Pondering on the Signs of God
By Harun Yahya
In the Qur’an, it is stated that the unbeliever is one who neither recognizes nor appreciates the signs of God. The distinguishing mark of a believer is his ability to see those signs and proofs. He knows that these are not created in vain, and can realize the power and great art of God everywhere and find ways to revere Him. He is one of those men of sense, who ( celebrate the praises of God, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (and say): ‘Our Lord! not for naught have You created (all) this! Glory be to You! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.’)(Surat Aal `Imran 3:191)**
At various points in the Qur’an, expressions like, “will you not take heed?”, “...there is a sign for thinking men,” lay stress on the importance of pondering upon the signs of God. God has created an endless list of subjects for reflection. Everything we see and sense in the heavens and on the earth and in between is indeed a manifestation of God’s creativity and, as such should be food for thought. One of the verses gives the example of these divine blessing of God:
(With it He produces for you corn, olives, date palms, grapes and every kind of fruit: verily, in this is a sign for those who give thought.) (Surat An-Nahl 16:11)
Let us think for a moment of one of the above mentioned items: the date palm. The tree, as is well known, grows up from a seed out of the earth. From this tiny seed (a seed is not even 1 cubic centimeter in size), arises an enormous wooden mass of 4-5 meters long and hundreds of kilograms in weight. The only thing that the seed can use while constituting this great mass is the earth in which it is buried.
Look around you… How many wonderful signs of God can you see?
For more on the vast diversity of God’s creation see
A Beautiful World
How can a seed know how to form a tree? How can it “reason” to decompose the necessary substances in the soil to create wood? How can it predict the required shape and structure? This last question is especially important, because it is not an ordinary wooden piece that emerges from the seed. It is a complex living organism with roots for assimilating substances from the earth, with veins and with branches that are perfectly organized. A human being has difficulty in drawing even a picture of a tree, while on the contrary a simple seed can produce such an extremely complex object by merely using the substances in the soil.
This observation concludes that a seed is extremely intelligent and wise, even more so than we are. Or to be more precise, there is an amazing intelligence in what a seed does. But what is the source of that intelligence? How can it be possible for a seed to have such intelligence and memory?
No doubt, this question has a single answer: the seed is created by being endowed with the ability to form a tree, that is, it is programmed so in advance. Every seed on earth is encompassed by God and grows within His knowledge. In one of the verses it is stated:
(With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knows but He. He knows whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear.) (Surat Al-An’am 6:59)
It is God who creates the seed and causes it to spring forth as a new plant. In another verse it is said:
(It is God Who causes the seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout. He causes the living to issue from the dead, and He is the one to cause the dead to issue from the living. That is God: then how are you deluded away from the truth?) (Surat Al-An’am 6:95)
The seed is merely one of the numerous signs that God has created in the universe. If men begin to think not only with their minds but also with their hearts, and ask of themselves, the questions “why” and “how”, they will be able to understand that entire universe is the proof of the existence and power of God.
* Taken with permission from www.harunyahya.com
** The translation of the Qur’an used in this article is Yusuf Ali’s translation
For the sake of Allah
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
UNGS 2030 : Required reading - Sunnatullah - Signs of GOD
SIGNS OF GOD
Design in Nature
INTRODUCTION
Let us for a moment think of an aspirin; you will immediately recall the mark in the middle. This mark is designed to help those who take a half dose. Every product that we see around us, even if not as simple as the aspirin, is of a certain design, from the vehicles we use to go to work, to TV remote controls.
Design, in brief, means a harmonious assembling of various parts in an orderly form designed for a common goal. Going by this definition, one has no difficulty in guessing that a car is a design. This is because there is a certain goal, which is to transport people and cargo. In realisation of this goal, various parts such as the engine, tires and body are planned and assembled in a factory.
However, what about living creatures? Can a bird and the mechanics of its flight be a design as well? Before giving an answer, let us repeat the evaluation we did in the example of the car. The goal, in this case, is to fly. For this purpose, hollow, light-weight bones and the strong breast muscles that move these bones are utilised together with feathers capable of suspension in the air. Wings are formed aerodynamically, and the metabolism is in tune with the bird's need for high levels of energy. It is obvious that the bird is a product of a certain design.
If we leave aside the bird and examine other forms of life, we encounter the same truth. In every creature, there are examples of extremely well-conceived design. If we continue further on this quest, we discover that we ourselves are also a part of this design. Your hands that hold these pages are functional as no robot hands could ever be. Your eyes that read these lines are making vision possible with such focus that the best camera on earth simply cannot achieve.
Hence one arrives at this important conclusion; all creatures in nature, including us, are of a design. This, in turn, shows the existence of a Creator, Who designs all creatures at will, sustains the entire creation and holds absolute power and wisdom.
However, this truth is rejected by the theory of evolution that was formed in the middle of the 19th century. The theory set forth in Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species asserts that all creatures evolved by chains of coincidences and mutated from one another.
According to the fundamental premise of this theory, all life forms go through minute random changes. If these random changes improve a life form, then it gains an advantage over the others, which in turn is carried onto following generations.
This scenario has been passed around for 140 years as if it is very scientific and convincing. When scrutinised under a larger microscope and when compared against the examples of the design in creatures, Darwin's theory paints a very different picture, i.e. Darwinism's explanation of life is nothing more than a self-contradictory vicious circle.
Let us first focus on the random changes. Darwin could not provide a comprehensive definition of this concept due to lack of knowledge of genetics in his time. The evolutionists who followed him suggested the concept of "mutation". Mutation is arbitrary disconnections, dislocations or shifts of genes in living things. Most importantly, there is not one single mutation in history that has been shown to improve the condition of a creature's genetic information. Nearly all the known cases of mutations disable or harm these creatures and the rest are neutral in effect. Therefore, to think that a creature can improve through mutation is the same as shooting at a crowd of people hoping that the injuries will result in healthier improved individuals. This is clearly nonsense.
As importantly, and contrary to all the scientific data, even if one assumes that a certain mutation could actually improve a being's condition, Darwinism still cannot be delivered from inevitable collapse. The reason for this is a concept called "irreducible complexity." The implication of this concept is that the majority of systems and organs in living things function as a result of various independent parts working together, the elimination or disabling of even one of which would be enough to disable the entire system or organ.
For example, an ear perceives sounds only through a sequence of smaller organs. Take out or deform one of these, e.g. one of the bones of the middle ear, and there would be no hearing whatsoever. In order for an ear to perceive, a variety of components - such as external auditory canal, tympanic membrane, bones in the middle ear, that is, the hammer, anvil and stirrup, fluid-filled cochlea, hearing receptors or hair cells, the cilia which help these cells to sense the vibrations, the net of nerves that connect to the brain and hearing centre in the brain - have to work together without exception. The system could not have developed in segments because none of the segments could possibly function alone.
Hence, the concept of irreducible complexity demolishes the theory of evolution at its foundations. Interestingly, Darwin also worried about these very prospects. He wrote in On The Origin of Species:
If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.1
Darwin could not, or might not have wanted to, find such an organ at the premature levels of 19th century science. However the science of the 20th century did study nature in minute details and proved that the majority of living structures embody irreducible complexity. Therefore, Darwin's theory has "absolutely" collapsed just as he feared.
In this book, we are going to explore various examples of systems in living beings that demolish Darwin's theory. These mechanisms will be found anywhere from in the wings of a bird to inside a bat's skull. As we examine these examples we will not only see the immense error Darwinism makes but also witness the greatness of the wisdom with which these systems were created.
Hence, we will see the indisputable evidence of God's flawless creation.
AN EXAMPLE OF IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY: THE EYE OF THE LOBSTER
There are many different types of eye in the living world. We are accustomed to the camera-type eye found in vertebrates. This structure works on the principle of the refraction of light, which falls onto the lens and is focused on a point behind the lens inside the interior of the eye.
However, the eyes possessed by other creatures work by different methods. One example is the lobster. A lobster's eye works on a principle of reflection rather than that of refraction.
The most outstanding characteristic of the lobster eye is its surface, which is composed of numerous squares. As shown in the picture on the next page, these squares are positioned most precisely.
The eye of a lobster shows a remarkable geometry not found elsewhere in nature - it has tiny facets that are perfectly square, so it "looks like perfect graph paper."2
These well-arranged squares are in fact the ends of tiny square tubes forming a structure resembling a honeycomb. At first glance, the honeycomb appears to be made up of hexagons, although these are actually the front faces of hexagonal prisms. In the lobster's eye, there are the squares in place of hexagons.
Even more intriguing is that the sides of each one of these square tubes are like mirrors that reflect the incoming light. This reflected light is focused onto the retina flawlessly. The sides of the tubes inside the eye are lodged at such perfect angles that they all focus onto a single point.3
The extraordinary nature of the design of this system is quite indisputable. All of these perfect square tubes have a layer that works just like a mirror. Furthermore, each one of these cells is sited by means of precise geometrical alignments so that they all focus the light at a single point.
It is obvious that the design in the lobster eye presents a great difficulty for the theory of evolution. Most importantly, it exemplifies the concept of "irreducible complexity." If even one of its features - such as the facets of the eye, which are perfect squares, the mirrored sides of each unit, or the retina layer at the back - were eliminated, the eye could never function. Therefore, it is impossible to maintain that the eye evolved step-by-step. It is scientifically unjustifiable to argue that such a perfect design as this could have come about haphazardly. It is quite clear that the lobster eye was created as a miraculous system.
The lobster eye is composed of numerous squares. These well-arranged squares are in fact the ends of tiny square tubes. The sides of each one of these square tubes are like mirrors that reflect the incoming light. This reflected light is focused onto the retina flawlessly. The sides of the tubes inside the eye are lodged at such perfect angles that they all focus onto a single point.
One can find further traits in the lobster's eye that nullify the assertions of evolutionists. An interesting fact emerges when one looks at creatures with similar eye structures. The reflecting eye, of which the lobster's eye was one example, is found in only one group of crustaceans, the so-called long-bodied decapods. This family includes the lobsters, the prawns and the shrimp.
The other members of the crustacea class display the "refracting type eye structure", which works on completely different principles from those of the reflecting type. Here, the eye is made up of hundreds of cells like a honeycomb. Unlike the square cells in a lobster eye, these cells are either hexagonal or round. Furthermore, instead of reflecting light, small lenses in the cells refract the light onto the focus on the retina.
The majority of crustaceans have the refracting eye structure. On the contrary, only one group of the crustaceans, namely the long-bodied decapods, have reflecting eyes. According to evolutionist assumptions, all the creatures within the class Crustacea should have evolved from the same ancestor. Therefore, evolutionists claim that reflecting eye evolved from a refracting eye, which is far more common among the crustacea and of a fundamentally simpler design.
However, such reasoning is impossible, because both eye structures function perfectly within their own systems and have no room for any "transitional" phase. A crustacean would be left sightless and would be eliminated by natural selection if the refracting lens in its eye were to diminish and be replaced by reflecting mirrored surfaces.
It is, therefore, certain that both of these eye structures were designed and created separately. There is such superb geometric precision in these eyes that entertaining the possibility of "coincidence" is simply ludicrous. Just like the rest of the miracles of creation, the lobster's eye structure is an open testimony to the Creator's boundless power to create flawlessly. This is nothing but a manifestation of God's endless knowledge, wisdom and might. We can encounter such miracles as these regardless of what we examine in the world of creation.
Design in Nature
INTRODUCTION
Let us for a moment think of an aspirin; you will immediately recall the mark in the middle. This mark is designed to help those who take a half dose. Every product that we see around us, even if not as simple as the aspirin, is of a certain design, from the vehicles we use to go to work, to TV remote controls.
Design, in brief, means a harmonious assembling of various parts in an orderly form designed for a common goal. Going by this definition, one has no difficulty in guessing that a car is a design. This is because there is a certain goal, which is to transport people and cargo. In realisation of this goal, various parts such as the engine, tires and body are planned and assembled in a factory.
However, what about living creatures? Can a bird and the mechanics of its flight be a design as well? Before giving an answer, let us repeat the evaluation we did in the example of the car. The goal, in this case, is to fly. For this purpose, hollow, light-weight bones and the strong breast muscles that move these bones are utilised together with feathers capable of suspension in the air. Wings are formed aerodynamically, and the metabolism is in tune with the bird's need for high levels of energy. It is obvious that the bird is a product of a certain design.
If we leave aside the bird and examine other forms of life, we encounter the same truth. In every creature, there are examples of extremely well-conceived design. If we continue further on this quest, we discover that we ourselves are also a part of this design. Your hands that hold these pages are functional as no robot hands could ever be. Your eyes that read these lines are making vision possible with such focus that the best camera on earth simply cannot achieve.
Hence one arrives at this important conclusion; all creatures in nature, including us, are of a design. This, in turn, shows the existence of a Creator, Who designs all creatures at will, sustains the entire creation and holds absolute power and wisdom.
However, this truth is rejected by the theory of evolution that was formed in the middle of the 19th century. The theory set forth in Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species asserts that all creatures evolved by chains of coincidences and mutated from one another.
According to the fundamental premise of this theory, all life forms go through minute random changes. If these random changes improve a life form, then it gains an advantage over the others, which in turn is carried onto following generations.
This scenario has been passed around for 140 years as if it is very scientific and convincing. When scrutinised under a larger microscope and when compared against the examples of the design in creatures, Darwin's theory paints a very different picture, i.e. Darwinism's explanation of life is nothing more than a self-contradictory vicious circle.
Let us first focus on the random changes. Darwin could not provide a comprehensive definition of this concept due to lack of knowledge of genetics in his time. The evolutionists who followed him suggested the concept of "mutation". Mutation is arbitrary disconnections, dislocations or shifts of genes in living things. Most importantly, there is not one single mutation in history that has been shown to improve the condition of a creature's genetic information. Nearly all the known cases of mutations disable or harm these creatures and the rest are neutral in effect. Therefore, to think that a creature can improve through mutation is the same as shooting at a crowd of people hoping that the injuries will result in healthier improved individuals. This is clearly nonsense.
As importantly, and contrary to all the scientific data, even if one assumes that a certain mutation could actually improve a being's condition, Darwinism still cannot be delivered from inevitable collapse. The reason for this is a concept called "irreducible complexity." The implication of this concept is that the majority of systems and organs in living things function as a result of various independent parts working together, the elimination or disabling of even one of which would be enough to disable the entire system or organ.
For example, an ear perceives sounds only through a sequence of smaller organs. Take out or deform one of these, e.g. one of the bones of the middle ear, and there would be no hearing whatsoever. In order for an ear to perceive, a variety of components - such as external auditory canal, tympanic membrane, bones in the middle ear, that is, the hammer, anvil and stirrup, fluid-filled cochlea, hearing receptors or hair cells, the cilia which help these cells to sense the vibrations, the net of nerves that connect to the brain and hearing centre in the brain - have to work together without exception. The system could not have developed in segments because none of the segments could possibly function alone.
Hence, the concept of irreducible complexity demolishes the theory of evolution at its foundations. Interestingly, Darwin also worried about these very prospects. He wrote in On The Origin of Species:
If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.1
Darwin could not, or might not have wanted to, find such an organ at the premature levels of 19th century science. However the science of the 20th century did study nature in minute details and proved that the majority of living structures embody irreducible complexity. Therefore, Darwin's theory has "absolutely" collapsed just as he feared.
In this book, we are going to explore various examples of systems in living beings that demolish Darwin's theory. These mechanisms will be found anywhere from in the wings of a bird to inside a bat's skull. As we examine these examples we will not only see the immense error Darwinism makes but also witness the greatness of the wisdom with which these systems were created.
Hence, we will see the indisputable evidence of God's flawless creation.
AN EXAMPLE OF IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY: THE EYE OF THE LOBSTER
There are many different types of eye in the living world. We are accustomed to the camera-type eye found in vertebrates. This structure works on the principle of the refraction of light, which falls onto the lens and is focused on a point behind the lens inside the interior of the eye.
However, the eyes possessed by other creatures work by different methods. One example is the lobster. A lobster's eye works on a principle of reflection rather than that of refraction.
The most outstanding characteristic of the lobster eye is its surface, which is composed of numerous squares. As shown in the picture on the next page, these squares are positioned most precisely.
The eye of a lobster shows a remarkable geometry not found elsewhere in nature - it has tiny facets that are perfectly square, so it "looks like perfect graph paper."2
These well-arranged squares are in fact the ends of tiny square tubes forming a structure resembling a honeycomb. At first glance, the honeycomb appears to be made up of hexagons, although these are actually the front faces of hexagonal prisms. In the lobster's eye, there are the squares in place of hexagons.
Even more intriguing is that the sides of each one of these square tubes are like mirrors that reflect the incoming light. This reflected light is focused onto the retina flawlessly. The sides of the tubes inside the eye are lodged at such perfect angles that they all focus onto a single point.3
The extraordinary nature of the design of this system is quite indisputable. All of these perfect square tubes have a layer that works just like a mirror. Furthermore, each one of these cells is sited by means of precise geometrical alignments so that they all focus the light at a single point.
It is obvious that the design in the lobster eye presents a great difficulty for the theory of evolution. Most importantly, it exemplifies the concept of "irreducible complexity." If even one of its features - such as the facets of the eye, which are perfect squares, the mirrored sides of each unit, or the retina layer at the back - were eliminated, the eye could never function. Therefore, it is impossible to maintain that the eye evolved step-by-step. It is scientifically unjustifiable to argue that such a perfect design as this could have come about haphazardly. It is quite clear that the lobster eye was created as a miraculous system.
The lobster eye is composed of numerous squares. These well-arranged squares are in fact the ends of tiny square tubes. The sides of each one of these square tubes are like mirrors that reflect the incoming light. This reflected light is focused onto the retina flawlessly. The sides of the tubes inside the eye are lodged at such perfect angles that they all focus onto a single point.
One can find further traits in the lobster's eye that nullify the assertions of evolutionists. An interesting fact emerges when one looks at creatures with similar eye structures. The reflecting eye, of which the lobster's eye was one example, is found in only one group of crustaceans, the so-called long-bodied decapods. This family includes the lobsters, the prawns and the shrimp.
The other members of the crustacea class display the "refracting type eye structure", which works on completely different principles from those of the reflecting type. Here, the eye is made up of hundreds of cells like a honeycomb. Unlike the square cells in a lobster eye, these cells are either hexagonal or round. Furthermore, instead of reflecting light, small lenses in the cells refract the light onto the focus on the retina.
The majority of crustaceans have the refracting eye structure. On the contrary, only one group of the crustaceans, namely the long-bodied decapods, have reflecting eyes. According to evolutionist assumptions, all the creatures within the class Crustacea should have evolved from the same ancestor. Therefore, evolutionists claim that reflecting eye evolved from a refracting eye, which is far more common among the crustacea and of a fundamentally simpler design.
However, such reasoning is impossible, because both eye structures function perfectly within their own systems and have no room for any "transitional" phase. A crustacean would be left sightless and would be eliminated by natural selection if the refracting lens in its eye were to diminish and be replaced by reflecting mirrored surfaces.
It is, therefore, certain that both of these eye structures were designed and created separately. There is such superb geometric precision in these eyes that entertaining the possibility of "coincidence" is simply ludicrous. Just like the rest of the miracles of creation, the lobster's eye structure is an open testimony to the Creator's boundless power to create flawlessly. This is nothing but a manifestation of God's endless knowledge, wisdom and might. We can encounter such miracles as these regardless of what we examine in the world of creation.
UNGS 2030 : Required reading - Sunnatullah - Islam and Nature
Islam and the Nature of the Universe
By Nehal El-Hadi
[It is God who raised the skies without support, as you can see, then assumed His throne, and enthralled the sun and the moon (so that) each runs to a predetermined course. He disposes all affairs, distinctly explaining every sign that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord] (Ar-Ra`d 13:2)
The last of the Abrahamic religions, following Judaism and Christianity, Islam considers the creation of the universe as ultimate proof of the existence of one Creator who “is that dimension which makes other dimensions possible; He gives meaning and life to everything” (Rahman) According to the teachings of Islam, Allah (God) is the one and only god, the absolute Creator of the universe, its components and its laws. Allah is the beginning and the end of all things, and this is the foundation for Islam’s teachings.
The Qur’an is the word of Allah as passed down to Muslims through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the existence of only one version of the Qur’an (there are no dissimilarities between any two copies) attests to the reverence in which Muslims hold it. For Muslims, the Qur’an, containing the word of Allah, provides irrefutable proof of His existence. Along with the Qur’an, nature provides another source for the proof of Allah’s existence. This intimate relationship between the Qur’an and nature is shown in the phrase ayat, which refers to signs of Allah’s existence in nature and also refers to the verses in the Qur’an.
The Creation
In Islam, the world as man knows it, begins and ends with Allah. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, the creation process is not described in detail, but referred to as a starting point for Allah’s power. The creation story in Islam is described in the Qur’an as the creation of the universe by Allah’s will with a single command: “Be!” Several verses in the Qur’an highlight Allah’s power of creation:[Creator of the heavens and the earth from nothingness, He has only to say when He wills a thing: “Be,” and it is] (Al-Baqarah 2:117) and,[That is how God creates what He wills, when He decrees a thing, He says “Be,” and it is] (Aal `Imran 3:47).
In this manner, Allah created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, and the rest of the universe. He created the plants and the animals, and placed them on Earth, and He decreed upon them the laws by which the natural order of all creation functions. The universe is an independent entity, it exists according to those laws and does not require (divine) intervention, yet it cannot “warrant for its own existence and it cannot explain itself” (Rahman). In Islam, this in itself is considered conclusive proof of Allah’s existence. The laws placed by Allah take into account all natural phenomena and provide further proof for Allah’s greatness, which the Qur’an describes in detail.[He ushers in the dawn, and made the night for rest, the sun and moon a computation. Such is the measure appointed by Him, the Omnipotent and All-Wise] (Al-An`am 6:96). Natural law, as decreed by Allah, “reflects and issues from the order that exists in the Divine Realm” (Nasr) where Allah exists.
Mankind & Nature
Man was created from clay, and is thus part of nature, not separate from it. This relationship with nature materialises in Islamic living in several ways, the most significant and obvious being death. Muslim burials require the corpse to be washed, have all items removed, and placed in the ground within three days—for an easier return to the earth whence it came.
Within Allah’s universe, man was given a special place. In Islamic teachings, in contrast to those of Christianity, man was not made in God’s image. Rather, Allah distinguished man from His other creations by breathing His own spirit into man. This preferential treatment of God’s creation gave man two privileges not made available to the rest of creation: (1) freedom of choice and (2) specialised knowledge or “creative knowledge” (Rahman).
Freedom of choice allows man the ability to make the decision whether or not to worship Allah and follow His will. The universe, as described before, is governed by the laws decreed for it by Allah, and has, therefore, been in submission to Allah since its creation. Man, however, was given the ability to think, rationalize, and argue the presence of a creator, and then decide whether to submit to Him or not.
An Open Invitation to Knowledge and Learning
Creative knowledge was first displayed—according to the teachings of Islam—when, after the angels questioned Allah as to why he had created man in the form of Adam, Allah challenged the angels and Adam to name objects. The angels were unable to bestow names upon things, whereas Adam could, giving him superiority over those that he had named and demonstrating his Creator’s power.
As part of man’s privilege, Islam, through the Qur’an, invites man to discover the laws of nature and the ways in which the universe exists. There is no threat to Allah’s supremacy in this way, because if Allah wills something to remain a mystery (such as Himself) then man has no possible way of discovering whatever Allah chooses to remain hidden. On the contrary, when man sees for himself the extent to which the universe has been meticulously planned and provided for, Allah’s infinite wisdom becomes apparent. Man is invited to question, discover, explore, and manipulate the world around him and use it for his benefit.
There are three types of learning encouraged in Islam, all of which will (or should) inevitably lead to acknowledgement and recognition of Allah’s power. These are: (1) the discovery of nature, its laws, and how it can be used for the benefit of mankind; (2) the exploration of the history and the geography of the physical world and its peoples; and (3) knowledge of oneself (Rahman).
This encouragement to learn and discover has led to a proliferation of Arab scholars in the fields of the natural sciences and mathematics. In Islamic philosophy, one must always seek knowledge, both within and without, as knowledge illuminates the path on which one must travel. Ignorance is an unfavourable state of being, as the process pf acknowledging the existence and power of Allah is one of enlightenment through knowing.
“Nature exists for man to exploit for his own ends, while the end of man himself is nothing else but to serve God, to be grateful to him, and to worship him alone” (Rahman). Islam suggests that nature was created by Allah specifically for mankind’s use and so must be recognised and respected as a gift for which man must be grateful. There are three reasons for creation: (1) “to serve as a collection of signs, or ayat, of the power and goodness of Allah”; (2) “to serve Allah and to be submissive to God’s will”; and (3) “for the use of humans” (Timm).
Natural law in Islam is based on the laws Allah created for nature, which as mentioned earlier, reflected the laws of Allah’s divine realm. Man is expected to discover Allah’s will and to follow it, because “Islam suggests that discovering the truth, learning the truth, and believing in the truth are all possible” (Ezzati).
Allah created the universe, bestowed human beings with a privileged position within it, and left the world to function under the laws He had decreed for it. Allah observes how people treat the bounty He has given them, and the universe is allowed to exist, with little intervention, for a certain length of time. At the end of this time, following portents of the end of the world as we know it, mankind is brought in front of Allah for Judgment Day. Islam’s eschatology places Allah’s role as mankind’s judge as the progression from His role as mankind’s Creator, and man will be punished or rewarded for his deeds in Allah’s universe.
Islam is a natural religion, in that its teachings advocate the utilisation of nature for man’s benefit, along with the preservation of the universe that Allah has placed in mankind’s safekeeping.
Sources:
Ali, A. Al-Quran: A Contemporary Translation . New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2001.
Ezzati, A. Islam and Natural Law . London: ICAS Press, 2002.
Nasr, S.H. Religion and the Order of Nature . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Rahman, F. Major Themes of the Qur'an . Chicago: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1980.
Timm, R.E. “The Ecological Fallout of Islamic Creation Philosophy.” Worldviews and Ecology: Religion, Philosophy and the Environment . Eds. M.E. Tucker and J.A. Grim, New York: Orbis Books, 1994. 83-95
By Nehal El-Hadi
[It is God who raised the skies without support, as you can see, then assumed His throne, and enthralled the sun and the moon (so that) each runs to a predetermined course. He disposes all affairs, distinctly explaining every sign that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord] (Ar-Ra`d 13:2)
The last of the Abrahamic religions, following Judaism and Christianity, Islam considers the creation of the universe as ultimate proof of the existence of one Creator who “is that dimension which makes other dimensions possible; He gives meaning and life to everything” (Rahman) According to the teachings of Islam, Allah (God) is the one and only god, the absolute Creator of the universe, its components and its laws. Allah is the beginning and the end of all things, and this is the foundation for Islam’s teachings.
The Qur’an is the word of Allah as passed down to Muslims through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the existence of only one version of the Qur’an (there are no dissimilarities between any two copies) attests to the reverence in which Muslims hold it. For Muslims, the Qur’an, containing the word of Allah, provides irrefutable proof of His existence. Along with the Qur’an, nature provides another source for the proof of Allah’s existence. This intimate relationship between the Qur’an and nature is shown in the phrase ayat, which refers to signs of Allah’s existence in nature and also refers to the verses in the Qur’an.
The Creation
In Islam, the world as man knows it, begins and ends with Allah. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, the creation process is not described in detail, but referred to as a starting point for Allah’s power. The creation story in Islam is described in the Qur’an as the creation of the universe by Allah’s will with a single command: “Be!” Several verses in the Qur’an highlight Allah’s power of creation:[Creator of the heavens and the earth from nothingness, He has only to say when He wills a thing: “Be,” and it is] (Al-Baqarah 2:117) and,[That is how God creates what He wills, when He decrees a thing, He says “Be,” and it is] (Aal `Imran 3:47).
In this manner, Allah created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, and the rest of the universe. He created the plants and the animals, and placed them on Earth, and He decreed upon them the laws by which the natural order of all creation functions. The universe is an independent entity, it exists according to those laws and does not require (divine) intervention, yet it cannot “warrant for its own existence and it cannot explain itself” (Rahman). In Islam, this in itself is considered conclusive proof of Allah’s existence. The laws placed by Allah take into account all natural phenomena and provide further proof for Allah’s greatness, which the Qur’an describes in detail.[He ushers in the dawn, and made the night for rest, the sun and moon a computation. Such is the measure appointed by Him, the Omnipotent and All-Wise] (Al-An`am 6:96). Natural law, as decreed by Allah, “reflects and issues from the order that exists in the Divine Realm” (Nasr) where Allah exists.
Mankind & Nature
Man was created from clay, and is thus part of nature, not separate from it. This relationship with nature materialises in Islamic living in several ways, the most significant and obvious being death. Muslim burials require the corpse to be washed, have all items removed, and placed in the ground within three days—for an easier return to the earth whence it came.
Within Allah’s universe, man was given a special place. In Islamic teachings, in contrast to those of Christianity, man was not made in God’s image. Rather, Allah distinguished man from His other creations by breathing His own spirit into man. This preferential treatment of God’s creation gave man two privileges not made available to the rest of creation: (1) freedom of choice and (2) specialised knowledge or “creative knowledge” (Rahman).
Freedom of choice allows man the ability to make the decision whether or not to worship Allah and follow His will. The universe, as described before, is governed by the laws decreed for it by Allah, and has, therefore, been in submission to Allah since its creation. Man, however, was given the ability to think, rationalize, and argue the presence of a creator, and then decide whether to submit to Him or not.
An Open Invitation to Knowledge and Learning
Creative knowledge was first displayed—according to the teachings of Islam—when, after the angels questioned Allah as to why he had created man in the form of Adam, Allah challenged the angels and Adam to name objects. The angels were unable to bestow names upon things, whereas Adam could, giving him superiority over those that he had named and demonstrating his Creator’s power.
As part of man’s privilege, Islam, through the Qur’an, invites man to discover the laws of nature and the ways in which the universe exists. There is no threat to Allah’s supremacy in this way, because if Allah wills something to remain a mystery (such as Himself) then man has no possible way of discovering whatever Allah chooses to remain hidden. On the contrary, when man sees for himself the extent to which the universe has been meticulously planned and provided for, Allah’s infinite wisdom becomes apparent. Man is invited to question, discover, explore, and manipulate the world around him and use it for his benefit.
There are three types of learning encouraged in Islam, all of which will (or should) inevitably lead to acknowledgement and recognition of Allah’s power. These are: (1) the discovery of nature, its laws, and how it can be used for the benefit of mankind; (2) the exploration of the history and the geography of the physical world and its peoples; and (3) knowledge of oneself (Rahman).
This encouragement to learn and discover has led to a proliferation of Arab scholars in the fields of the natural sciences and mathematics. In Islamic philosophy, one must always seek knowledge, both within and without, as knowledge illuminates the path on which one must travel. Ignorance is an unfavourable state of being, as the process pf acknowledging the existence and power of Allah is one of enlightenment through knowing.
“Nature exists for man to exploit for his own ends, while the end of man himself is nothing else but to serve God, to be grateful to him, and to worship him alone” (Rahman). Islam suggests that nature was created by Allah specifically for mankind’s use and so must be recognised and respected as a gift for which man must be grateful. There are three reasons for creation: (1) “to serve as a collection of signs, or ayat, of the power and goodness of Allah”; (2) “to serve Allah and to be submissive to God’s will”; and (3) “for the use of humans” (Timm).
Natural law in Islam is based on the laws Allah created for nature, which as mentioned earlier, reflected the laws of Allah’s divine realm. Man is expected to discover Allah’s will and to follow it, because “Islam suggests that discovering the truth, learning the truth, and believing in the truth are all possible” (Ezzati).
Allah created the universe, bestowed human beings with a privileged position within it, and left the world to function under the laws He had decreed for it. Allah observes how people treat the bounty He has given them, and the universe is allowed to exist, with little intervention, for a certain length of time. At the end of this time, following portents of the end of the world as we know it, mankind is brought in front of Allah for Judgment Day. Islam’s eschatology places Allah’s role as mankind’s judge as the progression from His role as mankind’s Creator, and man will be punished or rewarded for his deeds in Allah’s universe.
Islam is a natural religion, in that its teachings advocate the utilisation of nature for man’s benefit, along with the preservation of the universe that Allah has placed in mankind’s safekeeping.
Sources:
Ali, A. Al-Quran: A Contemporary Translation . New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2001.
Ezzati, A. Islam and Natural Law . London: ICAS Press, 2002.
Nasr, S.H. Religion and the Order of Nature . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Rahman, F. Major Themes of the Qur'an . Chicago: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1980.
Timm, R.E. “The Ecological Fallout of Islamic Creation Philosophy.” Worldviews and Ecology: Religion, Philosophy and the Environment . Eds. M.E. Tucker and J.A. Grim, New York: Orbis Books, 1994. 83-95
UNGS 2030 : Required reading - Prophet hood - Need for Rasul
Mankind’s need for the Messengers
Question:
Why do people need the Prophets?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophets are the Messengers of Allaah to His slaves; they convey His commands, and give them glad tidings of the delights that Allaah has promised them if they obey His commands, and they warn them of the abiding punishment if they go against His prohibitions. They tell them the stories of the past nations and the punishment and vengeance that befell them in this world because they disobeyed the commands of their Lord.
These divine commands and prohibitions cannot be known through independent thinking, hence Allaah has prescribed laws and enjoined commands and prohibitions, to honor mankind and protect their interests, because people may follow their desires and thus transgress the limits and abuse people and deprive them of their rights. So by His wisdom Allaah sent among them from time to time Messengers to remind them of the commands of Allaah and to warn them against failing into sin, to preach to them and to tell them the stories of those who came before them. For when people hear wondrous stories it makes their minds alert, so they understand and increase in knowledge and understand correctly. For the more people hear, the more ideas they will have; the more ideas they have, the more they will think; the more they think, the more they will know; and the more they know, the more they will do. So there is no alternative to sending Messengers in order to explain the truth. (A’laam al-Nubuwwah by ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Maawardi, p. 33).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) – Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Haleem ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam, who is well known as Ibn Taymiyah, born in 661 AH and died in 728 AH, one of the greatest scholars of Islam who wrote many valuable books – said:
Messengership is essential to guide mankind to that which is best for them in this world and in the Hereafter. Man cannot follow what is best for him with regard to the Hereafter unless he follows the Message and he cannot be guided to what is best for him in this world unless he follows the Message. Man needs the sharee’ah because he has two motives, to bring that which will benefit him and to ward off that which will harm him. This sharee’ah is the light of Allaah on this earth, and His justice among His slaves, and the refuge which whoever enters it will be safe.
Sharee’ah does not mean distinguishing between what is beneficial and what is harmful on a physical basis, because even animals are able to do this. Donkeys and camels are able to differentiate between barley and dust. Rather the distinction is between deeds which will harm a person in this world and the Hereafter, and deeds which will benefit him in this world and in the Hereafter, such as faith, Tawheed, justice, righteousness, kindness, trustworthiness, chastity, courage, knowledge, patience, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, upholding the ties of kinship, honouring one’s parents, treating neighbours well, recognizing people’s rights, sincerely doing things for the sake of Allaah, putting one's trust in Him, seeking His help, accepting His decree, submitting to His will, believing in Him and in His Messengers in all that they have told us, and other deeds which are of benefit to a person in this world and in the Hereafter. The opposite of that leads him to misery and doom in this world and in the Hereafter.
Were it not for the Messengers, our minds could not guide us to differentiate between the beneficial and the harmful in this life in a detailed manner. One of the greatest blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon His slaves is that He sent Messengers to them and revealed books to them, and showed them the Straight Path. Were it not for that, they would have been like cattle, and even worse off. So whoever accepts the Message of Allaah and adheres to it is one of the best of mankind, and whoever rejects it and ignores it is one of the worst of mankind, even worse off than dogs and pigs, and the vilest of the vile. The people of this world could not survive except by virtue of the Messengers’ teachings, traces of which are still extant amongst them. If these traces of the Messengers vanished from the earth and their teachings were wiped out, Allaah would destroy the upper and lower realms and the Hour would begin.
The need of the people of the earth for the Messengers is not like their need for the sun, moon, wind and rain, or like a man’s need for his life, or like the eye’s need for light, or like the body’s need for food and drink. Rather it is greater than that, greater than his need for anything you could think of. The Messengers (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them) are intermediaries between Allaah and His creation, conveying His commands and prohibitions. They are ambassadors from Him to His slaves. The last and greatest of them, the noblest before his Lord, was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, and upon all of them). Allaah sent him as a mercy to the worlds, guidance for those who want to draw closer to Allaah, proof which left no excuse for all people. He enjoined the people to obey him, love him, respect him, support him, and acknowledge his rights. Allaah took the covenant from all the Messengers and Prophets that they would believe in him and follow him, and He commanded them to take the same covenant from the believers who followed them. He sent him just before the Hour as a bringer of glad tidings and a warner, calling people to Allaah by His leave and as a brightly shining lamp. He concluded the line of Messengers with him. Through him He guided people and dispelled misguidance, taught them and dispelled ignorance. Through his Message He opened blind eyes, deaf ears and hard hearts. Through his message He filled the world with light after it had been in darkness, He brought people together after they had been divided, He straightened the crooked path of mankind and showed them the clear way. He opened his heart for him and removed from him his burden, and raised high his fame (cf. al-Sharh 94:1-3). He inflicted humiliation and shame on those who went against his command. He sent him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at a time when there had been no Messengers for a long while and when the Books had vanished, when words had been distorted and laws changed, when all peoples referred to their own unfair opinions, developed their own ideas about Allaah and judged among people by their own corrupt ideas and whims and desires. Through him Allaah guided mankind and clarified the different means of drawing closer to Allaah. Through him, He brought the people forth from darkness into light. Through him, He differentiated between those who will prosper and those who are immoral. So whoever follows his guidance is truly guided, and whoever turns away from his path is misguided and has deviated. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon him and upon all the Messengers and Prophets.
(This list is from Wujoob al-I’tisaam bi’l-Risaalah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 19, p. 99-102; and from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa. See Lawaami’ al-Anwaar al-Bahiyyah, vol. 2, p. 216, 236)
We may sum up man’s need for the Messengers as follows:
1- Man is created and subjugated, and he has to know his Creator and what He wants of him, and why he was created. Man cannot come to know that independently. He has no way of finding that out except through knowing the Prophets and Messengers, and the guidance and light which they brought.
2- Man is composed of body and soul, His body is nourished by his food and drink, but the nourishment of his soul is that which was explained by its Creator, namely the true religion and righteous deeds. The Prophets and Messengers brought the true religion and taught them to do righteous deeds.
3- Man is religious by nature; he has to have a religion to follow, and this religion has to be correct. There is no way to the true religion except through believing in the Prophets and Messengers and believing in the message they brought.
4- Man needs the way through which he may attain the pleasure of Allaah in this world, and reach His Paradise and bliss in the Hereafter. No one can show these ways and guide people to them apart from the Prophets and Messengers.
5- Man is weak by nature, and there are many enemies lying in wait for him, such as the Shaytaan who wants to lead him astray and bad companions who make evil things attractive to him, and his own self which is inclined towards evil. Hence he needs something to protect himself from the plots of his enemies. The Prophets and Messengers guide him towards that and show it to him clearly.
6- Man is sociable by nature. In human meetings and interactions, there have to be laws to guide people in a fair and just manner – otherwise the law of the jungle would prevail. This guiding law must protect the rights of all those who have rights, without neglecting or exaggerating in any way. No one can produce a perfect law except the Prophets and Messengers.
7- Man needs something that will give him security and peace of mind, and guide him to the means of true happiness. This is what the Prophets and Messengers guide people towards.
From al-Islam Usooluhu wa Mabaadi’uhu, by Dr. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Saalih al-Husaym
Question:
Why do people need the Prophets?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophets are the Messengers of Allaah to His slaves; they convey His commands, and give them glad tidings of the delights that Allaah has promised them if they obey His commands, and they warn them of the abiding punishment if they go against His prohibitions. They tell them the stories of the past nations and the punishment and vengeance that befell them in this world because they disobeyed the commands of their Lord.
These divine commands and prohibitions cannot be known through independent thinking, hence Allaah has prescribed laws and enjoined commands and prohibitions, to honor mankind and protect their interests, because people may follow their desires and thus transgress the limits and abuse people and deprive them of their rights. So by His wisdom Allaah sent among them from time to time Messengers to remind them of the commands of Allaah and to warn them against failing into sin, to preach to them and to tell them the stories of those who came before them. For when people hear wondrous stories it makes their minds alert, so they understand and increase in knowledge and understand correctly. For the more people hear, the more ideas they will have; the more ideas they have, the more they will think; the more they think, the more they will know; and the more they know, the more they will do. So there is no alternative to sending Messengers in order to explain the truth. (A’laam al-Nubuwwah by ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Maawardi, p. 33).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) – Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Haleem ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam, who is well known as Ibn Taymiyah, born in 661 AH and died in 728 AH, one of the greatest scholars of Islam who wrote many valuable books – said:
Messengership is essential to guide mankind to that which is best for them in this world and in the Hereafter. Man cannot follow what is best for him with regard to the Hereafter unless he follows the Message and he cannot be guided to what is best for him in this world unless he follows the Message. Man needs the sharee’ah because he has two motives, to bring that which will benefit him and to ward off that which will harm him. This sharee’ah is the light of Allaah on this earth, and His justice among His slaves, and the refuge which whoever enters it will be safe.
Sharee’ah does not mean distinguishing between what is beneficial and what is harmful on a physical basis, because even animals are able to do this. Donkeys and camels are able to differentiate between barley and dust. Rather the distinction is between deeds which will harm a person in this world and the Hereafter, and deeds which will benefit him in this world and in the Hereafter, such as faith, Tawheed, justice, righteousness, kindness, trustworthiness, chastity, courage, knowledge, patience, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, upholding the ties of kinship, honouring one’s parents, treating neighbours well, recognizing people’s rights, sincerely doing things for the sake of Allaah, putting one's trust in Him, seeking His help, accepting His decree, submitting to His will, believing in Him and in His Messengers in all that they have told us, and other deeds which are of benefit to a person in this world and in the Hereafter. The opposite of that leads him to misery and doom in this world and in the Hereafter.
Were it not for the Messengers, our minds could not guide us to differentiate between the beneficial and the harmful in this life in a detailed manner. One of the greatest blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon His slaves is that He sent Messengers to them and revealed books to them, and showed them the Straight Path. Were it not for that, they would have been like cattle, and even worse off. So whoever accepts the Message of Allaah and adheres to it is one of the best of mankind, and whoever rejects it and ignores it is one of the worst of mankind, even worse off than dogs and pigs, and the vilest of the vile. The people of this world could not survive except by virtue of the Messengers’ teachings, traces of which are still extant amongst them. If these traces of the Messengers vanished from the earth and their teachings were wiped out, Allaah would destroy the upper and lower realms and the Hour would begin.
The need of the people of the earth for the Messengers is not like their need for the sun, moon, wind and rain, or like a man’s need for his life, or like the eye’s need for light, or like the body’s need for food and drink. Rather it is greater than that, greater than his need for anything you could think of. The Messengers (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them) are intermediaries between Allaah and His creation, conveying His commands and prohibitions. They are ambassadors from Him to His slaves. The last and greatest of them, the noblest before his Lord, was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, and upon all of them). Allaah sent him as a mercy to the worlds, guidance for those who want to draw closer to Allaah, proof which left no excuse for all people. He enjoined the people to obey him, love him, respect him, support him, and acknowledge his rights. Allaah took the covenant from all the Messengers and Prophets that they would believe in him and follow him, and He commanded them to take the same covenant from the believers who followed them. He sent him just before the Hour as a bringer of glad tidings and a warner, calling people to Allaah by His leave and as a brightly shining lamp. He concluded the line of Messengers with him. Through him He guided people and dispelled misguidance, taught them and dispelled ignorance. Through his Message He opened blind eyes, deaf ears and hard hearts. Through his message He filled the world with light after it had been in darkness, He brought people together after they had been divided, He straightened the crooked path of mankind and showed them the clear way. He opened his heart for him and removed from him his burden, and raised high his fame (cf. al-Sharh 94:1-3). He inflicted humiliation and shame on those who went against his command. He sent him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at a time when there had been no Messengers for a long while and when the Books had vanished, when words had been distorted and laws changed, when all peoples referred to their own unfair opinions, developed their own ideas about Allaah and judged among people by their own corrupt ideas and whims and desires. Through him Allaah guided mankind and clarified the different means of drawing closer to Allaah. Through him, He brought the people forth from darkness into light. Through him, He differentiated between those who will prosper and those who are immoral. So whoever follows his guidance is truly guided, and whoever turns away from his path is misguided and has deviated. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon him and upon all the Messengers and Prophets.
(This list is from Wujoob al-I’tisaam bi’l-Risaalah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 19, p. 99-102; and from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa. See Lawaami’ al-Anwaar al-Bahiyyah, vol. 2, p. 216, 236)
We may sum up man’s need for the Messengers as follows:
1- Man is created and subjugated, and he has to know his Creator and what He wants of him, and why he was created. Man cannot come to know that independently. He has no way of finding that out except through knowing the Prophets and Messengers, and the guidance and light which they brought.
2- Man is composed of body and soul, His body is nourished by his food and drink, but the nourishment of his soul is that which was explained by its Creator, namely the true religion and righteous deeds. The Prophets and Messengers brought the true religion and taught them to do righteous deeds.
3- Man is religious by nature; he has to have a religion to follow, and this religion has to be correct. There is no way to the true religion except through believing in the Prophets and Messengers and believing in the message they brought.
4- Man needs the way through which he may attain the pleasure of Allaah in this world, and reach His Paradise and bliss in the Hereafter. No one can show these ways and guide people to them apart from the Prophets and Messengers.
5- Man is weak by nature, and there are many enemies lying in wait for him, such as the Shaytaan who wants to lead him astray and bad companions who make evil things attractive to him, and his own self which is inclined towards evil. Hence he needs something to protect himself from the plots of his enemies. The Prophets and Messengers guide him towards that and show it to him clearly.
6- Man is sociable by nature. In human meetings and interactions, there have to be laws to guide people in a fair and just manner – otherwise the law of the jungle would prevail. This guiding law must protect the rights of all those who have rights, without neglecting or exaggerating in any way. No one can produce a perfect law except the Prophets and Messengers.
7- Man needs something that will give him security and peace of mind, and guide him to the means of true happiness. This is what the Prophets and Messengers guide people towards.
From al-Islam Usooluhu wa Mabaadi’uhu, by Dr. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Saalih al-Husaym
UNGS 2030 : Required reading - Prophet hood - Authority of Sunnah
The authority of the Prophet and his Sunnah
by Akram Y Safadi
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise be to Allah, and peace be upon His slaves whom He has chosen.
Notes on the Hadith and Sunnah: The authority of the Prophet and his Sunnah
28.November.1995
1. It was among the duties of all messengers to make the message clear
The Qur'an 14:4, {And We have never sent a messenger except with the tongue
of his people that he might make clear to them.}
2. Allah Most High taught His Messenger and explained the Qur'an to him
The Qur'an 75:16-19, {Move not your tounge with it to hasten it. Surely it
is upon Us to gather it and to recite it. So, when We recite it, follow its
recitation. Then surely it is upon Us to make it clear.}
The Qur'an 4:113, {And He has sent down upon you the Book and the wisdom,
and has taught you what you did not know before.}
3. Among the duties of the Messenger of Allah is to teach the Book and the
wisdom
The Qur'an 16:44, {And We have sent down unto you the revelations (al-Dhikr
) that you might make clear to humankind that which has been sent down to
them.}
The Qur'an 62:2, {He it is who has sent among the unlettered ones a
messenger of their own; to recite unto them His ayah-s (verses), and to
purify them, and to teach them the Book and the wisdom.}
4. Allah has inspired His Messenger the wisdom
The Qur'an 4:113, {And He has sent down upon you the Book and the wisdom,
and has taught you what you did not know before.}
The Qur'an 33:34, {And mention that which is recited in your houses of the
ayah-s of Allah and the wisdom.}
The Qur'an 53:1-4, {By the star when it goes down, your companion is neither
astray nor being misled, nor does he speak of desire, it is naught except an
inspiration (wahy) that is inspired.}
5. Allah has guided and protected His Messenger from any error
The Qur'an 42:52-53, {. . . and surely you guide unto a straight path. The
path of Allah . . .}
The Qur'an 68:4, {And surely you are upon a mighty morality.}
The Qur'an 53:1-4, {By the star when it goes down, your companion is neither
astray nor being misled, nor does he speak of desire, it is naught except an
inspiration that is inspired.}
The Qur'an 4:80, {Whoever obeys the Messenger, he thereby surely has obeyed
Allah. . .}
6. Allah has commanded us to submit fully to the authority of His Messenger
and to obey him
The Qur'an 4:65, {But nay, by your Lord, they will not believe until they
make you the judge of what is in dispute between them, then they shall find
in themselves no dislike of that which you have decreed, and submit in full
submission.}
The Qur'an 33:36, {It is not for a believing man nor a believing women, when
Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have the choice in their
affair; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has surely gone astray
in manifest error.}
The Qur'an 4:59, {O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and
those of you who are in authority; and if you have a dispute concerning any
matter, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and the
Last Day; that is best and more suitable to the end.}
The Qur'an 3:32, {Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away,
surely Allah does not love the disbelievers.}
The Qur'an 4:80, {Whoever obeys the Messenger, he thereby surely has obeyed
Allah, and whoever turns away--We have not send you as a watcher over them.}
7. Allah has commanded us to take His Messenger as the perfect example and
to follow him
The Qur'an 3:31-32, {Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love
you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey
Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away, surely Allah does not love
the disbelievers.}
The Qur'an 33:21, {Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example
for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.}
8. Allah has promised good reward for those who obey and follow His Messenger
The Qur'an 4:69, {Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger--they are with those
whom Allah has shown favor, of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and
the rigthous; and the best of company are they!}
9. Allah has promised punishment for those who disobey His Messenger
The Qur'an 24:63, {. . . So let those who go against his (the Prophet)
command beware, lest a trial befall them, or there befall them a painful
chastisement.}
The Qur'an 4:115, {And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has
been manifested unto him, and follows other than the believers' way, We
appoint for him that unto which he has turned, and expose him him unto
hell--a hapless journey's end!}
The Qur'an 72:23, {. . . And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger,
surely his is hell-fire, wherin such dwell forever.}
10. Allah has promised to guard His religion, Islam
The Qur'an 15:9, {Surely it is We who have sent down the revelations
(al-Dhikr), and We surely are its Guardian.}
The Qur'an 5:3, {. . . Today I have perfected your religion for you, and
have completed My favor upon you, and have approved for you Islam as
religion. . .}
The Qur'an 3:19, {Verily, the religion with Allah is Islam. . .}
The Qur'an 3:85, {And whoever seeks other than Islam as religion, it will
not be accepted from him; and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.}
The Qur'an 9:33, 61:9, {He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the
guidance and the Religion of the Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over
all religion, even though the disbelievers are averse.}
The Qur'an 48:28, {He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and
the Religion of the Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all
religion, and Allah suffices as a Witness.}
by Akram Y Safadi
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise be to Allah, and peace be upon His slaves whom He has chosen.
Notes on the Hadith and Sunnah: The authority of the Prophet and his Sunnah
28.November.1995
1. It was among the duties of all messengers to make the message clear
The Qur'an 14:4, {And We have never sent a messenger except with the tongue
of his people that he might make clear to them.}
2. Allah Most High taught His Messenger and explained the Qur'an to him
The Qur'an 75:16-19, {Move not your tounge with it to hasten it. Surely it
is upon Us to gather it and to recite it. So, when We recite it, follow its
recitation. Then surely it is upon Us to make it clear.}
The Qur'an 4:113, {And He has sent down upon you the Book and the wisdom,
and has taught you what you did not know before.}
3. Among the duties of the Messenger of Allah is to teach the Book and the
wisdom
The Qur'an 16:44, {And We have sent down unto you the revelations (al-Dhikr
) that you might make clear to humankind that which has been sent down to
them.}
The Qur'an 62:2, {He it is who has sent among the unlettered ones a
messenger of their own; to recite unto them His ayah-s (verses), and to
purify them, and to teach them the Book and the wisdom.}
4. Allah has inspired His Messenger the wisdom
The Qur'an 4:113, {And He has sent down upon you the Book and the wisdom,
and has taught you what you did not know before.}
The Qur'an 33:34, {And mention that which is recited in your houses of the
ayah-s of Allah and the wisdom.}
The Qur'an 53:1-4, {By the star when it goes down, your companion is neither
astray nor being misled, nor does he speak of desire, it is naught except an
inspiration (wahy) that is inspired.}
5. Allah has guided and protected His Messenger from any error
The Qur'an 42:52-53, {. . . and surely you guide unto a straight path. The
path of Allah . . .}
The Qur'an 68:4, {And surely you are upon a mighty morality.}
The Qur'an 53:1-4, {By the star when it goes down, your companion is neither
astray nor being misled, nor does he speak of desire, it is naught except an
inspiration that is inspired.}
The Qur'an 4:80, {Whoever obeys the Messenger, he thereby surely has obeyed
Allah. . .}
6. Allah has commanded us to submit fully to the authority of His Messenger
and to obey him
The Qur'an 4:65, {But nay, by your Lord, they will not believe until they
make you the judge of what is in dispute between them, then they shall find
in themselves no dislike of that which you have decreed, and submit in full
submission.}
The Qur'an 33:36, {It is not for a believing man nor a believing women, when
Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have the choice in their
affair; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has surely gone astray
in manifest error.}
The Qur'an 4:59, {O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and
those of you who are in authority; and if you have a dispute concerning any
matter, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and the
Last Day; that is best and more suitable to the end.}
The Qur'an 3:32, {Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away,
surely Allah does not love the disbelievers.}
The Qur'an 4:80, {Whoever obeys the Messenger, he thereby surely has obeyed
Allah, and whoever turns away--We have not send you as a watcher over them.}
7. Allah has commanded us to take His Messenger as the perfect example and
to follow him
The Qur'an 3:31-32, {Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love
you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey
Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away, surely Allah does not love
the disbelievers.}
The Qur'an 33:21, {Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example
for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.}
8. Allah has promised good reward for those who obey and follow His Messenger
The Qur'an 4:69, {Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger--they are with those
whom Allah has shown favor, of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and
the rigthous; and the best of company are they!}
9. Allah has promised punishment for those who disobey His Messenger
The Qur'an 24:63, {. . . So let those who go against his (the Prophet)
command beware, lest a trial befall them, or there befall them a painful
chastisement.}
The Qur'an 4:115, {And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has
been manifested unto him, and follows other than the believers' way, We
appoint for him that unto which he has turned, and expose him him unto
hell--a hapless journey's end!}
The Qur'an 72:23, {. . . And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger,
surely his is hell-fire, wherin such dwell forever.}
10. Allah has promised to guard His religion, Islam
The Qur'an 15:9, {Surely it is We who have sent down the revelations
(al-Dhikr), and We surely are its Guardian.}
The Qur'an 5:3, {. . . Today I have perfected your religion for you, and
have completed My favor upon you, and have approved for you Islam as
religion. . .}
The Qur'an 3:19, {Verily, the religion with Allah is Islam. . .}
The Qur'an 3:85, {And whoever seeks other than Islam as religion, it will
not be accepted from him; and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.}
The Qur'an 9:33, 61:9, {He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the
guidance and the Religion of the Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over
all religion, even though the disbelievers are averse.}
The Qur'an 48:28, {He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and
the Religion of the Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all
religion, and Allah suffices as a Witness.}
UNGS 2030 : Required reading - Prophet hood
Finality of Prophethood
by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
"O people ! Muhammad has no sons among ye men, but verily, he is the Apostle of God and the last in the line of Prophets. And God is Aware of everything." (Surah Al Ahzab: 40)
This verse has been revealed in the fifth Ruku' (para or passage) of Surah al-Ahzab. In this Ruku' Allah has provided answers to all those objections raised by the hypocrites, which had given rise to a storm of calumnies, slander and mischief in respect of the marriage of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with Hadrat Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her).
These hypocrites argued that Zainab was the wife of an adopted son of the Holy Prophet and by this connection she stood in the position of the Prophet's daughter in-law. Hence, after her divorce from Zaid, the Prophet had taken his own daughter-in-law as wife.
In order to refute this allegation Allah told clearly in verse 37 that this marriage had Divine sanction behind it and was made to serve as a lawful precedent for Muslim men to marry the wives of their adopted sons after they had been divorced by their husbands. Later in verses 38 and 39, Allah affirmed that no power could hinder the Prophet from discharging a Divine obligation. The Prophets are ordained to fear God, not the people. It has been an invariable practice of the Apostles to transmit the Divine message without any extraneous care and to perform the duties enjoined upon them by Allah without fear or hesitation. Afterwards a verse was revealed which extinguished the basis of all objections. In the first place, they had charged "You have taken your daughter-in-law as wife, in contravention of your own law that the wife of a son is forbidden to his father."
In refutation of this charge it was affirmed by the Almighty:
"Muhammad had no sons among ye men..."
thereby making absolutely clear that the man whose divorced wife was taken into wedlock by the Prophet being not his real son; the act, therefore did not imply violation of it.
The argument of their second charge ran thus: "Admitted that the adopted son is not the real one, and on that basis a father might lawfully marry the divorced spouse of his adopted son, but where was the compulsion for the Prophet to do so?"
Allah affirmed in answer to this charge:
"But, verily, he is the Apostle of Allah".
The implication is that it was Allah's mandate to the Holy Prophet to wipe out all prejudices and declare all taboos that pagan custom had unnecessarily imposed upon the people, as lawful. In this respect the Prophet's action was unequivocal and left no room for doubt. (see footnote 1, below.)
In order to lay particular emphasis upon this point Allah observes: (Khatim Al-Nabbiyeen)
"And he is the last in the line of Prophets,"
which means that no messenger nor even a Prophet charged with the mission of carrying out reforms in the sphere of Law or society which might have been omitted (God forbid) during the lifetime of Muhammad (PBUH) will ever succeed him. Since Allah ordained the ministry of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be final, it was, therefore, imperative that he should accomplish the task of uprooting this pagan custom.
Later the point has been further emphasized in the revelation (Wa Kan ul-Allahi Be-kulle Shai-in 'Aleema):
"God is Aware of everything."
The true import of this revelation is that Allah deemed it best to remove this pagan custom through the agency of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and that Allah only could take cognisance of the harm that the perpetuation of this infidel custom would have entailed. Allah was well aware that the line of Prophethood ended in Muhammad (PBUH) whose precedent the whole ummah would follow, and had he not done away with this custom, there would arise no man comparable in status to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who could accomplish the task. And suppose a reformer had arisen in later times who would break this custom, his act would not have constituted a universal or permanent precedent for Muslims of all ages and all countries to follow. No other person that follows will embody the Divine sanctity which attaches to the person of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Hence the precedent of no man but Muhammad has the potential of wiping out the idea of all pagan customs from the souls of men for all times to come.
The Verdict of the Text of the Qur'an
A group who has raised the heresy of a new prophethood in modern times explains the meaning of the idea of the "Finality of Prophethood" as the 'Stamp of Prophethood' thereby implying that all prophets who would succeed Muhammad (PBUH) will bear his stamp and will attain to prophethood by his seal alone. No one, in other words, who does not bear the seal of Muhammad (PBUH) will attain the status of Prophethood. But the context in which the term
"the last in the line of Prophets"
has been revealed in the Holy Qur'an leaves no scope for such speculation. If indeed the term
"last in the line of Prophets"
does bear the meaning intended by this group, then this term is surely out of place in the context in which it has been revealed. Furthermore, when the term is charged with this meaning it distorts the whole purpose of the revealed verse.
In this verse God refutes the charge and dispels doubts created by the mischievous people about the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her), the divorced wife of the Prophet's adopted son, Zaid. Does it stand to reason to make a sudden interpolation in this context of the point that Muhammad (PBUH) was the 'seal of Prophets' and that Allah had delegated to him the authority of attesting the bonafides of succeeding prophets ?
This interpretation bears no connection with the context-not the least even and is contrary to the purpose of Divine argument against the heretics. If this interpretation were true the non- believers might well have argued: "There is no hurry in doing away with this custom now. You might safely leave this task for your successor prophets who will bear your stamp."
According to a second interpretation of the idea of the finality of Prophethood advanced by this group it is said that the term
"Last in the line of Prophets"
means the "exalted Prophet." They further explain that the line of Apostles will continue, though the excellence of Prophethood has been culminated in the person of Muhammad (PBUH). This interpretation is no less defective and harmful than the other one. It hardly bears any relation to the context and, in fact, conveys a contradictory sense of the verse. Taking this thread of argument the infidels and hypocrites would have plausibly pointed out, "Sir, there will be other prophets after you, howsoever inferior in status compared to you, to fulfil the Divine mission, why must you take it upon yourself to remove this custom also?"
The Dictionary Meaning of the Word 'Khatam-al-Nabiyyin'
It is evident that the text can bear one meaning and it is that Khatam-al-Nabiyyin stands for the Finality of Prophethood with a clear implication that the prophethood has been culminated and finalized in Muhammad (PBUH). It is not only the context that supports this interpretation but also the lexicography.
According to Arabic lexicon and the linguistic usage Khatam means to affix seal; to close, to come to an end; and to carry something to its ultimate end.
Khatama al-'Amala is equivalent to 'Faragha min al-'Almali' which means 'to get over with the task.' 'Khatama al-Ina' bears the meaning 'The vessel has been closed and sealed so that nothing can go into it, nor can its contents spill out.'
'Khatam-al-kitab' conveys the meaning 'The letter has been enclosed and sealed so that it is finally secured.'
'Khatama-'Ala-al-Qalb' means 'The heart has been sealed so that it cannot perceive anything new nor can it forswear what it has already imbibed.'
'Khitamu-Kulli-Mashrubin' implies 'the final taste that is left in the mouth when the drink is over.'
Katimatu Kulli Shaiinn 'Aqibatuhu wa Akhiratuhu means "The end in the case of everything denotes its doom and ultimate finish." Khatm-ul-Shaii Balagha Akhirahu conveys the sense, "To end a thing means to carry it to its ultimate limit."
The term Khatam-i-Qur'an is used in the similar sense and the closing verses of Qur'anic Surahs are referred to as Khawatim. Khatim-ul-Qaum Akhirhuum means "The last man in the tribe." (Refer to Lisan-ul-'Arab; Qamus and Aqrab-ul- Muwarid). (see footnote 2, below.)
For this reason all linguists and commentators agree that Khatam-ul-Nabiyyin means 'The Last in the line of Prophets.' The word Khatam in its dictionary meaning and linguistic usage does not refer to the post office stamp which is affixed on the outgoing mail. Its literal meaning is the 'seal' which is but on the envelope to secure its contents.
The Observations of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) About the Finality of Prophethood
The meaning of the word Khatam that emerges out of the context of the Holy Qur'an and which is the same as given in all lexicons of the Arabic language is also affirmed by the observations of the Holy Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him). We quote some authentic traditions to illustrate the case in point:
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "The tribe of Israel was guided by prophets. When a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him. But no prophet will come after me; only caliphs will succeed me." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
• The Prophet of God (PBUH) affirmed: "My position in relation to the prophets who came before me can be explained by the following example:
A man erected a building and adorned this edifice with great beauty, but he left an empty niche, in the corner where just one brick was missing. People looked around the building and marvelled at its beauty, but wondered why a brick was missing from that niche? I am like unto that one missing brick and I am the last in the line of the Prophets." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
(In other words, with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the edifice of Prophethood has been completed and there is no empty niche in this edifice to provide room for another prophet.)
Four traditions relating to this subject are recorded, in Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Babu Khatimin-Nabiyyin. The latter tradition contains the following additional sentence. "So I came and in me the line of Prophets has ended."
The very same tradition in similar words has been reported in Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Bab-Fadlin Nabi and Kitab-Adab, Bab-ul-Amthal. In Musnad Abu Dawud Tayalisi this tradition has been incorporated among other traditions reported by Jabir bin Abdullah; and its last sentence reads, "It is in me that line of Prophets came to its final end."
Musnad Ahmad contains traditions reported by Hadrat Ubayyi bin Ka'b, Hadrat Abu Sa'id Khudri and Hadrat Abu Huraira(may Allah be pleased with them) on the same subject with a slight variation of words here and there.
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "God has bestowed upon me six favors which the former Prophets did not enjoy:
• I have been endowed with the gift of pithy and perfect speech.
• I was granted victory owing to my awe.
• The spoils of war were made lawful unto me.
• The whole earth has been made the place of worship for me and it has become the means of purification for me also. In other words in my religion, offering of prayers is not confined to certain specified places of worship. Prayers can be offered at any place over the earth. And in case water is not available it is lawful for my people to perform ablutions with earth(Tayammum) and to cleanse themselves with the soil if water for bathing is scarce.
• I have been sent by Allah to carry His Divine message to the whole world.
• And the line of prophets has come to its final end in me.
(Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
• The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) affirmed: "The chain of Messengers and Prophets has come to an end. There shall be no Messenger nor Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi, Kitab-ur-Rouya Babu Zahab-un- Nubuwwa, Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat-Anas bin Malik)
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the effacer and infidelity shall be erased through me; I am the assembler. People shall be assembled on Doomsday after my time. (In other words Doom is my only successor.) And I am the last in the sense that no prophet shall succeed me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab: Asmaun-Nabi; Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul- Adab, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi; Muatta', Kitab-u-Asma in-Nabi, Al- Mustadrak Hakim, Kitab-ut-Tarikh, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi.)
• The Prophet of God (PBUH) observed: "God Almighty hath sent unto the world no apostle who did not warn his people about the appearance of Dajjal( Anti-Christ, but Dajjal did not appear in their time). I am the last in the line of Prophets and ye are the last community of believers. Without doubt,then, Dajjal shall appear from amongst ye". (Ibn Majah, Kitabul-fitan, bab:Dajjal).
• 'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair reported: "I heard Abdullah bin 'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day the Holy Prophet (PBUH) came out of his house and joined our company. His manner gave us the impression as if he were leaving us.' He said, 'I am Muhammad, the unlettered prophet of Allah' and repeated this statement three times. Then he affirmed: "There will be no prophet after me'."(Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat'Abdullah bin Amr ibn'-As.)
• The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah will send no Apostle after me, but only Mubashshirat. It was said: what is meant by al-Mubashshirat. He said : Good vision or pious vision". (Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Tufail, Nasa'i, Abu Dawud) (In other words there is no possibility of Divine revelation in future. At the most if some one receives an inspiration from Allah he will receive it in the form of "pious dream."
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "If an Apostle were to succeed me, it would have been 'Umar bin Khattab." (Tirmidhi,Kitab-ul- Manaqib)
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) told Hadrat 'Ali, "You are related to me as Aaron was related to Moses(peace be upon him). But no Apostle will come after me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab Fada'il as-Sahaba)
This tradition is recorded in Bukhari and Muslim in the account of the Battle of Tabuk also. Musnad records two traditions narrated by Hadrat Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas ( may Allah be pleased with him) on this subject. The last sentence in one of these traditions runs as follows : "Behold there is no prophethood after me."
Detailed accounts of the traditions incorporated in Abu Dawud Tayalisi, Imam Ahmad and Muhammad bin Ishaque report that on the eve of his departure for the battle of Tabuk, the holy Prophet (PBUH) had resolved to leave Hadrat 'Ali behind him in order to look after the defense and supervise the affairs of Medina. The hypocrites thereupon began to spread insinuations and rumours about Hadrat 'Ali. Hadrat 'Ali went to the Prophet and submitted : 'O Prophet of Allah, are you leaving me behind among women and children?' On this occasion in order to set his mind at peace the Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "You are related to me as was Aaron with Moses." In other words "as Hadrat Moses on the Mount Tur had left Hadrat Aaron behind to look after the tribe of Israel, so I (Muhammad) leave you behind to look after the defense of Medina." At the same time apprehending that this comparative allusion to Hadrat Aaron might later on give rise to heresies, the holy Prophet (PBUH) immediately made it clear that "There will be no Prophet after me."
• Thauban reports: "The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: And there will arise Thirty imposters in my Ummah and each one of them will pronounce to the world that he is a prophet, but I am the last in the line of the Prophets of God and no Apostle will come after me." (Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Fitan)
Abu Dawud in 'Kitab-ul-Malahim' has recorded another tradition reported by Abu Huraira in the same subject. Tirmidhi has also recorded these two traditions as reported by Hadrat Thauban and Hadrat Abu Huraira. The text of the second tradition runs thus: "It will come to this that thirty imposters will arise and each one of them will put forth his claim to be the Apostle of God."
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "Among the tribe of Israel who went before you there indeed were such people who held communion with God, even though they were not his Prophets. If ever there arose a person from among my people who would hold communion with God, it would be none else but 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him)." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib)
• The Prophet of God (PBUH) said: "No Prophet will come after me and there will, therefore, be no other community of followers of any new prophet." (Baihaqi,Kitab-ul Rouya; Tabarani)
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I am the last in line of the prophets of God and my Masjid is the last Masjid (referring the holy Masjid of the Prophet)." (see footnote 3) (Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj; Bab:Fadl-us-Salat bi Masjidi Mecca wal Medina)
There can be no authentic, creditable and conclusive interpretation of the words of the Holy Qur'an, Khatam-un- Nabiyyin, than that given by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) for the credentials of the Holy prophet (PBUH) need no proof and the authority of his words is unassailable. His words are authentic and a proof in itself. When the Prophet is explaining a Nass of the Holy Quran, his explanation is the most authentic and a proof positive.
The question is who else besides the Holy Prophet (PBUH), to whom the Qur'an was revealed, is better qualified to comprehend its meaning and to explain its contents to us? And he who advances an alternative explanation, shall we regard his claims as worthy of our consideration let alone our acquiescence
* for further reading please refer this doc. file in asbul.wordpress.com
by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
"O people ! Muhammad has no sons among ye men, but verily, he is the Apostle of God and the last in the line of Prophets. And God is Aware of everything." (Surah Al Ahzab: 40)
This verse has been revealed in the fifth Ruku' (para or passage) of Surah al-Ahzab. In this Ruku' Allah has provided answers to all those objections raised by the hypocrites, which had given rise to a storm of calumnies, slander and mischief in respect of the marriage of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with Hadrat Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her).
These hypocrites argued that Zainab was the wife of an adopted son of the Holy Prophet and by this connection she stood in the position of the Prophet's daughter in-law. Hence, after her divorce from Zaid, the Prophet had taken his own daughter-in-law as wife.
In order to refute this allegation Allah told clearly in verse 37 that this marriage had Divine sanction behind it and was made to serve as a lawful precedent for Muslim men to marry the wives of their adopted sons after they had been divorced by their husbands. Later in verses 38 and 39, Allah affirmed that no power could hinder the Prophet from discharging a Divine obligation. The Prophets are ordained to fear God, not the people. It has been an invariable practice of the Apostles to transmit the Divine message without any extraneous care and to perform the duties enjoined upon them by Allah without fear or hesitation. Afterwards a verse was revealed which extinguished the basis of all objections. In the first place, they had charged "You have taken your daughter-in-law as wife, in contravention of your own law that the wife of a son is forbidden to his father."
In refutation of this charge it was affirmed by the Almighty:
"Muhammad had no sons among ye men..."
thereby making absolutely clear that the man whose divorced wife was taken into wedlock by the Prophet being not his real son; the act, therefore did not imply violation of it.
The argument of their second charge ran thus: "Admitted that the adopted son is not the real one, and on that basis a father might lawfully marry the divorced spouse of his adopted son, but where was the compulsion for the Prophet to do so?"
Allah affirmed in answer to this charge:
"But, verily, he is the Apostle of Allah".
The implication is that it was Allah's mandate to the Holy Prophet to wipe out all prejudices and declare all taboos that pagan custom had unnecessarily imposed upon the people, as lawful. In this respect the Prophet's action was unequivocal and left no room for doubt. (see footnote 1, below.)
In order to lay particular emphasis upon this point Allah observes: (Khatim Al-Nabbiyeen)
"And he is the last in the line of Prophets,"
which means that no messenger nor even a Prophet charged with the mission of carrying out reforms in the sphere of Law or society which might have been omitted (God forbid) during the lifetime of Muhammad (PBUH) will ever succeed him. Since Allah ordained the ministry of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be final, it was, therefore, imperative that he should accomplish the task of uprooting this pagan custom.
Later the point has been further emphasized in the revelation (Wa Kan ul-Allahi Be-kulle Shai-in 'Aleema):
"God is Aware of everything."
The true import of this revelation is that Allah deemed it best to remove this pagan custom through the agency of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and that Allah only could take cognisance of the harm that the perpetuation of this infidel custom would have entailed. Allah was well aware that the line of Prophethood ended in Muhammad (PBUH) whose precedent the whole ummah would follow, and had he not done away with this custom, there would arise no man comparable in status to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who could accomplish the task. And suppose a reformer had arisen in later times who would break this custom, his act would not have constituted a universal or permanent precedent for Muslims of all ages and all countries to follow. No other person that follows will embody the Divine sanctity which attaches to the person of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Hence the precedent of no man but Muhammad has the potential of wiping out the idea of all pagan customs from the souls of men for all times to come.
The Verdict of the Text of the Qur'an
A group who has raised the heresy of a new prophethood in modern times explains the meaning of the idea of the "Finality of Prophethood" as the 'Stamp of Prophethood' thereby implying that all prophets who would succeed Muhammad (PBUH) will bear his stamp and will attain to prophethood by his seal alone. No one, in other words, who does not bear the seal of Muhammad (PBUH) will attain the status of Prophethood. But the context in which the term
"the last in the line of Prophets"
has been revealed in the Holy Qur'an leaves no scope for such speculation. If indeed the term
"last in the line of Prophets"
does bear the meaning intended by this group, then this term is surely out of place in the context in which it has been revealed. Furthermore, when the term is charged with this meaning it distorts the whole purpose of the revealed verse.
In this verse God refutes the charge and dispels doubts created by the mischievous people about the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her), the divorced wife of the Prophet's adopted son, Zaid. Does it stand to reason to make a sudden interpolation in this context of the point that Muhammad (PBUH) was the 'seal of Prophets' and that Allah had delegated to him the authority of attesting the bonafides of succeeding prophets ?
This interpretation bears no connection with the context-not the least even and is contrary to the purpose of Divine argument against the heretics. If this interpretation were true the non- believers might well have argued: "There is no hurry in doing away with this custom now. You might safely leave this task for your successor prophets who will bear your stamp."
According to a second interpretation of the idea of the finality of Prophethood advanced by this group it is said that the term
"Last in the line of Prophets"
means the "exalted Prophet." They further explain that the line of Apostles will continue, though the excellence of Prophethood has been culminated in the person of Muhammad (PBUH). This interpretation is no less defective and harmful than the other one. It hardly bears any relation to the context and, in fact, conveys a contradictory sense of the verse. Taking this thread of argument the infidels and hypocrites would have plausibly pointed out, "Sir, there will be other prophets after you, howsoever inferior in status compared to you, to fulfil the Divine mission, why must you take it upon yourself to remove this custom also?"
The Dictionary Meaning of the Word 'Khatam-al-Nabiyyin'
It is evident that the text can bear one meaning and it is that Khatam-al-Nabiyyin stands for the Finality of Prophethood with a clear implication that the prophethood has been culminated and finalized in Muhammad (PBUH). It is not only the context that supports this interpretation but also the lexicography.
According to Arabic lexicon and the linguistic usage Khatam means to affix seal; to close, to come to an end; and to carry something to its ultimate end.
Khatama al-'Amala is equivalent to 'Faragha min al-'Almali' which means 'to get over with the task.' 'Khatama al-Ina' bears the meaning 'The vessel has been closed and sealed so that nothing can go into it, nor can its contents spill out.'
'Khatam-al-kitab' conveys the meaning 'The letter has been enclosed and sealed so that it is finally secured.'
'Khatama-'Ala-al-Qalb' means 'The heart has been sealed so that it cannot perceive anything new nor can it forswear what it has already imbibed.'
'Khitamu-Kulli-Mashrubin' implies 'the final taste that is left in the mouth when the drink is over.'
Katimatu Kulli Shaiinn 'Aqibatuhu wa Akhiratuhu means "The end in the case of everything denotes its doom and ultimate finish." Khatm-ul-Shaii Balagha Akhirahu conveys the sense, "To end a thing means to carry it to its ultimate limit."
The term Khatam-i-Qur'an is used in the similar sense and the closing verses of Qur'anic Surahs are referred to as Khawatim. Khatim-ul-Qaum Akhirhuum means "The last man in the tribe." (Refer to Lisan-ul-'Arab; Qamus and Aqrab-ul- Muwarid). (see footnote 2, below.)
For this reason all linguists and commentators agree that Khatam-ul-Nabiyyin means 'The Last in the line of Prophets.' The word Khatam in its dictionary meaning and linguistic usage does not refer to the post office stamp which is affixed on the outgoing mail. Its literal meaning is the 'seal' which is but on the envelope to secure its contents.
The Observations of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) About the Finality of Prophethood
The meaning of the word Khatam that emerges out of the context of the Holy Qur'an and which is the same as given in all lexicons of the Arabic language is also affirmed by the observations of the Holy Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him). We quote some authentic traditions to illustrate the case in point:
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "The tribe of Israel was guided by prophets. When a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him. But no prophet will come after me; only caliphs will succeed me." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
• The Prophet of God (PBUH) affirmed: "My position in relation to the prophets who came before me can be explained by the following example:
A man erected a building and adorned this edifice with great beauty, but he left an empty niche, in the corner where just one brick was missing. People looked around the building and marvelled at its beauty, but wondered why a brick was missing from that niche? I am like unto that one missing brick and I am the last in the line of the Prophets." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
(In other words, with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the edifice of Prophethood has been completed and there is no empty niche in this edifice to provide room for another prophet.)
Four traditions relating to this subject are recorded, in Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Babu Khatimin-Nabiyyin. The latter tradition contains the following additional sentence. "So I came and in me the line of Prophets has ended."
The very same tradition in similar words has been reported in Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Bab-Fadlin Nabi and Kitab-Adab, Bab-ul-Amthal. In Musnad Abu Dawud Tayalisi this tradition has been incorporated among other traditions reported by Jabir bin Abdullah; and its last sentence reads, "It is in me that line of Prophets came to its final end."
Musnad Ahmad contains traditions reported by Hadrat Ubayyi bin Ka'b, Hadrat Abu Sa'id Khudri and Hadrat Abu Huraira(may Allah be pleased with them) on the same subject with a slight variation of words here and there.
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "God has bestowed upon me six favors which the former Prophets did not enjoy:
• I have been endowed with the gift of pithy and perfect speech.
• I was granted victory owing to my awe.
• The spoils of war were made lawful unto me.
• The whole earth has been made the place of worship for me and it has become the means of purification for me also. In other words in my religion, offering of prayers is not confined to certain specified places of worship. Prayers can be offered at any place over the earth. And in case water is not available it is lawful for my people to perform ablutions with earth(Tayammum) and to cleanse themselves with the soil if water for bathing is scarce.
• I have been sent by Allah to carry His Divine message to the whole world.
• And the line of prophets has come to its final end in me.
(Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
• The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) affirmed: "The chain of Messengers and Prophets has come to an end. There shall be no Messenger nor Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi, Kitab-ur-Rouya Babu Zahab-un- Nubuwwa, Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat-Anas bin Malik)
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the effacer and infidelity shall be erased through me; I am the assembler. People shall be assembled on Doomsday after my time. (In other words Doom is my only successor.) And I am the last in the sense that no prophet shall succeed me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab: Asmaun-Nabi; Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul- Adab, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi; Muatta', Kitab-u-Asma in-Nabi, Al- Mustadrak Hakim, Kitab-ut-Tarikh, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi.)
• The Prophet of God (PBUH) observed: "God Almighty hath sent unto the world no apostle who did not warn his people about the appearance of Dajjal( Anti-Christ, but Dajjal did not appear in their time). I am the last in the line of Prophets and ye are the last community of believers. Without doubt,then, Dajjal shall appear from amongst ye". (Ibn Majah, Kitabul-fitan, bab:Dajjal).
• 'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair reported: "I heard Abdullah bin 'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day the Holy Prophet (PBUH) came out of his house and joined our company. His manner gave us the impression as if he were leaving us.' He said, 'I am Muhammad, the unlettered prophet of Allah' and repeated this statement three times. Then he affirmed: "There will be no prophet after me'."(Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat'Abdullah bin Amr ibn'-As.)
• The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah will send no Apostle after me, but only Mubashshirat. It was said: what is meant by al-Mubashshirat. He said : Good vision or pious vision". (Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Tufail, Nasa'i, Abu Dawud) (In other words there is no possibility of Divine revelation in future. At the most if some one receives an inspiration from Allah he will receive it in the form of "pious dream."
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "If an Apostle were to succeed me, it would have been 'Umar bin Khattab." (Tirmidhi,Kitab-ul- Manaqib)
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) told Hadrat 'Ali, "You are related to me as Aaron was related to Moses(peace be upon him). But no Apostle will come after me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab Fada'il as-Sahaba)
This tradition is recorded in Bukhari and Muslim in the account of the Battle of Tabuk also. Musnad records two traditions narrated by Hadrat Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas ( may Allah be pleased with him) on this subject. The last sentence in one of these traditions runs as follows : "Behold there is no prophethood after me."
Detailed accounts of the traditions incorporated in Abu Dawud Tayalisi, Imam Ahmad and Muhammad bin Ishaque report that on the eve of his departure for the battle of Tabuk, the holy Prophet (PBUH) had resolved to leave Hadrat 'Ali behind him in order to look after the defense and supervise the affairs of Medina. The hypocrites thereupon began to spread insinuations and rumours about Hadrat 'Ali. Hadrat 'Ali went to the Prophet and submitted : 'O Prophet of Allah, are you leaving me behind among women and children?' On this occasion in order to set his mind at peace the Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "You are related to me as was Aaron with Moses." In other words "as Hadrat Moses on the Mount Tur had left Hadrat Aaron behind to look after the tribe of Israel, so I (Muhammad) leave you behind to look after the defense of Medina." At the same time apprehending that this comparative allusion to Hadrat Aaron might later on give rise to heresies, the holy Prophet (PBUH) immediately made it clear that "There will be no Prophet after me."
• Thauban reports: "The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: And there will arise Thirty imposters in my Ummah and each one of them will pronounce to the world that he is a prophet, but I am the last in the line of the Prophets of God and no Apostle will come after me." (Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Fitan)
Abu Dawud in 'Kitab-ul-Malahim' has recorded another tradition reported by Abu Huraira in the same subject. Tirmidhi has also recorded these two traditions as reported by Hadrat Thauban and Hadrat Abu Huraira. The text of the second tradition runs thus: "It will come to this that thirty imposters will arise and each one of them will put forth his claim to be the Apostle of God."
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "Among the tribe of Israel who went before you there indeed were such people who held communion with God, even though they were not his Prophets. If ever there arose a person from among my people who would hold communion with God, it would be none else but 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him)." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib)
• The Prophet of God (PBUH) said: "No Prophet will come after me and there will, therefore, be no other community of followers of any new prophet." (Baihaqi,Kitab-ul Rouya; Tabarani)
• The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I am the last in line of the prophets of God and my Masjid is the last Masjid (referring the holy Masjid of the Prophet)." (see footnote 3) (Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj; Bab:Fadl-us-Salat bi Masjidi Mecca wal Medina)
There can be no authentic, creditable and conclusive interpretation of the words of the Holy Qur'an, Khatam-un- Nabiyyin, than that given by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) for the credentials of the Holy prophet (PBUH) need no proof and the authority of his words is unassailable. His words are authentic and a proof in itself. When the Prophet is explaining a Nass of the Holy Quran, his explanation is the most authentic and a proof positive.
The question is who else besides the Holy Prophet (PBUH), to whom the Qur'an was revealed, is better qualified to comprehend its meaning and to explain its contents to us? And he who advances an alternative explanation, shall we regard his claims as worthy of our consideration let alone our acquiescence
* for further reading please refer this doc. file in asbul.wordpress.com
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
UNGS 2030 : For those who asked this qiestion ...
TEKNIK ‘REBONDING’, KERINTING RAMBUT
Is "Rebonding halal / permissible in Islam ?
Soalan :
Bolehkah terangkan hukum membuat teknik ‘rebonding’ iaitu teknik meluruskan rambut. Ada yang mengatakan salah kerana mengubah ciptaan Allah. Bagaimana pula dengan orang berambut kerinting, kemudian hendak meluruskannya. Begitu juga jika rambutnya memang lurus, kemudian hendak meluruskan lagi supaya lebih sihat dan cantik. Bagaimana pula kalau dia meluruskannya untuk kelihatan cantik di hadapan suami. Pada masa sama memakai tudung dan tidak ada niat untuk menunjuk-nunjuk kepada orang ramai, tetapi hanya untuk suami.
Isteri anggun,
Johor Bahru, Johor.
Jawapan :
Islam adalah agama fitrah. Tidak ada satu pun hukum dan peraturan dalam ajaran Islam bercanggah dengan fitrah.
Manusia umumnya, tidak kira sama ada lelaki atau wanita suka melihat sesuatu yang cantik dan memperlihatkan kecantikan yang ada pada dirinya. Dengan kata lain, ingin supaya orang melihatnya dalam keadaan kemas dan cantik.
Justeru, Islam bukan saja mengharuskan, malah menggalakkan wanita dan lelaki berhias bagi memenuhi tuntutan fitrah yang sukakan keindahan dan kecantikan. Diriwayatkan Ibn ‘Abbas pernah berkata: “Sesungguhnya aku berhias untuk isteriku sebagaimana aku suka dia berhias untukku. Sebagaimana aku suka menuntut semua hakku daripadanya, aku juga menyempurnakan semua haknya daripadaku kerana Allah berfirman maksudnya: “... dan untuk isteri-isteri itu haknya sebagaimana mereka mempunyai tanggungjawab terhadap suami mereka dengan cara yang makruf (Surah al-Baqarah, ayat 228).”
Berdasarkan prinsip itu, fuqaha mengatakan bahawa semua jenis perhiasan adalah harus kecuali ada nas yang jelas dan sahih menunjukkan haram. Dalam hal ini, mereka berpandukan kaedah fiqh “asal semua perkara itu harus melainkan ada dalil yang menunjukkan ia haram.”
Selain ada nas yang jelas menunjukkan haram seperti wasymu (tatu), mencukur bulu kening, memakai rambut palsu dan sebagainya, beberapa perkara perlu diberi perhatian dalam menentukan sesuatu itu halal atau sebaliknya.
Pertama, niat atau tujuan perkara itu dibuat.
Niat yang tidak baik akan menjadikan sesuatu yang pada asalnya harus itu haram. Tetapi, niat yang baik tidak menjadikan perkara yang haram itu halal. Umpamanya, memakai rambut palsu dengan niat menyenangkan hati suami, tidak akan mengubah hukum pemakaian rambut palsu itu.
Kedua, dari segi cara pelaksanaannya mesti tidak melanggar batas syarak seperti memotong atau merawat rambut di salun terbuka atau menggunakan khidmat pendandan yang berlainan jantina.
Ketiga, dari segi bahan yang digunakan mesti bukan daripada benda yang najis atau bercampur najis atau bahan yang boleh mendatangkan mudarat pada agama, nyawa, akal, zuriat dan harta dalam jangka masa panjang atau pendek.
Keempat, khusus bagi golongan wanita.
Kerap ditekankan wanita wajib berhias untuk suami. Itu memang benar. Fuqaha berpendapat jika suami menyuruh isterinya berhias, menyediakan alat atau bahan perhiasan untuk isterinya, maka isterinya wajib taat dengan menggunakan alat atau bahan itu.
Ia dengan syarat apa yang disuruh oleh suami itu tidak termasuk dalam kategori perhiasan yang haram.
Sekiranya suami memerintahkan isteri melakukan perkara haram, isteri tidak wajib mematuhinya. Hal ini kerana Rasulullah SAW menegaskan dalam sabdanya bermaksud: “Tidak boleh taat kepada makhluk sekiranya membawa kepada maksiat (derhaka) kepada al-Khaliq (Allah).”
Berkaitan dengan persoalan yang ditanyakan iaitu ‘rebonding’, merujuk kepada tafsiran yang dibuat oleh Sa’id Hawa dalam al-Asas fi at-Tafsir terhadap ayat bermaksud: “Dan sungguh, aku akan menyesatkan mereka, dan memperdayakan mereka dengan angan-angan kosong, dan menyuruh mereka membelah telinga binatang ternak; dan menyuruh mereka mengubah ciptaan Allah.
Dan sesiapa yang mengambil syaitan menjadi pemimpin yang ditaati selain Allah, maka sesungguhnya rugilah dia dengan kerugian yang terang nyata.” (Surah an-Nisa’, ayat 19).
Ia tidak termasuk dalam kategori mengubah ciptaan Allah.
Beberapa pendapat yang dikemukakan fuqaha berkaitan perhiasan yang halal dan haram juga tidak menyebut ‘rebonding’ sebagai haram.
Begitu pun, sebagai wanita beriman seeloknya sebelum melakukan sesuatu buatlah penilaian terlebih dulu secara menyeluruh - baik buruknya, untung ruginya dan seumpamanya.
Mengenai baik atau buruknya ‘rebonding’, saya petik jawapan yang diberikan oleh ahli sains, Richard Hoffmann (Profhoff) 388 apabila ditanya mengenainya. Katanya: “Rambut sebenarnya protein mati yang dikenali ‘keratin’.
Rambut hidup hanya pada akar umbinya. Oleh itu, sebenarnya ia tiada istilah ‘rambut sihat’.
Rambut jika rosak, tidak boleh dibaiki dengan membubuh apa-apa pada permukaannya. Produk yang didakwa boleh membaiki rambut sebenarnya bahan yang direka untuk menutup kerosakan itu.
Pada dasarnya, ia akan hilang apabila rambut dibasuh dan kerosakan itu berkekalan. Kerap juga ia menjadikan keadaan rambut bertambah buruk.
“Walaupun rambut itu dikatakan keratin, menambah keratin (rebonding) tidak memberi kebaikan pada jangka panjang.
Hal ini kerana apa yang dibubuh pada rambut adalah pada luaran saja dan tidak pada bahagian dalam (semula jadi) rambut apabila ia panjang.
“Kebanyakan produk penjagaan rambut mengiklankan untuk membaiki rambut yang rosak, sebenarnya mereka hanya mahukan wang anda. Kerosakan rambut disebabkan rawatan dan penjagaan rambut yang kurang cermat.”
Is "Rebonding halal / permissible in Islam ?
Soalan :
Bolehkah terangkan hukum membuat teknik ‘rebonding’ iaitu teknik meluruskan rambut. Ada yang mengatakan salah kerana mengubah ciptaan Allah. Bagaimana pula dengan orang berambut kerinting, kemudian hendak meluruskannya. Begitu juga jika rambutnya memang lurus, kemudian hendak meluruskan lagi supaya lebih sihat dan cantik. Bagaimana pula kalau dia meluruskannya untuk kelihatan cantik di hadapan suami. Pada masa sama memakai tudung dan tidak ada niat untuk menunjuk-nunjuk kepada orang ramai, tetapi hanya untuk suami.
Isteri anggun,
Johor Bahru, Johor.
Jawapan :
Islam adalah agama fitrah. Tidak ada satu pun hukum dan peraturan dalam ajaran Islam bercanggah dengan fitrah.
Manusia umumnya, tidak kira sama ada lelaki atau wanita suka melihat sesuatu yang cantik dan memperlihatkan kecantikan yang ada pada dirinya. Dengan kata lain, ingin supaya orang melihatnya dalam keadaan kemas dan cantik.
Justeru, Islam bukan saja mengharuskan, malah menggalakkan wanita dan lelaki berhias bagi memenuhi tuntutan fitrah yang sukakan keindahan dan kecantikan. Diriwayatkan Ibn ‘Abbas pernah berkata: “Sesungguhnya aku berhias untuk isteriku sebagaimana aku suka dia berhias untukku. Sebagaimana aku suka menuntut semua hakku daripadanya, aku juga menyempurnakan semua haknya daripadaku kerana Allah berfirman maksudnya: “... dan untuk isteri-isteri itu haknya sebagaimana mereka mempunyai tanggungjawab terhadap suami mereka dengan cara yang makruf (Surah al-Baqarah, ayat 228).”
Berdasarkan prinsip itu, fuqaha mengatakan bahawa semua jenis perhiasan adalah harus kecuali ada nas yang jelas dan sahih menunjukkan haram. Dalam hal ini, mereka berpandukan kaedah fiqh “asal semua perkara itu harus melainkan ada dalil yang menunjukkan ia haram.”
Selain ada nas yang jelas menunjukkan haram seperti wasymu (tatu), mencukur bulu kening, memakai rambut palsu dan sebagainya, beberapa perkara perlu diberi perhatian dalam menentukan sesuatu itu halal atau sebaliknya.
Pertama, niat atau tujuan perkara itu dibuat.
Niat yang tidak baik akan menjadikan sesuatu yang pada asalnya harus itu haram. Tetapi, niat yang baik tidak menjadikan perkara yang haram itu halal. Umpamanya, memakai rambut palsu dengan niat menyenangkan hati suami, tidak akan mengubah hukum pemakaian rambut palsu itu.
Kedua, dari segi cara pelaksanaannya mesti tidak melanggar batas syarak seperti memotong atau merawat rambut di salun terbuka atau menggunakan khidmat pendandan yang berlainan jantina.
Ketiga, dari segi bahan yang digunakan mesti bukan daripada benda yang najis atau bercampur najis atau bahan yang boleh mendatangkan mudarat pada agama, nyawa, akal, zuriat dan harta dalam jangka masa panjang atau pendek.
Keempat, khusus bagi golongan wanita.
Kerap ditekankan wanita wajib berhias untuk suami. Itu memang benar. Fuqaha berpendapat jika suami menyuruh isterinya berhias, menyediakan alat atau bahan perhiasan untuk isterinya, maka isterinya wajib taat dengan menggunakan alat atau bahan itu.
Ia dengan syarat apa yang disuruh oleh suami itu tidak termasuk dalam kategori perhiasan yang haram.
Sekiranya suami memerintahkan isteri melakukan perkara haram, isteri tidak wajib mematuhinya. Hal ini kerana Rasulullah SAW menegaskan dalam sabdanya bermaksud: “Tidak boleh taat kepada makhluk sekiranya membawa kepada maksiat (derhaka) kepada al-Khaliq (Allah).”
Berkaitan dengan persoalan yang ditanyakan iaitu ‘rebonding’, merujuk kepada tafsiran yang dibuat oleh Sa’id Hawa dalam al-Asas fi at-Tafsir terhadap ayat bermaksud: “Dan sungguh, aku akan menyesatkan mereka, dan memperdayakan mereka dengan angan-angan kosong, dan menyuruh mereka membelah telinga binatang ternak; dan menyuruh mereka mengubah ciptaan Allah.
Dan sesiapa yang mengambil syaitan menjadi pemimpin yang ditaati selain Allah, maka sesungguhnya rugilah dia dengan kerugian yang terang nyata.” (Surah an-Nisa’, ayat 19).
Ia tidak termasuk dalam kategori mengubah ciptaan Allah.
Beberapa pendapat yang dikemukakan fuqaha berkaitan perhiasan yang halal dan haram juga tidak menyebut ‘rebonding’ sebagai haram.
Begitu pun, sebagai wanita beriman seeloknya sebelum melakukan sesuatu buatlah penilaian terlebih dulu secara menyeluruh - baik buruknya, untung ruginya dan seumpamanya.
Mengenai baik atau buruknya ‘rebonding’, saya petik jawapan yang diberikan oleh ahli sains, Richard Hoffmann (Profhoff) 388 apabila ditanya mengenainya. Katanya: “Rambut sebenarnya protein mati yang dikenali ‘keratin’.
Rambut hidup hanya pada akar umbinya. Oleh itu, sebenarnya ia tiada istilah ‘rambut sihat’.
Rambut jika rosak, tidak boleh dibaiki dengan membubuh apa-apa pada permukaannya. Produk yang didakwa boleh membaiki rambut sebenarnya bahan yang direka untuk menutup kerosakan itu.
Pada dasarnya, ia akan hilang apabila rambut dibasuh dan kerosakan itu berkekalan. Kerap juga ia menjadikan keadaan rambut bertambah buruk.
“Walaupun rambut itu dikatakan keratin, menambah keratin (rebonding) tidak memberi kebaikan pada jangka panjang.
Hal ini kerana apa yang dibubuh pada rambut adalah pada luaran saja dan tidak pada bahagian dalam (semula jadi) rambut apabila ia panjang.
“Kebanyakan produk penjagaan rambut mengiklankan untuk membaiki rambut yang rosak, sebenarnya mereka hanya mahukan wang anda. Kerosakan rambut disebabkan rawatan dan penjagaan rambut yang kurang cermat.”
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