Shaikh Rabīʿ: Acknowledging Allāh’s Might and Greatness as It Should Be Acknowledged

وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

They did not acknowledge Allāh’s might and greatness as it should be acknowledged; the Earth in its entirety is in His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the Heavens are enfolded in His right hand. All-perfect is He and high above that which they commit of shirk [equating creation with Him in matters that are only for Him]. [Al-Zumar: 67]

Shaikh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī, may Allāh protect him, said:

Then He said, with regard to the disbelievers who worship other than Allāh and set up rivals with Him, and with regard to those who disobey Him as well:

وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ

They did not acknowledge Allāh’s might and greatness as it should be acknowledged. [Al-Zumar: 67 (extract)]

Allāh is Al-ʿAḍhīm, Al-Jalīl [the Exalted and Glorious]. Were they to have duly appreciated His greatness, they would never have worshipped other than Allāh, nor have set up rivals with Him; in fact, they would not have disobeyed Him in anything at all. So no one worships other than Allāh or disobeys His commands other than a person who neither reveres Allāh nor duly appreciates His greatness; neither reveres Him as He is due, nor duly exalts Him. All-perfect and great is He, and all-high.

Then He established proofs of His exalted greatness. Put into your mind: “The Earth in its entirety is in His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the Heavens are enfolded in His right hand.” This One who holds the Earth and the Heavens in His right hand—how can He be disobeyed, the One whose state of affairs reaches of greatness, might, complete mastery and lordship, absolute and singular divinity, and exalted majesty [such that] the Heavens and the Earth are like a grain of sand in the hands of any one of us—and Allāh is high above any comparisons. All of existence is in His hold; everything is insignificant before His greatness and glory. So how can He be disobeyed, the One whose state of affairs is this?

He created you to worship Him, and He created all these things in existence; this is His power; this His greatness, His exalted majesty. How can you disobey Him? How can you disobey Him?

Meaning, a person is afraid of another from mankind like himself—he is afraid of a soldier. He cannot oppose his orders. A soldier, like yourself, a created being, one who urinates, defecates, gets sick, etc., and you are afraid of him and not afraid of Allāh the Almighty and Exalted, this Tremendously Great One who created all things in existence and managed all their affairs to the end. The Heavens are enfolded in His right hand, and the Earth is in His hold. How can you disobey Him, all-perfect and great is He and all-high?

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

All-perfect and great is He and all-high above what they commit of shirk [equating creation with Him in matters that are only for Him]. [Al-Zumar 67 (extract)]

He removed Himself a great distance [from their shirk]. How can you set up rivals with Him from carved idols that you make with your hands, [idols] of stone and animals? There are people who worship monkeys, pigs, and so on:

قُتِلَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ

Cursed is [the disbelieving] man—how severely he disbelieves! [ʿAbasa 17]

إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ

Indeed, [those among] mankind [who deny Allāh’s blessings and attribute them to others] are terrible wrongdoers and ingrates. [Ibrāhīm 34 (extract)]

To Allāh alone are [our] complaints, all-perfect and great is He. He removed Himself a great distance from what they commit of shirk, Shirk al-Rububiyyah [ascribing lordship and mastery over creation to other than Allāh] and Shirk al-Uluhiyyah [worshipping other than Allāh].

There are people who say, “We are Muslims,” while they make claims regarding creatures that are weak like themselves that they have knowledge of the Unseen, have control over [matters] in creation, and remove distress. These are from those who ascribe to Islām, so how is it with Christians, Jews, and polytheists?

And he did not acknowledge Allāh’s might and greatness as it should be acknowledged. And he did not acknowledge Allāh’s might and greatness as it should be acknowledged.

Source:  http://www.rabee.net/ar/articles.php?cat=11&id=280 (extract)