THIS NATION IS THE BEST NATION FOR THE PEOPLE

[img]http://aydnajimudeen.mywapblog.com/files/google.jpeg[/img] Allah
ascribed to the nation ( Ummah ) of Muhammad the samecharacteristic
which He ascribed to the Prophet himself in the previous verse when He
said:
[You are the best nation brought forth for the people of the world:you
enjoin right and you forbid wrong, and you believe in Allah.] Qur'an
3/110.
And He said:
[Believing men and believing women are the protecting friends of each
other: they enjoin right and they forbid wrong.] Qur`an 9/71.
In the same vein, Abu Huraira, a companion of the Prophet and narrator
of many hadith used to say:
"You are the best people for the people, you tie them in chains and
shackles and drag them off to paradise."
Allah explains in the above verse that this nation is the best
nationfor the people i.e. the most beneficial to them, the one
doingthem the greatest favor. This is because they constitute the
total good and benefit for the people via their enjoining right and
forbidding wrong both in quality and in quantity, since they enjoin
all that is right and forbid all thatis wrong, and their message is
addressed to all people of the world. Furthermore, they uphold this
institution with jihad (struggle) in the path of Allah with their
lives and their property, and this constitutes thecomplete benefit for
the world.
As for the previous nations, none of them enjoined all people with all
that is right, nor did they prohibit all that is wrong to all people.
Furthermore, they did not make jihad (struggle) in this cause. Some of
them did not takeup armed struggle at all, and those who did, such as
the Jews, their struggle was generally for the purpose of driving
their enemy from their land, or as any oppressed people struggles
against their oppressor, and not for sake of calling the people of the
world to guidance and right, nor to enjoin on them right and to
prohibit to them wrong. Allah narrates the following discussionbetween
Musa (Moses) and his followers:
[O people, enter the sacred land which Allah has written for you, and
do not turn back on your heels to subsequently find yourselvesNote:
The change to pitch (12) and font (1) must be converted manually. in
abject loss. They said: "O Musa, therein is a belligerent people, and
we will not enter it until they come out - if they come out, then we
will enter it." ... They said: "O Musa, we will never enter it as long
as they are in it, so you go, you and your Lord, and fight. We are
going to sit right here.] Qur'an 5/21-24
Allah says in another verse:
[Did you not see the assembly of the sons of Israel after the time of
Musa when they said to a Prophet of theirs: "Raise up for usa king,
that we may fight in the path of Allah." He said: "Would you perhaps
not fight then, if fighting were prescribed for you?" They said: "Why
would we not fight in the path of Allah, andwe have been exiled from
our homes and our children?" Then, when fighting was prescribed
forthem, they turned their backs, all except a few, and Allah is in
full knowledge of the wrong-doers.] Qur'an 2/246
Here we see that those speaking with this prophet cited the reason for
their fighting that theyhad been exiled from their homes and their
children. In spiteof this, most of them failed to live up to their
word, when in fact they were ordered to fight. For this reason, they
were not allowed to keep any spoils of war, and were not allowed to
take female captives as right-hand possessions.
It is well known that the greatestnation of believers before us was
the children of Israel. This has been narrated in the agreed-upon
hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet (sas) said:
"The previous nations and their prophets were shown to me last night.
A prophet would pass withone man, another with two men,another with a
small group, and another with no one with him. Then, I saw a great
crowd, small mountains filled with people, andI said: "This is my
Ummah!" It was said to me: "These are the sons of Israel, but look
over there." Then I saw a huge crowd which blocked the horizons. It
was said to me: "This is your Ummah, and among them are seventy
thousand who will enter paradise with no account-taking." The
Prophet's listeners dispersed with no further explanation being given.
Then, the companions discussed this issue, saying: "As for us, we were
born in associationism, but have believed in Allah and His Prophet...
but these are our sons. When this speculation of theirs about who the
seventy thousand were reached the Prophet, he said:"They are those who
do not practice cauterization, or use incantations (i.e. believing in
some mystical ability to cure or prevent illness), do not believe in
omens, and who depend fully on their Lord." Ukasha ibn Mihsan stood up
and said: "Am I one of them, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet said:
"Yes". When someone else stood up and said the same thing, the prophet
said"Ukasha has come before you."
From this we understand why the consensus of this ummah is aproof,
i.e. because Allah has informed us that they enjoin all that is right,
and prohibit all that is wrong. If they (i.e. the Muslim Ummah) were
to all agree to allow something forbidden, to drop an obligation, to
forbid something allowed, or to perpetrate any falsehood about Allah
or about His creation, they would be enjoiners of what is wrong,
prohibitors of what is good, and that is surely not of pure speech and
good works. What's more, the verse implies that whatever the ummah has
not enjoined is not right, and whatever it has not prohibited is not
wrong. Since this is the Ummah which enjoins all right, and prohibits
all wrong, it is not possible for the entire Ummah to enjoin something
which is wrongnor to prohibit something which is good.
Just as Allah has informed us thatthis ummah will fulfill this
function, He has also made it a collective obligation ( fardh kifaya )
upon the Muslim Ummah saying:
[Let there be from among you a group which calls to what is good,
enjoins right, and forbids wrong. These are the successful ones.]
It is not the duty of the practitioner of enjoining right and
prohibiting wrong to deliver the message to everyone in the world.
Such was not even required of the Prophets (Peace be upon them), and
this is an auxillary to the prophetic messages. Rather, what is
required is to make it available tothose who seek it. If they, in turn
are negligent in seeking it, though it has been made accessible, then
the responsibilityis upon them, not him. Since enjoining right is a
collective obligation, as the Qur'an clearly indicates, it is not an
obligation upon every single individual Muslim, rather upon them as a
group.
Since jihad is part of the perfection if enjoining right and
prohibiting wrong, it, too, is a collective obligation. As with any
collective obligation, this means that if those sufficient for the
task do not come forward, everyone capable of it to any extent is in
sin to the extent of his capability in that area. This is because its
obligation when it is needed is upon every Muslim to the extent of
his/her ability, as the Prophet (sas) said in the hadith found in
Muslim:
"Whoever of you sees wrong being committed, let him changeit with his
hand (i.e. by force). If he is unable to do that, then withhis tongue,
and if he is unable to do that, then with his heart."
This being the case, it is clear that enjoining right and prohibiting
wrong is one of the greatest good works that we have been ordered to
do.

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How can Tawheed be achieved and what is thepromised reward?

How can a person achieve Tawheed or truebelief in the Oneness of Allaah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Praise be to Allaah and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah.
You have asked – may Allaah bless you – about an important matter,
which is easy for the onefor whom Allaah makes it easy. We ask Allaah
to make it easy for us and for our Muslim brothers to attain all that
is good.
It should be noted that achieving Tawheed or true belief in the
Oneness of Allaah can only be done by testifying truly that there is
no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.
Achieving this is of two degrees, one that is obligatory and one that
is mustahabb.
The obligatory degree is achieved by means of three things:
1- Giving up shirk (association of others with Allaah) in all its
forms, major, minor and concealed.
2- Giving up bid'ah (innovation) in all its forms.
3- Giving up sin in all its forms.
The mustahabb degree is that in which people may vary greatly, and it
means not having anything in the heart of attachment to anything or
anyone other than Allaah, so the heart is focused entirely on Allaah
and pays no attention to anything or anyone else; he speaks only for
the sake of Allaah and his deeds andactions are all for Allaah and all
his thoughts are focused Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.Some
scholars described this degree as: giving upsomething that is
permissible so as to avoid something that is forbidden; that includes
actions of the heart, tongue and physical faculties.
In order to achieve thesetwo degrees, certain things are essential:
1 – Knowledge, otherwise how can one attain Tawheed or true belief in
the Oneness of Allaah and act upon it if he does not know of it or
understand it? Each accountable adult must learn about the Oneness of
Allaah that which will make his beliefs, words and deeds correct, then
anything more than thatis a bonus.
2 – Firm, certain and deeply-rooted belief in that which was
narratedfrom Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted and His Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of reports and words.
3 – Obedience to the commands of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) by doing that which is enjoined, and
avoiding that whichis forbidden.
The more a person achieves these things, the stronger will be his
Tawheed and the greater will be his reward.
Our Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has
explained to us that the one who attains the highest level of
Tawheedis the one who is promised that he will be with the seventy
thousand who will enterParadise without being brought to account –
weask Allaah of His bounty.
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari (5705) and Saheeh Muslim (220) it is narrated
that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
nations were shown to me and I saw aProphet with a group of men, a
Prophet with oneor two men, and a Prophet with no one with him. Then a
huge crowd was shown to me,and I thought that they were my ummah, but
it was said to me, 'This is Moosa and his people. But look at the
horizon.' I looked, and there was a huge crowd. Then it was said to
me: 'Look at the other horizon,' and there was (another) huge crowd.
It was said to me: 'This is your ummah, and among them are seventy
thousand who will enterParadise without being called to account or
punished.'"
Then he got up and went into his house, andthe people started
discussing those who would enter Paradise without being called to
account or being punished. Some of them said: Perhaps they are the
ones who accompanied the Messenger of Allaah (S). Some said: Perhaps
they are those who were born in Islam and did not associate anything
with Allaah. And they mentioned several ideas.Then the Messenger of
Allaah (S) came out and said: "What are you discussing?" They told
him, and he said: "They are the ones who did not perform ruqyah or ask
others to do so, and did not believe in omens, and did not use
cautery, and they put their trust in their Lord." 'Ukkaashah ibn
Mihsan stood up and said: Pray to Allaah to make me one of them. He
said: "You will be one of them." Another man stood up and said: Pray
to Allaah to make me one of them. He said: " 'Ukkaashah has beaten you
to it."
The phrase "did not perform ruqyah or ask others to do so" means that
they did not ask others to perform ruqyah for them. Although asking
someone to perform ruqyah is permissible, it is contrary to that which
is better.
The phrase "and did not believe in omens" meansthat they did not
believein omens based on birds or anything else about which people are
superstitious and may give up something that they had decided to do
because of these superstitions. Superstition is haraam and is a form
of minor shirk.
The phrase "and did not use cautery" means that they did not cauterize
with fire to treat sickness, even if it is proven to be of benefit,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
disliked it, and because no one can punish with fire but the Lord of
the fire.
The common thread in these three characteristics is that they "put
their trust in their Lord", i.e., they attained the highest degree of
trust (tawakkul) and they did not pay the slightest attention to the
means, and they did not dependon them, rather they depended on their
Lord alone, may He be glorified.
Tawakkul (trust) is the summary of faith, as Sa'eed ibn Habeeb said,
indeed it is the ultimate aim as Wahb ibn Munabbih (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said.
In question no. 4203 youwill find further discussion of this hadeeth,
so please read it. And Allaah knows bestand is most Wise.
Note: Achieving true Tawheed or belief in theOneness of Allaah
cannotbe achieved by mere wishing or pretending, or by empty claims
that have no real essence, rather it is achieved by means of firm
belief thatis rooted in the heart, byachieving true ihsaan that is
confirmed by a good attitude and righteous deeds. The Muslim must
hasten to make the best of every moment of his life and hasten to do
good deedsand acts of worship; he should ignore the hardship and enjoy
the pain, for that which is with Allaah is precious, for that which is
with Allaah is Paradise.
See: al-Qawl al-Sadeed 'ala Maqaasid Kitaab al-Tawheed by Shaykh 'Abd
al-Rahmaan al-Sa'di(may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 20-23.

The status of ruling by that which Allaah has revealed in Islam

What is the status of ruling by that which Allaah has revealed in
Islam? Is the one who rules by something otherthan that which Allaah
has revealed a kaafir?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Ruling by that which Allaah has revealed is part of Tawheed
al-Ruboobiyyah (Oneness of the divine Lordship), because it is
implementing the ruling of Allaah as is implied by acceptance of His
Lordship (Ruboobiyyah) and His perfect sovereignty and control. Hence
Allaah calls those who are followed in a manner contrary to what He
has revealed arbaab (lords) of their followers. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be
their lords [arbaab] besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which
they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without
being ordered by Allaah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah,
son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded
[in the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] to worship none but
One Ilaah (God — Allaah) Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to
be worshipped but He). Praise and glory be to Him (far above is He)
from having the partners they associate (with Him)"
[al-Tawbah 9:31]
Allaah calls those who are followed "lords" because they are appointed
as lawgivers along with Allaah, and He calls the followers "slaves"
because they submit to them and obeythem in going against the ruling
of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.
'Adiyy ibn Haatim said tothe Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him): "But they do not worship them." The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Nay, they forbid to
them that which is permissible andthey permit to them thatwhich is
forbidden, and they follow them; that is how they worship them."
Once you understand this, you should realize that with regard to the
one who does not rule by that which Allaah has revealed and wants
rulings to be referred to someone other than Allaah and His Messenger,
there are verses which state that he has no faith, and verses which
state that he is a kaafir, zaalim (wrongdoer) and faasiq (rebellious
evildoer).
As for the first category (i.e. the verses which state that he has no faith):
For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Have you not seen those (hypocrites) who claim that they believe in
that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down
before you, and they wish to go for judgement (in their disputes) to
the Taaghoot (false judges) while they have been ordered to reject
them. But Shaytaan (Satan) wishes to lead them far astray.
61. And when it is said tothem: 'Come to what Allaah has sent down and
to the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم),' you (Muhammad صلى
الله عليه وسلم) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad صلى
الله عليه وسلم)with aversion.
62. How then, when a catastrophe befalls thembecause of what their
hands have sent forth, they come to you swearing by Allaah, 'We meant
no more than goodwill and conciliation!'
63. They (hypocrites) arethose of whom Allaah knows what is in their
hearts; so turn aside from them (do not punish them) but admonish
them, and speak to them an effective word (i.e. to believe in Allaah,
worship Him, obey Him, and be afraid of Him) to reach their
innerselves.
64. We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allaah's Leave. If they
(hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, had come to you
(Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) and begged Allaah's forgiveness, and the
Messenger had begged forgiveness for them, indeed, they would
havefound Allaah All-Forgiving (One Who forgives and accepts
repentance), Most Merciful.
65. But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you
(O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) judge in alldisputes between them, and
find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept
(them) with full submission"
[al-Nisa' 4:60-65]
Allaah ascribes to these people who claim to have faith when they are
hypocrites several characteristics:
1.
They want to refer for judgement to al-taaghoot, which is everything
that goes against the ruling of Allaah and His Messenger(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), because going against the ruling of
Allaah and His Messenger is tughyanand transgression against the
ruling of the One to Whom belongs judgement and all thingsreturn to
Him, namely Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Surely, His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allaah, the
Lord of the 'Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)!" [al-A'raaf
7:54].
2.
If they are called to that which Allaah revealed tothe Messenger, they
refuse and turn away.
3.
If a calamity befalls thembecause of what their hands sent forth, such
asbeing exposed for their wrongdoing, they come swearing that they
only meant good will and conciliation, as in the case of those who
reject the rule of Islam today and govern according tolaws that go
against it, claiming that this is good and suited to modern
circumstances.
Then Allaah warns these people who claim to be believers but who bear
these characteristics thatHe knows what is in their hearts and what
they are concealing of things that are different from what they say.
And He commands His Prophet to admonish them and speak to them an
effective word. Then He explains the wisdom behind sending the
Messenger to be the onlyone who to be obeyed and followed, and no one
else, no matter how strong their ideas and how vast their
understanding. Then Allaah swears by His Lordship to His Messenger,
which is the most special kind of Lordship and which points to the
truth of His message, confirming that faith cannot be valid except
with three things:
1.
Referral for judgement in all disputes must be made to the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
2.
They should open their hearts to his judgement and there should be no
objection or resistance to it in their hearts.
3.
There must be full submission and acceptance of his ruling and it must
be implemented with no hesitation or deviance.
As for the second category (verse which say that he is a kaafir,
zaalim and faasiq):
For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whosoever does not judge by what Allaahhas revealed, such are the
Kaafiroon (i.e. disbelievers — of a lesser degree as they do not act
on Allaah's Laws)"
[al-Maa'idah 5:44]
"And whosoever does not judge by that which Allaah has revealed,
suchare the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers — of a lesser
degree)"
[al-Maa'idah 5:45]
"And whosoever does not judge by what Allaahhas revealed (then) such
(people) are the Faasiqoon [the rebellious i.e. disobedient (of a
lesser degree)] to Allaah"
[al-Maa'idah 5:47].
Can these three characteristics be applied to one person, i.e., is the
one who does not rule by what Allaah has revealed a kaafir, zaalim and
faasiq? Because Allaah has described the kaafirs as being wrongdoers
and evildoers, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "And it is
the disbelievers who are theZaalimoon (wrongdoers)" [al-Baqarah 2:254]
and "Certainly they disbelieved in Allaah andHis Messenger, and died
while they were Faasiqoon (rebellious, —disobedient to Allaah and His
Messenger صلىالله عليه وسلم)" [al-Tawbah 9:84], so every kaafir is a
wrongdoer and evildoer– or do these characteristics apply to those
described only insofar as they do not rule by that which Allaahhas
revealed? The latter is more likely in my view, and Allaah knows best.
We say: The one who does not rule by that which Allaah has revealed
because he regards it as insignificant, or he looksdown on it, or he
believes that something else is better and more beneficial to people,
is a kaafir in the sense of being beyond the pale of Islam. Among
these are those who promulgate for the people legislation that goes
against Islamic lawsto be a way by which people live. They only
promulgated that legislation which goes against Islamic laws because
they believe that it is better for people, because it is wellknown on
the basis of common sense [?] that people do not turn awayfrom one way
to another way that is different unless they believe that the one
theyturned to is better and that the one they turnedaway from is
lacking.
If a person does not rule by that which Allaah has revealed, but he
does not regard it as insignificant, look down on it or believe that
something else is better than it and more beneficial for people,
rather he rules by something else by way of wronging those who are
under his rule and out of vengeance and soon, then he is a wrongdoer
but he is not a kaafir, and the level of his wrongdoing varies
according to the alternative by which he rules and the means of
ruling.
If a person does not rule by that which Allaah has revealed, but he
does not regard it as insignificant, look down on it or believe that
something else is better than it and more beneficial for people,
rather he rules by something else so as to fulfill the wish of those
who are ruled, or because of a bribe or forsome other worldly reason,
then he is a faasiq (rebellious evildoer) but he is not a kaafir, and
the level of his wrongdoing varies according to the alternative by
which he rules and the means of ruling.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said
concerning those who take their rabbis and monks as lords instead of
Allaah that they are oftwo types:
1.
Those who know that they changed the religion of Allaah and they
follow them in those changes, and believe in the permissibility of
what was forbidden and the prohibition of what Allaah has permitted,
following their leaders, even though they know that they have gone
against the religion of the Messengers. This is kufr and Allaah and
His Messenger regard it as shirk.
2.
Those who believe in thepermissibility of what was forbidden and the
prohibition of what Allaah has permitted, butthey obeyed them in
disobeying Allaah, as theMuslim does when he commits sins that he
believes are sins. They come under the same ruling as other sinners.
End quote.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).
Fataawa al-'Aqeedah (p. 208-212).

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Shaykh Abul-Hassan Ash-Shadhili (R.A)

Shaykh Abu'l-Hassan ash-Shadhili was born inthe north of Morocco in
1175 into a family of peasant labourers. For his education he went
tothe Qarawiyyin University in Fes, where he met some scholars who
introduced him to the sciences of Islamic Law. He also traveled to
many countries. In Iraq he met a great Sufi called Wasiti who told him
to return to his country where he could find Moulay Abdas-Salamibn
Mashish, the great Moroccan spiritual master. He did so, and became
the close follower of this spiritual master who initiated him in the
way of remembrance of Allah and enlightenment. When he met Moulay
Abdas-Salam after ritually washing himself, he said, 'O Allah, I have
been washed of my knowledge and action so that I do not possess
knowledge or action except what comes to me from this Shaykh.'
Shaykha Abu'l-Hassan ash-Shadhili travelled from Morocco to Spain and
finally settled down in Alexandria. Later on inlife, when asked who
hisspiritual master was, he used to reply, 'I used to be the close
follower of Moulay Abdas-Salam ibn Mashish, but I am no more the close
follower of any human master.' Shaykh Abu'l-Abbas al-Mursi (d. 1288),
who succeeded Shaykh ash-Shadhili as the next spiritual master of the
Order, was asked about the knowledge of his spiritual master and
replied, 'He gave me forty sciences. He was anocean without a shore.'
Shaykh ash-Shadhili had hundreds of close followers in both Alexandria
and Cairo, not only from among thecommon people but alsofrom among the
ruling classes. He taught his close followers to lead a life of
contemplation and remembrance of Allah while performing the normal
everyday activities of the world. He disliked initiating anywould-be
follower unless that person already had a profession. His admonition
to his close followers was to apply the teachings of Islam in their
own lives in the world and to transform their existence.
Shaykh Abu'l-Hassan Ash-Shadhili died in the south of Egypt near the
Red Sea while he was onhis way to the pilgrimage in Mecca in 1258. His
shrine, which appears to be nowhere, in the middle of the desert,
stands to the present day and is highlyvenerated. Near his tomb are
two wells, one containing bitter water, the other containing sweet
water. He was an interspace between two seas, the sea of the outerlaw
and the sea of the inner reality. The Shadhili Order derives itsname
form him. He said:
"O Allah, you have sentenced the people to abasement until they become
mighty, and Youhave sentenced them to loss until they find. The one
who has no abasement becomes the one who has no might, and the one who
has no loss becomes the one who has no finding. The one who lays claim
to finding without abasement is deluded. The one who lays claim to
finding without loss isa liar."