Du’a of the Qur’an Part 8: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned one Ramadan, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a found towards the end on surah al-Furqan:

ومِن ذلك: دعاءُ عبادِ الرحمن الذين وصفهم الله بكل خُلقٍ جميل، وأعد لهم المنازل العالية؛ فدعوا بدعوتين: دعوةٍ استُجيبت لجميعِهم – كاملَ الدرجة ومَن دونه – ودعوةٍ استُجيبت لخواصهم وأئمتهم وقدوتهم، قال تعالى: ﴿وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا﴾ – إلى أن قال عنهم -: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا﴾[الفرقان: الآيات 63 – 65]

Another comprehensive du’a is the du’a of the ‘ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – whom Allah described with all kinds of beautiful characteristics and promised them elevated ranks.

They made two supplications:

One supplication which was answered for all of them, both those who attained the highest level of excellence as well as those below that

and another supplication which was answered for the elite ones, the leading figures and role models among them.

The Story of ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’ayt: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-Furqan:

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا * يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا * لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي ۗ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنسَانِ خَذُولًا * وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا * وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا مِّنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا

And on the day that the wrongdoer will bite his hand, he will say, “O, if only I had taken a path with the Messenger! * O woe is me, if only I had not taken so-and-so as a close friend! * He took me off course from the reminder after it had come to me.” And the shaytaan is a deserter of man. * And the Messenger said, “O Lord, my people have taken this Qur’an as something to be discarded!” * Likewise We have made an enemy out of the criminals for every prophet. And your Lord is sufficient as a guide and protector. [25:27-31]

Commenting on this, Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn al-Baghawi wrote:

ـ ( ويوم يعض الظالم على يديه ) أراد بالظالم عقبة بن أبي معيط ، وذلك أن عقبة كان لا يقدم من سفر إلا صنع طعاما فدعا إليه أشراف قومه ، وكان يكثر مجالسة النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – فقدم ذات [ ص: 81 ] يوم من سفر فصنع طعاما فدعا الناس ودعا رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ، فلما قرب الطعام قال رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – : ” ما أنا بآكل طعامك حتى تشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأني رسول الله ” فقال عقبة : أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله ، فأكل رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – من طعامه ، وكان عقبة صديقا لأبي بن خلف ، فلما أخبر أبي بن خلف قال له : يا عقبة صبأت قال : لا والله ما صبأت ، ولكن دخل علي رجل فأبى أن يأكل طعامي إلا أن أشهد له ، فاستحييت أن يخرج من بيتي ولم يطعم ، فشهدت له فطعم ، فقال : ما أنا بالذي أرضى عنك أبدا إلا أن تأتيه فتبزق في وجهه ، ففعل ذلك عقبة ، فقال عليه السلام : ” لا ألقاك خارجا من مكة إلا علوت رأسك بالسيف ” فقتل عقبة يوم بدر صبرا . وأما أبي بن خلف فقتله النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – يوم أحد بيده ـ

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ

And on the day that the wrongdoer will bite his hand …

The wrongdoer here is ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’ayt. It used to be ‘Uqbah’s practice that whenever he would return from traveling, he would prepare a feast and invite the noblemen of his tribe, and he used to frequently host the Prophet.

One day, he returned from a trip, prepared a feast, and invited the people, including Allah’s Messenger. When he brought out the food, the Messenger of Allah said, “I will not eat any of your food until you bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship besides Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah,” so ‘Uqbah said, “I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship besides Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” and so Allah’s Messenger ate his food.

Now, ‘Uqbah was a friend of Ubay ibn Khalaf, so when ‘Ubay ibn Khalaf heard about this, he said, “‘Uqbah, you have become a Sabee’!” ‘Uqbah said, “No, I swear I am not a Sabee’. It’s just that a man was my guest and he refused to eat my food unless I made this declaration for him. I was too shy to have him leave my house without having fed him anything, so I made the declaration of faith and then he ate.”

Ubay said, “I will never be happy with you again unless you go to him and spit on his face,” so ‘Uqbah went and did that. The Prophet then said, “If I meet you outside of Mecca, I will strike your head with a sword.” He was beheaded on the Day of Badr after having been captured, and as for Ubay ibn Khalaf, then the Prophet killed him on the Day of Uhud with his own hand.

Allusions to the Battle of Badr in the Qur’an: Tafsir al-Shinqitee

The main discussion of the Battle of Badr in the Qur’an occurs throughout surah al-Anfal, to the extent that al-Suyooti mentioned:

وأخرج سعيد بن منصور والبخاري ، وابن المنذر وأبو الشيخ ، وابن مرديه عن سعيد بن جبير قال : قلت لابن عباس : سورة “الأنفال” قال : نزلت في بدر، وفي لفظ : تلك سورة بدر . ـ

Sa’eed ibn Mansoor, al-Bukhari, ibn al-Mundhir, Abu al-Sheikh, and ibn Mardawayh all reported that Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said:

I said to ibn ‘Abbaas, “Surah al-Anfal,” and he said, “It was revealed about the Battle of Badr.”

and in the wording of one narration, he said, “That is the surah of Badr.”

[al-Durr al-Manthoor 7/5]

However, there are a number of places outside of surah al-Anfal that some of the mufassiroon say that this seminal battle has also been mentioned. In a short aside in an excellent discussion of the last ayah in surah al-Furqan, sheikh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shinqitee discussed the topic by writing:

وقال جماعة من أهل العلم : إن المراد بالعذاب اللازم لهم المعبر عن لزومه لهم ، بقوله : فسوف يكون لزاما ، أنه ما وقع من العذاب يوم بدر ، لأنهم قتل منهم سبعون وأسر سبعون ، والذين قتلوا منهم أصابهم عذاب القتل ، واتصل به عذاب البرزخ والآخرة فهو ملازم لا يفارقهم بحال ، وكون اللزام المذكور في هذه الآية العذاب الواقع يوم بدر ، نقله ابن كثير عن عبد الله بن مسعود ، وأبي بن كعب ، ومحمد بن كعب القرظي ، ومجاهد ، والضحاك ، وقتادة ، والسدي ، وغيرهم ، ثم قال : وقال الحسن البصري : فسوف يكون لزاما ، أي : يوم القيامة ولا منافاة بينهما ، انتهى من ابن كثير ، ونقله صاحب ” الدر المنثور ” عن أكثر المذكورين وغيرهم . ـ

A number of scholars have said that the punishment attached to the disbelievers – meaning the punishment which has been latched on to them – mentioned in His statement

More Astray Than Cattle: Ibn al-Qayyim

Allah presents the following description of the disbelievers by way of comparison in surah al-Furqan:

أَمْ تَحْسَبُ أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ أَوْ يَعْقِلُونَ ۚ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا كَالْأَنْعَامِ ۖ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا

Or do you think that most of them hear or reason? They are nothing more than like cattle. In fact, they are even more astray from the path. [25:44]

Commenting on this ayah, the great scholar ibn al-Qayyim wrote:

فشبه أكثر الناس بالأنعام والجامع بين النوعين التساوي في عدم قبول الهدى والانقياد له

Allah has compared most of mankind to cattle here, and the characteristic that both groups have in common is their lack of accepting the truth and conforming to it.

وجعل الأكثرين أضل سبيلا من الأنعام لأن البهيمة يهديها سائقها فتهتدي وتتبع الطريق فلا تحيد عنها يمينا ولا شمالا والأكثرون يدعوهم الرسل ويهدونهم السبيل فلا يستجيبون ولا يهتدون ولا يفرقون بين ما يضرهم وبين ما ينفعهم والأنعام تفرق بين ما يضرها من النبات والطريق فتتجنبه وما ينفعها فتؤثره

And He stated that most people are even more astray from the path than cattle. That is because a herder drives the livestock, resulting in them being guided and following the path without deviating to the right or left. However, for most people, despite the messengers calling them and guiding them, they do not respond to the call nor do they adopt their guidance, nor do they even distinguish between what is harmful or beneficial to them. Meanwhile cattle do distinguish between what harms them, such as certain plants and paths which they thus avoid, and what benefits them, which they then take an interest in.

‘Ibad al-Rahman – Conclusion: ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, one of the contemporary scholars of al-Madinah, wrote a small booklet on the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – mentioned in the end of Surah al-Furqan. We have translated this booklet in a series of posts. He concluded the booklet with the following:

خاتمة

Conclusion

ثم ختم الله هذا السياق المبارك بذكر جزاء من اتصف بالصفات السابقة، وعظيم ثوابه، فقال عز وجل : [أُولَـٰئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَامًا ﴿٧٥﴾ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا] فكان الجزاء من جنس العمل؛ فلما كانت أوصافهم رفيعةً عاليةً كافأهم رب العالمين بالغرْفة العالية جزاءً لهم. ـ

Allah then concludes this blessed passage by mentioning the recompense of those who are characterized by these aforementioned qualities and the greatness of His reward for them. He says:

أُولَـٰئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَامًا * خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا

Those will be awarded with a dwelling for what they patiently endured, and they will be received therein with greetings and words of peace. * Abiding therein; excellent it is as an abode, and as a place to dwell. [25:75-76]

For the rewards of deeds are of the same nature as the deeds themselves. So since their qualities are so lofty and elevated then the Lord of all creation will compensate them with this elevated dwelling place as a reward.

‘Ibad al-Rahman Part 8 – Attention to Supplication: ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, one of the contemporary scholars of al-Madinah, wrote a small booklet on the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – mentioned in the end of Surah al-Furqan. We have translated this booklet in a series of posts. This is the eighth and final quality mentioned before the conclusion:

الصفة الثامنة : عنايتهم بالدعاء والتَّضرع لله

The Eighth Characteristic: Their Attention to Supplication and Humility Towards Allah

قال عز وجل : [وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا] ـ

Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

And those who say, “Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.” [25:74]

فمنْ صفات عباد الرحمن الكمل: عنايتهم بالدعاء، فهم مفتقرون إلى الله ملْتجئون إليه، مقْبلون عليه، وجميع حاجاتهم ومصالحهم الدينية والدنيوية يرجونها منه وحده لا شريك له. ـ

One of the characteristics of the complete ‘Ibad al-Rahman – slaves of the Most Merciful – is their attention to supplication, for they are completely in need of Allah and seek refuge in Him and turn to Him. For every single need and benefit – whether in this life or the next – they place their hopes in Him alone, making no partner with Him.

ثم هم في دعائهم يحرصون على جوامع الدعاء وأنفعه، فقولهم: [وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا] هذا الدعاء من أجمع الدعاء وأنفعه، ففيه أولًا دعاء المرء بأنْ تقر عينه، ويسعد قلبه بصلاح أهله وأولاده؛ في تعبدهم، وأخلاقهم، وتعاملاتهم، وعيْشهم، وبرِّهم بوالديهم، وغير ذلك. ـ

But more than that, when it comes to their supplications they stick to those supplications which are comprehensive in meaning and especially beneficial. For example, their statement:

‘Ibad al-Rahman Part 7 – Reverence of Allah’s Speech: ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, one of the contemporary scholars of al-Madinah, wrote a small booklet on the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – mentioned in the end of Surah al-Furqan. We have translated this booklet in a series of posts. This is the seventh quality mentioned:

الصفة السابعة : تعظيمهم لكلام الله وعملهم بما فيه

The Seventh Characteristic: Their Reverence of Allah’s Speech and Acting in Accordance With It

قال عز وجل : [وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا] ـ

Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا

And those who, when reminded of the verses of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind. [25:73]

كلام الله شأنه عظيم، ومكانته جليلة في نفوس عباد الرحمن، فلا يقابلونه بالصدود والإعْراض، بل يعظِّمونه ويجلونه، ويحسنون اسْتماعه والانْتفاع به. ـ

Allah’s speech has tremendous standing and holds an important place in the hearts of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – the slaves of the Most Merciful. They do not respond to it with rejection or evasion. On the contrary, they revere and venerate it, making sure to listen to it carefully in order to benefit from it.

وقوله : [ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا] أي: إذا استمعوا لكلام الربِّ لم يكونوا كالأصمِّ الذي لا يسْمع فينتفع بالموعظة، وكالأعمى الذي لا يبصر، بل هم يحْسنون الاسْتماع، و ينتفعون بالمواعظ، ويعْملون بأحكامه وهداياته. ـ

Allah’s statement:

‘Ibad al-Rahman Part 6 – Avoiding Bad Company: ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, one of the contemporary scholars of al-Madinah, wrote a small booklet on the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – mentioned in the end of Surah al-Furqan. We have translated this booklet in a series of posts. This is the sixth quality mentioned:

الصفة السادسة : بعدهم عن مجالس الباطل والمنكرات

The Sixth Characteristic: Distancing Themselves from Gatherings of Falsehood and Evil-Doing

قال عز وجل : [وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا ] ـ

Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا

And they are those who do not witness al-zoor, and if they pass by some ill talk, they pass by it with dignity [25:72]

ومنْ أخلاق عباد الرحمن، وجميل صفاتهم أنهم ينزِّهون أنفسهم عن حضور المجالس التي يعم فيها المنكر، ويغْمرها الباطل واللغو المحرم، فقوله عز وجل : [وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ] أي : لا يحْضرون الزور والباطل، ولا يغْشون مجالسه ، ولا يشاركون أهْله . ـ

One aspect of the manners and beautiful qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – the slaves of the Most Merciful – is that they hold themselves above participating in gatherings in which wrongdoing is common and which are overrun with falsehood and foul speech. For Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ

And they are those who do not witness al-zoor …

meaning: they are not present for al-zoor and falsehood, they do not attend gatherings which contain such things, and do not join in with the people who practice them.

فيدخل في الآية السابقة: ـ

There are several things which fall under this ayah:

‘Ibad al-Rahman Part 5 – Avoiding Major Sins: Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, one of the contemporary scholars of al-Madinah, wrote a small booklet on the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – mentioned in the end of Surah al-Furqan. We have translated this booklet in a series of posts. This section deals with the firth quality mentioned:

الصفة الخامسة : بعدهم عن كبائر الذنوب وعظائم الآثام

The Fifth Quality: Distancing Oneself from the Major Sins and Gross Misconduct

قال عز وجل : [وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّـهِ إِلَـٰهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّـهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ] ـ

Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّـهِ إِلَـٰهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّـهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ

And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. [25:68]

فمنْ أبرز صفات عباد الرحمن المتقين: اجتنابهم كبائر الذنوب والآثام، وقد خص الله عز وجل في هذا السياق ثلاث كبائر بالذِّكر؛ لأنها أعظم الكبائر وأشدها على الإطلاق، وهي: الشرك بالله عالى ؛ وقتل النفس المعصومة ؛ والزنى . ـ

One of the most important traits of the pious ‘Ibad al-Rahman – the slaves of the Most Merciful – is their avoidance of major sins and misdeeds. In this passage, Allah has selected three major sins to mention because they are the gravest and worst of all the major sins. They are:

• al-Shirk – Associating partners with Allah, the Most High
• Killing a person undeservedly
• Fornication

فأم ا الشِّرْك فهو متعلِّقٌ بحقِّ الله على عباده، وهو الذنب الذي لا يغفره الله لمن مات عليه ، كما قال تعالى: [إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّـهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَىٰ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا] . ـ

As for al-Shirk, it is connected to Allah’s rights over His slaves and it is the sin which Allah will not forgive for whoever dies in that state. This is as Allah said:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّـهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَىٰ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا

Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin. [4:48]

‘Ibad al-Rahman Part 4 – Moderation in Spending: ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, one of the contemporary scholars of al-Madinah, wrote a small booklet on the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – mentioned in the end of Surah al-Furqan. We have translated this booklet in a series of posts. This section discusses the fourth quality listed:

الصفة الرابعة : توسطهم في النفقة بين الإسراف والتَّقتير

The Fourth Quality: Moderation in Spending Between Wastefulness and Stinginess

قال عز وجل : [وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ قَوَامًا] ـ

Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ قَوَامًا

And those who, when they spend, do so neither excessively nor sparingly but are ever, between that, moderate [25:67]

ومن أوصاف عباد الرحمن توسطهم في باب النفقة بين الإسراف والتقتير لأنهم علموا أن الله سيسْألهم يوم القيامة عن هذه النِّعمة التي أعطاهم إياها، كما صح عن الرسول الله أنه قال : لا تزول قدما عبد يوم القيامة حتى يسأل عن عمره فيما أفناه ، وعن علمه فيما فعل فيه، وعن ماله من أين اكتسبه، وفيما أنفقه، وعن جسمه فيم أبلاه . ـ

One of the qualities of the ‘Ibad al-Rahman – the slaves of the Most Merciful – is their moderation when it comes to spending, falling between wasteful extravagance on the one hand and miserliness on the other. That is because they know that on the Day of Judgement Allah will ask them ask the blessings He has given them, as has been authentically transmitted from Allah’s Messenger that he said: