Characteristics of a Wali of Allah
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah

[This article is adapted from his Book "Criterion between the Allies of Allah and the allies of the Devil"]

From As-Sunnah Bimonthly Islamic Newsletter

The word ‘Awliya’ singular ‘wali’ comes from the root word of wilaya. Wilaya is the opposite of enmity (adawaa). The Wali is therefore the one who is close.

Allah has explained in His Book, and in the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallalahu alaihe wa-sallam) that He has awliya among the people and that shaitaan also has his awliya. The Qur’aan mentions the allies of Allah.

“Indeed there is no fear upon the awliya of Allah, nor shall they grieve; those who believe and used to fear Allah much. For them are glad tidings in this life and the Hereafter…” [Soorah Yunus (10): 62]

“Allah is the protector (ally) of those who believe, He takes them out of darkness into light.” [Soorah Baqarah (2): 257]

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Forgiveness: The Mark of a Believer
by Shaykhu-l-Islâm Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE)

With the Name of Allâh, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. Indeed Allâh – to whom belongs all praise – has bestowed upon me immense grace, great favours and generous blessings which necessitates immense gratitude, being firm upon obedience to Him, and becoming accustomed to having beautiful patience in that which He ordered. Indeed, a servant is ordered to have sabr (patience) in times of ease more so than in times of hardship. Allâh – the Most High – said:

“But if we let man taste the good favours after poverty and harm has touched him, he is sure to boastfully say: Harm has departed from me. Indeed he is exultant, boastful and ungrateful to Allâh, Except those who show patience and do deeds of righteousness and obedience to Allâh, for them will be forgiveness and a great reward.” [Sûrah Hûd 11:10-11].

And you all know that Allâh – the Most Perfect – has blessed this affair [2] with such blessings which contain the means to aid His Religion, raise high His Word, aid His Army, and grant honour to His Awliyâ (pious and righteous servants). It is also the cause for strengthening Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamâ’ah and causing humiliation to the people of innovations and sectarianism. Likewise, it is also the cause for affirming that which has been affirmed by yourselves from the Sunnah (regarding the truth of this matter), and a cause for increasing this by opening up the avenues of guidance, victory and proofs: such that the truth becomes known to the people, who none but Allâh can enumerate. It is also a cause for the masses to begin to accept the way of the Sunnah and the Jamâ’ah; as well as countless other favours. All of this must therefore be accompanied by immense gratitude to Allâh, as well as having patience – even ii this patience is in times of ease.

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Benefecial Knowledge
Shaykh ibn Taymiyyah

Abul `Aasim al-Qaasim bin Yoosuf bin Muhammad at-Tajeebee as-Sabtee al-Maghribee says:

I requested our leader, the shaykh, faqeeh, imaam, respected scholar, vanguard of the predecessors, leader of the later generations, reviver of the Deen, expresser of rare and wonderful ideas with great eloquence and literacy, the most knowledgeable person I have met in the lands of the East and West, Taqi ud-Deen Abul-`Abbaas Ahmad bin Taymiyyah (may Allaah enable us to continue benefiting from him):

- To point me towards those books which I may rely upon regarding knowledge of hadeeth, and other sciences of the sharee`ah.

[...]

Ibn Taymiyyah answered:

All praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds.

As for which books one may depend on for the different branches of knowledge, then this is a vast topic, and again, the answer to this varies according to people’s backgrounds in different lands. This is because in each land, one field of learning or way or mode of thinking may be easier than another, but the source of all good and blessings is that one seeks help from Allaah in acquiring knowledge inherited from the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, because that is what is truly fit to be named knowledge. Anything else is either not knowledge at all even though people call it so, or it is knowledge which is not beneficial, or it is beneficial knowledge, in which case it is necessarily true that there exists in the inheritance of Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, that which replaces it, being similar to it or better than it.

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Explanation of As-Saakhah
Imam Ibn Kathir

Then when there comes as-Saakhah Ibn Abbaas (radiaAllaahu anhuma) said, “As-Saakhah is one of the names of the Day of Judgement that Allah has magnified and warned his servants of.” [Reported in at-Tabari 24:229]

Then when there comes as-Saakhah That day shall man flee from his brother.And from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children. Every man that Day will have enough to make his careless of others. [Surah Abasa 80:33-37]
Ibn Jareer said, “Perhaps it (as-Saakhah) is a name for the blowing into the Trumpet.” Al-Baghawi said, “As-Saakhah means the thunderous shout of the Day of Judgement. It has been called this because it will deafen the ears. This means that it pierces the ears to such an extent that it almost deafens the ears.”

That Day shall a man flee from his brother. And from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children.

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Aspects of Increasing Imaan
Shakyh Ibn Taymiyyah

Increasing the Iman which Allah commands us to have, and which is a trait of His believing worshipers, can be achieved through different means. The first aspect in increasing Iman is through practicing ijmaal, total, observance and tafseel, detailed, observance of Allah’s commands, for it is the obligation of all mankind to believe in Allah and His Messenger, and of every community to commit itself to all that the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) has ordered. It is well known that what was obligatory at first differs from what was required after the revelation of the whole Qur’an. Hence, unlike one who does not know about Islam, he who knows the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and their meanings is obliged to have a detailed Iman. That is, if a man, inwardly as well as outwardly, believed in Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) and died before he knew the laws of religion, he would die as a believer. His obligation and what he did are different from the Iman of the one who knew the Islaimic laws and who believed in them and worked to fulfill them. The Iman of such a person is more complete, in accordance with the obligatory and the actual deeds. Indeed, of what he performed in accordance with the obligation is of a more complete Iman and what he did is also considered more complete.

Allah says: “… This day I have perfected your religion for you …” (5:3). In this verse, the word “religion” refers to the legislation of commanded and forbidden actions, but does not mean that everybody is obliged to do what the whole community is ordered to do. It is recorded both in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (pbuh) described women as diminished in intellect and religion. This diminution in intellect made the witness of two women equal in that of one man; the diminution in her religion is due to the fact that she does not pray and fast when she is menstruating. Indeed, this diminution is not a diminution of what she is commanded to do and so she will not be punished because of it. However, if someone is commanded to pray and fast and does so, his religion is complete compared to the one of diminished religion.

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