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Believe in Allah for your own sake – Tarawih reflections 26

Believe in Allah for your own sake - Tarawih reflections 26
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April 04, 2024
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‘O people, the Messenger has come to you with the truth from your Lord. So, believe. That is good for you. If you disbelieve, then, to Allah belongs what is in the heavens and the earth. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.’ [4:170]

In this ayah, Allah is addressing all people, regardless of their race, colour, background – or religion.

Types of address in the Quran

There are around five main ways that Allah calls on people:


• Ya ayyuhan naas – O people. This refers to the general public, and is used in the above ayah.
• Ya ayyuha alladheena aamanu – O you who believe, referring to all believers.
• Ya ‘ibaadi – O my servants. This refers to a subset of believers: a very special group of people who truly serve Allah.
• Ya ahlal kitab – O People of the Book, i.e. Jews and Christians.
• Ya ayyuhal kaafiroon – O you who disbelieve. Although the word kaafiroon refers to all disbelievers, in the Quranic context this specifically refers to the mushrikeen among the Quraysh and Arabs. It is not used to describe the people of the book.

In total Allah uses the following calls:

يا أيها الناس
يا أيها الإنسان
يا أيها الكافرون/
يا أيها الذين كفروا
يا أيها الذين آمنوا
يا أهل الكتاب/
يا أيها الذين أوتوا الكتاب/
يا أيها الذين هادوا
يا عبادي
يا أيها الرسول/
يا أيها النبي/
يا أيها المزمل/
يا أيها المدثر
يا أيتها النفس المطمئنة

  • O people
  • O human
  • O disbelievers
  • O those who disbelieved
  • O you who believe
  • O People of the Book
  • O those who were given the Book
  • O Jews
  • O My servants
  • O Messenger
  • O Prophet
  • O Wrapped in garments
  • O you who is covered
  • O tranquil soul

Each call has its own special sweetness or bitterness. For example, when Allah calls on the believers, it highlights the bond and attachment as He is addressing His own special people. Imagine yourself in a crowd of millions of people, and a special celebrity on a podium calls your name. How honoured would you feel? Imagine if this was the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – you would be over the moon. And these are just humans: here Allah Himself is calling you.

Only Allah changes people’s hearts

This ayah is addressing everyone. It emphasises that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a Messenger from Allah, delivering His words to us. It is a reminder that the message wasn’t just him making things up, rather the truth is from Allah.

His mission was only to convey the message, not to convert people. Sometimes we think we can convert people, but even the Prophet ﷺ had no special powers. Only Allah has the ability to change people’s hearts; the Prophet’s mission – and our mission – is only to convey His message with wisdom, in the best manner, as Allah stated in Surat Ya Sin.

And our duty is only to deliver ˹the message˺ clearly.” [36:17]

Believe in Allah for your own sake

Then, the ayah tells us that believing in Allah is good for us. It doesn’t affect Allah whether we believe or not. There is a special Hadith Qudsi where Allah calls on His servants ten times. Part of it says:

‘O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. … He who finds good, let him praise Allah, and he who finds other than that, let him blame no one but himself.’ [Muslim]

The point is that Allah will not benefit from our belief, nor be harmed by our disbelief. He is telling us to believe for our own sake.

یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلۡفُقَرَاۤءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۖ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلۡغَنِیُّ ٱلۡحَمِیدُ

O people , you are the ones who need Allah, and Allah is Free-of-All-Needs, the Ever-Praised. [Fāṭir, Ayah 15]

There is no coercion in deen, as Allah stated in Surat al Baqarah (2:256), but everyone is given the choice. Whatever they choose, they are accountable.

Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise. He knows who has true imaan and who is faking it, and He guides who He wills. If you have good intentions, Allah will guide you to the truth. We ask Allah to make us among His close servants who are obedient always.

Based on the reflections of Shaykh Haytham Tamim

Transcribed by Hana Khan

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.

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