29/12/2024
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 Allāh, make me from the few! O Allāh make me from the few!"
So ‘Umar said to him :
"Where did you get this du'a (supplication) from?"
And the man said :
"Allāh in His Book says :
وَقَليلٌ مِن عِبادِيَ الشَّكورُ
“And few of My servants are grateful.”
[Quran, Saba’ (chapter 34) ; 13]"
So ‘Umar wept and admonished himself :
"The people are more knowledgeable than you, O Umar! O Allāh 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 Quran, you will find that most people are :
ولكن اكثرهم لا يعلمون
"…and however most people DO NOT know."
[Quran, Al-A'rāf (chapter 7) ; 187]
ولكن أكثرهم لا يشكرون
"…and most people DO NOT believe."
[Quran, Hūd (chapter 11) ; 17].
And if you look for “MOST OF THEM“, you will find :
وانّ أكثر كم فا يقو ن
"…defiantly disobedient."
[Quran, Al-Māidah (chapter 5) ; 59]
و لكن أكثرهم يجهلون
"…ignorant."
[Quran, Al-An'ām (chapter 6) ; 111] — and
بل أكثرهم لا يعلمون الحق فهم معرضون
"…turning away."
[Quran, Al-Anbiyā (chapter 21) ; 24].
So be of the “FEW”, whom Allāh says about them :
و قليلٌ من عبادي الشّكور
"…and FEW of My servants are grateful."
[Quran, Saba’ (chapter 34) ; 13] — and
وما آمن معه إلاّ قليلٌ
"…but none had believed with him, except A FEW."
[Quran, Hūd (chapter 11) ; 40]
في جنات النعيم ثلة من الاولين و قليل من الآخرين
"…in the Gardens of Bliss : many from the past and a FEW from later generations."
[Quran, Al-Wāqi'ah (chapter 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."
•References : [Kitab al-Zuhd - Ahmad bin Hanbal ; and Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah]
May Allāh make us of His FEW servants.
