How Pride and Attachment to Worldly Status Lead to Rejecting Allah’s Choices

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhab, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated in Masaa’il Al-Jahiliyyah:

The worldly life was exalted in their hearts, as Allah, The Most High, said (that they said):

لَوۡلَا نُزِّلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡقَرۡيَتَيۡنِ عَظِيمٍ

Why is not this Qur’aan sent down to some great man of the two towns. [Az-Zukhruf. 31]

Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, commented:

One of the traits of the (people) of Al-Jahiliyyah (i.e. the people who lived during the pre-Islamic era of Ignorance) is that the worldly life was exalted in their hearts; so, they regarded the one who possessed (the things of the worldly life) to be honourable and the one who was not in possession to be of lowly (status) and despised. And even regarding the Risaalah (Messengership), which is Allah’s (absolute choice to choose who to send as a Messenger), they saw that it should be given to the rich people and not the poor people.  And they said:

“Allah found (none), except an orphan of Abu Taalib to send?”

They were referring to Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:

 لَوۡلَا نُزِّلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡقَرۡيَتَيۡنِ عَظِيمٍ

And they say: “Why is not this Qur’aan sent down to some great man of the two towns. [Az-Zukhruf. 31].

The two towns are Makkah and Taa’if. And the (great man) in Makkah is Waleed Bin Mugheerah or Habeeb Bin Amr Ath-Thaqafee; and it is said that the great man in Taa’if is Urwa Bin Mas’ud.

The people of Al-Jahiliyyah said:

If the message was given to one of those two great men, it would have been befitting to be (regarded) a message, but it does not befit them to think that it is given to a poor orphan [i.e. Muhammad]. Allah, The Exalted, said (in response to them):

 أَهُمۡ يَقۡسِمُونَ رَحۡمَتَ رَبِّكَ‌ۚ

Is it they who would portion out the mercy of your Lord? [Az-Zukhruf. 32]

Meaning: They interfered in Allah’s (choice, decrees, decisions etc). They wanted to portion out Allah’s Mercy and did not testify to what Allah portioned out, even though

ٱللَّهُ أَعۡلَمُ حَيۡثُ يَجۡعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ

Allah knows best with whom to place his message. [Al-An’aam. 24]

An Excerpt from ‘Sharh Masa’il Al-Jahiliyyah. Pages 261-262.