Chapter 1.1. Al-hamdulillah is the Imbursement of every Favour

If it is said: but Habib ibn al-Shahid reports al-Hasan as saying, 'al-Hamdulillah is the imbursement of every favour and La iliha il-Allah is the imbursement for Paradise.'

The meaning of this statement has also been reported from the Prophet on the authority of Anas, Abu Dharr and others. Even though the isnads of all these ahadith contain weakness, the meaning is supported by the saying of Allah,

Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their wealth in return for the Garden: they fight in the Way of Allah and they kill and are killed. It is a promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Injil and the Quran and who is truer to his contract than Allah? Rejoice then in the bargain you have made. That is the supreme triumph. [Quran, Tawbah: 111]

Here, Paradise has been appointed the imbursement for self and property.

The response to this is that Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He; through His beneficence, mercy, kindness, and generosity; has addressed His servants in a way that would encourage them to obey Him, using language and concepts that they can readily understand and relate to. He placed Himself in the position of a buyer and debtor, and placed them in the position of sellers and creditors. This then encourages them to answer His call and rush to His obedience. In reality, however, everything belongs to Him and is granted by His grace and mercy: the self and property belong to Him and this is why He commanded us to say at the onset of calamity,

To Allah we belong and to Him are we return. [Quran, Baqarah: 156]

Despite this, He commends those who expend their selves and properties for His sake, comparing them to sellers and creditors, Therefore man is likened to someone who has property which he can sell and give as a loan to someone else who does not possess it.

In the same way, all deeds come about as a result of His grace and mercy, yet He commends those who perform them, attributes the deeds to them, and appoints them to be a show of gratitude, and return, for His favours.

• The Great Principle
• Elucidation of the Meaning of Favours

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