carefully and listen carefully to the discussion points. After hearing about the sins that we have learnt today, Allah ta’ala is bringing a person to a solution. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Why have I given such a high status to the earth? Why not to the heavens? Why do I not give a higher rank to the sky? Why did I give a big rank and status and honour to the earth? What is the property of the earth? What is the quality of the earth? SubhanAllah.
The property and quality of the earth is so brilliant that whoever has this property and quality will also get the honour and rank of the earth. And what is that property? The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is resting within that earth, so whoever has the property of that earth will be embraced by the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam on the Day of Resurrection. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam’s blessed and honourable body is lying down in the earth, so a person should treat the earth correctly. The final words of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam included that he would lie down upon that earth and would be raised up from that earth on the Day of Resurrection. Why did he like this? If this property is developed and engrained within a human being, then he will have nearness to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam just like the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has the nearness to the earth. So what was that quality? The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “مَنْ يَتَوَاضَعْ لِلَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ دَرَجَةً يَرْفَعْهُ اللَّهُ بِهِ دَرَجَةً”. That special property of the earth is that it has extreme humility and humbleness. The skies above ascend – one, two, three, four, in the air and above, but the earth is beneath us. This soil, earth and dust has great lowliness and humility. We urinate and excrete on the earth, as do animals, and we spit on the earth. We do so many dirty actions on the earth, SubhanAllah, but despite that, what does the earth do? It provides for us! All of our Rizq comes from the earth, MashaAllah – apples, bananas, different fruit, wheat, vegetables; all our sustenance comes from the earth. The earth says ‘You can do bad things to me, but I am humble, and that humility demands that I provide for you.’ SubhanAllah. The Qur’an refers to this humility here.
These points come from the Qur’an, from this Kalam of Allah; not one word of the Qur’an is devoid of meaning. Allah hasn’t given the example of the earth for nothing. Allah hasn’t put these words here for nothing; this is not mentioned here with no reason, so that it can just be bypassed, no. We are not in the habit of passing over these words heedlessly. I stop at every word, and until Allah ta’ala allows the understanding to come into my heart, I don’t move ahead. Wa’llahi, I was reading this verse, and I said to myself ‘I will not move on until the meaning comes into my heart. Why are the earth and sky mentioned? What is the point about these creations that Allah has made?’ So Allah ta’ala has explained the sins, about those of Kufr, of disbelief, and the showing off of people who believe, and the hypocrisy of the Munafiqs, and is then saying ‘Become humble and embrace humility and lowliness just like My earth, which has a great rank due to this quality, that earth in which the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is resting.’ Even the ‘Arsh is envious! The Malaaika have to come down to the earth; the earth does not go up to the sky. Why? Because the earth has honour and rank. ‘I contain the Imam-ul-Ambiya, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, so you have to come down to see me!’ So they all have to come – Hadhrat Gibreel alayhi salam, Maikaeel, Israfeel - all the great angels have to come to the earth to carry out their tasks. So humility and humbleness is great, and has a high rank.
“مَنْ يَتَوَاضَعْ لِلَّهِ” – SubhanAllah! How does a person achieve greatness? That individual who embraces humility for the sake of Allah, Allah ta’ala gives him a very lofty rank. No one has a higher rank and status than a person who has humility. Nobody had humility and humbleness to compare with that of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, nobody. So who has the highest of ranks and the most lofty status? The Imam-ul-Ambiya sallallahu alayhi wasallam, SubhanAllah, because he had this quality of the earth of humility, humbleness, lowliness and simplicity, and Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is lying and resting in the earth. So a person must develop this humility.
Hadhrat Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rafa’i rahmatullah alayh was a great pious elder, a Wali of Allah, who lived at the time of Hadhrat Abdul Qadir al-Jilani rahmatullah alayh. They lived in the same generation. On one occasion, Sheikh Rafa’i went for Ziyarah and presented himself at the holy grave of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and as he did so he thought to himself - and this was from the sincere heart of a Faqeer - ‘It would be so nice if I could shake the hand of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.’ Straightaway, from the Rawdah Mubarak the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam extended his hand and said ‘Shake my hand!’ All those who were present at the time witnessed the blessed hand of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam – they all saw his blessed hand being extended. Due to this Faqeer, the people of that time witnessed this event, SubhanAllah. This event occurred due to his humility and his humbleness, a brilliant, momentous event that had never before taken place in history. He left immediately and lay down at the door of Masjid an-Nabawi, saying to the people ‘Kick me! Whoever passes here has to kick me, because I don’t want my Nafs to expand and become fat, and I don’t want to become proud or to show off or fall into Riya.’ SubhanAllah! He said ‘I have nothing, no achievement. Kick me as you pass by, and belittle me!’ This was Sheikh Ahmad Rafa’i, who spent his life in great humility.
My friends, I have given my life and all my efforts, leaving no path untried and no stone unturned, and the experience of my life has shown that this is the right path. There was nothing lacking in my efforts to adopt all the practices of Sidq, honesty and sincerity, but I will remind you and tell you again, SubhanAllah, that I have not seen any practices beyond humility and lowliness and humbleness that can make you the beloved of Allah. Lowering yourself and belittling yourself is so important, and Sheikh Rafa’i attained the Maqam shown in this event due to his humility and sincerity. This is the function of the Walis of Allah, but when we attain something in the world, our necks extend and our heads get big, and we forget how to walk properly. We only need to get a little bit of status in the world and we get big heads, our noses stick up in the air, and unless we have three or four sidekicks running along behind us, we are not satisfied.
Look at the example of Hadhrat Abu Bakr as-Siddique radhiAllahu anh. He said ‘I am grateful to Allah that Allah ta’ala showed me that path by which I attained Allah.’ Allahu Akbar! He said ‘I am grateful that Allah explained that path to me by which I attained the nearness of my Lord. All my Maqams and statuses were acquired through the method of humility and simplicity. Allah ta’ala gave me this practice.’ He was Siddique al-Akbar, but sometimes he would address the leaves of trees or birds or the ground, saying ‘You are better than me!’ Every noble Companion had this great attribute and quality. Hadhrat Umar radhiAllahu anh did not get the status lightly through which he came to rest at the side of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. He had Tawaadhu’, humility. How did this manifest itself? When he was the Khalifah and the Amir-ul-Mu’mineen, kings would shake when they heard his name, and he ruled over many thousands of square miles of land. If there was a storm, or if there was an earthquake, he was known to strike his staff upon the ground to remind the elements to quieten down. He ruled not only over human beings, but also over animals and creation. He was such a great ruler and Khalifah, who had great Jalal and passion, but SubhanAllah, when someone came looking for the Amir-ul-Mu’mineen, they would find him in a corner, lying on the sandy, dusty earth, with a rock as a pillow for his head. This Hadhrat Umar al-Farooq radhiAllahu anh would cry and say ‘Oh Allah forgive me, forgive me! Umar is bone-idle! Allah forgive me, Allah forgive me!’ SubhanAllah!
The Qur’an is telling us this – do you understand? { ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِرَٰشً۬ا} Become like this earth, which is tender and soft. And then Allah says { وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً۬} – and here Allah ta’la is giving this example to show what will happen if we do so, for just as the sky is elevated, Allah is saying that He will take us to the heights, and give us the qualities of the sky, which is an elevated canopy that shields and shades. And further { وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَأَخۡرَجَ} - Allah is saying ‘Just like the rain that falls from the canopy of the sky, My Rahmah and Mercy will pour down. I will allow my Mercy and Rahmah to rain down upon you!’ Allahu Akbar! Such a beautiful understanding and meaning emerges from this verse of the Qur’an. I said that I would not move until I had realized these lessons of the Qur’an, and the reasons behind Allah ta’ala giving the examples of the earth and the sky, and the reason for rain also being mentioned, SubhanAllah.
So both routes have been mentioned for us human beings. Allah ta’ala is addressing us all - { يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ} – and we could be a disbeliever who is doing Shirk al-Akbar, or a Mu’min who is doing Shirk al-Asgar, or a Munafiq; or we can embrace humility like the earth which is simple and humble, in which case Allah says ‘I will elevate you to the skies, to the heights.’ Allahu Akbar! { وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ} And Allah says ‘My Mercy will rain down upon you in the world and the Hereafter. I will bathe you in My Mercy!’
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar – { وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ } - Allah says ‘You know better, so why don’t you understand what I am saying?’ Why does shaytan attract you? Why has shaytan enlisted you? What is left for you in the four or five days of life that remain to you? Once you were young, and you used to wander around on the streets wearing nice clothes, thinking you were young and strong, and then you got married and your teeth started to decay, and then you began to stoop and your height reduced, and then illnesses started and you had to keep tablets in your home, and you became so old that people told you that you were too old to go to the Masjid. Your age is increasing, it doesn’t matter what you do. No matter how much walking and talking you do, this process cannot be reversed. You cannot become young again, no matter how much effort you put in. Whatever you do, the jolt of death will come.
So brothers, if we see a person in the morning and he is walking and talking, this is no guarantee against death. When the call comes, that’s it – death will come. So Allah ta’ala says { وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ } – ‘You know better, so why don’t you accept? Why don’t you implement when you know better? Why don’t you accept and implement?’ Make tonight a valuable night – come out of Kufr! SubhanAllah. Reject Shirk al-Asgar, the minor Shirk, and come out of Riya and Kibr and hypocrisy and pride. Embrace the Shari'ah and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and do not be with the Maghoob and the Dhaalleen. Leave their path and come to this path. Wash your homes, clean your homes, and take the idols out. Do Tawbah and repent to Allah. Allah ta’ala promises that he will make you as lofty as the sky! Allahu Akbar! You will be like the earth, fertile and soft and tender, and Allah will elevate you to the heights of the skies and heavens.
May Allah ta’ala give us all the Tawfeeq to do Amal on this. Ameen
وَءَاخِرُ دَعۡوَٮٰهُمۡ أَنِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ