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Lust is one of the main factors of the Divine Assignment:
Dear brother, this is the 15th lesson of the series "Aqeedah and the Inimitability of the Quran", and today's topic is "Lust". We finished the following main factors of the Divine Assignment in the previous lectures: "The Universe", "Reasoning" and "Al-Fitrah (human nature)". Today we move to "Lust".
1- Our desires are our means to exalt in the Sight of the Lord of heavens and earth:
Dear brother, someone may assume that sins and wrongdoings would not be committed if lusts were not installed in man, and thus there wouldn't be Hellfire as a punishment for those who disobey Allah in the worldly life, while the truth is if there were no lusts, we, as human beings, would not be exalted in the Sight of the Lord of the heavens and the earth, but how can we exalt in the Sight of Allah? How do we draw close to Him? How do we gain the confidence that He loves us? How do we long for His Mercy? How do we make Munajat to Him (talking to Allah secretly) if we are not disciplined? Allah has installed lusts and has given us the free will. Therefore, we are allowed to fulfill any desire in a range of 100 degrees out of 180 degrees. The religion is all about discipline and forbearing, and these two factors limit the range through which we are allowed to fulfill our desires.
2- Every lust can be fulfilled by a lawful Islamic way:
Man tends to like the opposite sex and vice versa, and this is something Allah has installed in every man and woman. However, Allah gives mankind a permissible way to fulfill this desire, which is marriage, and through it man and woman Exalt in the Sight of Allah. Also, Allah has installed in man the love of money, but He guided him to earn it through permissible ways, such like commerce, industry, agriculture, establishments, services, inheritance, donation or Sadaqah. There are a lot of ways to earn money all of which are permissible. On the other hand, there are impermissible easy ways to earn it, such like stealing, cheating, swindling, fraud and lying, so what is "religion"? It is the Divinely allowed range in which you are permitted to move. This meaning of religion is indicated in the following Ayah:
﴾"That which is left by Allah for you (after giving the rights of the people) is better for you﴿
"That which is left" is the Divinely permitted way through which every lust can be fulfilled and bring us happiness and safety. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah? ﴿
In Usul Al-Fiqh (fundamentals of the jurisprudence), there is a term called "the opposite meaning", and according to which when Allah says:
﴾And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah? ﴿
The implied opposite meaning is "It is fine to follow our lusts according to Allah's Guidance."
When someone is engaged to a woman, and he gets married to her, this happens publically by the content of both sides (the bride and the groom). Also, there will be witnesses, Wali (guardian), dowry, ceremony, congratulations and gifts, because marriage is a permissible matter. Think about it, what is the definition of the marriage contract? It is the legal paper which permits the married couple to have a sexual intercourse, and because it occurs according to the Divine Method, it is the couple's means to exalt in the Sight of Allah. This couple will have a son who will fill the house with joy, he will be well-raised and he will grow up to become a notable person, a scholar, a university professor, a successful merchant or an industrial. Since this son is raised according to Islam and good conducts, he will become generous, benevolent, disciplined, honest and trustworthy man, and so the family, who has children like this young man is ideal. This is the fruit of a permitted sexual intercourse (marriage), unlike the one of illicit affair which ends up with nothing but disgrace, backsliding, scandal and destruction.
A friend told me that one day he heard a knock on his door at 4 AM, and when he opened the door he didn't see anyone, but down on the ground there was a sack with something moving inside it, and it turned out to be a newborn baby from an unlawful relationship, and the one who gave birth to it put it in the sack and left it outside his door. By comparing this newborn baby to the one of a father and a mother who are lawfully married, you will find a big difference. Joy, congratulations, blessings, gifts and pleasure will overwhelm both families (of the father and the mother), while the newborn baby who comes from adultery, is a disgrace and unbearable scandal, although the lust in both situations is the same.
The most accurate example I can give about the way lusts can be fulfilled lawfully or unlawfully is the one about the difference between the safe and unsafe usage of the fuel of the car. If it is put in the fuel tank, runs in the tubes and is ignited at the right time, the car will move safely. Hence, when the fuel is used properly, you can go with your family on a nice spring day to a park and have a good time. How do we reach this result? We reach it by a series of controlled combustions in the essential design of the car. However the same fuel can be poured on the car and by giving it a light, the car and the people inside it will be burnt. The fuel is the same in both cases, but in the first case it gives us a useful movement, whereas in the second it turns into a destructive power. Similarly, lusts can be the means either to exalt in Allah's Sight or to hit rock bottom.
I was invited few days ago to the house of one of the most notable scholars of the Noble Quran whose age is more than 95. He said to me, "I have 13 of my grandchildren who are doctors". This offspring came from a sexual intercourse, which is a lust. If we had no lusts, we wouldn't be able to sublime to the Lord of the heavens and the earth. When someone lowers his gaze, on his way to the Masjid while he is passed by a lot of women, who are dressed but appear to be naked and inviting to evil, yet he says, "I seek refuge with Allah, and I fear the Lord of Worlds", he will be in tears of devotion while offering his Salah and he be totally submitted (to His Lord). This man exalts because of his lust; loving women is installed in his nature, but instead of feasting his eyes on their beauty, he obeys Allah's Order by lowering his gaze. Unless he does so, he will not be able to be submitted to His Lord in his Salah nor will he be able to shed tears while performing it:
((Look at My servant; he gave up his lust for the sake of Me.))
Our Master Yusuf, peace be upon him, was a slave, and he was tempted by his mistress who owned beauty and position:
﴾He said: "I seek refuge in Allah (or Allah forbid)! Truly, he (your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable!﴿
He was imprisoned because of his stance, and thus he was rewarded of becoming the Aziz of Egypt.
Hence, you should pay attention to this point: if we had no lusts, we would never be able to exalt in the Sight of the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and there would be no Paradise, no ongoing bliss, no connection with Allah and no feeling of superiority. As a human being, you are able to do whatever you like, but the Almighty Allah orders you to follow a method.
A man said to Umar, "O Commander of the Believers, do you like me". Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "No by Allah, I don't." Then, the man said, "Would your hatred prevent you from giving me my rights?" Umar said, "No by Allah, (your rights will be given to you)". The man said, "Then only women are harmed by hatred." Only the undisciplined ruler would harm him when he hates him, while our Master Umar could not do that to anyone (even if he didn't like him), because of the following Hadith:
((Faith is a restraint against all violence.))
The believer is powerful and rich, but he is controlled by his faith.
A believing rich man will not go to night clubs if he travels to a Western country. Instead, he will stay in a hotel in the evening, and in the morning he will go to the commercial companies. Unlike him, the deviated rich man will go to night clubs every night. The believer can't do this because he is controlled:
((Faith is a restraint against all violence.))
He will exalt because of that.
Dear brother, each one of us has connected with Allah due to his refusal of a job which doesn't please Allah, of a commodity that is unlawful, of an unpermitted affair with a woman or of taking millions of ill-gotten money and being satisfied with only thousands of money saying, "This is Halal money". Hence, without lusts, no one would be exalted in the Sight of the Lord of the heavens and the earth.
3- Lusts can be our means to exalt in the Sight of Allah by being patient and grateful:
There is something wonderful about lusts, dear brother. We can exalt to the Lord twice through them. Take for example the Muslim who lowers his gaze while passing by women who are dressed yet appear to be naked and inviting to evil. Instead of staring at them, he says:
﴾He said: "I seek refuge in Allah (or Allah forbid)! Truly, he (your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable!﴿
He lowers his gaze, and so his patience is the reason behind his exaltedness in the Sight of Allah. When this man gets married to a woman who fulfills his desires, with whom he finds happiness and on whose beauty he feasts his eyes lawfully, and so he can pray his night prayers submissively, he will be exalted in the Sight of Allah because his relationship with her. Hence, this man and the like of him are exalted twice, once by being patient (in refraining from unlawful look or affair), and the second by being grateful to Allah (because he fulfills his lust in the frame of the marriage by the Help of Allah).
You will be exalted when you turn a job you are offered with income down is high but is based on hurting people or scaring them, I seek refuge with Allah from that, and accept instead a job whose income is one fourth of the first one but it is Halal, and from which you can spend on educating your children, feeding them and buying them gifts which will make them kiss you and love you more. This is the truth about money; it will veil you from Allah if it is earned through unlawful ways, but it will bring you closer to Him if it is earned through lawful ways.
4- Man needs to endeavor in life:
Based on the aforementioned points, don't even think that man backslides because of lusts, or that without lusts, there would be no hellfire in which sinners are burnt. Lusts are man's driving power just like the engine in the car, and it is the means through with he is exalted in Allah's Sight. This table will never move its place even for a hundred years, because it has no lusts, whereas man is in need of food and water, so do you think man can stay in one place without moving? He needs to eat, to work, to study and to go to his job every morning. Thus, lusts are man's driving power in life, so without which there will be no life on earth, no bridges, no universities, no buildings, no orchards, no agriculture, no factories, no ships or no car. Why do you work? You work because you have to make a living in order to eat. Hence, when Allah describes the Prophets, peace be upon them, affirming that they are human beings, not gods He says:
﴾Verily, they ate food﴿
Because you eat food, you are a human being:
﴾And walked in the markets.﴿
Though they are Prophets, peace be upon them, they are in need of food to keep strong physically and in need of job, such as working in the market to afford that food they eat. Therefore, the reason why Allah has installed lusts in mankind, is to make them their means to exalt in the Sight of the Lord of the heavens and the earth, to be their stairs through which they sublime to Allah, but if they are fulfilled improperly, they become traps into which man fall. In other words, they can be either a driving power or a destructive one.
5- Everything in life is neutral:
The precise point is the following: Because you have the free will, everything in your life is neutral, but what does that mean? It means that your lusts are neutral. For instance, money is neutral since it can be earned and spent in lawful ways, and thus one will be exalted to the highest ranks (in the Sight of Allah), or can be earned and spent unlawfully and thus one will hit rock bottom, given money is the same factor in both cases. If someone builds a Masjid, an orphanage, a religious institute or a charitable organization, but after a period of time he dies, this goodness will continue till the Day of Resurrection, and he will be rewarded for it as a Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity). On the other hand, if someone builds a night club, it is also considered as an ongoing deed but from a different kind, for after one hundred years following his death, every sin that is committed in this night club will be in his record.
I was invited once to the inauguration of a new Masjid in Ya'foor (in Damascus Countryside). Glory be to Allah! The one who built it welcomed us one by one, and he invited scholars of Damascus, who delivered speeches in that occasion, and then he invited us to very luxurious food. I will never forget his radiant face… O Lord, this man built a Masjid! It seemed that he spent on building it alone without any help from anyone including building, cladding and furnishing it, glory be to Allah! After the ceremony was over, I went out of the Masjid and due to profound wisdom, I noticed that on the other side of the street, where the Masjid is, there was a night club. I was told that all sorts of sins were committed in that night club, and that his owner built it and died 7 days later. Upon hearing that I said, "O Lord! A man is exalted to the highest ranks (in the Sight of Allah), whereas the other is hit rock bottom, given both men spent money, which is so much endearing to man, but one of them spent it on something against Fitrah, while the other spent it on building a Masjid, which will be his means to exalt to best levels. This is the truth about lusts.
Allah's bestowal is not a reward and His withdrawal is not a punishment:
This is why the Almighty Allah says:
﴾As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): "My Lord has honoured me."﴿
The Almighty Allah does not accept these words of man:
﴾As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): "My Lord has honoured me."* But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: "My Lord has humiliated me!"﴿
The response is the following:
﴾Nay!﴿
"Nay" is a word of negation and denial, and it means, "No My servants, My Graces are not always meant to honor you, and my withdrawal is not always meant to deprive you from My Blessings." Allah gives money to the one He loves and to the one He doesn't; He gave money to Qarun, whom He doesn't love and to our Master Uthman, whom He loves. Also, Allah gave the kingdom to Fir'aun, whom He does not love, and He gave it to our Master Sulaiman, peace be upon him, whom He loves.
﴾ He said: "My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me ﴿
Hence, lusts are neutral:
﴾As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): "My Lord has honoured me."* But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: "My Lord has humiliated me!"﴿
The Divine Response is:
﴾Nay!﴿
My bestowal is not honoring and my withdrawal is not deprivation, but both are means of trial. How does Allah try His servants? Allah tries you by money, so either you pass or you fail in the test. If you spend it on lawful ways you will exalt and money will be your means to sublime, but if you spend it unlawfully, you will fall in Allah's Sight, although money is the same in both cases. Likewise, the fuel which is the same factor that is used for the car may produce a driving power in the car, or it may burn the car and the people inside it. Lusts are the driving power in man. If we make an analogy between man and the vehicle, the engine will be lusts, the steering wheel will be the reason and the road will be Shari'ah. The engine is the driving power of the car and the reason will keep it on the road. Your heroism lies in using your reason in controlling the movement of the car, which is running by the power of lusts, and keeping it on the road.
6- Contemplating death doubles our speed towards Allah:
I was once at Chicago airport where there was a moving walkway, so I stand on it, and it was so comfortable for it does the walking for you, and if you walk on it, your speed will double while you are holding on to its two moving handrails. Glory be to Allah! That moving walkway reminded me of pondering death, for it doubles your speed to Allah and prevents you from slipping to the right or to the left sides. Study, get a PhD, establish a big industrial or agricultural project and occupy a prominent social position, but let all these things be achieved by following Allah's Method. I repeat, pondering death doubles your speed to Allah and prevents you from disobeying Him, but don't neglect working in order to make a living, because it is necessary.
((The Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a young man reciting the Quran (or may be worshiping Allah) at the time of working, so he asked him, "Who supports you (financially)?" He answered, "My brother does." Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your brother is a better worshiper than you."))
Believe me dear brother, the young man who perfects his job, acquires a scientific degree, learns a talent or masters a craft and heads to his job early in the morning and comes back at night tired of working is performing an act of worship. When he gains money with which he can get married, have children, feed his family and buy them food and cloths, and he honors his wife, he fulfills his mission. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said, "I may admire someone at the first sight, but when I know that he is jobless, I despise him."
The importance of all kinds of Jihad (striving)
When we tackle the topic of Jihad, you should know that there is Jihad Al-Nafs (striving against ownself (evil ideas, lusts and desires), which is about controlling evil ideas, lusts and desires, Al-Jihad Ad-Da'awi (the call to Allah) and Al-Jihad At-Tarbawi (the educational striving).
((The best of you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it.))
Needless to say there is also Al-Jihad Al-Bina'i (the constructive Jihad) through which you improve your career, your expertise, your information and your craft, and through which you serve your Ummah. This is the Al-Jihad Al-Bina'i.
The following Ayah is the proof of the Jihad of Da'wah:
﴾ And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims." ﴿
The proof of Jihad An-Nafs:
﴾As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah's Religion - Islamic Monotheism) ﴿
The Jihad Al-Bina'i and its evidence:
﴾And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy ﴿
The most recent sort of Jihad is the electronic Jihad, through which we destroy the enemy's websites. Finally there is Jihad Al-Qitali (fighting against the enemies of Islam in Allah's Cause). If we succeed in the Jihad An-Nafs (which is the basic one), in Al-Jihad Ad-Da'awi and Al-Jihad Al-Bina'i (by developing our industry, using our natural resources, building dams, doing soil reclamation, enriching our potentials and expertise, becoming self-sufficient instead of importing goods, exporting and getting rich, making ready against our enemies all we can of power and manufacturing the weapons which we use to protect our dignity, land and countries), we will manage to succeed in Al–Jihad Al-Qitali. Hence, we should start with Jihad An-Nafs, Al-Jihad Ad-Da'awai and Al-Jihad Al-Bina'i. Consequently, we will succeed in Al-Jihad Al-Qitali. However, starting with Al-Jihad Al-Qitali, will end in failure. Doing so is like asking the Sorbonne University to issue a doctorate degree to an illiterate man. He should learn writing and reading before thinking of having a PhD in the French language. Al-Jihad Al-Qitali should be preceded by a delicate preparation and by building a believing, devoted and upright generation who put their lusts under their feet and worship Allah Alone. These prerequisites are the most needed ones:
﴾ And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy ﴿
We should not complain about lusts, because without them we wouldn't be able to exalt to the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Every one of you, esteemed young men, will feel the love of Allah upon controlling himself, his desires, his sight, his language, his hearing and his money. You will feel Allah's Love to you when you refrain from taking Haram money, when you control your spending and when you control your hearing, sight, language, movement, hand and leg. As a result, Allah will honor you in the worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Hence, lusts are our means to follow the path towards Allah, and don't you ever detest the word "lusts", for the more man is exalted, the more his lusts will become exalted. Man loves women, but after becoming exalted he loves the truth, heroism, sacrifice, devotion, offering his acts of worship perfectly and spending his money on the needy. Psychologists call this transformation sublimation. According to this concept, man stops loving the Dirham and Dinar and starts to love giving Sadaqah instead.
The contrast between the natural disposition and the Divine Assignment:
By the way, we move to tackle a very delicate issue. Man has a natural disposition, but he is ordained to perform the Divine Assignment, and due to very profound wisdom, they contradict one another:
﴾But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts. Verily, Paradise will be his abode. ﴿
Your natural disposition tends to love sleeping and staying in your cozy bed in the chilly nights keeping yourself comfortable under your covers, whereas the Divine Assignment entails that you uncover yourself and head to the bathroom in order to offer Wudu using cold water so that you can stay awake and offer Salah. Hence, natural disposition contradicts the Divine Assignment. Furthermore, your natural disposition has the tendency to take money, whereas the Divine Assignment commands you to spend it. Also, your natural disposition inclines towards feasting your eyes on the beauty of a woman, other than your wife, whereas the Divine Assignment orders you to lower your gaze. Your natural disposition has the tendency to gossip, whereas the Divine Assignment commands you to watch your language. This is the truth about lusts; they can be our means to exalt in the Sight of the Almighty Allah:
((Allah, the Exalted, takes pride in a worshipping young man before the angels and says, "Look at My servant; he gave up his lust for the sake of Me.))
Believe me dear brother and young men, no one is dearer to Allah than the repentant young man, for Allah takes pride in him before His angels. Would Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, have become the exalted person he was if he had responded to the temptations of Aziz's wife? He would never have been prominent. What made him so exalted? It is the phrase he said:
﴾He said: "I seek refuge in Allah (or Allah forbid)!﴿
By Allah, sometimes taking a specific stand, which is very hard to you to take, will be the cause of an everlasting bliss you are granted, because it is an honorable stance. Hence, natural disposition contradicts the Divine Assignment, but the latter is in accord with Al-Fitrah, whereas the natural disposition is in accord with the body needs, and thus it tends to be keen on comfort and sleep. Al-Fitrah tends to establish a profound connection with the Almighty Allah, so it makes man wake up (to offer his Salah).
You should comprehend lusts as driving powers, not destruction ones, because only then you will become prudent. My question is the following: How do you comprehend any prohibition in the Quran when you read it? Suppose there is an extended field with a sign in it that says "Mine field. Stay away!", will you upon reading the sign as a civilized educated person, bear grudge against the one who put that sign? Definitely not! On the contrary, you will be grateful to him because he is keen on your safety, but the minute you consider this sign as a restriction to your freedom, you are not a knowledgeable person. You will be prudent when you know beyond doubt that this sign is put for your own safety.
Dear brother, the topic of lusts is very delicate and lusts are the secret behind your connection with Allah, behind being admitted to Paradise and behind approaching Allah. If man longs for nothing, how will he draw closer to Allah? The Almighty Allah has installed these lusts to be our means to exalt in His Sight, and this does not mean that there is deprivation in Islam (since man can fulfill his lusts lawfully).
There is nothing wrong about fulfilling lusts according to Allah's Method:
The precise fact is that every lust has a lawful way through which it is fulfilled. Every person longs for being famous, for occupying powerful position and for being at the top of the world. Gaining a prominent position can be achieved by excelling in a scientific specialization, scientific knowledge or a craft, by occupying a high social position, by having a handsome look, by owning a big house, by owning a luxurious vehicle or by seeking superiority. All these tendencies and desires are basic needs of mankind, so one can be superior by knowing Allah, by offering good deeds, by calling people to Allah and by spreading the truth. Thus, he can win the hearts of thousands yet millions or hundreds of millions of people, and he can be a well-known beacon. On the other hand, when someone is indulged in mundane sins, such like building a night club, and skillfully displaying all sorts of immortality in it, he also can be famous and rich, and he might own a big house, a luxurious car or may be 50 cars and a private jet (actually most of those, who are among top richest people, are drug dealers). This is superiority as well. Hence, the tendencies are neutral but they can be means to exalt or to hit rock bottom.
Is Salah Adeen not a beacon? He faced 27 European armies and he opened Al-Quds, did not he? Is our Master Umar not a beacon? There are a lot of beacons in our history who proved themselves and were among the sublime great people and their names are written on the plate of honor. Hujjaj stand before the grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, then they move to the grave of our Master As-Siddeeq. Is he not a great man?
((The sun never rises or sets on any better man than Abu Bakr except a Prophet))
Abu Bakr proved himself in serving the Cause of Allah, whereas Abu Jahl proved himself as an opponent to Islam, so he ended up in the dump of history. You can prove yourself in goodness and become a beacon, or, Allah forbid, in evil and become famous as well, just like Hitler and the like of powerful people. He caused two world wars, each of which claimed 50 million people and left another 50 million disabled. You can also be like the one who threw the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for he became a very famous man. He made a decision causing the death of 300. 000 people in three seconds, and World War II was over because of these two bombs.
Proving one's self and superiority are neutral, so one can prove himself by committing a sin. An Arab dancer said, "Allah gave me the help to perform this dance", while this is a disgraceful job. Lots of authors write pornographic literature, and believe me these books are best sellers. On the other side, we have also authors who have good conduct, and they write books of best quality. Notice how writing books is a neutral matter, so is loving women; you can be the happiest husband on earth and you can have pious children from your wife.
Some couples have about 25 grandchildren in their 60 or 70s, and among those grandchildren there is a doctor, an engineer, and so on. The grandmother has been a great Islamic missioner and she got married and had children of her own and raised pious daughters. Those grandchildren are the fruit of a lust as marriage is the lawful fulfillment of a lust. Superiority is basically a lust as well, but it is neutral like all other lusts. These lusts are the means through which we either exalt to best levels or reach the worst levels. Don't get upset about saying the word "lust", for it is our path to Allah either by refraining from fulfilling it unlawfully or by fulfilling it according to Allah's Method. When one works hard to earn Halal money and buys a suit for Eid from this money in order to put it on when he visits his relatives, they will flatter him by saying how elegant he is. By buying this suit and be elegant he fulfills a lust in a permissible way:
((…repair your saddles and make sure that you are dressed well, so that you will stand out among people like an adornment))
Abu Ad-Darda' said: We were once with the Prophet, peace be upon him, and he said to us:
((You are going to visit your brother, so repair your saddles and make sure that you are dressed well, so that you will stand out among people like an adornment, for Allah does not like ugliness.))
To sum up dear brother, lust is one of the main factors of the Divine Assignment which help you reach Allah and Paradise. Allah has installed lusts in you in order to make them your means to exalt in the Sight of the Lord of the heavens and the earth either by being patient (by refraining from sinning) or by being grateful to Allah (as He helps you fulfill them according His Method), and keep in mind that every lust which has been Divinely installed in man has a lawful way through which it can be fulfilled.
The Introduction of the scientific topic of inimitability:
Dear brother, let us move to the scientific topic, let me start with a brief introduction to the subject.
1- Every Prophet is provided with a miracle to verify the authenticity of his Message:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was sent by Allah to all nations and people:
﴾And We have sent you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). ﴿
All Prophets, peace be upon them, were sent exclusively to their people, and due to the Divine profound Wisdom, the Divine miracle of every Prophet, is Allah's proof to His creations that this man is His Messenger.
2- The miracles of previous Prophets are tangible:
The previous Prophets, peace be upon them, were provided with tangible miracles. Musa's miracle, peace be upon him, was:
﴾Then [Musa (Moses)] threw his stick and behold! it was a serpent, manifest!* And he drew out his hand, and behold! it was white (with radiance) for the beholders. ﴿
He struck the sea with his stick and it parted, and each separate part (of that sea water) became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain. Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was thrown in fire, but it didn't burn him.
﴾We (Allah) said: "O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrahim (Abraham)!" ﴿
[Al-Anbiya', 69]
One of the miracles of Prophet Isa, peace be upon him, was:
﴾ and I bring the dead to life by Allah's Leave ﴿
These miracles are Allah's Testimony to His servants that these men are His Prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them.
3- Quran is the miracle of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, because he is the Messenger of all mankind:
Unlike those Prophets, peace be upon them, our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was sent to all nations and people till the end of days, and the Quran is the seal of all Divine Book, so Allah's Testimony should be continuous, not temporary like the light of a matchstick, which is extinguished soon after it is lit. The miracles of the other Prophet, peace be upon them, have became news that are believed or disbelieved by the succeeding nations.
The Divine Revelation to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, addresses all nations and people and His Quran is the seal of all Divine Books. Thus, this miracle should be of scientific and intellectual nature. This is the reason behind the inimitability of the Quran and Sunnah, and this is why many scientific facts which are mentioned in the Quran (which was sent down 1400 years ago), have been discovered lately. The Almighty Allah says:
﴾We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves, ﴿
This is exactly what happened.
The Divine Inimitability in the human body:
1- The brain cells are irreplaceable:
Pay attention to this delicate fact: Every cell in the human body has a life cycle, the shortest of which last for 48 hours only. The cell of the small intestine villus has the shortest life cycle. It is the layer which absorbs the chyle (a milky bodily fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats). Hence, the intestine villus of yours is automatically renewed every 48 hours. The longest life cycle of a cell lasts for five years, and this is the one of the bone cell. Therefore, all your body cells are renewed every 5 years including the ones of your skin, hair, bones, eyes, ears, tongue, nose, esophagus, windpipe, lungs, stomach and intestine. However, due to profound wisdom, the brain cells are irreplaceable, and if they were replaced, man's situation would be disastrous. A doctor, for instance, would forget that he is a doctor.
Glory be to Allah! If the brain cells were replaceable, one would will go back to be illiterate, he would forget that he was an architect or a tailor and he would forget all about his talents. Where are all these things stored? They are stored in the memory in the brain. If the brain cells were replaced, and someone asked you, "Who are you?", you would answer, "I don't know", and you would forget your own son, daughter and identity. If brain cells were replaceable, knowledge, expertise, talent or ability, would be erased. Whose Wisdom prevents this from being like that? Whose Omnipotence is that? Whose Mercy is that? Our memories are constant. However, partial amnesia is an exception of this fact. An honorable brother said to me, "One day my father went out of his factory heading home, but he wasn't able to know where it was. However, he remembered where I live, so he came to me and said, 'Where is my house?'" Another man lost his memory, so he couldn't recognize his own son who came from USA to visit him. In rare cases, the Almighty Allah shows us how precious the grace of the brain and its memory are. The memory is not bigger than a lentil grain, yet it stores about 70 billion images.
A bomb blew up once in a hotel in a city in an Arab country, and I glanced the piece of news in which the accident was mentioned and the photo of the hotel was displayed. After five years, I could recall the image of that hotel when I checked in it, because its image had been stored in my brain, and upon checking in it the image which I glanced on TV matched the one of the hotel where I was. I said to myself, "It is the same hotel". The memory is a great grace and the brain will never be replaced so do not panic, for your memory, expertise, talents, knowledge, friends, children, relatives and abilities are all safely archived in your memory.
Once a man entered a Masjid, and he was about to put his shoes in the place where he used to put them in, but because he was talking to his friends when he put the, he couldn't remember where he put his shoes after he finished his Salah.
2- The heart cells are irreplaceable:
By Allah, these are amazing clear signs that indicate Allah's Greatness. The heart cells are obviously irreplaceable, but why? The heart stays as it is in every person. Allah says:
﴾ and have they hearts wherewith to understand﴿
We all say, "Allah knows better" (for mentioning the heart as means of understanding). It has been discovered recently that the heart is the center of emotions, sentiments and manners, but how had this fact been proven? After transplanting the heart for 73 patients, doctors noticed a change in the hobbies and emotions of the recipients, as they adopted those of the donors. I will explain this fact in details next lecture Insha' Allah, for it is a breakthrough unto itself. Therefore, when the Almighty Allah says:
﴾ and have they hearts wherewith to understand﴿
This indicates that the pine-like heart has perceiving abilities and has nervous cells that can store information 500 times more than the brain cells. This is a very recent scientific breakthrough.
