“I Know Allah Better Than All of You”

 “I Know Allah Better Than All of You”

Faiyaz M. Khan

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said: “I am most God-fearing, and know Allah better than all of you.”[1]

When the Prophet uttered these words, he was not boasting – he was stating facts. This is because Allah says in Surah Fatir: “Those who truly fear Allah among His servants are those who have knowledge.”[2] The servants mentioned here refers to the prophets and messengers of God, as they are the only ones we can be certain have knowledge about Allah and His religion. This is further substantiated by ayah 23 which mentions the Prophet as the bearer of good tidings and a warner: which fits in with knowledge and the fear of God. Moreover, in ayah 25 it mentions the previous messengers of God who came with “clear proofs, divine books, and enlightening scriptures” which indicates knowledge and then warns those who reject guidance with a severe punishment – fear of God’s wrath. Therefore, the servants of God who we can be certain have knowledge about God and His religion are the prophets and messengers – ipso facto – they are the ones who fear God the most.

Notwithstanding, most exegetes interpret the ayah to mean (ulama) Islamic scholars: which would be the meaning after the demise of the Prophet, as the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets. This does not mean that all scholars are God-fearing just because they are knowledgeable; in fact, it can be argued that many today are not. As for prophets of God, we can say without any shadow of doubt that all of them were knowledgeable and God-fearing.

During the Prophet’s time, as the receiver of God’s revelation, he was most knowledgeable person about Allah and His religion; therefore, the most God-fearing believer in the world. As the role model for mankind, he needed to demonstrate through his life and his daily interactions with those close to him and with people in general – what being God-fearing looks like. Thus, his Sunnah guides us to know how to be God-fearing. This manifested in him asking Allah to forgive him a hundred times a day, he illustrated it by constantly fasting,[3] by praying tahajjud every night,[4] by giving charity like the wind,[5] and by being the walking-Qur’an in the eyes of his wife Aisha.[6] Moreover, God-fearing made him patient,[7] modest,[8] humble,[9] gentle,[10] honourable,[11] loving,[12] generous,[13] brave,[14] forgiving[15] just[16] and merciful.[17]

This hadith of the Prophet has become very significant in our time, as there are some people who claim that they are God-fearing, yet they reject the Sunnah. They attack the Sunnah and label those who follow the Sunnah to be disbelievers and polytheists. They claim only to follow the Qur’an, while rejecting the one who received the Qur’an. They don’t realise how foolish they sound when they claim to follow the Qur’an, when they are not following the one tasked to teach the Qur’an. Therefore, the Prophet’s hadith shows them to be liars and people who have gone astray. It is impossible for someone to be God-fearing without following Allah’s Messenger.  

 

 

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[1] Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 20.

 

[2] Surah Fatir 35:28.

 

[3] Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1141.

 

[4] Ibid.

 

[5] Sahih Muslim, no. 2308a.

 

[6] Sahih Muslim, no. 746.

 

[7] Sayyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, Muhammad the Last Prophet: A Model for All Time, ed. Iqbal Ahmad Azami (Leicester: UK Islamic Academy, 1993), 53-55.

 

[8] Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6102.

 

[9] Sunan Ibn Majah, no. 1266.

 

[10] Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6038.

 

[11] Sahih Muslim, no. 2328a.

 

[12] Sahih Muslim, no. 2421a.

 

[13] Sahih Muslim, no. 2308a.

 

[14] Nadwi, Muhammad the Last Prophet, 26-27.

 

[15] Ibid., 145-146.

 

[16] Ibid., 148.

 

[17] Surah al-Anbiya 21:107.