"What Then is Your Perception of the Lord of the Worlds?" [Quran 37:87]
By Unknown Speaker | 2026-06-08T18:51:39.61085+00:00 | Topic: Tawheed
"What Then is Your Perception of the Lord of the Worlds?"
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except You, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
O people, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul and created from it a wife, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, in Whom you ask for forgiveness and mercy. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.
O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the righteous word, and your deeds will be made right, and your sins will be forgiven. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has won a great triumph in the Hereafter.
Verily, the truth of the hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a creation, and every creation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.
The Story of 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah have mercy on him, was considered to be one of the seven scholars of Medina, from the generation of the Tabi'een. His mother is Asma' bint Abi Bakr, which makes his aunt, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, 'A'ishah bint Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both. And so he spent so much time studying with 'A'ishah, his aunt, to the point that he said that if 'A'ishah were to pass away today, we would not miss anything of her knowledge. That was the level 'Urwah had obtained.
During the latter part of his life, he took a trip to meet the Khalifah at the time in al-Sham, Waleed ibn 'Abd al-Malik. En route to al-Sham, he developed an infection on his leg — it sounds like an abscess of some sort.
As the travel continued, the infection worsened. Until when he reached al-Sham, he wasn't able to walk or put any weight at all on his leg. So he came into the presence of the Khalifah, al-Waleed, being carried by two people, because he couldn't put any weight on his leg.
al-Waleed knew that 'Urwah was a giant from this ummah, one of the scholars of Medina, so right away he called a physician to come and evaluate him. They told him what sounds today to be like gangrene — an infection that, without either a very detailed surgical debridement, would kill you. At that time, of course, they didn't have the ability to do a surgical debridement, so what they would do is amputate the leg.
So they told him: look, the only way you'll survive this is we have to amputate your leg. At first he resisted the idea, but they said if the infection reaches up past your knee, it would take his life. And so he agreed, and they proceeded to amputate his leg.
Now, they offered him medication — whatever they used at that time — that would make the mind less aware of what was going on. But he refused. The reason why he refused is because he was someone who was known to read Quran every single night and every single day. It is said about him that he would read a quarter of the Quran, reviewing it, and then pray that same quarter in qiyam at night. And so he didn't want the effects of the medication to prevent him from his dhikr for that night.
So he said: I'm not going to take any medication. You do what you have to do.
al-Waleed, the khalifah, couldn't even look when the procedure happened. He was waiting for the procedure to happen and didn't realize it had already occurred until he smelled the smell of burning flesh — once they cauterized the wound after they had cut it. It's not a very pleasant smell; you would smell it in operating rooms, in surgical suites, when cautery is used — but imagine a whole amputation with whatever limited medical resources they had at that time. They cauterized the leg. And the only thing al-Waleed heard was 'Urwah saying, "Hass, hass" — telling himself to just bear it.
The Loss of His Son
In this journey, he lost his leg. He took care of his business in al-Sham, and then began heading back to Medina. As he was getting ready to leave al-Sham, someone came and told him that one of his seven sons, Muhammad, who had accompanied him on his journey, had gone into the stables of the king to see the different horses of the khalifah. In doing so, one of the horses had kicked him with its hind legs, and he died from those injuries.
So they came and told 'Urwah what had happened and that his son had died. And so, after losing a leg and then losing his son, he says something very interesting. He quotes the ayah in Surah al-Kahf where Allah relates the words of Musa, peace be upon him:
"We have in this journey of ours faced some fatigue and difficulty." SubhanAllah, even in his method of expressing his concern and his sadness, in that is dhikr of Allah — by mentioning the ayah of Allah.
His Words Upon Returning to Medina
He went back to Medina, and when he reached Medina, the news had spread. People came to him to offer condolences for the loss of his son. And so he said something profound:
"O Allah, I had four limbs, and You took one and left me with three — so for You is all praise. And I had seven children, and You took one and left me with six — so for You is all praise. If You have taken from me, then You have also left me with things. And if You have tested me with something, then how long have I lived my life and You gave me security and health — so for You is all praise."
That is an amazing statement: لئن ابتليت لطالما عافيت — "If You have tested me, then how long have I lived my life and You gave me good health." Think about the blessings of Allah, and the occurrences, the calamities, and the difficulties that we face. We should think back to the statement of 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr: if Allah were to test me with something, how long have I lived my life and He has given me good health?
Understanding Allah to Reach Contentment
This level of contentment with Allah — this level of al-riḍa, to be pleased with the decree of Allah — can only be obtained by someone who understands Allah Himself. Who understands who Allah is, Allah's attributes and how He describes Himself, and how the decree of Allah unfolds in our lives. And to do that, it takes a few different levels of understanding.
First: Allah is Al-'Aleem — The All-Knowing
The first is that we understand and know that Allah is al-'Aleem — that He is All-Knowing.
He knows the hidden, He knows what is secret and what is even more hidden than a secret. What can be more hidden to you than a secret that only you know and haven't told anyone else? It is the thoughts that you have that you aren't even aware of — your subconscious. Allah is aware of all of that.
One of the Salaf made a du'a to Allah, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard him making this du'a. In this beautiful du'a, he said:
"O Allah, You are the One who knows the exact weight of all of the mountains — how many pounds, how many ounces, the exact decimal You know. And O Allah, You know the exact milliliters that compose the oceans and the seas. And O Allah, You know the exact number of raindrops that fall from the sky. And Allah, You are aware of every single leaf on the trees. And O Allah, You are aware of every single creation of Yours upon which the sun has risen or the night has cast its shade." This is who Allah is.
Second: Allah is Al-Hakeem — The All-Wise
But not just al-'Aleem — also al-Hakeem. To reach this level of contentment with Allah, you understand He is All-Knowing, but also He is the most wise in His judgments.
"Is not Allah the best of judges?" So what happens in the life of Yusuf, peace be upon him — from when he was a young child thrown into a well, left to die far from the city where no one would find him, then accused of a crime, then languishing in a prison for years and years — Allah is al-'Aleem and al-Hakeem. Allah is aware and He is most wise in the decree that He has decreed.
And so the ultimate end for Yusuf, peace be upon him:
Allah does not cause the reward of the one who is a Muhsin — who does good — to go to waste.
Third: Allah is Al-Qadeer — The All-Capable
The second is to realize:
That there is nothing that is above Allah. Allah is not incapable of anything. And this requires an understanding of the decree of Allah. This is a principle in our aqeedah, in our belief about Allah — that Allah does not decree something except that the good in it outweighs the evil. There is nothing you will ever face, brothers and sisters, where there is more evil than good — there will always be more good. This is a belief we hold. Now, we may not see it. And we may not see it — like Yusuf, peace be upon him, who eventually saw the end of the story. Some people may not see it in this life, but they will see it when they meet the angel of death, in the akhirah, in the reward Allah has prepared for them.
That is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say in his du'a:
(Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1812)
"Evil is not attributed to You, and all goodness is in Your hands, O Allah."
That is why the scholars say:
"Whoever knows Allah as He should be known will only have a good thought about Allah, no matter what he may face." And it takes the understanding that Allah is al-Haleem — the most forbearing — and al-Qahhar, al-Jabbar, al-Wadud, al-Ghaffar, al-Rahman. All these attributes of Allah — as you understand them, you grow in appreciation of who Allah is, and it helps you navigate the difficulties of this life.
Allah's Overwhelming Mercy
After knowing and recognizing and internalizing that Allah is al-'Aleem and al-Hakeem, and that Allah is al-Qadeer — He is All-Knowing, All-Wise, and All-Capable — is to understand how Allah introduced Himself to you in the Book of Allah.
When you open the Book of Allah, the first thing you recite is:
That Allah's mercy overwhelms and encompasses all things. And Allah says:
That Allah has decreed upon Himself that mercy is His overwhelming attribute.
That is why Hammad ibn Salamah, one of the Salaf, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "On the Day of Judgment, if I was given the choice to have my parents be my judge or Allah — imagine your mother is standing in front of you, and it is her decision whether you will go to Hellfire or to Paradise. Hellfire, a punishment of which, if you were just dipped in for one second, the one who had all the luxuries of this world would say 'I have never experienced any luxury for even a second.' If your mother had that choice, wouldn't we all go with that? I think 100% of us would say yes."
But Hammad is saying: I would choose that Allah be my judge.
"Because Allah is more merciful to me than both of my parents." That is someone who truly understands the verse of Allah:
"What is your perception of the Lord of the worlds? What is your thought about the Lord of the worlds?" And if you truly understood who Allah is, and you reach a level of contentment with the decree of Allah, you will be able to face any challenges in your life and any difficulties with only your status being raised in the eyes of Allah, and your reward being raised and magnified.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Second Part of the Khutbah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ.
Being content with the decree of Allah doesn't mean we abandon du'a — it does not mean that. In fact, Allah loves those who make du'a. And not only does He love those who make du'a, but He loves those who insist in du'a. Your du'a hasn't been answered for five years or ten years, and you keep making du'a — Allah loves that even more. And Allah not only loves that, but He descends to the lowest heaven every single night and says:
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1145; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 758)
"Is there someone asking Me? I will give him. Is there someone asking for forgiveness? I will forgive him."
So it doesn't mean you leave du'a. But what I'm trying to explain — and when I first heard it, it shook my mind, and I still haven't fully comprehended the depth of it — is the contentment with Allah that 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, expressed. He would make du'a to Allah and he would say:
"O Allah, I ask You to grant me contentment with Your decree, to a level, to a point, that I will not wish for something to be brought at a quicker time that You have decreed for it to be later — and I will not wish for the delay of something that You have decreed to be sooner."
We are all praying for Palestine — now, now, now. And he is saying: O Allah, I ask You to make me so content that if You were to bring something later, I am not unhappy that it wasn't sooner; and if You were to bring something now, I am not unhappy that it wasn't delayed. That level of contentment. But that du'a can only be made by someone who truly understands who Allah is.