In the Qur’an, the righteous servant is quoted as saying: {“And I entrust my affair to Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Seeing of the servants.” So Allah protected him from the evils they plotted} [Ghāfir: 44-45]
1) When a person entrusts his affairs to Allah Almighty, this is a sign of his true reliance upon his Lord.
2) Whoever entrusts his affairs to his Lord, He will suffice him and fulfill his needs.
440/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty said: ‘I am just as My slave thinks of Me, and I am with him where he remembers Me.’ By Allah, Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you who finds his lost camel in the desert. (Allah said:): ‘He who comes closer to Me one span, I come closer to him one cubit; and he who comes closer to Me one cubit, I come closer to him one fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim] This wording is one of the versions narrated by Muslim. It has already been explained in the previous chapter.
In a version narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim: “And I am with him when he remembers me.” In this version: “And I am with him where he remembers me.” Both are correct.
1) The Hadīth urges people to think well of their Lord, hope for His mercy, and hasten to repent to Him and draw close to Him through pious acts.
2) Positive thinking about Allah Almighty means that we hope for what is with Him even though it belongs to the realm of the Unseen, and that we do not get attached to what we and other people have even though it exists in this world.
When can a person be regarded as thinking well about Allah Almighty?
This is the case when he does what makes him deserving of Allah’s grace and mercy, by performing good deeds and feeling hopeful that Allah will accept them. But positive thinking coupled with lack of action or even commission of sins is only the way of the idle bankrupt incompetent ones.
441/2 - Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), three days before his death, say: “Let none of you die without having good expectations of Allah Almighty.” [Narrated by Muslim]
“Let none of you die” means: Everyone should be keen not to die except in this state.
1) A person should think well of Allah Almighty while doing the things that confirm this, like having sincere beliefs, doing good deeds, and adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was keen to guide his Ummah, and he showed intense compassion towards the believers in all his situations, even while on his death bed.
3) We are urged to be hopeful, especially at the time of death, for hope in this situation is the best condition for a person.
442/3 - Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Allah Almighty said: ‘O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to meet Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I shall bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.’” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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1) It shows the vastness of Allah’s grace and bounty, as His mercy encompasses all things. He only created mankind to show mercy to them through their servitude to Him, not to punish them.
2) It urges us to seek the forgiveness of Allah, supplicate Him, and hope for His mercy. This is a trait of the believers.
3) It points out the merit of Tawhīd and that it is one of the greatest means for expiating sins.