Last week we discussed a beautiful Hadith Qudsi, and learned that this type of hadith belong in a special category. These sayings are God’s message to humankind in the words of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, and deal predominantly in ethical and spiritual matters. “All of you are misguided except those whom I guide...all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed...” Without God, we are nothing, without God in our lives and our hearts we are lost, alone and vulnerable. Humans need God.
God, on the other hand does not need us. He is the Al Mighty, the Most High, and the Most Powerful. Whatever good we do does not benefit or affect God in any way neither does the bad we do. God does not need anything from us. He is the Self Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need – As Samad.
“He is Allah (God), (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” (Quran 112)
The hadith we are focusing on (which was mentioned in the first part of this series) explains that Islam is a religion concerned with justice, and a religion that condemns oppression of any kind. God then reminds us that everything we have is from Him. When we are hungry God feeds us, when we are naked He clothes us, and when we sin He, the Most Wise, the Most Just, forgives us.
God covers us in His mercy, but at the same time, He reminds us that our strength is from Him alone. Any good we do is for our own benefit and any sins we commit are to our own detriment. Our behavior does not benefit Him in any way. God is completely independent from His creation. If all humans were to ask for something from God and if every request was fulfilled it would not decrease His Kingdom, His Power or His Strength in any way.
Every day in our prayers we ask God to guide us on the straight path, the path that leads directly to His Mercy and Forgiveness. At least seventeen times a day Muslims repeat the words of the opening chapter of the Quran. We ask for God’s guidance, acknowledge that we worship Him alone and seek help from Him alone.
“All the praises and thanks be to God, the Lord of mankind, jinn and all that exists. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight Path. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger nor of those who went astray” (Quran 1:1-7)
This hadith Qudsi God reminds us in a most beautiful and sublime way that all power and strength is from Him alone.
We are able to move and function, eat, drink, and breathe; all our bodily functions and systems work with precise timing. Our hearts beat and our blood circulates. All these functions depend entirely on the will of God. If any stop working, no one can return it to normal except by the will of God.
God is the One who provides all sustenance. Imagine all the work that goes into having a piece of toast for breakfast. The bread, the toaster, the butter, and the electricity and so on, all did not magically appear. The butter was churned, the toaster manufactured, the wheat was harvested, and turned into flour, and the bread was baked, wrapped and delivered. As we spread the butter on the toast we need to remember that none of these simple, yet necessary, tasks could have occurred without the permission or the power of God.
God is the Creator of everything and He has no needs. He does not need our obedience, and our disobedience does not harm Him. He does not need to reward us if we obey Him, he has chosen to because of His generosity. Quran tells us that we were created to worship God, but this does not mean He needs our worship; no, on the contrary, we are the ones who need to worship God. It is in the remembrance of God that our hearts find rest.
“..and I (God) did not create the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” (Quran 51:56)
“Verily, in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” (Quran 13:28)
“All of you are misguided except those whom I guide...” this is a beautiful and comprehensive saying from the traditions of Prophet Muhammad. It emphasises God’s love for humankind, but it also reminds us that we should be grateful for that love. We can search for comfort and peace anywhere in this world but we will never find it until we search for it in our relationship with God.
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