10/03/2021
When Umar bin al-Khattab ( ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻪ ) was walking in the market, he passed by a man who was supplicating,
ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺍﺟﻌﻠﻨﻲ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻘﻠﻴﻞ ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺍﺟﻌﻠﻨﻲ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻘﻠﻴﻞ
“O Allah, make me from the few!
O Allah make me from the few!”
So ‘Umar said to him;
“Where did you get this du`a’ (supplication) from?”
And the man said;
“Allah in His Book says:
ﻭ ﻗﻠﻴﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ ﺍﻟﺸﻜﻮﺭ
‘And few of My servants are grateful.’
(Qur’an 34:13)”
So ‘Umar wept and admonished himself; “The people are more knowledgeable than you, O Umar!
O Allah make us from Your ‘few’ servants.”
Sometimes when you advise someone to leave a sin, they respond with “But everybody does it, it’s not just me!”
But if you look for the words “most people” in the Qur’an, you will find that most people -
ﻭﻟﻜﻦ ﺍﻛﺜﺮﻫﻢ ﻻ ﻳﻌﻠﻤﻮﻥ
“And however most people do not know” (7:187)
ﻭﻟﻜﻦ ﺃﻛﺜﺮﻫﻢ ﻻ ﻳﺸﻜﺮﻭﻥ
- “and most people do not show gratitude” (2:243)
and
ﻭ ﻟﻜﻦ ﺍﻛﺜﺮ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﻻ ﻳﺆﻣﻨﻮﻥ
- “and most people do not believe” (11:17).
And if you look for “most of them”, you will find that most of them are
ﻭ ﺍٓﻥ ﺃﻛﺜﺮﻫﻢ ﻓَﺎﺳِﻘُﻮﻥ
- “definitely disobedient” (5:59)
ﻭ ﻟﻜﻦ ﺃﻛﺜﺮﻫﻢ ﻳﺠﻬﻠﻮﻥ
- “ ignorant” (6:111)
ﺑﻞ ﺃﻛﺜﺮﻫﻢ ﻻ ﻳﻌﻠﻤﻮﻥ ﺍﻟﺤﻖ ﻓﻬﻢ ﻣﻌﺮﺿﻮﻥ
- “turning away” (21:24)
So be of the “few”, whom Allah says about them:
ﻭ ﻗﻠﻴﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ ﺍﻟﺸﻜﻮﺭ
- “And few of My servants are grateful.” (34:13)
ﻭ ﻣﺎ ﺍﻣﻦ ﻣﻌﻪ ﺍﻻ ﻗﻠﻴﻞ
- “But none had believed with him, except a few.” (11:40)
ﻓﻲ ﺟﻨﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻨﻌﻴﻢ ﺛﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻻﻭﻟﻴﻦ ﻭ ﻗﻠﻴﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻵﺧﺮﻳﻦ
- “In the Gardens of Bliss, A [large] company of the former peoples, And a few of the later peoples.” (56:12-14)
Ibn al-Qayyim ( ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ) said, “Go on the path of truth and do not feel lonely because there are few who take that path, and beware of the path of falsehood and do not be deceived by the vastness of the perishers.”
[Found in Kitab al-Zuhd by Ahmad bin Hanbal ( ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ), and also in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah.] -
May Allah make us of His few servants.
