The 365 · Tazkiyah · Day 344 · Heart
Rajā' fī Ghayri Allāh · Hope in Other-Than-Allah
The disease
الرَّجَاءُ فِي غَيْرِ اللَّهِ
Rajā' fī Ghayri Allāh
The story
Ibn ʿAbbās was the boy in the hadith. The Prophet ﷺ taught him to direct every request first to Allah. Ibn ʿAbbās lived this; when asked how he became so learned, he said: 'Through asking Allah and the people of knowledge.' The order: Allah first.
Why it's named first
Allah named rajāʾ (hope) as His own province: 'whoever places his hope in the meeting of his Lord, let him do righteous deeds.' (al-Kahf 18:110). The disease is misplacing the hope: hoping in the manager for the raise, in the doctor for the cure, in the marriage for the happiness, as if these are the ACTUAL sources. They are means; He is the source.
In the Qur'an
فَإِذَا فَرَغتَ فَانصَبْ وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ (الشرح 7-8). 'When you are free, work hard, and toward your Lord direct your longing.' (al-Sharḥ 94:7-8)
In the Sunnah
«يَا غُلَامُ، إِنِّي أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ: ... إِذَا سَأَلتَ فَاسْأَلِ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا استَعَنتَ فَاستَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ». 'O young one, I will teach you words: when you ask, ask Allah; when you seek help, seek the help of Allah.' (Tirmidhi 2516)
The cure
Before asking any human for any need, first ask Allah. Sajdah, duʿāʾ, then ask the human as means. The order matters: He first, the human as instrument. The heart calibrates.
What is at stake
The heart that hopes in creation gets bitter when creation fails (and creation always fails eventually). The heart that hopes in Allah is never bitter; the means may fail but the Source does not.
A du'a for this day
«حَسْبِي اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الوَكِيلُ».
The door of mercy
Al-Walī (the Patron) and al-Wāsil (the Joiner of bonds). Allah is the true source; humans are means He uses.
A reflection to carry
Misplaced hope produces bitterness when the source fails. Properly placed hope produces patience when means change.
Read the longer reflection
Rajāʾ in ghayri Allāh is among the heart's most common diseases. We hope in jobs, in spouses, in friends, in markets, in governments. All are eventually disappointing because none are the actual source. Allah designed it this way: the disappointments turn the heart back to Him. The believer learns to place hope correctly first, saving years of heartbreak. May Allah be the source of all our hope, and may every human gift be received as His messenger.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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