Names and Attributes of Allah - , Are al-Daarr (the causer of harm) and al-Naafi’ (the bringer of benefits) names of Allaah?.

the name of Allaah al-Darr (the causer of harm)? May Allaah reward you
with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no saheeh evidence that al-Daarr is one of the names of
Allaah, may He be exalted. Rather that is mentioned in the famous
hadeeth which lists the most beautiful names, but it is a weak
hadeeth, that was narrated by al-Tirmidhi and others.
What is established among the scholars is that the names and
attributes of Allaah are atawqeefi matter, i.e., none of them can be
proven except with saheeh evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
If there is no proof for a name, but its meaning is valid, then it is
permissible to say it when speaking of Allaah, so one may say, "Allaah
is the causer of harm, the bringer of good" because speakingof Allaah
is broader thanthe divine names and attributes. But He shouldnot be
worshipped with this name, so one shouldnot call a child 'Abd al-Daarr
or 'Abd al-Naafi', because they are not proven to be names of Allaah.
With regard to the comments of some scholars who call Allaah al-Daarr
al-Naafi', perhaps they based that on the hadeeth of al-Tirmidhi,
which as we have stated above is a da'eef (weak) hadeeth. What counts
is saheeh evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
Secondly:
The meaning of al-Daarr (the causer of harm) is the one who decrees
harm and causes it to reach whomever He will among His creation.
Good and evil comes from Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and We shall make a trial of you with evil andwith good. And to Us
youwill be returned"
[al-Anbiya' 21:35]
"And if Allaah touches you with harm, none canremove it but He, and if
He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things"
[al-An'aam 6:17]
"And verily, if you ask them: 'Who created the heavens and the earth?'
Surely, they will say: 'Allaah (has created them).' Say: 'Tell me
then, the things that youinvoke besides Allaah if Allaah intended some
harm for me, could they remove His harm? Or if He (Allaah) intended
some mercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?' Say : 'Sufficient
for me is Allaah; in Him those who trust (i.e. believers) must put
their trust'"
[al-Zumar 39:38]
al-Tirmidhi (3388), Abu Dawood (5088) and Ibn Maajah (3869) narrated
that 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is no personwho says, in the morning and evening of every day,
Bismillaah illadhi laa yadurr ma'a ismihi shay'un fi'l-ard wa laa
fi'l-samaa' wa huwa al-samee' al-'aleem (In the name ofAllaah with
Whose namenothing is harmed on earth or in heaven, and He is the
All-Seeing, All-Knowing), three times, and is then harmed by
anything."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
And al-Tirmidhi (2516) narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas said: I was behind
the Messenger ofAllaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) one
day and he said: "O boy, I shall teach you some words. Be mindful
Allaah and Hewill take care of you. Be mindful of Allaah and He will
protect you. If you ask then ask of Allaah, and if you seek help then
seek help from Allaah. Know that if the nation were to gather together
to benefit you in some way, they wouldnot benefit you except in
something that Allaah has decreed for you, andif they were to gather
together to harm you in some way, they would not harm you except in
something that Allaah has decreed for you. Thepens have been lifted
and the pages have dried." Classed as saheehby al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmidhi.
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This indicates that
nothing can really bring benefit or cause harm but Allaah.
Thirdly:
Because describing Allaah as causing harm may imply some kind of
imperfection, the scholars stated that this should not be mentioned
unless it is accompanied by a statement that He also the bringer of
benefit, may He be glorified and exalted. So one should say al-Daarr
al-Naafi', just as it is also said al-Qaabid al-Baasit (the Withholder
the Bestower) and al-'Afuw al-Muntaqim (the Forgiving the Vengeful).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Some of His names
may be used alone or in conjunction with others. This applies to most
of His names, such as al-Qadeer (the All-Powerful), al-Samee' (the
All-hearing), al-Baseer (the All-Seeing), al-'Azeez (theAlmighty), and
al-Hakeem the most Wise). One may call uponhim with these names alone
or in conjunction with others. So you may say: Yaa 'Azeez, Yaa Haleem,
Yaa Ghafoor, Yaa Raheem. Each name may be used on its own. Similarly
when praising Him and speaking of Him, they may be used alone or
together.
And there are some which may not be used alone, rather they must be
used with others that carry an opposite meaning, such as al-Maani',
al-Darr and al-Muntaqim. It is not permissible to use these alone
without their opposite meanings. Theyshould be used in conjunction
with the names al-Mu'ti, al-Naafi' and al-'Afuw. So He is al-Mu'ti
al-Maani' (the Giver, the Withholder), al-Daarr al-Naafi' (the Causer
of harm the Bringer of benefit), al-Muntaqim al-'Afuw (the Vengeful
the Forgiving), al-Mu'izz al-Mudhill (the Honourerthe Abaser), because
perfection lies in each ofthese names being accompanied by its
opposite: giving and withholding, benefiting and harming, forgiving
and wreaking vengeance. What is meant here is that Allaahalone is the
Lord and hascontrol over His creation.As for praising Him by
mentioning withholding, vengeance and harm on their own, this is not
right. These "twin" names are to be regarded as one name that cannot
be separated. Hence they do not appear on their own and cannot be
mentioned except in conjunction with their opposite. If you say: Yaa
Mudhill, Yaa Daarr, Yaa Maani' and you speak about that, you are not
praising Him unless you also mention the opposite name. End quote from
Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id (1/132)
See also question no. 20476
Fourthly:
It must be noted that what is required of a person with regard to this
matter is to believe that Allaah is alone in HisLordship over His
creation, may He be glorified, and the powerof creation and the
command belong to Him alone, and there is none who can contend with
Him in His sovereignty orrepel His command or put back His Judgement.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The Lord, may He be glorified, is the Sovereign and Controller, the
Giver and the Withholder, the Causer of harm and the Bringer of
benefits, the One who lowers and the One Who raises, the Honourer and
the Abaser. The one who testifies that the Giver, the Withholder, the
Causer of harm, the Bringer of benefits, the One who lowers, the
OneWho raises, the Honourer, the Abaser, is anyone other than Him has
associated someone else with Him in His Lordship (ruboobiyyah). But if
he wants to rid himself of this shirk let him look at the First Giver,
and thank Him for the blessings that He has bestowed upon him, then
let him look at one who has done him a favour and reciprocate in kind,
because all blessings come from Allaah as He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allaah"
[al-Nahl 16:53]
"On each __ these as well as those __We bestow from the Bounties of your Lord"
[al-Isra' 17:20]
So Allaah is the true Giver, He is the One Who created provision,
decreed it and caused it to reach whoever He wills of His slaves. The
Giver is the One Who gave it to you and motivated others to giveto
you. He is the First andthe Last. The same applies to everything that
we have mentionedwith regard to His Lordship (ruboobiyyah).
Whoever adopts this attitude will free himselffrom servitude to other
creatures and from looking at them, and he will spare people from his
blame and criticism of them. Tawheed will become established in his
heart, his faith will become stronger and he will find peace of mind
and enlightenment. Whoever puts his trust inAllaah, He is sufficient
for him.
Hence al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever knows people as they really are will have peace of mind,
meaning – and Allaah knows best – that they can neither bring benefit
nor cause harm.

Names and Attributes of Allah - , An atheist saying “Can Allaah create a god like Himself?”.

questions such as, "If Allaah is able to do all things, can He create
another god like Himself?" or "Can He create something so heavy that
He cannot lift it?".
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The atheist needs someone who will call him to Allaah and remind him
of the blessing and signs of Allaah which point to Hisexistence,
Oneness and might.
The entire universe points to Allaah, may He be exalted, how can anyone deny it?
How could anyone disobey God or how could anyone deny Him
When God has a sign in everything that exists to point to His Oneness?
No attention should be paid to the specious arguments of the atheists
and those who have gone astray, exceptby the one who is qualified to
refute them.So we must be very cautious, because a specious argument
may become settled in the heart, after which it is difficult to get
rid of it.
Secondly:
This argument is one of the oldest specious arguments offered by the
atheists, and the scholars have a well known answer to it, which may
be summed up in two points:
1 – This matter is impossible, because if the other one was a god,it
would not be possible to create him. To assumethat he can be a god
andbe created is impossible.
It says in al-Durar al-Saniyyah min al-Ajwabah al-Najdiyyah (3/265): A
story discussing a different issue was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas,
which is that the devils said to Iblees, O our master, whydo we see
you rejoicing over the death of a scholar in a way that youdo not
rejoice over the death of a worshipper? For we cannot influence the
scholar but we can influence the worshipper. He said: Go a worshipper,
go to him when he is worshipping.They said: We want to ask you. He
turned to them and Iblees said: Can your Lord create another like
Himself? He said: I do not know. He said: Don't you see that his
worship cannot benefit him when he is so ignorant?
They asked a scholar about that and he said: That is impossible,
because if he were like Him, he could not have been created, and the
idea that he is created and is like Him is impossible. If he is
created he is not like Him, rather he is just oneof His slaves. He
said: Don't you see that this man can destroy in an hour what it took
years to build? And Allaah knows best. End quote.
2 – The idea of another god existing alongside Allaah is inherently
impossible. There is a great deal of evidence tosuggest that it is
impossible, the least of which is the existence ofthis organized
universe. If there were another god, the system of the universe would
be spoiled because they would compete with one another and each ofthem
would want to prevail over the other, asAllaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) aalihah (gods)
besides Allaah, then verily, both would have been ruined. Glorified be
Allaah, the Lord of theThrone, (High is He) above all that (evil) they
associate with Him!"
[al-Anbiya' 21:22]
"No son (or offspring) did Allaah beget, nor is there any ilaah (god)
along with Him. (If there had been many gods), then each god would
have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to
overcome others! Glorified be Allaah aboveall that they attribute to
Him!"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:91]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer: i.e.,
if there was a number of gods, each one of them would have taken away
that which he created and the universe would be in disarray. What we
see is that the universe isorganized and orderly, and each realm,
upper and lower, is connected to the other in the most perfect manner.
"you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious" [al-Mulk
67:3]. And each of them would seek to dominate the others and some of
themwould prevail over others.
The same applies to the creation of an object so heavy that Allaah
could not lift it. It is impossible,because Allaah is the Onewho
creates it, and He is able to destroy it at any moment, so how can He
be unable to lift it?
The atheist only wants tocast aspersions on the general meaning of the
words of Allaah, "Allaah has power over all things" [al-Talaaq 65:12].
So he says, if He has power over all things, why does He not have the
power to do this?
The answer is: Because itis impossible, it is nothing.
That which is impossible does not exist, because itcannot exist, so it
is nothing, even if the mind can imagine it. It isknown that the mind
can assume and imaginethe impossible, the mindcan imagine two
opposites, such as something existing and not existing, at the same
time.
The verse states that Allaah has power over "things" but that does not
include things that are inherently impossible, because theyare not
things, rather they do not exist and they cannot be brought into
existence.
Hence more than one of the scholars have stated that the power of
Allaah has to do with that which is possible, for thereason that we
have mentioned, which is thatthat which is non-existent and impossible
is not a "thing".
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:As
for Ahl al-Sunnah, in their view Allaah, may He be exalted, has power
over all things, and everything that is possible is included in that.
As for that which is inherently impossible, such as a thing both
existing and being non-existent, there is no reality in it and its
existence cannot be imagined, so it cannot be called a "thing"
according to the consensus of the wise. This includes the idea of
creating another like Himself, and so on. End quote from Manhaaj
al-Sunnah (2/294).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Shifa' al-'Aleel
(p. 374): Because that which is impossible is not a "thing", so His
Power hasnothing to do with it. Allaah has power over allthings and no
possible thing is beyond His power. End quote.
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Names and Attributes of Allah - , The hadeeth of the mountain goats is a weak hadeeth.

hadeeth of the mountain goats? How should we understand it in the
light of modern science?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The text of the hadeeth of the mountain goats is as follows:
It was narrated that al-'Abbaas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said:
I was in al-Batha' with a group of people, among whom was the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). A
cloud passed over him, and he looked at it and said, "What do you call
this?" They said, Sahaab (a cloud). He said, "And muzn (rain cloud)."
They said, And muzn. He said, "And 'anaan (clouds)." Abu Bakr said:
they said, "And 'anaan." He said: "How much (distance) do you think
there is between you and the heaven?" They said, We do not know. He
said, "Between you and it is seventy-one or seventy-two or
seventy-three years, and there is a similar distance betweenit and the
heaven above it [and so on]" – until he has counted seven heavens.
"Then above the seventh heaven there is a river, between whose top and
bottom isa distance like that between one heaven and another. Then
above that there are eight (angels in the formof) mountain goats. The
distance between their hooves and their knees is like the distance
between one heaven and the next. Then on their backs is the Throne,
and the distancebetween the top and thebottom of the Throne is like
the distance between one heaven and another. Then Allaahis above that,
may He be blessed and exalted.
Ibn al-Atheer said in al-Nihaayah (3/355):
Mountain goats means angels in the form of mountain goats.
This hadeeth is well known in the books of the scholars, and is
narrated in most of the books of Musnad. It was narrated by Ahmad in
al-Musnad (1/206), Abu Dawood in al-Sunan (4723), al-Tirmidhi in
al-Sunan (3320), Ibn Maajah (193), al-Daarimi in al-Radd 'ala
al-Jahamiyyah (50), al-Bazaar in his Musnad (4/134), Muhammad ibn
'Uthmaan ibn Abi Shaybah in al-'Arsh (1/66), Ibn Khuzaymah inKitaab
al-Tawheed (1/234) al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (2/410) and other books
of Sunnah.
The reports of these imams come through five isnaads, all of which
meet in Simaak ibn Harb from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrah from al-Ahnaf
ibn Qays from al-'Abbaas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (mayAllaah be pleased
with him).
As for Simaak ibn Harb, he met a number of the Sahaabah. Muslim
narrated from him, as did al-Bukhaari in mu'allaq reports. He was
regarded as thiqah (trustworthy) by a number of scholars, suchas Imam
Ahmad, Abu Haatim, al-Bazaar and others. But some of the scholars
criticized for some strange matters in his hadeeth. Hence he was
classed as da'eef (weak) by Shu'bah and Ibn al-Mubaarak, and Ibn Abi
Khaythamah said: I heard Ibn Ma'een being asked: What is his fault? He
said: He narrated ahaadeeth which no one else narrated, but he is
thiqah. Ibn 'Ammaar said: They say that he used to make mistakes, and
they differed concerning his hadeeth. Al-Thawri regarded him as
somewhat da'eef but no one rejected him. Al-Nasaa'i said: Sometimes he
repeats everything he hears, therefore when he narrates a hadeeth
which no one else narrated, that cannot be regarded as sound. Ibn
Hibbaan said in al-Thiqaat: he makes many mistakes.
See his biography in Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb (4/204)
As for 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrah: we do not know anything about his
biography except that he narrated from al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, and no one
is known to havenarrated from him except Simaak ibn Harb. None of the
scholars stated whether he was thiqah or da'eef except Ibn Hibbaan who
mentioned him in al-Thiqaat. Ibn Hajar saidin Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb
(5/301): al-Bukhaari said: It is notknown whether he heard from
al-Ahnaf. He was mentioned by Ibn Hibbaan in al-Thiqaat, and
al-Tirmidhi classed his hadeeth as hasan. I (Ibn Hajar) say: Abu
Na'eem said in Ma'rifat al-Sahaabah: He lived during the Jaahiliyyah
and he was the guide of al-A'sha, but it is not proven that he
accompanied the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or
saw him. Muslim said in al-Wuhdaan: Simaak alone narrated from him.
Ibraaheem al-Harbi said: I do not know him. End quote.
Because Simaak's report is not to be accepted when he is the only one
narrating it, and because we find that there are some doubts about
'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrah, the scholars differed as to whether the
hadeeth should be classed as saheeh or da'eef.
Al-Tirmidhi said concerning the hadeeth:it is hasan ghareeb. It was
classed as saheeh byIbn Khuzaymah in his report in his book al-Tawheed
where he stipulated some conditions for its soundness. Al-Haakim said
in al-Mustadrak: it issaheeh according to the conditions of Muslim
although they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)did not narrate it.
Among the later scholars, Ibn Taymiyah inMajmoo' al-Fataawa (3/192)
and Ibn al-Qayyim in Mukhtasar al-Sawaa'iq (433) said itsisnaad is
jayyid.
With regard to the scholars who classed it as da'eef:
This is what is understood from the words of al-Bazaar in hisMusnad
(4/115), where he says: We do not knowof these words being narrated
except with this isnaad from al-'Abbaas from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). We do not know of anyone who
narrated from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrahexcept Simaak ibn Harb. End
quote.
Ibn 'Adiyy said in al-Kaamil (9/27): it is not known.
Al-Mazzi indicated that itis da'eef in Tahdheeb al-Kamaal (10/391).
Al-Dhahabi said in al-'Uluw (1/60): It was narrated only by Simaak
from 'Abd-Allaah, and 'Abd-Allaah is somewhat unknown. End quote. But
al-Dhahabi classed the hadeeth as hasan in al-'Arsh (24).
Another of the later scholars who classed it as da'eef was al-Albaani
in al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah (1247).
What seems most likely –and Allaah knows best – is that the hadeeth is
da'eef. As Simaak ibn Harb was the only one who narrated this hadeeth
which has to dowith matters of the unseen, this means that it is not
acceptable. The fact that little is known about 'Abd-Allaah ibn
'Umayrah further damages the soundness of the hadeeth. Then there is
the interruption (in the isnaad) between him and al-Ahnaf ibn Qays.
If anyone wants to quote this hadeeth as evidence that Allaah is above
His creation and that He is above the mighty Throne, the Qur'aan and
saheeh Sunnah are full of such evidence and there is noneed to quote
this hadeeth as evidence. There are a thousand pieces of evidence
which Imam al-Dhahabi compiled in his book al-'Uluw, for those who
want to know more.
We have already quoted

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The ranks of people in the Hereafter – I

There is no doubt that onthe Day of Judgement, people will vary in
rank according to their status; they shall be classified according to
their deeds and standing.
The first six ranks in the Hereafterare:
1. The messengers with strong Will and Determination (i.e., the Ulil-'Azm)
As for the first and foremost rank, it belongs to the five Messengers
of Allaah with strong Will and Determination from amongst the
Messengers of Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention, for they are the
most honourable of Allaah's creation. They are the dearest to Him and
the ones whom He has chosen; they are those upon whom He has sent
peace. Allaah Says what means: "And peace upon the Messengers."
[Quran 37: 181]
It is sufficient to mention regarding their honour and virtuethat
Allaah has selected them for revelation and entrusted them with His
messages. Allaah has made them intercessors betweenHim and His
creation. Allaah has also favoured them with honourable gifts, such as
supernatural occurrences and abilities. Allaah has chosen some of them
as a Khaleel, or a close, intimate friend; He has directly spoken to
some of them, and elevated others to a lofty rank. Indeed Allaah has
rendered them to be the only means to reach Him; how could mankind
reach Allaah except through His Messengers? It would have been
impossible. Thus, the Messengersare those that have the closest
contact with Allaah from mankind.
2. The remaining messengers
The second rank consists of the remainder of the three-hundred and
sixty-five (365) Messengers, those who were sent by Allaah totheir
people with a new messageto deliver. The Messenger of Allaah has
informed us that the number of Prophets, may Allaah exalt their
mention, was one-hundred and twenty-four thousand (124,000), of which
three-hundred and sixty-five (365)were Messengers. This is so that
Allaah could establish His proof against mankind that they wouldhave
no excuse not to worship Him. The seal of all the Prophets and
Messengers was Muhammad .
3. Prophets
The third rank consists of the Prophets those who were sent byAllaah
to their people but had no new message to deliver.
Therefore, this means that Messengers were of different ranks. Some
Messengers were favoured by Allaah over others, such as the five of
strong Will andDetermination as was mentionedabove, and these were:
Muhammad Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses), 'Eesaa (Jesus) and Nooh
(Noah), may Allaah exalt their mention. These were the finest five of
all the Messengers, and the best andmost virtuous of these was
Muhammad then Ibraaheem Al-Khaleel, then Moosaa Al-Kaleem (i.e. the
one whom Allaah spoke to directly), then 'Eesaa and then Nooh,
although the people of knowledge differedas to which one of the last
two was of a higher calibre. Thus, thismakes up the first rank, while
thesecond rank consists of the rest of the three-hundred and
sixty-five Messengers, while the third rank consists of the Prophets.
4. Scholars
The fourth rank includes those who inherited the knowledge of the
Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, as well as their successors.
They are those who apply the message propagated bythe Messengers of
Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention. These are the people who
possess knowledge, act upon it, and call others to it. This is the
finest class of mankind after the Messengers and Prophets; it is the
class of truthfulness, and Allaah has paralleled these people to His
Messengers. Allaah Says what means: "And whoever obeys Allaah and the
Messenger –those will be with the ones upon whom Allaah has bestowed
favour of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs
and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions." [Quran 4:
69]
So, this is the next rank after those of the Messengers and Prophets,
may Allaah exalt their mention. So who does it include? It includes
the scholars who havelearnt the Islamic Sharee'ah and taught it to
others. This is the rank that follows those of the Prophets and
Messengers, may Allaah exalt their mention, and they are undoubtedly
their inheritors.
People in this category vary in their level of knowledge and
theirapplication of it.
The question arises: can the term"witness" be conferred to the
scholar? The answer is yes, because the scholar is Allaah's witness
over His creation. He will bear witness, through the knowledge that
Allaah has given him, over Allaah's creation. Thus, the scholar is
referred to as a witness from this perspective.
These steadfast affirmers are the ones who are literate regarding the
religion, act upon it, teach it to others and are patient with regard
to the trials that inflict them due to this; these scholars are of
high rank and distinct virtue. There can be nothing better for a
person than to be busy with his worldly work during his lifetime, or
even be lying in his grave while his limbs have decayed, while having
his good deeds increasing.
For such a person, good deeds are being added to his record constantly
and good actions are being awarded to him from where he would least
expect. All this is due to the fact that when the scholar teaches
people religious laws and they apply them, he will receive the same
reward as they do due to them applying the knowledge that he has
taught them. Hence, even if such a person is dead and in his grave,
his books and other writings remain a source of reward for him. He
procures rewards from them in his grave, despite being a collection of
dismembered body parts.
As a matter of fact, even if such a person is preoccupied with worldly
matters in his home, the fact that his sound Islamic judgements and
knowledge are being circulated among people means that the rewards for
this are being inscribed for him in his record of good deeds.
Some may say: 'These are the scholars, but we common peoplewill never
get any portion of suchrewards.' We say, No! Rather, whoever learns
something about the religion and passes it onto those he knows, such
as family, relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues and others, then
he is rewarded for this knowledge that he has related. Moreover, he
continues to be rewarded for that piece of knowledge he has related
for as long as it is passed on.
This demonstrates the great virtue of learning the religion
andteaching it to others. It also confirms the necessity of that
knowledge being accurate, since if a person relates a fabricated
Hadeeth or an erroneous Fatwaa to people, then he continues to receive
the sin from it as long as it continues to circulate among others. On
the other hand, if he learns and relates sound knowledge, then he will
continueto be rewarded for it. It is for thisreason that Imaam Ahmad
mentioned regarding the people of knowledge:
"All praise is due to Allaah, who has rendered in between every time
interval of Messengers remainders from the people of knowledge. They
call the misguided to guidance and they patiently bear maltreatment
from them. They enlighten the religiously-blind by virtue of the light
of Allaah (i.e., the knowledge that they possess). How many of those
whom Satan killed (i.e., killed his soul and spirit), have they
brought back tolife? How many of the ignorant and misguided have they
guided?How excellent is their influence on people, and how repulsive
is their people's effect on themselves. They preserve the Book of
Allaah from the ignorant who seek to erroneously interpret its hidden
meanings; from the distortion of the extremists; and the plagiarism of
the fabricators."
5. Just rulers
The rank in the Hereafter which follows that of the scholars is that
of the justleaders and rulers. It is through them that the roads and
paths become safe and the world becomes upright. Through them the weak
receive support, the oppressors are humiliated, and the frightened
become secure. They are the oneswho enact the divine penalties and
repel corruption. They enjoin the good, forbid the evil, and implement
the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger . Theyextinguish
the fires of innovations and misguidance.
'Umar ibn 'Abdul Azeez was one such just ruler. Allaah granted him
knowledge and commandment. He ruled with sound knowledge. He governed
the people for only years; he assumed leadership in 99A.H. and was
assassinated(through poisoning) two years later, in 101 A.H. Some of
his people could not stand him and so they poisoned him, which caused
him to die . He was, by the consensus of the Muslims,the fifth of the
rightly guided caliphs. In just two years, he accomplished much
morethan any of the Umayyid caliphs did in many years.
Justice was so widespread that even when charity money was being
circulated, there was nobody to be found who was in need of it – there
was not a single poor person left and thusthe alms were sent back to
treasury. Moreover, a shepherd in the desert whose goat had been
attacked and eaten by a wolf said: "Something has happened to the
chief of the believers (i.e., 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-Azeez)" and after he
inquired about it, he found that 'Umar had died that very day. So
thepeople asked him: "How did you know?" He replied: "We have come to
know of his justice that is so prevalent that even the wolves no
longer attack our flock, so when this wolf attacked, we realised that
something must have happened to 'Umar bin 'Abdul Azeez." His justice
had even influenced the aggressiveanimals, who ceased their aggression
due to it.
On the other hand, if an oppressive ruler reigns, then even the
whales, the scorpions in their burrows, and the other animals curse
him, as wasmentioned in the prophetic narration where the animals
curse the disobedient from the children of Aadam (i.e., people) due to
them being the cause of the hindrance of rain. Rainfall ceases from
the skies due to the oppression of such governors and rulers.
6. Mujaahideen (i.e., those who fight in the Way of Allaah)
The rank that follows the just rulers and governors are those who
fight in the way of Allaah. They are the soldiers of Allaah through
whom the religion is established, the enemies repelled, and the
influence of Islam and its essence protected. The power of the Muslims
and the essence of Islam are protected by whom? By the Mujaahideen –
they are the ones who fight the enemies of Allaah so that the whole
religion becomes solely for Allaah,and so that His word is