Having Honor In the Sight of Allah SWT - Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed | Islamic Reminder | Jummah Khutbah

Having Honor in the Sight of Allah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، أَمَّا بَعْدُ

My dear respected brothers and elders, respected students, and sisters in Islam, وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ. Amongst the akhlaaq and the character that we learn from our beloved Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, one of the most important is his tawadu' — the humbleness of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

The Command to Be Humble

There is an order of Allah in the Quran — Allah is addressing Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: O Nabi Muhammad, be humble to those believers who follow you. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was instructed by Allah to be humble in how he deals with the believers.

And Allah says — and this cuts at the root of all sorts of pride and arrogance that we could feel:

O mankind, We have created you from male and female, and We have made you with different tribes and nations, so you can recognize one another. Verily, the most honorable amongst you in the eyes of Allah is the one who has more fear of Allah. Not the one who has more wealth and riches, or has greater social status, or more followers on Facebook. This is not the criteria of who is beloved to Allah, but rather the criteria is: the most honorable amongst you in the eyes of Allah are those who have the most fear of Allah.

And when it comes to our Taqwa — which is the basis of having honor in the court of Allah — Allah says:

Do not declare yourself to be pure. Do not declare yourself to have Taqwa and become self-righteous. Allah alone has the knowledge of who is God-fearing, who is Muttaqi and who is not.

A Hadith Qudsi on Humility and Justice

And there are many ahadith in this regard as well. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said in a Hadith Qudsi: Verily Allah has revealed to me:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2865)

That be humble — such that no one should boast about himself over another person, and no one should commit any injustice over one another.

We have many youth here. This is part of the sports culture that we look up to — that they promote themselves over their opponents and say, "How good I am, how much better I am than you." This is directly opposite to that. Likewise, the elections are coming up — midterm elections. In the elections, the candidates in these debates debate one another, they put the other person down, they promote themselves. This again goes right in the face of the instruction of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Three Profound Realities from the Hadith of Abu Hurairah

In the hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah, Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ mentioned three things which are contrary to what we as human beings, from our limited knowledge and our perception, would imagine. The reality is not what the eye would see, the reality is not what you would think, but reality is what Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is informing us — what Allah is informing us.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2588)

1. Charity Does Not Decrease Wealth

Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ took an oath and said: مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ — charity will never decrease the wealth. We will see that a person has $100; if he gives $10 in Sadaqah, the $100 has become $90. So $10 has decreased. On the other hand, if he gives it as a loan at 10% interest, the $100 will become $110 — you see the money increasing.

Whereas Allah says:

Allah destroys the economy through Riba — through usury, through interest — and Allah multiplies it through Sadaqah. Allah also says:

That which you give in interest-bearing transactions will not increase in the eyes of Allah. That which you give in Sadaqah will increase in the eyes of Allah. And the Quran is very rational — it is something that makes sense. Allah asks us to ponder, reflect and understand.

So the scholars say: how do we reconcile this? $100 becomes $110 — we see it is more. $100 becomes $90 after Sadaqah — we see it is less. The scholars explain this very beautifully. They say the problem is that we are mistaken in how we measure wealth. We are measuring wealth by quantifying it, by counting it. So we come to the conclusion that $110 is greater than $90, and therefore Riba is better than Sadaqah. This is the wrong conclusion we reach because we are measuring wealth by quantity alone.

Whereas the true measure of wealth is not in the quantity of it, but rather in how much benefit you derive from it. Allah knows that the amount of happiness, the amount of comfort, the amount of contentment and peace that Allah will give in those $90 will be much greater than all the haraam taint associated with the $110. So that is the true measure of wealth — not the quantity, but how much benefit we derive from it. Because at the end of the day, we don't eat the money, we don't sleep on the money. We buy things with the money — things of the world.

Allah says the money is the qiyam of life — it is the means by which we sustain ourselves. And those things that we buy are not themselves the objective, but rather the contentment, peace, happiness, and enjoyment they bring — that is the objective. So Allah will place that level of enjoyment in the $90. This is what the hadith tells us: مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ — by Allah, charity will never decrease wealth. Numerically it will be less, but the benefit you derive from the money will be greater.

2. Forgiveness Increases Honor

وَمَا زَادَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا بِعَفْوٍ إِلَّا عِزًّا — Whenever anyone forgives someone for the sake of Allah, then Allah will increase that person in honor. The society will tell us that if you win the argument, then you are the champion — you made your case, you forced the opposition to submit and accept your view. Whereas if you give up the argument and forgive the person, this is seen as a sign of weakness.

Contrary to this conventional wisdom, Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is telling us: the more you pardon people for the sake of Allah, Allah will increase you in honor — not decrease your honor. This is the behavior of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, who is the best of the creation:

Verily, you O Nabi Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, are the manifestation of moral excellence, the best character ever. He forgave people for the sake of Allah. He asked the people — one time, before he passed away — "Is there anyone I have ever wronged? Is there anyone I have ever hurt unlawfully? Let him come forward and take his revenge from me today." This was the forgiving nature of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Much to the surprise of the companions, one companion raised his hand and said, "Yes, you did something to me once, and I want to take my revenge today." Everyone looked at him — are you okay? What is going on? How can you dare say that? But Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, "Hold on, let him speak his mind." He said, "Ya Rasulullah, one time you were straightening the lines, and you had a stick, and with that stick you ended up prodding me in my chest, and you hurt me that day even though I did not deserve it."

So Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, "Okay, what do you want me to do now?" He said, "I need my revenge. I need to be able to do the same thing back to you that you did to me." Everyone was very astonished by what was unfolding — they could not fathom this. But Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ came forward, gave him a stick, and said, "You can hit me or prod me, as you claim I did to you."

Then he said, "No, it is not fair, because you are wearing all these upper garments and it will not hurt you as much. I was bareback that day — I did not even have a shirt — so it hurt me more." So Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — look at the level of humbleness.

If anyone comes and tells a doctor in his clinic, or tells an Imam in his office in the masjid, or tells anyone in their place of residence or work that they want to take revenge, or grabs their shirt and pulls on it — as the Arabs and Bedouins used to do with Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. It goes against all common etiquette to grab someone's clothes and start pulling on them. Imagine if someone came and started pulling on your shirt.

And they used to pull on the clothes of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — which were rough in nature to begin with — until the body of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ would get affected and become red from the strain of the cloth pulling against him. And the Arabs and Bedouins used to pull on his shirt and say:

This wording reflects the level at which they would approach Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. They were not saying لَوْ سَمَحْتَ وَمِنْ فَضْلِكَ — "Please, can you grant us something?" — nor تَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا — "Please give us Sadaqah." No. First of all they are taking him out of the equation. They are saying: "Give us — from that which Allah gave you." It is not even your kindness or generosity you are giving, because you are attributing it back to Allah and saying: Allah gave it to you, it is not even yours. So just give us that which belongs to us. It is our right. You just happen to be the custodian. Give us from that which Allah has given you.

Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ would smile and turn towards them in kindness — he would not even say, "Stop pulling on my shirt." And they would themselves let go, and then he would order the camels and the goats and the dates and the grain to be given to these people. So it is very easy for me here to talk about humbleness. Easier yet for you to hear about it. But when such a test comes in our life, that is where we can see who is truly humble and who amongst us can ever come near the character of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

3. Humility Before Allah Elevates a Person

وَمَا تَوَاضَعَ أَحَدٌ لِلَّهِ إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ — Whoever humbles himself only for the sake of Allah, the more he lowers himself, the more he will be elevated by Allah. The more humble a person will be for the sake of Allah, the more he will be elevated by Allah.

And there is another hadith that adds: وَمَا تَكَبَّرَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا وَضَعَهُ اللَّهُ — The one who shows arrogance, Allah will debase him: either in this world, or definitely on the Day of Judgment. Because kibr and arrogance are not liked by Allah.

Kibr: The Disease That Expelled Iblis from Jannah

We are in this world and we are hoping and dreaming to enter Jannah. If we have kibr, we cannot enter Jannah. For the very simple fact that the one whose default position started off in Jannah — imagine that. We are in dunya, we hope to get to Jannah. Imagine the one who is already in Jannah, who is a resident of Jannah and beloved to Allah. But because of his kibr and arrogance, he was expelled from Jannah. Allah said:

O Iblis! You are expelled from Jannah and you are cursed. The one who was in Jannah was kicked out because of kibr. How can we hope to enter Jannah with kibr? It is impossible. That is why Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 91)

The one who has even an iota — an atom's worth — of kibr and arrogance in his heart cannot enter Jannah.

The Greatest of Creation Was Also the Most Humble

Lastly, I want to conclude with one point that the ulema mention. They say that from the entire creation — the أَفْضَلُ الْخَلْقِ أَجْمَعِينَ, the best of the entire creation — was Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. That is an enormous statement.

What that actually means is that everything which exists can be divided into two categories — and there is no third category. One category is the Khaliq — the Creator. And the second category is the makhluq — the creation. There is only one Khaliq, and everything that exists besides that one Creator is the creation of that Khaliq. There is absolutely no third category.

When it comes to the Khaliq, there is one Being — وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ — who has absolutely no partners. He is the supreme Creator. He is the most powerful. And none of the creation is like unto Him in any aspect.

Now when you look at the other side — the creation — from the entire creation, we have many great creations. We have Jibril, Mika'il, Israfil, Izra'il — the angels. We have the 'Arsh, the Kursi, the Qalam. We have the seven heavens, seven earths, Jannah, Jahannam. Human beings, jinn, mala'ikah. From all of these creations, the أَفْضَلُ الْخَلْقِ أَجْمَعِينَ — the best of the entire creation, the most honorable, the most superior of the entire creation — is Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. Literally, after the position of Allah, the second place is Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

So imagine — after being at such a pinnacle of greatness — the scholars say: from the entire creation, from all the Anbiya', Sulaha', Awliya', Sahaba — from the entire creation — who was the most humble? The most humble creation, more humble than an ant, more humble than the lowest creation we can imagine, was Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

He was more humble than Abu Bakr Siddiq. More humble than Umar al-Faruq. More humble than Uthman al-Ghani and Ali ibn Abi Talib. More humble than the Sahaba, Awliya', Mashayikh, and Sulaha'. Because in all of the صِفَاتٌ مَحْمُودَة — the beautiful and praiseworthy attributes — he excelled everyone else from the creation. We cannot say — just as we cannot say that the Sahaba had more taqwa than Rasulullah, or that their salah was of better quality than Rasulullah's — that they were more humble than him. Absolutely not. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was the most humble.

The Secret: Ma'rifah of Allah Produces True Humility

Now this poses a question: how could he be the greatest of the creation and the humblest of the creation at the same time? Does that mean he was unaware of his own greatness? Does that mean he did not understand his own position in the court of Allah? That he was ignorant of his own maqam? لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ — that is not the case. He knew his maqam. Just as we believe he is Rasulullah and the best of creation, he had to believe that too. So how can we reconcile the fact that he is the greatest of the creation and the humblest of the creation?

This is because there is a third factor that we are missing. And that is: from the entire creation, he had the greatest ma'rifah of Allah and the greatest understanding of the greatness of Allah. So when he would compare his 'ibadat — what he has done — to what is truly due to Allah, he would have the most acute perception of the shortfall of his own 'ibadat.

On one hand, there are people who do a good deed and are satisfied with it. They think they have done something great. "I pray Jummah — I am pious." And they are happy with what they have done. They feel as though they have a confirmed booking for Jannah. On the other hand, there are the righteous ones — those described in the Quran:

Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ had the greatest knowledge of the dhaat and sifaat of Allah — the greatest level of ma'rifah regarding how infinite Allah is. Therefore, he had the greatest perception of the gap between his 'ibadah and what is truly owed to Allah. Despite his 'ibadah being the best ever performed, it was still finite. And finite compared to the Infinite — no matter how great that finite is — it is zero. So he had the greatest perception of that zero.

That is why after worshipping Allah, he would say:

"O Allah, I have not worshipped You the way You truly deserve to be worshipped." He did not have any confusion that his 'ibadah is better than that of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, the Sahaba, Tabi'een, Taba' al-Tabi'een, and Awliya' until today. He did not think his 'ibadah was worse than ours. He knew his 'ibadah was better than ours. But he was not comparing his 'ibadah to the creation — he was comparing his 'ibadah to the right of the Creator. And he had the best perception of that difference. That is why he would negate it.

Even when he would praise Allah, he would say:

"O Allah, I cannot praise You the way You deserve to be praised. Your greatness is so immense — You are truly as You describe Yourself. Only You can praise Yourself. I cannot even praise You adequately."

So this is how humble Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was. And this humility came as a direct result of his ma'rifah of Allah. So the more the greatness of Allah enters our hearts, the more our own limitations will become manifest to us, and the more we will become humble.

May Allah fill our hearts with His greatness and allow us to become true, humble servants of Allah.