CERTAINITY & DOUBTS
.039: The levels of certainty
Text of the Hadith:
عن انس بن مالك قال،قال رسول الله:ان من ضعف اليقين ان ترضي الناس بسخط الله تعالي،و ان تحمدهم علي رزق الله تعال و ان تذمهم علي ما لم يؤتك الله... انك ان تدع شيئا الا اتاك الله خيرا منه،و ان تأتي شيئا تقربا الي الله تعالي الا اجزل الله لك الثواب عنه.فاجعلوا همتكم الاخرة لاينفد فيها ثواب المرضي عنه،ولا ينقطع فيها عقاب المسخوط عليه
TRANSLATION:
Anas ibne Malik has narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.) has said, Surely the weakness in certainty is due to the trading of the pleasure of the people for the anger of Allah, the Most High and praising the people for the sustenance which Allah, the Most High has conferred upon you and for blaming other people for that which Allah has not given to you Surely you do not refrain from anything only for Allah (and His pleasure) except that Allah will give you even better than that (which you have refrained from) and you do not perform anything which would bring you closer to Allah, the Most High, except that Allah gives you a reward greater than what is expected so then expend your energies for the next life since the reward for the servant who has done good deeds whom Allah is pleased with and the punishment for that person who performs bad deeds and earns the anger of Allah shall never end.(1)
Commentary of Hadith:
In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.) has expressed six points, which we discuss below:
1. one of the signs of having weakness in one’s certainty (Yaqin) is that a person substitutes the pleasure of the people for the anger of Allah. By this we mean that in relation to that which shall happen to a person, he considers the people around him to be more effective than Allah, the Most High.
A person must have firm conviction and strong faith in the Lordship of Allah and that Allah is the Lord and Cherisher of the Entire Universe and that all which exists comes from Him. In relation to this, the Quran has told us that:
توتي الملك من تشاء و تنزع الملک ممن تشاء و تغز من تشاء و تذل من تشاء
He gives of (His) Kingdom to whom He pleases and he prevents (His) Kingdom to reach to whom He pleases, and He grants honour and respect to whom so ever He pleases and He abases whom so ever He pleases.(2)
Since I know that the one who provides me with sustenance is Allah alone, thus, I do not fear anyone other than Him and I will not lower my head (in need) in front of anyone. If He is to help and assist me and even if the entire universe was to be against me, still they could do nothing against me to harm me.
Therefore, if sometimes we see some people humble and lower themselves while in the presence of others, then this stems from a weak sense of certainty within them which has taken them over. Of course however, certainty has various degrees and levels to it and these various levels have an effect on the way a person acts in his life since actions are a reflection of our inner belief and the more a person’s inner beliefs are made stronger, the more pure his actions will be.
Most of the time, the contamination in our actions is due to a contamination in our theological beliefs. It has been said that: All things, even the ethical teachings and the branches of the religion (Furu`ud Din) must be made correct through our principal beliefs (Usulud Din) and this is because of this reason mentioned above.
Certainty has three well-known levels to it:
1. `Ilmul Yaqin
2. `Ainul Yaqin
3. Haqqul Yaqin
As an example (to better explain these three levels), sometimes a person sees smoke and through this, concludes that there must be a fire somewhere - and this is referred to as `Ilmul Yaqin; sometimes he would see the fire itself - and this is referred to as `Ainul Yaqin; and sometimes he would experience the fire with all of his presence and senses - and this is referred to as Haqqul Yaqin. In other words, sometimes the proofs are logical; other times, the proofs are that what a person sees with his own eyes (through employing his senses) and sometimes the proofs are through trial and experiment.3
If in relation to the wealth of the orphan for example there are such levels (of certainty) such that the Quran states:
ان الذین یاکلون اموال الیتامی ظلما انما یاکلون فی بطونهم نارا
Surely those people who take the wealth of the orphan in a form of oppression are only eating fire in their stomachs(4)
Or if we were to have true faith that by giving in charity, the wealth of a person does not actually diminish, rather, even more wealth is added to his wealth just as it is mentioned in the Quran:
مثل الذین ینفقون فی سبیل الله کمثل حبه انبتت سبع سنابل فی کل سنبله مائه حبه و الله یضاعف لمن یشاء
The example of the person who spends his wealth in the way of Allah is similar to the seed which grows seven ears and in every ear there are one hundred sees and Allah adds (the blessings) to whomever He pleases.(5)
If our level of certainty was at this level for all things, then we would never even come close to sinning!
The higher level of certainty can be described as such (keeping in mind the verse dealing with orphans that was quoted above) that if even the best fruits were to be placed beside a person while fire was to be placed on the other side of a person, both of them in the person’s estimation would be equal and just as he would keep himself away from the fire which is comparable to the wealth of the orphan, so too he would keep away from that good fruits too!
It is here that we must seek to make the foundations of true belief strong and some portion of this must be sought from by Allah through prayer and supplication and we must request complete certainty through showing humility in the middle of the night (in prayer) and say:
يا واهب الیقین! رزقنی الیقین، علم الیقین و عین الیقین و حق الیقین
O the Granter of Certainty! Grant me certainty; `Ilmul Yaqin and `Ainul Yaqin and Haqqul Yaqin.
If He gave these levels of certainty to a person and was also to take away all of the allures of the transient world from him, it would be a very easy life, and the opposite is true too, that if all of the transient world was to be given to the person and a person was not blessed to have these (levels of certainty) things then he would have nothing but pain, suffering and misfortune.
Thus, the reality of this discussion is that of certainty which must be achieved through learning and action (according to what one has learnt) since true faith and actions have reciprocating effects upon one another and thus in the Quran, along side true faith (man), righteous actions have also been mentioned. In summary, if a person was to reach to the level of Haqqul Yaqin then this would be a form of insurance for him.
2. Another sign of possessing a weak level of certainty is when the person thinks that the people (around him) are those who provide his sustenance and thus, he thanks them and compliments them. There are some people who say, If such and such person was not there, I would have been unable to do anything or If such and such person was not there, I would have died of hunger. Sometimes these sorts of statements take on the contamination of polytheism when people say things like, First Allah, then you and they put another person along side Allah in that order - however the truth is that there truly is no comparison which can be done like this where is the servant and where is the Master!?
من لم يشكر المخلوق لم يشكر الخالق
The one who does not thank the creations has not thanked the Creator.
However when a person says something like when he places a person alongside Allah in the help he receives, then this is polytheism!
3. The opposite of this is also true when a person says, Such and such a person took my daily bread. This means that a person who took something away from you which Allah had given to you is insulted and degraded. Allah has actually taken your sustenance away from you for His own known reason or as a proof over your or as a punishment to you and that person was simply the means through which this was done.
In continuation, the Prophet (s.a.) then states three issues:
1. If a person leaves something for the pleasure of Allah, then Allah will give him something even better than that thing which he left. God forbid a person things that he has suffered a loss due to whatever he has given to Allah - not only has he not suffered a loss, rather, he will actually gain a benefit from it.
2. If you perform all of your actions for Allah, then Allah will grant you an even greater reward.
3. Your struggles and endeavors should be for the next life whose Divine reward and Punishment are permanent and ever lasting.
The Quran tells us:
الشيطان یعدکم الفقر و یامرکم بالفحشاء و الله یعدکم مغفره منه و فضلا و الله واسع علیم
Shaitan threatens you with poverty and enjoins you to be miserly, and Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and abundance; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.(6)
When a person wants to give something in charity, Shaitan takes his hand and threatens him with poverty, however the complete opposite also happens Allah gives the promise of forgiveness and more in return for what was given.
In another verse of the Quran we read the following that:
يمحق الله الربوا و يربي الصدقات
Allah does not bless usury, and He causes charitable deeds to prosper(7)
In addition, in yet another place in the Quran we read the following:
يعلمون ظاهرا من الحیوه الدنیا و هم عن الاخره هم غافلون
They know the outward of this world's life, but of the hereafter they are absolutely heedless.(8)
People always look at the material aspects of this transient world, however Islam looks at the inner aspects and tells us, Giving in charity does not result in you having less. For example in our own reckoning, the Martyrs (Shuhada) are classified as being dead, however the Quran tell us, Greater than your own reckoning is that of others. If we weigh our own reckonings with that of the Quran, the outcomes would truly be reverse of what we thing things to be where we think that destruction and nothingness is, existence is actually there and the place where we think death is, permanent life is actually there - however thinking in this mode is not something easy except with the vision of true faith.
In the world which we live in, the apparent view of some of the benefits which quickly pass us actually have detriments to us which last a long time and the opposite of this too is the case. All rational people will say that, If a long term gain is only possible to be achieved through short term action, then that difficult short term action must be performed.
If you were to be completely cure from a sickness in the future by going through an operation right now, you would definitely accept to have the operation done. Sometimes, in the face of a very pleasing and fat filled food a person would say, I have a cold right now and thus, I will pass up this good tasting food whose taste shall only last for one hour for my own good health which will shall remain for hundreds of hours. Thus, why is it that in relation to the next life we not act in such a logical manner?
Is that, may Allah forbid we do not have the same level of certainty in the next life as we do from going forth for that operation which may protect and save us?
Do we accept what has been mentioned in Du`a Kumayl where it has been mentioned in regards to the punishment of the next life that:
تطول مدته و یدوم مقامه و لا یخفف عن اهله
The period of punishment in the hell fire is a long and perpetual one and for the people who are in that punishment, there shall never be any reduction in its chastisement.
Or do we accept that which has been mentioned in the Quran that:
أن زلزله الساعه شیء عظیم یوم ترونها تذهل کل مرضعه عما ارضعت و تضع کل ذات حمل حملها و تری الناس سکاری و ما هم بسکاری و لکن عذاب الله شدید
O people! guard against (the punishment from) your Lord; surely the violence of the hour is a grievous thing. On the day when you shall see it, every woman giving suck shall quit in confusion what she suckled, and every pregnant woman shall lay down her burden, and you shall see men intoxicated, and they shall not be intoxicated but the chastisement of Allah will be severe.(9)
Thus, why do we not put up with the difficulties of a few days to be able to enjoy the perpetual and everlasting Divine Reward? Why is it that in relation to the next life we do not use this same logic as is employed for matters of this material world for that life which is:اکلها دائم
These are all issues that when a person sits down to study and review them, he would sometimes become frightened and think to himself that God Forbid I do not have faith in these things!
1 Biharul Anwar, Volume 74, Page 185
2 Surah Aale Imran (3), Verse 26
3 The late Ayatullah Dastghaib has written the following on page 49 of his work, Amazing Stories:
A person who was sincere in the wilayah of the Ahlul Bait, Aqa Mirza Abl Qasim `Attar Tehrani, has narrated from the great scholar, the Late Hajj Shaykh `Abdul-Nabi Nuri who was one of the students of the great Divine thinkers in the person of the late Hajj Mullah Hadi Sabzwari that in the last years of the life of the late Hajj Mullah Hadi Sabzwari, a person once came into one of his classes and informed him that a person was found in the graveyard with half of his body in the grave while the other half of his body was outside of the grave and this person was continuously staring towards the sky and however much the children (who were playing around there) tried to bug and pester him, he would not pay any attention to them.
Hajj Mullah Hadi Sabzwari said, I myself must go and see what is happening. When Hajj Mullah Hadi Sabzwari went to the graveyard and saw the sight, he was amazed! He went closer to the person and saw that the person was not even paying attention to him.
Hajj Mullah Hadi Sabzwari says, Who are you and what are you doing? I don’t that you are crazy, however the way you are acting is not the way of an intelligent person. In reply, the man said to him, I do not have knowledge (of Islam and the world) and am an uniformed person, however I have certainty and firm belief on two things. The first is that I myself know that there is a grand Creator who has created me and this entire world of existence and I must not be negligent in recognizing Him and worshipping Him. The second thing is that I know that I will not remain in this transient world for ever and that I must go to the other world and I do not know what my state shall be in that world.
O Hajj Mullah! I am in a state of total desolation and confusion such that the people think I have gone insane. Since the people consider you as a scholar for the entire Muslim community and since you possess all of this knowledge, please tell me why do these people not possess even an atom’sweight of pain and grief (in relation to the next life) and are not thinking about these things ?
This admonition was like an arrow piercing the heart of Hajj Mullah Hadi Sabzwari and it has been narrated that Hajj Mullah returned back in a completely changed state and whatever amount of his life which remained was spent in the pondering of the travel of the next life and how to acquire the goods needed for that journey which is full of dangers and he continued in this way until he left this mortal world.
Whatever station or rank a person is it, he is still in need of hearing council and advice since if we already know what it is we are hearing, then these words of wisdom would be a reminder for us - meaning that they would be something to bring back our memories since mankind is prone to forget things and is always in need of someone to remind him; and if the person was ignorant of the thing which he is hearing, then this admonition would be a way for him to acquire knowledge and cognizance.
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Author: Ayatullah Seyyed Muhammad Shirazi
