Know Your Lord Audio Book 01 02 – How to Know Allah
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AI Generated Summary ©
The importance of pursuing spiritual insight and following people of knowledge is emphasized in pursuing spiritual insight through observation and research. The church's belief in Islam is a mixture of good and bad, and it is impossible to see the same person in the same world. The church's belief in Islam is a mixture of good and bad, and it is crucial to know the creator's secret. Visitors are encouraged to follow the people of knowledge and warning them of potential falsehood. The church's belief in Islam is a mixture of good and bad, and it is crucial to know the creator's secret.AI Generated Transcript ©
Chapter
2.
How to know Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala As
we advance
towards a subject 'know your Lord' we have
presented just 3 significant demanding reasons
why we must embark
on the unpausing journey to know about Allah
However
there are many other motives.
Knowing Allah
will lead to loving him,
fearing
him, relying upon him, and hoping consistently in
him. All of these are forms of worship
which are facilitated
by knowing Allah.
Knowing Allah
in Islam
is unique
since every Muslim has been given the tools
to truly know Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and
not in some vague, dry
philosophical
sense.
Instead
for example
the believer knows Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in
detail
via his names and attributes
and the knowledge the knowledge of which Allah
has graciously provided
in the Quran and Sunnah.
Prophetic tradition.
Everyone
of his names
should lead a person to greater love of
Allah
as well as greater fear of him. This
is accompanied by attempting to get closer to
him through knowledge of those great attributes applied
in performing righteous deeds.
These are some of the statements emphasizing the
merits,
virtues
and benefits of knowing your Lord.
Ibn Qayyam Rahim Allah said,
from among the signs
of experiential knowledge, Ma'lifa,
of Allah is veneration
and awe. As his servants experiential knowledge of
his Lord increases,
so too does his veneration
and awe increase.
Ibn al Qayyam also said, Whoever knows Allah
knows everything other than him. Whoever is ignorant
of his Lord is even more ignorant of
everything
other than him. Furthermore
knowledge
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's names and attributes
is an explanation of everything in creation
because he is a source of creation
and the essence
which preexisted everything.
Ibn Tay
Mir said: Whoever knows the names of Allah
and their meanings,
believing in them will have a more complete
faith, Iman
than the one who does not know them
but just believes in them in general.
Ibn Sa'adi also
commented on the matter. Whenever a person's knowledge
of Allah's beautiful names and attributes increases,
his faith Iman
also increases
and his certainty Yaqeen
is further strengthened.
To conclude
our faith iman and belief in Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
begins
with a definitive affirmation of the heart. The
heart develops surety typically
when knowledge of the subject is gained.
That is why the first step to trigger
definite affirmation in the heart and the first
step towards complete faith, Iman
is to know Allah.
Acquiring knowledge.
In general to acquire knowledge,
we may employ
our built in faculties
such as intuition,
logic,
reasoning
or the scientific system of observation,
testing
and repetition
which is not independent
and still requires
our inbuilt faculties.
Absolute certainty
Yaqeen can only come from direct revelation
which ended with the passing
of the seal of the prophets
Muhammad
It follows a degree of certainty
Yaqeen which results from various methods
of seeking knowledge
that remain attainable.
Ibn Uthaimin
Rahimahullah
divided certainty of knowledge
into quantitative levels
as a result
of varied methods of seeking knowledge.
Knowledge
or comprehension
of a real thing
with certainty,
settled belief
or comprehension of something
while contrary positions exist
which are less likely to be true.
Slight ignorance
or absence
of full comprehension.
Doubt
which is to think that you comprehend something,
yet you are aware of contrary positions
which could possibly be true or have some
truth.
Delusion,
or to think that one comprehends something
despite the presence of that which should cause
you to realize
that you are incorrect.
Compounded ignorance
or comprehension
in a way contrary to true reality. You
may not know that you are in ignorance.
What follows
are the most effective means to certainty
and settled belief,
and an analysis
of the means away from the darkness of
ignorance of our Lord.
The specific means of gaining Islamic knowledge are
specialized
and detailed.
They will be discussed Insha'Allah
if Allah wills it.
In the last section
of part 1 of this work,
know your Lord.
Intuition
al Fitra.
Spiritual intuition involves believing what feels true
because it inclines the heart to true serenity.
It refers to inner spiritual insight
and consciousness
guiding us to attain knowledge.
Since Allah
created us in the best form to distinguish
right from wrong
and truth from falsehood.
We must strive to protect,
maintain and enhance the state of purity
of spiritual insight.
This is the purity of an individual
who was born in complete submission to our
Lord
and who retained that position of serenity
and balance and did not become corrupted
by the man made systems of religion.
However if we fail
to preserve our intuition
it will become defective
and we will not make the proper judgment.
Also
our instinct
is greatly influenced and driven
by personal biases
rather than reasoning based on what is apparent
of spiritual perception.
The success
of spiritual insight
is dependent
on sincerity,
purity
and sensitivity
rather than what is provable
through the scientific method.
What results
is often compound ignorance,
doubt
or delusion.
The intellect
it is a built in faculty
which is a crucial avenue
through which we acquire knowledge.
Through logic we can evaluate
and understand
the relationship between events,
ideas,
people,
qualities and the like.
The intellect
is a crucial avenue
to acquire the truth when we employ reason
to draw conclusions
from observations
and identify whether those conclusions are valid or
invalid,
are necessary
or have potential.
When it comes to the truth about Allah
intellect
leads us to substantiate
his experience,
However
to learn about his names and attributes
certainty,
Yaqeen can only come from learning the revelation
in the Quran and Sunna. Prophetic tradition without
the guidance of revelation
the intellect
can result in compound ignorance,
slight ignorance
and even delusion
based on unsubstantiated
innovations.
The visual observation
Perception
is another built in faculty
it involves acquiring knowledge
through the senses
in particular the eyes.
It is one of the most creditable methods
of acquiring knowledge.
We often assess the visual observation
based on the famous adage,
a picture speaks a 1,000 words
which means that we can convey the most
complex knowledge
by a single image
conveying
its meaning
or essence more effectively
than a mere verbal description.
However
there are some samples of many visual illusions
that trick our senses
and this introduces problems
with relying on visuals alone to derive knowledge.
We do have Muslims
who claim to have seen angels,
divine lights
or even Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala himself
in the form
of a magnificent
being seated on a throne Al Harsh.
They claim it to be a true perception
enabled by their evolved
spirituality.
Such an experience is usually followed
by the individual abandoning
basic Islamic practices like prayers,
salah and fasting.
Under the mistaken opinion that such practices are
only for ordinary people
who had not had their type of experience.
Examine objectively
Saul
of Tarsus
aka Paul the Apostle
who was not from the companions
Al Hawarion
a prophet 'Isa Jesus alaihis salam.
He never met prophet 'Isa Jesus alaihis salam
during the prophet's stay on the earth.
In
fact he was an oppressor
against the companions of the prophet Isa,
Jesus alaihis salam.
Saul claimed
to have seen prophet Isa Jesus
in a visual experience
which became the foundation of the innovations he
introduced
to the followers of the prophet
These innovations
changed the practice of submission
to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
which the early disciples
Al Hawariyun
were upon and institutionalized
a Hellenic Christianity
which contradicts
the revealed descriptions
of our lord's names and attributes
unquestionable
acceptance
taqleed.
Taqleed
is blind following
and accepting new knowledge or ideas
because some authoritative figure stated or exhibited
that they are true. Perhaps it is the
most common
and effective method
of acquiring knowledge
since primary
intersubjectivity
is a means of beginning
the development
of knowledge
when we are born into this world. However
since this knowledge is obtained from our caregivers
it becomes the statured hurdle
that establishes a child on the path
of inheriting ignorance
or compound ignorance.
As this method of gaining knowledge progresses,
the child
may become distanced
from knowing their lord if the caregiver
does not have true and correct knowledge of
his names and attributes.
These authorities
from which an individual learns include parents,
the media,
doctors,
imams,
religious figureheads,
the government
and professors.
While in an ideal world
we should trust authority figures.
History
has taught us otherwise
and many instances
of atrocities against humanity
are a consequence of people
unquestioningly
following
the authority.
In regards to those who must follow because
of a lack of certainty
in authentic Islamic knowledge it is a permissible
form of following for the common Muslim.
The common Muslim will be led into error
unless they follow the people of knowledge
because our condition is close to compound ignorance.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said, you people can
ask those who have knowledge if you do
not know.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala also said,
they should separate
from every division of them a group remaining
to obtain understanding in the religion and warn
their people when they return to them that
they might be cautious.
The scientific method The scientific method
is a process
of systematically collecting
and evaluating evidence to test ideas and answer
questions.
While scientists
may use intuition,
rationalism
and visual observation
to generate new ideas,
they don't stop there. Knowledge derived
upon the scientific method of geosystems,
ecosystems,
astronomy,
climatology
and even our own physiology
leads those who are honest
and sincere
to recognize the existence and nurturing influences
of our Lord
on our lives.
By using the scientific method of observation,
testing
and repetition
we learn much truth about the world Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala created.
However
observation has its limits.
Our misjudgment limits its potentiality.
In conclusion
the knowledge we gain
through perception is the most reliable. But the
question returns,
can we know our Lord by perception in
this world? Perceiving our Lord.
Both the Quran and the Sunnah, prophetic tradition,
are explicit that believers will see and hear
Allah
in Paradise
Jannah.
The prophet
his companions
Sahaba
and their successors
from the Righteous agreed
upon this fact that the believers will see
Allah
in
Paradise
Jannah and on judgment day Yomul Qiyamah.
If Allah
wills. Allah
said,
Some faces that day will be radiant
looking at their Lord.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala also said,
Nay, surely
they evil doers will be veiled from seeing
their Lord that day.
Sheikh Alfawzhan
Hafidahullah
commented on the above verse aya. They will
be veiled from seeing Allah.
So if the disbelievers will be veiled from
seeing Allah it is proof that the believers
will see their lord.
This is because
the believers believed in him in this world
without seeing him. So Allah will honor them
in paradise
Jannah
by manifesting to them. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
said, the righteous will receive good reward for
their deeds and more.'
The word 'more' and the prophet
explained that it meant to see the face
of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Suhaib radiAllahu Anhu reported
that the prophet
said, 'When the people of paradise Jannah have
entered paradise,
Allah blessed is he
and Most High will say, do you want
anything more?' They will say, 'Have you not
brightened our faces
and admitted us to paradise
and saved us from the fire?' Then he
will remove the veil, and they will not
be given anything that is more dear to
them than gazing upon their Lord, the mighty
and sublime. Muhammad
radiAllahu anhu reported
similar and added.
Then he salallahu alaihi wasallam recited this verse
Ayah.
For those who have done good is the
best reward and even more. Jareer
bin Abdullah
al Bajali
narrated, we were with the prophet and he
looked at the moon on a full moon
night and said,
'Certainly
you will see your Lord as you see
this moon
and you will have no trouble in seeing
him.
The vision will be as clear and confident
as seeing the full moon on a clear
night or the sun on a cloudless day.
The goal
of our current discussion
is to know Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in
this world
dunya
based on an experienced
perception.
In a nutshell
we cannot see Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in
this world
based on many pieces of evidence.
From the narrations
a hadith mentioned above
the prophet
said,
Be informed that none of you can see
Allah until you die.
Abu Huraira
reported similar to the narration,
hadith
of Jarir ibn Abdullah
that some companions
Sahaba
asked
the Messenger of Allah
will we see our Lord
on the day of resurrection?
He said do you have any doubt about
seeing the sun on a cloudless day?
Obviously
from these narrations a Hadith
we can deduce
that the companions
Sahaba of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
were firm on the belief that they cannot
see Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in this world.
Hence,
they were asking about the hereafter.
Akhirah.
The reports of seeing Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
in the hereafter.
Akhirah are
Mutawater
as they have been reported
by more than 30 companions
Sahaba
of the prophet
Furthermore
there is wisdom
in the withholding of seeing our Lord in
this life.
Seeing Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala will be a
great blessing and joy.
Indeed it is the greatest blessing.
So Allah
kept it for the place of ultimate grace
and comfort
namely Paradise.
This world
is a mixture of good believers and disbelievers.
So the blessing of seeing our Lord is
deferred until it will be given exclusively
to believers in paradise
Jannah.
Reserving the blessing of seeing Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala
until the hereafter
akhirah
also provides a strong motive
to do good in this world dunya So
that one may see Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and feel secure and content
in nearness to him in the hereafter,
'Akira.'
Another reason
is that Allah Subhanahu WA Ta'ala is testing
us in this world.
Dunya
with a belief in him without seeing him.
There are things that many people believe in
but they cannot see that is gravity
and electricity.
One can only see the effects or results
of gravity but not the gravity itself.
Believe in Allah Subhanahu wa'ta'ala even more so
is to have surety
of faith
without the affirmation of sight.
This is a quality
of the articles of faith, Arkanal Iman in
Islam,
which we cannot see or know in this
world
such as Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and his
angels.
We are tested daily in our belief
and accordingly
our faith
goes up and down. To be a believer
we must believe in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and the meeting with him. We must affirm
and remember his angels, his books,
his messengers
and believe in the resurrection
and predestination
Al Qadr
and what we identify
as good or bad of the divine decree.
Allah
said,
This is the book
about which there is no doubt,
a guidance for those conscious of Allah
who believe in the unseen,
Raib,
establish prayer
salah
and spend out of what we have provided
for them.
In these verses
Ayat
we learn that the first quality
of believers who are conscious of our Lord
is to believe without seeing. Despite these points
of wisdom
if we are to ask Muslims today
the question, can we see Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala in this world?
We will be amazed that some will say
we don't know,
some will say yes, others will negate seeing
our Lord but will be unable to substantiate
their answer with evidence.
This is because we do not know our
lord as the companions
knew.
Many muslims
have been influenced
to know our lord
through a judeo christian lens
which is not built
nor what Allah revealed
to them
but rather is a layered perspective
built on 100 of years
of exiguses
based on ambiguous
or mistranslated
verses.
The cultural interpretation
The Western Judeo Christian tradition affirms
the ability to see Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
in this world
in contrast
to the orthodox Islamic perspective.
In fact
Muslims are prohibited
from imagining Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala at all.
They have distorted
and made unsubstantiated
claims concerning
an embodied essence of our Lord,
founded
or interpretive
teachings rather than the affirmation of explicit revealed
statements.
This
has been proven by statements
that contradict
the transcendent
oneness of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
Tawhid. For example, in Genesis
3
verse 8 it said, and they heard the
sound of the Lord God walking
in the garden in the cool of the
day, and the man and his wife hid
themselves
from the presence of the Lord God among
the trees of the garden.'
The second example
of a serious theological error is the attribute
of Theophany in Genesis 18:1-four
as quoted below, And the Lord appeared to
him by the oaks of Mamre.
As he sat
at the door of his tent in the
heat of the day He lifted up his
eyes and looked, and behold,
3 men were standing in front of him.
When he saw them,
he ran from the tent door to meet
them and bowed himself
to the earth and said,
'O Lord,
if I have found favor in your sight,
do not pass by your servant.
Let a little water be brought,
and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under
the tree.
The Islamic presentation
of our Lord is based on concrete and
reliable
explicit evidence
as revealed without distortion,
inference
or metaphoric interpretation.
For example
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said and certainly
did our messengers,
that is angels,
come to Ibrahim,
Abraham,
with good tidings.
They said, Peace. And he said, Peace.
And did not delay in bringing them a
roasted calf.
But when he saw their hands not reaching
for it, he distrusted them, and felt from
them apprehension.
They said, fear not, we have been sent
to the people of Lut.'
Notice the phrase
they said salaman. He answered salaman.
According to Ibn Kathir Rahimahullah
when the angels greeted prophet Ibrahim
alaihis salam
his response indicated
his acknowledgement
that they were angels.
The scholars
of explanation tafsir
have said
Ibrahim's
reply of salaman
was better than that
with which they had greeted him with because
the subjective case salaamun
instead of salaamun
alludes
to affirmation
and eternity. The attributes of angels were given
where they belonged
neither were the qualities attributed to humans
nor were qualities of divinity bestowed upon them.
Consider
the request of prophet Musa, Moses alaihis salam
to see Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And when Musa,
Moses arrived
at our appointed time
and his lord spoke to him. He said,
my lord show me yourself
that I may look at you.
Allah said, you will not see me. Al
Araf
verse 143
The above verse aya
indicates
that in this
corporeal world
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala cannot be seen.
Rendering images of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in
islam is an impossibility
and amounts to disbelief,
kufr,
as Allah
tells us in the Quran
that nothing resembles him
and there is nothing like unto him,
and he is the hearing, the seeing. Allah
also said,
and there is none co equal or comparable
unto him.
Jewish
and Christian teachings on God
are confused partly
because of anthropomorphic
interpretation.
In addition their theology
and exigencies are based on incomplete and distorted
scriptures
and depictions
that negate the attributes of divinity
or liken them to the attributes of the
creation.
Another excerpt
from Genesis reads
and Jacob was left alone,
and a man wrestled with him until the
breaking of the day. When the man saw
that he did not prevail against Jacob,
he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip
was put out of joint as he wrestled
with him.
Then he said, Let me go,
for the day is broken.
But Jacob said, I will not let you
go unless you bless me.
And he said to him, What is your
name? And he said,
Jacob. Then he said, Your name shall no
longer
be called Jacob,
but Israel for you have striven with God
and with men, and have prevailed.
Then Jacob asked him,
please tell me your name. But he said,
Why is it that you ask my name?
And there he blessed him. So Jacob called
the name of the place Peniel
saying,
for I have seen God face to face
and yet my life has been delivered.
This depiction
was embraced
by the Hellenic influence European Monethes
who appraised the use
of anthropomorphic
iconography
from its pagan polytheistic
origins.
Certain Christians put statues or images of an
old white bearded man
depicting God in their places of worship.
Some of these were produced by the likes
of Michelangelo
who depicted the face and hand of God
in the Sistine Chapel.
This is an error in understanding called tamthil
and
it is an impediment
to understanding our Lord as he wants us
to understand.
Contradiction
to seeing our Lord
There are many pieces
of evidence to prove the impossibility
of seeing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in this
world. Let's discuss some of them.
The limitation of the human mind. The human
mind
is limited in specific areas,
one of which is the visualization
of the divine essence
of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala is different from anything the human mind
can think of or imagine.
Therefore
if the mind tries to picture Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala
certain aspects will be ambiguous
and open to indefinite interpretation.
Allah
himself said
vision perceives him not but he perceives all
vision
and he is a subtle,
the acquainted.
This is not a negation
of
seeing our Lord in the hereafter
Akhira
but only a negation
Ta'atil
of grasping him.
He the exalted
did not say that eyes will not see
him in the hereafter
akhirah.
He said no vision can grasp him. The
negation
tatil
of al idraq
grasping
is not a negation
of seeing.
Grasping
contrasts
seeing
like the difference between sensation
and perception.
A sensation
is when an image is put into the
eye and transferred
to the optical nerves
and transduced
into the subtle electrical impulses
of our nervous system. Perception
is the organization of the impulses
to rationalize meaning in the brain.
Perception describes the organization of input stimulus
from any of the senses including smell,
touch, hearing,
taste,
kinethesis,
sight and others.
The image which is seen is sensed
and the understanding of this input is perception.
This is grasping.
An ungraspable
image
is a sensed input
that is so great
and powerful
that it can't be processed
by the limited circuitry
of the nervous system.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
directed us not to attempt to picture Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's essence
instead
we may try to imagine other things which
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala created.
Ibn Umar narrated
that the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said, 'Reflect deeply upon the blessings of Allah,
but do not reflect upon the essence of
Allah.'
Ibn Abbas radiAllahu Anhu reported
that the messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said,
reflect deeply upon the creation
but do not reflect upon the essence of
the creator.
Verily
his essence cannot be known
other than to believe in it. Al Manawi
explained this statement in his book Faid Al
Qadr.
To ponder about the creation of Allah
means
to reflect on the origin
and creation of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in
totality
not in particular.
For instance,
if we look at the universal pieces of
evidence
Al Ayat al Quniyah
of the creator
in the creation,
the sky
and whatever planets and stars it contains,
their movements,
their orbit,
their rising and setting,
and the earth and all the mountains,
metals,
rivers, seas, animals and plants, and whatever is
in between the sky and the earth,
the atmosphere with its clouds,
rain, thunder,
lightning,
thunderbolt
and other creatures of Allah Subhanahu wa'ta'ala.
There is not an atom that moves in
all this creation except that Allah Jalalu
has many powers of wisdom in it
which bears witness
to the oneness of Allah
His greatness and might.
The evidence that these universal signs are proof
of a Creator
and a means to know him
is in his statement,
and of his signs are the night and
day,
and the sun and moon.
Do not prostrate to the sun or the
moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them
if it should be him that you worship.
Allah also said,
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most
High, who created and proportioned
and who destined and then guided.
This tells
us that the intricate order and balance in
the universe
in its composite systems
are sustained
in a continuing balance by our Lord
and are thus evidence of his greatness.
Through contemplating
this we can know our Lord
and that he has given these universal pieces
of evidence
as a means of calling to us to
him.
Therefore it is more appropriate
not to think about Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and his essence or nature
but to learn of his attributes
through his creations.
Allah said, Indeed
within the heavens and earth
are signs for the believers.'
The unquantifiable
stimulus.
Below
are a few examples
characterizing the greatness of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala's
attributes
and his creations.
The throne Al Arsh
and the footstool
Al Kursi
contemplating the essence of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and seeing him in this life
is an impossibility
and the nature of that impossibility
is given through
a reflection
on the largest things in the creation.
The footstool
Al Kursi and the throne Al Harash.
Ibn Mas'ud radiAllahu anhu narrated, between the first
heaven and the one above
it is a distance of 500
years, between each of the heaven is a
distance
of 500 years,
Between the 7th heaven and the footstool
Al Kursi
is a distance
of 500 years.
Between the footstool
Al Kursi
and the water
is a distance of 500 years. And the
throne Al Arsh is above the water.
Allah is above the throne Al Arsh
and nothing whatsoever
your deeds is hidden from him.
Abu Dhar al Ghifari
Radiallahu Anhu reported
that the prophet
said,
the footstool
Al Kursi
compared to the throne
Al Arsh
is only like an iron ring
thrown in a desert on earth.
The prophet
tells us that the footstool
Al Kursi
despite its immense size
is in comparison to the throne
alarsh
like an iron
ring
thrown
in a boundless desert on earth.
It indicates its creator's greatness and absolute power.
His 2 feet are near the footstool
Al Kursi.
In the throne Al arsh is above it
and then he rose above the throne
Al Arsh
in a way that suits his majestic greatness.
Istawa
above the throne al Arush.
None can fathom such great size and majesty
but we can appreciate
the attributes of its exalted creator.
The 2 feet of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
are mentioned
in the following statement
by Abu Ismail
Al Harawi Rahimahullah
with his chain of narrations
that lead to Ibn Abbas
Ibn Abbas
said: Indeed,
the footstool,
Al Kursi,
is the place
of the 2 feet of Allah
and none is able to estimate the greatness
of the throne
with its true estimation.
The wording is from Waqiya
ibn al Jarrah and it has been reported
from Abu Musa,
Abu Huraira,
The prophet
said, I have been given permission
to speak of 1 of the angels of
Allah,
1 of the bearers of the throne, Al
Arsh.
The distance between his earlobe and his shoulder
is like the distance
of 700 years travel. Note
that it is one of the 8 angels
who bear Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's throne
hamlatal Arsh
and not Jibril
Gabriel
Alaihi Salam.
The Fingers
Abdul Laban Mas'ud
said, a Jewish
rabbi came to Allah's Messenger
and he said,
'O Muhammad,
we learn that Allah
will put all the heavens on one finger,
and the earth
on one finger, and the trees on one
finger, and the water,
and the dust on one finger, and all
the other created beings on one finger.
Then he will say, 'I am the king.'
Thereupon the prophet smiled so that his premolar
teeth became visible
and that was the confirmation
of the rabbi. Then Allah's messenger recited
They have not praised Allah with true appraisal,
while the earth entirely
will be within His grip on the day
of resurrection,
and the heavens will be folded
in his right hand,
exalted is he and high above what they
associate with him. The veil
Allah
identified the method through which the beloved
of His servants perceive him in this life.
There is abundant evidence in the revelation
that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has speech
which has been heard
but there is no authentic evidence
that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has been seen
in this world. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala Exalted
said that he spoke with Prophet Musa
and we sent messengers
about whom
we have related their stories to you before
and messengers about whom we have not related
to you and Allah spoke to Musa,
Moses
with direct speech.
Abu Umama
reported,
A man once asked the Prophet
'O Messenger of Allah, was Adam a prophet?'
He answered: 'Yes, with whom Allah spoke.'
The man asked:
how much time elapsed between him and Nu'h?'
Prophet Muhammad said: 10 Quran
centuries
or generations.
Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala said:
And it is not for any human being
that Allah should speak to him except by
revelation or from behind a partition or that
he sends a messenger to reveal,
by his permission,
what he wills.
Indeed,
he is the most high and wise.
We may all speak to our Lord
but our means of knowing our Lord in
this world through his speech is indirect.
Allah
told us that this is possible
through revelation, a messenger from behind a veil
as mentioned above. One meaning of behind a
veil is communication in our dreams.
The evidence is the narration
from Abu Qatada
radallahu an who reported
that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said:
A true good dream is from Allah and
a bad dream is from Satan.
Furthermore
a true dream,
a good dream
of a righteous person is a trace part
of prophethood
which means
it is a special form of communication.
The Prophet said:
When the day of resurrection
Yomul Qiyama approaches
the dreams of a believer
will hardly fail
to come true and a dream of a
believer is one of the 46 parts of
prophethood
and nubuwa and whatever belongs to prophethood and
nubuwa can never be false.
The veil
is also described
as a visual anomaly in narrations,
a Hadith
of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
specifically
in descriptions of his journey
in one night to Jerusalem
in ascension from there into the heavens.
Muslims believe that this journey was a real
event
even while we have no rational way to
confirm
this apparent impossibility.
Allah
described this event:
'Exalted is He who took his servant by
night from Al Masjid Al Haram in Mecca
to Al Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem,
whose surroundings we were blessed,
to show him of Our Signs
Indeed,
He is the Hearing and Seeing.'
The Prophet
did not see Allah
on the night of Ascension Al Mi'raj.
Abu Dharr asked
the Prophet
about this
to which he said, There is light. How
could I see him? The prophet
did not see him
but he saw his veil of light.
The veil prevented the prophet
from seeing Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
The veil separates
and insulates,it
is a liminal barrier
that shields sensation and perception
from the overwhelming stimulus of the sight of
our Lord.
There is a profound explanation
for this veil in the following narration Adith
Abu Musa
reported
that the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, 'Allah,
the Mighty and Sublime,
does not sleep, and it is not befitting
that he should sleep. He lowers the balance
and raises it. The deeds of the night
are taken up to him before the deeds
of the day, and the deeds of the
day before the deeds of the night his
veil is the light. Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu
added that the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
our
Lord has a veil of fire
and if he were to remove it the
splendor of his face would burn all of
his creation as far as his sight reaches.
Seeing our Lord in a dream
We established
that Allah
cannot be seen in this world dunya but
Allah will
enable believers to look at him in the
hereafter,
Akhir.
However,
it is possible
to see a representation of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala in a dream.
The evidence of this
is in a narration
Hadith
from Ibn Abbas radiAllahu anhu
who narrated
that the Messenger of Allah
said,
'During the night, my Lord, blessed is He,
the Most High, came to me in the
best of appearances.
He said, Oh Muhammad
do you know what the most exalted group
busy themselves with? I said no.
So he placed his hand between my shoulders
until I sensed
its coolness between my breast
or he said on my throat.
So I knew what was in the heavens
and what was in the earth. He said:
'O Muhammad,
do you know and what the most exalted
group busy themselves with?'
I said yes and the acts that atone
are lingering in the mosque Masjid
after the prayer salah.
Walking
on the feet to the congregation
perfecting the ablution and difficulty
is baqalwaduh
and whoever does that
he lives in goodness and dies upon goodness,
and his wrongs
shall be like that
of the day of his mother bore him.
Some of the scholars Ullama
have commented
that it is possible for other than the
prophet
to see Allah in a dream.
Ibn Taymiyyah Rahim Allah said, A believer may
see his Lord in a dream, in various
forms according to his faith, Iman and belief.
If his faith is correct, he can only
see him in a beautiful form and if
his faith and if his faith Iman is
defective,
it will be reflected in the way he
sees Allah in the dream.
Seeing Allah in a dream is not like
seeing him in reality,
it may have different interpretations
and meanings
referring to something.
Ibn Taymiyyah
also said: Whoever sees a lie in a
dream sees him in a form that corresponds
to his state.
If he is righteous
he will see him in a beautiful form
which is why the prophet peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him saw him in
the most beautiful form.
Ikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baiz was asked
about the ruling concerning the one who claims
to have seen the Lord
of glory in a dream.
It was said for example
that Imam Ahmad ibn Hambal
had seen the Lord of Glory more than
100 times in visions.
Sheikh ibn Baz
said,
Sheikh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
and others said
that it is possible
to see Allah in a dream
but what he sees is not reality,
because there is nothing like Allah.
May he be glorified
and exalted.
Allah
said,
'There is nothing like unto him,
and he is the hearing,
the seeing.
Nothing in his creation
is like unto him. A person
may dream
that his lord is speaking to him. What
kind of image he sees that image is
not Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
because nothing
can be like Allah
in any way whatsoever.
Shaitan,
Satan
may deceive a person
and make him imagine
that he is their lord.
It was reported
that he made
Abdelkader
al Gilani
Rahimahullah
see him.' The Sheikh
said: 'Once I saw a dazzling light
which filled the entire sky, Then a human
frame appeared therein and said,
'O Abdul Qadr, I am your lord,
thy god. I have made everything prohibited lawful
unto thee.' Abdel
Qadr refused.
He later reported he knew it was the
enemy of Allah because Allah's commands are not
to be suspended for anyone.
The means to know your Lord.
If we cannot see Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
or hear him how can we know of
him.
We want to know about Allah
and learn about him
but we cannot see him
So we are left with 2 means
and one leads to the other.
1
the magnificent creation.
The first means to know our Lord is
to ponder over the creation
which points
to the greatness
of the power of Allah
and perfection of his creation.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala commands us to use
our senses and intellect
to reflect upon the creation.
The evidence
is in many verses
ayat in the Quran
that invites us to travel on earth
and to observe and ponder the creation. Allah
said:
'Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and
the earth
and the alternation of the night
and the day
are signs for those of understanding,
who remembers Allah while standing
or sitting
or lying on their sides,
and give thought to the creation of the
heavens and the earth,
saying,
'Our Lord,
you did not create this aimlessly.
Exalted are you above such a thing then
protect us
from the punishment of the fire. Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala mentioned in the above verse
Ayat
that we know our creator
through contemplating
the signs in the universe.
We also gain clarity
about the purpose of creation
and the attributes of their creator
through contemplating
the creation.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala mentioned qualities of lordship
in these verses
that lordship involves creating everything
and sustaining
and ordering balance in the creation.
Creation
by our Lord is an attribute of perfection
which involves
an originated creation from nothingness.
As humans do not create in any sense
but only reshape materials
that were endowed existence
by our Lord.
This contemplation is a means to know our
Lord
if we do not restrict our thinking
to the apparent
but extent
our contemplation
to the mighty attributes of lordship.
People of understanding utilize their senses,
sight,
hearing and intellect
to reach this conclusion.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala the Most Merciful
guides us
to this conclusion through Quranic verses
ayaat
that enable us to acquire this great knowledge.
Allah says about his signs in the universe.
And of his signs is that he created
for you from yourselves mate, that you may
find tranquility in them and he placed between
you affection and mercy.
Indeed
in that
are signs for a people who give thought,
and of his signs is the creation of
the heavens and the earth,
and the diversity of your languages and your
colors.
Indeed in that
are signs
for those of knowledge,
and of his signs
is your sleep by night and day,
and your seeking of his bounty.
Indeed
in that are signs for a people who
listen.
And of his signs
is that he shows you the lightening,
causing fear
and aspiration
and he sends down rain from the sky
by which he brings to life the earth
after
its lifelessness.
Indeed in that are signs for a people
who use reason.
Guidance
through these signs
is only cultivated
by those who have the intellect
and are sincere to know our Lord. The
disbelievers do not evaluate
what they perceive in the universe
beyond the realm of watching.
They do not contemplate the Maker and the
Creator.
They have alienated themselves
from the wisdom behind this creation.
As Allah said,
they know only the outside appearance of the
life of the world that is the matters
of their livelihood
like irrigating
or sowing
or reaping etc.
And they are heedless of the Hereafter.
Allah
also said: 'Say,
look
at what is in the heavens and on
the earth, but what use are signs and
warnings to people
who will not believe?'
The evidence
in the creation of Allah
demands
that we concede
2 principles.
The first
principle is that creation must have a creator
and the second principle
is that we cannot originate anything in creation.
This must be accepted as a fact intellectually
because
of complexity,
balance
and interconnectivity
present in the evidence of the creation.
A failure
to accept the reality of divine creation
is resignation
to one of 2 illogical premises
which Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned.
Allah presented a question in the Quran.
Is it that they are created by none
or are they themselves the creators?
Both conclusions
are
irrational.
Evidence drives the irrational mind
to assimilate
to another principle.
The attributes and qualities of the creator
as identified in his sustaining
and organizing
the creation
are far higher than the ability of humans
to organize and create.
This principle
is also mentioned in the Quran.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said, Then is He
who creates like one who does not create,
so will you not be reminded.
The creation
can neither fabricate
a single grain of dust from nothing
nor organize or sustain anything
by independent ability.
We are deficient
while the creator
is self sufficient.
There is nothing in creation similar to the
creator.
Everything in the creation is evidence of our
Lord,
the originator,
the sustainer.
His manifest lordship
is the cause
for his right to be worshipped.
Although
he has no need and does not benefit
from our worship we are in need of
worshipping him who alone facilitates
our success.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said,
O mankind,
worship your Lord who created you and those
before you that you may become righteous.'
Hence
the creed of Muslims is to worship the
creator,
not the created.
And the
focus of Islamic monotheism
Tawhid
is to isolate the Creator in worship
without associating
any partners with him.
2
Revelation
The second means to know our Lord is
to understand
through revelation
through the Quran
and the authentic sunnah prophetic tradition.
These revelations speak directly about Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala His divine essence,
actions of lordship,
names and attributes.
We cannot see Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in
this world Dunya nor is there an equivalent
or similar to to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
in his creation.
Therefore
we must learn about Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
from what he revealed to us.
Understanding the names and attributes of Allah
is challenging
without the firmness of faith,
Iman,
sincerity
and knowledge.
Intellect alone is not security
against misunderstanding
our Lord. Many muslims have gone astray
concerning this subject.
We learn from history
that muslims
first differed
regarding the definition of faith.
Iman
then later debated the issue
of predestination
Al Qadr which is part of the lordship
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. As we will
learn later on insha Allah if Allah wills
it to know the qualities of lordship of
Allah. We must gain knowledge of the names
and the attributes of Allah,
the way the 3 praised generation
understood them.
understood them.