Part 1: ...and Hold on to the Rope of Allaah

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Part 1: ...and Hold on to the Rope of Allaah

Sep 2, '10 12:26 AM for everyone

...and Hold on to the Rope of Allaah

By: Shaykh Alee Raazi At-Tuwayjaree حفظه الله
Delivered on: Saturday, August 21, 2004
http://albaseerah.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2368

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem
(In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy)

Indeed all praise is due to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds. And may His peace and blessings be upon the Noble Messenger, his family, Companions, all of them until the Day of Judgment.


Introduction to the Shaykh

Our Shaykh حفظه الله تعالى is a well known scholar in Saudi Arabia. He is a teacher and professor at The Islaamic University of Madeenah al-Munawwarah in the College of Qur'aan and Tafseer. From amongst his Mashaaikh are Ash-Shaykh, al-Imaam, 'Abdul 'Azeez 'Abdullah ibn Baaz رحمه الله Ash-Shaykh, Al-Imaam, Al-Faqeeh, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen رحمه الله Ash-Shaykh, Al-Imaam, Al-Muhaddith, 'Abdul Muhsin al-Abbad al-Badr حفظه الله تعالى.


Introduction to the Lecture

The Shaykh حفظه الله began by mentioning the Name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, and continued with Khutbatul-Haajah.

Indeed all praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him, we seek His Help and His Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Him from the evil of our souls and the wrongdoings and consequences of our actions. Whosoever Allaah guides, there is none to misguide. Whomsoever Allaah misguides, there is none to guide. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped in truth except Allaah. And I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلمis His slave and Messenger. May Allaah bestow His Salaat on him, his family, his companions and all those who follow them till Yawm ad-Deen. To proceed:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

{O you who believe! Fear Allaah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared.
(Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always,) and die not except in a state of Islaam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allaah)].}
[Aal-'Imraan 3:102]

وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاء فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىَ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا
كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

{And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allaah (i.e. this Qur'aan), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allaah's Favour on you,
for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islaamic Faith),
and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allaah makes His Aayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,)
clear to you, that you may be guided.} [Aal-'Imraan 3:103]

This is after Allaah سبحانه وتعالى tells the people, after giving them the characteristic of being believers, Al-Mu’minoon to fear Him, and this is by doing what He orders and by staying away from what He has prohibited. And as in the hadith narrated by Ibn Mas'ood رضي الله عنه:

يقول بن مسعود رضي الله عنه إذا سمعت:” يا أيها الذين آمنوا “ فارعَها سمعُك فإنه خيرٌ تُؤمَرُ به أو شَرٌ تُنهَى عنه

"If you hear 'O you who believe...!' then listen to it as it is either good you are ordered to do or evil you are ordered to stay away from." [1]

And we must fear Allaah as He should be feared by holding fast to the Rope of Allaah and by holding fast to Allaah Himself. And this holding fast is holding on to what you are ordered (to do) and staying firm upon it and it keeps one away from that which is forbidden. And there is no safety without these two (matters), and being happy in this life revolves around (these two matters):

1) Holding on to the Rope of Allaah will save you from being misguided and
2) Holding on to Allaah will keep you away from punishment and destruction.

Our Shaykhحفظه الله went on to say that Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

فأما الاعتصام بحبله: فإنه يعصم من الضلالة والاعتصام به: يعصم من الهلكة

“Holding on to the Rope of Allaah is security from misguidance and holding fast to Allaah Himself is security from destruction.” [2]

So holding on to the Rope of Allaah necessitates guidance (for the individuals who do so). And holding on to Allaah Himself brings forth power, readiness, arms, strength, righteousness, highness, and might. And the sayings of Salaf differ in their interpretation of ‘Rope of Allaah’. So Ibn 'Abbaas رضي الله عنهم said: "Holding on to the Rope of Allaah is holding on to the Deen of Allah."

and Ibn Mas'ood رضي الله عنه said: "It is the Jama'ah” and he said “and upon you is to hold on to the Jama'ah as it is the Rope of Allaah that He has ordered us with and this holding fast together is better than being apart.”

Ibn Mas'ood رضي الله عنه and others also said, "It is the Qur'aan."

And in a narration from Ibn Mas'ood رضي الله عنه it is reported that the Prophet, صلى الله عليه و على آله و سلم said:

إن هذا القرآن حبل الله والنور المبين والشفاء النافع عصمة لمن تمسك به ونجاة لمن اتبعه

"The Qur'aan is the Rope of Allaah and it is the light which guides and it is the medicine that is beneficial and it is what protects from destruction."[3]

And it is reported that 'Alee رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said:

هو حبل الله المتين وهو الذكر الحكيم وهو الصراط المستقيم هو الذي لا تزيغ به الأهواء ولا تلتبس به الألسنة ولا يشبع منه العلماء ولا يخلق على كثرة

"The Qur'aan is the strong Rope of Allaah and it is the Wise Remembrance and it is the Straight Path. And it is what the tongue cannot deviate from.
And no matter how much it is repeated it cannot be worn out (by being read too much) and the 'Ulamaa’ (scholars) do not get enough of it." [4]

And this Rope of Allaah is submitting and being obedient to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and staying away from splitting.

And the Shaykh حفظه الله said: And do not be like the Jews and the Christians by splitting into sects.

And in the Muwatta of Imaam Maalik, on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah, رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم said:

إن الله يرضى لكم ثلاثا ويسخط لكم ثلاثا يرضى لكم أن تعبدوه ولا تشركوا به شيئا وأن تعتصموا بحبل الله جميعا وأن تناصحوا من ولاه الله أمركم

"Allaah is pleased with three things from you, and He is angry with three things from you. He is pleased that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, and that you take hold of the rope of Allaah altogether,
and that you give good counsel to the one to whom Allaah gives command over you..." [5]

And with regards to the different interpretations, they are not contradictory interpretations; it all means the same thing.

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