Tafseer Surah al-Kawthar by Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahim'Allah) - Pt.4

Subject: Tafseer Surah al-Kawthar by Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahim'Allah) - Pt.4

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy


Indeed, We have granted you, O Muhammad (saw), al-Kawthar

So turn in Prayer and sacrifice to your Lord (alone)

Certainly the one who bears hatred towards you is the one severed from all good

[Noble Qur'an - 108:1-3]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So it is to Allaah that the creation will return, and their accounting is with Him. And He knows best about their condition - the condition of all His servants.

So his (saw) intercession is for those of his Ummah guilty of committing major sins. As for the doer of good, then his righteousness was due to Allaah's granting him that.And as for the evil doer, then there is no proof for him, nor any excuse.

What is intended is that al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise, and it is also the abundant good that Allaah grants to His Messenger (saw) in this world and the hereafter. And this is other than the reward of his Ummah, right up to the Day of Resurrection. So everybody who recited, learns some knowledge, performs a righteous deed, teaches someone else, gives sadaqah, fights jihaad, guards the frontier, repents, has patience, relies upon Allaah, or attains one of the desirable states of the heart, such as fear, awe, knowledge and awareness of Allaah and so on - then he (saw) will receive the same reward as that person, without anything being reduced from the reward of that individual, and Allaah knows best.

Then in His Saying:

Fa-sallee li-rabbika wa-anhar -- So Turn in Prayer and Sacrifice to Your Lord (alone)

Allaah commands him to gather these two very great types of worship: the Prayer and the Sacrifice. Each of these shows a persons seeking to draw closer to Allaah, his humility, poverty before Him, his good thoughtsabout Him and the strength of his certain faith. They also show that his heart is at peace with Allaah, and with His promise, His orders, His beneficence and His grant of good.

This is contrary to the state of the people of arrogance, aversion and those who think they have no need of Allaah. Those who feel that they have no need to ask of their Lord by praying to Him and making requests to Him. Those who do not perform sacrifices for Him for fear of poverty, who abandon helping the needy and providing them with food and at the same time bear evil thoughts about their Lord.

Therefore Allaah, ta'ala, combined them both in His Saying:

"Say All my prayers, sacrifices, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Nourisher, and Lord of all of the Creation". (6:162)

So what is meant is that the Prayer and the Sacrifice are the most excellent means of drawing closer to Allaah, since they are introduced here with the "faa" that shows result or effect. Thus performing Prayer and the Sacrifice is a means of establishing the thanks due to Allaah for that which He granted to him, i.e. for al-Kawthar and the abundant good.

The greatest way of giving thanks to the One Who Bestowed that blessing upon him is by performing these two types of worship. Indeed the Prayer is the limit of worship and the highest goal.

Thus it is as if He by His saying "Fa sallee li-rabbika wa-anhar" is saying, "We have granted you abundant good, and have blessed you with that cause of your establishing those two forms of worship for Us, out of thanks for Our giving you that blessing. Such that these two are the cause of Our blessing you with that good. Therefore establish them for Us".

So the Prayer and the Sacrifice are encircled by a grant of blessing that precedes them, and a grant of blessing that follows on from them.

Also it is the case that the finest of the types of worship involving the giving of ones wealth is the Sacrifice and the finest of the bodily worships is the Prayer. That which unites together for the servant in his Prayer is such that it does not unite together for him in any other worship, and this will be known by those whose hearts are alive and who have the highest desire.

Furthermore that which unites together for the one making the Sacrifice: his giving preference and precedence to Allaah, his good thoughts about Allaah, the strength of his certain faith, and his trusting in that which lies in Allaah's Hand is a truly amazing affair, if that is combined with correct and true faith (eemaan) and with making one's worship purely and sincerely for Allaah (al-Ikhlaas).

So the Prophet (saw) carried out the command of his Lord and was one who frequently prayed to His Lord and performed the Sacrifice many times, to the extent that in the Farewell Pilgrimage he sacrificed sixty-three animals with his own hand (15), and he would sacrifice at the time of the 'eids and at other times.

FOOTNOTES:

(15) Muslim reports in the long hadeeth of Jaabir (ra) about the Hajj of the Prophet (saw) in the Book of Hajj, Chapter 19 ".. then he (saw) went to the place of sacrifice and sacrificed sixty three animals with his own hand. Then he gave the knife to 'Alee and he sacrificed what remained..."
.............................

As Salam alaykum wa Rahmat'Allahi wa Barakatuhu dear brothers and sisters, all the members of this group. We are pleased to be able to, by Allah's Permission, to send you these daily reminders and appreciate the comments, questions and even (constructive) criticism which you transmit to us, either through private messages or on the wall of the group. Do not hesitate to continue as such if you have anything you wish to tell Brother Mohamed Riswan or myself, and we will surely return to you with a reply, insha'Allah, as soon as we can. May Allah increase us all in the knowledge of Him and His Messenger (Salallahu alayhi wa Salam), His Book and His Messenger's (Salallahu alayhi wa Salam) Sunnah (tradition). Ameen

Subject: The belief in the Angels

The angels form an unseen world; they were created by Allaah from light and they obey the commands of Allaah:

“who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded”

[al-Tahreem 66:6 – interpretation of the meaning]

Belief in the angels implies four essential things:

1 – Affirming that they exist and that they are part of the creation of Allaah, subject to His Lordship and subjugated to Him.

“…honoured slaves.

They speak not until He has spoken, and they act on His Command”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:26-27 – interpretation of the meaning]

“who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded”

[al-Tahreem 66:6 – interpretation of the meaning]

“And those who are near Him (i.e. the angels) are not too proud to worship Him, nor are they weary (of His worship).

They (i.e. the angels) glorify His Praises night and day, (and) they never slacken (to do so)”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:19-20 – interpretation of the meaning]

2 – Belief in the names of those whose name we know, such as Jibreel, Mikaa’eel, Israafeel, Maalik, Radwaan and others – peace be upon them.

3 – Belief in the attributes of those whose attributes we know, as we know the description of Jibreel from the Sunnah, and that he has six hundred wings which filled the horizon or the sky.

4 – Belief in the actions which we know some of them do, so Jibreel (peace be upon him) was entrusted with that which revives the heart, namely the Revelation. Israafeel is entrusted with sounding the Trumpet-blast (to herald the onset of the Day of Resurrection); Mikaa’eel is entrusted with the rain; Maalik is entrusted with Hell, and so on.

One of the most important things that we must believe in is that every person has two angels with him who record his deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“(Remember) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions)

Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)”[Qaaf 50:17-18]

i.e., a watcher from among these angels who is present. So beware lest these two angels record anything from you that will be bad for you on the Day of Resurrection, for everything that you say will be recorded against you, and when the Day of Resurrection comes, each person’s book of deeds will be brought out,

“…and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him a book which he will find wide open.

(It will be said to him): ‘Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day.’”

[al-Isra’ 17:13-14 – interpretation of the meaning].

We ask Allaah to conceal our sins and forgive us, for He is All-Seeing, Ever Responsive. And Allaah knows best.

See: A’laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 86; Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/160.