Islamic Insight

When ‘Umar bin al-Khattab رضي الله عنه was walking in the market, he passed by a man who was supplicating :
اللهم اجعلني من القليل اللهم اجعلني من القليل
"O Allāh, make me from the few! O Allāh make me from the few!"
So ‘Umar said to him :
"Where did you get this du'a (supplication) from?"
And the man said :

"Allāh in His Book says :
وَقَليلٌ مِن عِبادِيَ الشَّكورُ
“And few of My servants are grateful.”
[Quran, Saba’ (chapter 34) ; 13]"

So ‘Umar wept and admonished himself :
"The people are more knowledgeable than you, O Umar! O Allāh make us from Your ‘FEW’ servants."

Sometimes when you advise someone to leave a sin, they respond with :
"But everybody does it, it’s not just me!"
But if you look for the words “MOST PEOPLE” in the Quran, you will find that most people are :

ولكن اكثرهم لا يعلمون
"…and however most people DO NOT know."
[Quran, Al-A'rāf (chapter 7) ; 187]

ولكن أكثرهم لا يشكرون
"…and most people DO NOT believe."
[Quran, Hūd (chapter 11) ; 17].

And if you look for “MOST OF THEM“, you will find :
وانّ أكثر كم فا يقو ن
"…defiantly disobedient."
[Quran, Al-Māidah (chapter 5) ; 59]

و لكن أكثرهم يجهلون
"…ignorant."
[Quran, Al-An'ām (chapter 6) ; 111] — and

بل أكثرهم لا يعلمون الحق فهم معرضون
"…turning away."
[Quran, Al-Anbiyā (chapter 21) ; 24].

So be of the “FEW”, whom Allāh says about them :

و قليلٌ من عبادي الشّكور
"…and FEW of My servants are grateful."
[Quran, Saba’ (chapter 34) ; 13] — and

وما آمن معه إلاّ قليلٌ
"…but none had believed with him, except A FEW."
[Quran, Hūd (chapter 11) ; 40]

في جنات النعيم ثلة من الاولين و قليل من الآخرين
"…in the Gardens of Bliss : many from the past and a FEW from later generations."
[Quran, Al-Wāqi'ah (chapter 56) ; 12-14]

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said :
"Go on the PATH OF TRUTH and DO NOT feel lonely because there are FEW who TAKE THAT PATH ; and BEWARE of the PATH OF FALSEHOOD and DO NOT be deceived by the vastness of the perishers."

•References : [Kitab al-Zuhd - Ahmad bin Hanbal ; and Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah]

May Allāh make us of His FEW servants.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “By Allah, it is not poverty I fear for you, rather I fear you will be given the wealth of the world, just as it was given to those before you. You will compete for it just as they competed for it and it will ruin you just as it ruined them.”

(Al Bukhari 2988)