Giving Servitude Its Due Right

“Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent” (67:1).

Exalted is Allah, the True Sovereign; there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne. He says (the Exalted): “And His is the dominion on the Day He will blow the trumpet” (6:73), and He says: “The sovereignty this Day is for Allah, the One, the Prevailing” (40:16).

Indeed, the true Owner of all dominion is Allah, the Exalted, Creator of all things. He gave everything its creation and then guided it, perfecting every thing to act according to His will. He decrees what He wills and judges what He chooses; none can reverse His decree. He carries out His will in His dominion however He wills and as He wills —bringing into existence and causing to cease, preserving and causing to perish.

In light of this, the true reality of the servant is that he is owned: his life belongs to Allah, his breaths belong to Allah, and his sight and hearing, mind, bones, flesh, and blood all belong to Allah. As the Exalted says: “Say, who provides for you from the heavens and the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight, and brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living?” (10:31). He also says: “And it is He who produced for you hearing, sight, and hearts; little is it that you give thanks.” (23:78).

The key to happiness is for servants to journey to their Lord upon the path of uprightness. The foundation of this is to give servitude its due right, being certain that Allah is the Owner and that the Owner has absolute authority over His possessions, and being certain that Allah is All-Wise, who does nothing in vain. Thus, the servant submits with the submission of one who is owned to a Wise, Generous, and All-Powerful Lord.

Thus, they are content with whatever the Creator wills. If they ask and their request is granted, they see it as a فضل (divine favor); and if it is denied, they regard it as the Owner’s disposition over His creation. No objection arises in their hearts under any circumstance, for should an objection arise, they depart from the station of servitude and enter the station of disputation — just as happened with Iblīs, may Allah curse him.

The servant strives in obedience and submission to fulfill the rights of being owned, directing their will within the limits set by Allah. As Allah says: “And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses; not for them was the choice. Exalted is Allah and high above what they associate with Him” (28:68).

The servants' foremost concern is to fear Allah in whatever situation Allah places them — whether poverty or wealth, ease or trial. They strive to purify and refine their souls by removing amazement at a favor that comes without an apparent cause, and by removing objection to a trial that occurs without an apparent cause.

Believers are not governed by causes alone; their hearts are not attached to them, but rather to the true Causer. When the cause is hidden, they are not perplexed, for they know that what is decreed is bound to absolute divine will and power. As Allah said regarding ʿUzayr: “When it became clear to him, he said, ‘I know that Allah has power over all things’” (2:259). And regarding Zakariyya: “How shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached extreme old age?” (19:8). And regarding Maryam: “How shall I have a son when no man has touched me, nor have I been unchaste?” (19:20). The response of the All-Powerful Creator, Exalted and Glorified, was: “كذلك, Thus it shall be.”

When one reflects on the word “thus” (كذلك) in its Quranic context — such as in the verse, “Then We will save Our messengers and those who have believed. Thus, it is an obligation upon Us that We save the believers” (10:103) — its meaning becomes clear: the servant lives under the care and ownership of a Wise, Powerful, and Merciful Lord.

This understanding settles in the heart alongside Allah’s words: “Is not Allah sufficient for His servant?” (39:36), “Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose” (65:3), “So be patient. Indeed, the outcome belongs to the righteous” (11:49), and “And Allah will give the believers a great reward” (4:146).

Those who follow this guidance have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.

Caution must be exercised regarding preachers who distort religion for people, such as those who say, for example, “Say three words in your prostration during the Fajr prayer, and calamities will be removed from you—then await miracles.” This represents a dangerous phenomenon in which being regarded as a scholar is now measured by the number of followers on social media or the views on one’s videos.

This misleads people and distorts concepts: an increase in followers may deceive an individual into thinking preachers are knowledgeable, leading them to take pride in what they know while, in reality, they are far from true knowledge. As for the followers, many listen to whoever pleases their ears, justifies their lifestyle, and offers a ready-made prescription that convinces them it will solve their problems and reform their condition. Behind all of this lies the algorithmic system, designed to dull the senses and serve materialistic beliefs.

People should beware of the warning in the Hadith: “Whoever seeks knowledge to boast before scholars, to argue with fools, or to attract people’s attention, Allah will admit him to Hell,” as well as the warnings in Allah’s words: “And do not follow the paths that lead you astray from His path” (6:153), and “And do not follow the way of those who do not know” (10:89).

Relief and deliverance do not come from mere words that the servant murmurs in prayer, hoping they hold power with Allah (swt), while the mind seeks relief and the heart clings to words, rather than to Allah. True relief comes only after complete surrender, when the servant reaches the point of total turning to Allah and full reliance upon Him, as Allah says: “They knew there was no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy so that they might repent. Surely Allah ˹alone˺ is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful” (9:118). He also recounts: “Until the Messenger and those who believed with him said, ‘When will Allah’s help come?’” (2:214), and as Moses said to his people: “O my people! If you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him if you are Muslims (those who submit to Allah’s Will)” (10:84).

When surrender and reliance upon Allah (swt) reach their peak, glad tidings are granted. Immediately after this, Allah says: “And give good news to the believers” (10:87).

Salvation here is the fruit of fleeing to Allah with surrender and patience. Thus, Allah says: “And the word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of their patience” (7:137). This has always been the path of the righteous and the way of Allah with those who came before: the servant affirms divine ownership through patience, fulfills the purpose of servitude, and remains steadfast in reliance upon Him. Through patience, the heart finds tranquility, the soul attains reassurance, and delight is found in serving Allah.

O Allah, grant us the immense favor to reach Ramadan.