Saints of Allah and Saints of Satan - 2

الفرقان بين أولياء الرحمن وأولياء الشيطان


تقي الدين أبو العباس أحمد بن عبد السلام بن عبد الله ابن تيمية الحراني‎

Courtesy: Taqiuddin Abul Abbas Ahmad Bin Abddul Halim Bin Abdus Salam Bin Taymiya Al Harrani Al Kurdi and Translated by Salim Abdallah ibn Morgan as The Criterion Between The Allies Of the Merciful & The Allies Of the Devil]

Chapter - 6

Since the allies of Allah are the pious believers, and people are of various degrees in faith (imaan) and pious practice (taqwa), it is clear that people are also of varying degrees of closeness (wilaya) to Allah ta'ala in accordance to their degree of faith and pious practice. In the same way, just as they are of varying degrees of disbelief (kufr) and hypocrisy (nifaaq), they are also of varying degrees of distance from and enmity of Allah in accordance with that.

The basis of faith and pious practice is the belief in the prophets of Allah, and the consummation of that is the belief in the Seal of the prophet, Muhammad - may the peace and prayers of Allah be upon him. Faith in the Prophet includes the faith in all of the books of Allah, and His prophets. On the other hand, the basis of disbelief and hypocrisy is the rejection of the prophets of Allah and the messages which they brought. This is the disbelief for which its proponent deserves punishment in the hereafter, since Allah has informed us that He will not punish anyone except after the delivering of the message.

Allah said:

وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً

“We are not about to punish (anyone) until we have sent a messenger.” Qur'an 17:15

إِنَّا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ كَمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإْسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالأَسْبَاطِ وَعِيسَى وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُونُسَ وَهَارُونَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا

وَرُسُلاً قَدْ قَصَصْنَاهُمْ عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَرُسُلاً لَّمْ نَقْصُصْهُمْ عَلَيْكَ وَكَلَّمَ اللّهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيمًا

رُّسُلاً مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

“We have given revelation to you as we gave it to Nuh and the prophets who came after him, and We gave revelation to Ibrahim and Isma'il and Is-haq and Ya'qub and the tribes and 'Isa and Ayyub and Yunus and Harun and Sulaiman, and we gave Dawood the Zaboor. Prophets, some about whom we have already told you, and others about whom we have not told you. And Allah spoke to Musa directly. Prophets, givers of glad tidings and warners, so that there will be no argument for the people before Allah after (the sending of) the Prophets.” Qur'an 4:163-165

تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ

قَالُوا بَلَى قَدْ جَاءنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ كَبِيرٍ

“Every time another group is thrown into it (i.e. hell) its keepers ask them: "Didn't a warner come to you?" They say: "Yes, a warner came to us and we disbelieved him saying - Allah has sent down nothing, you are in nothing but extreme delusion.” Qur'an 67:8-9

Here Allah informs us that when each group is thrown into hell, they admit that a warner had come to them, but that they denied him. This shows that no one will be cast into hell except for those who had denied the message of a warner. Allah said, speaking to Iblis:

لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكَ وَمِمَّن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

“I will surely fill hell fire with you and those of them (i.e. people) who follow you, all together.} Qur'an 38:85

Since Allah says that He will fill hell fire with Iblis and those who follow him, we know that no one else will enter it, thus none shall enter hell fire except for those who followed shaitaan. This proves that no one who is free of sins will enter the fire, because such a person is of those who did not follow the devil, just as the previous verse proved that none will enter it except for those who have no defense for themselves after the coming of the prophets.

Chapter - 7



There are some people who believe in the prophets in general and in principle but, as for the detailed belief, they may have received much of the details of the message of the Prophet, but other details have not reached them. They believe in that which has reached them from the prophets in principle. Such people, if the put into practice that which they know that Allah has ordered them to do with faith and pious practice, are of the allies of Allah, their wilaya (closeness to Allah) is in accordance to their belief and pious practice. As for that which has not reached him, he is not responsible for knowing it and believing in it in detail, and is not liable for punishment for failing to do it. However, there will be a lack in his wilaya to Allah in accordance with those missing parts. The one who attained knowledge of the message of the prophets, and believed in it in detail, and acted according to it is more complete in faith (imaan) and wilaya to Allah than the one who did not know the details of the message, and did not (consequently) act upon it. And both of them are allies of Allah - paradise is of vastly different degrees - and the allies of Allah, the believing and pious in practice are in those degrees according to their faith and their practice. Allah said:

مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاء لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الآخِرَةَ وَسَعَى لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا

كُلاًّ نُّمِدُّ هَـؤُلاء وَهَـؤُلاء مِنْ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا

انظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَلَلآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلاً

“Whoever seeks this life, we will hurry it up for them as we wish to whomever we wish, then we will make for them the hell fire; they will enter it disgraced and rejected. And whoever seeks the hereafter and strive thereafter as it should be striven for, and is a believer, the striving of such will surely be appreciated. All of these (in the two groups) we have provided with the bounties from your Lord, the provision of you Lord is not closed (to anyone). Look how we have preferred some over others (in the wealth of this life) and surely, the hereafter is of degrees greater in variation, and favoring of some much greater in magnitude.” Qur'an 17:18-21



Here, Allah explains that He extends His sustenance to those who seek this life and to those who seek the hereafter. His provision is not closed to anyone neither the righteous nor the pious. Then, Allah said:

“Look how we have preferred some over others (in the wealth of this life) and surely, the hereafter is of degrees greater in variation, and favoring of some much greater in magnitude.” making clear that people in the hereafter will be of different degrees wider in variation than their degrees in this life, and their ranks will be greater. Allah has explained the difference in degree of His prophets similar to the difference in degree of all of His believing servants, saying:

تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ اللّهُ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٍ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ آمَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ

“Those are the prophets, we have preferred some of them over others. Some of them Allah addressed directly, and some of them He raised in rank. And we gave '`Isa the son of Maryam the clear signs, and we aided him with the holy spirit.” Qur'an 2:253

وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا

“We have preferred some of the prophets over others, and we gave Dawood the Zaboor.” Qur'an 17:55


In the collection of Muslim, Abu Huraira narrates that the Prophet said: "The strong believer is superior and more loved by Allah than the weak believer, and in each there is good. Seek that which is beneficial to you, and ask Allah's aid, and do not become defeatist. If any calamity befalls you, do not say: "If only I had done such and such", rather say: "Allah decreed and did that which He wished", for, verily "if only" opens the work of the devil." And, in both the collection of Muslim and Bukhari, it is narrated by Abu Huraira and by Amr ibn Al-'aas that the Prophet said: "When the ruler exerts himself to the utmost to know the correct ruling and is correct, he gets two rewards, and when he exerts himself thus and is wrong, he gets one reward."

And Allah said:

لاَّ يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُوْلِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فَضَّلَ اللّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُـلاًّ وَعَدَ اللّهُ الْحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ اللّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

دَرَجَاتٍ مِّنْهُ وَمَغْفِرَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَكَانَ اللّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

“The believers who sit back without any valid excuse are not the same as those who fight in the path of Allah with their property and their lives. Allah has preferred those who struggle with their property and their lives over those who sit back by a degree, and to both Allah has promised good. And Allah has preferred those who struggle over those who sit back by a great (difference in) reward.” Qur'an 4:95-96

أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ لاَ يَسْتَوُونَ عِندَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَهَاجَرُواْ وَجَاهَدُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللّهِ وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ

يُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُم بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنْهُ وَرِضْوَانٍ وَجَنَّاتٍ لَّهُمْ فِيهَا نَعِيمٌ مُّقِيمٌ

“Do you equate providing waters for the pilgrims and maintaining the sacred masjid with those who believe in Allah and in the last day and struggle in the path of Allah? They are not equal in the eyes of Allah, and Allah does not guide the oppressors. Those who believe and migrate and fight in the path of Allah with their property and their lives are greater in rank with Allah, and they are the successful ones. Allah gives them glad tidings of mercy from Him and acceptance and gardens wherein for them is a permanent bliss. They will stay in it forever, verily with Allah there is a very great reward.” Qur'an 9:19- 22

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ

“What about the one who spends the hours of the night in devotion prostrating and standing, in fear of the hereafter, and in hope for the mercy of his Lord? Say: Are they equal, those who know and those who know not? Only those of sound understanding will understand and take heed.” Qur'an 39:9

يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

“Allah raises those among you who believe and those who have been given knowledge levels, and Allah is fully informed of that which you do.” Qur'an 58:11

Chapter - 8


أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاء اللّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَكَانُواْ يَتَّقُونَ

No slave of Allah can be an ally of Allah unless he has the characteristics of faith and pious practice, as is clear from the previously cited verse: “Indeed, there is no fear upon the awliyaa' of Allah, nor shall they grieve, those who believe and are ever pious in their actions.” Qur'an 10:62-63


In the famous hadith found in the collection of Bukhari (which was cited previously), the Prophet says: "Then, my slave will continue to come closer to me by making extra efforts until I love him." No one becomes a pious believer until they seek to come close to Allah by doing everything which is obligatory upon them, then they become one of the righteous, those of the right hand. Then, one may continue to seek to become close to Allah through the commendable non-obligatory actions (nawaafil), until the rank of the forerunners, those brought close is achieved. It is thus known that no one of the disbelievers or the hypocrites can be an ally of Allah, likewise those whose belief is not valid (because of their being not responsible for their actions) even though there may be no sins upon them as yet, such as the children of the disbelievers, and those who have not received the message. So, though it may be said that they will not be punished until the message has been delivered to them, at the same time, they cannot be among the allies of Allah until they become one of those of belief and pious practice. Whoever does not seek to become close to Allah by the doing of good (as defined by Allah) actions and the avoiding of bad actions, is not one of the allies of Allah.

The case is the same for the mentally incompetent or insane, and young (pre-puberty) children. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "The pen has been lifted for three: the insane until he regains his sanity, the child until he reaches puberty, and the sleeper until he wakes up."

This hadith is narrated in the major books of hadith after Muslim and Bukhari known as Assunan from Ali and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them), and the scholars are unanimous in their acceptance of this hadith. However, the discriminating child (i.e. one who has reached the age of tamyeez or ability to discriminate between right and wrong which occurs usually around seven years), can perform valid acts of worship, for which he may be rewarded by Allah in the unanimous opinion of the scholars. As for the insane person for whom the pen has been lifted, none of his acts of worship are valid in the consensus of the scholars, nothing is valid from him by way of belief, disbelief, prayer, nor any other such act. Moreover, his actions and statements are invalid even in mundane affairs such as business, manufacturing; he is not suitable to be a cloth merchant, a perfumer, a blacksmith, or a carpenter. His contracts are invalid in the consensus of the scholars. His buying, selling, marrying, divorce, confession, testimony, and all other verbal statements are invalid, having no legal significance, result in no reward or punishment, and are regarded as completely meaningless. This is unlike the discriminating child some of whose verbal acts (acts of worship and in mundane affairs) are valid by evidence of a legal text (Qur'an or Sunnah), some by the evidence of consensus of the scholars, and in some there is a difference of opinion.

Since the faith, pious practice, and seeking to come close to Allah with the obligations and the extra efforts are all invalid from the insane person, it is impossible for one of them to be of the allies (awliyaa') of Allah. Thus it is not allowed to believe that such a one is an ally of Allah, especially if ones evidence of that is some revealing of hidden things which he heard from the person himself, or some behavior of his, such as his pointing to someone who then died or fainted, since it is well known that the disbelievers, and the hypocrites among the associationists and the Christians and the Jews often perform the revealing of unknown things and other amazing satanic feats. Examples are the fortune tellers and the sorcerers and the ascetics among the associationists and the Christians and the Jews - it is not allowed for anyone to cite such feats (and only this) as evidence that the person is among the allies of Allah, even if nothing is known which contradicts the presence of acceptable faith, let alone in the cases mentioned where that which contradicts any alliance (wilaya) to Allah is well known. For example, if it is known that the person does not believe in the obligatoriness of following the Prophet openly and in secret, but believes that he follows the "superficial" law but not the inner "reality", or if he believes that the allies of Allah have a special route to Allah other than the route of the prophets upon them be the peace and prayers of Allah. Or, they may say:

"The prophets prepared the way", or "They are an example for the average people, not for the special people", or other such beliefs, which are held by some of those claiming to be allies of Allah ta'ala. Such people contain elements of kufr (disbelief) which contradict the presence of imaan (belief) itself, let alone closeness (wilaya) to Allah subhaanahu wa ta'ala. Whoever argued for such beliefs citing as evidence the "miraculous" occurrences associated with such people is farther astray than the Jews and the Christians.

Likewise the insane person, his very insanity contradicts the presence of any valid belief or worship, which are necessary conditions for the alliance with Allah. The sufferer of chronic spells of insanity who is insane sometimes and normal other times, who is a believer in Allah and His Prophet while in his right state of mind, fulfilling the obligations and avoiding the forbidden is rewarded for the belief and pious practice which he does while in his right mind, and his spells of insanity do not prevent the acceptance of that. His alliance and closeness to Allah will be in accordance to those acts done while in a state of sound mind. Also, one who becomes insane after having believed and practiced Islam: Allah will reward him for his belief and pious practice which preceded his insanity, and will not cancel these good deeds because of the insanity with which he was afflicted through no sin of his. The pen is lifted for him during the time of his insanity.

Therefore, if someone puts up an appearance of alliance to Allah but does not fulfill the obligatory and does not avoid the forbidden, and does things to counter-indicate wilaya to Allah, it is not allowed for anyone to say: "He is an ally of Allah". Such a person, if he is not insane - either permanently or suffering from chronic attacks - but neglects the obligatory and commits the forbidden while of sound mind, and while believing that they are not obligatory upon him is a kafir (disbeliever). If, on the other hand, he is really insane, the pen has been lifted for him. Such a one, though not liable to be punished as is the disbeliever, is nonetheless not deserving of that which the people of belief and pious practice are deserving i.e. the karamaat or miraculous occurrences which Allah grants to His allies. So, in either of the two possible cases, it is not allowed to hold the belief that such a person is an ally of Allah. If, in states of sound mind, he is a pious believer, he has the alliance with Allah to the extent of these acts. If, on the other hand, he has while in sound mind elements of disbelief and hypocrisy, or is in fact a disbeliever or a hypocrite, and then becomes insane, he retains whatever he earned in terms of disbelief and hypocrisy and is punished for that - his insanity does not cancel anything that he does or believes while in a state of sound mind.

Chapter - 9

The allies of Allah do not have any special appearance with which they differ from other people. They have no special dress other than just being permissable dress, and are not distinguished by shaving of hair, or cutting it short, or braiding it, as long as it is within the permissable. Thus it has been said: "So many truthful believers in rough dress, and so many apostates in beautiful cloaks." Rather, the allies of Allah are to be found in all categories of the nation of Muhammad, except for the fact that they may not be found among the people of blatant innovations (bid'a) and moral corruption. They are found among people of the Qur'an, scholars, just as they are found among the fighters of jihad with weapons, and they are found among the businessmen, the manufacturers, and the farmers. Allah has mentioned the categories of the nation of Muhammad, saying:

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَى مِن ثُلُثَيِ اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ وَاللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَؤُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرْضَى وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَاقْرَؤُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Surely, your Lord knows that you stand less than two thirds of the night and half of it and one third of it, as does a group among those who are with you. Allah has apportioned the night and the day. He knows that you will not keep track of it accurately, so He has forgiven you. So read that which is easy for you of the Qur'an. He knows that there will be among you the sick, and others striving and moving on the earth seeking bounty from Allah, and others fighting in the path of Allah, so read that of it which is easy for you.” Qur'an 73:20

The early generations used to call the people of religion and knowledge "the readers". This term included scholars and devout worshippers. After that, people invented the term Assufiya (Sufis) and Al-Fuqarah (the impoverished). The name Sufiya is derived from the word Suf i.e. wool and its origin is the wearing of woolen clothes. This is the correct derivation. It has also been said that it is derived from:



1) Sufah ibn Murr ibn Add ibn Taabikha, a tribe of Arabs known for their worship and devotions.

2) As-Suffa, related to the people who stayed in As-suffa in the Prophet's masjid already discussed.

3) As-safaa' i.e. clarity or purity.

4) As-safwah i.e. the purest, combining the finest elements of others.

5) As-saff i.e. row, meaning the front row, that closest to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).

All of these derivations are weak, and do not stand up to critical analysis, because none of them would yield the word Sufi as the relative noun (nisba) in the grammar of Arabic, rather, they would give the following constructions:

1) (omitted)

2) Suffi,

3) Safaa'i,

4) Safwi, and

5) Saffi.

And so, Sufi became the name given to the (intentionally) impoverished i.e. the ascetics. This was a new tradition, and the people have differed over this question: which is preferable, that which is denoted by the word sufi, or that which is denoted by the word faqir (impoverished). They have also differed over the question of which is preferable, the rich man who is thankful, or the poor man who is patient. This discussion goes back to the very early days of the Islamic Ummah, it was discussed by Al-Junaid and Abi Al-Abbas ibn Ataa', both opinions have been attributed to Imam Ahmad, i.e. that it is preferable to be rich and thankful to Allah, or that it is preferable to be poor and patient. That which is correct in all of this is that which Allah said in the Qur'an:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

“O, people, we have created you from a male and a female and made you into peoples and tribes that you may know each other. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the greatest in righteous practice.” Qur'an 49:13

Abu Huraira narrates in a sahih hadith:

"The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) was asked: Which people are the best? He said: Those greatest in taqwa (righteous practice). Then they said: That is not what we mean. He said: Yusuf the prophet of Allah the son of Ya`qub the prophet of Allah the son of Is-haq the prophet of Allah the son of Ibrahim the friend (khalil) of Allah. Then they said: That is not what we mean. He said: Do you ask, then, about the elements (lit. minerals) of the Arabs? People are minerals like the minerals of gold and silver, the best of them before Islam are the best of them in Islam when they obtain knowledge and understanding (i.e. of Islam)." (Muslim and Bukhari)



Thus the Qur'an and the sunnah show clearly that the best people in the sight of Allah are those greatest in taqwa. In another valid hadith, in the books known as As-sunan the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "An arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor has a non-Arab any superiority over an Arab, nor has a black man any superiority over a white man over a black man except by the criterion of taqwa (righteous practice).

All of you are from Adam, and Adam is from dust."

"Allah has removed from you the arrogance of the jahiliya, and its pride in ones ancestors. People are only two types: a pious practicing believer, and a rebellious corrupt sinner."

Thus anyone from any category of people who is more pious in his practice for the sake of Allah is better in the sight of Allah, and if they are equal in taqwa, they are equal in rank.

The word faqr (poverty) in legal terminology means a lack of wealth, or it can mean the poverty (i.e. complete need) of every created being for its creator. Allah said about the first meaning:

إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاء وَالْمَسَاكِينِ

“Zakat is only for the impoverished and the poor and...” Qur'an 9:60

and, about the second meaning:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

“O, you people, you are the impoverished for Allah” Qur'an 35:15

In the Qur'an, Allah has praised two groups of poor people: those of (i.e. deserving of being given) zakat, and those deserving of being given from the public property known as fei'. About the first group, He said:

لِلْفُقَرَاء الَّذِينَ أُحصِرُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاء مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَاهُمْ لاَ يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ

“For the impoverished who are who are fully engaged in the path of Allah, and are unable to move about in the earth, striving to seek a living. The ignorant one believes them to be without need because of their refraining (from asking). You will know them from their signs. They do not ask the people, begging.” Qur'an 2:273

And, about the second group, Allah said:

لِلْفُقَرَاء الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيارِهِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا وَيَنصُرُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ

“For the impoverished, the migrators who were expelled from their homes and their property. They seek the grace of Allah, and His pleasure. They come to the aid of Allah (i.e. His cause) and His prophet. These are the truthful ones.” Qur'an 59:8

This is the category of those who fled from evil, and struggled against the enemies of Allah internally and externally, as the Prophet said:

"The believer is he from whom the blood and the property of the people are safe."

"The Muslim is he with whom the Muslims are in safety from his tongue and his hand. The migrator is he who flees from that which Allah has forbidden."

And, in another version: "and the mujahid (fighter of jihad) is the one who struggles against his nafs (self, here wrong tendencies and desires) for the sake of Allah."

As for the hadith which is narrated by some in which the Prophet is alleged to have said upon the return of the Muslims from the battle of Tabuk:

"We have come back from the minor jihad to the major jihad."

This is a false hadith, having no origin, and none of those knowledgeable of the words and actions of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) have transmitted it. (Note: Actually, this supposed hadith is found in one minor book of hadith, the book of Al- Baihaqy, with a weak chain of narration. Scholars of hadith, among them Ibn Hajr, one of the most knowledgeable scholars of the hadith have said that the only origin of this statement is that it is the statement of one of the Muslims, and not of the Prophet.)

Fighting against the disbelievers is on of the greatest of works. In fact, it is the best thing which a person can volunteer. Allah said:

لاَّ يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُوْلِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فَضَّلَ اللّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُـلاًّ وَعَدَ اللّهُ الْحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ اللّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

دَرَجَاتٍ مِّنْهُ وَمَغْفِرَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَكَانَ اللّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

“The believers who sit back without any valid excuse are not the same as those who fight in the path of Allah with their property and their lives. Allah has preferred those who struggle with their property and their lives over those who sit back by a degree, and to both Allah has promised good. And Allah has preferred those who struggle over those who sit back by a great (difference in) reward.” Qur'an 4:95-96

أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ لاَ يَسْتَوُونَ عِندَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَهَاجَرُواْ وَجَاهَدُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللّهِ وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ

يُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُم بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنْهُ وَرِضْوَانٍ وَجَنَّاتٍ لَّهُمْ فِيهَا نَعِيمٌ مُّقِيمٌ

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا إِنَّ اللّهَ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

“Do you equate providing waters for the pilgrims and maintaining the sacred masjid with those who believe in Allah and in the last day and struggle in the path of Allah? They are not equal in the eyes of Allah, and Allah does not guide the oppressors. Those who believe and migrate and fight in the path of Allah with their property and their lives are greater in rank with Allah, and they are the successful ones. Allah gives them glad tidings of mercy from Him and acceptance and gardens wherein for them is a permanent bliss. They will stay in it forever, verily with Allah there is a very great reward.” Qur'an 9:19- 22

In Sahih Muslim and other collections, An-Nu'maan ibn Basheer narrates:

I was in the presence of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), when a man said: I have no concern if I do no other work after Islam than the providing of water for the pilgrims. And, another man said: I have no concern if I do no other work after Islam than the maintenance of the Holy Masjid (i.e. in Makka). Then, Ali ibn Abi Talib said: Jihad in the path of Allah is better than that which you two have mentioned. Umar said at that point: Do not raise your voices near the minbar of the Prophet, rather, after the prayer is over, I will ask him. And so, when he asked him, this aya (i.e. Qur'an 9:19-22 above) was revealed.

In the books of Muslim and Bukahari, Abdullah ibn Masood narrates:

"I said: O Prophet, which act is the best in the sight of Allah? The Prophet answered: Prayer in its time periods. I said: And then what? He said: Righteousness towards your parents. I said: Then what? He said: Jihad in the path of Allah ta'ala. (The narrator then said): The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) informed me of these, and if I had asked for more, he would have given me more."

In another hadith, also in Muslim and Bukhari, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam)was asked about the best act, and he said:

"Belief in Allah and jihad in His path." When it was asked of him: And then what? He said: "A pilgrimage free of transgression."

In a third hadith found in Muslim and Bukhari, the following is narrated:

A man said to the Prophet: O, Prophet of Allah, tell me about an act which is equal to jihad in the path of Allah. The Prophet said: You are not capable of it. Then the man said: But tell me about it. The Prophet said: Are you able, when you go out as a fighter in the path of Allah to fast and never break your fast and stand (in prayer) and never take a rest?

In another sahih hadith, Mu'adh ibn Jabal tells of the Prophets advice to him when he sent him to Yemen:

"O, Mu'adh, have taqwa of Allah wherever you are, and follow up the bad action with a good act which will erase it, and be with people on the best of character and manners." And he said in another hadith: "O, Mu'adh, verily I love you, so never neglect to say at the end of each prayer: O, Allah aid me in your remembrance, and gratitude to You, and the best forms of worshipping You." And, the Prophet said to Mu'adh on another occasion: "O, Mu'adh, do you know what Allah right over His slaves? I said: Allah and His Prophet know best. The Prophet said: His right over His slaves is that they worship Him and associate no partners with Him. And do you know what is the right of the slaves over Allah when they do that? I said: Allah and His Prophet know best. The Prophet said:

"Their right over Him is that He not punish them."

In another hadith, the Prophet said to Mu'adh:

"The head of the affair is Islam (i.e. submission), and its central pillar is prayer, and the tip of its peak is jihad in the path of Allah." "O, Mu'adh, should I not inform you of the elements of righteousness? Fasting is a preventive, and giving in charity extinguishes minor sins as water extinguishes fire, and the standing of a man in prayer in the middle of the night, upon which he read the verse: “Their sides are repelled form their places of rest, they call to their Lord in fear and hope, and of that which we have provided them, they spend. So, no soul knows of the peace-giving delights which have been hidden away for them as a reward for that which they used to do.” Qur'an 41:16-17 Then, the Prophet said: O, Mu'adh, should I not inform you of something which is even better for you than that? Hold back this tongue or yours. (While saying this, the Prophet took hold of his tongue.) Mu'adh said: O, Prophet of Allah, are we to be held to account for that about which we speak? The Prophet said: Your mother is bereaved of you O, Mu'adh, did the people get thrown into the fire on their faces for anything other than the harvests of their tongues?"

The meaning of this is found in another hadith which is in Muslim and Bukhari in which the Prophet said:

"Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, let him speak that which is good, or keep quiet." i.e. speaking that which is good is better than silence, and silence is better than speaking that which is evil. As for complete and perpetual silence, this is an innovation (bid'a), and is interdicted, as is complete abstinence from bread or meat or from the drinking of water.

All of that is blameworthy innovation (bid'a), as has been established in the hadith found in the book of Sahih Bukhari, narrated by Ibn Abbas:

The Prophet saw a man standing in the sun and said: What is this? Those around him answered: Abu Isra'il swore an oath that he would stand in the sun, not seek shade, not speak, and fast. The Prophet said: Order him to sit down, seek shade, speak, and let him complete his fast. (Note: This hadith proves that of the four parts of the man's oath, only the fasting is obedience to Allah, since it is a mode of devotion prescribed by Allah, as for the other three, they are bid'a and blameworthy innovation, and so the Prophet had the man ordered to stop them even though he had made an oath (nadhar).)

Also in Muslim and Bukhari, Anas narrates:

Some men asked about the acts of worship of the Prophet, and it was as if they thought them little. They said: And which of us is like the Prophet of Allah? Then one of them said: As for me, I fast every day, and never break it. And another one said: As for me, I stand in prayer in the night, and do not sleep. Then a third one said: As for me, I do not eat meat. And a fourth one said: As for me, I do not marry women. The Prophet said: What is with people who say such things? As for me, I fast and I break fast, I stand in prayer and I sleep, I eat meat, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my way (sunnah) is not of me.i.e. took another path with the conviction that it is superior to the path of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). Whoever does such is unconnected to Allah and His Prophet. Allah said:

وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلاَّ مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

“And who turns away from the tradition of Ibrahim (i.e. pure monotheism) except for the one who has immersed himself in foolishness?” Qur'an 2:130

Rather, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to believe that the best discourse of all is the Book of Allah, and that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) as it has been established in the sahih hadith, i.e. that the Prophet used to say that in his khutba every Friday.

Chapter - 10

It is not a condition for an ally of Allah that he be free of (protected from) mistakes and errors. Just the opposite, it is quite possible that some knowledge of the Shari'a may be hidden from him, just as it is possible for him to become confused about some issues in Islam such that he imagines certain things to be part of what Allah has ordered us to do or part of what He has forbidden, when it is in fact not so. It is also possible for him to believe that some miraculous occurrences are the karamaat which Allah grants to His allies when in fact they are from shaitaan, but their true nature has been disguised to him because of some decrease in his rank, such that he fails to recognize them as being from shaitaan.

Nonetheless, he may not necessarily, because of this, leave the ranks of the allies (awliyaa') of Allah, since Allah has overlooked and forgiven for this Ummah error, acts of forgetting, and things done under compulsion.

Allah said:

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلاَنَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ



“The Prophet has believed in that which was sent to him from his Lord as have the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. We do not differentiate between any one of His messengers, and they say: "We hear, and we obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord, to You is the end of all things. * Allah does not emburden any soul except with that which is within his ability. To it is (the good of) what it earned, and upon it is (the bad of) what it earned. Our Lord, do not hold us responsible if we forget, or make a mistake. Our Lord, and do not put on us burdens as were placed on those who came before us. Our Lord, and do not put on us that over which we have no power. And overlook for us (our sins), and forgive us, and have mercy on us, You are our Guardian and Protector, so give us victory over the people who reject faith.” Qur'an 2:285-286



It has been narrated in sahih hadith that Allah has answered this prayer saying, "I have done so." In the collection of Muslim on the authority of Ibn Abbas: When this verse was sent down: “If you reveal that which is within yourselves, or hide it, Allah will take you to account for it. He forgives whomever He wishes, and punishes whomever He wishes, and Allah is entirely capable of all things.” 2:284, something entered the hearts of the companions which was more severe than anything they had experienced previous to it. Then, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said to them: Say we hear and we obey, and we have surrendered. At that point, Allah put faith into their hearts. Then, Allah sent down the words: “Allah does not emburden any soul except with that which is within its ability. To it is (the good of) what it earned, and upon it is (the bad of) what it earned. Our Lord, do not hold us responsible if we forget, or make a mistake.” And Allah said: I have done so. “Our Lord, and do not put on us burdens as were placed on those who came before us.” Allah said: I have done so. “Our Lord, and do not put on us that over which we have no power. And overlook for us (our sins), and forgive us, and have mercy on us, You are our Guardian and Protector, so give us victory over the people who reject faith.” Allah said: I have done so.

Allah said about this in another verse:

فِيمَا أَخْطَأْتُم بِهِ وَلَكِن مَّا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

“There is no burden upon you for that in which you were mistaken, rather for that which you have done with the full determination of your hearts.” Qur'an 33:5

In Muslim and Bukhari, Abu Huraira and Amr ibn Al-'aas both narrate that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

"When a ruler exerts himself to arrive at the correct ruling, and is correct, he gets two rewards and when he exerts himself but is mistaken, he gets one reward."

Note that no sin was ascribed to the one who makes jurisprudential effort (ijtihaad) and makes a mistake, rather his is a reward for his efforts, and his mistake is forgiven. On the other hand, the one who makes such an effort and arrives at the correct ruling is deserving of two rewards, and is thus the better of the two. Since it is possible for any ally of Allah to make a mistake, it can never be obligatory upon the people to believe in everything any one of them says, except in the case of one of them who is a prophet.

Moreover, it is not allowed for any ally of Allah to place his trust in the inspirations which come into his heart unless it is in complete accordance with the Shari'a. Nor may he place his trust in anything which he feels to be intuition, inspiration, signs, or being addressed with the truth, rather, it is obligatory upon him to measure all of that up to the criterion of that which the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) brought. If it is in agreement therewith he can accept it, but if it is in disagreement, he must reject it, and if he cannot be sure whether it is in accordance with the Prophet's message or at variance with it, he must refrain from believing it or applying it.

People, with regard to this issue go in three directions: two extremes and a middle path. Some of them, when they believe that a person is an ally of Allah (some say: "saint"), accept and agree with him in all that which this ally believes to be his heart addressing him from his Lord. They accept whatever this person does. Others, when they see any such person do anything or say anything which is not in accordance with the Shari'a, reject any possibility of this person being an ally of Allah, even though he may have exerted his honest effort to know the truth and simply been mistaken. The best of affairs is the middle way. And that, here, is that a Muslim does not believe that anyone is protected against ever making a mistake, and does not believe that someone who exerts their honest effort and is mistaken is a sinner. Thus, no one is followed in everything they say (except the Prophet), and no one is to be judged a disbeliever or corrupt if he has made an honest effort to know the true ruling of the law.



All that is upon the people is to follow that with which Allah sent His Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). As for one who disagreed with the opinions of some of the scholars of fiqh, and agreed with others, no one has any right to insist on their following the other opinion nor to say about them: They are going against the Shari'a.

The Prophet said (Muslim and Bukhari):

"In the previous nations there were individuals who were addressed (with the truth). If there are such people in my nation, Umar is one of them." And, in two other hadith found in At-Tirmidhi which are hassan (good) in strength of the chain of narration, the Prophet said: "If there was to be a Prophet after me, it would be Umar." "Verily Allah has put the truth on the tongue of Umar and in his heart."

Ali ibn Abi Talib used to say:

"We used not to view as completely improbable that As-sakeena might speak on the tongue of Umar."

This has been authenticated as the statement of Ali via the narration of Ashsha'bi. Ibn Umar (i.e. Abdallah the son of Umar) used to say:

"Whenever my father would say about something: I believe it is so and so, it would turn out to be just as he said."

Qais ibn Taariq said:

"We used to say that an angel spoke on the tongue of Umar."

Umar himself used to say:

"Come close to the mouths of those obedient to Allah, and listen to that which they say for, verily, truthful things appear to them."

These "truthful things" which Umar has informed us appear to those obedient to Allah are things which Allah shows to them. Thus, it is established that the allies of Allah may receive inspirations or intuitions. The best of these in the entire Muslim nation after Abu Bakr is Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with them. The best of this nation after its Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) is Abu Bakr and then Umar. As we have mentioned previously, it has been established in the sahih hadith, that Umar is a muhaddath (i.e. one addressed) of this nation.

For any other muhaddath, or receiver of inspirations and intuitions which we assume to exist in this nation, Umar is better than him. And yet, Umar always did that which was obligatory upon him: to measure anything that occurred to him against that with which the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) was sent. Sometimes they would be in agreement, and this would be evidence of the high rank of Umar and his piety. In this way, the Qur'an was revealed ratifying the opinion of Umar which he had expressed before it revelation on several occasions. Other times, what occurred to Umar would be at variance with the message of Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), and Umar would retract his original position as soon as he realized this, as in his retracting his opinion at the treaty of Hudaibiya when at first he was determined that the Muslims should engage the Associationists in battle. This was after a consultation between Umar and the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).

This hadith is well known, and is found in the collection of Bukhari and others. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) set out to make 'umrah (minor pilgrimage) in the sixth year of the migration along with fourteen hundred Muslims. These were are the Muslims who took the oath under the tree. The Prophet had made a treaty with the associationists, after discussions with them, in which it was stipulated that he should turn back to Madinah in that year and come for 'Umrah in the following year. There were various other conditions which seemed to be unfair to the Muslims. This was extremely difficult for many of the Muslims, and Allah and His Prophet knew best the great benefits in that treaty. Umar was one of those who strongly disliked this treaty such that he said to the Prophet: "O, messenger of Allah, are we not on the way of truth, and our enemy is in falsehood?" The Prophet answered: "Of course." Then, Umar said: "Are not our dead in paradise, and their dead are in the fire?" The Prophet said: "Of course." Umar said: "So why, then, do we give in to humiliation in our Din?" The Prophet said to him: "I am the Messenger of Allah, and He is my helper, and I am not disobeying Him." Umar went on to say: "Didn't you used to inform us that we would come to the Ka'aba and circle around it?" The Prophet said: "Yes, but did I say that you would come to it this year?" Umar said no, and then the Prophet said: "Verily, you will come to it, and circle around it."

Thereupon, Umar went to Abu Bakr and said to him the same things that he had said to the Prophet. Abu Bakr answered him with the same answers which the Prophet had given Umar, though he had not heard of the conversation between them. Abu Bakr was therefore superior in his harmony with Allah and His Prophet than Umar. Umar subsequently retracted his position and said about this incident: "For that incident I did many works" (i.e. seeking the forgiveness of Allah.)

In a similar fashion, when the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) died, Umar denied his death at first. Then, when Abu Bakr told him that he had indeed died, he retracted his first statement.

Also in the battles against those who withheld their zakat, during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. Umar said to him:

"How can you fight the people when the Prophet said: "I have been ordered to fight the people until they testify that their is no deity other than Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah. When they do that, their lives and their property are protected except for the rights of Islam." Abu Bakr said to him:

"By Allah, if they were to withhold a single binding rope which they used to pay to the Prophet, I would fight them for their refusal to pay." Umar said:

"By Allah it was nothing other than that I saw that Allah had inspired in his heart fighting them, and I knew that it was the truth."

This and other examples like them show the higher rank of Abu Bakr over Umar, even though, as we have seen, Umar was muhaddath, one who is addressed with the truth. This is because Abu Bakr was As-Siddique (i.e. ever-truthful, ever-believing), and one who is siddique takes from the Prophet, the protected from falling into error everything which he says and does. On the other hand, one who is muhaddath takes things from his own heart or intuitions, and these are not protected from falling into error, and so he needs always to measure them against that which has been brought by the Prophet, the protected from falling into error.

Thus, Umar used to consult with the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and to discuss with them, seeking their counsel in various affairs. Furthermore, they used to disagree with him on some things, and so they would present their arguments from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and Umar would present his arguments from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Umar accepted from them this disagreement and discussion, and never said to them: "I am muhaddath, I receive inspirations and visions, and so you should accept that which I say and not oppose me therein." So anyone who claims that he is an ally of Allah, or his companions claim for him, that he is "enlightened", or receives inspirations such that it is obligatory to follow him and accept from him all that he says, and not to oppose or question him and to defer to his opinion without regard for the texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah; such people he, and they are in gross error, and these are the people who are farthest astray. Umar ibn Al-Khattab was better than any such people, and he was the Prince of the Believers and the khaleefa, and yet the Muslims used to disagree with him and measure anything that he said or that any of them said against the standards of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The early scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed that the opinions of any man can be accepted and can be rejected (i.e. are open to question) except for the statements of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).

This is one of the differences between the prophets and others:

It is obligatory to have complete faith in all that they are informed of by Allah - peace and prayers of Allah upon them. Further, it is obligatory to obey them in all that they order. This is not the case with the allies of Allah (who are not prophets): it is not required to obey them in all that they order, nor is it required to believe in all that of which they inform. Rather everything which comes from them, both orders (legal rulings) and information (about the unseen, about Allah and His characteristics, etc.) is measured against the Qur'an and the Sunnah.


Then, it is obligatory to accept whatever of that which is in accordance with the Qur'an and the Sunnah, just as whatever of that is not in accordance with them is completely rejected, even if its author is among the greatest allies of Allah, and even if he had exerted his honest efforts to know the truth who, as we have seen is deserving of one reward for his efforts, and his mistake is overlooked. If he went against the Qur'an and the Sunnah by way of an honest mistake, his mistake entails no sin as long as he as been pious toward Allah (had taqwa) to the extent of his or her ability, as Allah said:

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ

“Have taqwa of Allah to the extent of your ability.” Qur'an 64:16


This aya came by way of explanation of Allah's statement:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

“O, you who believe, have taqwa of Allah as is befitting of Him.” Qur'an 3:102



Ibn Masood and others said about the phrase: "as is befitting of Him":

i.e. to obey Him and not to disobey, to remember Him and not forget, and to thank Him and not show Him ingratitude. This is to the extent of ones ability, for Allah does not require of anyone except that which is within his ability, as Allah said: “Allah does not emburden any soul except with that which is within his ability. For it is (the good of) what it earned, and upon it is (the bad of) what it earned.”

And, Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ لاَ نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا أُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ


“And those who believe and do good works - we do not emburden anyone except with what is within their ability - these are the people of paradise who will be therein forever.” Qur'an 7:42

Allah has mentioned the belief in that which the prophets have brought in many places in the Qur'an:

قُولُواْ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالأسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ

“Say: we believe in Allah and in that which has been sent down to us and in that which was sent down to Ibrahim and Isma'il and Is-haq and Ya'qub and the tribes, and that which was given to Musa and 'Isa, and that given to the prophets from their Lord. We do not differentiate between any of them, and to Allah we submit.” Qur'an 2:136

الم

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

والَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ

أُوْلَـئِكَ عَلَى هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

“A.L.M. * This is the book in which there is no doubt, a guidance for those who are pious. * Those who believe in the unseen, establish the prayer, and spend out of what we have provided for them. * Those who believe in that which was sent down to you and that which was sent down to those before you, and have certainty of faith in the existence of the hereafter. * Such are on true guidance from their Lord, and such are the successful.” Qur'an 2:1-5



“Righteousness is not the turning of your faces to the East or the West.

Righteousness is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah and in the last day, the angels, the revealed books, and the prophets. And they give of their property - in spite of their love for it - relatives, orphans, the poor, stranded travellers, those who ask, and for the freeing of slaves. They establish the prayer and pay the zakat. They are keepers of any promises they make, and are patient and steadfast in poverty, in illness, and in the thick of battle.

لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُواْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاء والضَّرَّاء وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ

These are the ones who have been truthful, and these are the ones possessing taqwa.” Qur'an 2:177

The point we are making here is an issue of complete consensus of the allies of Allah ta'ala: It is obligatory upon the allies of Allah to hold tightly to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and no one of them is ma'soom i.e. protected against falling into error, such that it is permissible to him or to his followers to follow that which comes into his heart without subjecting it to the test of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Whoever does not accept this is in no way shape or form among the allies of Allah whom Allah has ordered us to emulate.

Such a person is either a kafir (disbeliever) or is engaged in extreme and excessive foolishness and ignorance. This point is frequently found in the words of the early scholars of Islam:

Abi Sulaiman Ad-Daaraani (2-3rd century) said: Something comes to my heart as does come to people, but I do not accept it except with two witnesses: The Qur'an and the Sunnah."

Abu Qaasim Al-Junaid (3rd century) said: "The knowledge of ours is defined by the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Whoever has not studied the Qur'an and written the hadith is not qualified to speak about this knowledge of ours" In another version, he said: "... should not be taken as an example."

Abu Uthman An-Neesaaboori said: "Whoever gives full authority to the Sunnah over himself in word and deed speaks with wisdom, and whoever gives his own inclinations and understanding full authority over himself in word and deed speaks innovation (bid'a), since Allah has said in His ancient discourse: “And if you obey Him (i.e. Allah), you will attain guidance.”"

Abu Umar ibn Majeed said: "Every intuition (wujd) for which the Qur'an and the Sunnah do not bear witness is complete falsehood."

Many people fall into error in this question. Once they believe that a certain person is an ally of Allah, they believe that everything an ally of Allah days is accepted, and he is above reproach or criticism in everything he says and does, even though some of that may go against the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Thus, they agree with that person, but go against that with which Allah sent His Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) even though Allah has made it obligatory upon the entire creation to believe in all of the information which he imparted, and to obey him in all orders which he transmitted. Allah made him the criterion between His allies and His enemies, between the people of paradise and the people of the fire, and between those content with Allah's decree and the rebellious. Thus, whoever follows him is one of the allies of Allah and a possessor of taqwa (a concept including piety, faith, and righteous practice and action), and is one of the forces who will be successful, and is one or His righteous servants. On the other hand, whoever does not follow the Prophet is one of the enemies of Allah those in loss, the criminals. His opposition and disobedience of the Prophet will push him first of all into innovations (bid'a) and incorrect practice and, in the long run into disbelief (kufr) and hypocrisy (nifaaq). Then he will get his share of Allah's statement:


وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا

يَا وَيْلَتَى لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا

لَقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءنِي وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنسَانِ خَذُولًا


“On the day when the oppressor (i.e. of himself through disobedience to Allah, or to others likewise) bites his hands and says: Woe to me! If only I had taken a way along with the Prophet. If only I had not taken so-and-so as a bosom friend! He has led me astray from the reminder after it had come to me. Verily, shaitaan to man is ever deceptive and treacherous.” Qur'an 25:27-29


“On the day when their faces will be turned over in the fire and they will say:

يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا

وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا

رَبَّنَا آتِهِمْ ضِعْفَيْنِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ وَالْعَنْهُمْ لَعْنًا كَبِيرًا

Woe to us, if only we had obeyed the Prophet! And they will say: Our Lord, we have obeyed our leaders and our big people who led us astray from the path. Our Lord, give them a double punishment, and curse them with a mighty curse.” Qur'an 33:66-68

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ أَندَاداً يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلّهِ وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلّهِ جَمِيعاً وَأَنَّ اللّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ

إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ وَرَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الأَسْبَابُ

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّؤُواْ مِنَّا كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُم بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ

“And among the people are those who make others as equals to Allah. They love them as the love of Allah, but those who believe are more intense in their love of Allah. If only they could see themselves when they they see the punishment before them and (they will finally realize that) all power belongs to Allah, and Allah is severe in punishment. On the day when those who used to be followed will declare their innocence of those who used to follow them, and all of them will see the punishment in front of them, and all causes (which they used to assume) will be cut off. And those who used to follow will say, if we only had another chance, it would be us declaring our innocence of them as they now declare their innocence of us. In this way, Allah shows them their actions as nothing but regrets and remorse, and they will not come out of the fire.” Qur'an 2:165-167

These people are similar to the Christians who Allah mentioned in another verse saying:

اتَّخَذُواْ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُواْ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُواْ إِلَـهًا وَاحِدًا لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

“They take their priests and monks as lords other than Allah as they did with the Messiah, the son of Maryam, though they have been ordered only to worship one god, there is no deity other than Him. He is exalted over that which they take as His partners.” Qur'an 9:31

In a good (hassan) hadith found in the collections of Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi Adiy ibn Haatim narrates about the interpretation of the above verse:

When I asked the Prophet about it, I said: "They do not worship them." The Prophet said: "The make the unlawful lawful, and they make the lawful unlawful, and they obeyed them in that. This is their worship of them." This is why it is said about such people: They denied themselves the reaching of the goal by losing the basic principles. The most basic principle is the establishing of the belief in the message brought by the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). This must include the belief that the message of Muhammad is for the entire creation: people and jinns, Arabs and non-Arabs, scholars and worshippers, and rulers and common citizens, and that there is no route to Allah for anyone of His creation except through the following of the Prophet in secret and in public. Even if Musa or 'Isa or any other prophet was to meet the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) it would be obligatory upon him to follow him, as Allah said:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّيْنَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِي قَالُواْ أَقْرَرْنَا قَالَ فَاشْهَدُواْ وَأَنَاْ مَعَكُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

فَمَن تَوَلَّى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

“And when Allah took the covenant from the prophets: That which I have given you of the Book and the Wisdom and then, when a messenger comes to you re-affirming that which is with you, you shall believe in him and support and aid him; Allah said: Do you accept the responsibility it entails? They said: "We accept." Allah said: "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses." So whoever turns away after than are surely among the transgressors.” Qur'an 3:81-82



Ibn Abbas said: Allah has never sent any prophet but that He took from him this covenant:

If Muhammad is sent while you are alive, you will believe in him and will aid and support him, and He ordered him to take from his followers also this same covenant: If Muhammad is sent while you are still alive, you will believe in him and support him.

Allah said:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُواْ إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُواْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِهِ وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلاَلاً بَعِيدًا

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْاْ إِلَى مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ رَأَيْتَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنكَ صُدُودًا

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ جَآؤُوكَ يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللّهِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَا إِلاَّ إِحْسَانًا وَتَوْفِيقًا

أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُ اللّهُ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَعِظْهُمْ وَقُل لَّهُمْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ قَوْلاً بَلِيغًا

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا

فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىَ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيمًا


“Did you not see those who imagine that they have believed in that which has been sent to you and that which was sent down before you, they wish to seek rulings from Taaghoot (a word meaning shaitaan or his followers and agents among men), though they have been ordered to reject him. Shaitaan wishes to lead them very far astray indeed. * And when it is said to them come to that which Allah has sent down and to His Prophet, you can see the hypocrites turning away from you with determination. * How is it then, when they are seized by some calamity because of that which their own hands have sent forth, and then they come to you swearing by Allah - all we wanted was to do good and to bring people together? * These are those whom Allah knows all that is in their hearts, so turn away from them, warn them, and speak to them about themselves in the clearest of terms. * And we have never sent any prophet except that he should be obeyed with the permission of Allah. If only - when they had oppressed themselves - they had come to you and sought the forgiveness of Allah, such that the Prophet sought also for them forgiveness, they would have found Allah to be ever-forgiving, merciful. * No, (I swear) by your Lord, they have not believed until the seek out your ruling in all that about which they disagree or find difficult to understand and then find no difficult within themselves with your decision, and submit fully to it. Qur'an 4:60-65

All those who go against anything brought by the Prophet following therein someone who they feel to be an ally of Allah has based his judgement on the person being truly an ally of Allah and the inadmissability of differing with the allies of Allah in anything whatsoever. If this person who is being followed was one of the greatest allies of Allah, such as the greatest companions of the Prophet and those who came after them in their footsteps, nothing would be accepted from them which was in conflict with the Qur'an and the Sunnah. So, what about those of lesser degree? You will find many of these people have as their main argument and defense their belief that the one they follow is an ally of Allah, and that certain miraculous things have been performed by him along with certain information about the unseen, for example, he may have pointed at a person who then died, or he may have flown through the air to Makka or elsewhere, or he may have walked on water.

He may fill water tanks from nothing, or disappear from people's eyes sometimes, or it may be that some people sought his aid when he was absent or dead, and then saw him appear to them and take care of their problem, or he may inform people of the whereabouts of their stolen property, or of the conditions of someone of theirs abroad or sick, or many other such things. None of these things or others like them necessarily indicate that their author is an ally of Allah. Rather, all true allies of Allah have unanimously agreed that even if someone were to fly through the air or walk on water, this should be no source of amazement let alone of giving credence to what he says until one first looks to his following of the Prophet and his acting in accordance with his orders and forbiddances.

The karaamaat of (miraculous occurrences granted to) the allies of Allah are greater than all of these things. These miraculous things, though they may originate from an ally of Allah, they may also originate from an enemy of Allah. Such miraculous are performed by many of the disbelievers, associationists, Christians, jews, and hypocrites. They may also be performed by the people of deviant innovation (ahl-ul-bid'a), and in all of these cases, they are from the devils (shayateen). Thus, it is not allowed to believe that everyone who brings about some of these miraculous events is an ally of Allah. They can only be considered allies of Allah according to the the characteristics, actions and conditions which have been attributed to the allies of Allah in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. They may be known by the light of faith and the Qur'an, the internal reality of faith, and the external laws of Islam.

By way of example, the above miraculous occurrences may be found performed by people who do not perform wudhuu' (ablutions), and do not perform the required prayers - rather, they are always in contact with filth (najaasa), they live with dogs, and seek out bathrooms, garbage dumps, graveyards, and cattle stalls. They have a foul smell, and do not purify themselves according to the purification prescribed by Islam. The Prophet said:

"The angels will not enter a house in which there is a junub (one who has not cleansed him/herself after sexual relations) or a dog."

and he said about the unclean places mentioned:

"Verily these places are attended."

i.e. they are attended by the devils. And, the Prophet said:

"Whoever eats from these two foul plants (i.e. onions and garlic) let him not come near our masjid. Verily, the angels are annoyed by that which annoys the sons of Adam." "Verily, Allah is tayyib (good, clean, pure) and He loves that which is tayyib." "Allah is clean and He loves cleanliness."

"Five of the harmful animals may be killed in the forbidden zones or elsewhere: snakes, rats, crows, kites, and rabid dogs."

In another version:

"Snakes, scorpions,..."

The prophet also ordered Muslims to kill dogs (this was later rescinded, and only the killing of rabid dogs remained allowed), and said:

"Whoever keeps a dog of which he is not in need neither for agriculture nor protection loses one unit of his good actions each day." "The angels to not accompany a group with whom there is a dog." "When a dog licks the dish of one of you, he must wash it seven times, the first of which is with dirt."

Allah said:

“My mercy is sufficient for all things, I will assign it to those who have taqwa, pay the zakat, and believe in our verses. Those who follow the Messenger, the illiterate Prophet whom they find written down in their books - in the taurah (Pentatuech) and the Injeel (Gospels). He orders them with what is good and forbids them what is bad, allows to them all clean things, and prohibits them all unclean things. And he relieves them of the burdens and the shackles which had been upon them. So those who believed in him, gave him his due respect, supported him and followed the light which was sent with him, these are the successful ones.”

So, if a person is in contact with filthy and disgusting things which are loved by shaitaan, or hangs out in bathrooms and vacant lots which are frequented by the devils or eats snakes and scorpions and hornets, dogs ears which are one of the unclean animals, or drinks urine or other such filth which are loved by shaitaan. Or if he calls to other than Allah and seeks aid from created beings, and turns his face toward them or prostrates in the direction of his "Shaikh", and does not purify his deen purely for the Lord of the worlds.

Or if he is in contact with dogs and fire, and hangs out in animal pens and dirty places, or graveyards, especially the graveyards of the disbelievers such as the Jews, Christians or other associationists. Or if he dislikes hearing the recitation of the Qur'an, and is repelled by it and seeks out the hearing of poetry and songs, preferring the sound of the pipes of shaitaan (music) to the sound of the words of the Merciful. These are the signs of the allies of the devil, not the allies of the Merciful (Ar-Rahmaan).

Ibn Masood said:

"None of you needs to ask about himself except for the Qur'an: If he loves the Qur'an, he loves Allah, and if he detests the Qur'an, he detests Allah and His Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam)."

Uthman ibn 'Afaan said:

"If our hearts were really clean, we would never become satiated with the words of Allah."

Ibn Masood said:

"Remembrance of Allah causes faith to grow in the heart like water causes onions to grow, and songs cause hypocrisy to grow in the heart just as water causes onions to grow."

If a person is expert in the inner realities of faith, and able to distinguish between divine phenomena and satanic phenomena, this is because Allah has put light into his heart.

This is about the believers about whom the Prophet spoke in a hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Khudriy in the collection of At-Tirmidhi:

"Beware of the look of the believer, for verily, he sees with the light of Allah." (hassan)

We have already cited the hadith found in Bukhari and others in which the Prophet said:

"And then my slave continues to seek to come close to me through extra efforts until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his legs with which he walks. (In one version: So by Me he hears, by Me he sees, by Me he strikes, and by Me he walks). If he asks me, I will give him, and *if he seeks refuge in Me, I will give him refuge. I have never hesitated in anything as I have hesitated in taking the soul of my believing slave: he dislikes death, and I dislike annoying him, but there is no other possibility for him."

If a slave of Allah is among these people, he will differentiate between states given to allies of Allah, and states of the allies of the devil, just as an money-changer differentiates between genuine coins and forgeries, or as an expert in horses tells a good horse from a bad one, or as one experienced in military matters tells a brave fighter from a coward.

Similarly, it is obligatory to differentiate between a truthful prophet and a lying imposter. Thus, we differentiate between Muhammad the truthful, the trustworthy, the messenger of the Lord of the worlds, Musa, the Messiah and the other prophets and Musailama the liar (a lying claimer of prophethood in the time of the Prophet Muhammad), Al-Aswad Al-'ansiy, Talha Al-Asady, Al-Harith Al-Dimashqy, Babah Ar-Rumi and all other liars and impostors. It is just as necessary to differentiate between the allies of Allah, the pious and the allies of the devil, the far astray.