This World and the Hereafter (2/2)
Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali
Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan – the governor of Basrah, entered upon Hammaad ibn Salamah and sat before him asking him questions, and he said, “O Aboo Salamah! How is it that every time I look at you I tremble due to fear of you?” He said, “Since if the scholar intends by his knowledge the Face of Allah everything fears him, but if he wishes by it to increase in treasures then he himself fears everything.”
Likewise someone said, “In accordance with your fear of Allah the creation will fear you, and in accordance with your love of Him the creation will love you, and in accordance with your preoccupation with Allah the creation will be occupied in carrying out that which you are preoccupied from.”
It happened one day that `Umar ibn al-Khattaab, radiyAllahu `anhu, was walking and behind him were some of the older muhaajirs, so he turned round to them and saw that they fell upon their knees out of awe of him. So `Umar, radiyAllahu `anhu, wept and said, “O Allah You know that I have more fear of You than them, so forgive me.”
Al-`Umaree the zaahid (one who avoids the allurements of this world) once went out to Koofah towards ar-Rasheed in order to admonish and forbid him, and fear spread through ar-Rasheed’s army when they heard of his arrival such that if an enemy army of a hundred thousand had approached it would have caused them greater fear.
It was also the case that no one was able to question al-Hasan due to their awe of him, and his closest students would gather together and ask each other to ask him questions.
But then when they attended his gathering they could not bring themselves to ask him – to the point that it would sometimes continue for a year, due to their awe of him.
Likewise the people used to fear to ask Anas ibn Maalik questions and about this someone said,“The answer is left and not mentioned again due to awe, And the questioners sit with their chins lowered –The light of dignity and honour, the sovereign of taqwa.
So he is the one who inspires awe and he is not a sovereign.”
Badeel al -`Uqailee used to say, “Whoever intends by his knowledge the Face of Allah, the Most High, then Allah turns with His Face to him, and turns the hearts of the servants to him, and whoever acts for other than Allah, then Allah turns His Face away from him and turns the hearts of the servants away from him.”
Muhammad ibn Waasi` said, “If a servant turns to Allah with his heart then Allah turns to him with the hearts of the Believers.”
Aboo Yazeed al-Bustaamee, rahimahullaah, said, “I have divorced this world finally and irrevocably three times and have turned to my Lord alone, and called upon Him for help, “O my Lord I supplicate to You with the supplication of one who has nobody left but You.’ He knew the truth of my supplication from my heart and my despairing of myself, then the first part of the answer to this supplication was that He caused me to forget my own self totally and He placed the creation in front of me despite my turning away from them.” He used to be visited from the various lands, and when he saw the people crowding to him he said, “Woe to me I have become something – Without preparing for that at all- I have become a master to them all – because I am a slave to You.
And in the heart are matters – which cannot be counted.
However concealing my condition – is more fitting for me and more correct.”
Wahb ibn Munabbih wrote to Makhool, “To proceed. By what is apparent from your knowledge you have attained status and position with the people. But what is hidden from your knowledge seek position with Allah and nearness to Him, and know that one of the two positions prevents from the other.
The meaning of this is that the apparent knowledge – i.e. learning the duties, laws, rulings, religious verdicts, narrations and admonitions and so on – which is apparent to the people will cause a person to gain status and position with them. But the hidden knowledge which is stored in the heart – i.e. knowledge of Allah, fear and love of Him, being wary of Him, being satisfied with Him, and longing to meet Him, placing reliance upon Him, being pleased with what he has decreed, turning away from worldly matters which will pass away and turning to the Hereafter which will remain. All of this causes a person to have position and nearness to Allah. Each of these two positions prevents the other. So he who remains and stops at the position of worldly status he gains with the people and preoccupies himself with what he has attained with them due to his apparent knowledge. So his only concern is to preserve this station with the people and to remain in it and to cultivate it, and having fear that it will pass away. Then this will be all that he receives from Allah the Most High, and he is therefore cut off from him. So he is just like the one about whom someone said, “Woe to the one who receives this world as his portion from Allah.”
As-Sariyy as-Saqatee used to be pleased by what he saw of knowledge of al-Junayd, and his fine speech and speed in answering, so he said to him one day after having asked him a question and receiving a good answer, “I fear that your share of the world has been given to you in your tongue.” So al-Junayd used to weep thereafter because of that.
But he who occupies himself with improving his position with Allah, the Most High, through what we have mentioned of hidden knowledge, then he will reach Allah – and he will be preoccupied with Him from all else. This will prevent him from seeking for position amongst the people, yet despite this Allah will indeed give him position and status in the hearts of the people – even if he does not want that, does not settle for it and flees from it and runs away from it for fear that the creation will cut him off from Allah, the Majestic Allah, the Most High, says: “Verily, those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Beneficent (Allah) will bestow love for them.” [Surah Maryam (19):96]
Meaning Allah will put love for them in the hearts of His servants.
There also occurs in the hadeeth, “When Allah loves a servant He calls out, ‘O Jibreel! Indeed I love so and so, so love him.’ So Jibreel loves him [so Jibreel calls out to the inhabitants of the heavens, ‘Allah loves so and so, so love him]’ so the inhabitants of the heavens love him and then he is granted acceptance upon the earth.”[1] The hadeeth is well-known and reported in the Saheeh.
So in any case seeking after eminence in the Hereafter brings along with it honour in this world, even if the person does not want it and does not seek it. But seeking status in this world will not come together and be combined with honour in the Hereafter. So the fortunate one is he who prefers that which is everlasting to that which passes away, just as occurs in the hadeeth of Aboo Moosa, radiyAllahu `anhu, from the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he said, “He who loves this world – then it will harm his Hereafter and he who loves the Hereafter then it will harm his worldly life. So prefer that which will remain to that which will pass away.” [2] It is reported by Imam Ahmad and others.
Abul-Fath al-Bustiyy indeed spoke well when he said: “Two matters will be separated; you will not see them both – Desiring one another’s company and meeting together, Seeking the good of the Hereafter along with leadership and eminence – So abandon that which will pass away in favour of that which will remain.”
Here is the speech of al-Haafidh Zaynuddeen Ibn Rajab in explanation of the hadeeth, “Two hungry wolves let loose…” is completed, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah, and may Allah send praises and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and true followers, and his Companions, and those who act upon his Shari’ah to the Day of Judgement.
[1] It is reported with close wordings by Maalik, Ahmad, al-Bukhaaree (transl.8/41/no.66)
[2] It is reported by Ahmad (4/412), Ibn Hibbaan (2473: al-Mawaarid), al-Haakim (4/308) who declared it saheeh and al-Baghawee in Sharhus-Sunnah (14/239), Adh-Dhahabee said, “Its chain of narration is disconnected.” I say that is between Aboo Moosa and the narrator from him who is al-Muttalib ibn `Abdullaah