Relying Upon Allah. - Having Good Thoughts Concerning Allah

 Optimism is having a good assumption about Allah. The Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, admired this quality. He said, “I like Fal." They said, "What is the Fal?" He said, "A good word.” (Agreed upon})1

A believer is commanded to have a good assumption about Allah in all circumstances. Pessimism is having a bad assumption about Allah. When a servant's faith increases, their good assumption about their Lord also increases. And when their faith decreases, their doubts about their Creator worsen.

Among the bad assumptions about the Great Lord is the assumption that Allah does not support His monotheistic servants or elevate them, or the assumption that Allah will not manifest His religion. It is also a bad assumption for a servant to think that he can achieve what is with Allah through disobedience and opposition, rather than through obedience and seeking closeness to Allah, or thinking that if he leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah will not compensate him with something better; or assuming that whoever does something for the sake of Allah will not be rewarded better than that; or assuming that if he is sincere in his desires and fears, humbles himself, asks Allah for help, and relies on Him, Allah will disappoint him and not grant him what he asked for; or thinking that generosity leads to poverty, assuming that one's wealth decreases through charity, or assuming that Allah will not fulfill His promise of reward for charity; or assuming that adhering to this religion does not elevate the status of its adherents. Whoever assumes any of these things has a bad thought concerning Allah and has fallen into what Allah has forbidden.

This is indeed a bad assumption about Allah because it assumes something about Allah that is inconsistent with His beautiful name, sublime attributes, and perfection. It attributes to Him what is not befitting His beauty, perfection, attributes, and qualities.

Most people assume something about Allah that is not true, a bad assumption regarding what concerns them and what He does with others. Only those who know Allah, His name, and His attributes, and understand the reasons for His wisdom and praise are exempt from this. 

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 

"Most people, in fact, all of them except those whom Allah wills otherwise, assume something about Allah that is not true and have a bad assumption. The majority of human beings believe that they are wronged by fate, lacking in fortune and that they deserve more than what they have been given. Their words indicate that they think Allah has wronged them and denied them what they deserve, and their souls testify to that, while their tongues deny it and they do not dare to express it openly. If you search within yourself and delve into the depths of your hides, you will find in it a hidden fire, like fire hidden in a flint. Strike the flint of whoever you wish, and its sparks will tell you about what is hidden within it.

And if you were to search within anyone, you would see that they often blame fate, suggesting that the opposite of what happened to them should have occurred. This demonstrates their independence and arrogance. Therefore, examine your own soul. Are you free from such tendencies?

If you are immune from it, then you are immune from something great. Otherwise, I believe it would be difficult for you to find salvation.

The intellectually inclined individual who seeks goodness for themselves should take heed of this advice. They should turn to Allah, the Exalted, and seek His forgiveness continuously for entertaining negative assumptions about their Lord. Additionally, they should also be cautious of harboring negative assumptions about themselves, as this is the root of all evil and the origin of all harm."1

Therefore, it is obligatory for a Muslim not to assume a bad assumption about his Lord and to have a good assumption about Him in all matters. In a hadith sacred Hadith, Allah Almighty says, "I am as My servant thinks of Me." (Agreed upon)2

Referensi

1 Al-Bukhari, Book of Medicine, Chapter of No Contagion, Hadith No. 5776, and Muslim, Book of Salam (Peace), Chapter of Tiyarah (Superstitious Beliefs Related to Omens and Augury), Hadith No. 2224, from the narration of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him.

1 He is Mohammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sulaiman Al-Tamimi Al-Najdi. He was born in 1115 AH and was an Imam of the Da'wah (Call) movement, a reformer of the twelfth century. He passed away in 1206 AH. "Ad-Durar as-Saniyyah fi al-Ajwibah an-Najdiyyah" (374/1) and "Tasheel as-Sabilah" (1643/3).

2 It is mentioned in, texts of Knowledge seeker, including footnotes of verification. Book of Tawheed (Monotheism), page 396

1 "Zad al-Ma'ad" (Provision for the Hereafter), (211/3).

2 Narrated by Al-Bukhari in the Book of Tawheed, Chapter: “They wish to change the words of Allah” Hadith No. 7505, and Muslim, Book of Dhikr (Remembrance), Supplication, Repentance, and Seeking Forgiveness, Chapter: The Virtue of Remembrance and Supplication to Allah, Hadith No. 2675, from the narration of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him.