Allah Praises You?
This is just another allegation which can only be raised from a person who has no knowledge of the Qur’an or Ahadith at all. The allegation is basically that Allah has said that He praises or appreciates Ahmadas. There is absolutely nothing wrong in this according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. When we look at the Holy Qur’an it is clearly stated that Allah sends blessings on us and appreciates us as well. In fact in the very first chapter, In Surah al Fatiha, Allah States:
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ {7}
The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.(Chapter 1 Verse 7)
Allah Also States in the Holy Qur’an:
هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۚ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا {44}
He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you forth from all kinds of darkness into light. And He is Merciful to the believers.(Chapter 33 Verse 44)
Allah Also States:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ {100}
And as for the foremost among the believers, the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in the best possible manner, Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him; and He has prepared for them Gardens beneath which flow rivers. They will abide therein for ever. That is the supreme triumph(Chapter 9 Verse 100)
And:
لَا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُوا آبَاءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِنْهُ ۖ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ ۚ أَلَا إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ {23}
Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers, or their sons or their brethren, or their kindred. These are they in whose hearts Allah has inscribed true faith and whom He has strengthened with inspiration from Himself. And He will make them enter Gardens through which streams flow. Therein will they abide. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah’s party. Hearken ye O people! it is Allah’s party who will be successful.(Chapter 58 Verse 23)
We should understand that the revelation of Ahmadas was not a statement of his own. They should be interpreted in the same way the verses of the Qur’an are just as Ahmadas himself did. He states:
“It is the most appropriate and the primary principle that non-Quranic sources must be put to the judgement of the Quran, whether it is a hadith of the Messenger of Allah,sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, the vision of a holy man (wali) or the revelation of a saint (qutb).” (Hamamat-ul-Bushra; Ruhani Khaza’in, v. 7, p. 216)
“I do not verify any revelation of mine until I have put it to the judgement of the Book of God. Know that whatever is contrary to the Quran is false, heresy and ungodly.” (ibid., p. 297)
“The revelation of the true inspired ones cannot go against the Quran. Whatever I have been made to understand (by God) about the teachings of the Quran and whatever has been revealed to me by God, I have accepted it on condition of correctness and authenticity. It has been disclosed to me that it is correct, pure, and in accordance with the Shariah. … If supposing there was something (i.e. some revelation) which was against it (i.e. against the teachings of Islam), we would ourselves throw all of it away like trash.” (A’inah Kamalat Islam; Ruhani Khaza’in, v. 5, p. 21)
“I myself admit that if my claim of being Promised Messiah is against the clear texts of the Quran and Hadith … then even if my claim is supported by thousands of my revelations, and I show not just one but millions of signs in support of it, still all of these are worthless because no affair and no claim and no sign can be accepted if it is opposed to the Quran and authentic Hadith.” (Majmua Ishtiharat, v. 1, p. 242)
In the same way the above revelation does not mean that Allah does Hamd for Ahmadas in the manner we praise Allah. According to Arabic dictionaries themselves, the word hamd means to praise, commend, and speak well of. In the Qur’an, Allah tells us that the Prophet Muhammadsaw will be given the rank of “Mahmud” becuase of his prayers and Mahmud means for one whom hamd is done. Allah States Beautifully:
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا {80}
And wake up for it (the Qur’an) in the latter part of the night as a supererogatory service for thee. It may be that thy Lord will raise thee to an exalted station.(Chapter 17 Verse 80)
The scholars have written commentaries stating that on the day of Judgement the Holy Prophetsaw will be given the rank of Mahmud and then all people will praise him and Allah will also praise him. The name Muhammad itself means a man for whom hamd is done a lot of times.
There are also dictionaries available which tell us that hamd is similar to the act of shukr which means to thank, praise and commend someone for something they have done for you. For example the tafsir of Ibn Juzayy states:
“Hamd (praise) is more general and inclusive than shukr (thanks or gratitude), because thanks and gratitude are only a recompense for a favour, whereas hamd is both a recompense like thanks and is also spontaneous praise. Similarly, shukr may be more general and inclusive than hamd, because praise is expressed by the tongue, and thanks is expressed by tongue, heart and limbs.”
The Qur’an tels us to thank Allah and do Shukr to Allah and tells us that Allah is Shakir, the one who thanks or does shukr. Allah States:
إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ وَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ{159}
Surely, Al-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the Signs of Allah. It is, therefore, no sin for him who is on pilgrimage to the House, or performs ‘Umrah, to go round the two. And whoso does good beyond what is obligatory, surely then, Allah is Appreciating, All-Knowing. (Chapter 2 Verse 159)
And:
مَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا {148}
Why should Allah punish you, if you are thankful and if you believe? And Allah is Appreciating, All-Knowing.(Chapter 4 Verse 148)
Now at the same time, the Qur’an has also mentioned man as the one who is thanked for his good deeds. Allah States:
وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُمْ مَشْكُورًا {20}
And whoso desires the Hereafter and strives for it as it should be striven for, and he is a believer — these are the ones whose striving shall find favour with God.(Chapter 17 Verse 20)
And:
إِنَّ هَٰذَا كَانَ لَكُمْ جَزَاءً وَكَانَ سَعْيُكُمْ مَشْكُورًا {23}
‘This is your reward, and your labour has been appreciated.’(Chapter 76 Verse 23)
When Allah States that He Thanks people, He is telling s that He rewards them. There are also many ahadith which show that Allah does Indeed Thank or Reward His Servants:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ سُمَىٍّ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي بِطَرِيقٍ، وَجَدَ غُصْنَ شَوْكٍ فَأَخَذَهُ، فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، فَغَفَرَ لَهُ ”.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “While a man was on the way, he found a thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him.”(Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith #2472)
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ سُمَىٍّ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” بَيْنَا رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي فَاشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَطَشُ، فَنَزَلَ بِئْرًا فَشَرِبَ مِنْهَا، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِكَلْبٍ يَلْهَثُ، يَأْكُلُ الثَّرَى مِنَ الْعَطَشِ، فَقَالَ لَقَدْ بَلَغَ هَذَا مِثْلُ الَّذِي بَلَغَ بِي فَمَلأَ خُفَّهُ ثُمَّ أَمْسَكَهُ بِفِيهِ، ثُمَّ رَقِيَ، فَسَقَى الْكَلْبَ فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، فَغَفَرَ لَهُ ”. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَإِنَّ لَنَا فِي الْبَهَائِمِ أَجْرًا قَالَ ” فِي كُلِّ كَبِدٍ رَطْبَةٍ أَجْرٌ ”. تَابَعَهُ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَالرَّبِيعُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, ‘This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine. So he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed and forgave him.” The people asked, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?” He replied, “Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith #2363)
The word hamd also has the meaning of pleasure and the one who is doing the hamd is pleased with the one who he has praised or whom he is praising. Allah States in the Qur’an:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ {100}
And as for the foremost among the believers, the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in the best possible manner, Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him; and He has prepared for them Gardens beneath which flow rivers. They will abide therein for ever. That is the supreme triumph.(Chapter 9, Verse 100)
Even when we say the names of many companions, we say the words Radiy-allahu anhu, which means May Allah be Pleased with Him. We have looked at this revelation in the light of the Qur’an and the Ahadith and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. If they want to accuse this revelation, then their accusation remains against the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw as well.