Strengthen Our Certainty

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Virtues and actions are strong or weak, sound or unsound, according to the strength of our certainty. Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that no doubts can shake and no illusions can rock. When certainty prevails in the heart and established itself therein, the unseen becomes as if seen. We must strengthen and improve our certainty as a slave acts in obedience only to the extent that he has certainty, and becomes neglectful in his actions when his certainty diminishes.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Omar (Allah be pleased with him) never takes a road but Shaytan takes another.

Omar's firmness and stability of faith was unshakable, that the Shaytan flees his very shadow and is content to keep at a safe distance.

Certainty derives its power and excellence from many things.

The first and most essential is we listen attentively to the verses and hadiths relating to Allah. Allah says,

أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

Is it not enough for them that We have sent down upon you the Book which is recited to them? [Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:51]

The second is to learn from looking at Allah's kingdom of the heavens and the earth and the wondrous creatures of Allah's creation. Allah says,

سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness? (53) [Qur'an Fussilat 41:53]

The third is to behave and act in accordance to the teachings of Islam, outwardly and inwardly, zealously and to the limits of one's resources. Allah says,

وَٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَمَعَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. (69) [Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:69]

The Qur'an describes the three categories of people -- believers, non-believers and hypocrites. The believers have three categories of certainty.

The first is that of the People of the Right Hand. This is firm belief but with the possibility of becoming doubtful or shaky under certain circumstances. This is called faith.

The second is that of the Ones Brought Nigh. This is the possession of the heart and its establishing itself so firmly that its opposite becomes no longer possible or even imaginable. In this degree the unseen becomes as the seen. This is called certainty.

The third is that of the Prophets and the True Saints (siddiqin) who are their perfect heirs. Here the unseen becomes seen, which thing is called unveiling (kashf) and contemplation (mushahada).

There are grades within each degrees: all are good, but some are better than others. That is Allah's grace, He bestows it upon who He will, and Allah's grace is abundant.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَسُولِهِۦ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٨﴾ لِّئَلَّا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَلَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ مِّن فَضْلِ ٱللَّـهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ ٱلْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ ٱللَّـهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّـهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ﴿٢٩

O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (28) [This is] so that the People of the Scripture may know that they are not able [to obtain] anything from the bounty of Allah and that [all] bounty is in the hand of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills. And Allah is the possessor of great bounty. (29)

[Qur'an Al-Hadid 57:29]

May Allah give us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

source: Book of Assistance by Imam Al-Haddad