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Man’s Vicegerency on Earth:
Peace and
blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad. We praise Allah, thank Him and seek His
help, guidance and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our
souls and the sinfulness of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, he is
rightly-guided and whosoever He sends astray, none can guide him.
The purpose of the lecture:
We are continuing with the stories of the Prophets. The
last lesson was an introduction to the series - why do we study the stories of
the Prophets? What is the purpose of studying them? What is the difference
between a prophet and a messenger? How many prophets were there? Etc.
Do you know where we’ll start today? Many of you think
that we will start with the story of Adam (PBUH).
I too thought the same - that when we start telling the stories of the prophets
that Adam’s will be the first, but I have found out that the story of creation
is very moving.
Let’s go back to the time before Adam, to the very beginning,
before the Prophets, before the angels, before the heavens and the earth.
Imagine the beginning. Let’s start the story from the beginning.
Glory be to Allah. What was there before Adam? What was
there before the creation of Heaven?
Before the angels and the prophets? Or even before the creation of the
heavens, the earth, the clouds, the mountains, the sea and the air? There was
only Allah and this is what we are going to look at today; I want you all to
leave this lecture with your hearts filled with this phrase, “there was only
Allah”; Today’s lesson aims to implant it deep in your heart. Try to think
about Allah’s supreme power; then think about how poor and helpless you are.
This is the aim of today’s lesson; what was there before
the creation of everything? At that time, there was only Allah. There is no God
but Allah. Glory be to Him. Allah (SWT)
says what can be translated as, “He
it is who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then rose over the
Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth
and what comes forth from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends
thereto. And he is with you (by His Knowledge) wherever you may be”.
(TMQ, 57:4).
Glory be to Him. After this
lesson, I want your heart to be filled with the glory of Allah (SWT).
The Beginning of the Creation:
Look all around you. Look at the technology, the people,
the creatures, etc. All of this was actually nothing. Nothing was there but
Allah (SWT).
Imam Ahmad related a Hadith that one of the companions
once asked the Prophet (PBUH) where
Allah was before He created the heavens and the earth. The Prophet (PBUH) said “In amaa’ (vacancy and
emptiness)”. Nothing was there with Him. Brothers and sisters, we are newly
introduced to that universe. We are not the origin and we own nothing here.
The word (amaa’) refers to that state which is
unimaginable and unperceivable to the mind because it is nothing.
Is that notion now well established in your minds or do
you need to listen to more Ahadith? Then listen to this one, Imran Ibn Hussein
(RA) narrates that a delegation from Yemen came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said, “O Messenger of Allah,
we have come to learn about this religion and to ask you about the beginning of
the creation.” “Only Allah was there.
Nothing was before Him and nothing was with Him”, said the Prophet (PBUH). This Hadith is related by
Al-Bukhari.
Allah (SWT) says
what can be translated as, “They made not a just estimate of Allah such as
is due to Him…” (TMQ, 39:67).
Believe me, we were all nothing. Allah says what can be
translated as, “Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was
not a thing worth mentioning?” (TMQ, 76:1).
O, people! You were once nothing. How can you become proud
before Allah (SWT)! Why don’t you bow
and prostrate before Him? While I was supplicating to Allah after my prayers, a
young man came to me and said, “Please urge the young people to pray.” “They
made not a just estimate of Allah as is due to Him…” (TMQ, 39:67).
The Holy verse says what can be translated as, “…And on
the Day of Resurrection, the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and
the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He, and High is
He above all that they associate as partners with Him” (TMQ, 39:67).
Another verse says what can be translated as, “And (remember) the day when
We shall roll up the heaven like a scroll rolled up for books. As We began the
first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly,
We shall do it.” (TMQ, 21:104).
See how simple it is for Allah. It’s as simple as holding a book in your
hand and closing it with two or three of your fingers. The Prophet (PBUH) wants one fact to be implanted
deep in your heart: that Allah (SWT)
is the owner of everything.
Abdullah Ibn Omar says, “One day I saw the Prophet (PBUH) on the pulpit, calling out in a
loud voice, “They made not a just
estimate of Allah such as is due to Him’.” (TMQ, 39:67). The Prophet
(PBUH) wants this verse to be
implanted deep in your hearts.
We don’t make a just estimate of Allah and His Glory such
as is due to Him. The Prophet (PBUH)
stood on the pulpit saying what can be translated as, “ They made not a just
estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection, the
whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled
up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He and High is He above all that they
associate as partners with Him”. (TMQ, 39:67).
Abdullah Ibn-Omar says, “Then he raised his voice and kept
indicating with his hand saying that Allah (SWT)
will go on glorifying Himself saying ‘I am the Compeller. I am the ِAll-Powerful. I am the
All-Mighty. I am the Planner. I am the First. I am the Last.’ The prophet went
on repeating the ninety nine names of Allah, till I saw the pulpit shake while
the Prophet was standing on it.” The wooden pulpit shook with the glory of
Allah (SWT). Wood moved but our
hearts are motionless. Wood is inanimate but it feels the glory of Allah (SWT). Allah says what can be translated
as, “There is not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet ye understand
not how they declare His glory! Verily, He is Oft-Forbearing, Most Forgiving!”
and “whatsoever is in heaven and whatsoever is on earth glorifies Allah”. (TMQ,
17:44).
Who are you to disobey Him and say I won’t do it? Who are
you to say I won’t pray? Who are you, o young women, to say I won’t wear the
hijab? Who are you to disobey your parents everyday when He has said, “be
dutiful to your parents”?
Brothers and sisters, do you really make a just estimate
of Allah and His glory or not? Do you know now how the beginning was? Do your
inner selves now feel Allah’s glory or is your heart still lifeless?
At the beginning, if nothing was there with Allah, then,
how do you think the end will be? Aren’t we the humans who inhabit this
universe and feel it is ours?
The End of the creation:
“And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the
heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away” (TMQ, 39:68). Now that I have told you about the beginning, I have to tell you
about the end so that you know for a certainty about your weaknesses and that
you need your Lord.
Creation began with Allah (SWT) blowing life into Adam and it will end with a blow. How
worthless is life that it begins with one blow and ends with another!
See what the end will be like in the verse that can be
translated as, “And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the
heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away” (TMQ, 39:68). Everything will vanish in just one blow:
animals, birds, fish, humans, angels, jinn, etc. Everything will vanish except
those whom Allah wants to remain. Who do you think they will be?
When Allah calls, “O, angel of death! Who is still alive?”
Consider the phrase “who is still alive”, because everyone is dead. He will
say, “O Allah, only Israfiel, Mikael (Michael), Jibril (Gabriel) and myself,
the angel of death.”
Where will you be at that time?
You will be nothing. “O, angel of death! Make Israfiel die.” He will make
Israfiel die and then Allah will ask again, “O, angel of death! Who remains?”
“Jibril and Mikael,” answers the angel of death. “Make Mikael die, angel of
death.” Then Mikael dies. Do you remember now your sins? Do you remember how
lost you were in this life? Where are you now? Do you see how careless you’ve
been in disregarding Allah’s orders for so many years? How many times have you
slept and not prayed the dawn prayer? “Make Jibril die, angel of death.” Then
Jibril dies. “Who remains, o angel of death?” The angel answers, “Only myself,
your poor slave, o Allah.” “Make
yourself die, angel of death.”
When everyone is dead, Allah will
start calling: “To whom is the Kingdom this Day?...” (TMQ, 40:16).
Allah, whom we removed from our thoughts and selves, Allah, who owns our lives
and yet we have become slaves to our desires. Allah calls, “To whom is the
Kingdom this Day?...” Exalted is He.
Think about your beginning and your end. Isn’t it time to submit to Him?
To fall prostrate before Him and to say I’m your helpless slave, I have no Lord
other than You?
No one answers, because no one is
there. Then Allah (SWT) calls, “…It
is Allah’s, the One, the Dominant!” (TMQ, 40:16). “Where are the kings? Where are the tyrants?
Where are the oppressors?” “For whom
is the Kingdom this Day?”
The Prophet (PBUH) says, “Allah (SWT) says ‘It is Allah’s, the One, the Dominant for forty.” Forty
days? Forty months? Forty years? No one knows. The timing is over. No one can
further distinguish a day from a month or a year.
Have you seen what the beginning and the end are like? Do
you understand now the meaning of Allah’s divine attributes: the First and the
Last? Today we will talk about the First. Adam is not yet been created.
Allah (SWT) says
what can be translated as, “Whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth
glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. His is the Kingdom of
the Heavens and the earth. It is He Who gives life and causes death, and He is
Able to do all things. He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last
(nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near
(nothing is nearer than Him). And He is All-Knower of everything.” (TMQ,
57:1-3).
The Prophet used to pray, “O, Lord! You are the God of the
heavens, the earth, and the great Throne. O, Lord! You are the First (nothing
is before You) and the Last (nothing is after You), the Most High (nothing is
above You) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than You).” When we know all of
this, can we submit ourselves humbly before Allah? This is our God (SWT).
The Originator is one of the names of Allah (SWT) that we have to understand; Allah
says what can be translated as, “It is He Who begins (the process of)
creation; then repeats it and for Him it is most easy” (TMQ, 30:27). He also says, “See they not how Allah
originates creation, then repeats it: truly that is easy for Allah” (TMQ,
29:19). Do you know that you were
nothing and were it not for Allah you wouldn’t have been anything?
Listen to this verse. It will really shake your heart.
Allah says what can be translated as, “Were they created of nothing, or were
they themselves the creators?” (TMQ, 52:35). How can you be proud before Allah? How can you
forget Him? “Or did they create the
heavens and the earth?” (TMQ, 52:36). The question that Allah asks is derisive as
if He wants to ask you, what’s wrong with you? Is it that hard to make up your
mind? “Or are the Treasures of thy
Lord with them, or are they the managers (of affairs)?” (TMQ, 52:37).
Who owns the earth? Who owns the whole universe? Are you
the controllers or is Allah (SWT)? Then, how can you disobey Him or
object to His orders? I mentioned the
story of the beginning of creation to allow you to make a just estimate of
Allah’s Glory in contrast to your poverty and enslavement to Him.
Brothers and sisters, many young people are deeply
involved in sins; some of them cannot leave their girlfriends, some of them
cannot stop smoking marijuana and others are destroying their health by
smoking. Yet all of them can stop committing those sins the minute their hearts
are filled with the love of Allah and His glory.
I want your hearts to be filled with nothing but Allah. At
that moment, you will easily leave your girlfriend the next day and if you are
used to committing sins, you will immediately give them up. Just feel how needy
and poor you are before Allah.
Think about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Although a Prophet, he was humble before Allah. Learn to be
humble, brothers and sisters. The best way to worship Allah is to say “O, Lord!
I’m a poor, needy slave”. For sure,
Allah will love you, prevent you from all sins, dignify you and raise you above
all. Tell Him “O, Lord! I’m poor and weak, and you’re my only God.”
Consider the Prophet’s supplication “O, Allah! I’m Your
servant, the son of Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. My forelock is
in Your Hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me
is just.”
Have you ever shown reverence to Allah in this way? Have
you ever prostrated yourself and felt your poverty before His Majesty? Brothers
and sisters, this is what we were created for. We were created to experience
those feeling; we were not created just to eat, drink, marry, have children and
then die.
Abdul-Qadir Gilani said, “I tried to enter to Allah from
many doors. Yet, whenever I knocked on one, I found people blocking the way.”
He tried to enter from the door of prayers, but he found thousands of people
there. He tried to enter from the door of fasting, but also thousands were
there. He says, “Yet, when I knocked on the door of submission, I found no one
there. So, I entered and called upon you.”
Now, after realizing that Allah was the only One there
before the creation, has the awareness of Allah’s might grown in your heart?
The first three creatures
What do you think was created first? Don’t say that it is
Adam. Adam was created last. So what was created first? I would like to clarify
that I only use sahih (authentic) Ahadith, especially concerning these
points that we are discussing.
The Prophet (PBUH)
says, “The first thing created by Allah was the pen, then, He ordered it to
write, so it wrote everything that will happen till the Day of Judgment.”
(narrated by At-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, and Ahmad). This Hadith is narrated in
another way by Al-Bukhari. His narration will make it clearer for you. He says
that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)
says, “Allah (SWT) said to the pen
write my knowledge about my creatures until the Day of Judgment.” (Sahih al-Albany,
1749).
I know that the popular question of whether we have free
will or are driven by destiny comes to mind when these Ahadith are mentioned
and the issue of, as everything is predestined by Allah, why do we act and do
what we do, etc. Firstly, I want to quickly touch on the issue of free will and
I would like to make the following points:
- The
First point: Have you ever noticed who the
people who always ask this question are? Are they the sinners or the
obedient ones? Have you ever heard this question from a person who is
obedient to Allah, performs his prayers and fasts for Him? No. You
normally hear it from those who don’t pray and don’t want to obey Allah.
- The
Second point: This shows the importance of the
second Hadith. The phrase “write my knowledge” means that Allah knows
everything. Thus there is no need to ask why does Allah punish or reward
us? Allah knows everything but this does not mean that He forces you to do
anything. You are completely free but he knows what has happened, what
will happen, what didn’t happen and how it would have happened if it had.
Brothers and sisters, Allah is the All-Knower. If you still cannot
understand this, then you have a problem.
Consider this example. It will make it easier for you to
understand. A father gives each of his three children 10 pounds and said, “You
are free to do whatever you like with this money.” Then, when they all leave,
he takes out a notebook and writes in it that the first will spend his money
for the sake of Allah, the second is stingy and will not spend it and the third
will use it to commit sins. After a while, they come back and each one has
exactly done what his father has written in the notebook. Did he force them to
do anything? Or does he just know them very well? He is their father and he
knows well their characters and natures. Of course, Allah is above any such
comparison.
Brothers and sisters, free or not is not the issue, nor is
it important to ask why does Allah reward and punish us when everything we do
is predestined. What’s really important is to know that it is not
predestination, rather, it is pre-knowledge.
If you are not yet convinced and doubt still exists in
your mind, then let me ask you a very simple question. Is Allah Just or Unjust?
Has He ever been Unjust? Since you are certain that He has never been, why does
this confusion exist?
Hence, if anyone asked you these questions, “do we have
free will or not? If everything is predestined, why does Allah punish and
reward us?” then simply ask the asker, “Do you believe in the ninety nine names
of Allah?” Among them are the Compassionate and the Just. Now, do you still believe that Allah might
be Unjust with you? I think not. Then, you don’t have any problem now and this
is the meaning of “Allah ordered the pen to write”.
Let’s move from this scholarly issue to another which is
useful for us, namely, Allah’s knowledge mentioned in the Hadith where it says,
“so it (i.e. the pen) wrote everything that will happen till the Day of
Judgment”. Keep in mind that Allah sees you when you are committing any sin. He
is the All-Knower of that which is in our hearts. How can you then look at what
He ordered you to lower your eyes from? Don’t forget that Allah sees you
beforehand. How dare you commit a sin when you know that He sees you? How can
you do it and try to hide from your parents or do it when they are asleep then
thank Allah that no one saw you?
Allah is watching. Doesn’t your heart miss a beat when
your parents open your bedroom door and find you committing a sin? Yet,
although you know that Allah sees you, your heart rests assured.
Isn’t Allah’s knowledge enough to let you submit to Him
and feel ashamed of yourself? Listen to this verse that says what can be
translated as, “Have you not seen that Allah knows whatsoever is in the
Heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (secret
counsel) of three but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He himself
is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven) nor of five but He is their sixth
(with His Knowledge), nor of less than that or more but He is with them (with
His Knowledge) wherever they may be. And afterwards on the Day of Resurrection
He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allah is All-Knower of
everything” (TMQ, 58:7). By
mentioning this point, I wanted to remind you that you “mustn’t forget that
Allah (SWT) knows everything”. Now,
let’s move on to another point.
We agreed that everything has been written, so why are you
worried about your livelihood? Why do you keep thinking about your future so
much so that you can’t sleep for worrying about it? Aren’t you doing your best?
Brothers and sisters, everything has been written in the Preserved Tablet. Why
become worried about your daughters getting married? Why do you get high blood
pressure because your daughter has grown up and is not yet married?
Brothers and sisters, as long as you do your best and
perform your role in life to the best of your ability, don’t worry so much
about what will happen.
Listen to the Prophet (PBUH)
when he was teaching Abdullah Ibn Abbas, a 13-year old boy at that time. He was
teaching him a belief that we should implant deep in our selves. He says, “You
have to know that if the whole world gathered to benefit you, they won’t be
able to benefit you except by what Allah has destined for you and if they
gathered to harm you, they won’t be able to harm you except by what Allah has
destined for you.” (Sahih al-Albany, 2043).
Look at the prophetic comment at the end, “the pen has been lifted and
the ink has dried.” This means that nothing can be further written in the
Preserved Tablet and that nothing can be erased from it as the dye is
cast.
Keep your trust in Allah and never worry. If Allah’s
favors on you decrease, don’t give up hope and say, “I won’t do anymore. I’m
fed up with my country. I can’t lead a comfortable life.” Leave it to Allah. Open your heart and calm
down. Work all day and leave your livelihood to Allah.
If your daughter hasn’t yet married, don’t worry. Leave it
to Allah. Her husband’s name is written in the Preserved Tablet and no one
marries another’s wife.
So, the first of creation was the pen. The Preserved
Tablet comes second.
The first two creatures are the pen and the Preserved
Tablet. Yet, actually, there was another thing created before those two,
although I didn’t mention it. It is something very great. We will see it in
paradise, insh’Allah. It’s the Throne of Allah (SWT).
Remember the Hadith that I mentioned before. When a
delegation came to the Prophet (PBUH)
from Yemen
and said, “O, Messenger of Allah! What was at the beginning of the creation?
The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Only Allah
was there. Nothing was before Him and nothing was with Him and His Throne was
on water.” Hence, the Throne was the first thing created. Are any of you
longing to see the Throne? The Prophet (PBUH)
says, “If you asked Allah to grant you
paradise, ask Him to grant you Al-Ferdaws Al-Aala (The Highest Level in Paradise).” Don’t say “O, Lord! Grant me paradise” rather
say “O, Lord! Grant me Al-Ferdaws Al-Aala.” Why? The Prophet’s following
words answer: “It (Al-Ferdaws Al-Aala) is in the middle of paradise and
at the top of it and from it flows many rivers and its ceiling is the Throne of
Allah”. This means that while in Al-Ferdaws Al-Aala, if you looked upwards,
you will see the Throne of Allah. It’s the first thing created. Is anyone
longing to see it? Or you just want to live, eat, drink and spend your time
aimlessly and when our time comes to die, we can start thinking about it?
Where are the ambitious ones? Where are those who long to
go to Al-Ferdaws Al-Aala? Where are those who say, “I want to enter Al-Ferdaws
Al-Aala and I will direct all my efforts to this and Allah will help me.”
In one of the Hadith narrated by Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn
Al-As, the Prophet (PBUH) says, “Allah
destined the fate of all creation before He created the earth by fifty
thousands years and His Throne was on the water.” (Sahih Muslim, 2653). Here,
there’s an important point that I would like to touch on so that we can
consider it. The prophet (PBUH) says,
“Satan comes to the person and asks him who created the heavens? The person
answers ‘Allah’. He asks again who created the earth? ‘Allah’ the person
answers. Again he asks who created you? The person says ‘Allah’. ‘ Then, who created
Allah’ Satan asks. So, if any of you suffered from this, say ‘I believe in
Allah and His Messenger’ and all those thoughts will go away.” (Sahih Muslim,
134).
The Prophet (PBUH)
says, “Think about Allah’s creation, and don’t think about Allah Himself.”
(Narrated by Al-Dhahaby, 111). You won’t
be able to make a just estimate such as is due to Him.” Don’t ever think about
Allah Himself. Think about His creation, but when your mind reaches Allah, stop
and order your mind to stop. It can’t make a just estimate worthy of Allah.
Tell yourself always “There is nothing like Him.
The Prophet says, “People ask you about everything. If
they asked you, ‘this is Allah’s creation, then who created Allah? Tell them
that Allah is before everything, the Creator of everything, and He will remain
after everything vanishes.” (Sahih Bukhari, 7296).
I will tell you a very nice story. It is known that the
Prophet (PBUH) held Ibn Abbas close
and prayed for him saying, “O, Allah! Teach him more about religion.” From that
day on, the great Ibn Abbas that you all know appeared. Later on, a man came to
him and said, “O, Ibn Abbas. There is something deep inside myself that
disturbs me. “What is it”, asked Ibn Abbas. “I swore by Allah that I would not
mention it.” “Does it concern doubt?” “Yes” replied the man. At his answer, Ibn
Abbas laughed and said, “No Muslim has been saved from this when he first
starts to become close to Allah and think of Him. If you suffer from this
again, say ‘He is the First, the Last, the Most high and the Most Near’, and
say ‘there is no God but Allah’ and ‘there is nothing like Him’.” These words
are very important. Everyday, young men who have recently started practicing
come to me and complain that they have thoughts in my mind that they had never
thought of before when they were not practicing.
I hesitated a lot before discussing this point for fear I
might confuse any of you with those thoughts. Yet, I found that many young
people need to know about this when they start practicing Islam. When he was
corrupt, Satan didn’t need to whisper evil thoughts to him but now that the
person has started to repent and come closer to Allah (SWT), Satan is unable to tempt him to commit sins. So he starts to
make worshipping Allah hateful to him and starts to provoke evil thoughts in
his mind. The person comes to his wit’s end and wonders “am I that bad?”
It’s very easy to overcome these thoughts, insh’Allah:
- Firstly,
you have to know that you are not bad. You are okay. It’s only Satan. On
the contrary, this proves that you are not bad and that Satan does all
this. A proof for this is that Ibn Abbas laughed and told him that those
thoughts always come when one first starts practicing Islam. If any of the
young people who have recently started to practice Islam was saved from
this, he must thank Allah.
- Secondly,
the minute you have these thoughts, say as our Prophet (PBUH) and Ibn Abbas taught us, “I
believe in Allah and His Messenger”, “there is no God but Allah”, “He is
the First, the Last, the Most High and the Most Near” and “I take refuge
with Allah from the accursed devil.”
- Thirdly,
whenever you have these evil thoughts, give a little money in charity.
Count how many times a day Satan whispers those bad ideas in your mind and
give some charity for each time. After some time, Satan will discover that
whenever he does this, your merits increase. By the way, this method has
been successful with many people. But, you have to be careful. At the
beginning, he will go on doing it for a whole month. You will have to give
money in charity for a whole month… excuse me! Don’t be stingy! Go on and
Satan will get bored after some time and will start to search for another
way to get to you. You have to keep on asking Allah to save you from these
thoughts because Satan will never give up. He will go on searching for
another way. Brothers and sisters, we will keep on struggling against
Satan till we draw our last breath.
The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth:
In how many days were the heavens and
the earth created? In six days. Allah (SWT)
says, “He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then
rose over the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).” (TMQ, 10:3). So it’s six days. However, after
mentioning the whole period, Allah gave us the particular time in which each
had been created. In Surat
Fussilat, Allah (SWT) says what
can be translated as, “Say (O Muhammad): Do you verily disbelieve in Him who
created the earth in two Days? And you set up rivals (in worship) with Him?
That is the Lord of Alamin (mankind, jinn, and all that exists). He
placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and He blessed
it, and measured therein its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four days equal
(i.e. all these four days were equal in the length of time) for all those who
ask (about its creation). then he rose over (Istawa) to the heaven when
it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: “Come both of you willingly or
unwillingly.” They both said: “We come willingly.” Then He completed and
finished their creation as seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven
its affair.” (TMQ, 41:9-12).
Are they four or two days? They are four
days; two for the creation of the Earth and two for blessing it and the final
two to provide it with its sustenance. So, what about the six days? Consider
this example. If I went from Cairo to Alexandria in two hours and from Cairo
to Marsa Matruh, via Alexandria, in four hours,
how long does it take to go from Cairo
to Marsa Matruh? Four hours, of course. So, consider the creation this way and
that the whole process of creation took 4 days.
The heavens were created in two days and
the whole creation process took six days. At this point, we must raise a very
important question: couldn’t Allah have just said to the earth “be”, and “it
is”? So, why did the creation process take 6 days and why are those 6 days
divided into stages? Praise and Glory be to Allah. Allah wanted to teach us
that every thing in the world undergoes several stages and that everything
changes in stages.
Hence, when you have a certain problem
and you want to solve it on the spot, remind yourself that Allah has created
Heavens and the Earth in 6 days. I hope this has become fixed in everyone’s
minds. Also, when you want to guide someone
to the right path, don’t exert pressure on him or her. Please don’t. Have
patience. The whole universe was created in six days and any change is achieved
gradually. I hope that this point is understood.
As concerns the creation of the Heavens and the Earth,
other faiths have some strange ideas such as claiming that Allah (SWT) created the heavens and the earth
in six days and when He finished He felt tired and wanted to take a rest. So,
he rested the seventh day, which is Saturday (the Sabbath). This idea is
actually mentioned in many distorted Holy Books. Do you know that Allah has
refuted this in the Holy Qur’an when He (SWT)
says what can be translated as, “We created the heavens and the earth and
all between them in Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us. Bear,
then, with patience, all that they say” (TMQ, 50:38). Notice also that in this verse Allah links the
six days of the creation to patience in order to teach patience to the whole of
humanity. Problems are solved through patience. Calamities are overcome by
patience. Guiding someone to the right way necessitates being patient. Even
change needs patience. That’s why the heavens and the earth were created in six
days.
The creation of other great
things:
The Womb (the ties of kinship):
At the beginning of the creation, Allah
created many great things. Actually, they are not things, rather they are
concepts. He created some concepts and morals before creating Adam and the
whole humanity to alert our attention to their greatness. Actually, I looked
hard for Ahadith mentioning what Allah (SWT)
created before us and I found some very nice Ahadith.
The Prophet (PBUH) says, “After Allah created it, the womb said to Allah “I seek
refuge in You from being severed.” So, Allah (SWT) said, “do you accept that I join whoever joins you and sever
whoever severs you?” “Yes” answered the womb. Allah (SWT) said to the womb what means that it will have what it wants.”
(Sahih Muslim, 2554). Brothers and sisters, when you go home today call all
those relatives that you been distant from.
What is strange is that the womb called upon Allah at the
beginning of the creation and will call again at the end of it.
After hearing these words, think of why you sever the ties
of kinship? Because of money or disputes? Go straight home and renew your ties
with your family.
The door to repentance:
There are many other Hadiths through which you can see how
Allah has established the bases of compassion and justice.
At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja narrated a Hadith, “The Prophet (PBUH)
told us that there is a door in the West whose width extends for more than
seventy years. You walk for seventy
years through its width but you can never cover it. This door was created by Allah the day the
heavens and earth were created and it remained opened ever since then”. The Prophet went on saying, “Do you know what
door is that?” They replied, “No we do not, O Prophet of Allah”. The Prophet said, “It’s the door of
repentance; it will remain open from the day of creation till the sun rises
from the west”.
As long as this door is open, why don’t you repent now?
Don’t forget that repentance has three conditions:
- You
must regret committing the sin. Your heart should shake and your eyes
should shed tears of regret.
- You
must stop committing that sin at once.
- You
must decide not to commit that sin again, be it a relationship with a
girl, abandoning prayers, upsetting your mother, severing the ties of
kinship, etc.
When you do all of the things mentioned above, the door of
repentance will open. Enter. Now Allah will forgive you for all that you have
done.
An this moment, one of our brothers and sisters present
here may repent to Allah and give up a certain sin that he or she has been
committing without any of us feeling this. He or she may give up delaying the fajr
prayer or not praying in the mosque. Say, “O, Allah! I regret my action and I
will commit this sin no longer. I promise never to return to it. It’s enough to
have spent 13 years away from you. I intend to let You be the first priority in
my life.” The minute you enter from that door, all the sins that you have
committed before are erased. It is wide enough for you to pass through. Its
width is as long as a 70 year walk.
Brothers and sisters, the door is still open. Hurry up and
enter from it before the sun rises from the West. From that moment on, it will
be closed forever.
The Book:
In a Hadith narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Two thousand years before creating the
heavens and the earth, Allah recorded a Book. In it, he included two verses
which, when recited in a house, Satan will not approach it for three nights.”
(Sahih al-Albany, 1799). Those who are afraid of anyone should recite these two
verses and Satan will never approach your homes. Listen to these verses and
bear in mind that they were created before the heavens and the earth by 2000
years. They are the last two verses in Surat Al-Baqara (The Cow). The verses can be translated as, “The Messenger believes in what has been
sent down to him from His Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in
Allah, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), ‘we make no
distinction between one another of His Messengers’- and they say, ‘we hear and
we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of
all). Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that
(good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has
earned. ‘Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget
or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You
did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a
burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us
forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Protector and give us victory over
the disbelieving people” (TMQ, 2:285-286).
Did you hear?
They said, “we hear and we obey” 2000 years before
the creation. Say with me: “we hear and we obey” and make a promise to Allah to
abide by it. “We hear and we obey” and don’t browse obscene websites on the
internet again. “We hear and we obey” and don’t look at what Allah has ordered
you to lower your gaze from. “we hear and we obey”, I will not backbite about
my friends over the phone again. “We hear and we obey” and I will give up telling
lies. “We hear and we obey” and from now on I will perform all my prayers when
the prayer time begins.
Makkah:
In a Hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (PBUH) says, “When Allah created the
heavens and the earth, He declared Makkah as sacred. Thus, it will remain
sacred till the Day of Judgment”. Are
any of you longing to visit Makkah, the land that Allah declared sacred when He
created the heavens and the earth?
Mercy:
Muslim narrated a Hadith that says, “When Allah created
the heavens and the earth, He created 100 mercies. Each mercy is as big as the
distance between the heavens and the earth. To the earth, He sent only one
mercy. By this one, all the creatures show mercy and compassion towards each
other. In the Day of Judgment, Allah will add this compassion to the 99
compassions, then spread them among his creatures so that no one perishes
except the perished ones.” Brothers and
sisters, see how merciful Allah is! Among His first creation are kinship,
repentance, a hundred mercies, and “Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have
mercy on us. You are our Protector and give us victory over the disbelievers”.
Bear in mind that Allah has established this universe upon the basis of
compassion and justice. It’s us who don’t want and don’t need them. On the Day of
Judgment, as mentioned in the Hadith, no one perishes except for the worst of
sinners.
My Compassion preceded My Anger:
The prophet (PBUH)
says, “When Allah created the creatures, He recorded a book. That book is there
above the Throne. In it is written ‘MY compassion precedes My anger’ “and in
another narration “My compassion prevails over My anger.” (Sahih Bukhary,
7553). This is an everlasting message
written in the best and greatest place above the Throne.
The Creation of the angels and the
jinn:
Now, after talking about some of the creatures, there
remain two things I would like to terminate my lesson today with: the creation
of the angels and the creation of the jinn. I will start with the angels.
Talking about them is very enjoyable, comfortable and is a pleasure to anyone’s
heart. Let me tell you about the angels.
When the Prophet (PBUH)
was asked “what is faith?” He said that faith is to believe in Allah, His
angels, etc.” and I feel that our relation to the angels is not that strong and
that we don’t believe in them wholeheartedly. That’s why I want to help you
love them. Listen to what I will say.
From what were the angels created? The Prophet (PBUH) says, “the angels were created
from light, the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire and man from what was
described to you.” This Hadith is narrated by Muslim. However, how were they
created from light?
We don’t know.
When were the angels created? We also don’t know but we
are certain that they were created before man because the Holy verse says what
can be translated as, “And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels:
Behold ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth’” (TMQ, 2:30).
Thus, the angels were there before man was created.
What do the angels look like? Can we describe them? Yes,
we can describe them as Allah (SWT)
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