Semester A 17/18, 17 November 2017
- In today’s society, we are surrounded by desires and doubts. Shaytaan is constantly engaging in waswas; telling people it’s okay to engage in haram to cope with life.
- Shaytaan then whispers to the individual that perhaps they are the problem, causing them to become depressed and the like
- Shaytaan then whispers to the individual that they are being tested beyond what they are capable and that Allah is the problem in one’s life (‘A’ūdhu billāh). This can lead to the individual leaving Islam and denying Allah’s existence entirely, because they believe Allah hates them and does not want good for them
- Thinking evil of Allah is a detestable action and it has a lofty opposite action of the heart: thinking well of Allah
“You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not” — 2:216
- The Muslim’s mind-set should be such that we actively think good of Allah in these situations.
“When Allah loves a people He tests them” — Narrated in Ibn Majah
“Allah laughs at the despair of His slaves because He soon changes it” — Narrated in Ibn Majah
“From the perfection of the ihsaan of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is that He allows His slave to taste the bitterness of the break before the sweetness of the mend. So He does not break his believing slave, except to mend him. And He does not withhold from him except to give him. And He does not test him (with hardship), except to cure him”
— Ibn al-Qayyim (rh)
- Bearing this in mind, Allah’s Divine plan is such that we can never predict what Allah has planned for us. Perhaps it may be that through these trials, our status will be elevated and we will become closer to Allah
- I Allah did not love us, then why has He sent us an entire book, detailing how to attain His pleasure and to avoid that which displeases Him so that we may enter His gardens and avoid His punishment
- Allah says in the Qur’an:
“The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of Hell, and you will find no one to help them. Not so those who repent, mend their ways, hold fast to God, and devote their religion entirely to Him: these will be joined with the believers, and God will give the believers a mighty reward.” — 4:145-146
- The verse then follows mentioning that they will be among the believers and have an immense reward. If this is the case for a hypocrite, then what is the case for us?
- Thinking well of Allah is not enough; we must show this through our actions and intentions and truly educate ourselves as to what this means
- We must live with our hearts and monitor our hearts with the Allah’s Speech in order to truly grasp what Allah is saying to us
- Allah wants good for us; we must strive to do good and open our hearts up to the commands of Allah whilst being patient over trials and tribulations which Allay may give us in life
- Thinking well of Allah should be combined with obedience to the best of one’s ability. Combining it with disobedience is part of engaging in delusion and wishful thinking
“When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks”
— Hadith Qudsi
- This means you are directed towards good actions
- The Prophet (ﷺ) says that Allah says:
“I am that which My slave thinks of Me” — Hadith Qudsi
- Finally, we should think well of Allah proactively and be confident and firm in the belief that He wants nothing but good for us, so that we are content despite any trial that may come our way