Based on an Audio Set given by Sheikh Jamaluddin Zarabozo

Shift in speaker

In the next set of verses there is a shift (al-itifaad) from 3^rd person to 1^st person. You have already said verses that bring you closer to Allah in your praise to him, so now you speak directly to Allah. You will have a natural desire to submit in worship to Him and assert your dependence to Him after the first verses.

Virtues of this verse

As a poet put it “It is sufficient in honor to me that you are Lord to me and it is sufficient in pride for me that I am a servant to you.”

“All of the knowledge of Quran has been collected in al-fatiha and all the knowledge of al-fatiha is collected in these 2 verses.” –Ibn al Qayyim

Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said Allah says:

I have divided the salah (al-fatiha) between me and my servant into 2 parts, and when he comes to (these verses) I say this is between me and my servant and my servant shall receive what he asks.

[Hadith Qudsi in Sahih Muslim, Malik, Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah]

These verses are a pledge and a commitment that we will worship and seek aid from none other than Allah. This verse starts with a general aspect and then comes to a specific aspect. In these 5 words Allah has outlined the entire goal of our lives and how to achieve it.

The two statements are complementary to each other. If you worship Allah you will need His help, and you need His help to worship Him. The first part frees you from riyah (shirk) and the second part frees you from kibr (pride)

IYYAKA

— could also be said as “na’buduka” but instead Allah put the object of worship, himself, first by saying iyyaka meaning to you. We mention the more important one first. It also makes it exclusive by putting object first. So read iyyaka na’budu as “You only do we worship.”

NA’BUDU

— ibada means extensive submission and humility. Ibada involves 3 aspects

1. Worship and adoration
2. Obedience and submission
3. Service and subjection

So you give up your freedom and independence to the one you are serving, completely under their authority.

Worship as a group

The “noon” makes it in the “we” form, so it reads “only you do we worship and adore.” Allah stresses our brotherhood and social fellowship he bestowed on us. Our worship is not only on an individual basis. Because individually our worship is weak, together is stronger. If Allah does not respond to us hopefully he will respond to anyone in the jamaa, and if he responds to even one that person said “guide us” as a jamaa and not “guide me” so all in the congregation are guided. The Guidance of Allah is meant to guide society as a whole. The Muslims are part of an ummah that are united in the worship of Allah and seeking His help and guidance. So we all have the same goal. As such we should be those who work together. We cannot fight shaytaan alone but as a group we are strong and can stay on the path of worship. Everyone who works in dawah should have the same goal, to enhance the obedience of Allah, should not be conflicting. If these groups had a basic understanding of their work and their pledge as a group there would be no good Islamic effort that does not have the support of other groups and Muslims.

Sincerity and Love in Worship

Ibada has to be done with your heart. If you are doing the actions but in your heart do not have willingness to submit and devotion to Allah it is not ibada. So ibada is closely related to love. The ultimate goal of ibada is to harbor the love of Allah, more than that it only loving Allah and loving no one else, but you love for his sake. All your love is directed to Him alone and you only love because Allah loves something and you dislike because Allah dislikes it. At the root of this love is following His commands and keeping away from what he prohibited, essentially following the messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ). So this love leads to servitude and submission.

Freedom through Worship

Becoming a slave to Allah frees you from all the kinds of slavery that exist in this world because you are fulfilling what you were created for, your purpose. It is consistent with your nafs, and any other kind of worship causes conflict and disequilibrium with the nafs.

The Status of Worship

There is no higher goal or status that being a slave of Allah, there is nothing more important. Everything else is worthless. There is no other goal that has any meaning. Allah reminds in the previous verse that in the end the Day of Judgment is the reality and the return, what holds weight on that day is what is of value. It is a noble term to be called an abd. Allah describes his prophets as abd in the Quran. When Allah raised the prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) to miraj he described him as abd.

General vs Specific Worship

There is a general ubudiyya and specific ubudiyya. General is that all creation is submissive to Allah due to his rububiyya, they are not in control of their breathing or rizk but Allah is. And specific ubudiyya is related to the uluhiyya of Allah, submitting to Him by will because of recognizing Him as rabb.

You cannot combine the goal of worship of Allah with anything else; if your goal is dunya then you are missing the goal of worship of Allah. So we gauge ourselves with respect to this goal.

The scope of worship

Worship of Allah is done with:

• Statements of the tongue – includes calling others to Allah
• Statements of the heart – having sincerity and love for Allah and having hope in Him
• The actions of the heart – any good actions done with sincerity that are worship in themselves prescribed by Allah done only for Allah, for example prayer, sacrifice, fasting etc. These ritual acts have to be done in the way that is pleasing to Allah; we don’t worship Allah on our own accord (praying 5 rakat instead of 4, etc). It also implies submitting only to those commands coming from Allah. We do not make secular authority or priests as Lords by giving them authority to make haraam halal.  Our wala and baraa (allegiance) is to Allah.
• The actions of the body – any act outside of ritual acts. “Any word or deed that Allah loves and approves of.” –Ibn Taymiyyah. It includes speaking truth, fulfilling trusts, keeping promises, being good to neighbors and orphans and poor and travelers etc. So even with mundane permissible acts (mubah) if you do it with good intention it is ibada. For example relations with your wife or dressing nicely. So we can make our whole life an act of ibada. Every act is a potential act of worship.     

What is the most pleasing act of ibada? Ibn al Qayyim says the one that is most relevant to the time and occasion. At time of adhaan we pray. At times of fighting we fight.

Conditions for the Acceptance of Worship

There are 2 conditions for ibada to be accepted:

1) The act must be done purely for Allah without any hint of shirk. If an act is done for without sincerity instead of worship it is a sin.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) said Allah says:

I am in no need (at all) of having any partners. Whoever does a deed associating a partner with Me I will leave him and his shirk

[Sahih Muslim, Ibn Majah]

2) The act has to be in accordance with the way of the prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). An action that is sincere but not done in the correct way is not ibada, and an action that is done in correct way but not sincere is not ibada.

Aisha narrates that the Prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

Whoever performs an action that is not according to our way will be rejected

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith 28 in Imam Nawawi's Arba'een]

Aisha narrates that the Prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

Whosoever introduces into this affair of ours (i.e. into Islam) something that does not belong to it, it is to be rejected.

[Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim, Hadith 5 of Imam Nawawi's Arba'een]

The acts of worship should bring you closer to Allah and develop your general worship. They are not simply actions we go through without having any effect on us. The joy and pleasure of true worship of Allah and fulfilling the covenant of iyyaka na’budu is unparalleled to anything else.

Intellectual vs Emotional Love

The love we have for Allah is an intellectual love and an emotional love. It is a natural love we have for Allah based on our fitra and a rational love based on the fact that Allah is deserving of love since he gave you everything.

NASTA’EEN

—isti’ana means to seek aid and help. We realize that we are not perfect and there are many things that can avert us from the path of Allah, and although we obey Allah we will err so we need his help. Although we sin Allah does not distance himself from us because he knows we will sin so he allows us time to recognize the sin and repent. And repentance improves our soul. When we sin we violate the pledge of servitude to Allah that we just made (iyyaka na’budu) so we need to ask for His help.

A Duaa in the Form of a Statement

This verse is a duaa in the form of a statement because you are hoping that Allah helps you in front of the obstacles that take you away from His path. To this statement Allah responds “this is between me and my servant and for my servant is what he asks.” This is why we respond la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power and might except for Allah) to the adhaan when the muadhin says haya’l asalah (come to prayer). Because we are admitting that we have no power or ability, even to do good, unless Allah wills it. So it engenders a feeling of humility and trust only in Allah. It should free us from arrogance. We realize that if we want to do good and be patient against evil we need Allah’s help, with trials of hardship and sometimes more dangerous with trials of ease.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told Ibn Abbass:

You should know Allah in times of ease and Allah will know you in times of hardship

[Jami' Al-Tirmidhi, classed as Sahih]

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told Muadh Ibn Jabal that he loved him and advised him to not end a salah except by saying afterwards:

Allahumma inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husna ibadatik (oh Allah help me in your remembrance and to show gratitude to You and to excel in Your worship)

[Sunan Abu Dawud, An-Nasai]

This duaa the prophet advised is encompassed in this verse because you are asking Allah to help you to worship Him. This is a covenant you make with Allah.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) said:

Duaa (supplication) is nothing but ibada (worship)

[Jami' Al-Tirmidhi]

So the more you turn to Allah asking for help the more He will help you. And this action of turning to Him is an act of ibada, so in seeking help for yourself you are actually being rewarded.

Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) says that Allah says:

I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he mentions Me in Himself I mention him in Myself. If he mentions Me in a gathering, I mention him in a better gathering. If he comes near Me one hand-span (shibran) I come near him one cubit (dhira’an). If he comes near Me one cubit I come near him an arm’s length (ba’an). If he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Hadith 15 of Imam Nawawi's Arba'een]

A General Statement without an Object

This verse “iyyaka nasta’een” does not state the object because it is a general statement, so it leaves it open to anything. In anything we ask help from Allah. This ties in with the scope of ibada that encompasses all matter in life and any action you do can be made an act of ibada. It is also general in asking for help in this life and the next.

What kind of help are we asking for?

We see Allah’s help as allowing us to be obedient to Him. One of the best ways you can help your child is by being obedient to Allah, because Allah will love you and protect those things dear to you. Allah gives us an example in surah al-kahf when khadr put the wall back up to protect the treasure of the orphans who had righteous parents. Allah may turn us away from something that we may want because it is harmful for our deen in the end. We don’t know where our good lies.

Who do we ask for help?

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) while riding behind Ibn Abbass said:

Oh young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice] : Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you (have need to) ask, ask of Allah; and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that even if the Nation (or the whole community) were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.

[Jami' Al-Tirmidhi, classed as Sahih, Hadith 19 of Imam Nawawi's Arba'een]

These were basic concepts that he (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was teaching Ibn Abbass when he was very young, around 10 years old. He is teaching that a Muslim should avoid asking for help from any person and always turn to Allah for help. If you do it is dhulm with respect to Allah and his creation and the soul (individual). When you turn to other than Allah for help you are turning to someone who has no more ability than you. The ulema have said in asl (principle) this is haraam. In general if you ask a person for their time or money they do not like to give it, whereas Allah likes it when you ask of Him. And you are degrading your soul because asking for help is like a duaa.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) says:

I guarantee jannah for anyone who does not ask anybody for anything

This is the epitome of tawhid. Even in the example of the sahaba they asked for help but they avoided it, their reliance was not on other sahaba but in Allah. It is a high, noble and achievable characteristic.

There are two categories of things you can ask.

1. Asking for those things that only Allah can give and are not within their ability (guidance, unseen, forgiveness from a dead person) are haraam.
2. Asking for things that are within their ability. And it is from the category that the sahaba would avoid.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) says:

Everything has its reality. A servant will not understand the reality of iman until he realizes that whatever has reached him was not going to miss him and whatever missed him was not going to occur to him

[Musnad Ahmad]

Who are Those who this verse Describes?

People of ibada and isti’ana can be divided into 3 categories, we hope we are of the first

1. Those whose goal is the worship of Allah, they seek help in fulfilling this goal and do those things that are pleasing to Him.
2. Those who are not interested in worshipping Allah or seeking help from Him. But even they turn to ask from Him when they are in dire need, and they ask only for worldly matters. And they may ask of Allah and he may give them, but this does not mean Allah necessarily loves them. Even iblis asked for respite from Allah until Day of Judgment. So they are not asking to come closer to Allah rather it takes them further from Allah. And Allah increases them in this life so He can increase their torment in the hereafter. So it is not how much you are given but what you do with what you are given. Allah gives things in dunya without care but blesses those whom He loves with iman (faith).
3. Those who worship Allah but do not seek help in fulfilling this goal and do not understand the concept. They worship on their own accord. They separate Allah from all actions. Like qadiriyyas. The example of today is to slip into the laws of science without realizing Allah is in control of all things.

Why does Allah Instruct us to ask Him Alone for Help?

It is so we can build our trust and reliance in Allah. Trust means He will always come through with Him promises. Reliance means that He has full power to fulfill those promises. Both these aspects are brought together in this verse, and it is called tawakkul.

“Tawakkul is half of the deen, and the other half is turning to Allah in worship” –Ibn al Qayyim

Allah mentions tawakkul together with His worship many times in al-Quran, and mentions it as a characteristic of the true believers (mumineen). And Allah mentions that He loves those who put their trust in Him and that He will suffice for them.

“Tawakkul is an action of the heart” –Imam Ahmad

So tawakkul is not just a statement of the tongue or something we do physically. Some define it as how the Rabb suffices for the servant, others as rida or the servant being pleased with whatever Allah has decreed, and others as being attached to Allah in all circumstances. It is not an easy concept to build in the heart but is one that is essential if we hope to be mumineen.

Components of Tawakkul

Ibn al Qayyim says tawakkul is a combination of many different components, which are as follows:

1. Knowing Allah and His attributes. Knowing how He sustains creation, how He is Rabb etc. You would want to know the characteristics of what you are putting your trust into. So if someone knows Allahs names and attributes will put his trust in Allah. When Allah points to the importance of putting your trust in Him he gives us His attributes that show why you should do so.

• Wa tawakkal alal hay alladhi la yamut
• Wa may yatawakal alallahi fa innallaha azizun hakim
• Wa tawakkal alal aziz ar rahim
• Wa tawakkal alallahi innallah samiun alim
• Wa tawakkal alallahi wa kafa billahi wakeela

Some of his attributes mentioned are the ever-living, does not die, the all-mighty, the wise, the merciful, the all-hearing, all-knowing, the one who suffices for you. You must put your trust in someone who is always there, that knows well of what you need and has the power to fulfill them, and can fulfill it more than you can ask with his mercy.

1. To affirm the concept of asbab, cause and effect. Putting trust is Allah does not mean making duaa and adhkaar without doing the actions needed to fulfill that goal. They are not using the tools that Allah has given them. One of the strongest means to achieve your goal is tawakkul alAllah. History shows us repeatedly the effect of putting your trust in Allah. This does not mean we reject asbab. We do not see the asbab as the true cause and effect. However Allah created a system for us to use. But our heart has no connection with these asbab.

There are two requirements for a deed to be accepted. That it be sincere and be done in the right way, in accordance with sunnah. This means that we take the best strategy to bring about the result. The prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) showed this many times in his life, where he (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) followed the most strategic action.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

If you were to put your trust in Allah genuinely (in the full way that you should) then Allah will provide for you in the way he provides for the birds which go out hungry in the morning and come back full in the evening

[Jami' Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, classed as Sahih]

One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it and he asked:

Prophet: Why don’t you tie down your camel?

The Bedouin: I put my trust in Allah

Prophet: Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah

[Jami' Al-Tirmidhi]

If you have a goal you don’t just sit at home and say I am putting tawakkul in Allah, this goes against sunnah. Tawakkul is to do what is within your ability in the best way.

Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don’t say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your” if” opens the (gate) for the Satan.

[Sahih Muslim, Book 33 (Kitab Al-Qadr), Hadith 6441]

Allah gives us an example in the Quran about Maryam who had just given birth and was in a weak state. She was commanded to shake the trunk of the palm tree to get fresh ripe dates. Although she was exhausted she did not sit and wait for the dates to come to her.

So tawakkul is to find the best asbab that can help us achieve our goal, all the while seeking Allahs help. Allah has two types of wills, irada kawniyya and irada shariyya. First is that Allah has set laws for this world and in general makes creation abide by those laws. The second is what Allah commands or prohibits. To reject the asbab or putting your trust only in the asbab are both wrong.

1. To free yourself from any kind of shirk. Cannot turn to anyone other than Allah.

1. The heart feels tranquility in the reliance of Allah Whatever occurs to you whether good or bad does not matter. If you think you have any say in the matter in the end then you do not have tawakkul. You don’t say I have trust in Allah but say this is what should happen. You admit that you do not know the outcome.

1. You must have good expectations of Allah. You know that Allah will never wrong you and cause you injustice, and this comes again from knowing Allah. The statement “Allah does not give me what I deserve” stems from a misunderstanding of this. Rather you should be satisfied and pleased with Allahs decree.

All of these aspects create a bond in the heart between a believer and Allah. If all you see is the worldly factors (I could have done this and this) and this is all you blame for your failure and you do not see the relation between you and Allah in terms of what happened then this is a lack of tawakkul.

Al-Istikhara

Jaber narrates that the prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would instruct us to make istikhara in all of our concerns just as he would teach us a surah from the Quran.” This shows the emphasis he put on it. The way it is done is praying 2 rakats outside of obligatory prayers and making the following duaa:

“O Allah! I seek goodness from Your Knowledge and with Your Power (and Might) I seek strength and I ask from You Your Great Blessings, because verily You have the Power and I do not have the power, and verily You Know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the unseen. Oh Allah! If in Your Knowledge this action (which I intend to do) is better for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then make it destined for me and make it easy for me and then add blessings [baraka'] in it, for me. O Allah! In Your Knowledge if this action is bad for me, bad for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and whatever is better for me, ordain [destine] that for me and then make me satisfied with it.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 21, Hadith 263]

Allah is part of every single thing and has decreed it, so our asking of help and reliance should only be on Him.

Manifestation of ibada and isti’ana

They are the practical aspects of these beliefs. If we believe in these concepts it should affect our behavior and show externally. It is not truly in the heart unless it is not manifested. Some of these manifestations are

• You follow law of Allah alone. There is no reason for this person to follow any forbidden means to achieve a goal. How can you turn to Allah for help and hope that He will help you and put your trust in Him but then do something He has forbidden to achieve your goal? By doing this we are not getting the help of Allah but shaytaan, by the will of Allah. And we know that increasing in worldly things is not a sign that Allah loves you rather Allah may be giving you to increase in your punishment. When you entrust your affair to Allah the most important thing that you want from Him is that He makes you a good servant to Him, your goal is the hereafter and not the things in this world. This person realizes that the pleasures in this life are not worth disobeying his Rabb.
• You lose any fear for anyone other than Allah. He understands that Allah is the only one that can bring about help or harm. And once this happens then this person never compromises in obeying Allah and being faithful to Him. His fear of losing his job goes away. Allah says in the Quran that if Allah helps you no one shall be able to overcome you. The sahaba when they saw the enemy gathering against them and were told to fear them it only increased in their iman. When the believers saw the large army (of ahzab) coming to them they said this is what Allah and his messenger promised and the only thing it increased in them was their iman. Death is the last thing people want to think about our secular society. They cannot handle death because they do not realize there is a hereafter. So any shock is the largest catastrophe for them and they begin to doubt Allah.

Talismans and Amulets

If a believer only puts trust in Allah they will never seek protection in other than Him, for example amulets, talismans, necklaces etc. If you believe that this particular thing protects you it is shirk. If you say that this is a sabab or cause of protection from Allah, is it in shariah? No, so get rid of it.

The Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

Whoever hangs a talisman he is entrusted to it.

[Jami' Al-Tirmidhi]

And in another narration

Whoever wears a talisman, he has associated partners with Allah

[Musnad Ahmad]

Meaning he is no longer entrusted to Allah, and what kind of protection can a charm or talisman really offer you compared to Allah? So Allah will leave you to what you put your trust in. The prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never did it nor guided anyone to do it and the sahaba never did it either. Even if they are verses of the Quran it should be avoided. When we study the shariah we see the preventative measures Islam takes to prevent shirk, where anything that leads to shirk is prohibited. Interestingly enough western society rejects God but still believe in superstitions and omens. This shows how difficult it is to remove shirk from a people once it is embedded. The same prohibition applies to brass/iron/copper bracelets that have no scientific benefit to them.

Imran Ibn Hussain reports the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw someone wearing a brass bangle around his arm and he asked:

Prophet: What is this?

Man with the Amulet: This will protect me from sickness and the disease in my arm

Prophet: On the contrary it will increase the weakness of the arm and if you were to die with it on, then youwill not be successful in the hereafter

[Musnad Ahmad]

Note on Learning Knowledge

Every individual must take the initiative to understand and implement what he has learnt in their life. Simply taking down notes and being able to speak about the content is not enough, if it has not affected you in your life then you have missed the point of learning the knowledge.

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