Tag: Shaykh Uthaymeen

Abu Muhammad al-Maghribee (hafidhahullaah)
Audio Courtesy: http://followthesalaf.com

Sharh Thalathat al-Usool (Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles) – by Sheikh Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen, rahimahullah.

Listen / Download Mp3 Here (Time 1:07:53)

—

The Belief In Allaah Comprises Four Matters:

The Belief In The Existence Of Allaah
Belief In Allaah’S Lordship (Ruboobiyyah)
Belief In Allaah’S Worship (Uloohiyyah)
Belief In Allaah’S Names And Sifaat (Attributes)

---

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ
Indeed, all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and we seek His aid and we ask for His forgiveness.

وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا
And we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own selves and from the evil of our actions.

مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ
Whomever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him, and whomever He misguides, there is none to guide him.

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ
And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, without any partner.

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.

صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا، أَمَّا بَعْدُ
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and upon his family and his companions, with abundant peace. To proceed:

I welcome all of you into tonight’s class, as every Tuesday night, here at Masjid At-Tawheed, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. We continue reading from the explanation of the three fundamental principles, Sharh Thalathat al-Usool, by his eminence, the Sheikh, our father, Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, may Allah the Most High have mercy on him.

Sheikh al-Islam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And we began on this point, that Iman (faith) is from the levels of the religion. The second level from the levels of the religion is Al-Iman (faith).

He says that the second level of the religion after Islam is Iman, faith, and it is six pillars. To believe in Allah,

وَالإِيمَانُ بِاللهِ وَمَلائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَبِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
and belief in Allah, and His angels, and His books, and His messengers, and the Last Day, and in the divine decree, its good and its bad.

To believe in Allah, and we are still on this point, and to believe in the angels to the end of the six pillars of Al-Iman.

He said: The first pillar is to believe in Allah. And it comprises four matters. The first, the first matter: belief in His existence, the Most High, in the existence of Allah. And we have already covered this.

The Sheikh, he says, to have belief in Allah comprises of four things. When someone says that they believe in Allah, they need to know these four matters. Number one, to believe that Allah exists. To believe in the existence of Allah, and we mentioned that.

The second matter: belief in His Lordship (Rububiyyah). To believe and to have Iman in the Lordship of Allah, Ar-Rububiyyah.

Defining Ar-Rububiyyah (The Lordship of Allah)

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said, meaning, you believe that He alone is the Lord, having no partner and no helper. What does it mean to have belief in the Lordship, Rububiyyah, of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala? That you believe that He alone is the Lord, having no sharer in that, nor any helper. No one shares with Allah in this one, and no helper whatsoever.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And the Lord (Ar-Rabb) is the one who has the creation, the sovereignty, and the command. So there is no creator except Allah, and no sovereign except Allah, and no command except for Him, the Glorified. As He, the Most High, said in Surah Al-A’raf, ayah 54:

أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ
Surely, His is the Creation and Command. (7:54)

And He, the Most High, said in Surah Fatir, the thirteenth ayah:

ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍ
Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the kingdom. And those whom you invoke instead of Him own not even a Qitmeer (the thin membrane over a date-stone). (35:13)

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen continues by saying and gives us the definition of Rabb. He says Ar-Rabb, the Lord, is the one who creates. So now this is a refutation against those who they claim that others are lord, such as the Christians who they say that Jesus is the Lord. But Isa alayhis salaam does not create anything. He was created. Jesus, the son of Mary, alayhis salatu was-salaam, as the Christians they believe to in him to be the Lord. But from the, the Lord creates. Isa alayhis salaam does not create, he was created himself.

So the Lord is the one who creates. He is the sovereign king. And the command is His. He has the total command. So there is no creator except Allah, nor any sovereign Lord except Him. And there is no command except for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. No one shares with Allah in the creation of the heavens. There is no, ‘Allah 90%, 10% or 70/30.’ None of that. Allah alone creates them. Likewise the seven earths, the human being, Allah created all the human being, all the animals, all the fish, all the species of trees and the mountains and the oceans, every single drop of rain or flake of snow. No one ever created one of them. Allah creates everything.

And Allah has the command of all things. No one commands the sun for one day, or the rain to fall, or the angel to take the souls of such and such. Only Allah commands, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. That’s why Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen mentioned a couple of ayahs. The first one in Surah Al-A’raf, verse number 54, “Surely, creation and the command are His,” are Allah’s Subhanahu wa Ta’ala alone. He alone creates, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, and the commands are His.

And also in Surah Fatir, verse number 13: “That is Allah, your Lord, who alone has the right to worship. He it is who has complete sovereignty, and those whom you worship besides Him do not even possess and control the amount of a qitmeer.” What is qitmeer? Qitmeer is that thin membrane covering a date stone. You ate a date before, right? So when you open the date in half, what’s inside the date? The seed, the stone. The stone. Some of them they come seedless. Alright? So, now, the real dates, they come with a stone inside. We call it a stone. Or seed, if you want to call it.

If you notice what’s, that that stone, is it covered or not? With what? A thin layer, white one. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says to the mushrikeen, the polytheists, and this is the explanation by Sheikh Rabi’, hafidahullah al-Madkhali, I was in his class in his house, and he was talking about this and he mentioned this ayah, and he says Allah Ta’ala mentioned that to the, addressing the polytheists, the mushrikeen, telling them, you’re worshipping things that cannot create anything, not even that thin layer, that little thin thing that is on a stone. They cannot even create that. Subhanallah.

The Denial of Rububiyyah Out of Arrogance

And it is not known that anyone from the creation denied the Lordship of Allah, the Glorified and Most High, except one who was arrogant, not believing in what he was saying. As happened with Pharaoh when he said to his people,

أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الأَعْلَى
“I am your lord, most high.”

As in Surah An-Nazi’at. And he said,

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي
“O chiefs! I know not that you have an ilah (a god) other than me.”

In Surah Al-Qasas. But that was not out of belief. Allah, the Most High, said,

وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنْفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا
And they belied them (those Ayat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their ownselves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayat) are from Allah].

Meaning the signs that Musa (Moses) came with from Allah, the Glorified and Most High. Surah An-Naml. And Musa said to Pharaoh, as Allah narrated from him,

لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا أَنْزَلَ هَؤُلَاءِ إِلَّا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ بَصَائِرَ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا فِرْعَوْنُ مَثْبُورًا
“Verily, you know that these signs have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as proofs. And I think you, O Fir’aun (Pharaoh)! are indeed damned (doomed to destruction)!”

Surah Al-Isra.

Sheikh al-Uthaymeen, rahimahullah, now he’s going to mention a point that is known to history of humanity, and that is, it is not, it is not known that anyone from the creation denied the Lordship of Allah. No one denies the existence of Allah, that there is a creator who created the heavens, the universe, the earth, what’s between them, the air, the rain, the mountains, the landscape, the rain, the people, the human being, the, the, the, the fruits, the vegetations, the food that we need, and all of these things. No one denies this. Except one who did so out of arrogance and not out of belief in what he said.

Yes, you may find those who deny it, they just deny it out of arrogance, because they know that there is a creator. There is a creator. Because they know that the shoes they’re wearing, if somebody comes to them and says, “Nobody made these shoes.” “Where they came from?” “They just came just like that.” Nobody made them, nobody, nobody. These shoes one morning, they just like that. They weren’t, and now here they are. That same person is gonna say, “Hey, you’re crazy. Somebody got to make these shoes. They don’t just come up with no reason.” So, so what about the heavens, the mountains, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars? They just come just like that? No.

So that’s why the Sheikh, he says, even those who deny the existence of Allah or that Allah is the creator, is al-Khaliq, they do so out of arrogance and not out of belief in what they what they say. And this was the case of the Pharaoh, Fir’awn. The Sheikh, he mentioned the example of the Pharaoh, Fir’awn, when he said to his people,

فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَى
So he said, “I am your lord, the most high.”

In Surah An-Nazi’at, verse 24, he said to his people, “I am your highest lord.” He said to them, “I am your lord.” And also, Pharaoh said to his people in Surah Al-Qasas, verse 38, as Allah tells us, he says, “O nobles, I know no other god for you besides me.” When Musa and Harun, alayhim as-salaam, because Musa, he was sent to Pharaoh and to his people, but Musa alayhis salaam, he requested that Harun shares with him in this responsibility and this message. And Allah granted Musa that request. So Musa and Harun, both of them, they were sent to Pharaoh and his people. And they told them that we are messengers from your Lord, our Lord, the Lord of humanity, the Lord of mankind, the only Lord, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. But Pharaoh said to his people, “I know no other lord for you but me.” So there is nothing, meaning whatever these two guys are talking about, don’t believe them. “I am your lord, and that’s it.” Allahu musta’an.

Allah tells us in Surah An-Naml that Pharaoh, when he says these statements, he did not say this out of belief, that he believed that he really, he’s the lord, because he knows he’s not a lord. Because he doesn’t have the characteristics and the qualities of a lord. Okay? Pharaoh uses the bathroom. He goes to sleep, get tired, doesn’t know what’s going on behind the wall. If he doesn’t eat, he dies. And he’s afraid from others. See? Afraid from a scorpion. The Lord of mankind has qualities, names, attributes. Pharaoh has none of that.

Can I ask a question? Who can explain, give me the reason why that the Pharaoh or any of the human being will not share with Allah any of his names and attributes? Yes. The people of Tawhid. in the Masjid of Tawhid. In the lesson of Aqeedah and Tawhid. Yes, O Muhammad. Because if he shares one of his attributes… A proof, a proof. A verse or a hadith. A verse and a hadith. A famous verse. Yes, O Abu Qayyum.

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ
There is nothing like unto Him.

Excellent. And that is so. Which surah? Surah… Who? Ash-Shura. I am asking him. Ash-Shura. The number of the verse? For this reason, I said ‘famous.’ I said this ayah is famous. Huh? Eleven. Ayah 11 in Surah Ash-Shura. Not Ash-Shu’ara’, Ash-Shura, 42.

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. (42:11)

Nothing like unto Allah, nothing.

So here, Allah says about Pharaoh and his people, “They rejected Allah’s clear signs, proving what Musa called to, yet in their hearts, they knew that they were true and from Allah.” Even though they denied them, they denied an ayah after an ayah, a sign after a sign, because Musa brought them many signs from Allah, amazing signs. One of them would be enough for them to believe. But the guidance of success is in the hand of Allah, the Glorified and Most High. Guidance is of two types. Guidance is two types. The first guidance is the guidance of showing and explaining. The guidance to make things clear to the people, and that’s the job of the prophets and the messengers, in the first place, and whoever followed them but upon knowledge. The second type of guidance, the guidance of success. Meaning a person acts upon what the messengers came with from Allah. That’s only for Allah. No one can make someone a believer. You can talk to someone for years, you can give them all the gifts, and you can be the nicest person, the wisest, the most patient, but if Allah doesn’t want that person to be guided, he will never be guided. Because me and you, we will never, ever, even if we be the nicest person in our time, the wisest, we can never get close to the best of mankind, Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And still, see, he couldn’t guide, meaning make successful, his uncle, who has supported him, took, took care of him when he was very young, supported him against Quraysh. Abu Talib put his life in danger, not just his life, the whole tribe of Banu Hashim in danger to protect the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Still, this guidance, this type of guidance, the guidance of success, is with Allah alone.

We learn from this a great thing so that we don’t despair, because Shaytan has many tricks. You be talking to, because many of us have, have family members that are not Muslims. Sometimes you may hear a talk, a khutbah, you read a book, and you’re like, “That’s it, I’m gonna talk to my grandmother, I’m gonna talk to my father, I’m gonna talk to my this, this, my mother, or this uncle, or this somebody that they were so nice to you, they took care of you, and they’re still, they’re nice, they have good manners.” And you’re like, “That’s it.” And you started talking to them nicely, kindly, give them da’wah. After four months, Shaytan comes to you saying, “You’re wasting your time. They’re not going to accept it. Look, four months.” Four months, you’re talking about? Nuh alayhis salam,

أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ
a thousand years less fifty. (29:14)

A thousand years except for fifty years.

وَمَا آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
And none believed with him, except a few. (11:40)

Only a few people believed in him. His wife and his son didn’t believe in him. They didn’t believe in him. They died upon shirk. So this type of hidayah is for Allah alone, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

So Allah says, “They rejected Allah’s clear signs, proving what Musa called to, yet in their hearts they knew that they were true and from Allah. And they did so due to their transgression and arrogance.” That’s why they do it.

Also Musa alayhis salaam said to Fir’awn, said to the Pharaoh, as Allah tells us in the Qur’an, in Surah Al-Isra, chapter 17, verse 102, the translation in English to what Allah says, because the Qur’an is Arabic. The Qur’an is in the Arabic language. You don’t say Allah says and we start saying German or or French or Italian or Chinese. No, that’s the interpretation. As for the Qur’an is in the Arabic language.

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ
in a plain Arabic language. (26:195)

Musa said to Pharaoh, ayy, Fir’awn, “You know for certain that these signs were not sent down except by the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and that they are clear proofs of the truth of what I call you to, and that I am Allah’s messenger. But I think that you, O Pharaoh, are one accursed and deprived of good.” Allahu Akbar.

That’s why you see the saharah, the, the, the, the, those magicians that they were working for the Pharaoh, they were doing all their magic and the like, and they know magic because that’s all they learn, and they did in their lives. Once they saw the sign, they know it’s not magic. They prostrate, and they turn to Allah with repentance. And they know it’s the haqq. Allah wants good for them. Alhamdulillah.

The Polytheists’ Affirmation of Rububiyyah

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And for this reason, the polytheists used to affirm the Lordship of Allah the Most High, despite associating partners with Him in His Divinity. Allah the Most High said, as in Surah Al-Mu’minun,

قُلْ لِمَنِ الْأَرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيهَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ، سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ، قُلْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ، قُلْ مَنْ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ، قُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ، قُلْ مَنْ بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ، سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ، قُلْ فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ
Say: “Whose is the earth and whosoever is therein? If you know!” They will say: “It is Allah’s!” Say: “Will you not then remember?” Say: “Who is (the) Lord of the seven heavens, and (the) Lord of the Great Throne?” They will say: “Allah.” Say: “Will you not then fear Allah?” Say: “In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything? And He protects (all), while against Him there is no protector, if you know.” They will say: “(All that belongs) to Allah.” Say: “How then are you deceived and turn away from the truth?” (23:84-89)

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, rahimahullahu ta’ala, he says, “Therefore, based on this, the mushriks, the polytheists, the pagans of the Arabs used to affirm the Lordship of Allah, the Most High.” They know He’s the Lord. They used to affirm the Lordship of Allah, the Most High, even though they worship others along with Him. You will find that in their poetries, those who read poetry, the Arab poetry, the mushrikeen, they mention Allah, Ar-Rabb. They used to swear by Allah, “Wallahi.” They know. They used to call upon Allah in times of difficulty. When they are in a hardship, they don’t call upon their gods. They say, “Ya Allah, najjina” (“O Allah, save us”).

But they, but then with that, even though they believe in the Lordship of Allah, that Allah is the Lord and the Creator of all things, they, even though with that, they worship others along with Him. As Allah tells us, and this is only one example of many places in the Qur’an, when the polytheists, they say the same thing that they believe in the Lordship of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. Say O Muhammad to those mushriks, the polytheists, “To whom belong the sovereignty of the earth and all the creation upon it, if it is that you know?” They will say, “It is Allah’s.” They say, “Will you not then be reminded that He is, it is, it is who alone deserves your worship?”

“Say to them, O Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, ‘Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the tremendous throne, al-‘Arsh, which extends over them all, extends over these heavens?’ They will say, ‘That it is for Allah, all for Allah, all this is for Allah, the heavens and the throne and all that, is for Allah.’ Say, ‘Will you not then fear His punishment for your worship of others besides Him?'”

“Say, ‘In whose hand is the dominion and control over everything, and who protects and none can protect against His punishment, if it is that you know?’ They will say,” this is the answer by the mushriks. This is the answer of people who worship idols. They will say, “It is for Allah.” For Allah. “Say then, how is it that you are turned away from acceptance of the truth to falsehood and to the worship of others along with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala?”

And Allah the Most High said, as in Surah Az-Zukhruf, the ninth ayah:

وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ خَلَقَهُنَّ الْعَزِيزُ الْعَلِيمُ
And if you were to ask them: “Who has created the heavens and the earth?” They will surely say: “The All-Mighty, the All-Knower created them.” (43:9)

And likewise in Surah Az-Zukhruf, ayah 87:

وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللهُ فَأَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ
And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say: “Allah.” How then are they turned away (from the worship of Allah, Who created them)? (43:87)

“And if you, O Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, were to ask those from your people who worship others along with Allah, ‘Who created them?’ they will say, ‘Allah created us.'” Subhanallah. They don’t say those idols created us, because they made those idols themselves with their hands. They say, “Allah created us.” Then how have they turned away from the worship of the one who created them? How have they turned away? Why, in another term, why, since they know this, so why they worship other than the one who created them?

The Two Types of Divine Command

And the command of the Lord, the Glorified, and the command, excuse me, and the command of the Lord, the Glorified, is comprehensive of the creational command and the legislative command. So just as He is the arranger of the universe, decreeing in it what He wills according to what His wisdom necessitates, He, the Glorified and Most High, is likewise the Judge therein, by legislating acts of worship and the rulings of transactions, according to what His wisdom necessitates. So whoever takes along with Allah the Most High a legislator for acts of worship or a judge for transactions has associated partners with Him and has not actualized faith.

After this proofs, Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, rahimahullahu ta’ala, he says, “Likewise, the command,” because he mentioned that Allah has the creation, the dominion over all things, the sovereignty over all things, and the command is His. He says, “The command of the Lord, the one free of all imperfections, covers the creational command and the legislative command.” So just as Allah, just as He arranges and controls the creation, and He decrees for it whatever He wishes according to His wisdom, then likewise, He is the sovereign judge therein who lays down and prescribes the acts of worship and the judgments for social affairs and dealings also according to His wisdom. So whoever takes someone else along with Allah, the Most High, to prescribe and legislate with regard to acts of worship, or as a sovereign, sovereign or judge in transactions and social affairs, then he has committed shirk, has committed shirk in that and has not realized and fulfilled the Iman.

The Third Matter of Belief in Allah: Uluhiyyah

The third matter of the matters that belief in Allah comprises of: we said the first is belief in the existence of Allah, the Glorified and Most High. The second matter: belief in His Lordship. The third matter: belief in His sole right to be worshipped (Uluhiyyah).

So the third matter from the four matters that are comprised in believing in Allah, the first pillar of Iman, because the Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, rahimahullahu ta’ala, he says, “Believing in Allah, which is this is the first of the six pillars of Iman, comprise of four matters.” Number one, to believe that Allah exists. Number two, to believe in His Lordship, Rububiyyah. And number three, to believe in His Uluhiyyah, that He has the sole right to be worshipped. And if anything or anyone, whether is a close angel, a prophet or a messenger, a righteous person, a king, or a tree or a stone or anything else, or a jinn or whatever it may be, if they are taken as objects of worship, they are taken in falsehood, not in truth, in falsehood.

As Sheikh Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab al-Wasabi al-Abdali, may Allah preserve him, from Yemen, from Al-Hudaydah, may Allah preserve him, in his valuable book, Al-Qawl al-Mufeed fi Adillat at-Tawheed (The Beneficial Saying Regarding the Proofs of Monotheism). Regarding the meaning of ‘La ilaha illallah,’ meaning, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah,’ and anything other than Allah, if it is worshipped, it is worshipped in falsehood.

One of our contemporary mashayikh, he’s still alive, may Allah preserve him and preserve the mashayikh of Ahlus-Sunnah. He is from Yemen, from the city of Al-Hudaydah. He was praised by many mashayikh, namely Sheikh Muqbil ibn Hadi al-Wadi’i, rahimahullah. And this Sheikh, he said in his book, Al-Qawl al-Mufeed fi Adillat at-Tawheed. This book, the Sheikh in it, he mentioned the proofs from the Qur’an and the Sunnah as proofs for Tawheed, Islamic monotheism. When he explained and gave the meaning of La ilaha illallah, he says, “there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah, and anything other than Allah, if it is worshipped, it is worshipped in falsehood.”

What does belief in the sole right to worship of Allah, the Glorified and Most High, mean? Meaning, that He alone is the true God, with no partner. And Al-Ilah means Al-Ma’looh, i.e., the one who is worshipped with love and glorification.

What does it mean to believe, to have Iman in the Uluhiyyah? Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, rahimahullah, he says, “That is that He, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, alone is the one who has the right to be worshipped.” That’s what it means to believe in the Uluhiyyah of Allah, that you believe that He alone, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, Allah, has is the one who has the right to be worshipped, and no share of any worship is to be directed to anyone else besides Him. All worship has to be for Allah. Now you find certain people when it comes to salat, which is an act of worship, they pray for Allah. Ramadan, they fast for Allah. Hajj for Allah. Dhabh, slaughtering animals, for who? For jinn. Ayy? For the jinn. For dead people. Right or wrong? Yes.

Du’a, is it ‘ibadah or not an ‘ibadah? It’s ‘ibadah. It has to be for who? Allah alone. So you find some people, they pray for Allah, they tell you, “No, no, no, for Allah. We don’t pray for no tree, no thing. Astaghfirullah. This is clear.” The same person or these people, they go to a grave of so-and-so and they say, “O so-and-so, help me out.” “Ya Jilani, ya Abd al-Qadir, ya Sayyidah Zaynab, ya Badawi, Husayn,” and so on. These are names. And they call somebody who’s dead, “Help us. Get me out of this one. Give me children. Cure me. Cure my mother. Cure my children.” No. Shirk billah.

So all worship, all acts of worship has to be for Allah alone, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. Not some of them for Allah and others for other than Allah. No. Because those people, they didn’t create anything with Allah. They don’t arrange anything in the universe with Allah. They don’t provide, not even for themselves. Allah provides for them. And yet, they’re dead. And how somebody call them and call upon them beside Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala?

لَا يَسْمَعُونَهُمْ
they do not hear them.

Allah tells us in the Qur’an, “They do not hear them.” And even if they hear them, they will not answer them. And on Yawm al-Qiyamah, they will disbelieve in them. On Yawm al-Qiyamah, they will tell them, “Listen, man, why were you calling us? We’re not gods.” Subhanallah. As Allah tells us in the Qur’an, those that they call upon beside Allah, meaning the angels, and Isa alayhis salaam, they said, “We are servants of Allah, man. We’re hoping for Allah’s mercy upon us. You’re calling us for mercy? You’re calling us to forgive you your sins? No, we don’t do these things.” That’s only for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

Allah the Most High said, as in Surah Al-Baqarah:

وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ
And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God), La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. (2:163)

And the Most High said in Surah Aal-Imran:

شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
Allah bears witness that La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), and the angels, and those having knowledge (also give this witness), (He is always) maintaining His creation in Justice. La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. (3:18)

Then the Sheikh, he mentioned the ayah in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 163, “And the god alone who has the right to be worshipped is a single god. He has no partner, not even one. He doesn’t even have another one partner. He is alone. And that is Allah. So do not worship anything besides Him, nor associate anything in worship with Him, the Most Merciful, the bestower of mercy.”

This is very important for us. This is now the Sheikh is teaching us da’wah. How to give da’wah to the people, how we talk to them. We should go back to this chapter and memorize it. If somebody tells you, “No, listen, you guys worship Allah, it’s okay, you can have that. Now we worship Jesus.” And then you ask them simple question. You say, “What is the characteristics of a god? What is his qualification? Things that has to be made in the god so he can be singled out, stand out. Huh?” It’s like a doctor. Do they just look at somebody’s face and say, “You look like you can make a good doctor.” “Oh, here is a degree, man. Go ahead.” Does it work like this? No, he has qualification. He studied, he went so many things, he has some knowledge, he can do this, a surgeon, now he can operate, he can tell you, he can prescribe, he can mix medication, a lot of things. A pharmacist in CVS or whatever it may be. You think they just hire somebody from the street? “Oh, come here, man.” “You want a job?” “Oh yeah, I’m looking for a job, actually.” “What do you want?” The manager tell them, “You want to stock the soda? What do you want me to sweep? What do you want to to load up the aisles?” They’re like, “No, no, no, no, not of that, man. You don’t look like you’re for that. You’re gonna be pharmacist.”

Does it work like this? If you know that person, he was chosen like that, don’t you ever mess with those people. Right or wrong, man? Because a pharmacist, man, he has to be a chemist. He has to study chemistry and math and biology, right or wrong, man? Because he has to, he’s gonna mix things now. And those things are dangerous. One itself is dangerous. Mix it with three others, Allahu musta’an.

So now when somebody tell you, “Oh yeah, you, that’s fine, it’s okay with me. Allah is your lord, but Jesus is mine.” Tell him, “Listen, man, since you said Allah is the lord, you’re right about that. You’re right. And I can prove you that you’re right. Because Allah, He alone creates this, this, this, this. Does your god do the same thing?” If he say, “Oh yeah, Jesus creates everything.” Say, “Since when?” He says, “Uh, he said,” let me make it easy on him. “Jesus was born or he wasn’t born?” If he says, “No, he wasn’t born,” you say, “You don’t even know the Lord you’re worshipping.” So how you worship something you don’t know? But if he says, “Oh yeah, he was born,” you say, “Okay, he was born. Before he was born, so who was god?” Who was god before he was born? “Ah,” now he’s gonna say, “Wait a minute.” “Is it your god was then?” “Yes, my god was there. He was ever since. He has no beginning and no end. Nothing before him and nothing after him. Nothing above Allah. And began to give him the ayahs. If Allah wants good for that person, before you finish, you’re gonna see it in his face. You remember Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah? Huh? In the, in the, in the seerah classes? He was going, he came with his spear to who? To who? To two companions. As’ad ibn Zurarah and Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair. So he coming with his spear to chase him out of Madinah, “Why are you coming to corrupt our people with that things you’re talking?”

But then Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair said to him, “Listen, man, just calm down. I’m just inviting you to listen to what I’m about to say. If you don’t like it, we leave. And if you do like it, accept it.” He said, “Okay, that’s fair.” But As’ad ibn Zurarah, he says, “Subhanallah, as soon as Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair, radiyallahu ‘anhu, began to talk about the deen of Allah and recite some ayahs,” he says, “the face of Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah,” who is, he’s coming determined with his spear to chase him out, he says, his face was shining. He says, “We saw Islam in his face before he even say La ilaha illallah.” Same thing. How are you gonna go to someone and say, and begin to insult his, the only god they know? They’re not gonna listen to you after that. They’re not gonna listen to you. Talk to them about Allah, because there is a lot to say about Allah. There is only few things to say about Jesus as a human being and as a messenger. As a lord, is there anything to be said about him? Nothing. You know why? You know why? Because he’s not a lord. He’s not a lord. You just go to a person, tell him, “Listen, I’m a, you’re a Christian? Can I talk to you about my god?” And if he says, “Yeah, yeah, go ahead,” then you start. How long, how much you have knowledge? So we don’t know our lord as we should. And then when we are, when we fail, it’s not because the, the opponents, because we give reason for the opponents to to intervene because we, we just, we we’re mixing everything. Now we go and talk about Allah, but we have to know Allah. That’s why I said these chapters are very important. That’s why if you know somebody interested in Islam, just give them Thalathat al-Usool. Give them this book. “Okay, read this book.” Especially this chapter right here, of Arkan al-Iman. Read this. And they will see that whatever they were taught, whatever they said their grandparents doing, whatever they were learning in those churches, whatever was promoted, make no sense. What makes sense? The ‘aqeedah of Islam, that was the Prophet brought. And for those that Allah wants good for them, they’re gonna say La ilaha illallah. As for those people that Allah don’t want nothing for them, you can’t do nothing. You can’t do nothing. Tayyib.

And everything that is taken as a god along with Allah, worshipped besides Him, its divinity is false. Allah the Most High said,

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ
That is because Allah He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (falsehood) And verily, Allah He is the Most High, the Most Great. (22:62)

The Sheikh, he says, “Everything which is taken as a god to be worshipped beside Allah is a false and futile object of worship.” It’s false and a futile act of worship, object of worship. Allah, the Most High, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, says in Surah Al-Hajj, verse 62, and of course the translation of what Allah said into English, “That is because Allah is the true God, deserving all worship. There is none like Him, no sharer and no rival. And those gods which the mushriks, the polytheists, invoke beside Him are futile and false, and not able to create anything, rather they are themselves created things. And Allah, it is who is the Most High above everything, the Most Great.”

And naming them ‘gods’, meaning, these gods that the polytheists worship besides Allah, the Glorified and Most High, and naming them ‘gods’ does not give them the right of divinity. Allah the Most High said regarding Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat, as in Surah An-Najm,

إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ
They are but names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. (53:23)

And He said regarding Hud, that he said to his people, as in Surah Al-A’raf,

أَتُجَادِلُونَنِي فِي أَسْمَاءٍ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ
Dispute you with me about names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority? (7:71)

And He said regarding Yusuf (Joseph), peace be upon him, that he said to his two companions in prison, as in Surah Yusuf,

يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ، مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ
O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible? You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. (12:39-40)

And for this reason, the messengers, upon them be peace and blessings, used to say to their peoples,

اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ
“Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him.” (7:59)

But the polytheists refused that. And they took besides Allah other gods, worshipping them along with Allah, the Glorified and Most High, and they seek victory through them and seek their aid.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, rahimahullahu ta’ala, he says, “The fact that this object of worship that they are futile and false, the fact that they are called ‘gods’, alihah, in no way gives them the right to be worshipped.” Just because they were called alihah, they were given this name, alihah, gods, doesn’t give them no way the right to be worshipped beside Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. Like we gave the example, but Allah, just because a person looks like a doctor, is he a doctor? No, can’t. You want to look like him, mashallah, but then let’s get down now, take a test. Or just because someone look all greasy and has all this grease on his hands and on his t-shirt and make him a good mechanic? Are we gonna say, “Okay, break down this, this, uh, we’re gonna give him a broke old Chevy engine,” say, “put it together.” “Crack it now, right?” And he can’t even, you know, even know where the tools at. Can’t even hold the wrench straight. No.

So the Sheikh, he says, “Concerning Al-Lat, Al-‘Uzza, and Manat,” who are these? Al-Lat, Al-‘Uzza, and Manat? We mentioned this in, in which class? In the Seerah class, right? Last Wednesday, in the Seerah class. Yes, Abdullah? You want to say something, Abdullah? What are they, Al-Lat, Al-‘Uzza, and Manat? Who are they? They’re pagans’ idols. Al-Lat was a rock, one was a tree, and Manat was an idol. Ahsan, wa huwa kadhalik, barakallahu feek, zadakallahu ‘ilman wa hirsa. So these are names of idols that the Arabs used to worship. Two of them in the way of Ta’if, between Makkah and Ta’if, and one in another place called Al-Mushallal, between Madinah and Makkah, Manat.

Allah says about them in Surah An-Najm, verse 23, “They are but names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority.” And also Allah tells us in the Qur’an what Hud, Nabiyullah Hud alayhis salaam, said to his people when they argue with him about the gods, the the the the false gods they worship, he said, “Do you dispute with me about mere idols which you and your fathers have given names to, things which can neither bring harm nor benefit? And Allah has given no proof or excuse for them to be worshipped.“

Also Yusuf alayhis salaam, and you know the story of Yusuf alayhis salaam, when he, when he enters into jail, and he was innocent. But he says,

السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ
“The prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me.” (12:33)

When two young men entered the jail with Yusuf alayhis salaam, they were with him, and they saw a dream. Each one of them saw a dream, and they approached him, they says, “Would you please interpret these dreams? Because we see you, you have knowledge. You have some knowledge, you’re not like other people in here.” But before he gave them the interpretation, and he told them, he called them to Tawhid. He said to them, “Is it better that you worship many different lords or that you worship only Allah, the one who subdues and has full power over everything? You do not worship beside Allah except idols which you call gods, which you and your forefathers gave names to, for which Allah has sent down no authority.“

So every messenger said to his people this: “Worship Allah alone. There is none besides Him deserving and having the right to your worship.” Surah Al-A’raf, verse 59. Sheikh al-Uthaymeen, rahimahullah ta’ala, said, “But the mushriks, but the mushriks refused this and worshipped other gods along with Allah, the one free of all imperfections, and the Most High, seeking aid from them and calling upon them to deliver and rescue them.” All these things has to be sought from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

The Intellectual Proofs Against Shirk

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And Allah the Most High has nullified the polytheists’ taking of these gods with two intellectual proofs. Allah, the Most High, has exposed the futility of the polytheists worshipping these gods with, with two clear intellectual proofs, intellectual. The first: that there is nothing in these gods which they took of the characteristics of divinity. For they are created and do not create, they do not bring benefit to their worshippers, nor do they ward off harm from them, they do not possess for them life or death, and they do not possess anything of the heavens nor do they have any share in it. Number one, these gods which they worship do not possess any attributes of divinity. Rather, they are created beings which cannot create, nor can they bring any benefit to those who worship them, nor can they keep any harm away from them, nor do they have any power over their life or death, nor do they own and control anything in the heavens, nor have any share in that at all, at all.

Allah the Most High said, as in Surah Al-Furqan:

وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ، وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا، وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ مَوْتًا وَلَا حَيَاةً وَلَا نُشُورًا
“Yet they have taken besides Him other alihah (gods) who create nothing but are themselves created, and possess neither harm nor benefit for themselves, and possess no power (of causing) death, nor (of giving) life, nor of raising the dead.” (25:3)

And He the Most High said in Surah Saba:

قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِنْ شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ ظَهِيرٍ، وَلَا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ
“Say: ‘Call upon those whom you assert (to be associate gods) besides Allah.’ They possess not even the weight of an atom, either in the heavens or on the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor there is for Him any supporter from among them. Intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits.” (34:22-23)

The Sheikh al-Uthaymeen also, he mentioned the ayahs 191 and 192 in Surah Al-A’raf,

أَيُشْرِكُونَ مَا لَا يَخْلُقُ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ، وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمْ نَصْرًا وَلَا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَنْصُرُونَ
“Do they associate with Him those who create nothing but they themselves are created? And they are not able to help them, nor can they help themselves.” (7:191-192)

He said: And if this is the state of those gods, then taking them as gods is from the most foolish of foolishness and the most false of falsehood. Sheikh al-Uthaymeen says, “So this being the state of these gods, then to worship them is the greatest folly and and is totally futile.” It’s false. It’s foolishness to worship something that have these characteristics, cannot benefit itself, how can benefit others?

The second matter, and we will conclude with it, he said, if Allah wills, Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said: that these polytheists used to affirm that Allah the Most High alone is the Lord, the Creator, in Whose Hand is the sovereignty of all things, and He protects while there is no protector against Him. And this necessitates that they single Him out in worship. Yes, it necessitates that they single Him out with divinity just as they singled Him out with Lordship. Then he mentioned some verses. The second matter that proves, or that Allah has exposed the futility of the mushriks worshipping these gods, that these mushriks used to affirm that Allah, the Most High, alone is the Lord and the Creator, and that in his hand is the control of everything, and that he protects and none can protect from him. So this necessitates that they should single him out with all worship, just as they have singled him out by affirming all lordship for him. And the Sheikh, he mentioned some of the ayahs.

He mentioned the ayah in Surah Al-Baqarah:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ، الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَكُمْ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَنْدَادًا وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped). (2:21-22)

O mankind, single out your Lord with all worship. He who created you and all those who came before you, so that you may be of those who seek to avoid Allah’s punishment and anger, those whom Allah is pleased with. He who has made the earth, meaning Allah, made the earth as a resting place for you and has made the sky as a canopy and who sends down rain from the sky and brings out with it from the earth crops and fruit as a provision for you. So do not set up rivals with Allah in your worship whilst you know that you have no Lord besides Him. Also in Surah Az-Zukhruf, ayah 87:

وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ فَأَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ
And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say: “Allah.” How then are they turned away (from the worship of Allah, Who created them)? (43:87)

And if you, O Muhammad, were to ask those from your people who worship others along with Allah, “Who created them?” they will say, “Allah created us.” Then how have they turned away from the worship of the one who created them?

Also the Sheikh mentioned the ayahs from Surah Yunus, the ayahs 31 and 32:

قُلْ مَنْ يَرْزُقُكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَمَّنْ يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَمَنْ يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَمَنْ يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ فَسَيَقُولُونَ اللَّهُ، فَقُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ، فَذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمُ الْحَقُّ فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ إِلَّا الضَّلَالُ فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ
Say: “Who provides for you from the sky and from the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?” They will say: “Allah.” Say: “Will you not then be afraid of Allah’s Punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?” Such is Allah, your Lord in truth. So after the truth, what else can there be, save error? How then are you turned away? (10:31-32)

Say, O Muhammad, to those who associate others in worship along with Allah, “Who gives you provision from the heavens by sending down rain, and the earth by bringing out its produce? Or who is it that grants you hearing and sight? Who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? Who controls the affairs?” Then they will say, “Allah.” Then say, “Will you not then fear Allah’s punishment for your worshipping along with Him others who do not provide sustenance for you and who can neither harm nor benefit you? Rather, the one who provides for you from the heavens and the earth, grants you hearing and sight, brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living, and controls the affairs is Allah, your true Lord, about which there can be no doubt. So besides the truth, what is there except misguidance, falsehood? Besides the truth, what is there except misguidance? So how is it that you have turned away from the truth?”

Alhamdulillah for the hidayah. We thank Allah for guiding us. And we ask Allah to keep us firm upon the true guidance. Insha’Allah, next class we continue bringing in the, the four matters from the matters that is comprised in having belief in Allah, and belief in His Names and Attributes.

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ
Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.

Jazakumullahu khayran, barakallahu feekum.

وَصَلَّى اللهُ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا
And may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and upon his family and his companions, with abundant peace.