Regarding the Verse on Not Ascribing Equivalents to Allah (s.w.t.)

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following was extracted from “The Meadows of Tafsir for the Noble Qur’an” by Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi (q.s.).  It was translated into English by Ustadz Mukhtar Babakir. 

Regarding the following verse: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

… فَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ أَندَادً۬ا وَأَنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (٢٢) 

… then set not up rivals unto Allah when you know (the truth). (Surah al-Baqarah:22) 

The ascribed partners are of several types.  There is the obvious shirk which is the worship of idols that the idolators are involved in.  There is also the hidden shirk, which is to perform actions with riya’, ostentation or pretense; and to perform them with sum’ah, a desire to be known.  Furthermore, there is the most hidden shirk, which is for one to see other than Allah (s.w.t.). 

Allah (s.w.t.) has Delegated seven angels to watch over the actions of His servant.  When he performs an action, the angels raise it to the lowest sky and the angels of the sky call out, “Throw this action back to the face of its owner because he is either an envious individual or a backbiter.”  If it reaches the second sky they will say, “Because he is either a proud person, one fond of himself, envious, shows-off or seeks to be known.” 

When it has passed over all the skies, it then reaches Allah (s.w.t.) Who Says, “This person has kept that which is in himself hidden from you while nothing can remain hidden from Me.  He did not seek My Countenance, send this action back to the face of the one performing it because he sought other than Me through his actions.” 

For this reason, it has been narrated from the Rasul (s.a.w.), “People are doomed except for the believers and the believers are all doomed except the knowledgeable and the knowledgeable are all doomed except for those who practice upon their knowledge and the ones practicing are all doomed except for those who are sincere; and those who are sincere are in the most danger.” 

The following was extracted from Mi’raj at-Tashawwuf ila Haqa’iq at-Taswawwuf, by Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ajibah (r.a.), and translated by Ustadz Muhammad Fu’ad and Ustadz Michael ‘Abu ar-Rahman. 

Swidq, sincerity, is to remove all egoistic designs from our relationship with Allah (s.w.t.), based on the coolness of certitude, or it is to be outwardly and inwardly the same in speech, words, and states.  In a word, it is to purify ourselves inwardly from all other preoccupations.  The difference between ikhlasw and swidq is that the latter concerns being free of both evident and hidden shirk, while the former concerns being totally free of hypocrisy and duplicity.  A person may possess ikhlasw and still be vulnerable to duplicity and finding excuses for the egoistic passions, while the one who possess swidq is free from both.  No one who is still subject to duplicity, either towards himself or others, in small matters or great ones, can smell the perfume of sincerity.  Sincerity is to be at the station of swidiqiyyah or to be an ‘arif, gnostic.