Allāh Opens the Hearts of Whom He Wills
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful;
All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh,
the Lord of al-‘alameen. There is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that
Muhammad, Sallallāhu alayhi wasallam, is His Messenger.
What
is Hidayah?
Allāh guides whom He wills and all of us
would be astray except for those Allah have guided. It means Allāh opens
the hearts, the ‘hidayah’ of whom He Wills and likewise Seals the
hearts of others.
The Arabic term ‘hidāyah’ means ‘guidance’. The verb ‘yahdi’ means 'to
grant guidance'. Guidance is of two
kinds:
1. Guidance
of Tawfiq i.e., totally from Allāh Almighty , i.e.
Allāh opens one’s heart to receive the truth (from disbelief to Belief in
Islamic Monotheism).
2. Guidance
of Irshad i.e. through preaching by Allāh’s
Messengers and the pious preachers who preach the truth i.e. Islāmic
Monotheism.
It is Almighty Allāh who grants guidance to mankind. Thus, hidāyah is a Allāh -given gift, which Almighty Allāh alone who places in
the heart of whomever He wants to provide guidance. And, Allāh Almighty does
what He Wills.
The Question of Guidance
The Qur’an related to the question of
guidance:
“Allah
disdains not to use the similitude of things, lowest as well as highest. Those
who believe know that it is truth from their Lord; but those who reject faith
say: ‘What means Allah by this similitude?’ By it He causes many to stray, and
many He leads into the right path; But He causes not to stray, except those who
forsake [the path]”
[Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 26]
Then in following verses Allāh Subhanahu
Wa Ta’ala Says:
“If
We had ordered them [the hypocrites] to sacrifice their lives or to leave their
homes, very few of them would have done it; but if they had done what they were
[actually] told, it would have been best for them, and would have gone farthest
to strengthen their [faith]; and We should then have given them from Our
Presence a great reward; and We should have shown them the Straight Way.”
[Surah An-Nisā’, 4: 66 – 68]
Allāh Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala also Says:
“Some
He has guided; others have [by their choice] deserved the loss of their way, in
that they took the evil ones, in preference to God, for their friends and
protectors, and think that they receive guidance.”
[Surah Al-‘Araf, 7: 30]
“Verily
God will not deal unjustly with man in aught; it is man that wrongs his own
soul. One day He will gather them together; [it will be] as if they had tarried
but an hour of a day; they will recognize each other; assuredly those will be
lost who denied the meeting with God and refused to receive true
guidance.”
[Surah Yunus, 10: 44 – 45]
Allāh Almighty Guides whom He wills
Allāh Almighty Says:
“…
Say: “Truly Allah leaves to stray whom He will; but He guides to Himself those
who turn to Him in penitence.”
[Surah Ar-Raad, 13: 27]
Allāh guides those who want to
be guided, and misguides those who do not wish to receive guidance. Allāh Says:
“He whom Allāh guides, he is rightly guided; but whom He sends
ashtray, for him find no Wali (guided friend) to lead him (to the Right Path).” [Surah Al- Kahf, 18:17]
In other words, the wish to be
pious emanates from the individual himself, and Allāh guides him because of
this. Allāh has decreed everything, but this does not mean to sit at home and
wait, rather, we should work hard. Thus, there are many routes open to the good
judgment of man, and it is up to him to choose the one he wishes to follow.
Man does what he wants, but his
will follows that of Allāh. Allāh decrees guidance for the person who wants
guidance. For the one who does not want to be guided, Allāh decrees
misguidance.Allāh gave man the power to choose and act according to his
decisions.
Allāh said to His Messenger (sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam):
“And
the Jews will not be pleased with thee, nor will the Christians, till thou
follow their creed. Say: Lo! The guidance of Allāh (Himself) is Guidance. And
if thou shouldst follow their desires after the knowledge which hath come unto
thee, then wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting guardian nor helper.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:120]
“Verily,
you (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but Allāh guides whom He wills. And
He knows best those who are the guided” [Al-Qasas, 28:56]
These are but a few of the many verses in
the Qur’an that speak of guidance.
In addition, in many verses the Qur’an
says: “Allāh
guides not the people who are unjust…” [Surah Al-Mā'idah, 5:51]; “Allāh
guides not those who reject faith…” [Surah 'Āli-Imrān, 3:86];
In a nutshell Allāh Almighty does not
guide the unjust and those who reject the faith.
Finally, a Hadith Qudsi, which means the
Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) reported in his own words what Allāh
Almighty had revealed to him:
Abu Hurayrah, (radiyallāhu‘anhu),
narrated, Allāh’s Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Allāh,
the Exalted and Glorious, stated: ‘I am near to the thought of My servant as he
thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me
in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in
assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his [remembrance], and if he
draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by a cubit, and if he
draws near Me by a cubit I draw near him by the space [covered by] two arms.
And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him.’”
[Reported by Muslim]
In one of the most comprehensive Hadith
Qudsi the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) narrated
that Allah Almighty Says:
'O My slaves, I have forbidden
oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress
one another.
O My slaves, all of you are astray
except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you.
O My slaves, all of you are hungry
except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you.
O My slaves, all of you are naked except
for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you.
O My slaves, you sin by night and by
day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you.
O My slaves, you will not harm Me so nor
will you benefit Me.
O My slaves, were the first of you and
the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the
most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in
anything.
O My slaves, were the first of you and
the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the
most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in
anything.
O My slaves, were the first of you and
the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place
and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that
would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the sea if put
into it.
O My slaves, it is but your deeds that I
reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds good praise
Allāh and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.”
[Recorded by Muslim]
Allāh Seals the hearts of others as He
Wills.
The Qur’an mentions twice that Allāh seals the
hearts of those who do not believe:
Allāh Subhānahu wa ta’ala Says:
“As
to those who reject faith, it is the same to them whether you warn them or not;
they will not believe. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their ears,
and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they [incur]”
[Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 6 – 7]
“Then
see the one who took as his god his own vain desire? Allah has, [knowing him as
such], left him astray as he did not follow the guidance of his own knowledge,
and Allah sealed his ears and his heart [and understanding], and put a cover on
his sight. Who, then, will guide him after Allah [has withdrawn guidance]? Will
you not then receive admonition?”
[Surah Al-Jathiyah, 45: 23]
Or perhaps you are asking about a verse
which means:
“The
foolish among the people will say: “What has turned them from the direction to
which they were praying [From Jerusalem to Makkah]?” Say: “To Allah belong both
East and West: He guides whom He will to a straight path.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:142]
This phrase, here translated to mean that “Allāh guides whom He wills”, is repeated many times in the
Qur’an. Some scholars who interpret the Qur’an grasp the meaning of this phrase
as: “Allah guides ‘he’ who wants to be guided.” This then directly relates to the many verses that
describe who will not be guided as the unjust, rebellious, agnostic, etc.
However, if the Arabic is understood with
the meaning that Allāh Almighty Guides whom He wills, we may well ask whether
Allah has created believers and non-believers? This raises the question: is
everything predestined or ordained in advance, or do we have a free will? The answer
does not conflict with the first interpretation.
If Allāh Almighty did create or ordain our
actions, then we would not have free will, and it
would not be just to hold us accountable on the Day of Judgment. Likewise, it would not be just if it were
ordained at our creation that we would end up in Paradise or Hell, no matter
what our choices turned to be.
But one of the names or attributes of
Allāh is Al-‘Adl,
the Just. Allāh cannot and does not do anything unjust. Therefore we must
reject the Doctrine of Pre-Destination other than stipulated in the Quran
and Sunnah.
The Question of Free Will
So, do we have a total free will? If we
give this question careful thought and investigation, we might reach the
conclusion that there are a few aspects of our life about which we have no say.
We cannot choose when we are born, to which parents, nor when we are going to
die, whether we are born into a rich or poor family, or what sex we are born
into. But after that we can choose how to act,
what moral code we abide by, what social and political responsibilities we
fulfill or ignore.
There is a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, (Sallallāhu 'alayhi
wasallam), this
subject that describes this. It was narrated by his companion, 'Abdullah [bin
Mus'ud] (radiyallāhu‘anhu) that Allāh’s Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa
sallam) said:
“Each
one of you was collected within the womb of his mother for forty days, and then
turns into a clot [or something that clings] for an equal period [of forty
days] and turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period [of forty days] and
then Allāh sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e., his
provision, his age [at death], and whether he will be of the wretched or the
blessed [in the Hereafter].Then the soul is breathed into him. And by Allāh, a
person among you [or a man] may do deeds of the people of the Hellfire till there
is only a cubit or an arm-breadth distance between him and the Hellfire, but
then that writing [which Allāh has ordered the angel to write] precedes, and
then he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it; and a man may
do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubit or two
between him and Paradise, and then that writing precedes and he does the deeds
of the people of the Fire and enters it.”
[Al-Bukhari Vol 8, Book 77, Divine
Will (Al-Qadar)' No.
593]
Most people, when they read this, think
that it means that when the angel writes these four things, Allāh Subhanahu Wa
Ta‘ala is commanding these things to happen. However, scholars explain that
while this is true for one’s age and provision - at least at birth - the angel is
recording something that will happen, but that record does not ‘make’ it
happen.
It simply reflects a conception of time
and knowledge of Allāh Almighty is beyond time and space. We have to always
remember that Allāh Almighty Says is never limited by the boundaries of time
and space. He gives us free will, but He knows beforehand — even before we were
created — what our choices and their consequences will be.
Seek Guidance from Allāh Almighty
The Qur'an makes it clear that there are
certain conditions and qualifications to gain hidāyah. In the very beginning of
Surat Al-Fātihah, believers are instructed to seek guidance from Allāh: “Show
us the straight path. The path of those whom Thou hast favored; not [the path]
of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray.” [Surah Al-Fātihah, 1:6-7]
Every day in our prayers we ask Allāh to
guide us to the straight path, the path that leads directly to His mercy and
forgiveness. At least seventeen times a day Muslims repeat the words of the
opening chapter of the Quran. We ask for Allāh’s guidance, acknowledge that we
worship Him alone and seek help from Him alone.
“In
the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All the praises and
thanks be to Allāh, the Lord of mankind, jinn and all that exists. The
Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling
Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). You
(Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the
Straight Path. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the
way) of those who incur Your wrath (i.e. those who knew the Truth, but did not
follow it) nor of those who went astray (i.e. those who did not follow the
Truth out of ignorance and error).” (Al-Fātihah, 1: 1-7)
And Allāh also says: “The
foolish of the people will say: What hath turned them from the qiblah which
they formerly observed? Say: Unto Allah belong the East and the West. He
guideth whom He will unto a straight path.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:142]
The Qur'an also clarifies that those who
gain guidance and feel its sweetness are not the sleepy, the lazy or the
advocates of the evil, but it is the pious and the devout who spend their all
for the sake of Allāh. Almighty Allāh speaks of the Qur'an as being ‘hudan li-l-muttaqeen’ guidance unto those who ward off - evil.) Simply,
because Allāh helps only those who want to help themselves.
Again the Qur'an states that those who
seek guidance will be elevated in guidance and given more of it. Thus, two
facts are to be considered; hidāyah is the divine gift which Almighty Allāh
gives to whomever He loves and people should be qualified with piety and Allāh
fearing in order to gain it.
Of course people differ in regards to
their reception of guidance; some people are ready and fast in achieving
guidance while others are too slow. In the hadith, The Prophet (Sallallāhu
'alayhi wa sallam) categorizes people, in respect of receiving and accepting
the guidance he brings, into three categories: those who benefit the guidance
themselves and help others get it, those who just help others but are not able
to practice it themselves, and those who are like barren land, they do not
accept guidance nor do they help people find it.
Abu-Musa `Abdullah ibn Qays
al-Ash`ari, better known as Abu Musa
al-Ash`ari (radiyallāhu`anhu),
reported that the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:
"The
similitude of that guidance and knowledge with which Allāh Almighty has sent me
is that of rain falling upon the earth. There is a good piece of land which
receives the rainfall readily and as a result of it there is grown in it
herbage and grass abundantly. Then there is a land hard and barren that retains
water and the people derive benefit from it and they drink and make the animals
drink.
Then
there is another land which is barren, no water is retained, nor is the grass
grown. And that is the similitude of the first one who develops the
understanding of the religion of Allāh and benefits from the knowledge with
which Allāh sent me. He acquires the knowledge of religion and imparts it to
others. [Then the other type is] one who does not pay attention to [the
revealed knowledge] and thus does not accept guidance of Allāh with which I
have been sent."
[Recorded by Muslim]
Conclusion
The Guidance enables a person to be on the
Right Path, accept and be grateful for the blessings that Allāh bestows every
second of every day. Humankind has the great need for Allāh, while,
acknowledging that Allāh has no need for us. He is All Powerful, All Mighty.
So, search for Allāh Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala
and you will find Him. May Allāh us all to the Right Path. The pious and
righteous will be rewarded with Jannah whilst the wicked, disbelievers, sinners
and evildoers would be in the blazing Hell Fire.
Allāh Almighty says: "Verily,
the Abrar (pious and righteous) will be in Delight (Jannah).And verily; the
Fujjar (the wicked, disbelievers, sinners and evildoers) will be in the blazing
Fire (Hell)." [Al-Infitar, 82:13, 14]
Thus the believers must constantly supplicate
to Allah Almighty for his guidance to the straight path, righteous in our deeds
and steadfast in Ad-Deen.
The Prophet, (Sallallāhu`alayhi
wasallam) taught the ummmah to seek Allah’s forgiveness, guidance, steadfast
and hasanah. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu’anhu) said: We counted Messenger's saying a hundred
times during one single sitting: ‘Rabb
ighfir li wa tubb `alayya innaka antat-tawwābul ghafūrur -rahīm’ (O
Allāh, forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Accepter of
Repentance, Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful). [Recorded by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidzi].
It was narrated that the Prophet
(Sallallāhu`alayhi wasallam) said to a man (one of the Sahabah): “What do you
say when you prayer (Du’a after the Tashahhud)?” He said: “I recite the
Tashahhud, then I say:
“Allāhumma inni as alukal-Jannah wa
a`udzu bika Minan-nār” (O
Allāh, I ask You for Paradise and seek refuge in You from the Fire).I cannot
murmur like you and like Mu‘adz.” Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu`alayhi wasallam) said:
“It is about them that we were murmuring.” [Narrated by Abu Dawud, 792: sahih]
`Abdullah bin Mas`ud (radiyallahu‘anhu)
reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu`alayhi wasallam) used to say: "Allahumma
inni as `alukal-huda wat-tuqa wal-`afafa wal-ghina (O Allah! I ask You for guidance,
piety, chastity and self-sufficiency)". [Recorded by Muslim].
Guidance here means guidance at every turn
of life and steadfastness on the path of truth. Fear of Allah is the greatest
means of piety and strongest defense against sins. Chastity is the state of
being free from what is unlawful. Self-sufficiency is the antonym of poverty
and here it means the self-contentment. What it implies is that one should not
care for what people possess. In view of all these qualities, the do’a of the Prophet
(Sallallahu`alayhi wasallam) mentioned in this Hadith is very comprehensive and
valuable.
Anas Ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu’anhu) who
said: “The supplication most often recited by Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu`alayhi
wasallam): Rabbana-ātina-fid-dunya hasanah, Wa
fil-ākhirati-hasanah, Wa-qina-`ādzabānnār (O Lord! Bestow upon us in this world that which
is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the
punishment of the Fire).’” (Al-Baqārah 2:201) [This is recorded by Al-Bukhāri,
Muslim, and Tarmidzi]. Tarmidzi (rahimullāh) said: “Hasanah is very
comprehensive and includes in all kinds of good and benefits of this world and
of the Hereafter. Good health, wealth and satisfaction of the world and good
status in Jannah, forgiveness from sins and Allāh’s bounties and favours in
both worlds are included in this duā’” [Recorded in Jāmi’ At-Tarmidzi]
Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir recorded that
Umm Salamah (radiyallāhu`anha), said that the Prophet (Sallallāhu`alayhi
wasallam) used to supplicate: ‘Ya muqallibal-qulubi, thabbit qalbi
`ala deenik (O Controller of the hearts make my heart
steadfast in Your religion).”Rasulullah (Sallallāhu`alayhi wasallam) then
recited: Rabbana la tuzia’qulubana ba’ daiz
hadaitana wahab Lana min laduñ karahmah; Iñnaka an tal wahhāb. (Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate
(from the truth) after Thou have guided us, and grant us mercy from Thou.
Truly, Thou are the Bestower.) (Al-`Imran, 3:8) [This is recorded by Muslim and
At-Tirmidzi]
Abu Mūsa Al-Ash’ari (radiyallāhu‘anhu) reported:
The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said to me, “Shall I not
guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?'' I said: "Yes, O
Messenger of Allāh!'' Thereupon he (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:
(Recite) ‘Lā hawla wa lā quwwata illa billāhil
[‘aly-yul ‘Azeem]’ (There is neither change of any
condition nor power except by Allāh [the Most High, the Most Magnificent]).''
[This is recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
And Allāh Almighty Knows best.
[Adapted from Islam Online (Ask about Islam by Ælfwine Mischler),
24th.May 2003 as well as other articles from Q&A]
Please See:
2. Taqwa: Between
Love and Fear of Allāh;
3. The Hope and
Fear of Allāh;
4.All Occurs By the Will and Decree of Allāh; 5.Allāh’s wisdom of Giving and Depriving;
6.Trials and Calamities;
7. The Reality of Humbleness;
4.All Occurs By the Will and Decree of Allāh; 5.Allāh’s wisdom of Giving and Depriving;
6.Trials and Calamities;
7. The Reality of Humbleness;
12. The Concept of
Istiqamah; 13. The Concept of
Al-Haya' (Modesty);
14. The Concept of Al-Zuhud; 15. Seeking Allāh's Guidance; 16. Allah Guides Whom He Will ;
17.Tolerance and
Gentleness.14. The Concept of Al-Zuhud; 15. Seeking Allāh's Guidance; 16. Allah Guides Whom He Will ;
