Tafseer: {When My slaves ask you about Me}

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

In the saying of Allaah تعالى:

﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ﴾

❝{And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.}❞ [Surah al-Baqarah (2):186]

Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله commented:

﴿إذا دعان﴾

❝{when he calls upon Me}❞, meaning: if he is truthful in his supplication to Me, i.e. he is aware that he is in need of Allaah, and that only Allaah alone is capable of answering his supplication (and fulfilling his need), and that he purifies his supplication by (sincerely) invoking Allaah alone, and that his heart is not relying on anyone else.

﴿فليستجيبوا لي وليؤمنوا بي لعلهم يرشدون﴾

❝{So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided}❞, meaning: turning back to Allaah عز وجل and obedience to Him are the means of achieving righteousness. Moreover, obedience to Allaah must be accompanied with Imaan (Faith) because Allaah linked them together. So, whoever worships Allaah تعالى while his Imaan is weak, i.e. he is either uncertain – and Allaah’s refuge is sought - or he is doubtful, then this will not benefit him; or he is in complete denial, like how the Munaafiq (hypocrites) did: they used to worship Allaah عز وجل outwardly, while they had no Imaan, so their worship did not benefit them.

[Tafseer of Surah al-Baqarah by Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen]