Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Walk on the path of correctness, adopt moderation, walk a little at the beginning of the day, a little at the end of the day, and some at night, and adopt moderation, embrace balance, you will achieve your goal. The meaning of this sentence is that instead of excessive worship, one should maintain consistency in worship during these times, so that there is neither boredom nor weariness, and the commands of Islam continue to be practiced. In essence, through this sentence, a method of continuing the journey is being taught to the traveler: he should not keep traveling day and night continuously, otherwise he will become exhausted and will not reach his destination. He should continue his journey for some time in the morning, some in the evening, and likewise some at night, because these are times of agility and alertness. Similarly, a Muslim is also journeying towards the Hereafter; he should, for a good journey, designate such times for his acts of worship in which he is fresh and energetic, and the determination of these acts of worship has been made by the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam); we should adhere to them, because he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was the greatest wise and knowledgeable one.

It is a very strange thing that on one hand, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has said that no person can enter Paradise on the basis of his good deeds, while on the other hand, he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is also commanding to act. In reality, there is no contradiction between these two matters. Without any doubt, the cause for entering Paradise is righteous deeds, and entry will only be by the mercy of Allah Ta’ala. Further details are presented in the words of the Imam.

Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah writes: Some people became confused and began to think that this hadith contradicts the following verse: {وَتِلْکَ الْجَنَّۃُ الَّتِیْ اَوْرَثْتُمُوْھَا بِمَا کُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُوْنَ} (Surah al-Zukhruf: 72) … “You have been made to inherit this Paradise because of what you used to do.” There are many verses and hadiths indicating this subject.

To resolve this apparent contradiction, various answers have been given. The best reconciliation is that in hadiths like ((لَاتَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّۃَ بِعَمَلٍ)), the “ba” is for compensation (ba’ al-thamaniyyah), and in the above verse, the “ba” is for causation (ba’ al-sababiyyah). That is, righteous deeds are certainly a cause for entering Paradise, but they are not the price of Paradise, its blessings, or its ranks.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah said: For this reason, some people say that considering the means (asbab) to be everything is shirk (associating partners with Allah), and completely negating the means is a sign of deficient intellect, and to totally turn away from the means leads to criticism of the Shari’ah.

Only the means are not sufficient for attaining the result. If we look, the descent of rain and the sowing of seeds are very great means for cultivation, but in reality, they are not sufficient. Rather, along with them, it is necessary for beneficial winds to blow by the command of Allah Ta’ala, for all other conditions to be fulfilled, and for obstacles to be absent. All of this happens by the decree and will of Allah Ta’ala. Understand another example: for the birth of a child, it is not sufficient that a husband has intercourse with his wife, because there are countless incidents where, despite intercourse, a child was not born, because along with this means, the will of Allah Ta’ala is necessary—that the woman conceives, the child develops in the womb, all stages of its creation are completed, and at the same time, there is no obstacle.

The same is the case with the Hereafter: for becoming successful, deeds alone are not sufficient, yes, they are certainly a cause, as the statement of Allah Ta’ala is: {اُدْخُلُوْا الْجَنَّۃَ بِمَا کُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ} (Surah al-Nahl: 32) … “Enter Paradise, because of what you used to do.” This is ba’ al-sababiyyah, meaning righteous deeds are a cause for entering Paradise. And in those hadiths in which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that no person can enter Paradise on the basis of his deeds, in them the “ba” is for compensation (ba’ al-muqabalah), meaning our deeds are not the recompense or price for entering Paradise. Rather, along with righteous deeds, Allah Ta’ala’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace are necessary, because by His forgiveness, evils will be erased, by His mercy, goodness will come, and by His grace, ranks will be elevated.

At this point, two groups among people have gone astray:

1. One group considered belief in the decree of Allah Ta’ala to be sufficient for attaining the objective, and completely turned away from the legal means and righteous deeds. The result of this belief is that they end up in disbelief in the Books, Messengers, and religion of Allah Ta’ala.

2. The second group, after acting, seeks reward and recompense from Allah Ta’ala in the same way that a laborer, after completing his work, demands wages from the employer. That is, these people have excessive reliance on their own deeds and strength. These people are also ignorant and misguided. They should reflect that in obeying the commands and prohibitions of Allah Ta’ala, our own welfare and benefit is hidden, not any personal benefit for Him, as in the hadith qudsi, Allah Ta’ala said: “O My servants! You can neither harm Me nor benefit Me.”

A king, due to his personal need and necessity, commands his subordinates, and they, on the basis of their own strength, fulfill his demand and become deserving of wages. Whereas Allah Ta’ala is free of need from the worlds; the abilities to perform good and righteous deeds have been granted by Him. The one who does good benefits himself, and the one who does evil harms himself. The words of Ibn Taymiyyah end here, which have been quoted from (Majmu‘ al-Fatawa: 8/70-71). Similar words have been presented by Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim in (Miftah Dar al-Sa‘adah: p. 9-10) and Maqrizi in (Tajrid al-Tawhid al-Mufid: p. 36-43). (Sahihah: 2602)

Imam Nawawi said regarding the hadith of this chapter and the verses about deeds: There is absolutely no contradiction between these hadiths and verses. The meaning of the verses is that entry into Paradise will be attained because of deeds. But righteous deeds, guidance, and the ability to be sincere are granted by the mercy and grace of Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, it is correct that this success does not depend solely on deeds, but it is necessary for the mercy of Allah Ta’ala to be present. And Allah knows best.