Praise be to Allah, the Lord (the One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, the Truthful and the Faithful. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
Dear brothers, this is lesson No. 15 of interpreting Surat Al-An'am.
Pondering over the creation of the heavens and the earth is the widest gate to Allah:
I will start with the Ayah number 49, where Allah says:
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), the torment will touch them for their disbelief (and for their belying the Message of Muhammad PBUH). [Tafsir Al-Qurtubi]. ﴿
There are compound connections in this Ayah. Pay attention to the following part of it:
﴾ Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), ﴿
"Our Ayat" means Our Signs in the universe which indicate the Greatness of Allah the Almighty. In fact pondering over the creation of the heavens and the earth is one of the shortest paths and the widest gates to reach Allah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding* Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire. ﴿
There are a lot of wonders in the universe in front of you, and your assignment is to ponder over them. The 1300 Ayat in the Quran which revolve around the universe are meant to be subjects of pondering or a method man should act upon.
You are assigned to observe Allah's Actions:
Allah's Signs in His Creation manifests His Actions. Thus, Allah's Creations and Actions are Ayat. Allah's Actions sometimes reflect His Justice and strongly indicate that all mankind are in His Hand. Allah's Actions also indicate His Mercy, Wisdom, Might and Richness. Hence, man should ponder over Allah's Signs in the universe and His Actions. Allah says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who rejected truth." ﴿
As you are assigned to ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth, you are assigned to observe Allah's Actions. Allah might honor someone, and He might humiliate another.
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things. ﴿
Allah the Almighty:
﴾ He does what He intends (or wills). ﴿
Allah is the Only Deity (Ilah) in the heaven and the Only Deity in the earth, and nothing in the universe comes to pass without His Knowledge and Control, and His Names are Beautiful and His Attributes are Exalted. Accordingly, you are assigned to observe His Actions as much as you are assigned to ponder over His Creation.
Let me make the point about Allah's Actions clear to you, dear brothers. Sometimes you are told the last chapter only of hundreds of stories, so they will seem meaningless. On the other hand, when you are so close to a person, and you know every detail in his life, you will be able to understand the story from its very beginning to its end. In such a case you can clearly observe Allah's Justice, Mercy and Wisdom, and such a story should be your subject of pondering. The story you know from beginning to end discloses the Beautiful Names of Allah and His Exalted Attributes, so it is priceless, and there are a lot of similar stories.
The universe is a silent Quran, Quran is a speaking universe and the Prophet PBUH is a walking Quran (due to his perfection):
Dear brothers, some stories contain obvious indications which give you the chills, especially when you witness the punishment of an oppressor for example. Hence, who is the most foolish man on earth? The most foolish man on earth is the one who is heedless of Allah, and he never considers Allah's Recompense, the Hereafter, the Divine Retaliation, the Divine Punishment and the Divine Justice. There are countless stories in our daily life which manifest all those Divine things, and if man is able to follow all these stories from their beginning to their end, he will notice that they are enough proof of the Authentication of the Quran and Sunnah. This explains why the universe is a silent Quran, the Quran is a speaking universe and the Prophet PBUH is a walking Quran. Allah says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who rejected truth." ﴿
If you read the historical events in which those who fought against the Prophet, tortured the believers and artfully hurt and killed them are mentioned, you will notice that they ended up in the dumpster of history. How about those who stood by the Prophet PBUH, and though they were weak and oppressed, they forbore all the troubles in the Cause of Da'wah (Calling to Allah)? They are in the highest ranks.
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who rejected truth." ﴿
There are good believers like Salahuddin -Deen Al-Ayubi. He fought against the crusaders who came from many countries with all their power and plotting, and, this hero defeated them all. Thus, dear brothers, every one of us should ponder over the signs in the universe, and should observe the Actions of Allah.
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who rejected truth." ﴿
In addition to those Sings and Ayat, the believer should comprehend the Qur'anic Ayat. These signs and Ayat are the means through which you can get acquainted with Allah, Sublime and Exalted be He.
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), ﴿
Rejecting faith, dear brothers, can be verbal or practical, and the latter is graver than the former because the one who verbally rejects faith can be debated and be convinced that he is mistaken by giving him proofs, whereas the one who believes in the Hereafter by admitting that with his tongue, yet his actions do not fall within what he says is a hypocrite:
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), the torment will touch them for their
[ disbelief (and for their belying the Message of Muhammad PBUH). [Tafsir Al-Qurtubi]. ﴿
]
Al-An'am, 49
There are compound connections in the abovementioned Ayah. When man denies Allah's Ayat, he will find himself on the path of deviation, and had he believed in Allah's Ayat, he would have feared Allah's Menace. In the end, people of all walks of life, affiliations, races, colors, practices, sects and cults belong to one of these two groups: the group of the one who believes in Allah, and who believes that he is created for Paradise, and so he fears disobeying Allah and he builds his life on giving, and the other group of the disbeliever who disbelieves in Allah, and who believes only in the worldly life. People who believe neither in Allah nor in the Hereafter, and they only believe in the worldly life dispense with obeying Allah.
﴾ As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him* And believes in Al-Husna* We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness)* But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient* And gives the lie to Al-Husna (see Verse No: 6 footnote); ﴿
Man is one of two men, either he believes, obeys Allah and gives people or he disbelieve, dispenses with obeying Allah and only takes from people, given these are the traits which distinguish between the believer and the non-believer. The believer builds his life on giving, whereas the disbeliever builds his live on taking. In order to see to which group of people you belong, you should ask yourself a very tricky question: What makes you happy? Are you happy when you give or when you take? If you are happy when you take, then this is not a good indicator, but if you are happy when you give then this marks your honesty and your belief in the Hereafter.
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), the torment will touch them ﴿
Rejecting Allah's Ayat makes people incline towards mischief and the latter leads man to oppress others. Consider these comparisons between the believer and the disbeliever: When the believer gets married, he looks only at his wife since he is upright, while the disbeliever feasts his eyes on the beauty of others' wives, and the minute he transgresses others' honor, he deserves the Divine Punishment. The same goes for money; the believer is satisfied with lawful halal money, whereas the disbeliever takes what belongs to others, and so he deserves Allah's Torment. The Ayah is very clear:
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), the torment will touch them for their ﴿
"for their" is the translation of the Arabic word "Bi" which means "due to" or "for their":
﴾ For their disbelief (and for their belying the Message of Muhammad PBUH). [Tafsir Al-Qurtubi]. ﴿
This means that when man believes in Allah's Ayat, he will become upright and will gain safety and happiness, but when he rejects Allah's Ayat, he will become corrupted and deviated, and he will deserve torment in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. This is the meaning of the following Ayah:
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), the torment will touch them for their disbelief (and for their belying the Message of Muhammad PBUH). [Tafsir Al-Qurtubi]. ﴿
Four Ayat that define the Prophetic Status of Muhammad PBUH:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration." Say: "Are the blind and the one who sees equal? will you not then take thought?" ﴿
Dear brothers, what did the Prophet PBUH, who was sent as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists), say to us? Did he claim to know the unseen? Absolutely he did not. Did he claim to have the treasures of Allah? Absolutely he did not. Did he claim to give facilities to people, so that they would enter Paradise? Absolutely he did not. Did he claim to prevent anyone from entering Hellfire? Absolutely he did not. He PBUH rather presented himself to mankind as a Prophet, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner.
Dear brothers, pay attention to the following part of the Ayah, because since these words are mentioned in the Quran, so we should not believe anything that contradicts them: Allah says:
﴾ Nor (that) I know the unseen; ﴿
Accordingly, whoever pretends to know the unseen in the world is a liar, and you should neglect whatever he says, because the Master of mankind and the beloved to Allah (i.e. the Prophet PBUH) said:
﴾ Nor (that) I know the unseen; ﴿
It is a decisive matter. The Prophet PBUH said that he possessed no power of benefit or hurt to any person. Better yet, he said:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I possess no power of benefit or hurt to myself ﴿
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I possess no power ﴿
Thus, he does not possess that power to anyone else. The fourth point which is related to the Prophet PBUH is indicated in the Ayah below:
﴾ Say: "I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the torment of a Mighty Day." ﴿
These four Ayat define the Prophetic status. As it is mentioned in them, he does not know the unseen, he possess no power of benefit or hurt to anyone, he possess no power of benefit or hurt to himself and he fears if he disobeys his Lord, the torment of a Mighty Day. Hence, whosoever pretends to own any of these is a liar. In other words, whoever claims to know the unseen, and whoever pretends to possess the power to benefit or hurt you is a liar. Allah clarifies what the Prophetic status is all about, and though his (the Prophet PBUH) status is so exalted in the Sight of Allah, and only Allah knows how high it is,he (the Prophet PBUH) presented himself as a Prophet and a Messenger of Allah who conveyed the Divine Message. Accordingly, believing that a scholar or a Wali (righteous pious person) is capable of solving problems on earth, preventing any harm, making the barren able to have children or bestowing guidance upon the heedless, is just a daring mischievous deed for which Allah has sent down no authority, and it is a sort of Shirk (polytheism).
Had the Prophet not been a human being, he would not have been the Master of mankind:
Dear brothers, Allah says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. ﴿
Do you think that Allah would ever send to his servants an angel Prophet? If Allah had done so, people would have said, to that Prophet, "You are not human, so you have no idea about the inciting lusts we suffer from when it is not fulfilled." If that had happened, all his proofs as a Prophet would have been refuted. Not to mention, their (people's) argument would have been stronger than his. Therefore, listen to this fact: Had the Prophet not been a human being with all human tendencies, he would not have been the Master of mankind since the lusts which have been installed in him are just like the ones installed in mankind, and since he is weak just like other human beings.
(( It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: "The Messenger of Allah PBUH said: 'I have been tortured for the sake of Allah as no one else has, and I have suffered fear for the sake of Allah as no one else has. I have spent three days when Bilal and I had no food that any living being could eat but that which could be concealed in the armpit of Bilal.'" ))
[ Ahmad in his Musnad, At-Tirmizi, Ibn Majah and Ibn Habban in his Sahih by Anas ]
This is a fact. Allah says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; ﴿
Has anyone of you thought why Allah decrees that the Prophet PBUH would be weak? If Allah had sent a powerful Prophet, he could have guided millions by one word or move, just like any other obeyed powerful man, but in this case those millions would have believed in him and in his Message out of fear, and their faith would have been out of hypocrisy and fear not out of sincerity and exaltedness. For that very reason, Allah decreed that the Prophet PBUH would be weak. The Messenger of Allah PBUH was helpless when he saw the family of Yasser tortured by infidels, and he could not save them. All he could do was saying:
(( Patience Aala Yassir (family of Yassir) for your appointment to meet is in Paradise ))
[ At-Tabarani by Uthman bin Affan ]
The people of Makkah accused him of insanity. Well, can anyone accuse a powerful person of insanity? I do not think he would survive after such an accusation. People of Makkah accused the Prophet PBUH of insanity, of being a liar, of being a poet and of being a soothsayer. He was accused of so many bad things. Furthermore, he was accused of lying in Ta'ef and was mocked and hit.
Due to Divine profound Wisdom the Prophet PBUH was weak:
What is the Divine Wisdom behind making the Prophet PBUH weak? The Prophet PBUH was weak, so that the faith of those who believed in him would be genuine, because he was unable to give them any worldly rewards for their faith, nor was he able to protect them from the foes of Islam. Thus, their faith was solid, profound and sincere. This is why Allah made His Prophets peace be upon them weak.
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. ﴿
The Prophet said that he was a human being:
(( I said, 'I am only human; sometimes I am pleased as other human beings are pleased and sometimes I become angry as other human beings become angry. ))
[ At-Tabarani by Ibn At-Tufail ]
Had the Prophet PBUH not been a human being with all human tendencies, he would not have become the Master of mankind. Hence, when man believes in Allah and controls his desires according to Allah's Method, he will exalt above the ranks of angels. Man is the foremost creature, but he might exalt above angels or become lower than animals, and the proof is in the following Ayah:
﴾ Verily, those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah, and in His Messenger Muhammad PBUH) including all obligations ordered by Islam] and do righteous good deeds, they are the best of creatures. ﴿
They are the best of all creatures. Here is another Ayah
﴾ They are the worst of creatures. ﴿
Man either exalts above the level of angels or fall to be lower than animals:
Man either exalts above angels or becomes lower than animals. The current events all over the world such as the killings, the destructions, the colonialism, the treasure despoil and man's crushing are actions done by people who have never known Allah, have never known the reason of their existence and have never known the purpose of their creation. Let alone, they have built their triumph on the wreck of other nations, and they have destroyed others to live in prosperity. Those oppressors are the most miserable people among mankind, because they have been oblivious to the reason of their existence and the purpose of their creation. There are many countries which are suffering the oppression of powerful people. Allah says:
﴾ Who did transgress beyond bounds in the lands (in the disobedience of Allah). And made therein much mischief. ﴿
Allah did not say that they transgressed beyond bounds in their countries, but rather He said that they transgressed beyond bounds in the lands, which means all over the world.
﴾ Who did transgress beyond bounds in the lands (in the disobedience of Allah)* And made therein much mischief* So your Lord poured on them different kinds of severe torment. ﴿
When 'Ad were divinely destroyed, Allah said He was (is and will be) mightier than them but no one else:
Whenever Allah destroyed a nation, He reminded them of the fact that He had destroyed the nations which had been stronger than them, except for 'Ad, when Allah destroyed them, He reminded them of the following:
﴾ See they not that Allah, Who created them was mightier in strength than them. ﴿
'Ad is different from all other nations in the sense that when Allah destroyed them, He reminded them of the fact that He was (is and will be) Mightier than them. When you hear stories about how powerful people who were arrogant and haughty were destroyed by the earthquake that was caused after two earth plates collided and produced a destructive power that was equal to one million atomic bombs, you will realize Who Allah is; you will realize that no matter how powerful man is, he is in the Grip of Allah, Sublime and Exalted be He. Allah says:
﴾ Did you (O Muhammad PBUB) not see (thought) how your Lord dealt with 'Ad (people)?* Who were very tall like lofty pillars* The like of which were not created in the land? And (with) Thamud (people), who cut (hewed) out rocks in the valley (to make dwellings)?* And (with) Fir'aun (Pharaoh), who had pegs (who used to torture men by binding them to pegs)?* Who did transgress beyond bounds in the lands (in the disobedience of Allah).* And made therein much mischief* So your Lord poured on them different kinds of severe torment* Verily, your Lord is Ever Watchful (over them). ﴿
Allah also says:
﴾ "Do you build high palaces on every high place, while you do not live in them?* "And do you get for yourselves palaces (fine buildings) as if you will live therein forever* "And when you seize, seize you as tyrants? ﴿
[ Ash-Shu'ara', 128-130 ]
In another Ayah, Allah says:
﴾ Though they were intelligent. ﴿
Allah also says:
﴾ And that it is He (Allah) Who destroyed the former 'Ad (people), ﴿
This means that there is a second 'Ad (I think America is the second 'Ad). A brother of ours came from a far country (the USA), and upon being asked, "Where have you been?", he answered, "I just came from second 'Ad".
Overcoming his tendencies as a human being has made the Prophet PBUH the Master of mankind:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ But those who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), the torment will touch them for their disbelief (and for their belying the Message of Muhammad PBUH). [Tafsir Al-Qurtubi]. Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. ﴿
The Prophet PBUH is a human being, he is pleased with whatever pleases other human beings, and he is angry about whatever makes other human beings angry. What marks the Prophet PBUH is that he overcame his human tendencies, and this has exalted him above all mankind. Hence, either you are defeated by your human tendencies or you overcome them. When your desires control you, you will be defeated by them, but when you control your desires, you will overcome them. The Prophet PBUH said to his people when he presented himself as a Prophet PBUH:
﴾ I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration ﴿
This means, "Do not ask me to do whatever is beyond my scope, for I am just a human being, a Messenger, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner". This indicates that he PBUH is helpless and weak.
﴾ I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration ﴿
It is said, "Follow (what is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah), and do not innovate. Be humble, and do not be arrogant, for piety cannot embrace paradoxes."
﴾ I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration ﴿
An educated man in our era might say to you, "I do not see that this Islamic law is applicable in our era."He says that considering himself the center of the world, a theorist, and a reference, or that his reasoning is the frame reference of authority. A poet said:
They said, "This is not permitted."
Well, who are you to say "us."
Who are you? You are just a weak human being. There is a Great Creator Who revealed this Quran to His Prophet PBUH:
﴾ Say: "Are the blind and the one who sees equal? Will you not then take thought?" ﴿
[ Al-An'am, 50
]
Is the man who can see everything with two perfect eyes equal to the blind man? Is light equal to darkness? Is the one with a heart full of faith like the one whose heart is dead because of sins?
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. ﴿
Ayat prove that Allah never treats the good person and the bad person with equal measures:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)? ﴿
Allah also says:
﴾ Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise), which he will find true, like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world ﴿
In another Ayah, Allah says:
﴾ Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds ﴿
Dear brothers, had Allah treated the good doer as He treated the evil doer, the liar as the honest, the merciful as the merciless and the just as the apostate, such an equal treatment would have contradicted the Divine Justice and the Divine Existence as well. One should believe that Allah never neglects him as long as he is a true believer. I would like to repeat these words which I keep saying: The vanishing of the universe is much easier to Allah, than keeping His Divine Promises to the true believers unfulfilled. Allah says:
﴾ Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision) ﴿
The believer is like the alive person, but the non-believer is like a dead person:
The Almighty says:
﴾ Then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. ﴿
In another Ayah He says:
﴾ And whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. ﴿
Is the dead person and the alive one equal? Is the active person, who is very kind when he speaks, very affable when he smiles, very good looking and very elegant, whose speech is outstanding and whose deeds are good, like a cold lifeless corpse? One's heart will become full of fear upon seeing a corpse. Thus, is the alive person like the dead one (given the disbeliever is a living dead)? Is the inhabited house like the wrecked one? Is the living person like the dead one? Is the one who is enlightened like the one who is in complete darkness? They are not equal. Hence:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH) : "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration." Say: "Are the blind and the one who sees equal? Will you not then take thought?" ﴿
