CULTURE OF ISLAM

81 The FADHL of Allah

Imtiaz Muhsin 01-Jun-12

The main objective of these talks (and therefore the scripts of these talks), is to stimulate thinking. Sensible, rational and logical thinking. So, my message, think, think & think! Be sensible, be rational and be logical.

81 The FADHL of Allah

Please Note
1. I have had the great privilege, (since Aug 2010), of presenting talks on the weekly Radio Program Culture of Islam [Every Friday 8 to 8.30 pm, Radio Sri Lanka - FM 97.4] 2. Since these are Radio Talks, I refer to, or address the audience as listeners 3. I am well aware that the audience to these talks would consist of people belonging to a variety of faiths. So as to make people of all faiths feel included, I very often use words and names that are common to all religions. 4. For these reasons, I use the name GOD, as well as Abraham, Moses, Jesus etc as well as the names Allah, Ibrahim (Alaihis Salaam), Moosa (Alaihis Salaam), Easa (Alaihis Salaam) etc 5. Muslims by habit usually say Sallallahu Alaihiwasallam, when the name of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned, and Alaihis Salaam' when the name of a Prophet is mentioned. However, in these series of talks I have reduced the use of these prayers & sayings to the bare minimum. 6. Muslims, also by habit, use a number of Arabic prayers or sayings, such as Alhamdulillah, Insha Allah and so on. Again, I have reduced the use of these prayers or sayings to the bare minimum. 7. Sometimes I have to write Arabic words in the English script. I have devised my own way of writing Arabic in English, as follows;

th TH

s Ss SW

DHL DHZ

H h

Gh GH

Information on these talks along with all download links can be found on my on my Blog (http://imtiazm.wordpress.com/) The dates or the schedules of these talks can be viewed on the Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/ImtiazMuhsin786) The Scripts of these talks can be downloaded from www.ScribD.com (www.ScribD.com Author Imtiaz Muhsin) The audio files of these talks can be downloaded from YouTube (YouTube Channel Imtiaz Muhsin) The YouTube Link to this talk is at

All Praise and Thanks is due to Allah and Allah alone Alhamdulillah! P.S. The picture on the cover shows a Mosque in Weligama, located in southern Sri Lanka. A very serenne setting. The view is from across a river.

81 The FADHL of Allah

81 The FADHL of Allah

Dear Friends, I greet you all with Assalamu Alaikum! Today, I would like to talk on a rather interesting topic The Fadhl of Allah Now, obviously the first question would be, what do we mean by the Fadhl of Allah? What would be the English translation of this word Fadhl? The 4 English translations of the Holy Quran that I frequently refer to are the translations by Allama Yusuf Ali, Marmaduke Pikthall, Dr. Mohsin Khan and Mufti Taqi Usman. Allama Yusuf Ali, Marmaduke Pikthall and Dr. Mohsin Khan all translate Fadhl of Allah as the Bounty of Allah, whilst Mufti Taqi Usman translates it to mean the grace of Allah. Now to many of us Muslims, the Word Fadhl would mean a life of ease, a life of plenty, a life of goodness, a life of wealth, power, and influence and so on. I have seen the words Haaza Min Fadhla Rabbee or This is the Fadhl of my Rabb being framed in the sitting room of the houses of wealthy Muslims or as an attractive sticker inside the luxury vehicle of wealthy Muslims. Is this what is meant by the Fadhl of Allah? If this is not the meaning then what could it mean? At last weeks talk I discussed the topic Zikrullah or the Zikr of Allah, and it was during this discourse that the word Fadhl of Allah appeared, and I thought it necessary to present some Aayaths of the Quran that would give us a more enlightened understanding of this word. So, I think it is necessary that before I begin to discuss the Fadhl of Allah, I should briefly rush through the points we discussed about Zikrullah, last week. The Aayaths that I will be referring to in this talk would be; First on the Zikrullah 1. Surah Jummah Surah 62 Aayath Nos 9 to 11 2. Surah Munafiqoon Surah 63 Aayath No 9 3. Surah Aal E Imraan Surah No 3 Aayath Nos 190 & 191 Then on the Fadhl of Allah 1. Surah Jummah Surah 62 Aayath Nos 1, 2 and 4 2. Surah Maaidha Surah No 5 Aayath No 54 3. Surah Nisaa Surah No 4 Aayath No 69 & 70 4. Surah Aal E Imraan Surah No 3 Aayath No 31 I first read to you the 3 Aayaths from surah Jummah, S No 62, Aayath Nos 9, 10 & 11, which states as follows;

81 The FADHL of Allah

(62:9) O you who believe, when the call for Salh (prayer) is proclaimed on the day of Jummah, hasten for Zikrullah, and leave off Baiygh (Business) That is much better for you, if you but know. The next Aayath; (62:10) Then once the Salh is over, disperse in the land, and seek the Fadhl of Allah, and do Zikrullah abundantly, so that you may be successful. The next Aayath; (62:11) And when they see some Tijaarath or LaHwa, they break away to it, and leave you standing. Say, What is with Allah is much better than the LaHwa and the Tijaarath, and Allah is the best giver of sustenance.

There were 9 points that we derived from 3 Aayaths, which were; 1. With the call for Salaah stop your trade. 2. With the call for Salaah, go for Zikrullah or the Zikr of Allah 3. When the Salaath is over seek the Fadhl of Allah, 4. To seek the Fadhl of Allah you should increase the Zikrullah 5. It is the seeking of the Fadhl of Allah with abundant Zikrullah that would make us successful 6. The group described as they would be distracted from seeking the Fadhl of Allah, from Zikrullah and thus from success itself. 7. This group that is described as they would be distracted by Merchandise (thijaarath) and amusement or useless pursuits (Lahwa) 8. We are instructed to Say, What is with Allah is much better than amusement or useless pursuits (laHwa) and trade (thijaarath) 9. Allah informs us that He is Khairur Raazikeen the best giver of RizQ or sustenance.

81 The FADHL of Allah

We then read Aayath No 9 from Surah MunaafiQoon (S No 63) which states; (63:9) O you who believe, your riches and your children must not divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And those who do that are the losers.

Now, when we read all these 4 Aayaths, there were now 11 points that emerged. They are: 1. With the call for Salaah stop your trade. 2. With the call for Salaah, go for Zikrullah or the Zikr of Allah 3. When the Salaath is over seek the Fadhl of Allah, 4. To seek the Fadhl of Allah you should increase the Zikrullah 5. It is the seeking of the Fadhl of Allah with abundant Zikrullah that would make us successful 6. The group described as they would be distracted from seeking the Fadhl of Allah, from Zikrullah and thus from success itself. 7. This group that is described as they would be distracted by Merchandise (thijaarath) and amusement or useless pursuits (Lahwa) 8. Your wealth and your children should not divert you from Zikrullah or the remembrance of Allah. 9. Those whose wealth and children distract them from Zikrullah are the real losers. 10. We are instructed to Say, that what is with Allah is better than amusement or useless pursuits (laHwa) and trade (thijaarath) 11. Allah informs us that He is Khairur Raazikeen the best giver of RizQ or sustenance. Now, this gave rise to 3 questions, namely; 1. What is Zikrullah? 2. What is the Fadhl of Allah 3. Who is this group described as they? I will try to answer question No 3, first. In Surah MunafiQoon, it becomes clear that this group described as they are the MunafiQoon or the Hypocrites those who pretend to be Muslims or believers, so that they can enjoy worldly benefit. The opportunity arises especially since the Mumins would avoid such transcendental benefits. Now, to question No 1. What is Zikrullah? The best answer that I can give would once again be from the Holy Quran; In Aayath No 192 of Surah Aal e Imraan, Allah Taaalah tells us;
(3:190) Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for the people of wisdom,

81 The FADHL of Allah

(3:191) who do the Zikr of Allah whilst standing and sitting, and (lying) on their sides, and ponder on the creation of the heavens and the earth

What do we learn from these 2 Aaayath? Allah tells us about 8 things. 1. His special Signs or Aayaath 2. The Oolul al baab people of understanding or the wise people 3. & 4. The creation of the Heavens and the Earth 5. & 6. The alternation of the Night and the Day 7. Zikrullaaha or the Zikr of Allah 8. Fikr (or contemplation) So the Oolul Albaab see these signs and do the Zikr of Allah in all positions or all states or at all times, whilst they do Fikr about the creation of the Heavens and Earth. So in simple terms we could say we do Zikr about the creator (Allah) and Fikr about the creation. Now we come to question No 2, What is the Fadhl of Allah? The word Fadhl is mentioned many times in the Holy Quran. I have located 3 verses in the Holy Quran (there may be more) wherein there is the phrase that more or less says, That is the Fadhl of Allah (62:4) That is Allahs bounty that He gives to whomsoever He wills, (5:54) Part - That is a grace of Allah. He confers it on whom He wills.

(4:70) Part - That grace is from Allah;

Now, when we read the preceding phrases in that Aayath or even the preceding Aayath, we find a number of phrases that more or less describe praiseworthy qualities. Now, it is obvious that these phrases or these praiseworthy qualities are the ingredients that constitute the Fadhl of Allah. But the question is that each of these set of phrases seems to be different, and Allah Taaalah is describing His Fadhl. So how could Fadhl of Allah have different definitions? On further investigation, I found that these sets of descriptions appeared in groups of 4. So I began to try to seek some relationship between the 1st descriptions of each set, and the second descriptions in each set and so on. Suddenly, the arrangements began to make some sense.

81 The FADHL of Allah

Let us see these 4 sets; Firstly, In Surah Jummah (Surah No 62 Aayath No 2 (62:1) All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth proclaim the purity of Allah, the Sovereign, the Supreme in Holiness, the AllMighty, the All-Wise. (The 4 Attributes) Malik The King Quddoos The Supreme in Holiness

Hakeem The wise Azeez The Mighty

This describes 4 attributes of Allah Taaalah. Now looking at the second set: Surah Jummah Aayath No 3; (62:2) He is the One who raised amidst the unlettered people a messenger from among themselves who recites to them His verses, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the wisdom, while they were earlier in open error.

Wayu allimuHumul Kithaaba and teaches them the Book Wal hikmatha and the wisdom

(Sorting it for ease of reference); Yathloo alaiHim Wa yu zakkeeHim AayaathiHi who recites to them and purifies them, His Aayaath or Signs,

These describe 4 duties of Prophet Muhammad (Sal), and we see some relationship. I must also mention that this relationship is further elaborated by Nohman Ali Khan in some of his talks available on You Tube. There seems to be some meaningful relationship. Now, let us look at the 3rd set: Aayath No 54 of Surah No 5, Surah Maaidha (5:54) O you who believe, if anyone from you turns back from his Faith, then Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble toward the believers, hard on the disbelievers, who fight in the way of Allah and are not afraid of the reproach of any critic. That is a grace of Allah. He confers it on whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing

81 The FADHL of Allah

(Let us chart these);

then Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him,

humble toward the believers, hard on the disbelievers

who strive in the way of Allah

and are not afraid of the reproach of any critic.

These could be described as 4 characteristics of Mumins or believers. Now let us look at the 4th set: This is in Aayath No 69 of Surah Nisaa or Surah No 4;

(4:69) Those who obey Allah and the Messenger are with those whom Allah has blessed, namely, the prophets, the Siddiqn, the Shuhad and the righteous. And excellent are they as companions.

(Sorted for ease of reference);

Nabeeyeena

SWiddeeQeena

ShuHadha

SWaaliheen

These are 4 qualities of excellence of true believers. So these Aayaths contain 4 descriptions in each, First, describing 4 attributes of Allah Taaalah Second describing the duties of Prophethood Third describing characteristics of a true believer Fourth describing qualities of excellence of believers. Now let us take the 1st phrase of each set Allahs Attribute Malik The duties of Prophethood Yathloo alaiHim AayaathiHi Characteristic Deeds of Mumin Qualities of Excellence of a Mumin

The King

who recites to them then Allah will His Aayaath or Signs, bring a people whom He loves and who love Him,
81 The FADHL of Allah

Nabeeyeena

The 2nd set Allahs Attribute Quddoos The duties of Prophethood Wa yu zakkeeHim Characteristic Deeds of Mumin Qualities of Excellence of a Mumin

The Supreme in Holiness The third set Allahs Attribute Azeez The Mighty And the fourth set Allahs Attribute Hakeem The wise

and purifies them,

humble toward the believers, hard on the disbelievers

SWiddeeQeena

The duties of Prophethood Wayu allimuHumul Kithaaba and teaches them the Book

Characteristic Deeds of Mumin

who strive in the way of Allah

Qualities of Excellence of a Mumin

ShuHadha

The duties of Prophethood Wal hikmatha and the wisdom

Characteristic Deeds of Mumin

and are not afraid of the reproach of any critic.

Qualities of Excellence of a Mumin

SWaaliheen

And the phrase that follows these descriptions are; (62:4) That is Allahs bounty that He gives to whomsoever He wills, (5:54) Part - That is a grace of Allah. He confers it on whom He wills.

(4:70) Part - That grace is from Allah;

Now that would be how the Fadhl of Allah Taaalah is described.

81 The FADHL of Allah

So, dear listeners, it appears that Allah Taaalah describes His Fadhl through 4 perspectives. 1. His attributes. 2. The duties of Prophethood with regard to this it is necessary to draw attention to this Quran Aayath

(3:31) Say (O Prophet): If you really love Allah, then follow me, and Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

3. The characteristic deeds of a Mumin 4. The qualities of excellence of a Mumin Do we not see some meaningful relationship between all these? What is the process that is necessary to qualify us for the Fadhl of Allah. First we would have to play the role as the Khaleefa or the ambassador to Allah, that involves recognizing His attributes. The second stage of this process would be to now acknowledge these attributes by involving ourselves in the deeds of the Prophet, now entrusted to us. The next or the third stage necessitates that we take on the characteristic deeds of a Mumin and In the fourth stage Allah Taaalah recognizes us or grants us the status of excellence. When we study these factors it becomes obvious to us that we have to study the Quran, practice it, and invite others to understand and to practice and then patiently persevere in spite of the objections and obstacles of the most severe of critics. The Aayaths that I referred to in this talk were; First on the Zikrullah 1. Surah Jummah Surah 62 Aayath Nos 9 to 11 2. Surah Munafiqoon Surah 63 Aayath No 9 3. Surah Aal E Imraan Surah No 3 Aayath Nos 190 & 191 Then on the Fadhl of Allah 1. Surah Jummah Surah 62 Aayath Nos 1, 2 and 4 2. Surah Maaida Surah No 5 Aayath No 54 3. Surah Nisaa Surah No 4 Aayath No 69 & 70 4. Surah Aal E Imraan Surah No 3 Aayath No 31 I hope listeners would note these Aayaths and refer to them regularly. May Allah Taaalah guide us all and accept us all

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81 The FADHL of Allah

Imtiaz Muhsin Colombo Sri Lanka crescent786@hotmail.com

You Tube Channel - HaneefanMusliman

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81 The FADHL of Allah