Our Adab as a Servant

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is adapted from a swuhbah from Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) on the 11th October 2010. 

The prophets and scripture teach us to change our lives until it is in line with the Divine.  Have we aligned our life around Allah (s.w.t.) or around our egos?  That is the most important matter in our lives.  We will be judged according to how much we manage to obey what He has Ordered for us to perform.  Every act that obeys our ego, disobeys Allah (s.w.t.).  Every act that is accordance with our egos’ demands is haram.  Even one step taken in obedience to our ego’s desires, will bring us Punishment from Allah (s.w.t.).  Every one of our actions must be in line with the Divine Command.  We must not take even one step out of the Shari’ah of Allah (s.w.t.).  Every single second of our lives must be lived in accordance with Divine Command.  No believer should perform even a single action from his ego. 

We must advise others and remember ourselves not to act according to our whims and fancies.  A servant may do as he pleases outside the Palace but once he enters the Divine Court, he cannot do as he pleases.  He is in the Presence of the Master.  He must keep to the adab of a servant.  Every moment that the servant is before his Master, he must be at his best. Allah (s.w.t.) is Watching us.  We are His servants.  We must behave.  We cannot do as you please because we are not animals.  The world of animals is different.  They have no responsibilities.  We carry the heavy responsibility of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Trust on our shoulders.  It is a Trust that none in Creation could bear.  We are special.  Not even the angels are granted the status we have been given.  We have been Granted unique gifts and the elevated status of khalifah by Allah (s.w.t.). 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬‌ۖ ... (٣٠) 

Behold, your Lord Said to the angels, “I will Create a vicegerent on earth.” … (Surah al-Baqarah:30) 

A khalifah is a Divine Grant, a title of honour.  We must be aware that we have been Honoured by Allah.  Hence, prophets were Sent to train their respective ummah to become servants of Allah (s.w.t.).  Only by being His servants, by showing the highest honour to Allah (s.w.t.), do we fulfill our responsibilities and do justice to the Honour Bestowed upon us.  There are rules for us to follow, in line with the honour of the title, Granted to us.  The most important duty of a servant is to have faith in his Creator.  Every prophet brought tawhid, the Oneness of Allah (s.w.t.), to his ummah.  Prophets called their umam to Laa ilaha illa Allah Muhammadar Rasulullah.  None can achieve honour without first believing in the shahadatayn.  The next thing taught by prophets to their umam, was adab.  Every Holy book brought teachings of the adab of servanthood.  We must learn to live by the adab of servanthood.  It is servanthood that Allah (s.w.t.) Wants from us. 

In all that we do, we must behave as His servants.  Whatever we do not as His servant, will bring us failure.  It will be Rejected by Him.  Sincerity is of paramount importance.  We must weigh every action of our life with this scale of sincerity.  Being a servant means living our lives carrying out every single responsibility that Allah (s.w.t.) has Commanded.  Bowing to His Will is the perfect adab of servanthood.  Every strand of hair, right up to the tips of our toes exists in obedience to His Divine Will.  That is ‘ubudiyyah, servanthood.  However, is almost impossible to find true servants of Allah (s.w.t.) now.  When our actions fall beyond servanthood, how can we expect to be within the boundaries of His Mercy?  Would the defiant receive Divine Curses or Divine Mercy?  Such is the condition of the world today.  It receives a rain of Curses. 

We must keep advising within our ummah.  We cannot give excuses.  If no one follows our advice, it is because we do not follow the advice we give.  If we do not practise what we preach, how are we going to lead by example?  That is the problem in today’s world.  People obey their desires.  They pamper their egos.  They pursue dunya desperately.  They dream of acquiring the luxuries of this world.  They have forgotten that this is but a temporary abode.  Death is certain.  Why do we still chase dunya?  We cannot take it with us when we die.  We question, if we do not chase dunya, if we do not work, who is going to feed us?  The companions of ‘Isa (a.s.), asked him if Allah (s.w.t.) could Send a table spread of food from the Heavens. 

سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة

إِذۡ قَالَ ٱلۡحَوَارِيُّونَ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ هَلۡ يَسۡتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيۡنَا مَآٮِٕدَةً۬ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ‌ۖ قَالَ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ إِن ڪُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ (١١٢) 

Behold!  The disciples said, “O Jesus the son of Mary!  Can your Lord Send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?”  Said Jesus, “Fear Allah if you have faith.” (Surah al-Ma’idah:112) 

سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة

قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ ٱللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَآ أَنزِلۡ عَلَيۡنَا مَآٮِٕدَةً۬ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدً۬ا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَءَاخِرِنَا وَءَايَةً۬ مِّنكَ‌ۖ وَٱرۡزُقۡنَا وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ ٱلرَّٲزِقِينَ (١١٤) 

Said Jesus, the son of Mary, “O Allah our Lord!  Send us from Heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us ― for the first and the last of us a solemn festival and a Sign from You; and Provide for our sustenance, for You are the Best Sustainer (of our needs). (Surah al-Ma’idah:114) 

It was an interesting question from disciples who had sat at the feet of such a great prophet, who, told them of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Greatness, His Attributes and His Power.  Allah (s.w.t.) Created the universe.  Allah (s.w.t.) is All-Powerful Who Does as He Pleases.  He Gives sustenance to Whom He Pleases.  He is ar-Razzaq.  Yet, they asked if He could Send down a table of food.  It is a lesson for us.  In truth, many of us doubt that He is capable of Granting our rizq.  We constantly question what we have.  That comes from those lowest in faith.  Almost the entire population of the world believes if they did not work, they would have no sustenance, rizq.  We must always remember who really feeds us.  We have sustenance, not by our efforts, but by the Generosity of ar-Razzaq.  Allah (s.w.t.) is more than Capable of Sending food from the sky to the whole world.  If we worry about our sustenance, we are ignorant of our Lord.



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