Asalaam
alaikum Warahmatulah wabarakatuh.
The
Precise “Selection”
Bismillah
walhamdulillah.
Point #1:
In
Suratul Hajj (22:75) Allah ta’ala uses two distinct words to give
the meaning of “selection”. ( اجتبى
and
اصطفى)
Allah
ta’ala says in ayah 75:
اللَّهُ يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ
Allah selects messengers out of angels and man.
Then He ta’ala says in ayah 77:
هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ
He has selected you (muslims).
Both
of these words carry the same English meaning of ’selection’
or ‘to
choose’, yet
there is a profound difference between the two which shows the
precise choice of these words.
Istafaa’
is
from the root saad-fa-wow ( ص
ف و)
and it means to be chosen based on purity.
When Allah ta’ala selects Messengers, He selects
the
purest of mankind.
We learn this from our
creed (aqeedah) that the Messengers are all pure. The
Jews and Christians on the other hand did not keep this standard and
in their books that they claim to be divine, there are references to
these Messengers that are lewd and horrifying. When we hear anything
horrendous, we automatically know it is wrong based on this ayah. We
know it cannot be from the revelation because it questions the purity
of the Messengers.
Another meaning of istafaa’
is
to make a choice that is purely your own,
no explanation is needed
for this choice and it is
free from any agendas, pressures and dictates.
This protects another aspect of the Messengers. At the time of the
Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, the
Jews and the Quraysh denied the Messengership of the Prophet sal
Allahu alayhi wa sallam just because he was not Jewish or not rich;
they questioned the choice of Allah ta’ala. Allah’s Choice is
BEYOND our question, and by using istafaa’
Allah ta’ala makes
that clear. We cannot say the Messenger alayhi salaatu wa salaam was
picked for X, Y or Z reasons–we should stop at: Allah chose
Him.
Ijtibaa’
on the other
hand is from
jeem-ba-ya (ج
ب ي),
Ijtibaa’ is
to pick something for a
purpose, an
agenda, and based
on qualifications.
For example, this word is used to collect taxes, and when collecting
taxes there is a purpose: to store the money in the treasury. Another
example is when a recruiter hires an employee: he chooses
based on the qualifications
of the employee. There is a reason for ijtibaa’.
Everyone
who has the priviledge of saying la
ilaaha il Allah [there is no god but Allah]
has
been selected.
Allah ta’ala did not just select us, but there is a
reason,
something that
He
the Most High sees in us that He sees us as qualified for this task
and the mission of this ummah [muslim Nation].
The
vast majority of the people on this earth were not chosen; yet we
make up the small minority of those whom Allah ta’ala
selected.
This
shows great honor,
but at the same time: great
responsibility.
SubhanAllah.
Point
#2:
These two
examples are from Surat al-Hajj, and it connects with the last ayah
of this surah which is an emotional roller coaster:
وَجَاهِدُوا
فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ ۚ هُوَ
اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ
فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ ۚ مِلَّةَ
أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ
الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَـٰذَا
لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ
وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ
ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا
الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ
هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ
وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ
[Surah
Hajj 22:78]
(I did not translate this ayah for a
reason)
In a previous ayah, ayah 22:74, Allah ta’ala
said:مَا
قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِthey
did not make a just estimate of Allah as He deserves.
The ayah above
begins [22:78] with an impossible
goal: جَاهِدُوا
فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ
to
struggle
before Allah as much as He deserves/a true striving.
SubhanAllah!
Can we ever thank Allah as He deserves? Can we ever pray to Allah as
He deserves? Can we ever fear Allah as He deserves? The first thing
we think of when reading this statement is that we cannot do it! It’s
too difficult!
But directly after this statement, Allah azza
wa jal says: هُوَ
اجْتَبَاكُمْ
He
selectedyou.
Allah azza wa jal sees it in us to carry this task.
He says
after that: وَمَا
جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ
حَرَجٍ
He
did not place in this deen/religion for you any difficulty.
Our deen is
not that hard.
Then He reminds us that we are the continuation
of a legacy before us: مِلَّةَ
أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
the
religion of your father Ibrahim (alayhi salaam).
Ibrahim
alayhi salaam struggled so much in his life:
he was thrown into the fire, sought to slaughter his beloved son,
leaving his wife and child in the desert. Ibrahim alayhi salaam left
his child [Isma'il] and wife in a barren desert, a certain death
(except that Allah kept them alive and lookaftered them)! The last
thing we think of about his life alayhi salaam is that it was easy,
yet Allah ta’ala says that there is no haraj (hardship) in this
deen.
What is the lesson here? If Allah ta’ala can make
jumping into the fire easy for Ibrahim, if He can substitute a ram in
place of his son, if He can send a river in the middle of the desert
for his family…then what do you have that is so hard? There is no
comparison.
Point
#3:
Then
Allah ta’ala reminds us that: هُوَ
سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
He
is the one who named you “Muslims”.
In Surat ul Baqarah,
Allah states that Ibrahim made the duaa while building the Ka’bah
and said to Allah to make us “ummatan
Muslimatan.”
[people who submit to Allah/are Muslims] If this ayah means that
Allah named accepted his du'a & made us Muslims, then we should
be in trust to Allah that He chose us and named us.
How do you
feel now? Encouraged, right?
But
Allah reminds us that with this Qualification comes
Responsibility:
لِيَكُونَ
الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ so
that the Messenger is a witness against you.
Allah ta’ala says عَلَيْكُمْ,
‘alaa
here
means against. If the Messenger alayhi salaam is a witness against
us, then that means we have a mission to complete.
Just because of the qualification, doesn’t mean we will do the job.
Allah ta’ala is reminding us here, if we do not fulfill our mission
then our Messenger will be the one complaining to Allah azza wa
jal!
Furthermore, وَتَكُونُوا
شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ and
that you all are witnesses against mankind.
Not only is the Messenger alayhi salaatu wa salaam a witness against
us; we will also be a proof and witness against humanity, if we
fulfilled our mission or not. SubhanAllah, on one side it is the
Messenger sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam complaining and on the other
side it’s humanity!
Now we realize the magnitude of our
mission, but before you become uneasy, Allah ta’ala consoles us
again:
فَأَقِيمُوا
الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ
t
hen perfectly establish the prayer and give zakah.
Salah is the therapy
and reinforcement for the Muslim, and through giving zakah, Allah
ta’ala ensures our purification. And if you want to pray and give
zakah properly: وَاعْتَصِمُوا
بِاللَّهِ and
hold fast to Allah.
Hold fast to the rope of Allah, the Qur’an.
Then Allah
ta’ala says at the end of this ayah:
هُوَ
مَوْلَاكُمْ
He
is your Mawlaa.
Not only is a Mawlaa a friend, but a Mawlaa is the ONLY ONE who can
protect you. When you embark on this hard journey, this great
mission, He is the One who will help you.
and
how awesome a Mawlaa, and how awesome a Helper.
فَنِعْمَ
الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ
SubhanAllahil
A’dheem. O Allah we ask you to grant us istqaamah and to make us
bearers of Your deen, and to grant us success as callers. Ameen.
__________________