27th
Rabee-al-Awal 1429H
04th
April
2008AC
Certainty and the Testimony of Faith
All thanks be to
Allah, we ask His forgiveness and guidance. We go to Allah for protection from
the evil within us and from the bad of our deeds. This whoever is guided by
Allah will not be misguided, and whoever is misguided by Him will not be
guided. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah the one and only. And I
bear witness that Muhammad is his slave and messenger. Peace, prayers and
blessings be upon him, upon his family and all his companions.
We ask Allah, the
Lord of the magnificent throne, to bestow upon us the sweetness of faith, and
sense of certainty. We ask Him to make us among those who follow the best
advice they hear, and to give us the best outcome out of this life and the
next life. He is the most Hearing the one who answers prayers.
There are a number
of conditions associated with the testimony of “No God but Allah”, and
associated with the deeds of the hearts. In the past, the Imam talked about
two of those conditions: Truthfulness and the loving of Allah and His
messenger. Today the Imam talked about another condition which is: “The
Certainty in the testimony of No God but Allah”. There are eleven points or
concepts associated with certainty. The Imam discussed five of them in his
speech today, and they are:
1) Knowledge
verses Certainty.
There is a
relationship between knowing about something and being certain about it.
Knowledge is the base of certainty. The opposite of certainty is doubt and
suspicion. Polytheists say about the day of resurrection as mentioned in the
Koran: {we just suspect but we are not certain}45:32. Meaning they have a
notion that there is another life, that notion is mixed with doubt meaning
suspicion.
Doubt actually
carries the meaning of knowing about something. Knowing about Allah or knowing
about the next life but being in doubt and lacking certainty. This doubt and
suspicion is a cause for those who doubt to descend below the level of
certainty, or even below the level of knowledge.
2) The
relationship between certainty and faith.
Abdullah
ebn-Masood may Allah be pleased with him said: “Patience is the bigger part of
faith, but certainty is faith itself”. That is because patience is a state
which accompanies the individual during performing worship. Allah says: {Be
patient and ask Allah for help, and seek assistance through patience and
prayers}2:45. Allah also says: {and Moses said to his people: ask Allah for
help, and be patient. For this earth belongs to Allah, He shall inherit it to
whomever He pleases}7:128. A slave worshipping Allah needs to get assistance
through patience. That is being patient in all matters, being patient in
obedience to Allah, and being patient in the face of disobedience to Allah;
and being patient in the face of Allah’s fate and destiny. But being certain
is actually the total faith and belief, because worship has to be based upon
certainty. Patience is just one of the benefits of certainty. For certainty
includes faith and religion in their entirety.
The messenger
said: {the most loved deeds to Allah may He be exulted are: a doubtless faith,
and a moderate striving in the line of Allah, and a devoted pilgrimage or
Hajj; which has no reward other than paradise}.
The messenger (PPBU)
when he promised this who testifies that there is no God but Allah, he
promised them paradise and to be forbidden to the hellfire. When he made this
promise he made it conditional with certainty and sincerity or devotion. In
the battle of Tabbook when Muslims were facing hardships; and they wanted to
slaughter their camels to feed on. Omar ebn-Khattab said: “O’ Messenger of
Allah, why don’t we collect the little food that we have, and you make a
prayer to Allah so He would bless the food.” The messenger (PPBU) took Omar’s
advice, and Allah blessed the food so it was enough for the entire army. The
messenger (PPBU) then said: {I bear witness that there is no other God but
Allah, and that I am His messenger. If any slave meets Allah with those two
testimonies, with full certainty and without doubt, then such a slave will
enter paradise}.
In this case, the
case of certainty, whoever sees a sign or a miracle from Allah, as the
companions saw right in front of their eyes. Those who took that with
certainty; and then made the testimony, then it is true that certainty is
faith in its entirety.
Also in the true
story of the death of Mu’aad’s (ãÚÇÐ).
At his death bed, Mu’aad said: “let me tell you something I heard from the
messenger (PPBU). I heard the messenger (PPBU) saying: Whosoever testifies
that there is no God but Allah with certainty in his/her heart will enter
paradise”. This is how far or how much certainty brings those who have it.
This is the certainty that wipes off all suspicion and lusts. A human becomes
one with a heart that is pure of all sins, sparkles with light which is put
into it by the Almighty Allah.
3) The
relationship that patience has with certainty.
Allah says: {we
made some of them leaders who guide people with our commands; when they were
patient and with our signs they were certain} 32:24.
Those are the
characteristics of the preachers who guide other; those through whom Allah
takes the slaves out of darkness to light; and Allah will use as His argument
against the disbelievers on the day of reckoning.
You will find that
each and every preacher of the truth; Allah Has given him those two
characteristics: patience and certainty. Without patience they would not be
able to persevere and resist the testing, the luring and the seductions. And
without certainty they would not be able to continue holding steady and
straight. Despite what the obstacle are; whoever is given those two
characteristics is given leadership in religion. Sufian said about them: They
took on the most important of all matters, and so they became the most
important and the leaders for people. And the important or the highest of all
matters within the heart are certainty with patience.
Both of those two
characteristics are a pre condition to be present for a preacher, a striver,
and this who seeks to get closer to Allah; and this who wishes to worship
Allah as Allah wants to be worshipped.
4) The status
of certainty with Prophet Abraham (PBU).
Being certain with
this firmness and this understanding is a status loved by Allah (may He be
exulted). Allah wants His slaves to strive to reach this level. Allah says:
{and so we show Abraham the kingdom of heavens and earth so he may be with
those who are certain}6:75. Abraham was a true believer as he said to his
father in this verse: {and when Abraham said to his father Azara: do you take
sculptured statues as Gods? I see you and your people in a clear misguidance}
6:74. This verse indicates that Abraham is at a level of faith; which comes
before certainty. Him being faithful; he determined that his father and people
are misguided because they worshiped other that Allah. But Allah wanted to
increase this level of faith to the level of certainty. It is a higher level.
Allah chose this method of showing him the kingdom of heavens and earth to
achieve certainty. After he became certain, after seeing and considering, he
became absolutely sure that his people are wrong. He disowned them. Allah gave
him the stronger argument, and dashed away their allegations. Abraham became
certain that security and guidance can only be for those who have faith. And
that disbeliveers have no share in it.
This bares some
similarity with the request Abraham made when he said: {and when Abraham said:
God show me how you bring the dead to life. He said: and do you not believe?
He said: I do, but in order for my heart to relax and be at peace} 2:260. It
is a further degree of certainty and assurance. This is the truth of
certainty. Looking at that; we find that the certainty Abraham obtained
brought the fruits in the form of certainty in obedience to Allah’s commands.
Certainty which no one else seems to have; except whomever Allah made them to
be.
So, what is that
certainty that Abraham had? And what is it that Abraham was commanded to do
when he was at that state of certainty? What is the type of command that very
few people would obey. He was commanded to slaughter his son. He was not even
given the command by angel Gabriel. He was given the command in the form of a
dream during sleep. A mere vision, yet he didn’t say: “oh.. it could be Satan
or may be: see if I dream the same thing another night!” Or some other excuse.
Certainty in his faith made him obey, and made his son obey. Certainty was
with the father and with the son. He was given this level; called:
certainty in faith. And this is the level that Allah wants; and He wants
his prophets and His supporters to be at.
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