Chapter: On Drawing Near through Obligatory and Supererogatory Acts

باب فی قرب الفرائض والنوافل — فرائض اور نوافل کے بارے میں

بَابٌ فِيْ قُرْبِ الْفَرَائِضِ وَالنَّوَافِلِ — Chapter on nearness through the obligatory acts (farāʾiḍ) and the supererogatory acts (nawāfil)

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِبْ ۩ ۔

(al-ʿAlaq 96:19) [When this verse is recited, a prostration (sajda) should be performed.]

Vocabulary: wa-sjud — and bow your head in prostration before God, keep prostrating, keep your head always bowed; wa-qtarib — and attain His nearness and closeness.

Translation: Allah Most High says: And keep your head bowed before God, keep prostrating, and be honoured and distinguished with nearness to God.

مَا تَحَبَّبَ اِلَيَّ عَبْدِيْ بِاَحَبَّ اِلَيَّ مِنْ اَدَاءِ مَا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ ۔

(al-Khaṭīb and Ibn ʿAsākir from ʿAlī — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)

Translation: There is nothing more beloved [to Me] than the performance of what I have made obligatory upon My servant, by means of which the servant may become

My beloved. (Narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) — Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)

يَقُوْلُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: مَنْ اَهَانَ لِيْ وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ بَارَزَنِيْ بِالْمُحَارَبَةِ وَاِنِّيْ لَاَسْرَعُ شَيْءٍ اِلٰى نُصْرَةِ اَوْلِيَائِيْ اِنِّيْ لَاَغْضَبُ لَهُمْ كَمَا يَغْضَبُ اللَّيْثُ الْحَرِبُ وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ اَنَا فَاعِلُهٗ تَرَدُّدِيْ عَنْ قَبْضِ رُوْحِ عَبْدِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَهُوَ يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَاَكْرَهُ مُسَاءَتَهٗ وَلَا بُدَّ لَهٗ مِنْهُ وَمَا تَعَبَّدَنِيْ عَبْدِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِمِثْلِ الزُّهْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَا تَقَرَّبَ اِلَيَّ عَبْدِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِمِثْلِ اَدَاءِ مَا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِيْ يَتَقَرَّبُ اِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتّٰٓى اُحِبَّهٗ فَاِذَآ اَحْبَبْتُهٗ كُنْتُ لَهٗ سَمْعًا وَّبَصَرًا وَّيَدًا وَّمُؤَيِّدًا اِنْ سَاَلَنِيْ اَعْطَيْتُهٗ وَاِنْ دَعَانِيْ اَسْتَجَبْتُ لَهٗ وَاِنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ لَمَنْ سَاَلَنِيْ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ فَاَكُفُّهٗ عَنْهُ وَلَوْ اَعْطَيْتُهٗ اِيَّاهُ لَدَخَلَهُ الْعُجْبُ وَاَفْسَدَهٗ ذٰلِكَ وَاِنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ لَمَنْ لَّا يُصْلِحُهٗٓ اِلَّا الْغِنٰى وَلَوْ اَفْقَرْتُهٗ لَاَفْسَدَهٗ ذٰلِكَ وَاِنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ لَمَنْ لَّا يُصْلِحُهٗٓ اِلَّا الْفَقْرُ وَلَوْ اَغْنَيْتُهٗ لَاَفْسَدَهٗ ذٰلِكَ وَاِنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ لَمَنْ لَّا يُصْلِحُهٗٓ اِلَّا الصِّحَّةُ وَلَوْ اَسْقَمْتُهٗ لَاَفْسَدَهٗ ذٰلِكَ وَاِنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ لَمَنْ لَّا يُصْلِحُهٗٓ اِلَّا السُّقْمُ وَلَوْ صَحَّحْتُهٗ لَاَفْسَدَهٗ ذٰلِكَ وَاِنِّيْٓ اُدَبِّرُ عِبَادِيْ بِعِلْمِيْ بِقُلُوْبِهِمْ اِنِّيْ عَلِيْمٌ خَبِيْرٌ ۔

(Ibn Abi'l-Dunyā in Kitāb al-Awliyāʾ, al-Ḥakīm [al-Tirmidhī], Ibn Mardawayh, Ḥl [Abū Nuʿaym, al-Ḥilya] [reading uncertain] and Ibn ʿAsākir — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)

Vocabulary: ahāna — dishonoured; bārazanī bi'l-muḥāraba — he declared war against Me; masāʾatahū — his distress, considering it bad for him; wa lā yazālu ʿabdī yataqarrabu ilayya — My servant constantly gains My nearness.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Whoever dishonoured any friend (walī) of Mine has declared war against Me; and I am the swiftest of all things in helping My friends, and I become angry for them as a lion becomes angry. And I do not hesitate in doing anything as I hesitate in taking the soul of a believing servant: he dislikes death, and I dislike his displeasure, although it is necessary for him. No believing servant has worshipped Me with a worship such as abstinence (zuhd) from the world; and no believing servant has come as near to Me as in the performance of what I made obligatory upon him. And My servant keeps drawing near [to Me] by means of the supererogatory acts (nawāfil) until I make him My beloved; then when I make him My beloved, I become his hearing, sight and hand, and his supporter (I become the doer of his will). If he asks of Me, I give to him; if he supplicates Me, I accept his supplication. And among My believing servants there are some who ask Me through worship [for something], and I hold them back from that thing; and if I gave them that thing, self-admiration (ʿujb) would arise [in him] and this thing would ruin him. And among My believing servants there are some for whom keeping them wealthy is precisely what is best for them; if I were to make him poor, that thing would ruin him. And among My believing servants there are some for whom illness is the most suitable; if I keep him healthy, then this

thing would ruin him. And without doubt I am the best of planners; because of My knowledge of My servants, I am the One who best knows and is aware of their hearts. (Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)

عَنْ اَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَالَ مَنْ عَادٰى لِيْ وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ اٰذَنْتُهٗ بِالْحَرْبِ وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ اِلَيَّ عَبْدِيْ بِشَيْءٍ اَحَبَّ اِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِيْ يَتَقَرَّبُ اِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتّٰٓى اَحْبَبْتُهٗ فَاِذَآ اَحْبَبْتُهٗ فَكُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِيْ يَسْمَعُ بِهٖ وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِيْ يُبْصِرُ بِهٖ وَيَدَهُ الَّتِيْ يَبْطِشُ بِهَا وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِيْ يَمْشِيْ بِهَا وَاِنْ سَاَلَنِيْ لَاُعْطِيَنَّهٗ وَلَئِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِيْ لَاُعِيْذَنَّهٗ وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ اَنَا فَاعِلُهٗ تَرَدُّدِيْ عَنْ نَفْسِ الْمُؤْمِنِ يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَاَنَا اَكْرَهُ مُسَاءَتَهٗ وَلَا بُدَّ لَهٗ مِنْهُ ۔

(Transmitted by al-Bukhārī.)

Vocabulary: man ʿādā lī waliyyan — whoever showed enmity to My friend, to My walī; fa-qad ādhantuhū bi'l-ḥarb — then I have declared war on him.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah Most High said: Whoever showed enmity to any friend of Mine, I declare war against him. And My servant has not drawn near to Me by anything more beloved to Me than the performance of the obligation which I have made obligatory upon him; and My servant keeps drawing nearer and nearer to Me by means of the supererogatory acts, until I make him My beloved. Then when I make him My beloved, I become his hearing with which he hears, and I become his sight with which he sees, and I become his hand with which he grasps, and I become his foot with which he walks. If he asks of Me, I certainly give to him; and if he seeks refuge with Me, I certainly give him refuge. And I have not hesitated in doing anything as much as I hesitate (in taking the life) of a believer who dislikes death, while I dislike his displeasure, although it is necessary for him. (al-Bukhārī.)