Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) stated:
The aim is not to transgress against anyone- neither the opponent nor other than him; neither neglecting his rights nor describing him specifically with what he not to be specifically described with, which is shared by both him and others. Rather the aim is (to utter) speech that is based on the merits of (sound) knowledge, justice and religion, just as Allaah (The Most high) stated:
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety. [5:8]
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [rahimahullaah] said:
When a person does not act on truth he is in needs of-neither affirming nor loving it, he is an oppressor against himself. When he affirms falsehood or loves it, and follows his desires, he is an oppressor against himself. Oppression against oneself returns back to following conjecture and what the soul desires, and this can be by way of following one’s views and desires. Bidah is the basis of evil and that is to give precedence to one’s intellect over the revealed text and choosing one’s desires over the fulfilment of a command. Following the guidance is the basis of good, as Allaah (The Most High) said:
”Then if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.” [Taha Aayat 123-124]
[Source: شرحُ حديث ٱللهم إني ظلمت نفسي ظلما كثيرا of Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah. Page: 66]
Imaam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) was asked about the statement of a person who says: ”I am free (or liberated?)”
Answer
If a liberated (or free person) says this and intends by it freedom from slavery to the creation, then yes he is free from slavery to the creation. However, if he intends by this that he is liberated (freed) from servitude to Allaah (The Mighty and Majestic), then indeed he has erred in his understanding of servitude and he does not understand the meaning of freedom. That is because servitude to other than Allaah is bondage. As for the servitude of a person to Allaah (The Mighty and Majestic), then this is real freedom because if he does not humble himself to Allaah, he will humble himself to other than Allaah. So he deceives himself when he says that he is free (or liberated), meaning: he is liberated from obedience to Allaah and does not fulfil (such obedience to Him).
Question to Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-Uthaymeen
May Allaah have mercy upon a person who knows his limitations and worth- [Does this (saying) have an (established) source and has it been transmitted in a hadeeth?]
Answer:
I do not know of an (established) source for it; however its meaning is correct. (That is) because when a person knows his (limitations and worth), he will be humble in the presence of his Lord. He will worship Allaah and will know that he is not free from being in need of Allaah in the twinkling of an eye. If he knows himself, he will know his status amongst the people and this knowledge will make him not to be haughty towards them because haughtiness is from the major sins, and looking down on the people is from the forbidden affairs. And that is why when the Prophet (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) warned against haughtiness (or pride), they (i.e. the people) said: “Everyone of us loves that his clothes and shoes are nice;’’ so he (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) said: “Indeed, Allaah is beautiful and He loves beauty; haughtiness (or pride) is to reject the truth and look down on the people.”
So when a person knows his (limitations and worth), he will know his rank amongst the people. He will place himself in his (rightful) place; humble himself in the presence of his lord and in the presence of Allaah’s creation. And whoever humbles himself to Allaah, Allaah will raise him.
And know that, among you there is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you (i.e. follow your opinions and desires) in much of the matter, you would surely be in trouble, but Allah has endeared the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wickedness and disobedience (to Allah and His Messenger) hateful to you. These! They are the rightly guided ones, (This is) a Grace from Allah and His Favour. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [Soorah al-Hujuraat: Ayah 7-8]
Your love for Imaan, desire for it and its beautification in your hearts is not from yourselves; rather it is Allaah who placed it in your hearts. He is the one who made it preferable and pleasing to you; therefore do not put yourself before My [i.e. I (Allaah)] Messenger-neither speak until he speaks nor act until he commands you. The one (i.e. Allaah) who made you love Imaan is the most knowledgeable concerning what is of benefit for His slaves than yourselves. And had it not been the Tawfeeq of Allaah upon you, your souls would not have yielded to Imaan. Imaan would not have been (acquired) through your consultation and bestowed from yourselves, nor would you have given it precedence because your souls are unable and weak to (do that), and cannot reach it…. [For further details, See ‘Madaarij As-Saalikeen 1/414—415]
O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily! Those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought. They have not estimated Allah His Rightful Estimate; Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty. [Hajj: Ayah: 73-74]
Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
It is obligatory that the slave makes his heart pay attention to this parable and ponder upon it as it should be truly pondered upon because it cuts off the desire of shirk from his heart. The gods that the idolaters worship besides Allaah cannot create (even) a fly, even if they all combined together to create it, then how about what is greater than it? They are neither able to create a fly which is among the weakest of animals nor are they able to gain the upper hand against it to recover what it took away from them. There is nothing more disabled and feebler than them, so how can a sensible person deem it good to worship them besides Allaah.
This Ayah nullifies shirk and (shows) the ignorance of its people. It is a testimony that Satan plays about with them more than kids play with a ball due to the fact that they assign Godhood-which necessitates having absolute power over all the existence, having absolute knowledge of all sources of knowledge and having no need of all the creation, and (the creation being dependent) upon the Lord for their needs, (dependent upon Him) for relief from distress and relief from anxiety and (dependent upon Him to respond to (their) invocations etc.-to images and statues that are deprived of the ability to create the most insignificant creature of the True God, even if they (i.e. those statues and images) gathered and supported one another to do that.
It is idiocy and an offence to (apply) harshness in a place where leniency is to be (applied), and it is weakness and spiritlessness to apply leniency in a place where harshness is to be applied. If it is said: Apply leniency, say: Leniency should be in its place, for the leniency of a young man in other than its place is ignorance.” [Al-Islaam Deenu Kaamilu’ page 12]
Narrated Anas Bin Maalik (radiyallaahu-anhu) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) stated about this ayah: [هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ – He (Allah) is the One deserving that mankind should be afraid of, and He is the One Who forgives (sins) (74:56)] that Allaah (The Mighty and Majestic) said: ‘’I am worthy of being feared, so whoever fears me and does not associate another Ilaah (i.e. god or anything taken as an object of worship) with Me (in worship), then I am worthy of forgiving him.’’ [Reported by Imaam Tirmidhee; Number: 3328 and declared Hasan Li-Ghayrihee by Imaam Albaani in ‘Dhilaal Al-Jannah Fee Takhreej As-Sunnah (969)]
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (radiyallaahu anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) said: Indeed shaytaan said: ”By Your Might O my Lord! I will not cease to misguide your slaves as long as their souls are in their bodies”; The Lord (Allaah) said: ”By My Might and Majesty! I will not cease forgiving them as long as they keep seeking my forgiveness.”
[Reported by Imaam Ahmad 3/29 and declared authentic by Imaam Al Albaani in As-Saheehah 104]
