بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

We must never underestimate Allah. He (Mighty and Majestic is He) says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌۭ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا۟ ذُبَابًۭا وَلَوِ ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ ۖ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيْـًۭٔا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ

ما قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزيزٌ

O humankind! A parable is [here] set forth. So listen to it. Indeed, those [beings] whom you call upon apart from Allah can never create [so much as] a fly, even if they were [all] to come together for that [purpose]. Rather, if a fly were to rob them of [even a mere speck of] anything, never could they even retrieve it from it. Most feeble are the seeker and the sought! Thus, they have not esteemed Allah with His rightful esteem. Indeed, Allah [alone] is, most surely, all-powerful, overpowering. (Surah al-Hajj, The Pilgrimage (22):74)

Allah is the Mighty! He is the the Majestic! He is the Revered. Do not underestimate Him. He says:

ٱللَّهُ خَـٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَكِيلٌۭ

لَّهُۥ مَقَالِيدُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ

قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَأْمُرُوٓنِّىٓ أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا ٱلْجَـٰهِلُونَ

وَلَقَدْ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ

بَلِ ٱللَّهَ فَٱعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ

وَما قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدرِهِ وَالأَرضُ جَميعًا قَبضَتُهُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ وَالسَّماواتُ مَطوِيّاتٌ بِيَمينِهِ ۚ سُبحانَهُ وَتَعالىٰ عَمّا يُشرِكونَ

Allah [alone] is the Creator of everything. And He [alone] is guardian over all things. To Him [alone] belongs the treasures of the heavens and the earth. So [as for] those who have disbelieved in the [revealed] signs of Allah — [then] such as these are the losers [of an everlasting Paradise]. Say [to them, O Prophet]: Is it other than Allah, then, that you would command me to worship, you ignorant ones? Yet truly it has been revealed to you, [O Prophet] — and to those [of the prophets] before you: If ever you were to associate [any gods] with Allah, then utterly futile would be all your [good] works. And, most surely, you yourself would have become among the losers [of an everlasting Paradise]. Rather, it is Allah [alone] you shall worship. And you shall ever be of those who are thankful. Yet they [who disbelieve] have not esteemed Allah with His rightful esteem. For the entire Earth shall be His handful on the Day of Resurrection! And the heavens shall be rolled up in His Right Hand. Highly exalted is He, and most high, [far] above all that they associate as gods [with Him]. (Surah al-Zumar, The Companies (39):67)

Allah is so amazing; so powerful. Can you even begin to imagine an entity so powerful?

So why is it that we do not truly appreciate Allah and realize Him?

How is it that someone can know about Allah, yet still associate partners with Him?

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ يَقْبِضُ اللَّهُ الأَرْضَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَيَطْوِي السَّمَاءَ بِيَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الأَرْضِ ‏”‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ شُعَيْبٌ وَالزُّبَيْدِيُّ وَابْنُ مُسَافِرٍ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ‏.‏

Abu Hurayrah [may Allah be pleased with him] narrates:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “On the Day of Resurrection Allah will hold the whole earth and fold the heaven with His right hand and say, ‘I am the King: where are the kings of the earth?’” (Sahih al-Bukhari #7382, Book 97, Hadith 12)

On the Day of Judgment, before Allah resurrects mankind, He will take the souls of all of His slaves. He will say, “I am the King.” Then Allah will ask, “Where are the kings of the earth?”

On that day, where will all the tyrants be? Where will all the presidents be? Where will all the kings be? Where will all those in positions of power be? Where will every oppressor be? Where will every subjugator be?

Everyone who believes that they have some kind of power, to bully or control, will no longer be under any such delusion.

Rather, it will be known by all that Allah alone is the only possessor of any power!

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Therefore, we should recognize Him appropriately. We must realize that when we are in pain, anguish, agony, or sorrow, we must call upon Allah and Allah alone.

Indeed, Allah has described Himself:

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه ،

عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال‏:‏ “ قال الله، عز وجل‏:‏ أنا عند ظن عبدي بي وأنا معه حيث يذكرني، والله لله أفرح بتوبة عبده من أحدكم يجد ضالته بالفلاة، ومن تقرب إلي شبراً، تقربت إليه ذراعاً، ومن تقرب إلي ذراعاً، تقربت إليه باعاً، وإذا أقبل إلي يمشي، أقبلت إليه أهرول‏”‏

‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏ وهذا لفظ إحدى روايات مسلم‏.‏ وتقدم شرحه في الباب قبله‏.‏

وروي في الصحيحين ‏:‏ ‏”‏وأنا معه حين يذكرني‏”‏ بالنون، وفي هذه الرواية ‏”‏حيث” بالثاء وكلاهما صحيح‏.‏

Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks of Me when he remembers Me.’ By Allah! Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than one of you who unexpectedly finds in the desert his lost camel. ‘He who comes closer to Me one span, I come closer to him a cubit; and he who comes closer to Me a cubit, I come closer to him a fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running”. (Al-Bukhari, Book of Unicity; and Sahih Muslim)

Think good of Allah. Whatever it is that you may seek from Allah, expect that He will grant it to you.

It is narrated in Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

جاء في تفسير ابن كثير:

إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى مَلَائِكَةً تُرعَد فَرَائِصُهُمْ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ، مَا مِنْهُمْ مَلَكٌ تَقْطُرُ مِنْهُ دَمْعَةٌ مِنْ عَيْنِهِ إِلَّا وَقَعَتْ عَلَى مَلَكٍ يُصَلِّي، وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ مَلَائِكَةً سُجُودًا مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ، لَمْ يَرْفَعُوا رُؤوسَهُمْ، وَلَا يَرْفَعُونَهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ مَلَائِكَةً رُكُوعًا، لَمْ يَرْفَعُوا رُءُوسَهُمْ مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَرْفَعُونَهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَإِذَا رَفَعُوا رُءُوسَهُمْ نَظَرُوا إِلَى وَجْهِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، قَالُوا: سُبْحَانَكَ! مَا عَبَدْنَاكَ حَقَّ عِبَادَتِكَ.

قال ابن كثير: إِسْنَاده لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ،

“Indeed, to Allah do the sides of the angels quake in fear of Him, there are some angels who are prostrating since Allah Created the Heavens and the Earth, not raising their head until the Day of Judgment, and from the angels are those in Ruku’, not raising their head since Allah created the Heavens and the Earth until the Day of Judgment. When they raise their heads to look upon Allah’s Face, Honored and Majestic, they will say, ‘Glory is Yours! We did not worship you according to your right of worship.”

Ibn Kathir comments, “There is no issue with its chain.”

Whoever knows who Allah is ultimately has no choice but to love Him and obey Him. Whoever has any comprehension of His extraordinary Nature and His Magnitude has absolutely no choice but to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Such knowledge compels the hearts towards obedience.

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Ibn al-Qayyim is quoted to have said:

 فقد قال أعلم الخلق صلي الله عليه وسلم:

٣ ” لا أحصي ثناء عليك أنت كما أثنيت على نفسك ” وكيف نحصي خصائص اسم لمسماه كل كمال على الإطلاق، وكل مدح وحمد، وكل ثناء وكل مجد، وكل جلال وكل كمال، وكل عز وكل جمال، وكل خير وإحسان وجود وفضل وبر فله ومنه؟ فما ذكر هذا الاسم في قليل إلا كثره، ولا عند خوف إلا أزاله ولا عند كرب إلا كشفه، ولا عند هم وغم إلا فرجه، ولا عند ضيق إلا وسعه، ولا تعلق به ضعيف إلا أفاده القوة، ولا ذليل إلا أناله العز، ولا فقير إلا أصاره غنيا، ولا مستوحش إلا آنسه، ولا مغلوب إلا أيده ونصره، ولا مضطر إلا كشف ضره، ولا شريد إلا آواه. فهو الاسم الذي تكشف به الكربات، وتستنزل به البركات، وتجاب به الدعوات، وتقال به العثرات، وتستدفع به السيئات وتستجلب به الحسنات. وهو الاسم الذي قامت به الأرض والسماوات، وبه أنزلت الكتب، وبه أرسلت الرسل، وبه شرعت الشرائع، وبه قامت الحدود، وبه شرع الجهاد، وبه انقسمت الخليقة إلى السعداء والأشقياء، وبه خقت الحاقة، ووقعت الواقعة، وبه وضعت الموازين القسط ونصب الصراط، وقام سوق الجنة والنار، وبه عبد رب العالمين وحمد، وبحقه بعثت الرسل، وعنه السؤال في القبر ويوم البعث والنشور، وبه الخصام وإليه المحاكمة، وفيه الموالاة والمعاداة، وبه سعد من عرفه وقام بحقه وبه شقي من جهله وترك حقه; فهو سر الخلق والأمر. وبه قاما وثبتا، وإليه انتهيا، فالخلق به وإليه ولأجله. فما وجد خلق ولا أمر ولا ثواب ولا عقاب إلا مبتدئا منه ومنتهيا إليه

“The most knowledgeable of creation – Allah’s salutations and peace upon him -said, ‘I cannot praise You as You have praised yourself.’

“How is it possible to count the praises of a Name whose Owner absolutely possesses every perfection, praise, extolment, tribute, glory, majesty, might, beauty, benefaction, grace, and reverence? This Name has never been mentioned over something small without increasing it, in fear without removing it, upon grief without dispelling it, in distress without relieving it, in worry without driving it away, nor in hardship without easing it! Never has one who was weak clung to Him except he was given power, a lowly one except he was granted might, an impoverished one except he was enriched, a lonely person except that he was given company, a defeated one except he was given victory, a needy person except his need was discharged, nor a wanderer except he was given shelter!

“It is truly that Name by which grief is dispelled, the Name by which benefaction descends, prayers are responded to and accepted. It is the Name by which faults and slips are forgiven, lapses are undone, sins are removed, and good deeds are brought forth. It is the Name by which the heavens and earths were erected, Holy Books were sent down, as well as Messengers, and laws legislated. It is the Name by which limitations and penalties have been set. It is the name by which struggle has been legislated, by which creatures are divided into saved and wretched. It is the Name by which the sure reality has been proven real and the inevitable event come to pass. It is the Name by which just weights and measures have been set, the straight path set, the emporiums of Hell and Heaven set forth.

“It is the Name by which the Lord of [all] the worlds has been worshipped, praised, the Name by which the Messengers were sent, the Name one will be asked about in the grave, and the Day of Resurrection. It is the Name to which all adjudication and litigation belong, the Name encompassing all loyalty and enmity. It is the Name that makes he whom knows it happy, it is the Name that brings misery to the ignorant of it or the rejecter. It is the true secret of all creation and states, as by this Name they have come into existence and been justified, to this Name they return as He – the Exalted – is the cause and reason of all creation.” (Fath al-Majid)

We come to know ourselves and who we are based on how we think of Allah. Allah says:

وَإِذا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحدَهُ اشمَأَزَّت قُلوبُ الَّذينَ لا يُؤمِنونَ بِالآخِرَةِ ۖ وَإِذا ذُكِرَ الَّذينَ مِن دونِهِ إِذا هُم يَستَبشِرونَ

Now, whenever [the name] Allah is mentioned as the One [true God], the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shudder [in aversion]. Yet whenever those [false deities] apart from Him are mentioned, they rejoice. (Surah al-Zumar, The Companions (39):45)

One knows themself and who they are depending on how they feel when Allah is mentioned. When they are reminded of Allah, do they feel fear? Does their heart tremble? Do they feel hope? Is their heart put to ease? Do they feel ecstatic out of immense love for Him?

The entire life of someone that truly recognizes Allah and who Allah is will ultimately revolve around Allah. Or do they feel no fear for Allah? Do they feel despondent? Do they become uncomfortable? Do they hate to be reminded about Allah?

Ask yourself:

Who am I?

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