Authorship
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Reviewing
Muhammad AbdulRaoof
Short Description
Discusses the question of why Allah created
Short Description
Discusses the question of why Allah created
and why Allah created humans
Part Four
Part Four
The Best of Creation
Those who believe in One Unique God, without partners or offspring, and do righteous deeds [according to the abovementioned principles] become the crown of creation. That is, although humankind is not the greatest creation of Allah, they have the potential to become the best of His creation. In Chapter al-Bayyinah, Allah states this fact as follows
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“Surely, those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of creation”
Qur’an 98:6
The Gravest Sin
To contradict the purpose of one’s creation is then the greatest evil that a human being can commit. ‘Abdullaah reported that he asked Allah’s Messenger (£g) which sin is the gravest in Allah’s sight and he replied, “To give Allah a partner, even though He created you”2’* Worshipping others besides God, called shirk in Arabic, is the only unforgivable sin. If a human being dies without repenting from his or her
sins, Allah may forgive all their sins except shirk. In this regard, God stated the following in Chapter an-Nisaa’
{(.Liu dU'i u jOiuj aj 0? jaiu M 0}}
“Surely Allah will not forgive the worship of others besides Him, but He forgives sins less than that to whomever He wishes.”
Qur’anf4:48
Worshipping others besides God essentially involves giving the attributes of the Creator to His creation. Each sect or religion does this in their own particular way. A small but very vocal group of people down through the ages have actually denied God’s existence. lJTojustify their rejection of the Creator, they were obliged to make the illogical claim that this world has no beginning. Their claim is illogical because all of the observable parts of the world have beginnings in time, therefore it is only reasonable to expect the sum of the parts to also have a beginning. It is also only logical to assume that whatever caused the world to come into existence could not have been a part of the world nor could it have a beginning like the world. The atheist assertion that the world has no beginning means that the matter which makes up the universe is eternal. This is a statement of shirk, whereby God’s attribute of being without* beginning is given to His creation. The numbers of genuine atheists have historically always been quite small because, in spite of their claims, they instinctively know that God does exist. That is, in spite of decades of communist indoctrination, the majority of Russians and Chinese continued to believe in God. The Almighty Creator pointed out this phenomenon in Chapter an-Naml, saying
“And they denied (the signs] wrongfully and arrogantly, though within themselves they were convinced of them.”
Qur’an 27:14
To atheists and materialists, life has no purpose beyond the fulfillment of their desires. Consequently, their desires also become the god which they obey and submit to instead of the One True God. In Chapter al-Furqaan of the final revelation, Allah said
39 Hinayana Buddhism (400-250 BC). the earlier and more strict of the two interpretations of Buddhism which arose after Gautama Buddha s death, clearly states that there is no God. Jainism as systematized by Vardhamana also asserts that there is no God. but liberated souls, according to the teachings, attain immortality and omniscience. In the 19th and 20th centuries a number of European philosophers proclaimed what came to be known as the "death of God philosophy. The German philosopher, Philipp Mainlander (1841-1876), the Prussian. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). the Frenchman, Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) ail argued the non-existence of God. (Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, pp. 72, 262-3. 327 and 508-9)
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“Have you seen the one who takes his desires as his god
Qur’an 25:43
Christians gave Prophet Jesus Christ the attributes of the Creator by first making him co-eternal with God,40 then by making him a personality of God whom they titled ‘God the Son.’ Hindus, on the other hand, believe that God has become man in many ages, by incarnations called avatars, and then they divided God’s attributes between three gods, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer
Love of God
Shirk also occurs when human beings love, trust or fear the creation more than Allah. In Chapter al-Baqarah of the last revelation, God said
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“There are among men those who worship others besides Allah as equals to Him. They love them as only Allah should he loved. But those who believe have a stronger love for Allah
Qur’an 2:165
40
Those who believe in One Unique God, without partners or offspring, and do righteous deeds [according to the abovementioned principles] become the crown of creation. That is, although humankind is not the greatest creation of Allah, they have the potential to become the best of His creation. In Chapter al-Bayyinah, Allah states this fact as follows
\Oj}
“Surely, those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of creation”
Qur’an 98:6
The Gravest Sin
To contradict the purpose of one’s creation is then the greatest evil that a human being can commit. ‘Abdullaah reported that he asked Allah’s Messenger (£g) which sin is the gravest in Allah’s sight and he replied, “To give Allah a partner, even though He created you”2’* Worshipping others besides God, called shirk in Arabic, is the only unforgivable sin. If a human being dies without repenting from his or her
sins, Allah may forgive all their sins except shirk. In this regard, God stated the following in Chapter an-Nisaa’
{(.Liu dU'i u jOiuj aj 0? jaiu M 0}}
“Surely Allah will not forgive the worship of others besides Him, but He forgives sins less than that to whomever He wishes.”
Qur’anf4:48
Worshipping others besides God essentially involves giving the attributes of the Creator to His creation. Each sect or religion does this in their own particular way. A small but very vocal group of people down through the ages have actually denied God’s existence. lJTojustify their rejection of the Creator, they were obliged to make the illogical claim that this world has no beginning. Their claim is illogical because all of the observable parts of the world have beginnings in time, therefore it is only reasonable to expect the sum of the parts to also have a beginning. It is also only logical to assume that whatever caused the world to come into existence could not have been a part of the world nor could it have a beginning like the world. The atheist assertion that the world has no beginning means that the matter which makes up the universe is eternal. This is a statement of shirk, whereby God’s attribute of being without* beginning is given to His creation. The numbers of genuine atheists have historically always been quite small because, in spite of their claims, they instinctively know that God does exist. That is, in spite of decades of communist indoctrination, the majority of Russians and Chinese continued to believe in God. The Almighty Creator pointed out this phenomenon in Chapter an-Naml, saying
“And they denied (the signs] wrongfully and arrogantly, though within themselves they were convinced of them.”
Qur’an 27:14
To atheists and materialists, life has no purpose beyond the fulfillment of their desires. Consequently, their desires also become the god which they obey and submit to instead of the One True God. In Chapter al-Furqaan of the final revelation, Allah said
39 Hinayana Buddhism (400-250 BC). the earlier and more strict of the two interpretations of Buddhism which arose after Gautama Buddha s death, clearly states that there is no God. Jainism as systematized by Vardhamana also asserts that there is no God. but liberated souls, according to the teachings, attain immortality and omniscience. In the 19th and 20th centuries a number of European philosophers proclaimed what came to be known as the "death of God philosophy. The German philosopher, Philipp Mainlander (1841-1876), the Prussian. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). the Frenchman, Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) ail argued the non-existence of God. (Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, pp. 72, 262-3. 327 and 508-9)
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“Have you seen the one who takes his desires as his god
Qur’an 25:43
Christians gave Prophet Jesus Christ the attributes of the Creator by first making him co-eternal with God,40 then by making him a personality of God whom they titled ‘God the Son.’ Hindus, on the other hand, believe that God has become man in many ages, by incarnations called avatars, and then they divided God’s attributes between three gods, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer
Love of God
Shirk also occurs when human beings love, trust or fear the creation more than Allah. In Chapter al-Baqarah of the last revelation, God said
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“There are among men those who worship others besides Allah as equals to Him. They love them as only Allah should he loved. But those who believe have a stronger love for Allah
Qur’an 2:165
40
John 1: 1&14 “'in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth;"' (RSV)
When these and other similar emotions are directed more strongly to the creation, they cause human beings to disobey God in an effort to please other humans. However, only Allah deserves a complete human emotional commitment, for it is He alone who should be loved and feared over all creation. Anas ibn Maalik narrated that the Prophet (M) said, “ Whoever possesses [the following] three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith: he who loves Allah and His Messenger above all else; he who loves another human being for Allah ’s sake alone; and he who hates to return to disbelief after Allah has rescued him as he hates to be thrown into a fire-”41
All the reasons for which humans love other humans or love other created beings are reasons to love God more than His creation. Humans love life and success, and dislike death and failure. Since Allah is the ultimate source of life and success, He deserves the full love and devotion of humankind. Humans also love those who benefit them and help them when they are in need. Since all benefit (7:188) and help (3:126) come from God, He should be loved above all else
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“If you try to count Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to add them up.”
Qur’an, 14:34
However, the supreme love which humans should feel for God must not be reduced to the common denominator of their emotional love for creation. Just as the love humans feel for animals should not be the same as what they feel for other humans,42 the love of Allah should transcend the love humans feel towards each other. Human love of God should be, fundamentally, a love manifest in complete obedience to the laws of God, as stated in Chapter Aal Imraan, “If you love Allah, then follow me [the Prophet] and Allah will love you.”43 This is not an abstract concept, because human love of other humans also implies obedience. That is, if a loved one requests that something be done, humans will strive to do it according to the level of their love for that person
The love of God should also be expressed in the love of those whom God loves. It is inconceivable that one who loves Allah could hate those whom Allah loves and love those whom He hates. The Prophet (M) was quoted by Aboo Umaamah as saying, “He who loves for Allah and hates for Allah, gives for Allah and withholds for Allah, has perfected his faith.,>44 Consequently, those whose faith is proper will love all those who love God. In Chapter Maryam, Allah indicates that He puts love in the hearts of the believers for those who are righteous
42 The huge sums of money currently being spent protecting endangered species of animals while humans are left to starve and die of disease is among the major crimes of the 20th centurv
43 Qur'an, 3:31. '
44
When these and other similar emotions are directed more strongly to the creation, they cause human beings to disobey God in an effort to please other humans. However, only Allah deserves a complete human emotional commitment, for it is He alone who should be loved and feared over all creation. Anas ibn Maalik narrated that the Prophet (M) said, “ Whoever possesses [the following] three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith: he who loves Allah and His Messenger above all else; he who loves another human being for Allah ’s sake alone; and he who hates to return to disbelief after Allah has rescued him as he hates to be thrown into a fire-”41
All the reasons for which humans love other humans or love other created beings are reasons to love God more than His creation. Humans love life and success, and dislike death and failure. Since Allah is the ultimate source of life and success, He deserves the full love and devotion of humankind. Humans also love those who benefit them and help them when they are in need. Since all benefit (7:188) and help (3:126) come from God, He should be loved above all else
{\AIjJUJ jjj}
“If you try to count Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to add them up.”
Qur’an, 14:34
However, the supreme love which humans should feel for God must not be reduced to the common denominator of their emotional love for creation. Just as the love humans feel for animals should not be the same as what they feel for other humans,42 the love of Allah should transcend the love humans feel towards each other. Human love of God should be, fundamentally, a love manifest in complete obedience to the laws of God, as stated in Chapter Aal Imraan, “If you love Allah, then follow me [the Prophet] and Allah will love you.”43 This is not an abstract concept, because human love of other humans also implies obedience. That is, if a loved one requests that something be done, humans will strive to do it according to the level of their love for that person
The love of God should also be expressed in the love of those whom God loves. It is inconceivable that one who loves Allah could hate those whom Allah loves and love those whom He hates. The Prophet (M) was quoted by Aboo Umaamah as saying, “He who loves for Allah and hates for Allah, gives for Allah and withholds for Allah, has perfected his faith.,>44 Consequently, those whose faith is proper will love all those who love God. In Chapter Maryam, Allah indicates that He puts love in the hearts of the believers for those who are righteous
42 The huge sums of money currently being spent protecting endangered species of animals while humans are left to starve and die of disease is among the major crimes of the 20th centurv
43 Qur'an, 3:31. '
44
Collected by Ahmad, at-Tirmithee and Aboo Daawood (Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3. p. 1312, no. 3664, and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan A bee Daawood, vol. 3, p. 886. no, 3915)
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“Surely, Allah will bestow love [in the hearts of the believers for] those who believe and do righteous deeds”
Qur’an 19:96
Aboo Hurayrah also related that Allah’s Messenger (^§) said the following in this regard, “If Allah loves a servant He informs angel Gabriel that He loves So-and-so and tells him to love him, so Gabriel loves him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of the heavens: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. ’ So the inhabitants of the heavens love him. Then he is granted the love of the people of the earth.”4’
Prayers
Prayers should only be directed to God alone, for only He can answer prayers. He is accessible as long as He is called upon sincerely.
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“When My servants ask you [O Muhammad] about Me, [tell them] that I am near, I answer the prayer of everyone w^o calls on Me.”
Qur’an 2:186
The Prophet (M) emphasized this point, saying, “Ifyou ask in prayer, ask only Allah, and if you seek help, seek it only from Allah.”46 Thus, prayer to human beings or through humafi beings, dead or living, is a form of shirk. The one to whom prayers are directed becomes an object of worship. An-Nu‘maan ibn Basheer reported that the Prophet (^) said, “Supplication is worship. ”47
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“Surely, those whom you call on in prayer besides
Allah are servants like yourself.”
Qur’an 7:194
Thus, the Catholic Christian practice of praying to saints is shirk. If something is lost. Saint Anthony of Thebes is
prayed to in order to help find it.48 St. Jude Thaddaeus is the
patron saint of the impossible and is prayed to for intercession in incurable illnesses, unlikely marriages or the like.49 And it used to be that when someone set out on a journey, Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, was the object of prayers for protection. However, in 1969 St. Christopher was unceremoniously struck off the list of saints by papal decree, after it was confirmed that he was fictitious.50 Prayers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and to the angels, as on Michaelmas51 are also shirk. Even Christians who shun saint worship commit shirk whenever they direct prayers to Prophet Jesus, through him or in his name. Likewise, any Muslim who prays to Prophet Muhammad (M) commits shirk. Consequently, God commanded the Prophet (s£) to inform his followers as follows in Chapter al-A ‘raaf
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“Say [O Muhammad]: ‘I have no power to bring good or avert harm even from myself, except if Allah wills. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I would surely have accumulated only good and no evil would have befallen me.”
Qur’an 7:188
Reported by Ibn "Abbaas and collected by at-Tirmithee and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmithee, vol. 2, pp. 308-9. no. 2043. See an-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, p. 68, no. 19 and Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol. 2 , p. 1099
Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 1, p. 387. no. 1474 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, vol. 1, p. 277. no. 1312
49 The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 1. p. 509
49 Ibid., vol. 11, p. 146
50 The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 417
51 The Christian feast of St. Michael the Archangel, celebrated in the western churches on September 29 and in the Eastern (Orthodox) Church on November 8. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is the Feast of SS. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels; in the Anglican Church, its proper name is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. 8. p. 95)Aboo Hurayrah reported that when the verse “Warn your nearest relatives,”52 was revealed to the Prophet, he said the following to his relatives: “Opeople of Quraysh, secure deliverance from Allah [by doing good deeds], for I cannot avail you at all against Allah...O Faatimah, daughter of Muhammad, ask me whatever you wish [in this life], but I have nothing which can avail you against Allah ”521
52 Soorah ash-Shooraa (26):214
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