17 June 2012
Welcome back after a couple of weeks break…
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Abu Sufyan's conversation with Hind
Having given orders that Hubal, the largest of the fallen idols, should be broken to pieces and that all of them should be burned, the Prophet* had it proclaimed throughout the city that everyone who had an idol in his house must destroy it. The Messenger of Allah* stayed in Mecca for 19 days. During that period he used to define the way to Islam, guide people to the orthodox path. He ordered Abu Usaid Al-Khuza'i to restore the pillars of the Holy Sanctuary, sent missions to all quarters inviting them to adopt Islam and break down the graven images still lying in the vicinity of Mecca, and he did have all of them scrapped, inculcating in the believers' ears his words: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Hereafter is supposed to scrap out the idols that should happen to be in his house."
Abu Sufyan was still only a new Muslim and, as a senior leader of the Quraish who had spent the last twenty years opposing the Prophet*, found his new predicament strange – overturning his world view. When he saw the strength of the Muslims and their devotion to Allah, as they went around the Kaaba, he was impressed. Then he returned home to his wife Hind and asked her if this was really from Allah. Hind, who was a bitter enemy of Islam just days prior had now smashed the idols in her house and was becoming reconciled to Islam. She reassured Abu Sufyan that this was truly was a sign from Allah and that the Prophet* was true. The next day Abu Sufyan met the Prophet* who informed Abu Sufyan of the private conversation he had with his wife. Abu Sufyan immediately knew that no-one could over-hear their intimate conversation and again testified that the Prophet* was indeed a Messenger of Allah.
Khalid bin Walid and his mistake with the people of Bani Jazimah
During the Age of Ignorance the tribe of Bani Jazimah had killed Khalid's uncle and Abdur Rahman's father while they were returning from Yemen and had plundered their property, and Khalid nursed a grudge against them on this account. When he came face to face with the people of Bani Jazimah, he found all of them armed and ready to defend themselves. The commander of the battalion then said aloud: "Lay down your arms on the ground, because the period of idol-worship is over and Mecca has fallen, and all the people have surrendered before the army of Islam". The chief of the tribe expressed the opinion to his men that they should hand over their arms and surrender before the army of Islam. One person out of them was intelligent enough to realize that the intentions of the commander of the army were not good. Addressing the chiefs of the tribe, therefore, he said: "The result of surrendering will be captivity and thereafter death". Eventually the opinion of the chiefs was acted upon and the arms were made over to the soldiers of Islam.
Khalid bin Al-Walid at the head of 350 horsemen of Helpers, Emigrants and Bani Saleem was despatched once again in the same year 8 A.H. to the habitation of Bani Khuzaimah bedouins to invite them to the fold of Islam. He was instructed to carry out his mission with peace and goodwill. There, the people were not articulate enough to communicate their intentions, so Khalid ordered his men to kill them and take the others as captives. He even had in mind to kill the captives but some of the Companions were opposed to his plan. Abdullah ibn Umer tells of this story: “The Prophet sent Khalid bin Al-Walid to the tribe of Jadhima and Khalid invited them to Islam but they could not express themselves by saying, "Aslamna (i.e. we have embraced Islam)," but they started saying "Saba'na! Saba'na (i.e. we have come out of one religion to another)." Khalid kept on killing (some of) them and taking (some of) them as captives and gave every one of us his Captive. When there came the day then Khalid ordered that each man (i.e. Muslim soldier) should kill his captive, I said, "By Allah, I will not kill my captive, and none of my companions will kill his captive." When we reached the Prophet, we mentioned to him the whole story. On that, the Prophet raised both his hands and said twice, "O Allah! I am free from what Khalid has done."” ‘Saba'na’ was a derogatory term that the Quraish used to call the Muslims – as they would not say ‘Muslims’ or ‘Islam’ but call the people who left their religion (to follow Muhammed*) as ‘Suba’a’. This is not too dissimilar to people calling Muslims today as bad terms like ‘terrorist’ or ‘extremist’! The unfortunate thing was that the people of the tribe of Jadhima only ever heard these words and so believed that all Muslims were called this. Khalid did not know this and was therefore acting in good faith but wrongly. Ibn Umer knew this and refused to obey the leader (Amir) on killing the captives – even though this was a serious matter to disobey the rightful leaders of the Muslims. Hence, we learn that Muslim loyalty is to the Qur’an and Sunnah and we should not obey leaders if they tell us to do Haram.
News of bloodshed reached the Prophet*. He was deeply grieved and raised his hands towards the heaven, uttering these words: "O Allah! I am innocent of what Khalid has done," twice. He immediately sent 'Ali to make every possible reparation/compensation to the tribes who had been wronged. This money was from the Treasury (Bait ul-Maal) of the Islamic State and was not required to be paid back through the pocket of Khalid – as it was a mistake whilst on a mission ordered by the State/Prophet*. After a careful inquiry, 'Ali paid the bloodmoney to all those who suffered loss. Ali reckoned their losses so minutely that he paid the price of even a wooden vessel in which the dogs of the tribe drank water and which were broken during their encounter with Khalid. Then he called all the afflicted chiefs and asked them whether the entire war damages and the blood-money of the innocent victims had been fully paid and all of them replied in the affirmative. Thereafter, keeping in view the fact that they might possibly have sustained some loss of which they might not be aware, Ali gave them some money gratuitously and then returned to Mecca and submitted his report to the Prophet. The remaining portion was also distributed amongst the members of the tribe in order to alleviate their suffering.
Khalid bin Walid and the idol (al-Uzza)
Shortly after the great conquest, the Prophet* began to despatch platoons and errands aiming at eliminating the last symbols reminiscent of pre-Islamic practices. The nearest to Mecca of the three most eminent shrines of paganism was the temple of al-Uzza at Nakhlah. He sent Khalid bin Al-Walid in Ramadan 8 A.H. to a spot called Nakhlah where there was a goddess called Al-'Uzza venerated by Quraish and Kinanah tribes. It had custodians from Bani Shaiban. Khalid, at the head of thirty horsemen arrived at the spot. At the news of his approach the warden of the temple hung his sword on the statue of the goddess and called upon her to defend herself and slay Khalid or to become a monotheist. Khalid demolished the temple and its idol, and returned to Mecca. On his return, the Prophet* asked him if he had seen anything there, to which Khalid gave a negative answer. Here, he was told that it had not been destroyed and he had to go there again and fulfill the task. So Khalid went again to Nakhlah, and out of the ruins of the temple there came a black woman, entirely naked, with long and wildly flowing hair. "My spine was seized with shivering," said Khalid afterwards. But he shouted "'Uzza, denial is for thee, not worship," and drawing his sword he cut her down. On his return he said to the Prophet*: "Praise be to God who hath saved us from perishing! I was wont to see my father set out for al-Uzza with an offering of a hundred camels and sheep. He would sacrifice them to her and stay three days at her shrine, and return unto us rejoicing at what he had accomplished!" He returned and narrated the story to the Prophet*, who then confirmed the fulfillment of the task.
Fiqh Topic (part 5):
Introduction to Daleel / Evidence
Continuing our introduction to various topics and terminology related to Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), we talk about Daleel or Evidence / Proof (which is also linked to the Main Topic on Believing in Allah).
Daleel - what is Proof and Evidence
• Linguistically, Daleel means a proof, indication, or evidence.
• As an Islamic (Shariah) term, Daleel means the source or evidence for a thought, concept, or a ruling.
Any law or ruling must have a Daleel, which can be from Qur’an, Sunnah, or a source, which Qur’an and Sunnah directed us to adopt. Any ruling from the text of either the Qur’an or Sunnah is considered a Daleel.
We pray and fast not in a way we like or chose – but how we are told to – from Qur’an and Sunnah. We don’t pray kneeling with hands joined together like Christians pray but follow a specific ritual – which comes from how the Prophet* prayed. We take our ‘evidence’ (Daleel) of prayer from the Prophet*. The same with fasting in Ramadhan. All actions must have a source in Qur’an and Sunnah (and Ijma-as-Sahaba or Qiyas – to be discussed in future weeks InshaAllah).
Hence, it is important to know about the sources and how good these sources are. How reliable are the sources and how reliable are the laws we take from them. When we review sources scholars have said that there are 2 parts to the source (like there are 2 parts to Hadith = Sanad [chain of narrators] and Mutn [text]).
Structure of Daleel
As mentioned earlier, a Daleel is an evidence for an opinion, concept, ruling, or a thought from Islam. There are two aspects related to any Daleel:
• Thaboot (source) or Riwayah (reportage), and
• Dalalah (meaning).
The Riwayah covers issues related to how the information was relayed to us, which includes the number and the integrity of its reporters.
The Dalalah is related to the meaning of the text in the Daleel.
There are also two terms used in connection with Riwayah and Dalalah; Qata’i and Dhanni which we’ll talk about in more detail next time, i/A:
Qata’i is defined as being conclusive or decisive, while Dhanni is the opposite of Qata’i and means non-definite, speculative or indecisive.
Main Topic: Belief (part 5)
We reviewed what we had covered last week in the Aqeeda / Belief section, including:
3 Fundamental Questions about Life
There are 3 really basic questions that ALL humans ask. These are similar to what a person would ask if he woke up in a strange room:
• Where am I?
• How did I get here?
• How do I get out of here?
These are similar to the 3 Fundamental Questions about Life:
• Why am I here (alive)?
• Where did I come from?
• What happens when I die (as we all certainly die)?
Islam has answered these questions and they relate to this topic about belief. However, we’ll come back to this at the end…
Time Travel, TARDIS and Dr Who
Most people are familiar with the popular children's television show called Doctor Who. This is about an alien (Time Lord) who looks like a human being and travels throughout the universe in a special time travelling machine which also distorts the dimensions of space. This machine is known as the T.A.R.D.I.S. (TARDIS = Time and Relative Dimension in Space). This program introduces children (and adults - who is your favourite Doctor Who?!) to many ideas and concepts which include, for the purposes of our discussion, the ability to travel through time and outside of space.
For example, we are informed in authentic narrations (hadith) and the Prophet* travelled from Mecca to Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and then through and outside the universe to the seven heavens, and back all in the same night. We're also told that the Prophet actually saw the punishment of people in Hellfire as well as hearing the footsteps of people in Paradise. The question is how could he have witnessed these if the Day of Judgment has not happened -- and this is not to do with the Knowledge of Allah because these were witnessed events? By thinking about the limited nature of the universe, and the limited nature of the things which make up the universe including the physical objects (stars and planets) and the dimensions of the universe (time and space) we can answer questions like 'What was there before Allah' and 'Where is Allah'?
'What was there before Allah’; 'Where is Allah'?
As we discussed previously and demonstrated through a rational approach, we live in a universe that is limited. Necessarily, this universe was created and that Creator must be unlimited and not bound by the limits of this universe. Therefore, Allah is not confined by the dimensions of time and space. Hence, it would be wrong to suggest that 'Allah is everywhere' - which is a belief called pantheism - a common misconception amongst people who don't think about this deeply. This gives rise to concepts that Allah is everywhere and in everything (including trees and rocks and dirty places), and so some people would use this to justify worshipping these objects claiming that they are part of God or contain God. By claiming that 'Allah is everywhere' we are in fact limiting His existence and defining it within the realms of our dimensions of space.
It would be better to consider that Allah is 'outside' our dimensions of space -- if we can try to get our heads around that. The problem is with our language and as we do not have any words in the language to express how somebody could be outside/not bound by the concept or constraints of space. Words like inside, outside, beyond, where, up, down are all relative and related to space - so how can we describe something which is beyond this!? But that is indeed what/where Allah is!
The same idea is related to the question about ' what was there before Allah?' - as the words before, during, after are all specifically related to time. Whereas, Allah is beyond time as He created time and made it unidirectional in our universe. Hence we cannot ask what was there before time as the question doesn't make sense as there is no 'before' when time was created. Therefore, there is no time before the Big Bang or creation of the universe. Hence, it is perfectly possible for Allah to be separate from time and space (acknowledging that separate is still related to space!).
'There is none like unto Him’
Therefore, by thinking of all of these things Muslims have a unique and pure perspective and understanding of Allah and Tawhid. This looks at the true Glory and Majesty of our Creator. Hence, the only appropriate ways in which we can try to describe Him are by the descriptions He gives if Himself and the comparisons He makes. We don't have the words in our language to properly address this but Allah does mention in the Quran that 'there is none like unto Him'! Simply put, that is the best description.
The Absurdity of the Atheist
We then revisited some elements of the design theory, but focusing on the concept of chance and probability. There is an old saying which states that "an atheist must have stronger belief than a person who believes in God, because the atheist must have looked under every stone and every leaf for him to not believe in God!" but we find that the modern disbelievers put their entire trust in science all this idea of chance as being the source and creator of the universe, and life and human beings. This is obviously a false situation if we are to analyse it rationally. The creation of the universe by chance (although we have already said it cannot occur by itself) would be similar to believing that a whirlwind swept through the streets and through a garage that had lots of car parts on the floor. After the whirlwind had left there would be a fully functioning perfectly formed car (Bugatti if you like) with its engine running ready to hit the road with no mess on the floor! Patently, nobody would believe this yet why do atheists think this is what happened with the universe -- even though we have said it cannot happen?
One of the reasons why it is quite possible that these people refuse to believe in an Almighty Creator is because if they did believe in one they would have to have some sort of relationship with the Creator. This would involve finding out what He wants from us and what we have to do in return. People would have to take responsibility for their beliefs and base any actions on these beliefs. People are afraid of this and these responsibilities and so would prefer to avoid the obvious answer -- which is belief in an Almighty Creator. Because, if you acknowledge an Almighty Creator that you will still need to answer the 3 Fundamental Questions about Life:
• Why am I here (alive)?
• Where did I come from?
• What happens when I die (as we all will die)?
We shall talk about this more detail next week, inshaAllah.
Children's Feedback:
Why I like Ramadhan and preparing for Ramadhan
The Importance of Fathers
Homework:
Why was the Prophet upset with Usama bin Zaid in Mecca?
What can prove something for you? How do you know something is true? What is sufficient 'Evidence'
Welcome back after a couple of weeks break…
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Abu Sufyan's conversation with Hind
Having given orders that Hubal, the largest of the fallen idols, should be broken to pieces and that all of them should be burned, the Prophet* had it proclaimed throughout the city that everyone who had an idol in his house must destroy it. The Messenger of Allah* stayed in Mecca for 19 days. During that period he used to define the way to Islam, guide people to the orthodox path. He ordered Abu Usaid Al-Khuza'i to restore the pillars of the Holy Sanctuary, sent missions to all quarters inviting them to adopt Islam and break down the graven images still lying in the vicinity of Mecca, and he did have all of them scrapped, inculcating in the believers' ears his words: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Hereafter is supposed to scrap out the idols that should happen to be in his house."
Abu Sufyan was still only a new Muslim and, as a senior leader of the Quraish who had spent the last twenty years opposing the Prophet*, found his new predicament strange – overturning his world view. When he saw the strength of the Muslims and their devotion to Allah, as they went around the Kaaba, he was impressed. Then he returned home to his wife Hind and asked her if this was really from Allah. Hind, who was a bitter enemy of Islam just days prior had now smashed the idols in her house and was becoming reconciled to Islam. She reassured Abu Sufyan that this was truly was a sign from Allah and that the Prophet* was true. The next day Abu Sufyan met the Prophet* who informed Abu Sufyan of the private conversation he had with his wife. Abu Sufyan immediately knew that no-one could over-hear their intimate conversation and again testified that the Prophet* was indeed a Messenger of Allah.
Khalid bin Walid and his mistake with the people of Bani Jazimah
During the Age of Ignorance the tribe of Bani Jazimah had killed Khalid's uncle and Abdur Rahman's father while they were returning from Yemen and had plundered their property, and Khalid nursed a grudge against them on this account. When he came face to face with the people of Bani Jazimah, he found all of them armed and ready to defend themselves. The commander of the battalion then said aloud: "Lay down your arms on the ground, because the period of idol-worship is over and Mecca has fallen, and all the people have surrendered before the army of Islam". The chief of the tribe expressed the opinion to his men that they should hand over their arms and surrender before the army of Islam. One person out of them was intelligent enough to realize that the intentions of the commander of the army were not good. Addressing the chiefs of the tribe, therefore, he said: "The result of surrendering will be captivity and thereafter death". Eventually the opinion of the chiefs was acted upon and the arms were made over to the soldiers of Islam.
Khalid bin Al-Walid at the head of 350 horsemen of Helpers, Emigrants and Bani Saleem was despatched once again in the same year 8 A.H. to the habitation of Bani Khuzaimah bedouins to invite them to the fold of Islam. He was instructed to carry out his mission with peace and goodwill. There, the people were not articulate enough to communicate their intentions, so Khalid ordered his men to kill them and take the others as captives. He even had in mind to kill the captives but some of the Companions were opposed to his plan. Abdullah ibn Umer tells of this story: “The Prophet sent Khalid bin Al-Walid to the tribe of Jadhima and Khalid invited them to Islam but they could not express themselves by saying, "Aslamna (i.e. we have embraced Islam)," but they started saying "Saba'na! Saba'na (i.e. we have come out of one religion to another)." Khalid kept on killing (some of) them and taking (some of) them as captives and gave every one of us his Captive. When there came the day then Khalid ordered that each man (i.e. Muslim soldier) should kill his captive, I said, "By Allah, I will not kill my captive, and none of my companions will kill his captive." When we reached the Prophet, we mentioned to him the whole story. On that, the Prophet raised both his hands and said twice, "O Allah! I am free from what Khalid has done."” ‘Saba'na’ was a derogatory term that the Quraish used to call the Muslims – as they would not say ‘Muslims’ or ‘Islam’ but call the people who left their religion (to follow Muhammed*) as ‘Suba’a’. This is not too dissimilar to people calling Muslims today as bad terms like ‘terrorist’ or ‘extremist’! The unfortunate thing was that the people of the tribe of Jadhima only ever heard these words and so believed that all Muslims were called this. Khalid did not know this and was therefore acting in good faith but wrongly. Ibn Umer knew this and refused to obey the leader (Amir) on killing the captives – even though this was a serious matter to disobey the rightful leaders of the Muslims. Hence, we learn that Muslim loyalty is to the Qur’an and Sunnah and we should not obey leaders if they tell us to do Haram.
News of bloodshed reached the Prophet*. He was deeply grieved and raised his hands towards the heaven, uttering these words: "O Allah! I am innocent of what Khalid has done," twice. He immediately sent 'Ali to make every possible reparation/compensation to the tribes who had been wronged. This money was from the Treasury (Bait ul-Maal) of the Islamic State and was not required to be paid back through the pocket of Khalid – as it was a mistake whilst on a mission ordered by the State/Prophet*. After a careful inquiry, 'Ali paid the bloodmoney to all those who suffered loss. Ali reckoned their losses so minutely that he paid the price of even a wooden vessel in which the dogs of the tribe drank water and which were broken during their encounter with Khalid. Then he called all the afflicted chiefs and asked them whether the entire war damages and the blood-money of the innocent victims had been fully paid and all of them replied in the affirmative. Thereafter, keeping in view the fact that they might possibly have sustained some loss of which they might not be aware, Ali gave them some money gratuitously and then returned to Mecca and submitted his report to the Prophet. The remaining portion was also distributed amongst the members of the tribe in order to alleviate their suffering.
Khalid bin Walid and the idol (al-Uzza)
Shortly after the great conquest, the Prophet* began to despatch platoons and errands aiming at eliminating the last symbols reminiscent of pre-Islamic practices. The nearest to Mecca of the three most eminent shrines of paganism was the temple of al-Uzza at Nakhlah. He sent Khalid bin Al-Walid in Ramadan 8 A.H. to a spot called Nakhlah where there was a goddess called Al-'Uzza venerated by Quraish and Kinanah tribes. It had custodians from Bani Shaiban. Khalid, at the head of thirty horsemen arrived at the spot. At the news of his approach the warden of the temple hung his sword on the statue of the goddess and called upon her to defend herself and slay Khalid or to become a monotheist. Khalid demolished the temple and its idol, and returned to Mecca. On his return, the Prophet* asked him if he had seen anything there, to which Khalid gave a negative answer. Here, he was told that it had not been destroyed and he had to go there again and fulfill the task. So Khalid went again to Nakhlah, and out of the ruins of the temple there came a black woman, entirely naked, with long and wildly flowing hair. "My spine was seized with shivering," said Khalid afterwards. But he shouted "'Uzza, denial is for thee, not worship," and drawing his sword he cut her down. On his return he said to the Prophet*: "Praise be to God who hath saved us from perishing! I was wont to see my father set out for al-Uzza with an offering of a hundred camels and sheep. He would sacrifice them to her and stay three days at her shrine, and return unto us rejoicing at what he had accomplished!" He returned and narrated the story to the Prophet*, who then confirmed the fulfillment of the task.
Fiqh Topic (part 5):
Introduction to Daleel / Evidence
Continuing our introduction to various topics and terminology related to Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), we talk about Daleel or Evidence / Proof (which is also linked to the Main Topic on Believing in Allah).
Daleel - what is Proof and Evidence
• Linguistically, Daleel means a proof, indication, or evidence.
• As an Islamic (Shariah) term, Daleel means the source or evidence for a thought, concept, or a ruling.
Any law or ruling must have a Daleel, which can be from Qur’an, Sunnah, or a source, which Qur’an and Sunnah directed us to adopt. Any ruling from the text of either the Qur’an or Sunnah is considered a Daleel.
We pray and fast not in a way we like or chose – but how we are told to – from Qur’an and Sunnah. We don’t pray kneeling with hands joined together like Christians pray but follow a specific ritual – which comes from how the Prophet* prayed. We take our ‘evidence’ (Daleel) of prayer from the Prophet*. The same with fasting in Ramadhan. All actions must have a source in Qur’an and Sunnah (and Ijma-as-Sahaba or Qiyas – to be discussed in future weeks InshaAllah).
Hence, it is important to know about the sources and how good these sources are. How reliable are the sources and how reliable are the laws we take from them. When we review sources scholars have said that there are 2 parts to the source (like there are 2 parts to Hadith = Sanad [chain of narrators] and Mutn [text]).
Structure of Daleel
As mentioned earlier, a Daleel is an evidence for an opinion, concept, ruling, or a thought from Islam. There are two aspects related to any Daleel:
• Thaboot (source) or Riwayah (reportage), and
• Dalalah (meaning).
The Riwayah covers issues related to how the information was relayed to us, which includes the number and the integrity of its reporters.
The Dalalah is related to the meaning of the text in the Daleel.
There are also two terms used in connection with Riwayah and Dalalah; Qata’i and Dhanni which we’ll talk about in more detail next time, i/A:
Qata’i is defined as being conclusive or decisive, while Dhanni is the opposite of Qata’i and means non-definite, speculative or indecisive.
Main Topic: Belief (part 5)
We reviewed what we had covered last week in the Aqeeda / Belief section, including:
- Belief in Allah is not a superstition nor a mythology, but is a definite fact that is established upon the use of the mind and is felt within every person
- The limited nature of the Universe and that there is nothing in reality which is unlimited (apart from Allah)
- There needs to be a first cause (Creator) upon which everything depends and itself being independent
- We cannot confine Allah to our limited understanding of the universe and its laws as Allah is beyond this and not subject to these laws as He created them. So many questions (can’t lift a stone) do not make sense
- This “Creator” (that we call Allah), is either:
- created by someone else,
- creator of himself, or
- azali (eternal - limitless) whose existence is indispensable (wajib ul-wujood).
- The Islamic Belief (Aqeeda) and subsequently the Islamic way of life has an intellectual basis – based on thinking and the mind
- Muslims should have a belief in Allah that is beyond superstition and ‘leap of faith’
- We discussed evidence and Proof and why rational thinking is superior to scientific thinking
- Doing good deeds with 'leap of faith' in Allah doesn’t necessarily mean actions will be less rewarded by Allah
- Theory of Divine Knowledge or Divine Design behind existence, with brief examples:
- Think about The story the boat
- The knock on the door
- The pile of stones on the beach
- Footprints and the sky and mountains
There are 3 really basic questions that ALL humans ask. These are similar to what a person would ask if he woke up in a strange room:
• Where am I?
• How did I get here?
• How do I get out of here?
These are similar to the 3 Fundamental Questions about Life:
• Why am I here (alive)?
• Where did I come from?
• What happens when I die (as we all certainly die)?
Islam has answered these questions and they relate to this topic about belief. However, we’ll come back to this at the end…
Time Travel, TARDIS and Dr Who
Most people are familiar with the popular children's television show called Doctor Who. This is about an alien (Time Lord) who looks like a human being and travels throughout the universe in a special time travelling machine which also distorts the dimensions of space. This machine is known as the T.A.R.D.I.S. (TARDIS = Time and Relative Dimension in Space). This program introduces children (and adults - who is your favourite Doctor Who?!) to many ideas and concepts which include, for the purposes of our discussion, the ability to travel through time and outside of space.
For example, we are informed in authentic narrations (hadith) and the Prophet* travelled from Mecca to Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and then through and outside the universe to the seven heavens, and back all in the same night. We're also told that the Prophet actually saw the punishment of people in Hellfire as well as hearing the footsteps of people in Paradise. The question is how could he have witnessed these if the Day of Judgment has not happened -- and this is not to do with the Knowledge of Allah because these were witnessed events? By thinking about the limited nature of the universe, and the limited nature of the things which make up the universe including the physical objects (stars and planets) and the dimensions of the universe (time and space) we can answer questions like 'What was there before Allah' and 'Where is Allah'?
'What was there before Allah’; 'Where is Allah'?
As we discussed previously and demonstrated through a rational approach, we live in a universe that is limited. Necessarily, this universe was created and that Creator must be unlimited and not bound by the limits of this universe. Therefore, Allah is not confined by the dimensions of time and space. Hence, it would be wrong to suggest that 'Allah is everywhere' - which is a belief called pantheism - a common misconception amongst people who don't think about this deeply. This gives rise to concepts that Allah is everywhere and in everything (including trees and rocks and dirty places), and so some people would use this to justify worshipping these objects claiming that they are part of God or contain God. By claiming that 'Allah is everywhere' we are in fact limiting His existence and defining it within the realms of our dimensions of space.
It would be better to consider that Allah is 'outside' our dimensions of space -- if we can try to get our heads around that. The problem is with our language and as we do not have any words in the language to express how somebody could be outside/not bound by the concept or constraints of space. Words like inside, outside, beyond, where, up, down are all relative and related to space - so how can we describe something which is beyond this!? But that is indeed what/where Allah is!
The same idea is related to the question about ' what was there before Allah?' - as the words before, during, after are all specifically related to time. Whereas, Allah is beyond time as He created time and made it unidirectional in our universe. Hence we cannot ask what was there before time as the question doesn't make sense as there is no 'before' when time was created. Therefore, there is no time before the Big Bang or creation of the universe. Hence, it is perfectly possible for Allah to be separate from time and space (acknowledging that separate is still related to space!).
'There is none like unto Him’
Therefore, by thinking of all of these things Muslims have a unique and pure perspective and understanding of Allah and Tawhid. This looks at the true Glory and Majesty of our Creator. Hence, the only appropriate ways in which we can try to describe Him are by the descriptions He gives if Himself and the comparisons He makes. We don't have the words in our language to properly address this but Allah does mention in the Quran that 'there is none like unto Him'! Simply put, that is the best description.
The Absurdity of the Atheist
We then revisited some elements of the design theory, but focusing on the concept of chance and probability. There is an old saying which states that "an atheist must have stronger belief than a person who believes in God, because the atheist must have looked under every stone and every leaf for him to not believe in God!" but we find that the modern disbelievers put their entire trust in science all this idea of chance as being the source and creator of the universe, and life and human beings. This is obviously a false situation if we are to analyse it rationally. The creation of the universe by chance (although we have already said it cannot occur by itself) would be similar to believing that a whirlwind swept through the streets and through a garage that had lots of car parts on the floor. After the whirlwind had left there would be a fully functioning perfectly formed car (Bugatti if you like) with its engine running ready to hit the road with no mess on the floor! Patently, nobody would believe this yet why do atheists think this is what happened with the universe -- even though we have said it cannot happen?
One of the reasons why it is quite possible that these people refuse to believe in an Almighty Creator is because if they did believe in one they would have to have some sort of relationship with the Creator. This would involve finding out what He wants from us and what we have to do in return. People would have to take responsibility for their beliefs and base any actions on these beliefs. People are afraid of this and these responsibilities and so would prefer to avoid the obvious answer -- which is belief in an Almighty Creator. Because, if you acknowledge an Almighty Creator that you will still need to answer the 3 Fundamental Questions about Life:
• Why am I here (alive)?
• Where did I come from?
• What happens when I die (as we all will die)?
We shall talk about this more detail next week, inshaAllah.
Children's Feedback:
Why I like Ramadhan and preparing for Ramadhan
The Importance of Fathers
Homework:
Why was the Prophet upset with Usama bin Zaid in Mecca?
What can prove something for you? How do you know something is true? What is sufficient 'Evidence'
No comments:
Post a Comment