4. ALLAH IS WITH YOU
The Messenger of Allah said, “Safeguard Allah and you will find Him in front of you,” another narration mentions, “Safeguard Allah and you will find Him before you.” The meaning is that whoever safeguards the limits of Allah and carefully tends to His rights will find Allah with him in all affairs, encompassing him, aiding him, preserving him, supporting him, setting his foot firm and granting him divine accord. He is “standing over every self seeing everything that it doesn’t and He, Most High, “is with those who have taqwa of Him and with those who do good.’
Qatadah said, ‘Allah is with those who have taqwa of Him. Whoever has Allah with him, then with him is the party that will never be overcome, the sentry that will never sleep and the guide who will never go astray.’
One of the Salaf wrote to one of his brothers saying, ‘As for what follows. . . If Allah is with you then who do you have to fear? If He is against you then who can you hope for? Peace!’
This ‘witness’ is the specific and special type which is reserved for those who have taqwa. It is not the general ‘witness’ that is mentioned in His saying,
“He is with you wherever you are.”4
“…but they cannot conceal themselves from Allah. He is with them when they spend the night saying things which are not pleasing to Him.”5
The specific ‘witness’ dictates aid, support and preservation as Alah said to Musa and Harun.
“I am with you, All-Hearing and All-Seeing.”6
He, Most High, says,
“He said to his companion, ‘Do not be despondent, Al is with us.”‘7
He had said to Abii Bakr in that situation, ”What do you think of two, the third of whom is Allah?”
The meaning of this ‘witness’ is not the same as that mentioned in His saying,
“Three men cannot confer together secretly without Him being the fourth of them, or five without Him being the sixth of them, or fewer than that or more without Him being with them wherever they are.”
This is general and refers to any group of people.The meaning in its specific sense is what is referred to in the hadith, “the servant continues coming close to Me through performing optional deeds until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing by which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks.”
There are many texts of the Book and Sunnah that prove that the Lord, Glorious is He, is close to those who obey Him and have taqwa of Him, who safeguard His limits and carefully tend to His (rights).
While on the way to Tabuk, Bunan al-Hammal entered an open land and suddenly felt alone; a voice cried out, ‘Why do you feel alone? Is not your Beloved with you?’
Therefore, whoever safeguards Allah and carefully tends to His rights, he will find Him in front of him and before him in every circumstance. He will take comfort with Him and suffice within lieu of His creation. The hadith mentions, ”The best (quality) of faith is that the servant knows that Allah is with him wherever he be.” This was recorded by Tabararu and others. To explain this point fully will cause the discussion to become very lengthy.
One of the sagacious scholars was given to travelling alone, once some people came to bid him farewell and he replied by reciting the following couplet,
When we embark by night with You before us Your mention is sufficient provision to guide us Shibli would repeat these couplets and would sometimes end his gathering with them of Allah.’ It was once asked of him, ‘You have migrated from the people, with whom do you live?’ He replied, ‘With the One for whose sake I migrated.’ Ghazwan was once censured for his seclusion to which he said, ‘I attain relief in my heart by sitting with One who meets my needs.’
Because they are regarded as strange, it is possible that some of them will be accused of insanity just as Owais was accused. Abu Muslim al-KhawliinI would frequently perform dhikr, his tongue would always move in the remembrance of Allah and so a man asked one of his companions, ‘Is your friend mad?’ Abu Muslim replied, ‘My brother, no, rather this is the cure for madness!’ al-Hasan said, while describing them:, ‘When the ignoramus looks at them, he thinks them ill, yet far are they from iless! He would say they have lost their minds, indeed they have lost their minds to a great matter, far loftier than their accusations, by Allah they are busied with it from your worldly lot!’ It is in this regard that the poet said,
By love’s sanctity! I find none to replace You, 0 Master! I have no objective save You. Talking about You makes them say, ‘He has a malady!’ I say,’May that malady never leave me!”
By ibn Rajah al-Hanbali
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