✨Thinking Well of Allah

Jaber bin AbdAllah (may Allah be pleased with them) stated that I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say three days before his death:
No one of you should die except thinking well of Allah. [Sunan Ibn Majah 4167]

What a great act of worship it is to think well of Allah Almighty. Because thinking well of Allah Almighty prompts to do all types of good and leave evil deeds. And to be serious and diligent in acquiring the ordained and permissible means for seeking provision, getting benefit and repelling harm.

It is a great means for attaining tranquility within the heart, peace of mind and relaxation of the chest. Just as it is a good defense when trials and calamities strike. And it is from the best ways of getting closer to Allah and acts of worship to conclude one’s life with.

Ibn Abee Dunya narrated from Hayyan ( حَيَّانَ ) who said: Waathelah bin Al Asqa ( وَاثِلَةُ بْنُ الْأَسْقَعِ ) said: Take me to Yazeed bin Al Aswad ( يَزِيدَ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ ) for it has been conveyed to me that he is in pain. Hayyan said: So I took Waathelah to Yazeed and told him that he was in a grave condition and that he had lost his mind. Waathelah said: call him. So they called him and I said: This is your brother Waathelah. So Yazzeed extended his hand. So I knew what he wanted. I took the hand of Waathelah and put it in Yazzeed’s hand. Waathelah said: How are you thinking of Allah? Yazeed responded: My sins have drowned me and I am close to expiring but I long for the mercy of Allah. Then Waathelah magnified Allah and the members of his household followed and magnified Allah. He said: Allah is the Greatest, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks of Me. So let him think of Me as he wishes [Sahih ibn Habban 635]

That is whoever thinks well of Allah, then Allah will favor him and shower him with His good. And whoever thinks negatively of Allah will not have except what he thought and we seek refuge in Allah from that. And along these lines, it was narrated in Ahmad:
If he thinks well of Me, he will have it and if He thinks negatively of Me, he will have it [Ahmad 9076]

In this Hadith is a strong call for people to think well of their Lord.

And thinking well of Allah is required from a person all the time and in every moment but it is confirmed in some instances such as:
When one offers what is commanded of Iman and righteous deeds. One offers these acts of worship as they were commanded sincerely for the sake of Allah and following the guidance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and thinks positively of their Lord that he will accept it from them and reward them for it as He promised:
An-Nahl (16) 97: Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward according to the best of what they used to do.

And from the confirmed instances of thinking positively of Allah is when one is conscious of Allah and avoids sins due to fearing Allah. One thinks positively of Allah that Allah will reward him with something better- with a great reward as He the Almighty said:
An-Noor (24) 52: And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah and is conscious of Him – it is those who are the winners.

And thinking positively of Allah is confirmed when supplicating to Allah and asking for good such as paradise, forgiveness, mercy, pardoning, provision, good health or other types of good. Or when one supplicates seeking refuge in Him from the fire, punishment of the grave, being destined to an evil end, being overwhelmed by debt and other types of evil and harm.

And in this regard the Prophet ﷺ said:
Call upon Allah while being certain of being answered, and know that Allah does not respond to a supplication from the heedless and a preoccupied heart. [Sahih Al Jami, Albani 245]

Whoever thinks positively of Allah and believes that Allah will answer his supplication and give him if he asks, will increase in supplicating and will not despair even if the response is delayed. As for the one who thinks negatively of Allah, he will turn away from supplicating his Lord and if he supplicates he hastens to leave supplicating and this is the cause of his denial as the Prophet ﷺ said:
One of you will be responded to, so long as he is not hasty, saying: I supplicated, and I was not responded to. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3387]

And it was only through thinking positively of Allah and not despairing from His mercy that for many years Yaqoob (peace be upon him) supplicated his Lord for the return of Yusuf (peace be upon him).

And when one asks Allah of His favor, he is requesting from the Most Abundant, the Most Generous, the Bountiful whose stores do not run out.

And when one seeks refuge in Allah from what he fears, he is seeking refuge in the All-Powerful. Nothing is beyond His ability. If He wills a matter He says be and it is.

And when one asks Allah for pardoning and forgiveness, he is asking the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. The One whose Mercy preceded His wrath. And His pardoning preceded his punishment. And His clemency preceded his punishment. The One for Whom no sin is too big to forgive if a person repents from it even if it is the major shirk.

And from the places of thinking positively of Allah is at the time of calamities and afflictions in wealth or health or in other matters. So he thinks positively of His Lord believing that the decree of Allah for His believing servant is all good for him. For Allah tries the believer with prosperity so that he expresses gratitude and he is given the reward of the grateful. And Allah tries the believer with adversity so that he forbears and Allah gives him the reward of the patient. And how many afflictions befell a person and its conclusion was great good for him in this world and the next? And with that, when the difficulties befall you, do not ever despair from their removal no matter how difficult things become or no matter how long they last. Rather think positively of your Lord and increase your hope in His wide bounty as He said:
At Talaq (65) 7: Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease

Oh Muslims: It is incumbent upon every Muslim to think positively of their Lord and beware of thinking negatively of His Lord like the hypocrites whom Allah described:
Al Imran (3) 154: Thinking of Allah other than the truth – the thought of ignorance

Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) This verse was explained that their thinking was that Allah would not give victory to His messenger. And that his affair would disappear. And it was also explained that what befell the Prophet was not from the decree and wisdom of Allah. So it was explained as rejecting the wisdom and denying the decree, denying that the matter of His Prophet would be completed and that he would be would prevail. And this is the negative thinking of the polytheists and hypocrites described in surah Al Fath. And this was negative thinking because it was thinking of Allah in a manner not befitting of Him. And not befitting of His wisdom, His praise and His true promise.

And many people think negatively of their Lord. Some more and some less. Whoever thinks that falsehood is indistinguishable from the truth has thought negatively of their Lord. Whoever denies that what happened was His will and decree has thought negatively of their Lord. Whoever denies that His decree is for a far reaching mercy that is befitting of praise has thought negatively of their Lord. Whoever blames the decree thinking that things should have happened differently has thought negatively of their Lord.

So a person should take care in this regard and search within themselves. Are they safe? A person must hasten to repent and seek forgiveness from thinking negatively towards Allah. Indeed only those who know Allah through His Names and His Attributes are safe from that. For if they are saved from thinking negatively towards their Lord, they are saved from a grave matter.

Oh Allah make us among those who think well of You. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.

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