The third basis:
Working for Allah's sake
Whoever works and
expects rewards from people, he broke his contract with Allah, he shouldn’t
expect any rewards from Allah, so what does Allah wants from us?
"All that was
asked of them was to worship GOD, devoting the religion absolutely to Him
alone." (Surat Al-Bayenah,
verse 5)
At every deed even if
I bought something for my wife to eat, I shouldn’t say: "I bought you so
and so." Because I do it firstly for Allah's sake not for her and I want
the reward for this deed from Allah.
The apostle of Allah
said:
"Man can get
rewards even when he puts a bite in the mouth of his wife."[1]
If he brings this
bite for her and said: "I get it to you to stop asking for it or to be
silent." Then this is his reward nothing else, but it should be for
Allah's sake, so I only buy her legal things as I don’t seek her satisfaction
only but I seek Allah's satisfaction then hers after that because I deal with Allah.
Even when man makes love with his wife, the completion of the previous Hadeeth
is: "Even when you do sex with your wife, you get favor." So make
yourself a truthful intention for Allah even in your legal desires.
The woman who gives presents
to her neighbors and relatives at different occasions and write down that she
gave so and so fifty pounds and so and so a bottle of oil and a kilo of sugar,
then she expects the same, if they don’t do the same she complains and talk
badly about them. Was her work for Allah's sake? If so, she shouldn’t wait for
rewards from anyone.
And so in bringing up
my children, spending money for my kids, the mother who brings up her children
and does housework, all should do such things for Allah's sake and seeking His
satisfaction, not for a benefit or a wish I expect from them. What do they have
to give or grant you? So you shouldn’t boast by what you spend as some fathers
or mothers say to their children: "We did so and so for you, we spent our
lives serving you in vain, is this your answer for what we did for you?"
Such words spoil
these great deeds and by this you loose them, why? Because all the deeds of
believers are Ibadah (acts of worship), by them they seek Allah's face and ask
for His satisfaction not from anyone else. A righteous man used to deal by
these conditions, he used to say to his brothers teaching and urging them:
"I never go out
of my house unless I think of seventy intentions for Allah's sake."
The more good intentions
you have, the more grants and rewards you get. The companions of the apostle of
Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) were like this, he
trained them to this great condition in which they are loyal and sincere to
Allah and seeking His satisfaction.
Once they were
opening a town in Persia called Nahawend, it was the last bastion of Persian
kings, there was a big castle around it, they continued for two months and
couldn’t open it due to this castle, one day while one of the companions of the
apostle of Allah was thinking about this, he wasn't thinking about having the medal
of courage or the Nile Medallion, but he wanted to have the Medal for Merit
from The Lord of mankind and the decoration from the master of all people.
He got up, wore his
clothes, went to a group of soldiers who didn’t know him and said to them:
"You will lift me and through me over the wall beside the door among the
enemies." They asked him: "Who are you?" He said: "It's
none of your business."
They carried him and
threw him over the wall among the enemies, their swords rained to him, he used
his sword and could kill them by Allah's help and he opened a part of the door
and called other Muslims, they went in and they could open the town by the
blessing of that man, the leader announced a big reward for that man, but he
didn’t know him, the man didn’t appear and no one reported about him, the
leader waited three days.
At the end, the man
went to him and said that he knew the man who opened the fortress and that he
wanted to meet him but on three conditions, the leader asked about his
conditions, he said the first one not to tell Ameer Al-Mo'meneen (the caliph
Omar) about him, the second one not to give him any reward because he wanted
his reward from Allah and the third condition not to make him known to the
army. The leader agreed to his conditions and asked about the man, he said:
"I am." He left him and went out.
This is the covenant
and those are the men of chastening? Who are they? Allah says:
"Among the
believers there are people who fulfill their pledges with GOD. Some of them
died, while others stand ready, never wavering." (Surat Al-Ahzab, verse 23)
Those men used to
care most for Allah's satisfaction because they knew from the very beginning
that the contract was with Allah, what is the contract that concerns all of us?
Allah says: "GOD has bought" Who has bought? Allah. From whom?
"From the believers" Who were at the time of the prophet only
or all of them? All believers to the Day of Judgment, what has He bought from
them? "Their lives and their money" What does Allah mean by "Their
lives"?
He means that all their
movements, their stillness their deeds are for Allah's sake and they spend
their money according to the orders of Sharia and the book of Allah seeking
Allah's satisfaction, he doesn’t spend it and say: "It's my money and I am
free to spend it."
If it is your money, then
why does Allah question you about it?
But He asks you to do
everything devotedly to Allah, firstly you legally gain your money then you
spend it according to Sharia, during all this you seek Allah's satisfaction,
thank Allah for it, give out His right in it and you never forget that you are
only a successor and the real owner is Allah, this is loyalty to Allah.
You want to satisfy
your wife and your children, this is a big disaster, Allah says:
"That is the
day when neither money, nor children, can help. Only those who come to GOD with
their whole heart (will be saved)." (Surat Asho'araa, verses 88, 89)
If I say: "Oh my
children, I bought you two buildings and put you balance in the bank." Can
they be useful to me there? Can anyone of them give me a reward there if I need
it? No, never, but Allah says:
"That is the
day when one flees from his brother. From his mother and father. From his
spouse and children. Each one of them, on that day, worries about his own
destiny." (Surat Abas,
verses 24-27)
At that day, he (your
son) will ask Allah to take his right from you and take from your rewards, kids
(boys and girls) are the mites of rewards as righteous people said and as the
beloved (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said in his Hadeeth,
he said:
"The first
people who stop and attach man at the Day of Judgment are his wife and children
they stop him in front of Allah and say: Oh Allah get us our right from him, he
didn’t teach us what we don't know and he illegally fed us while we don’t know,
and Allah retaliates from him."[2]
So, a smart man is that who deal with Allah not with
people and he is devoted to Allah, this is the contract as Allah says:
"GOD has
bought from the believers their lives and their money" What is the price: "In exchange for Paradise ." How do they pay their lives and their
money? "Thus, they fight in the cause of GOD, willing to kill and get
killed." Is this contract registered? Yes. "Such is His
truthful pledge" Where are the registration offices? "In the
Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran - and who fulfills His pledge better than GOD?
You shall rejoice in making such an exchange. This is the greatest
triumph." (Surat At'tawbah, verse 111)
Allah also says:
"Those who
violate such a pledge, commit the violation to their own detriment. As for
those who fulfill their pledge with GOD, He will grant them a great
recompense." (Surat Al-Fat'h,
verse 10)
We all announced this
pledge or contract when we said: La Ilaha Illa Allah Mohammed Rasool Allah, this
means that me, my soul, my money, my time, my life, my age and all my life are
for Allah, that is to have them according to the orders of Allah and my
intention through all this is to seek Allah's satisfaction, this is the
contract of righteous people.
Whoever forgets this,
he is lost, misled in this life and exposes himself for questioning, Allah will
say to him: "You made a contract with us and you didn’t fulfill."
What a questioning, it is followed by great events.
So Imam Abdel-Wahab Asha'rany,
who was one of the greatest righteous people, wrote a great book dealing with
this pledge, he called it: "Al-Ohood Al-Mohammedeya", (the pledges of
Mohammed). This pledge is synopsized so he wrote a marginal date as he is a
lawyer in the office of Mohammed.
This righteous man
wrote that marginal date for this pledge of Allah, when we read it we find him
saying: Allah and the apostle of Allah took our pledge to say the truth and not
to tell lies even if we are kidding or having fun, he cited by the texts that
support this, the apostle of Allah took our pledge to do so and so and he
mentioned everything we have to do, so we should know the items of this pledge?
They are the orders
of Sharia, the manners of Koran, the dealings of Islam and the deeds of
Mohammed, we are asked to fulfill this in our lives seeking Allah's
satisfaction. This is the difference between slaves of Allah who work for
Allah's sake and those who muddle on this life and forgot their covenant with
Allah and they do only for themselves or for people, dissemble, trick and betray.
Why? Because they
forgot that they deal with Allah, Allah reminded them saying : If you think you
trick so and so in buying or selling or speech, you don’t trick him or her
because your contract is with me, Allah says:
"In trying to
deceive GOD and those who believe." (Surat Al-Bakarah, verse 9)
He began by Allah
first, so whoever thinks that he deceives a believer, he deceives Allah and so
that who betrays, lies or dissemble.
Imam Abul-Aza'em
said:
"Leave people
behind you and deal truthfully with your Lord."
If other people are
traitors, its not my business, I want to keep my covenant to Allah because I
deal with Allah and try to be loyal to Him not to people, a believer will be
expostulated by Allah about the deeds that he did for people, because Allah
took his pledge to be a loveable model, presenting Allah's beloved and chosen
prophet among people, following the orders of Sharia and decorated in his life
and behavior by the decoration of what Allah says:
"Muhammad - the messenger of GOD - and
those who are with him." (Surat Al-Fat'h, verse 29)
When people see him,
they remember the conditions of the noble prophet, his guidance, his manners,
his appearance and his dealings, he attracts people to Allah. but now we say
that we are with Allah only when we are in the mosque, when we go out of the
mosque we wear the mask of Satan, the mask of a lion, the mask of a ram, the
mask of a monkey or other things. Is this the loyal deed or the deed for
Allah's sake? Without loyalty to Allah, a follower couldn’t do jihad or
chastening or achieve his goal even if he spends years and years.
As loyalty to Allah
is very important in chastening the soul, I'll tell you a secret of true men's
secrets by which Allah grants them this favor and benevolence.
Whoever wants to follow
their way, guided by the lights of their chastening to their souls and take
their grants, he should surely know that they reached this condition because
they made their deeds and their chastening of their bodies, souls, money and
everything for Allah's sake, they didn’t get a price for this in this life even
if it is all the treasures of life, following the prophets and the apostles of
Allah.
The secret is loyalty
in all deeds for Allah, nothing else, as Allah says:
"O my people,
I do not ask you for any money; my wage comes only from GOD." (Surat Hud,
verse 29)
They don’t ask anyone
for wage because they taught him, guided him, directed him, explained something
ambiguous in knowledge for him or granted him hidden wisdom even if this wage
is respecting or ennoblement for that, they are not contented by that, their
hearts don’t change or disturbed if they found revulsion or denying by those
whom they guided because they teach and do for Allah and not want grants from
anyone else for a twinkle of an eye or less.
But those of low or
mean souls, if one of them taught three or four people and one of them passes
him without giving him ennoblement, he says: "Why does he do this, I
taught him so and so." And he makes a newscast and spread it everywhere,
do you expect wage from him? Does he have anything to give you? If you expect
wage from him, you are heedless because any amount of the treasures of life or
hereafter doesn’t equal a word of guidance leads to good or prevents from bad.
Does it equal a million dollars? No, by Allah.
If a single
glorification or praise in the paper of a believer as it was narrated in the
trusted books, is better and greater than all apparent and hidden treasures of
life, what you think about a word of guidance, how much is it? They only want
from Allah, they don’t ask anyone else, and they deal with Allah and teach
people for Allah's sake.
That who says:
"How I taught so and so and he left me and went to so and so?" We ask
him: "Did you teach him in order to follow you? What do you do by him? If
all people followed you, could they benefit or promote you? They might make you
go astray or occupy you, what do you want then?"
Allah, nothing else
as Allah says:
"Those who
worship their Lord day and night, seeking Him alone." (Surat Al-Kahf, verse 28)
Oh brothers, if all
the troubles of people in this life is caused by life among them, most troubles
of people in the way of Allah is because everyone of them boast to his brother
saying that he caused him to inter the way of Allah and taught him, he wants
him to follow him permanently, oh brother, why can't a follower exceed a guide
and he himself becomes the guide, nothing can stop Allah's favor.
Some brothers sometimes
ask and say about themselves: "I come to this town for more than fifteen
years and find no fruit for my call to Allah and no one wants to come with me
to the way of Allah." In this case I say to him: "Do you call people
to yourself or to your Lord, if you call them for Allah, why do you want them
then?"
You tell them that
this is the religion of Allah, the mosque, the acts of adoration or worship and
the Koran, and you tell them to follow this and rely and seek Allah. But you
want to call them for yourself to respect you, ennoble and make you great
sheikh, this is one of the greatest problems that make man has no fruit in life
or at the Day of Judgment. Make a trial and make your call for Allah, call
people to Allah, they will come as Allah says:
"When triumph
comes from GOD, and victory. You will see the people embracing GOD's religion
in throngs." (Surat An'nasr,
verses 1, 2)
This is because he
calls them for Allah, but that who calls them to himself in order to esteem or
respect him, it is the prudence of Allah and His regard for him that they don’t
gather to him because if they gather to him, they will ruin him and make him go
astray, Allah wants him to review and look back at himself, think about the
matter and recognize his mistake and make it right, but if they come to him he
will think that he is right but he really has nothing.
The men of grants,
when people come to them, they say to them: "We don’t have time and we are
occupied by Allah but come with us and we will show you the way."
What will you do by
people? Is there a space in the heart for both people and Allah? No, either
this or that, the heart that is occupied by Allah has no space for people.
So the righteous man
whose heart is occupied by Allah, when someone comes to him to complain, he
tells him that he has no time and at the same time he asks Allah to suffice him,
Allah does because he asks Him. The other one who is occupied only by the
desires of his soul, he says to him: "Why didn’t you come to me. If you
come, I will supplicate for you." He goes to him and he supplicates for
him but there is no response because he supplicates by his soul. But the first
one who is chastening his soul and who seeks Allah relies on his Lord because
all his deeds are for Allah, such man, Allah always contents him as he makes
himself altogether for Allah.
What you think of
that who asks for the price of a lecture? He makes a contract with his host and
asks about how they receive him and what they prepare for him, this is what he
wants and what he wishes, so he is among the people who are interested in this
life because he seeks wage not works for Allah, if he doesn’t get the money, he
won't go, if they don’t entertain him, he won't come back to them even if they
invited or needed him.
But the people of Allah
who truthfully go in the hard way of chastening always train their souls that
their aim is the face of Allah and they are always loyal to Him.
So Imam Malik hesitated
a long time about the rightness of the prayer of Imam who takes wage for his
prayers, when they asked him he said: "If he thinks that his wage is for
his prayers, then his prayers are invalid or worthless." Imams stop taking
wages and asked: "What should we do then?" He said: "The prayers
are for Allah and he should think that the wage is just a gift or present from
people." He shouldn’t look forward to it or ask for it even by his
condition without talking, but the prayers should be for Allah to be accepted
and worthy.
And so in all
religious deeds, there should be sincerity and loyalty for Allah, or his
chastening even for a breath is worthless, then he won't leave his place or go
forward, he might think or imagine that he goes forward but he is still as he
is with those who sit.
