Interfacing With Allah Ta'aala

[Acacia]

 

The following is a summary of Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar's December 22, 2002 talk on INTERFACING WITH ALLAH. Please listen to the entire talk, as it builds up to dhikr towards the end.

 

GOAL: to remember that Allah is the central point and goal of every Muslim; and, to develop a relationship with Allah Ta'aala and do those acts that He has permitted and avoid and refrain from those acts that He has prohibited.

 

One of the concepts that we hear about across many fields (computers, electronics, even biology) is the idea of interfacing where 2 products or organisms are able to work together, are compatible, can connect. We want to know if two computers can interface, or if two different species of plants can combine to create a 3^rd species, or if two people are compatible for marriage. When we talk about interfacing, we are always comparing things that are similar. For example, computers made with the same types of materials, or plants where the genomes are being mixed, or humans where certain characteristics are being compared. Usually, we have lengthy discussions about these issues and despite being so similar in every way except maybe some minute differences, we realize that not all things are compatible, not all things can interface.

 

If we look at our own abilities to see and hear, we realize just how limited we really are. As an example:

• In terms of sight: if we turn to the left, we can’t see to the right; and if we look behind us, we can’t see what is going on in front of us.
• In terms of sound: our hearing is dependent on sound being produced by another. Even then, we are not able to attend to and concentrate on every sound such that, if 2 people talk to us at the same time, we are not able to concentrate on both simultaneously.

Unlike us and all of His creation, Allah Ta’aala is perfect in every single characteristic  - He is complete, perfect, absolute, non-dependent upon anything.

• Allah Ta’aala is All Seeing – He sees everything that goes on here, in the universe, from the beginning of time to the end of time.
• Allah Ta’aala is All Hearing (As-Sami’) – He hears the call of every single creation and every single noise away from creation throughout the entire universe, from the beginning of time to the end of time. His hearing is independent even of sound - whether there is sound or there is no sound, Allah Ta’aala still hears. When the entire world and the universe is completely annihilated and that moment comes when Allah Ta’aala – alone – stands throughout the entire universe, He will still be As-Sami’ – He will be the one who hears.

Despite being completely different from His creation, on a daily basis Allah Ta’aala allows us to interface with Him. That is absolutely amazing! Yet, despite this huge blessing, we turn away from Him so many times during our lives.

 

We interface with Allah Ta’aala during salaah - we praise Him and we know from hadeeth that He replies "verily my servant has praised me." We read the book of Allah Ta’aala, we take the name of Allah Ta’aala, we discuss Allah Ta’aala, we hear the name Allah Ta’aala  – that we are even able to do all this (and more) is amazing! It is actually all through the Mercy of Allah Ta’aala – He sent us His final messenger  who told us about Him and He allows us to interact with Him on so many different levels – subhanAllah! This is very unique when compared to the things in this world.

 

Allah Ta’aala should attract our attention in such a way that nothing else does because He is so different – above-and-beyond – and He is so unique compared to all creation. So, if we are interacting with other things and we are excited by those, then imagine what our excitement should be when we think about Allah Ta’aala.

 

We get so caught up with creation and fabricated things when it is all just like a board-game – it has no reality. Allah Ta’aala is the only reality.

 

So, we should really, really begin to understand that within us there is a sickness – we’ve lost our ability to discern what is truth from what is falsehood. This is why the Prophet  would pray to Allah Ta’aala: “ya Allah, show me the ability to discern between truth and falsehood."

• And what is the truth? The ultimate truth is Allah Ta’aala.
• And what’s falsehood? Everything else that exists in the universe. Everything else is batil. Everything else will perish and Allah Ta’aala is the only one that is permanent.

Allah Ta’aala, out of His Mercy, has blessed us with the ability to interface with him in so many ways and we need to interface with him and begin to reflect on Him, begin to sacrifice and get closer to Him. When we do, the whole game changes - the whole world changes for us. We no longer do things because we have to but because we understand that it draws us towards Allah Ta’aala and His infinite mercy – because we love Him.

 

Love of Allah Ta’aala is a concept that exists within our deen and sahaba were so in love with Allah Ta’aala that they couldn’t even think of anything else. When the sahaba did something, they said “this is because Allah Ta’aala permitted us to do it.” When they weren’t able to do something they said “it is because Allah Ta’aala did not permit us to do so.” Over-and-over again in hadeeth, sahaba are recorded as saying: “I prayed as much as Allah Ta’aala allowed me to pray and I said what Allah Ta’aala allowed me to say and I did what Allah Ta’aala allowed me to do.” Meaning, every single thing in their life was focused and centered upon what Allah Ta’aala permitted them. Everything was through Allah Ta’aala – everything was seen through the lens of Allah Ta’aala. How different is it from the way we look at the world now? SubhanAllah.

 

We have to begin to appreciate that these diseases exist within us (and our ummah as a whole) and begin to work to change. For example, when we look at our hand we can see it is weak – if it gets crushed, we feel pain, and if it breaks, we are not able to move it properly – yet we use it to do things that displease Allah Ta’aala. We have a choice to use the same hand for to earn His pleasure. The only great thing our hand can do then is to either win Allah Ta’aala's pleasure or displeasure - no other choice - otherwise, the hand is worthless in and of itself.

 

When Allah Ta’aala comes into our lives - such that, everything we do is for the sake of Allah Ta’aala, we constantly reflect upon Allah Ta’aala, when we pray, we know that we are praying to Allah Ta’aala – that is called Islam. That is the central point. Once we get to that state, we'll do things that also benefit the community and bring them to Allah Ta’aala but the central point is Allah Ta'aala and nothing else. 

 

Du'aa: May Allah Ta’aala give us the tawfiq to begin to submit to Him, to get nearer to Him and to bring others onto that path. Ameen.

 

[Naqshband66]

Ameen to all duas, 

 

Allah (swt) says; "...and sanctify My house

for those who compass It round, or stand up, or bow,

or prostrate themselves (therein In prayer)."

Qur’ān (Al-Hajj:26)