The Characteristic of Claiming Sovereignty

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is adapted from a swuhbah from Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) on the 03^rd June 2010. 

The Lord of the Heavens is the only One Who may Grant some of those among His creatures something from His Sovereignty as He Pleases.  None can be lord or have sovereignty by themselves.  That is Mentioned in all scripture and it is mentioned in the Last Message from God to mankind, through the Last Messenger, Muhammad (s.a.w.).  He was Granted the Qur’an, a last Message to teach people their positions. 

Shaythan touches almost every soul, trying to make everyone say, “I”!  That is the worst characteristic of mankind.  Shaythan insists on making people say, “I am this one,” “I am that one.”  That means, “I am lord!”  They have no right to say any of this.  We have no right to claim sovereignty and yet we claim it because of Shaythan’s teachings.  We are not rulers.  Every teaching now, is making that point, to make people claim sovereignty.  Absolute Sovereignty is only for Allah (s.w.t.).  We are only slaves.  Until we admit we are slaves, we are with Shaythan and his followers. 

Our position is clear.  Scripture was Sent to warn us about false greatness.  When people claim greatness, it is artificial.  Real Greatness is from Allah (s.w.t.) and as long as we are on Earth, Shaythan tries to convince us that we are someone, that we are important, that we are lords on Earth.  Yet the reality is the only Lord is Allah (s.w.t.), and no one else.  Worldly claims are artificial.  They are not real.  We must try to break that egoistic greatness; we must break it down and take it away from ourselves.  For that purpose, Allah (s.w.t.) Sent His prophets and His awliya’ to remove imitated greatness and imitated titles from us, and to bring us to our true level, of Divine servanthood. 

Allah (s.w.t.) Mentions, in the Qur’an, about the grandfather of prophets, Ibrahim (a.s.) and his work that he did, that Ibrahim’s (a.s.) nation, the nation of Nimrod, were keeping idols that represented their pride. 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنبیَاء

قَالَ بَل رَّبُّكُمۡ رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَهُنَّ وَأَنَا۟ عَلَىٰ ذَٲلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ (٥٦) وَتَٱللَّهِ لَأَڪِيدَنَّ أَصۡنَـٰمَكُم بَعۡدَ أَن تُوَلُّواْ مُدۡبِرِينَ (٥٧) فَجَعَلَهُمۡ جُذَٲذًا إِلَّا ڪَبِيرً۬ا لَّهُمۡ لَعَلَّهُمۡ إِلَيۡهِ يَرۡجِعُونَ (٥٨) 

He said, “Nay, your Lord is the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, He Who Created them (from nothing): and I am a witness to this (truth).  And by Allah, I have a plan for your idols - after you go away and turn your backs.”  So he broke them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it. (Surah al-Anbiya’:56-58) 

Through Ibrahim’s (a.s.) story, Allah (s.w.t.) Says He breaks down all idols.  It is through those imitated idols that men claim sovereignty but there is only one Lord, Allah (s.w.t.).  Allah (s.w.t.) did not Send scripture as fairy tales or storybooks, but for Guidance.  Everyone has idols within themselves.  They keep them and look after them carefully.  Until they break their idols, they will fight and kill anyone who tries to break their idols.  The Lord of the Heavens Teaches us that we must break down the idols of our ego. 

Absolute Sovereignty, is only for Allah (s.w.t.), Who never Created His servants for them to claim sovereignty with Him.  When the Seal of Prophets (s.a.w.) returned from Badr, he told Abu Bakr (r.a.) that they were returning from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad.  Abu Bakr (r.a.) was perplexed and asked what is the greater jihad.  And the Prophet (s.a.w.) replied, “Jihad an-nafs."  We must leave the claiming of this or that for ego.  We cannot think that the clothes we wear give us a right to anything.  Not titles, not authority, not honour.  It is best leave that and dress the dress of servanthood.  It is then that Allah (s.w.t.) will Dress us in the dress of servanthood that He Likes for us, a Dress of Honour.