(10) Allaah Covers His Servants in Various Ways

ash-Shaykh Maahir al-Mu'ayqilee

6 Rabee' al-Awwal 1442h (23 October 2020)

(based on the live English translation)

All praise is due to Allaah. He encompasses all things in knowledge, He

decreed a specific measure for all things, and He has covered His servants in many
ways as a blessing from Himself. I praise Allaah, as He is perfect in every way. I am
grateful to Him, I repent to Him, and I ask His forgiveness. I bear witness that none
has the right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, without any partner; and I bear
witness that our leader and Prophet, Muhammad, is Allaah's worshipping servant
and Messenger. Allaah sent him to all people to convey Allaah's evidences and to
warn them about the consequences of rejecting them. May Allaah grant
commendation, protection, and blessings to His Messenger, as well as to the
Messenger's family and Companions, and all who continue following their path
until the Day of Recompense.

Dear people of eemaan, I counsel all of you - as well as myself - to observe

taqwaa of Allaah [by fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions]. When
someone observes taqwaa, Allaah will protect that person; and when someone
covers himself with the covering that Allaah provides him with, Allaah would grant
that person wellbeing. Observing taqwaa of Allaah is the best counsel that can be
offered, and it is also the finest adornment to have and noblest trait to embody.
You must protect yourselves from punishment on the day when you will all return
to Allaah, then each soul will be given the recompense for what it earned and none
of them will be dealt with unjustly.

Dear Ummah of Islaam, the covering that Allaah provides His servants with is
one of His blessings and favours to us. Without it, people's lives cannot be
wholesome, and their souls cannot attain true happiness. It represents beauty,
elegance, and integrity. It allows the Ummah to preserve its existence and unity.

Servants of Allaah, the covering granted by Allaah entails concealment of

flaws and errors, whether tangible or intangible, and whether words or deeds.
 Our Lord, who is perfect in every way, has the name as-Sitteer (the One who
covers His servants in various ways). A hadeeth in Sunan Abee Daawood [4012,
saheeh] mentions that Allaah's Messenger (may Allaah grant him commendation
and protection) said, "Allaah, the Almighty and Most Majestic, is Hayiyyun Sitteerun
(i.e. He is ashamed of certain things and He covers His servants in various ways). He
loves for us to maintain our sense of shame and to cover ourselves appropriately."

One of the fruits that we should reap from having sound beliefs about these
attributes of Allaah is being ashamed of committing sins. Thus, a worshipping
servant of Allaah is to struggle with his soul in order to make it refrain from
disobeying its Creator. However, if his soul overcomes him, he is to then cover
himself with the covering provided by Allaah. Our Lord is most kind and merciful.
Due to that, He does not hasten to punish His worshipping servants or call them to
account. Rather, he grants them covering so that they remain unexposed.
Blessings, favours, and kindness continue descending from Allaah to His servants.
Not only that, Allaah also calls them to return to Him and repent, He does not cause
them to despair of His mercy, He still adresses them as His worshipping servants,
and He is happy when they repent. Allaah, the Most Majestic, loves those who
continually repent to Him. He instructed His Messenger, ((Convey to the people that
I say, "My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of
Allaah's mercy. Allaah indeed forgives all sins. He is truly the Most Forgiving, the
Bestower of mercy")) [39:53].

Additionally, anyone who reads through the Seerah [i.e. narrations

comprising the biography] of our Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation
and protection) will find that he was keen to conceal errors and flaws, and he also
counselled those who committed sins to cover themselves. This happened with
Maa'iz (may Allaah be pleased with him) and others among the Companions. There
were instances when some of them willingly admitted to the Prophet (may Allaah
grant him commendation and protection) that they committed adultery, and they
repeated their admissions to him. However, [it was narrated that] he had said,
"People, the time has come for you to refrain from overstepping the bounds that
Allaah set. If someone has committed any of these reprehensible acts, he must
cover himself with the covering provided by Allaah." [al-Muwatta' 1650 (ed. al-
Hilaalee), da'eef].

Furthermore, when anything was conveyed to the Prophet (may Allaah grant
him commendation and protection) which he disliked, he would make reference to
people indirectly, without specifying them. He would cover them in that way and
not expose them. He would say, "What is the matter with sets of people who do
such-and-such things?" There is also a hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim [2763] from ibn
Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) who narrated that a man came to the
Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation and protection) and said,
"Messenger of Allaah, I was intimate with a woman on the outskirts of al-
Madeenah, and I indeed did something with her that was less than intercourse.
Thus, I am now here and I would like you to judge in my case as you wish." 'Umar
was present and he told the man, "Allaah covered you. If you would only cover
yourself, that would be best." The Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation
and protection) did not say anything in response, and the man stood and left. The
Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation and protection) sent someone after
him to call him back. After returning, the Prophet (may Allaah grant him
commendation and protection) read to him the passage of the Qur'aan that says,
((Continue to establish prayer as prescribed at the two ends of the day and in some
hours of the night. Righteous deeds certainly wipe away sins. That is an admonition
for those who take heed)) [11:114]. A man who was present inquired, "Prophet of
Allaah, is this specifically for him?" He replied, "Rather, it is for all people."

The Companions (may Allaah be pleased with all of them) had a sound grasp
of how the Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation and protection) dealt
with people who erred and committed sins. They understood that he concealed
faults and covered sins. Ibn Abee Shaybah collected in his Musannaf [29940 (ed.
ash-Shathree), hasan] that Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him)
had said, "If I found someone who consumed intoxicants, I would still love for
Allaah to grant him covering; and if I found a thief, I would still love for Allaah to
grant him covering."

As for the greatest instance of being granted covering - such that Allaah's
mercy, pardon, and forgiveness would be clearly apparent - that will take place on
the day when Allaah gathers people from all former and latter generations. A
hadeeth in the Two Saheeh collections [al-Bukhaaree 2441, Muslim 2768] mentions
that Allaah's Messenger (may Allaah grant him commendation and protection) said,
"Allaah, the Almighty and Most Majestic, will indeed draw a person of eemaan near,
place over the person a covering from Himself, conceal the person from people,
and then have him acknowledge his misdeeds. Allaah will ask the person, 'Do you
admit to having committed this sin? Do you admit to having committed this other
sin?' After Allaah has him acknowledge all of his sins and the person thinks that ruin
awaits him, Allaah will tell him, 'I concealed them for you in the world you have now
left behind, and I forgive you for them today.' The person will then be given the
record of his righteous deeds." In other words, Allaah would wipe away the
person's sins which He had concealed in this world, and forgive the person in the
hereafter.

In fact, an immense share of our Lord's mercy will be granted to those who
covered their wrongdoing and repented to their Lord hoping that He would grant
them His covering and accept their repentance. Out of Allaah's grace, He will cause
the wrong done by those people to become righteous deeds. A hadeeth in Saheeh
Muslim [190] was collected from Aboo Tharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) who
narrated that Allaah's Messenger (may Allaah grant him commendation and
protection) had described what would happen to a particular person on the Day of
Resurrection. An instruction will be given saying, "Present to him his lesser sins and
conceal from him his major sins." As a result, his lesser sins would be presented to
him and he would be told, "On such-and-such day, you did this," and he will admit,
"Yes, I did." He would not be able to deny anything at all, and he would fear for his
major sins to be presented to him. However, he will be told, "In place of each
misdeed, you will be granted a righteous deed." He will say, "My Lord, I committed
sins that I do not see here." Aboo Tharr said, "I saw Allaah's Messenger laugh to the
point that his back teeth appeared [i.e. due to the person wanting even more of his
sins to become righteous deeds], and he read the passage of the Qur'aan that says:
((Except in the case of those who repent, have sound beliefs, and perform righteous
deeds. Allaah will change the sins of those people into righteous deeds, and Allaah
is Most Forgiving, Bestower of mercy)) [25:70]."

My dear brothers who have eemaan, there are types of covering which
represent integrity, loyalty, tolerance, and brotherhood. One form of praiseworthy
covering which demonstrates being able to live well with others is the covering
which is to exist between spouses. Allaah, the Almighty and Most Majestic, said
((They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them)) [2:187]. This is
something that is to be the case throughout life's ease and hardship, and
throughout its sweet times and bitter ones. Each spouse is to provide covering,
adornment, love, care, and completion for the other. They are both supposed to
share periods of happiness and sadness. After having a solemn promise to each
other, and after the love and mercy that should exist between them, it is not
befitting that either of them divulge what is confidential and covered between
them. ((Among Allaah's evidences is that He created for you spouses from among
your own kind so that your souls may find tranquility with them, and He placed love
and mercy between you. That surely contains clear signs for people who
contemplate)) [30:21].
 Servants of Allaah, the virtues of praiseworthy forms of covering are
numerous. They foster between the people of Islaam love, harmony, and thinking
well of each other. They also assist those who commit sins to make amends and
repent to their Lord, bearing in mind that repentance holds a very high rank among
the ranks of worshipping servitude to Allaah.

Due the lofty status of the covering being discussed, Allaah - who is perfect in
every way - detests for people to spread wrongdoing and publicize destructive sins.
Furthermore, He has threatened people who do so with punishment in this world
and in the hereafter. He said, ((As for those who like for immorality to spread
among the people of eemaan, they will suffer a painful torment in this world and in
the hereafter, and Allaah has complete knowledge while you do not)) [24:19]. If that
is the sternness of the threat for merely liking for those things to be spread, and
feeling happy about them, what would the case be for those who actually do the
spreading? A narration in the book al-Adab al-Mufrad [325, saheeh] by al-
Bukhaaree says that "if someone hears words of blatant immorality and sin, and
then spreads what he heard, he is like the one who those words initially emanted
from."

Servants of Allaah, even worse than that is someone who exposes his own
self to being expelled from Allaah's pardon and forgiveness by ripping down the
covering that his Lord provides him with. That happens when a person commits a
sin and Allaah conceals that for him, yet the person goes about exposing himself.

Al-Imaam ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy upon him) commented
while enumerating the perils of sins and disobedience to Allaah that a person's
heart becomes desensitized to them with repetition, and they eventually become
habits. Consequently, such a person is neither ashamed of people seeing him do
those things, nor of them speaking ill about him for what he does. It may even
reach such an extent that the person might actually be proud of committing sins
and he may even divulge his sins to others who had no knowledge about what he
did. Such people would not attain wellbeing, and the paths and gates to repentance
will be closed to them in most cases. This was alluded to by the Prophet (may Allaah
grant him commendation and protection) in his statement, "All of my Ummah
would attain wellbeing except for those who are openly sinful. Indeed, part of open
sinfulness is for a person to commit a sin during the night, and although Allaah
conceals it, the person himself goes telling others in the morning about his
wrongdoing. In spite of him being covered by his Lord for the entire night, he
removes Allaah's covering from himself in the morning." [al-Bukhaaree 6069,
Muslim 2990]. [End of passage from ad-Daa' wad-Dawaa', pg. 141].
 Thus, I say to everyone whom Allaah has granted His covering: You must
never feel that you are immune to what Allaah has planned. None think they are
immune to that besides people who will suffer the worst loss. Additionally, you
must hasten to repent soon. A person who repents from a sin is like someone who
is sinless. Allaah accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him sincerely, and
Allaah grants His covering to those who keep it upon themselves. A hadeeth in
Saheeh Muslim [2590] mentions that the Prophet (may Allaah grant him
commendation and protection) had said, "Every worshipping servant whom Allaah
grants covering in this world will also be covered by Allaah on the Day of
Resurrection." ((Among their qualities is that they remain faithful in fulfilling Allaah's
commands and they do not break their promise to Him. They join what Allaah has
commanded to be joined, have reverential fear of their Lord, and dread the worst
reckoning in the hereafter. They patiently persevere seeking their Lord's face,
establish prayer as prescribed, give both secretly and openly out of what We have
bestowed upon them, and repel evil with good. For such people, there will be the
best ending)) [13:20-22]....

* * *

All praise is due to Allaah who graced His worshipping servants by covering
them in many ways. He wipes away the sins of those who repent, and He leads
them to attain rewards in place of their prior sins. May Allaah grant commendation,
protection, and blessings to His Messenger, as well as to the Messenger's
Companions, family, and followers until the Day of Recompense.

Dear people of eemaan, one of the greatest means to attaining the covering
that Allaah grants His worshipping servants is struggling with one's soul to make it
sincerely devote all worship to Allaah alone. When a person remains sincere to
Allaah in all words and deeds, Allaah will keep him covered in this world and the
hereafter. On the other hand, when a person's motives behind his deeds are
making a reputation for himself among people and garnering their praise, Allaah
will be displeased with that person and will also expose to people the corrupt
motives in the person's heart. A hadeeth in the Two Saheeh collections [al-
Bukhaaree 6499, Muslim 2986] mentions that Allaah's Messenger (may Allaah grant
him commendation and protection) said, "If someone lets people hear about his
acts of worship or lets them see those acts, and his intention is garnering their
praise and respect, Allaah will eventually disgrace him and expose his real
intention."
 Another means to attaining the covering granted by Allaah is by concealing
the flaws of Allaah's servants. The recompense for a deed is similar to the nature of
the deed itself. Therefore, when someone is keen to keep his brothers covered in
that way, Allaah will grant that person covering during the circumstances when he
will need it most. A hadeeth in the Two Saheeh collections [al-Bukhaaree 2442,
Muslim 2699] mentions that the Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation and
protection) said, "If someone covers a Muslim, Allaah will cover that person in this
world and the hereafter." This is something that should be emphasized even more
now with contemporary social media, which some people use inappropriately. They
divulge people's private details, hunt for their faults, and violate their rights and
freedoms. When a person seeks to expose his brother's faults, Allaah will uncover
that person's own faults and expose him even in his own home. There is a hadeeth
in Sunan at-Tirmithee [2032, hasan] collected from 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with both of them), who narrated that Allaah's Messenger (may
Allaah grant him commendation and protection) once ascended the minbar and
said in a raised voice, "I say to those who have accepted Islaam with their mouths
while sound beliefs have not fully entered their hearts: You must not harm the
people of Islaam, degrade them for past sins, or hunt for their faults. When any
person goes after the faults of his Muslim brother, Allaah will go after the faults of
that person; and if Allaah goes after a person's faults, He will expose that person to
the people even if the person is hidden in his own home." Another hadeeth in
Sunan Abee Daawood [4888, saheeh] mentions that Allaah's Messenger (may
Allaah grant him commendation and protection) said, "If you hunt for people's
flaws, you will corrupt the people" or he said, "you will come close to corrupting
them."

My dear brothers in Islaam, a related detail we must also understand about

the topic being discussed is that when people are known for ills, harms, corruption,
and disobedience to Allaah; or if deviant ideas they harbour have an influence on
others; or if they are a threat to safety and stability, it is not correct to conceal those
things about such people or remain quiet about them. On the contrary, it is a must
to inform the relevant authorities about them, and to warn people against them.
That is to be done in order to safeguard people's lives and dignity, and to protect
Allaah's servants and their lands. Anyone who seeks to keep such people covered
is, in fact, abetting them in their crimes and corruption. A hadeeth in Saheeh
Muslim mentions that the Prophet (may Allaah grant him commendation and
protection) said, "Allaah will expel from His mercy anyone who harbours a
muhdith" and this includes the meaning of anyone who covers for a person who
has committed a crime, shelters him, or obstructs justice from being served for the
wrong that the person perpetrated.

O Allaah, we implore You to pardon us and grant us wellbeing in this world

and the hereafter. O Allaah, we implore You to pardon us and grant us wellbeing in
our religious affairs, our worldly affairs, our families, and our properties. O Allaah,
conceal our faults and calm our fears. O Allaah, protect us from the front, from
behind, on our right, on our left, and from above, and we seek refuge in Your
Greatness from being suddenly afflicted from beneath ourselves. [See Sunan Abee
Daawood 5074, saheeh]...