“O MY SERVANTS! ...”

There is a Hadith Qudsi narrated by Imam Ahmed, which is known that it is reported from the people of Al Shaam, and so is known in ilm ul Hadith, as Hadith al shaamee because it was reported from people known to be shamee like abu idrees from the Sahabi abu Dharr. This Hadith is known that it had a special effect on the messenger (saw) because whenever he used to say this Hadith he used to shiver and whenever idrees used to read the Hadith he would sit on his knees and fall unconscious.

The Hadith is long but begins,

“O my servants! …”

This beautiful call from Allah, calling them ‘my servant'; this is khususiyyah, making them his own and showing his love for them and making them close to him and then He (swt) continued,

“O my servants! I have made oppression forbidden upon myself, and made it prohibited among you so do not oppress each other”

Allah is the one who made it forbidden upon himself while Allah will not be questioned by anybody for his actions, whereas everybody else will be questioned. Even if Allah (swt) did with his creation whatever he liked, even if he punished all of the creation, then he is the creator with that right and he will never be held to account for that. But the question is not about the prohibition of oppression upon himself; but rather, “How can any creation then oppress another creation?”
If Allah (swt) punishes it is justice, if he has mercy that is Karaamah from him. This Hadith is calling the people and asking them not to oppress each other and Allah (swt) does not oppress, Allah (swt) says,

“Verily, Allah does not oppress mankind in any matter but rather mankind oppresses themselves” [EMQ 10: 44]

And Allah (swt) says,

“Allah does not wish any oppression on his servant” [EMQ Ghafir: 31]

Allah does not like the oppression so he is not going to accept it and he informed us that the one who does oppression will be punished, Allah (swt) says,

 “Verily the punishment of Allah is severe for the people of a city whose residents are oppressors” [EMQ11:102]

And Allah (swt) says how Allah will give the rope to the oppressor, until he wants to punish them, then he will never leave them,

“And to how many a community that was immersed in evildoing have I given rein for a while! But then I took it to task: for with Me is all journeys’ end!” [EMQ 22: 48]

So oppression is not an attribute from Allah, nor does he like it and nor does he permit it. So when the prophet (saw) said,

“A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim, he doesn’t oppress him”

One of the signs of the Munafiq is that they oppress the Muslim; they oppress the Mujahid and abuse the power given to them by other ignorant Muslims who do not know what they are about.
A form of oppression is to put the things in the wrong place and take sayings out of context and Allah would never do that nor permit for us to do it, so the people should stop oppressing each other.
Even in the shoes, we do not oppress but have justice, the prophet (saw) forbade us to wear one shoe on our feet without to wear the other. So we have justice between the feet, either both should be bare or both should be wearing shoes.
The prophet (saw) was sent to the whole of mankind and when his mission began the oppression was widespread everywhere, people would attack and enslave each other and the pharaohs where everywhere oppressing each other, like the pharaohs of the Romans and Persians and Allah (swt) sent the messenger Muhammad (saw) with the guidance and the Deen of truth and the people began to know for the first time about the justice.

Allah (swt) continues in his Hadith,

“O my servant, I have forbidden oppression on myself so do not oppress each other, O my servant! You are all misguidance except the one who I have guided, so seek my guidance and I will guide you …”

So there is no goodness, no way out of the darkness, no happiness and no guidance, except by the mercy of Allah, He (swt) says,

“… You are all misguided except the one I guided …”

So Allah (swt) favoured some in particular with his Hidayah. But He also has a favour on all of mankind that he created all of creation on the Fitrah, and he sent to us all the messengers and prophets and the books and gave us the mind and heart to contemplate. Allah (swt) says,

“Allah is the one who brought you out of the tummy of your mother knowing nothing and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allah).” [EMQ Nahl: 78]

So Allah was the one who gave us knowledge that we were not born with, and created us with the ability to see and to hear; he showed them the good way and the bad way. So whoever went astray will be punished and whoever Allah misguided nobody will guide him except Allah. But every person is born on the Fitrah and every sign in the universe proves that Allah is the creator and he is worthy to be worshipped alone and whoever does not want to seek that, will never be guided. Allah (swt) says,

“… Seek the guidance, I will guide you”

So we need to seek the Hidayah all the time, inner and outer and Allah (swt) says,

“…Guide us to the straight way, not the way of the cursed people or the misguided” [EMQ Faatihah: 6-7]

We say it in every Rak’ah, every day; so if anyone goes astray, he will go with the misguided and the cursed people and Allah (swt) declared that if you seek it,

“… I will respond to you.”

And Allah (swt) says,

“The promise of Allah is Haq and who is more truthful in his sayings than Allah?” [EMQ 4: 122]

And Allah (swt) says,

“Who is more truthful in his Hadith than Allah?” [EMQ 4: 87]

And Allah (swt) promised the guidance for the one who strove hard to seek it sincerely for the sake of Allah,

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah’s Religion – Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinûn (good doers).” [EMQ ankabut: 69]

And look to Salman Al Farsi he came out striving and seeking the truth all his life, he sought it and for a time he started to worship by the Persian way and then he went from priest to priest always asking them to tell him the truth until Allah guided him to the messenger (saw). He requested the Hidayah and worked for that and then he did not die except on the guidance as a Muslim and the prophet (saw) recited,

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah’s Religion – Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinûn (good doers).” [EMQ ankabut: 69]

So we are needy for His (swt) guidance, needy for His Rizq, needy for food, needy for clothing and Allah is the only one who can provide it. Indeed we are so needy for the Creator and Allah (swt) declares that the most important thing for the people is to be guided and Allah honoured the people that they could read the Qur’an before even being created. It is a big favour from Allah.

Among the creation, some of them know their lord and worship them and some of them do not, and so they become like the animals how Allah (swt) says,

“They are only like the animals; no they are worse and more misguided from the path” [EMQ 25:44]

The Hadith is so clear when He (swt) continued,

“O my servants! All of you are hungry except the one that I fed, so seek the provision from me and I will give it to you”

And Allah (swt) says,

“You worship besides Allah only idols, and you only invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides Allah have no power to give you provision, so seek your provision from Allah (Alone), and worship Him (Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you will be brought back.”  [EMQ Ankabut: 17]

Some people think that the Rizq will come from its cause and some say that the Rizq is on hold until you work for it but that is not true. Allah (swt) says,

“And no living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterus, grave, etc.). All is in a Clear Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz – the Book of Decrees with Allah).” [EMQ Hud: 6]

However Allah (swt) says that despite all this, the people still do not look up to Allah the creator, but rather they look up to the causes and seek and run behind those that they think will give them provision, like the job and the work and they start to work like a donkey until they go away from the Deen, even they start to deal in Haram just to be fed when Allah (swt) says,

“All of you are hungry except the one I fed”

Allah is the one who provides and feeds and doesn’t need to be fed, Allah (swt) ordered us “Seek your Rizq from me without to associate with me anybody,” whether jobs or bosses etc and the Rizq will come to you whether you seek it or do not seek it.
However those who seek it in Halal will get reward and they may seek it by working, by hunting, by jihad, by Du’a or by anything that Allah permitted them. Allah (swt) then requested,

“O my servant! All of you are naked except the one that I clothed, so seek from me the clothes and I will make you satisfied”

This blessing of clothing that people do not realise its goodness. Especially as they have so many clothes nowadays that they forget that this blessing came from Allah, and they forget the cold and hardship they would face if Allah had kept us naked. Everyday people eat and drink and wear their clothes and this Ni’mah is always there, they only have to open their eyes to it.

Allah (swt) then says,

“O my servant, you make mistakes and sin day and night, and I am the one who forgives all the sins, so seek forgiveness from me and I will forgive you”

All of us can make mistakes, the prophet (saw) said,

“Every son of Adam will make mistake …”

All of us can make mistake and slip, the eyes can make a mistake by looking to the Haram, and the tongue could make a mistake by lying or backbiting or saying something without to verify it, the ear could make a mistake as well by listening to Haram, by hearing the Munkar without to forbid it and so the Hadith says to make Istighfar for that.
The prophet (saw) used to make Istighfar 100 times in every day and would make Istighfar 70 times in one Majlis and that is what will wash you from all of your sins. Then Allah (swt) says,

“O people, you are poor and needy for Allah, and Allah is not needy for any of you and is worthy of all praise.” [EMQ Fatir: 15]

and Allah (swt) says in another hadith,

“O son of Adam! Whatever you seek from me I will respond to you regardless …”

So we should continue to seek from him and the Hadith of the prophet (saw) said,

“O Allah I seek your pleasure from your anger …”

So we should fear Allah from the sin and we seek Allah to forgive us when we err, we do not run away from Him and we cannot run away from him.
Moreover, nowadays we know how most of mankind are Kuffar and do not believe, nor make Istighfar to Allah and so they will meet Allah with all the sin and that is why they will be punished and it will not be any injustice.

The Hadith continues,

“O My servants! You can never harm me nor can you benefit me …”

Allah is telling us the difference between Allah and all the creation, none of the creation can harm Allah; whatever someone disbelieves and makes shirk in Allah, he harms nobody but himself. If you do not believe in Allah, you will not harm Allah.
So if the people think that they can be arrogant or fight Allah, then they cannot harm him at all, or if someone foolish thinks that he will benefit Allah by praying or fasting then he cannot do so and is a failure.

Allah (swt) continues,

“O my servants! If the first among you to the last of you from the human and the jinn of you were of the man of the most Taqwa among you, that would never increase the property of Allah anything. O my servants! If the first among you to the last of you from the human and the jinn of you were of the man of the most corrupted sinful among you, you will never be able to decrease from my property anything”

So Allah is free and is sufficient and is not needy for your obedience and is not going to be harmed by our disobedience. The one who will benefit from the obedience is the obedient and the one who is harmed from the disobedience is the disobedient but Allah is absolute and rich and is not needy.

Allah (swt) continued,

“O my servants, if the first among you to the last of you from the human and the jinn were to stand together and ask me and I gave each one their supplication, that will never decrease my property in anything except like the water if you put the needle in the ocean [and took it out].”

And we know how the gift of Allah to us is a matter of a single word and his punishment is a matter of a single word that he will simply say “be” and it will be. His property will never decrease by giving us anything because Allah will just say “be” and it will be and Allah (swt) informed us further and finally in the Hadith,

“O my servants! in fact it is your deeds that I count and will account you for, so whoever will do good, Allah will give him the reward, and whoever found good, let him offer to Allah his blessing and say Alhamdulillah, and whoever found different than that, he should blame nobody but himself”

That is because the Hujjah has been established and the excuses exhausted, the Anbiyaa’ have been sent and will be a proof against them.
They will say to Allah, “O Allah, our bad Nafs overtook us,” but all of these excuses will not benefit them, so seek all the time to do the good deeds and ask Allah to benefit you from your Salah and Siyaam and Zakat and your health. So seek the Ridaa (pleasure) of Allah by obeying him and keep away from his punishment by keeping away from the Haram that he prohibited and be from those servants who listen to the Haq and follow it.

Taught by honored Ustadh Abu Baraa' (hafidhUllah)