9. ONLY ALLAH’S DECREE IS IN EFFECT
The Messenger of Allah said, “If the whole of creation, in its entirety, was to try and effectuate some benefit for you through something that Allah has not decreed, they would not be able to do so; and if they wished to harm you through something that Allah has not prescribed, they would not be able to do so.”
What is meant is that every harm or benefit that the servant encounters in this world is already decreed for him, it is impossible for him to face anything that has not been decreed for him even if the whole of creation strove their utmost in bringing it about. The Qur’an also proves this in verses such as:
‘’Say: ‘Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us…’’
“Nothing occurs, either in the earth or in your selves, without its being in a Book before We make it happen. . .”2
“Say: ‘Even if you have been inside your homes, those people for whom kilg was decreed would have gone out to their place of death.”‘3
Imam Ahmad records the hadith of Abii’l-Darda’ that the Prophet said, “Everything has a reality and the servant will not attain the reality of faith until he knows that what afflicted him would never have missed him, and what missed him would never have afflicted him.” Abu Dawud and ibn Majah record a hadith of similar meaning on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit.
Know that this whole advice given to ibn Abbas revolves around this core principle and branches off from it. When the servant realises that he will encounter no good or evil, nor benefit or harm unless Allah has first ordained it for him, when he realises that if the whole of creation strove their utmost in trying to effectuate something other than His decree, their efforts would be wholly ineffectual, he will then recognise that Allah he alone is the one who brings about benefit and causes harm, and that He alone is the one who grants and the one who withholds. This recognition will lead the servant to perfect the Tawhidof his Lord, Mighty and Magnificent. He will ask Him alone for help, he will entreat Him alone, and He will submit and humble himself before Him alone. And he will worship Him alone and obey Him alone. This is because something is worshipped in the hope that it will promote good or repress harm and it is for this reason that Allah has censured those who worship objects that can promote no benefit and cause no harm, the worship of whom is of no use at all.
Many of those who have not actualised the reality of faith in their hearts actually put obedience to creatures before obedience to the Creator in the hope that they can grant them some benefit or repress some harm from them. When the servant truly realises that it is only Allah who can bring about benefit, cause or remove harm, and grant or withhold, this will necessitate his singling Him out for obedience and worship and giving that precedence over obeying any other creature. It will also necessitate singling Him, Glorious is He, out alone when asking for help and for entreaty.
This comprehensive, magnificent legacy makes mention of all of these matters, each one of paramount importance.
A servant safeguarding Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, is a reference to his safeguarding His limits and carefully fulfilling His rights, this being the reality of worshipping Him. This is what this legacy commences with. This then leads to Allah safeguarding the servant, the fruition of which is every servant’s aim and objective.
Mentioned next is knowing Allah in times of ease and that this leads to Allah knowing His servant in times of difficulty: this is part and parcel of Allah’s safeguarding His servant and completes it. Times of difficulty have been specifically mentioned here because, on such occasions, the servants are in dire need of resourcing to one who knows them and can relieve them. At such times, even the polytheists make their supplication sincerely to Hirn alone, begging Hirn, imploring Him, knowing that only He, Glorious is He, can remove the harm facing them. However, when relieved, they revert to their polytheism as Alahl has mentioned in numerous places in His Book, and censured them for.The Prophet, in this advice, has effectively ordered us to oppose their practice by knowing Allah in times of ease through sincerely making the religion for Him alone, by obeying Him alone and seeking to draw close to Him alone. This will then necessitate His knowing them in times of hardship and relieving them of it.
Mentioned next is asking of Allah alone and seeking His help alone. This subsumes both times of ease and times of hardship.
Next is mentioned the principle upon which all of what has preceded is built: Allah, Most High, being alone in effectuating benefit, causing or repressing harm, granting and withholding, that only what He has decreed and determined will happen, and that the whole of creation is physically incapable of causing any harm or benefit reaching a person that has not already been ordained in the Book.
Actualising this, realising this leads the servant to sever any dependency he may have on creatures, it stops him asking of them, seeking their help and placing his hope in them to grant him benefit or repress harm.8 It also stops him fearing them thinking that they will cause him benefit or harm. This, in turn, necessitates his singling out Allah alone for obedience and worship. He will place obedience to Allah at the fore, before obedience to creation. He will do his utmost to guard against His dis pleasure even if it means that, in the pursuit of this, he displeases the whole of creation. A hadith reported on the authority of Abii Sa’id has the Messenger of Allah saying, “From the weakness of certainty is that a person please people by displeasing Allah, that he praise them for provision that Allah has granted him, and that he censure them for something that Allah has with-held from him. The avarice of a person will not grant the provision of Alal h and neither will the aversion of anyone avert it.”Fine indeed are the words of the poet:
Would you take relish when life is bitter? Would that you could be content when creatures are angry If you have true love, everything becomes easy For everything above the earth is mere dust.
Know that every creature walking on the earth is merely dust. How then can a person place obeying such a creature before the Lord of lords? How can one please dust by displeasing the King, the Bestower? This is truly perplexing!
In many places, the Qur’an lays the foundation to the tenant that Allah, Glorious is He, alone is the one who gives and with holds :
“Any mercy Allah opens up to people, no one can withhold, and any He withholds, no one can afterwards release.”10
“If Allah afflicts you with harm, no one can remove it except Him. If He desires good for you, no one can avert His favour.”11
“Say: ‘So what do you think? If Allah desires harm for me, can those you call upon besides Allah remove His harm? Or if He desires mercy for me, can they withhold His mercy?’ Say: ‘Allah is enough for me. All those who truly trust put their trust in Him.”’12
He, Most High, relates from His Prophet, Nuh: (alayhis-salam),
“My people, if my standing here and reminding you of Allah’s signs has become too much for you to bear, know that I have put my trust in Allah. So decide, you and your gods on what you want to do and be open about it…”13
He, most High, relates from His Prophet, Hud (alayhis-salam),
“I call on Allah to be my witness, and you also bear witness, that I am free of all the gods you have apart from Him. So scheme against me, all of you together, and then grant me no respite. I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord…”14
One of them said,
Anything Allah has decreed for me must occur. Who can avert the decree through circumspection? Allah is more deserving of us than our own selves. What are we to save subjects, governed by His decree?
A man once complained to Fuqayl al-Faqah to which he responded, ‘Is it another besides Allah that you want to govern your affairs?’
One of them said,
Govern! Your governance will not avail The decree will pass over all you administer The Lord regulates all affairs Everything He ordains, the decrees take after.
By ibn Rajah al-Hanbali
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