Ruhul Adab

Commentary of Imam Hassan

1. Complete Submission

Complete Submission is very important in Islam. Allah says in the Qur’an 2:208 “Oh you believers, enter into Islam completely (i.e whole-heartedly).” In another place Allah says, Qur’an (4:59) “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and the leaders among you.” Obedience must therefore be 100% not 50/50 or 70/30 as done by many today. A Mauritanian student once sold all of his cattle and belongings and gave the money to his Shaykh for Allah’s sake. People accused him of stupidity and foolishness, but he replied, “Now I have nothing of wealth or cattle, but I am in a better position than you. This is because I now have none and nothing to rely on other than Allah, thereby making my trust in Allah complete. As for you people, when you have problems especially concerning finance, the first thing you think about is your cattle, and bank reserves.”

    When submitting yourself to a Shaykh, sincerity is of utmost importance. Thus, some people have asked concerning a situation where one finds himself in the hands of a false Shaykh who is camouflaged and in reality a mischief doer. The answer is that as long as the disciple is sincere in his discipleship, Allah shall guide him as He promised in the Qur’an 29:69 “And those that strive in Us (sincerely), We shall surely guide to Our paths.”

     There was a story of a man called Abdul Al who sought for a particular Shaykh to attain guidance. Unfortunately, he was directed to a false Shaykh who happened to have the same name as the intended Shaykh. Upon arrival, he met the false Shaykh in the presence of alcohol and women. Despite seeing this, the man submitted himself to the false Shaykh altogether. The Shaykh consequently ordered him to work at his farm. This he obeyed and diligently carried out for years. When the Qutb of that time died and it came to choosing a successor, Allah chose this man serving the false Shaykh because of his sincerity in seeking the countenance of Allah.

To be continued in sha Allah….

Please visit, like and recommend our page on Facebook: nasrul ilm