CLASS #52

BISMILLAAHIRRAHMAANIRRAHEEM

CLASS #52 May, 2012

All Praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him. We thank Him. We seek His seek assistance. We
seek refuge from Him from the evils of our ownselves and from the consequences of our bad
deeds. Whoever Allaah guides, there can be none who can be lead astray. Whoever Allaah
ta’alaa leads astray, there is no guide for him. I openly testify that there is no deity worthy
of worship other than Allaah ta’alaa, who is alone without partners. I further testify that
Muhammad was His servant and final Messenger - may Allaah ta’alaa raise the mention of
the Prophet Muhammad and grant him and his family members an abundance of peace.

As for what follows: then we have reached by Allaah’s grace and permission our 52nd class
from the explanation of ‘Kitaab at-Tawheed’ - The Book of Monotheism by Shaykh
Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhaab at-Timimi (rahimahullaah). Our focus this week is a
CHAPTER THAT DEALS WITH HAVING EVIL THOUGHTS, OR HAVING BAD THOUGHTS OR
CONJECTURE ABOUT ALLAAH TA’ALAA.

CHAPTER 58
Let us now look to that chapter and the two verses to study in it. And the explanation of this
subject matter by the great Scholar of Islaam, Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (rahimahullaah).
The author says, THE CHAPTER THAT DEALS WITH THE STATEMENT OF ALLAAH THE MOST
HIGH,

Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party of you,
while another party was thinking about themselves (as how to save their ownselves,
ignoring the others and the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)) and thought wrongly of
Allaah - the thought of ignorance. They said, “Have we any part in the affair?” Say (O
Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)): “Indeed the affair belongs wholly to Allaah.” They
hide within themselves what they dare not reveal to you, saying: “If we had anything to do
with the affair, none of us would have been killed here.” Say: “Even if you had remained in
your homes. those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place
of their death,” but that Allaah might test what is in your breasts; and to purify that which is
in your hearts (sins), and Allaah is All-Knower of what is in (your) breasts.

[Soorah Al-Imraan(3):154]

...While they harbour untrue conjecture about Allaah, conjecture of Jaahiliyyah, saying: “Did
we have any say in the affair at all?”(referring to the hardships and the loss of life and health
that was suffered by the Muslims at the hand of the disbelievers in the battle of Uhud) Verily,
the affair is for Allaah (Alone) entirely... [Soorah Aal Imraan
3:154]

That is part of the ayah quoted by the author (rahimahullaah). We should perhaps review
the entire verse, or the entire ayaat as it is long. This is a part of it from the middle of the
verse. The 154th verse of Soorah Al-Imraan.

Then Allaah ta’alaa sent down after the hardships, or after the stressful affairs, safety; by
way of a nap or by way of a light sleep that overtook the believers, some of you. Others
became obsessed with themselves, thinking about Allaah with untrue conjecture, the

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conjecture of Jaahiliyyah. Then the part of the ayah that we have quoted here. Then the
rest of the ayah after the part quoted (above) is after: All of the affair is entirely for Allaah
alone. They hide within themselves that which they do not allow to be revealed to you.
They say, had the affair been to us, or some of the affair been left to us; meaning the
planning and the decision of about what would take place and how it would take place. Then
we would not have been killed or slaughtered at this time or at this place. Meaning in the
battle of Uhud. The rest of the ayah, you should recall it from our study of last weeks
chapter.

So we will leave it like that, that this is an exposition of Allaah ta’alaa of the inner thoughts
of the hypocrites that were in the ranks of the Muslims on the day of Uhud. We find that the
hypocrites show their true colours in times of difficulty, in times of loss, in times of hardship;
in times where the reality is that we need to be firm and we need to be stable upon the
guidance from Allaah. When hardships and fitnah strike, the hypocrites are the first to make
statements against Islaam; to make statements against the Wisdom of Allaah; to make
statements against the guidance of Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam). Because as
Allaah ta’alaa says that they hide things within themselves that they don’t show you.
Except that this time they allow some of those things to be seen. You get a glimpse of the
reality of the hypocrites.

Our Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah) in his book, his concise explanation of Kitaab
at-Tawheed called ‘Al-Mulakh-khas’, the shorter of his two explanations. The other one being
_________. He says: What can be gained of benefit from this verse, and he goes onto
mention six points:

FIRSTLY - anyone that believes or that falsely assumes that Allaah ta’alaa would give victory
and give authority and lasting power to falsehood over the Haqq; continual lasting power,
such that the Haqq is compromised and goes away and is unavailable, and is not able to
stand up after that, the Haqq is no longer available for the people to be understood and to
be followed. Then that is the conjecture about Allaah that is untrue, and that is the
conjecture of Jaahiliyyah. That a person believes that because the Muslims are in a trial,
because they have suffered a loss, because they have suffered hardships, that this means
that Allaah now is going to give permanent victory to disbelief over belief, to kufr over
eemaan, to shirk over Tawheed. No Muslim believes this, rather we know that Allaah ta’alaa
is going to make His affair clear. But there are times when the Muslims are tried with loss
and defeat, it is indeed a trial for them.
SECONDLY - to affirm that there is wisdom in what Allaah allows to take place of giving the
upper hand to falsehood, allowing falsehood to take a role, a primary role, to allow falsehood
to become uppermost for a time, temporally in certain times. That there is wisdom in
allowing that in the creation of Allaah ta’alaa, wisdom known to Allaah ta’alaa.

THIRDLY - a clarification of how filthy the internal reality of the hypocrites is. That in the
time of the most difficult affairs and the difficult trials, then you see the true hypocrisy come
out and you can see it.

FOURTHLY - to affirm the qaddar and the qadr - the planning of Allaah ta’alaa and the
implementation of His plans, the implementation of His pre-decree for what He has set to
happen, what He had knowledge to happen, what He wrote to happen. Then what He
allowed to happen, giving permission for it to happen within the creation. All of that is part
of our eemaan in the Qadr. Remember that eemaan is six things from the hadeeth of Jibreel
(alaihi wasallaatuwasallam). What is eemaan? The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)
said, that eemaan is to believe in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last
Day and that you believe in the Qadr - the good and the bad of it.

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FIFTHLY - the obligation of exonerating Allaah ta’alaa above what would not be befitting to
be described to Him, the Glorified and Exalted One.

SIXTHLY - the obligation of having good thoughts about Allaah ta’alaa. Having good
thoughts about our Creator, Allaah subhana wa ta’alaa. Meaning specifically when it comes
to things in the Qadr that you don’t understand. Events that take place that are hard and
difficult to face. You must believe that Allaah ta’alaa has wisdom in causing this hardship to
befall you and allowing it to take place. Perhaps Allaah ta’alaa is testing you, to purify you
of your sins. Perhaps Allaah ta’alaa wants to put you in Jannah by way of your patience
through these trials. Perhaps Allaah ta’alaa wants to show the believers who is firm and who
is not firm upon the guidance that He has given them. There are many other angles of
wisdom that we could possibly comprehend and many that we would not comprehend. As
Allaah ta’alaa’s Wisdom and knowledge is expansive and all comprehensive. We would only
be able to understand a bit of it from whatever our limited intellects could grasp.

The second of the two verses we are going to look at, is the statement of Allaah:

And that He may punish the Munaafiqun (hypocrites) men and women, and also the
Mushrikun men and women, who think evil thoughts about Allaah, for them is a disgraceful
torment. And the Anger of Allaah is upon them, and He has cursed them and prepared Hell
for them - and worst indeed is that destination.

[Soorah Al-Fath(48):6]

...People of conjecture about Allaah, evil conjecture (untrue conjecture, mistaken conjecture
about Allaah). (Rather) they are encompassed by evil (shame and disgrace)...
[Soorah Al-Fat-h 48:6]

Just to look back at what Allaah ta’alaa had said in the verses leading up to this statement.
To know, if Allaah says _____________, if you know Arabic, and you know your ir’raab, the first
thing you say is, the beginning subject of a nominal sentence cannot be mansoob(?) or
majroor(?), it must be marfooh(correction?). So if this was the beginning it must be
thaanoon. So thaaneen must be tied to something that is before it. That is what would
allow us to what came before it to know there is something, ‘People of conjecture to Allaah,’
- this is actually a description of some people that have proceeded us before this mention.
So let us look at what became before this verse in the mushaf. We find that it is the
statement of Allaah:

He it is Who sent down As-Sakinah (calmness and tranquility) into the hearts of the
believers, that they may grow more in Faith along with their (present) Faith. And to Allaah
belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and Allaah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise.

That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to Gardens under which
rivers flow (i.e. Paradise) to abide therein forever, and He may expiate from them their sins;
and that is with Allaah a supreme success,

And that He may punish the Munaafiqun (hypocrites) men and women, and also the
Mushrikun men and women, who think evil thoughts about Allaah, for them is a disgraceful
torment. And the Anger of Allaah is upon them, and He has cursed them and prepared Hell
for them - and worst indeed is that destination.

[Soorah Al-Fath(48):4-6]

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He is the One who sent down the peace and tranquility to the hearts of the believers, so that
they could be increased in their eemaan. More eemaan upon the eemaan that they already
have. Allaah ta’alaa is the One who owns all of the armies or everything that is in the
heavens and the earth. His soldiers and those who do His Will. Then Allaah ta’alaa is and
always was All-Knowing and Wise.

So that Allaah would enter the believers, the men and women of them into gardens of which
rivers flow underneath, abiding therein forever. And that He could expiate their sins from
them, expiate their sins from their records. This would be with Allaah a great triumph.

So that Allaah ta’alaa would punish the hypocrites, both male and female; and the
polytheists, both male and female. Now we find a mention of what is in front of us - those
who think about Allaah with conjecture, evil conjecture, rather instead they are the ones that
are surrounded by evil. Evil - meaning, disgrace and humility. Then Allaah ta’alaa says (the
meaning of which is), Allaah ta’alaa is angry with them. Allaah ta’alaa has cursed them and
He has prepared the Hellfire for them. What an evil abode that is.

That is the conclusion of the sixth verse of Soorah Al-Fath, regarding the hypocrites and the
disbelievers. Just before that was a mention of the believers, men and women of them. So
we see that Allaah ta’alaa has described the male and female hypocrites and the male and
female polytheists as people who have this attribute in the verse in front of you - they are
the ones who have evil conjecture about Allaah. Who are they? The male and female
hypocrites and the male and female polytheists. As was mentioned just before this, in the
verse proceeding it, in the Speech of Allaah just proceeding this.

Our Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah) says, what can be gained of benefit from this
verse:

FIRSTLY - a warning against having evil thoughts or negative feelings about Allaah; negative
ideas or conjecture about Allaah. And an obligation to have good thoughts and assume
good about Allaah ta’alaa.

SECONDLY - anyone who has conjecture, or assumes that Allaah ta’alaa would not aid His
Messenger or His Deen, then he has thought about Allaah with an evil kind of conjecture,
with evil conjecture.

THIRDLY - a description of Allaah, that He is angry with His enemies; and that He curses
them.

FOURTHLY - a clarification about the end result or the affair, the final abode or the final affair
of the disbelievers and the hypocrites.

Now we are going to look at some very prolific statements of one of the best of the Scholars
of the history of Islaam - Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyaah (rahimahullaah). This is from his book,
‘Zaadul-Ma’aad’. Ibnul Qayyim said about the first verse:
Commenting on the first verse in this chapter, Ibnul-Qayyim says:

“The assumption referred to in the verse is explained to be the evil thought that the
hypocrites had about Allaah; that He would neither give victory to His Messenger nor make
His religion prevail, and that what befell them was not due to the Divine Decree and
Wisdom. Therefore, their thought was based on their denial of the Divine Wisdom and

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Decree, and their claim that Allaah would neither complete the mission of His Messenger nor
make his religion prevail over all religions. This is a evil thought retained by the hypocrites
and the disbelievers, which is referred to in the Sura of Al-Fath. This thought is described as
evil since it does not accord with Allaah’s Majesty, Wisdom and truthful Promise, besides it
does not accord with the homage due to Him.”

Ibnul-Qayyim adds:
“Similar to those hypocrites is the person who wrongly thinks that Allaah always makes
falsehood prevail over truth so that the latter would disappear. By the same token, some
people may deny that whatever occurs is divinely predetermined or deny that there is a
Divine Wisdom behind what Allaah foreordains for which He deserves praise, but rather they
claim that what occurs is due to an abstract will. About that Allaah, the Almighty says,
‘...That is the assumption of those who disbelieve; so woe to those who disbelieve from the
Fire.’ (Qur’aan:Saad:27) Moreover, most people think wrongly of Allaah when considering
their fates and the fates of others. The only people who avoid falling into the offense of
thinking badly of Allaah are those who are cognizant of Allaah, His Beautiful Names and
Attributes, the corollaries of His wisdom, the praise He deserves, and His promise to support
His religion. Therefore, wise people should be alert in order not to commit this sin, and
those who happened to think wrongly of Allaah should repent of their sin and ask for Allaah’s
forgiveness. If one should test the souls of people, one will find that a lot of them get
dissatisfied with the Divine Decree and start blaming the fate and claim that such and such
should have happened. However, people differ in perpetrating this offense. So, one must
examine one’s soul in order to know whether one is free of this sin or not.
In case you are free from it, it is a real sucess
Otherwise, I deem you are not to relish the bliss.”
[Taken from, ‘Concise Commentary of the Book of Tawheed,’ by Dr. Saalih Al-Fawzaan (page
#412).]

It has been explained that this evil suspicion or this evil conjecture, is that He the Glorified
One will not give victory to His Messenger. That the affair of the Messenger is going to
diminish, or die out, or become unavailable. That what they faced of trials, of difficulty, of
loss, defeat on the battlefield; that was not from the Qadr of Allaah, nor from His Wisdom.
That is evil suspicion that this was outside of the Qadr of Allaah.

We believe in the Qadr of Allaah, the good and the bad of it. We do not believe that the
polytheist who gained some level of victory against the Muslims in the battle of Uhud, did
that outside of the Qadr of Allaah. Rather, it was Allaah ta’alaa from His Wisdom, to allow
that to take place for a benefit and for a lesson for the Muslims. In general the negative
conjecture about Allaah has been explained as being to negate or to not affirm wisdom, and
to reject the Qadr. That one would reject or not believe that Allaah is going to finish the
affair of the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), completed; meaning give it success
and give it prosperity; allow it to spread; to make it uppermost over every other religion.
This is the negative suspicion or the negative conjecture about Allaah. This is also the
negative conjecture that was assumed by the hypocrites and the polytheists as mentioned in
Soorah Al-Fath. This is negative conjecture, because it is believing or assuming about Him
something that is not befitting to Him, the Majestic and Mighty One. What is not in
accordance to His Wisdom, or not befitting for His Wisdom, that which He deserves to be
praised over, and His true promise that He made to His Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam) to grant him victory and to make His Deen uppermost. So anyone who thinks that
Allaah ta’alaa is going to give victory to al-Baatil, and give it the upper hand, and give it the
authority in the land over the Truth. Give falsehood the upper hand, and the government
and the authority to rule and the permanent status of being in charge over the Truth. By
way of this the Truth would diminish and become unavailable. Or someone who rejected the
idea that what took place, the defeat and the suffering that took place at the hands of the
polytheists was not by way of the Qaadar and the Qadr of Allaah - the planning and the

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implementation of that planning of Allaah ta’alaa, of His Qadr. Or they disbelieve or they
reject the idea that Allaah ta’alaa made this from His Qadr for a Wisdom, for a good reason
full of Wisdom that He deserves to be praised of because of. Some of them instead, they
believed that this was just something that happened, that was not connected to the Qadr of
Allaah, just a happening, a coincidence, as you might say.

He quotes a verse from the Qur’aan. Saying, that is the conjecture of the people who
disbelieve. Woe to the people who disbelieve from the Fire. The 27th verse of Soorah Saad.

And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose!
That is the consideration of those who disbelieve! Then woe to those who disbelieve (in
Islaamic Monotheism) from the Fire!

[Soorah Saad(38):27]

Then Ibnul Qayyim says: this is a very important lesson for us to get as Muslim individuals
who are trying to improve our lives for the sake of Allaah. Let us pay attention to these
words from this great Scholar.

He said: And most of the people they have bad thoughts, negative thoughts about Allaah
ta’alaa, with regards to the specific affairs that happen to them.

In your life, you may have these bad thoughts. Listen to what Ibnul Qayyim says, in what
they do with other people and what happens to other people. No one is safe from this,
except the one who truly knows Allaah, His Names, His Attributes and what His Wisdom truly
necessitates, what the praise of Allaah truly necessitates and His true promise.

Let a person who is intelligent and sincere, let him take care of this within his ownself; let
him think about this and show concern for this within himself. Let him repent to Allaah and
seek His forgiveness for thinking about Him conjecture that is negative, evil conjecture
about Allaah that is not befitting to Him.

Listen: if you were to inspect what is going on with the people you would find that the
people have this kind of negative approach, this kind of arrogance when it comes to Qadr -
when it comes to Allaah’s Decree. They blame the Qadr a lot for bad things happen to them.
The people say, ‘It should have been like this or like that. This should have happened or that
should have happened.’ Think about how many times we hear people speak like this,
perhaps we’ve spoken like this. They have serious problems with what has happened.
Some people do this a little bit, and some people do it a lot. Look at yourself and inspect
yourself. Are you free of this?

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullaah) finishes by saying: if you are safe from this, then you would
reach salvation from a very serious affair. In reality, I really don’t believe that you are safe
from it.

These are beautiful words for every person who fears hypocrisy for himself. For every
Muslim who has sincerity to Allaah ta’alaa to look at himself. How do I interact with the trials
that I face in my life? When something happens to me that it is not something that I want
and it is against what I have planned for. It is harmful to me. It is a loss of money, or a loss
of life, a broken limb, a sickness, an illness in my family, in my children and so on. How do I
interact with it? Do I accept it? Do I receive it being the Qadr of Allaah?

Do I say, ‘We are the property of Allaah and to Him we shall return.’

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‘O Allaah, give me reward in this loss or in this trial, and give me something better than this
loss that I have faced, that I have suffered.”
These are the people who are the true believers of Allaah, they make this du’aa. They turn
to Allaah ta’alaa with acceptance of the Qadr of Allaah, knowing they believe clearly that
whatever has taken place against me, whatever has happened that has harmed me, or that
has caused me a loss, disgrace or defeat and so on; then it would never have passed me
and nothing else was going to happen. This was the Qadr of Allaah, and there was nothing
else that was going to happen ever. That a person that did not gain something that he
wanted, so he feels a sense of loss; he also understands that whatever he did not reach,
whatever he did not get, it was never going to be his. This is part of our stability, the belief
that gives us stability when it comes to the Qadr of Allaah ta’alaa.

Some people, when bad things happen they say things like this: (I’m adding these things so
that we can be really clear on implementing the advise of Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyaah)
‘Of course, it would break on this day.’
‘Great, the car breaks down on this place or at this time.’

These words are words of contempt. Contempt at what? What are you angry with? Are you
angry with your Lord? Are you angry at Allaah ta’alaa? What would your position be if
Allaah took your soul with those words? Statements of regret and anger and unacceptance
of what has happened. You cannot believe that your car broke down has its own mind, and it
deserves to be hated, it deserves that you curse it, or you that you say negative things
about it. We talked about the wind and not saying negative things about the wind, because
the wind is something that Allaah ta’alaa has sent forth, in our previous lessons. We talked
also about time itself. Not saying something negative about time because Allaah ta’alaa is
in control of the time. He turns the night and the day. So how many of us fall into this in
reality? Perhaps all of us fall into it. As Ibnul Qayyim says, some people do it a little and
some people do it a lot. Every honest Muslim should look to himself and think about his
interactions when he deals with the evil things that he must face in this life. That which is
part of his test. Remind himself that he has been created by Allaah to be tested, and at this
time I’m being tested. The idea of being tested means, my statements and actions are
being written for me or against me. My displeasure with the actual event is being written
against me. Let you tongue lead the way.

Say, ‘We belong to Allaah and to Him we shall return.’

Say, ‘This is the Qadr of Allaah, and He does whatever He likes.’

Show Allaah that you are pleased with His Qadr. Show Allaah that you are not in anger and
contempt, that you hate His Qadr. Show Him that these are not your attributes. Show Him.
Let it be written in your favour, so that you’ll see it in your book on Yawmul Qiyyamh. A
person was struck with hardship after hardship in this life, and he kept on submitting and he
kept saying good things about Allaah ta’alaa. He kept saying, ‘I submit to You, Allaah, I
accept this trial. Here I am, look at me, I’m your servant.’ Saying statements of praise of
You in this difficulty.
‘O Allaah, help me.’

We ask Allaah to give us all ease. To give us the stability that is our deen. That will save us
from the evil of our ownselves and from the consequences of our bad actions. We ask Allaah
ta’alaa to save us from the evil of our ownselves and from the consequences of our
displeasure of His Qadr. We ask Allaah ta’alaa to save us from the evils of our ownselves
and the consequences of our bad actions.

Sending salat and salaam on the finest creation, Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam),
his Companions and all those who follow him until the Last Day.

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