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Early Days
(Stories of tile begillllillg of Creatioll alia t/le early
Prop/let from Adam to Yoom,s)
Taken from
AI-Bidayah wan-Nihayah
Ibn Kathir
Earl y days. I Ibn Kathir - Riyadh. 20 10
pages: 40R Size: 14x21 1.:111
ISBN: 978-603-50U-044 -4
1- Prophets stories 2- Prophcts - Biography 1- Tille
229.5 de 143 1/875 1
LB. no. 1431 /8 75 1
IS DN: 97K-6U3-StJU-044-4
Ibn Katheer
Early Days
(Stories of tire beginning of Creation and the early
Proplret from Adam to Yoonus)
Taken from
AI-Bidayah wan-Nihayah
AllRIG IITSRESERVED c U~~,j,b~
No J>3o" of Ihl~ boo]': lt1JIy be rqmxIuecd or uli1i7.ed in lIny form or by .any mea.ns,
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Contents
(1) Hasan: Good, sound. An acceptable liar/celli. although it docs 110\ reach
the level of salleell (authentic).
(2) Takllreej: Referencing the sources of a Iwdeelh and evaluilting Ihelll.
(3) Salleellain: Suheell AI-Bukl/{/ri and Sallee" MI/slim.
12 r'Il.'/11("1! III fltl! Ncl'ishm
.~----~~~--------------------------------~.
Muslim V mlllah. ell As ror the a/wdee/h in this book, we
ha ve relied on the op ini ons of the Imams lind sc holms of
/uu/eelh - includin g the earli er sc ho la rs. the lat er scholars
and those o f th e present day. On so me occasions, we ha ve
recorded the weak alwe/eellt, while ma king it plain that
th ey arc not authentic. We ha ve not omitted them because
the author has incl uded them in ord er to wam the peo pl c
aga in st them du e to th eir wi despread popularity amongst
the Mu slim s in gene ral. In such cases, we desired not to
oppose the author in thi s e nort and so we left the m. at the
sa me tim e making the sc holars' ruling 0 11 them clear, so as
to warn the people again st th em.
5. We summari sed th e as(llleed e~) present in the book. inl110st
cases mentionin g onl y the Com panion who narrat ed th e
hadeelll, or the person who report ed it from him.
6. We omitted many of the Isra 'eeliy'\lat (J) found in thi s book
whi ch the aut hor referred to in the preface, where he said:
"We do not record th e Ism 'eeliy),al except those which the
Lawg ive r has pcrmill cd, i.e., those whi ch do not contra dict
the Book or All ah and th e Sunnah or I-lis Messcnger :t:;,
These a rc stori es whi ch are neither bel ieved nor belied and
th ey ha ve been recorded because th ey provide detail s or
uncla ri ficd narrati ves that we have, or th ey pro vidc na mcs
for people an d places that have only been mentioned in
passing in our Reve lati on. due to the re being no bene fit in
spec i rying them ror us. Thus we ha ve reported them in order
to provide ex tra detail and not with the intc nti on of citi ng
thcm as ev id encc or pl ac in g any reliance on th em. On ly th e
(1) Gfwreeb: A {/(Idee/II which is reponed a! one or mon.' slages in ils chai n of
narrators by a single narrator.
14 P/'(:face fO (he !?I!V;.\·;O Il
.~--~~~
' ------------~------~.
brothers, who ass isted us in the production of thi s book , pardon
and fo rgivcness in reli gioll s and secular mail ers. In addi tion,
weask Him that He include thi s work in the we ight of our good
deeds on the Day of Resurrection - a Day o n which neither
wealt h nor sons will benefit anyone - exce pt for those whom
A ll ah has blessed with pure heart s.
And o ur fina l dec laration is that all prai se and thank s are d ue
to A ll ah, and we invo ke blessings a nd pcace upon Proph et
Mu hammad and upon all hi s righteous family ~lI1d Co mpa ni ons
until the Day of Reckonin g.
regarding th e stud y orthe even ts and their chrono log ica l order,
the knowledge of whi ch he strove hard to acquirc. He began
by desc ribing the start of crea tion ~ from the c reation of the
Throne and the Kill's; and the heavens and the Eart h and all that
is in th em and all that li es betwecn them, such as the a ngels,
thc jinn and thc devi ls and he described the manller of Adam's
creation ~ . I-Ie recounted thc stories of th e Pro phets and the
eve nts that took place thcrein, up to Ihe timcs of the Chi ld ren
o f Isra'cel a nd the Days of Ignorance, wh ich cnded with the
advent o f the final Prophe t, Muh ammad ~ . Theil he gave a
deta iled descripti on of hi s life and what happen ed after that, lip
to the tim e in whi c h he, li ved. He then wrote a separate vo lum e
ca ll ed An-N;lwyah FiI - FilCllI lVal-Malahilll (Th e End ing With
Trial s and G reat Ba ttles).
o A ll ah!
Wc ask that You bless us with sin ce rity and success
and that You spread good ness through our hand s.
I-Ie is thc SJ/(/ikh, the 11110111, the lIajiz, ' 1mad uclcJeell Ab ul Fidn '
Isma'cel Ibn 'Ul11ar Ibn Kathccr Ibn Daw ' Ibn Katheer Ibn
Dir', origina ll y A 1-8usrawi, then Ad-Dimashqi Ash-S hafi' i.
Hc was bo rn in MijdaJ, a villagc on thc ou tskirt s of 8 usra , in
the year 70 1 A.H ., where his fat her was a khaleeb. (I)
In the ycar 706 A. 1-1 .. he moved 10 Damasclls where he studicd
Islamic Jurisprude nce ((iqh) under Shaikh Burhanuddcen
AI-Faza ri and others. I-Ie married the dau ghter AI- Hafi z AI-
Mizzi and re ported ma ny trad iti ons from him. I-Ie de livered
fomlal legal verdi cts, was a teac her and debated wi th ot hcr
scholars. He was a leadi ng scho lar of Islam ic Juri spmdellce,
laf\'eef and Arab ic grammar, in addi tion to wh ich he appli ed
himself ass iduo usly to the study of fijlll m and weaknesses or
(I) Klltlleeb: The olle who del ivers Ihe Friday sennon (kill/ tbah) in Ihe
mosque.
(2 ) Rij'a/: Literally man: here it is used 10 re fer to the narrators of alwd(!e/h.
Bing mplly 0/ AI-/-Iaji= 1111/ Karlteel' 19
.~~~~~~~~~~=-~~~~~~~.
di sc repancies in alladeeili.
He was appoi nted as head of UIll Ill As-Salih Sc hool and At-
Tankaziyyah Sc hoo l, after Adh-Dhahabi.
(1) Quo(ed from A/· Mall/wl A..\·-Saji W(I/-MlIstmm Ho'd AI- Waji by (he f<l-
20 /J/Ograplty of. f I-I 11Ifi= 11m Ktllfleer
.~---~w----------~~~------~.
' I mad ll dde ~ n Abul Fi dn' bma'ee l Ibn Ash-S haikh Abu !-I afs
Shihabuddee n . Umar - the kfrmeeb of hi s village - Ibn Kat hee r
Ibn Daw ' Ibn Ka thce r Ibn Di r' AI-Q urashi, originall y from A I-
Busraw i, then Ad -Dimashqi .
mous historian, Abul tvjahasi n Jmnaluddeell Yoosuf Ibn Sai fudd een. bet-
ler known as Ibn Tag hri Bardi AI-AIabki Az-Z:lhiri. tho.! author of AII-
NujoulI1 A:-Za},jmh Fee Akhbori Mis,. Wal-Qultim" (S 12-874 A. I-I.)
(I) I-I e is Oaha'uddeen AI-Qasilll Ibn Mu:t_aOar Ibn 'Asakir. lie died in the
year 723 1\.1-1.
(2) I-Ie is Ishaq tbn Yahy:1At-Amidi, Ihe Sha ikh of the Zahiri movement. lie
died in the )'C:lr 725 A I-I.
IJ;Oj!/"{/I'''.I ' oJAI-l/a/i= 11m K(I /"f!(' /" 21
.~--------------------------~ ~~--~.
in the year 724 A. H. He benefited great ly from hi s assoc iation
with him and marr ied hi s daughter. I-Ie al so learnt a nd benefit ed
g reatl y from Shaikh AI-Islalll Taq iyuddeen Ibn Taimi yyah (d ,
728 A, I-I. ) with who m he kept company and who m he lo ved
dea rl y. In addition , he studied under the Shaikh. the I/afiz and
hi storian. Sha l11 suddeen Adh-D lmhabi Mul wm11lad Ibn Ahmad
Ibn Qayim<lz (d , 748 A. H.), In Egypt, he was endorsed by Abu
Moosa AI -Qarafl , AI -Husain i, Abu l- Fat h Ad -Dabboos i, ' Ali
Ibn ' Umar A 1- Wani , Yoosuf A I-Khata ni and ot he rs,
As·S uyooti comm ented o n th is, say in g, " (H e was) a reli abl e
source ofahadeeth know ledge, o fth e ir aut hentic il y o r weakness.
o f the va rious sources {i·om whi ch they we re repo rted and of
th ei r ,-(ial and th eir strength or weakness .. . "
( I ) Sec: Ad· DillYII' AI-KlIlII;lIah Fee A '\"(/1/ AI-Mi"oh 11111- T/wl/I;II(lh ( 1/2 18).
22 Biography ojAI·f{aji= Ihll KCllhee,.
.~--~.~~:~~~~~~~~~~~~-.
I-Ie was renow ned for his ability to correct and revise and he
was ack now ledged as a leading historian , schola r or Iwdeelll
a nd uifseer and it was he who sa id,
'The days pass liS by. olle after allolhel:
Ollly driving 01110 the appointed times. while the eye watches,
Alld ,hal YOlllh which has galle wil/nel'er re/llm,
While this irrifCllil1g old age remain". "
His Students:
Ibn AI-' Imad AI- Hanbali said in his book, 'Slwdlw/"{/t Adh-
DalUlb Fee Akllbari M(1/1 Dlwlwb: "(He was) the great Hafiz,
' Imaduddeen ; he memorized At-Taubeeh and presented it in
the year 7 18 A. I-I. a nd he memo ri zed Mllklltasar Ibll A/· I·lajib.
He had a phenomena l mc mory an d se ldom forgot anyth ing. He
had good understa ndi ng and was a scholar of Arab ic language
who wrote average poe try." Ibn Ha beeb said o r him: " He
hea rd (from the scholars), he collected and authored and he
Biography oJAI- lIafi= Ibn Katheer 23
.~~~~~--~------------------~'~~~~--~.
delighted th e ca rs o flli s listeners with hi s words, I-Ie taught and
he benefited (hi s li stenc rs) and th e pages of hi s lega l verd icts
spread throughout the lands and he became famous for hi s
acc uracy and hi s writing .md edit ing skill s,"
1 praise Him abundantly with pure and blessed praises, fil ling
the ex panses of the Earth and th e heaven s for a ll time until the
(1 ) A:-Zaf/f/oom: A bi uer Iree in Hell . which has a bad smell and whose fmil
i ~ the food of the inhabitants of Ihe Fire.
(2) /lfllllcelll: A boiling hoI drink givclIlo Ihe inhabitants oflhe Fire.
30 Alilhor s Pre/tlce
.~~~~~'--------------------~.
Day of Resurrec ti on, as befit s His Great Maj esty, His Eterna l
Dominion and His Beneficent Countenance. I bear w itness
that none is worth y of worship except Alla h, Alone, witho ut
part ners, wi thout offspring. with out any fema le compani on.
without pee r, w ithout mini ster, w ithout adv iser, w ithout equa l.
w ithout rival and without sharer. I bear w itness th at Muhammad
is Hi s slave and I-li s Messe nge r, Hi s beloved. Hi s Klla/ee/, (H
A/-Musta/a, 12J o f Ara b orig in, the Sea l of the Prophe ts, who has
bee n given the grea t Hau'd (3) of sweet water a nd who will be
pennitted by A llah to intercede on behalf ofl he Muslims on the
Day of Resurrecti on. He wi ll ho ld the ba nne r whi ch Allah will
se nd to A/-Maqam A/-Mahmood, (4) a banner under w hi ch a ll of
mankind wi ll desi re to ga ther, evc n A ll ah's Kila/ee/, Ibra hecm
- may A ll ah 's Bless ings and Peace be upo n him and all o f hi s
brothers a mong the Prophets a nd Messe ngers and may He
be well pl eased wit h all of hi s estee med , noble and exce ll ent
Companions, who are the best o f all peop le after th e Proph ets.
A De.;ojttr,:/t/u CI'cr{hrl7de
These peop le di sag reed rega rding wh ich of them was created
fi rst:
So me said that the Pcn was created before a ll of these things
and this was the pre ferred view of Ibn Jaree r At-Tabari, Ibn
A I-Jawzi and oth ers. Ibn Jareer said: "A fler th e Pen, the fine
cloud s, and after it, the Throne." They cited as proof for thi s
Ih e fwdeelh narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Oawood and A t-
Tirmidhi , on the au thority of ' Ubada h Ibn As-Sa mit -to, who
sa id: The Messenger of A ll ah ~ said, "The first thing that
Allah created was the Pen, th en I-Ie said to it , ' Write. ' In that
very hour all that was to occur (was written) up to th e Day
o f Resurrection. " (l) Thi s is the wording of Ahmad 's na rration
and At-Tinnidhi sa id of the /wdeeth , "(I t is) /wsGIl-saheeh-
ghareeb. "
( So Exa lted be All ah, the True Kin g, La ilaha ilia Hil wa
(non e ha s th e right to be worshipped but He), th e Lord o f th e
Supreme T hrone ! ) (5001'011 AI-Mil 'minooll 23: 11 6)
( A llah , La iloilO ilia H lIIl'a (none has the ri ght to be worshi pped
but I-I e), the Lord of the Supreme Throne! ) (Soorah All-Nand
27:26)
I-I e, Most Hi gh, says,
( The Most Benefi cent (A llah ) I S / lIl1'lI (rose over) the (M ight y)
Throne (in a manner that sui ts His Maj esty ) ) (Soorall To fla
20:5)
He, Most Hi gh, says in a number of Verses of the Qur'an,
( Those (angels) who bea r the Throne (of All ah) and th ose
around it glorify the prai ses o f the ir Lord, and be li eve in I-li m,
A Descriplioll of lhe Crealioll oflh e Throlle, Ihe 41
<~----~--~--------~--------------~~~,~--~,
an d ask fo rgiveness for those who be li eve (in th e O neness
of A ll a h) (saying). " Our Lord ! You com prehend all things in
me rcy a nd know ledge " ." ) (SoO/'ah Ghajir 40:7)
It has a lso becn rcported in one tradition that "The in habi tants
of AI- Firdaws li ste n to the groa ning o f the Throne and it is its
glorifi ca tion and ex tollin g of A llah ." (1) And th at ca n only mea n
that they arc near 10 it.
(I) This was narrated oJl the authority of JubaiT Ibn Mul'im. on the authority
o f hi s father, who reported it on the authority of hi s grandfather.
(2) Narrated by AI- Bukhari in the Buuk of ViI'llles (JROJ) and by Muslim in
the Book of Ihe Vir/IIt'.\· vf the Compol/iulls (2466).
(3) Sala! The first three praised generations from the Companions *
and
those that fo llowed them (the Tabi'oon) and those that followed them
(A ifill' ...1/- Tabi ·eell).
A Descrip/ioll oj/he Cr(!(1/irm of/he Throlle. /he 43
.~~~~~------~----------~
'~p~~
> --~,
add iti on, it is above Pa radi se and Parad ise is above the heavens
and there arc a hund red leve ls between each of its scven level s,
th e distance between each of whic h is eq uiva lent to the distance
betwee n the heavens a nd the Earth. And the di stance between
th e Throne and the Klirsi is nol Ih e same as that be tween one
heaven and anot he r, In additio n, th e word 'Arsh (Throne) in
Arabic refers to th e thro ne of a king, as Alla h says, ( And she
(i.e. the Quee n of Sheba) has a great throne ... ) (SoO/'lill AI1-
Nanli 27:23) . It docs not mean a heaven and none of the Arabs
understands it to mean th at; and the Q ur 'an was sent down in
the la nguage of the Arabs and so it is a scat, whi ch has legs that
arc borne by th e angels and it is like a dome over the world
and the ceiling of creation, Allah, Most High, says, ( Those
(angel s) who bear the Throne (of A ll ah) and those around it
glorify the praises of their Lord, and be lieve in Ili m, and ask
for forgiyeness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah)
(saying), "Ou r Lord! You comp rehend all things in mercy a nd
know ledge, . . ·' ) (Soomh Ghqfir 40:7)
And He, Most Hi gh, says, ( and eight ange ls wi ll , that day.
bear the Throne of your Lord above them ) (SoO/'oh AI-J-1aqqah
69: 17)
In the poetry of 'A bd ull ah Ibn Rawa hah ~ whi ch he recited to
his wife, when she acc used him of impropri ety wi th his slave-
gi rl (,A I-Bahr AI-Waftr'), he says:
"I bore witness that A/lah~' Promise is true
Alld that the Fire is the abode a/the disbelievers.
Alld that the Throlle is above the wateJ;j/oatillg,
A lid above the Throlle is the Lord a/the worlds.
And if is bome by liable allgels.
44 I /JeRril'lirm oj'he Crealitm oj ' he l1mllJe, 'he
.~----~~~----------------------------~.
The aI/gels (~l lh e (olle lme) Deily (Illho are) eUlI/mallded. ,.
Thi s was recorded by Ibn 'A bdu l-Barr and ot her scho lars.
Abu Da wood narrated on the authority o f Jabir Ibn 'A bdu llah
that the Prophet ts said: " 1 was permitted to speak about one
o f the ange ls o r A llah , the A lmi ght y, the A ll -Powe rful , who
is one or the bearers or the Thron e and (to te ll you) that the
di stancc be twce n hi s earlo be and hi s shoulder is a journ ey of
sevcn hundrcd ycn rs." II) It was a lso narrated by Ibn Abi 'Asill1
with this wordin g, "(The distance is) like th at of a b ird fl yi ng
for seven hundred yea rs." m
And it is reported on the authority of Ibn ' Abbas .& and Sa'ecd
Ibn Jubai r tha t th ey said rega rdi ng the Words of A ll ah, Most
Hi gh. ( Ili s Kurs; ex tends ove r the hea vens an d the Ea rth .
and Ilc fee ls no fat Igue in g ll ~lr(ling and preserving them. And
l ie is the Most Il igh, Ihe Most Grea t ) (Soorall AI-Baqara/t
2:255), " It means, Hi s Know ledge." But what is known from
Ibn ' Abba s 4 is tha t he sa id, as reported by AI- Hak im in ;1/-
MII~'/(Idrak - who sa id that it is authentic according to the
criteria for acceptance c ited by AI-Bukhari and Mu slim - "T he
KI//'si is the Foo tstool and no onc is able to prope rl y estim ate
the Th rone exce pt A llah , th e A lmi ghty, Ihe Ail- Powe rFul." OJ
Ishaq Ibn Bishr repo rted on the authori ty of Ibn 'A bbas 4>
tha t he said: Ve rily, at th e beg inning of AI-LUII'll AI-Mal!fooz, it
is writt en: 'N oll e ha s the right to be worshipped exce pt All ah ,
Alone. Hi s Religion is Islam and Muhammad is I-li s sla ve and
Hi s Me ssenger. and so whoever has faith in A llah. be lieves in
( I) This is an authentic lIadeerh Il<trratcd by Ibn Jarec:r At-Tabari in his Taf
seer (3/ 10).
(2 ) This hadeerll is raised to the level or salweh (allthemic) by ,,11 of the
sources from which it was reponed: it was narrated by tbll Jarccr At-
Tabari in his TlIf~el!r (3 / 10). Sec al so Silsilall AI-Alwdeellt As·Sallee/wlt
by Shaikh Muhammad Nasimddeen AI-Albani - may Allah have mercy
on him - ( 109).
(3) This is a weak Iwr/eelh narrated by At-Tabarani in AI-Kaheer( IO/260. no.
10605).
.~ 46
__~k'~~~ A Dcscriplio/l oflhe Cremioll of II/(· TllIYme, Ihe
__________________________________ ~.
is a tab let made From wh ite pearl; its length is equiva len t to
the distance betwecn the heaven and the Earth, its breadth is
equiva len t to the di stance bctwee n the East an d the West and
its edgcs are pearl and ruby. its two sides are red ruby, its Pcn
is light , its words are hung upon the Throne and its base is in
the lap of an ange l.·' (1 )
Allas Ibn Mal ik Jjt, and others from among the Sola/said, "Al-
LalVII AI-Mall/ooz is on the fore head of Israfcel. ( 2) lI
He. the Most Hig h, says, Ind eed, your Lord is A llah. Who
cre'Heei the heavc l1s<1 nd th e Earth in six days ) (SoorahAI·A 'raj
,I
7:54). Thi s is repeated in number of ve rses in the Qur'a n.
Scholars o f taj\'eer holcl lwo difTercnt opi ni ons rega rdi ng the
measure of these six days: The majority holds that they arc like
o m (En rthl y) days. It is re pon ed 011 the authority of Ibn ' Abbas
~ , Mujah id , Ad-Dahhak and Ka 'b AI-Ahba r that: "Every clay
of them is equi va lent to a th ousa nd yea rs of yo ur reck onin g."
48 wiJw I/m /Jeen Said NegmT/ing Jhe Cr(!aJi(JII oj
.r--~·~~P.~--------------~~~~------~.
This was narra ted by Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi Hatim and it was
the preferred view of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in the book in whi ch
he refuted the argum ents of the Ja/lIl1iyyah. It was a lso the
pre ferred view o f Ibn ./a reer and a number of the later schola rs
- and A ll ah knows better. Later, we sha ll present evidence to
suppon thi s opi nion. Ibn Jareer narrated , on the authority of Ad-
Dahhak Ibn Muzahi m and others, that the names of the six days
are: "Abjad, I-Iall'lI'az. I-Iutli, Ka/ell/lIlI, Sa/as and Qarashl."
Ibn Jareer al so repon ed three sayings relati ng to the first days.
He narrated, on the auth ority of Muhammad Ibn Ishaq, that
he sa id, "Th e followe rs of th e Torah say that A ll ah began the
creat ion on Sunday, whil e the follow ers o f the Il1jeel say th at
Allah began th e creation on Satu rday, w hil e we Mus li ms,
accord ing to what has come to us frolll the Messen ger of Alla h
~, hold that A ll ah began the creat ion 0 11 Saturday." And this
say ing which is reported by Ibn Ishaq from the Muslim s was
fa vored by a number of Shqfi 'j sc holars of Islami c Juri sprudence
and others. It was re ported in a J/{Ideelll on the authority of Abu
Huraira h ~ th at th~ Messenge r of Al lah ~ said: "All ah crea led
the soil (or c lay) on Sahmiay." (I)
He, Most High, says , ( Il ave nOll hosc who di sbelieve known
that the heavens and thc Earth wcre joined together as one
unitl:d piece. then We parted them and We haw made from
water every liv ing thin g. Will th ey not then beli eve? ) (SoO/'oll
AI-Al1hiy o ' 2 1:30) - That is, "We pa rted the heaven and the
Eart h so that the winds blew, the rains rell and spri ngs and
50 II l1alllm' BeL'1I Said RegwtiillJ,! Iltt' OWll ion (~r
.r----~~~·----------------------------------~.
rive rs Ho wed and the animal s wc re re freshed," Then He says.
(A nd We have made the heavc n a roo f, safe and wc ll- guarded.
Ye t thcy tllrn away from its s igns (Soorall A I-Al1b~J'a' 2 1:32)
- T hat is, from what He has crea ted in the hea ve ns, suc h as
thc fi xed and the moving celest ia l bod ics, thc shini ng sta rs and
the illuminated heavenly bodies and the proofs of the Divi ne
Wisdom o f th e C reator of the heavens and the Eart h. as A llah
says, (A nd how ma ny a sign in th e heave ns and the Earth they
pass by, while they a rc averse th erefrom. And 1ll0 s1 of them
bel ieve not in A ll ah ex cep t that they attribute partne rs 1I11 to
lI im ) (Soora" )OOSI!F 12: I05, I06)
As fo r Hi s Words: ' Arc you morc diffi cul t to c rl.!atc or is
the heaven that li e constructed? li e rai sed its height. and has
perfec ted it. lI s nigh t l ie cove rs and l ie brin gs oul its fo renoon.
And ali er th ,1I l ie spread the Earth . And brought forth
th ere from its wa ter alld it s pa sture. And the mOll ll ta ins l ie has
fi xed firml y, as prO\ is ion and benefit for you a nd your ca ttl e
) (SoOl·oII AI1-Nozi '(I/ 79:27-33) - some people have taken
these Verses as proof th at the heavens were c reat ed be fore the
Eart h, thus co ntrad icti ng the clear evidence pro vided by the
abovementioned two ve rses. They ha ve nol understood thi s
Verse , because it must be understood from this Verse that the
flatte ning out of the Earlh and th e bringing fort h o f wate r and
pastures from it was in fa ct after the crea ti on of" lhe heave n. Th is
was thc measurin g of sustenance, as He says, And measured
there in it s sllstenance (Sooralt FlIssi/ol 41: 10) - T ha t is, He
prepared the places of cu lt iva tion and the locations of springs
and rivcrs.
And All-Nasa ' i reported in the TClJ.~ee/' on the aut hority o f Abu
Hura irah ~ . who sa id : The Messen gc r of A lla h ~ look me by
the hand and sa id: "0 Abu I-Iu ra ira h! Veril y. A lla h crcated the
heave ns and the Earth and wha t li es betwec n them in six days,
the n He istClIIIO ove r the Throne all the seventh day and He
created thc dust on Sa turday. " OJ
As for what one of th e rati ona li sts said rega rdin g the /wc/eefh:
" ". hi s neck shall be enci rcl ed with it down seven Earths." (2) _
thnt it means seve n regions, thi s opin ion co ntrad icts th e clea r
meaning o f the Verse and the aut hentic hadeefh wh ich we have
narml ed via AI-/-Iasal/ , on the authority of Abu I-Iurairah ~ . (3)
All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( And l ie it is Who subjected the sea
(to you), that you may eat from the fresh tender meat , and th at
you brin g fo rth oul of it om aments to wear. And yo u see the
ships plowi ng through it , th at you m.ly seek from His bounty
and that you Illay perhaps be gratc ful. And He has driven fi nn
standing mountains into the Earth, lest it should shake with
you: and riYers and roads. that you lllay guide yourselves. And
GO II Ital 11m 8e('11 Said Regardill,~ lite Cr"ofioll 0/
.~--~.~~~'~----------------------------~,
(by th e) landm ark s: a nd by the stars. they g uide themse lves,
Is th en li e Who creat es the same as o ne who c refltes. not Will
YOll no t then re fl ect. And if yoll would try to COlillt the favors of
A ll ah, you woul d neve r be able to CO lilltlh el11 . Trul y, Allah is
Fo rgiving, Most Merc iful ) (Soomlllin-Nahl 16: 14-1 8)
He, Most High, says, ( And the \wo seas (kinds of wat er) are
no t alike: this is pal alable. swee t and pl easa nt to drin k, anclthat
is salty and bitter. A nd from th em bo th you cat fres h tender
m e~1t (fi sh). and deri ve the o rnam cllIs that YOll wear. And you
sec the shi ps cl eavin g, that YOll may seek of I lis bounty, and
th at you may g i\'e tha nks.) (SoO/'all Farir 35: 12)
He, Most High, says, ( See yo u not that the ships sail through
the sea by A lla h's Grace that li e ma y show YO ll of His Signs?
Ve rily. in thi s arc signs fo r every pati ent, g rat e ful (person ). And
whe n waves co ve r them lik e shades, they in vo kc A llah. making
th e ir in vocations for Ili m o nly. But when I-Ie brings them safe
to land. the re arc among them those that stop in between , And
Our Aytll arc not dl! ni ed except by eve ry perfid ious ingrate, )
(50oralt Lllql1l(lll 3 1:3 I ,32 )
that He created for them, sll ch as th e seas and ri vers. The vast
seas which stretc h across the Eart h and that whi ch they produce
in al1 comers o r it is salty and biller and in thi s there is great
wisdom for th e hea lth of th e atmos ph ere, for if it were sweet ,
the atmosphere wou ld become ma lodorous and the ai r bad,
beca use of th e large creatures that d ie in th em and that would
lead to the extin cti on of mankind and the spo il ing o r th eir
environment. BtH (A ll ah's) far-reachi ng Wi sdom necessi tated
that it should be the way it is in order for thi s advantagc to
be attai ned. Thi s is why, whcn the Messenger of All ah :fi was
asked about the sea, he said , " Its water is pure and its dead
things arc lawful (to ca l)." Ol
As for the rivers, th eir wa ters arc swect and pcnn issible to
drink , for those who wish to do so. The fact that Allah has ca used
them to flo w fre ely, makin g them spring fort h in one land and
se ndin g them to other land s as Sllstenance for H is slaves. Some
of th em are large, whil e oth ers are small, accord ing to th e need
nnd the benefit.
(I) Recorded by AI-Haithami in 'AI- M(/)I/IQ' " (5/28 1) and he said, "It was
narratcd by Al-Bazznr; but in its chain of narrators thcre is one' Abdur-
Rahman Ibn 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umtlr Al-'Amri, who is abandoncd (by schol-
ars of Iwdeeth). The author also denied its being 111(///00 ' and said that il
is from the Ism 'el'liY)'(I(.
(2) MUllk(/r: A wcak nnrmtion which contrndiclS somclhing that has bccn au-
thcntically rcported.
(3) MUlI'qoof With a chain ofnnrralors that does not rcach to the Prophct
but on ly as far as the Compan ions.
*.
,
/V11(I' //(1S Been Said ReKlI/"(/ill}j the Cre(lf;oll oI 65
.~--------------~------~---~
~.W?~'--~.
general. his alwdeeth arc mlll/ko,. and the wors t of thcm is the
/wdeellt of the sea."'
The geograph ers - who deal w ith lati tude, long itude, seas,
ri vers, mountain s, te rrain s and the c iti es , ruin s, buildings, the
seven true reg ion s, <lccordi ng to their te rmi no logy, and the
num erous com monly known region s, wha t is contained ill
the cites and the count rysi de - including pri V<l tc property and
plants and trade th at ex ists in every area - say tha t the land is
fl ooded by the great wa le r (Le. the seas) , except for about a
qua rter o f it and thal is ni nety degrees. A nd Div in e Prov id ence
necess it ates that th e water be he ld back frol11 thi s area, in order
th at animals might li ve on it and that crops and frui ts might
grow on it, as Allah, Most High, says, ( And the Earth lie has
put for the creatures. Therein arc fruils, date-palms producing
sheathed frui t ~ s ta l k s (enclosing dates). And <1 150 corn , wi th (its)
leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-scented pla nts. Then
wh ich of the Blessings or you r Lord will you both Ginn and
men) deny? ) (Som·all Ar-Ralllnan 55: I 0- 13)
They said that the inhabi ted portion of this land is abo llt two-
thirds of it, or a lillie mo re than that; and th aI is ninety-five
degrees. With regard to the Western ocea n - whi ch is known as
Oceanus (Okeanos) and which borders the lands of the West,
including the Cana ry Islands - betwee n thcm and its coast is
ten degrees, wh ich is app rox imate ly one month's journcy. It
is not possible to travcl or sail across it, du e to its waves and
the vary ing winds and waves that exist therein. It co nt ains no
fi sh or other edi blc life and has noth ing th at ca n be ex tracted
from it. It cann ot bc traveled on for thc purpose of trade or
anything else and it stretches in the south to th e Mount<l ins of
66 WIIlII Has Bl.!clI Said Regardillg Ille Cr~llIiOIl of
• ,
Da rkness , or the Mountai ns o rthe Moon , w here in is the so urce
or lh e Egyp ti an Ni le. It traverses the equato r and then stretches
eastward and rcaches the south of the land. In it there arc the
islnnds of the blac k people and o n its coast there arc many ruin s.
Theil it stretc hes (Q the cast and to the north, unti l it conn ects
with the Sea of C hi na and India. Theil it stre tches eastward
until it borders til l! e nd o f the ex posed eastern la nd - and th ere
a re the lands of C hina. Then in the east of Ch ina , it turn s
northwa rd , so thaI it crosses th e lands of C hina and faces the
Da m o fVa'j ooj and Ma 'jooj. The il illu rn s and enc ircles land s
whose ci rcu msta nces are unkn own. Th en it stretches westwa rd
and borders the 1 ~lI1d s of th e Russ ians and pa sses th cm , then
turn s westward and southwa rd and e nci rcl cs th e la nd . Then it
retu rn s toward the west and the stra it po urs alit fro m the west
to the body of the la nd , the furth ermos t point of w hi ch ends
at the western borders of As h-Sham (Syri a). Then it c rosscs
th e land s of thc C hristians, until it reaches Con sta ntin ople and
o th er lands o f the ir.
They say th aI betwecilth c Indian Sea and the Chi na Sea there
are moun tai ns whi ch separate them and between thcm therc
arc lanes o n whic h ships travel and they arc caused to do so
by th eir Creato r. He ha s a lso mad c path s simil ar to thel11 Oil
the land. A ll ah , Most Hi gh, says, ( And We have placed Oil
the Earth fi ml mountains, lest it shou ld shake w ith th em, and
We pl aced th erc il l b road hi g hways for thcm to pass th roug h.
that they may be guided. ) (Soorah AI-Allbiyo· 2 1:3 1). And
Pto lemy, on e of the kings of Ind ia, ( 1) mention ed in hi s book,
(I) Claudius PlOlelll.leliS (Greek: Ktaudios Plolelllaios; afler 83 - C. 168
C.E.). known ill Eng tish as Ptolemy. was an ancient mnihelllaliciall. as-
tronomer. gcogr:lpher and astrologer in the Greek lradilion . He lived in
Roman Egypt alltl was probably burn Ihere in a IOW II illlhc Thcbaid called
II lUll I/as Been Said Rega,.ding 'he CrelJlioll of 67
.~--------------~--~--------~-----~~AA>~~ ' --~~.
AI·Mijisli, whi ch was tra nslated into Arabic duri ng the reign
of AI·Ma'moon - which is the so urce of thi s information -
that the seas wh ich fl ow from the western, castern , southern
and north crn oceans are ve ry numerous. So me of th cm are in
fact , one sea, but bear diffe rent names, according to th e lands
whi ch they border; these include Bahr AI.QlIlzlllll (the Red
Sea) and AI·Qulzum is a vi llage on the coast, near Aylah. There
is also the Sea of Persia, th c Khazar Sca (Caspian Sea), the
Sea of Warnak , the Roman Sca (the Mediterranean Sea), th c
Bantash Sea and the Blue Sea - a city on its coast - and it is
al so known flS AI·Qann Sea. It becomes narrow un til il pours
into the Roman Sea, to the sO llt h of Constantinop le, i.e., the
Gu lf of Constantino pi c. This is why the ships move qui ckly on
its curren t from AI·Qarm to the Roman Sea, whi le they mo ve
slowly when they come from Alexandri a to AI·Qa rm . This is
beca use they encounter a current of water; and thi s is one of the
wonders of thc world, because evcry flowing water is sweet,
except thi s. And every non·fl owi ng sea is salty, excep t [or the
Khazar Sea, which is al so known as the Georgia n Sea and the
Sea of Tabar is tan find has a large port ion o[sweet wfltc r in it.
acco rding to what has been reported by tra ve lers to the area.
'A bdu ll ah Ibn Lahi ' ah reported on the authority o f Qais Ibn
Al-Hajjaj, who reported from someone else tha t he sa id : When
'Amr Ibn AI-'As .JJc conquered Egypt, its people came to him
during the mo nth of Ba' unah , whi eh is one of the month s of
the Coptic ca lendar, and sa id to him, "0, Co mm ander! Th ere
What Has Been Said Regardillg Ihe Creatio fl of 71
.~--------------~~--~--------~~---"'~~~~----"
is a re li gious custom relatin g to thi s Nil e of ours and it will not
flo od without it. " He said to them, "A nd what is that?" " Wh en
twelve night s of th e month have passed, we go to a vi rg in slave
who is liv ing w ith her parents and tak ing care of thcm , th en
we decora te her with jewels and the fin est clothes and throw
her into the Nile." 'A mr ~ said , " Thi s is not a part of Islam
and Islam eradicates wha t came before it." So they ce lebrated
Ba'u nah (w ith sacrificing a virgin) and th e Nil e did not flood -
neither a litt le nor a lot." According to another narration , " Th ey
ce lebrated th e three months of Ba' unah , Abeeb and Misra and
it did not flood , wh ich caused the m to conside r migration. "So
'A mr .;;. wrote to 'U lllar Ibn Al - Khattab ~ and informed him
abou t thi s. I-Ie wrote back to him , say ing ';You were right in
what you sa id. Tru ly, Islam erad icates w hat preceded it." He
sent a slip of paper insid e his Ictter and wrote to 'A mI", '; 1 have
sent you a slip of paper in side my letter, so throw it in the N il e."
When ' Umar 's leiter rea ched 'A mr Ibn AI- 'As ..1c, he took the
slip and opened it, and th ere was in it , " From the slave of Allah,
'Umar Ibn A I-Khattab, the Commander of the Faithful, to the
Nile of Egypt: Now, if you used to flood before of yo ur own
acco rd, then dan ' , flood! If it was Al lah , the Subduer, Who
made you flow, then I ask A llah to mak e you flow. " He threw
the slip into th e Nile. Th ey woke up on Saturda y morning, and
Al lah had made it fl ow (and it rose) sixteen cubi ts in one ni ght.
A llah cut off this custom of th e people of Egypt right up to thi s
72 WIlli/lias Ikell Said Regarding th(' Crl!otiulIlJ!
.~----~'·A\~,~F~>------------------------------------ ___.
day."11)
Allah. Mos t Hi gh, says. ( Allah is He Who rai sed the heavens
without ,IllY pi ll ars that you can sec. Theil. lie i s /{lU'lI (rose
abo ve) the Throne (reall y in a ma nll cr that suits II is Majesty) . I-Ie
has subjected the sun and Ihe 11100n (to con tinu c goi ng ro und)!
Each running (i ts course) for a term appo inted. l ie regu lates all
alTa irs. exp lai ning the A)'aI (proofs, evidcnces, verses. lessons.
signs. revelations, etc.) in detail. that YOLI nmy believe with
certainty in th e mee tin g with your Lord. And it is l ie Who
sprcad out the Eart h, and placed there in fiml mou ntains and
ri vers and 0 f e very kind of fru its I Ie made .:ouj aill iI/main (two
in pairs - may mean two kind s or it may mea n: o('two sari S, e.g.
black and white, swee t ami sour. sma ll a nd big, etc.) li e bri ngs
the night as a cove r over the day. Veri ly, in these things. th ere
an.: Ayaf (p roofs. ev idenccs. lessons, s igns, etc.) for people who
refl ec t. And in the Earth arc neighboring tracts. :Jnd gardc ns o f
vincs, and gree n c rops (fields, ctc. ). and dalC· palms, growing
out two or three from a sing le stem root. or othe rw isc (one stem
74
.r--~·~~
~~> -- ____--------~--~------~>
Whal lias lJeel1 Said Regarding Ihe Cr(!aliull oj
root for every pa lm), watered with the same wal er. yet some
of them We make more excellent than others to cat. Veril y, ill
these thi ngs, there are Ayal (proo fs, evidences, lessons, s igns)
for the peopl e who understand. ) (Saarah A r-/?o 'd 13 :2-4)
He, Most High, says, ( Is not He (better than your gods) Who
created the heave ns and the Earth , and scnds down for you
water (ra in) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful
gardens fu ll of bea uty and delight'! It is not in yo ur abi lity to
cali se the growth o f their trees. Is there any ilah (god) with
Allah? Nay, but th ey arc a peop le who ascri be equa ls (to I-lim)!
Is not J-Ie (better than you r gods) Who has made the Earth as a
fi xed abode, and has placed ri vers in its midst, and has placed
finn mountai ns th erein, an d has set a barrier between the two
seas (o f sa lt Li nd sweet writer). Is there any ilah (god) wit h
All ah? Nay, but most of them know no l. ) (Saara" All-Nand
27 :60,6 1)
So All ah , Most High, has ment ion ed the thi ngs that He has
creat ed in the Earth, suc h as the mountai ns, the trees, fruits,
Whar lias Beell Said Regarding rhe ClT!alion (~r 75
.~~---'~----~~"---~-----'~~--~~<~~
~'---"""
the plain s, a nd the ru gged s urf~l ces. He has men ti oned the
types of things that He crea ted , such as the inorga ni c mat erial s
(min era ls, etc.), the living creat ures in the countrysi de, in the
desert and in the seas. All of th ese prove Hi s Grea tn ess, Hi s
Power, Hi s Wisdom and Hi s Mercy toward Hi s c reation and
He has made ror eve ry movi ng creatu re the prov ision thai
they req uire day and ni ght, in summ er and in winter, in the
morni ng and in the eve nin g, as All ah, Mos t High , says, ( And
no mov ing c rea ture is there on Earth bU I its provision is due
from All ah. A nd He knows its dwe ll ing place and its deposit.
All is in a Clear Book.) (Soorall Hood I I :6)
~
~ ~
He, Most H igh, says, ( Are you more di fTi c ult to crea te or is
th e heave n Ihat I-Ie co nstru cted, li e ra ised its hei g ht. and ha s
per fec ted it. Its night li e covers and I-Ie brin gs Oll t its foren oon .
And after that l ie s prea d the Ea rth. ) (Soorah Alf-Nazi'af 79:
27-30)
\Ve have exp lained Hi s Words : ' And a lier tha i He spread
the Earth ) by sayin g that the A rabic word dahya (spreadin g)
docs not mean khalq (c reation) ; it was aft er the creation ortlle
heave n.
He, Most High, says , ( Who has crea ted th e seven heavens
one above the other; you ca n sec no fau lt in the creati on o f
the Most Gracious. Then look again . Ca n you see any rifts.
Th cn look again a nd yet aga in , you r sight w ill retu rn to YO LI
hu miliated and worn out. ) (Soorali AI-Mulk 67: 3-4) That is,
humili ated from trying to sec any defect, impcrfec tion or flaw
in it. The Arab ic word liaseer mcans exha ustcd and weak;
eve n if onc looket.! until one's sight became feeble , fa tigucd
and weakened, onc wo ul d not fin d any dcrcct in it , nor any
fa ult, because All ah , Mostl-l igh, had orda incd its creation and
adorned its sky wit h the stars.
He, Most Hi gh, says , ( It is He Who has se t the stars for you,
so that you may guide your course with the ir help through the
darkncss o f the land and Ihe sea. ) (Soorah AI-AII 'oIl16:97 ) So
whoever ass igns any other purpose to them, i.e. slleh as the
kn ow ledge o f (Di vine) ordainm ents, taking th eir movements
as ev idence and comparisons betwee n th eir orbits and cla ims
that this is proo f that cert ain Ea rthl y events will ta ke pl ace, is
mistaken. Thi s is beca use most o f what they saya n thi s subjec t
con tains no thing but conjecture, li es an d fa lse cla ims. All ah
mentioned that He crea ted seven heavens one abo ve an other.
But scholars have differed as to wh ether or n OI th e spaces
between them are piled up togeth er or whether there arc spaces
between them. In facl, the latter is the correct opi nion.
Ibn Hazm, Ibn AI-M un cer, Abul Faraj Ibn AI-Jawzi and other
sc holars have reported that the re is a consensus among scholars
that the heaven s arc spheri cal and what lend s we ight to that is
I-li s Saying: ( They all noat, each in an orbi t ) (SoOl'all ),(, Seen
36:40) AI-J-/asan sa id, "They revo lvc." Ibn ' Abba s ..;:., said, " In
an orbit, li ke the turning o r a spinning mill." They said, Thi s is
provcn by the fac t that the sun sets every night and thcn it rises
at the end of it from the east, as Umayyah Ib n Abis-Sa lt said in
AI-BaliI' AI-Komi!:
That is. He merges thi s into that ; He takes from the length o f
thi s and adds to the shortness o f that and they become equa l,
j ust as at the start of the spring seaso n, th e ni ghts be fore that
are lon g and the days shO[1. But the nights continue to shorten
and the days to lengthen, until they are equa l - and that is
at the beg innin g of spring. Then the days begin to lengthen
and the nights get shorter, until they also become equa l at the
beginn in g of the autumll . Then the night s begin to lengthen
and the days to shorten , until the end of the autum n. Then the
days begin to lengthen slowly and the nights begin to shorten
slowly, until they become equal at the start of the sprin g, as
we said prev ious ly. That is what happens every year. This is
why All ah says, ( Hi s is the alternation of ni ght and day. Will
yo u not th en understand? ) (SoO/'all A/-Mu 'minOOI1 23 :80) That
is, the d isposal of all that is in Hi s Hands; the Judge, Who is
not contrad icted and is not opposed. And this is why He says
in three Verses, when speaking of the heavens, the stars, the
night and the day, ( Such is the meas uri ng of the Almigh ty, the
All -Know in g ) (Saara" AI-An '01/1 6:96) That is, the Almi ghty,
Who has subjugated all things and to Whom all things have
submitted and so He is not opposed and He cannot be overcome.
He is the Knower of a II things and He has appointed a measure
for everything, according to a nile which does not change and
cannot be disturbed.
So the bodies that are in the sky include tho se that constantly
move and they are known as lI1utahayyirah (1) by the scholars
of tasyeer; (2) and most of thi s knowledge is correct, unlike the
"science" of (astro logical) rulings, most of whi ch is false and
without any evidence to support its claims. These are seven
in number and they arc: the moon, which is in the lowest
heaven, 'Ularid (Mercury), which is in th e second, Az-Zllhrah
The scholars have spoken about the masses of these stars and
thei r orbits and movements and they ha ve enlarged on these
things until they have crossed over into th e "seience" of AI-
Allkalll and th e " know ledge" o f EUrlhly events de ri ved from it
and matters of whi ch Illost o f them ha ve no knowledge. Th e
Greeks, who resided in Syria many years before the time o f the
Mess iah ~\ had spoken at great length about such matters and
it wou ld req uire a lengthy di scussion to ex plain all or it. It was
they who built the city or Damascus and Illude seven g;'l les for
it and at each gat c they built a templ e represent ing each of th e
planets. They would worship each o f them in th e app ropri ate
tcmp le and make supplicati ons to them whi ch ha ve becn passed
down from thcm by more than one historian and by others.
The author of the book As-SilT Af-k' aktoom Fee MllkJwwbaf
Ash-Shams WaJ-Qwl/ar H't:II HVI U'OOIll (The Hiddcn Secret in
the Address to the Sun , the Moon and the Stars) - but they are
superst iti ons to whi ch none should pay any heed. And that is
fa iry tale, and peop le did not ca re o f it. They were also recorded
by some of the sc holars of the Ham ani s. th e philosophers o f
anc ient Harran. They were pagans, who worshipped the seven
stars and they were a sect fro m among the Sabians. (II This is
why Allah, Most Hi gh, says, And from alllong Ilis Signs ar\!
(I) Ilarnanis: Or 1-larralli s: later Muslim writers (afier Ihe . Abbasid Ca liph
AI-r-. la'mun 832- 833 C.E.) described Ihem as people who worshipped
plancts . idols. stars and Jj\'cd in the city of 1-laTr..lI1. ill sOUlh-east Turkey.
It was said that Al-Ma·moon. passing through ilamm on his way to a
campaign against Byzantium. {arced the Harrania ns to convert 10 either
to Islam or one of the "religions o f the book", mcaning Judaism, Chris-
tianity. or SabianiSTll. The people of lIarran identified themselves with
the Sabians in order to fa ll under Ihc protection of Islam. Sabians wcre
mentioned in the Qur'an, bUI those were a group ofG nostie Ma11(hl~'ans
living in somhcrn 1r.1(1 who wcre eX linet <lIthe lime ofA I-r-,·ta·moon.
86 What Perrai"s 10 the Creation o/the Heave/Is and
.~ __ ~n~~~~
> ~--~~~-=~~~-=-=----~>
the night and the day, and the sun and the 1110011 . Proslmte nOllO
the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to All ah, Who created them,
if you (rea lly) worship II illl ) . (Saorail Fllssil,,! 41:37) And I-I e
infomls tiS that the hoopoe said to Sulaiman (Solomon ~), when
infonn ing hi m about Bilqees, the Queen of Saba', in Yemen and
her al1n ies and supporters, (" I found a woman ruling over them,
and she has been given all things that could be possessed by any
ruler of the Earth, and she has a great throne. 1 fou nd her and her
people worshipp ing the sun instead of All ah. and Slwitall (Satan)
has made their deeds fair-seemi ng to them, and has barred them
from (Allah 's) Way, so they have no guidance. , AI-La (th is word
has two interpretations: (i) Sa tan has barred them from Allah's
Way so tilal they do not worship (prostrate berore) Allah, or (ii)
so that they may worship (prostrate before) Allah, Who brings
to light what is hidden in the heavens and the Earth, and knows
what you conceal and what you reveal)." (To/s eer At-Tabari,
Vol. 19, Page Allah, La ilalla ilia HIIIVa (none has the ri ght to be
worshipped but I-Ie), the Lord of the Supreme Throne! ) (Saara"
AIl-NoIll127:23-26)
These tradi tions prove th at the sun and the moo n are from
among Allah 's creati ons, whi ch He created for the purposes
that I-Ie des igned and then He doc s with them as He will s. And
to I-lim belongs th e argume nt tha t e limi nates fa lse hood and is
inco nt rove rtibl e.
He, Most High , says, ( And they say : 'The Most Bene fi cent
(A llah) ha s begotten a son (or chi ldren).' G lory to Him ! Th ey
(t hose whom they call children of All ah, i.e. the ange ls, ' Eesa
[Jesus] son o f Mary am [Mary] and 'U zair [Ezra]. etc.) a rc but
honored slaves. They speak not un ti l He l1<.1 s spok cn, and they
act on His Com mand . He knows what is befo re them, and
what is behi nd the m, and they ca nn ot inte rcede cxcept for him
w ith whom I-Ie is pl eased. An d they stand in awe lo r fear of
Hilll . And if any of th em shoul d say: 'Ve rily, I am an itah (a
god) bes ides Him (A ll ah),' such a one We shou ld recompense
w ith Hel l. Thus We recompense the zalilll OOIl (po lythei sts,
w rongdoe rs, etc.) (Soorah AI-Allhiya' 21 :26-29)
He, Most High, says, ( Those (an gels) who bea r the Throne
(of A ll ah) and those arou nd it glorify the pra ises of the ir Lord ,
and believe in Him. and seek forgiveness fo r those who bel ieve
(in th e Oneness of' A lla h) (say ing): 'O llr Lord ! YOLI compreh end
a ll thin gs in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent
and fo llow Yo ur Way, and save them from the torment o f the
blazing Fire ! Our l.ord! And ma ke them ente r the 'A dn (Eden)
Paradise (everlasting Ga rdens) whi ch YOll ha ve promised
th em, and to the ri ghteous among the ir fa the rs, the ir wives, and
their offsp rin g ! Ver il y, You are the Alm ight y, the A ll-Wi se,. )
(Saarah Ghafir40:7,8)
He, Most High, says, ( A ll prai ses and tha nks be to A llah ,
,\felliion of rIll! Creation 0/ ,he AI/gel., lind Thi'ir 93
~t :hC (onl y) Originalor (or Ih e [onl y] Crea lor) of lhe I:a vens an~
~~ the Earth. Who made the angels messen gers with win gs· IwO
tn ~ or thrc,c or four. He iJ1CrC~l Scs in creation ~hat lie wills. Veril y_
~ Allah IS Able 10 do alll illn gs . ) (Soara" I, atil' 35: I)
a..£. I-ie, Most Hi gh, says, ( And (re member) the Day when
the heave n shall be n; nl asunder with clouds, and the angel s
will be se nt down. with a grand desce ndin g. Th e sovereign ty
on that Day will be the true (sovereignt y). belongi ng to the
Most Beneficent (A llah ), and it will be a hard Day for the
di sbe lievers (th ose who di sbelieve in the Onen ess of Allah
(Islamic Monot heism). ) (Saora" AI-FlIrqoI125:25 ,26)
I-Ie. Most High, snys, ( 0 , yo u who believe! Ward off fro m
yourse lves a nd your families a Firc (Hell) whose ruel is men
and stones. over w hi ch arc (ap pointed) angel s stem (and)
severe, who d isobey not, (from exec uting) the Com mands they
receive from A ll ah, bu t do that whic h they are commanded. )
(300mh AI-Tahrcem 66 :6)
peop le o f Lot ~ and Allah will infli ct upon them the se izure
of Alla h, the Almigh ty, Most Compete nt. Likewise, Gabriel ~
lI sed to come to the Prophet :f5 in dirrerent forms; sometimes he
wou ld come to him in the fo rm of Dihyah Ibn Kha lccfah AI-
Ka lbi, (I) so metim es in thc fo rm or a Bedouin man , (2) somc ti mes
in his true form. (3) He ha s six hundred w in gs and the distance
between eac h wing is lik e the distance be twee n the East and the
Wes t. The Pro ph et ~ saw him in this fo rm on two occas ions:
Ollce, when he was desce ndin g frolll the heaven to the Ea rth
and once, at Siclrah A I-MlIIllalw, {-I I which is near to JallllClh A /-
1\1/a 'wa. (S) A nd thi s is mentioned in the Words of Allah, Most
Hi gh: ( I Ie has been taugh t (t hi s Qur ' an) by one migh ty in
power (J ibrae l [Gabriel]), dJllIl1lirrah (free from any defect in
body and mind). /as/m\YI (then he [Jibrae lJ rose and became
stable) (Tafseer Af- Tubari) wh i Ie he (J ibrae l) was in the highest
part or the horizon. Then he (Jibrael) approached and came
closer. ) (Soo rah AII-Najm 53 :5-8). Tha t is, Gabriel ~ , as we
reponed on the aut hority of more than onc of the Companions,
in cl udin g' Abdullah Ibn Mas 'ood, Abu Hura ira h, Abu Oharr
and 'A'ishah (may A llah be pleased with all of them). (A nd
was at a d istance of two bows ' length or (even) nea rer, So did
(Allah) convey the Inspiration to II is slave. ) (Som'ail AII-Najm
53:9, 10) Tha t is, to the slave of All ah, M uh a m m ad ~ . Then
He says, ( And indeed hc (Muha mmad) saw him (J ibrael) at
a second descent (i.e. anothcr time) ncar Shirah Al-Mlllltaha
(the Late-tree of the Utmost Boundary [beyond w hic h none
can pass]) ) (SoO/-ali All-Nojill 53 : 13, 14)_The reference in all
The Prophet ~ said: "Why don ' t you draw yourse lves
up in rows as angels do in the presence of th eir Lord?" Th c
Companions said , "Messenger of All ah, how do th e angels
draw themselves up in rows in the presence of their Lord'!"
He ~ said , "They make th e first row comp lete and keep close
together in the row. " (I)
He said: "We have been fa voured over the rest of the mankind
in three matters: the earth has been made as a mosque (i.e.
a place in whi ch to pray) for us and its du st has been made
a means of purificati on for us and our rank s (in prayer) have
been made like those of the angel s." (2)
(I) Narrated on the authority of Jabir Ibn Samurah .l;o. by Muslim (430), Abu
Dawood (66 1), An-Nasa'j (8 16), Ibn Mtljah (992) tlnd Ahmad (20519).
(2) Narrated on the authority of Hudhai fah Ibn AI- Yaman ..;-. by Muslim
(522).
98 Mel/liOI/ oflhe Crealioll oflhe AI/gels (I II(/ Their
.~----~~
~,W-~
c~
' ----------~--------~----~--~~~,
AI-Fajr 89:22)
They w ill stand in rows before their Lord , the A lmi ghty, the
All -Powerfu l on the Day of Res urrec tion , as He, Most Hi gh,
says, ( T he Day th at Ar-Rovh and th e ange ls w ill sland forth in
rows, none sha ll speak except him whom the Mosl Benefi cent
(A llah) allows, and he w ill spea k what is right ) (Soorah AI1-
Naba' 78:38) What is meant by Ar-Rooh here is mankind ,
accordi ng to •Abdu llah Ibn ' Abbas ~, AI- Hasan a nd Qatadah.
It was also sa id that it means a group of angel s resembling
mankind in appeara nce. Thi s was also sa id by 'Abdullah Ibn
'Abbas ~ , Mujahid , Abu Salih and A I- A ' mash. It was also sa id
th at it refers to librae l. Thi s was the opinion of Ash-Sha'b i,
Sa'eed Ibn Jubair and Ad-Dahhak. It was a lso said that it refers
to an angel who is known as Ar-Rooh, who is responsi bl e for
all mankind. 'A li Ibn Abi Talhah reported on the authority of
'Abdull ah Ibn ' Abbas ... ,n ,hat he said rega rding the Words of
All ah, Most High: ( The Day that Ar-Rooh ... will stand fo rth
) that it is one of the greatest of the ange ls in for m. A great
thing has been mentioned in the descri ption of l ibrae l ~ in
the Words of Allah , Most Hi gh: ( I-I c has been taught by One
Mighty in power :' (Soorah AI1-Najlll 53:5). The sc holars sa id
Ihat so great is his slrength tha t he lifted up the c ities of th e
peop le of Loot &..9. - and they were seve n in number - w ith
a ll of their inhabi tants; they nu mbered four hundred thousand,
in add ition to their li vestock and other animal s. He also lifted
up all the cities of th e surrounding lands and their bui ldi ngs,
e lc. He lifted all of the se on the tip of one of hi s wings unti l it
was as hi gh as the clouds in th e sky, so that the ange ls heard
the barking of dogs and th e crowi ng of th eir cockere ls. Th en
he turn ed them upside-dowil - and that is the One Mighty in
( I) According 10 scholars of /Jatieelli , . Al i Ibn Abi Talhah did not hear from
. Abdullah Ibn· Abbas 4 .
,\lemiOll of Ihe Creatioll oflile ..Il1geh alld Their 99
.r----~~~~--~~--~~~~~----~ ~~~~·----~.
Imam Ahmad narra ted on the a uthority o f Abu Wa' il, who
reported on th e au thority of' Abdullah ~ that he said , " The
Mcssengerof A ll ah :t saw lib rac l ~ in hi s (ori ginal) for m and
he had six hund rcd win gs and each wing fi ll cd the horizon and
pearl s and prec ious stones of a ll co lors fe ll from hi s win gs, in
AI·Bukhari narrated on the aut hori ty of' Abdull ah Ibn ' Abbas
~ that he said, '·The Messenger of Allah ~ was the most
generolls of people and he was at his 1110st generalis during
the mont h of Ramadan, when l ibrac l ~ met hi m. Jibrael ..f;t,
lIsed to meet him 0 11 every nigh t of Ramad,m ti ll the end of the
mont h. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Qu r'an to Jihrac l,
and when Jibrael met him, he used to be mo rc gene rolls than a
( I) This iS:I sound (IIasllll) tradit ion narrated by Imam Ahmad (3905. 4382).
(2) Narrated by AI·13ukhari (3235) and Muslim (177) and the wording is that
of the laller.
Melllioll oIIIIe Creali!m of lite AI/gels lIlId Tlleir 10 1
.~----~----------~--~-------------'~~~'----~,
fas t wind (whic h brings rai n and we lfare)." (I)
Th en they ascend with it. Ifit was a righteous sou l, the ga les
of the I-leaven are opened for it, but if it was not ri ghteous,
they rema in closed to it and it is thrown down to th e Earth,
A ll ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( He is the Irresistible, Supreme over
His slaves, and I-I e se nds guardian s (angels guarding an d
writing all of one's good and bad deeds) over you, until whe n
dea th upproaehes one of you, Our Messengers (the Ange l of
Death and his assi!-tants) take hi s soul , and they never neg lect
their duty. Then thl.!Y arc returned 10 A ll ah, their Mawla (True
Master [God] , the Just Lord [to reward th em]) , Surely, llis
is th e Judgment and lI e is the Swiftes t in taking acco unt. )
(SoO/"ail AI-A ll 'all/ 6:6 1,62)
Also among the m arc th e inh abi ta nts of the seven heavens;
th ey ab ide there in constant worship, nig ht and day, morning
and eve ni ng, as A llah , Most Hi gh, says, ( They (i.e. the an gels)
glorify Il is Prai ses ni g ht and day (a nd ) they never slacken (in
doing so). ) (Soornh AI-AI/hiya· 2 1:20)
Also among the m are those responsible fo r the Fire and they
are Az-Zabaniyyah . In front of th em are nineteen an gels. The
custodian of the Fire is Mali k and he is in c harge of all of the
guardian s. Il is they who are referred to in th e Words o f All ah,
Most Hi gh: ( And th ose in the Fire will say to the keepers
(angels) o f Hell , ' Ca ll upon your Lord to li ghten for us the
torment fo r a day' I" ) (Saaral! Gha];r 40 :49)
said , " Evely s lave has an angel charged with protecting him
during hi s sleep and hi s wakefulness from thejinn and mankind
and haml ful creatures . And nothing can come to him intend ing
to harm him w ithout an angel say ing, " Behind you!" - Unless
Allah wi lls that it should affli ct him , in which case it will do so.
A lso among them are the angel s entrusted w ith protect ing the
deeds of the slaves, as Allah , Mosl High, says, ( (Remember)
Ihat the two rece ivers (recording angel s) rece ive (eac h human
being a fter he or she ha s atta in ed the age of puberty), one sitt ing
on the right and one on the left (to note hi s or her actions). Not
a word does he (or she) utter, but th ere is a watc he r by him
ready (10 record il). ) (Sa ara" Qa[SO: 17, 18)
Allah, Most High, says, ( But veri ly, over yo u (are appoi nted
angels in charge o f mankind) to watch you. Kiramon (honorable)
Ka fi been writing down (your deeds). They know all that you
do . ) (Sa arah A I-Inft/ar 82 : I 0-12)
Ibn 'Abbas ~ , which states that: "Angels do not en ter a house in which
there is a dog or a picture," it was narrated by Muslim (3929).
( I) This is an extremely weak fwdeelh. It was narrated by Imam Ahmad .;..
and it contains in its chain of narrators one 'Arm Ibn Khalid, who is a liar.
(2) Thi s is an authentic hac/eelll narrated by Imam Ahmad ( 11448), Malik
( 180 I) and 1\1-Tinnidhi (2805).
(3) Th is hadeelh is authentic in meaning; it was narrated by Abu D,l\vood
(4 158) and I\t-Timlidhi (2806).
(4) Narrated by Muslim (21 13), I\bu Dawood (2555), At-Tirm idhi (1703),
Ahmad (75 12) and Ad-Darimi (2676).
(5) An authentic hadeelll narrated by Ahmad (8772).
11 2 Memin/l n/llle Crealioll o/llie til/gels and 71leir
~.~~~
~.~~--~~~~~~~~~----~----~.
destroyed th is night '." (I)
( 1) This was mentioned by Al- Haitharni in Majma' A::-Zawa 'it! (I 0/226) and
he said orit, "Narfilled by Al- Bazzar; it contains (in its chain o f narrators)
people whom I do not know,"
(2) Narrated by AI-Bukhari (3223).
Mel/lioll oflhe Crealion of lhe AI/gels and Tlteir II J
.~----------------------------------~~~_wr'F. ~--~,
As fo r the hac/eelh narrated by Imam Ahm ad on the auth ority
of' Abdull ah Ibn Ma s'o od ~ , in whi ch he sa id: Th e Messcnge r
of Allah ~ said, "There is not a sin gle one of you but has hi s
qarecn fro m amo ng th ej inn and his qareen (companion) from
among the angels." They sa id, "And you al so, Messenger of
Alla h?" I-Ie repli ed, " Yes, I also, but All ah has helped me again st
him so that he does not command me exce pt in that whic h is
(ru e and good." (II It is possib le that this qareell from the ange ls
is unlike th e qareen that protec ts mankind. He is on ly cha rged
with guidi ng [md directi ng him by Allah's Perm ission to the way
of goodness a nd the path o f righteousness. Li kewise, the qareell
from amo ng the devi ls has been charged to spare no effo rt in
ca using con fusion and mi sguidance. Th e one who is prot ected
is the one w hom A Ilah, the Almighty, the All -Powe rful protec ts
- and Alla h is th e One from Whom protection is so ught.
All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( And recite thc Qu r'a n in the
ea rl y dawn (i.e. the morn ing prayer). Veri ly, the reci tation o f
the Qur'nn in the early daw n is ever witnessed (atte nded by
the ange ls in cha rge of manki nd of the day and the nigh t). )
(SoO/-ail AI-Ism' 17: 78 )
th an th em, ' What are My slaves sayin g?' They say: 'They are
glorifyi ng, magnifying, praising and extoll ing You.' He ask s,
' Have they seen Me?' They say, 'No, by Allah, they ha ve not
seen You.' He asks, ' And how wou ld it be if they saw Me?'
They say, ' They would be eve n more fe rvent and devoted in
their praise and wo rship.' He asks, ' What arc they askin g me
forT They say, ' Th ey ask You for Paradi se.' He asks, ' And
have th ey seen it?' They say, 'No, by All ah, Lord, th ey ha ve not
seen it.' He asks, 'A nd how would it be if they saw it?' Thcy
say: ' Th ey wo uld be even more eager for it and th ey would
beseech You even more earnestl y.' He asks, 'A nd what do th ey
seek My protec tion from?' They say, ' From th e Fire of Hell .'
He as ks, ' j-jave they seen it?' They say, ' No, by Allah, th ey
have not seen it.' He asks, ' And how woul d it be if they saw
it?' They say: 'They woul d be even more afraid and anxious
to escapc it.' Allah says: ' You arc My wi tnesses that I have
forgi ve n them.' One of the angels says: 'So-a nd-so is not reall y
one of th em; he ca me (to the ga thering) for SOme other reason. '
All ah says, ' Th ey were all in the gat hering, and onc of th em
will not be excl uded (frol11 forgiveness),." tI)
Imam Ahmad narrated on th e <lUthority o f Abu Hurairah ..;c,
that he said : The Messe nge r orA llah ~ said , " Whoever relieves
a believe r from a hardship in thi s li fe, All ah will re li eve him from
a hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whosoever bri ngs ease to
a beli ever who is in d iffic ulty, Allah will bring ease to him in both
thi s life and the next. Whosoever concea ls the shortcomings of
a Muslim, All ah will concea l hi s shortcom ings in thi s world and
the nex t. All ah will always help a servant as long as that servant
helps his brother. And whoever follows a path by which he seeks
knowledge, All ah will make easy for him a path to Paradi se.
Those people who assembl e in a house from among the houses
( I) This is an authentic !wdeellt narrated by Imam Ahnmd (7376).
116 Mel/lion oj Ihe Crealion (ljllle Angels (/11(1 71,eir
.~--~w~>~----~------~~~--~,
of All ah (mosques) and reeite the Book of A llilh and learn and
teach the Q ur ' an, tranq uility will descend upon them and merey
will cover them and the angels will surround them. Allah makes
a ment ion of lhem in th e presence o rl ilose nca r Him, a nd hc who
is slow-paced in doi ng good deeds, his (exa lted) lineage will not
make him go faste r." (I)
Li kcw ise, when a slave leaves his house and says, " Bislllillalu'
Tawakka/fll 'A/aI/alii Hi-I La t-1awla IVa La QUII'II'ara ilia Billah
(In the Name of Allah, I have placed my trust in Allah and there is
no strength and no power except in Allah)," the ilngcl says to him,
" Your needs sha ll be fulfi lled, you shal l be saved from diffi culti es
and hardships. Satan , hearing thcsc words, leaves him," O)
li ght, the j inn were c reated from a smoke less fire and Adam
was created from what has been described (in th e Qur 'a n) to
you (i.e. from clay )." (I)
A I- Hasan A I-B asri said: " He was not of the an gel s for even
the blink o f an eye. Hi s ori g in was the jinn, just as Adam 's
ori g in was hu man." Shahr Ibn Hawshab and ot hers sa id that
Ib lces was of th e j inn whom th e an ge ls ex pe lled and they
captured some o fth cm and took them to the heavell . Thi s was
narrated by Ibn Ja ree r A l-Tabari .
So Iblccs was scnt down fro lll thc heavcnl y host and he was
pro hib ited fro m ever entering it again. As a resu lt , he went
down to the Earth wretched, humbled, di sgraced and expell ed,
with the threat (or promise) of the Fire for him and those of the
jinn and mankind who follow him. In spite o f thi s, he exerts
all of his efforts to mi sgui de the chil dren of Adam, by every
means and every way, as Allah , Most High, says, ( (Iblees)
sa id. 'See? Thi s one whom You have honored above me, if You
give me resp it e (keep me alive) to the Day of Resurrection, I
w ill surely se ize and mi slead his offspring (by sending thcm
astray), a ll but a rew!' (A llah) sa id , 'Go, and whosoever of
them fo llows you , sure ly! Hell w ill be the recompense of
you (a ll ) an ample recompense . And lstajii= (litera lly means:
befool th em gradually) those whom you can among them with
your vo icc (i.e. songs, Illllsic, and any other call for Alla h's
di sobed ie nce), make assaults on them with yo ur cavalry and
your infalllry, 111lilually share with them wea lth and ch ildren (by
tempting them to earn money by illegal ways usury, etc., or by
committin g ill ega l sexua l intercourse, etc.), and make promises
to them. But Sa tan pro mises them nothing but dece it. Veri ly!
My slaves (Le. th e true believers of Islamic Mon otheism), you
have no aut hority over them . And AlI~S u fficie nt is your Lord as
a Guardian' ,") (Saara" AI-Isl'o' 17:62-65) And we shall rcla te
the story in de ta il when we ment ion the crea ti on of A d am ~ .
(A ll ah). And exa lted be the Majesty o f ollr Lord , He has taken
neither a wife, nor a son (nor ofTspring nor ch ildre n). And that
the fooli sh among li S (i. e. Iblces) or th e po lythci sts among the
j inn used to utter against Allah that wh ich was wrong and not
right. And veril y, we thought that men anci j inil would not utlc r
a li e against Allah. And verily, therc were men among-mankind
who took shelt er with the masculine among the j inn, but they
(the jinn) increased them (ma nkind) in si n and disbelief. And
they thought as you thought. that A llah wi ll not send any
Messenge r (to mankind or jinn). And we have sought to reach
the heavcn: but found it filled with stcrn guard s and flaming
fires. And ve ril y, we lIsed to sit there in stations. to (steal) a
hearing. but anyon e who li sten s now wi ll fi nd a fl aming fire
watching him in amb ush. And we know 110t whether evil is
inte nded for those on Earth, or whether their Lord intends for
them a Ri ght Path. Th ere are among us so me th at arc righteous,
and some the opposite; we arc groups each having a d ifferent
way (rel igious sect. etc.). And we thi nk th at we cannot escape
(from the punishm ent of) Allah on Earth, nor can we escape
(from the punishment) by fli ght. And ind eed when wc hcard
the Guida nce (th is Qur' an) , we be li eved therein (Islami c
tVlonotheism). and whosoeve r believes in hi s Lord shall have
no fear. either o f a decrease in the reward of hi s good deeds
or an increase in punishment for hi s sins. And o f us some are
Mus lims (who have submitted to All ah, after li stenin g to thi s
Qur'an), and of us so me are al-qasiloon. (di sbeli evers, those
who have dev iated from the Right Path )." And whosoever ha s
embraced Islam (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitt ing 10
Allah). then such have sought the Right Path . And as for the
qasilooll (di sbelievers who dev iated from the Ri ght Path). they
shall bl.! the firewood for Hell, If they (the non-Mu slims) had
believed in Allah. and went on the Ri ght Way (i.e. Islam) We
124 Mellfioll (~r tile Crelltioll oftill' Jil/ll (II1l1 tile StOl:'"oJ .
•,..- --""1}.j
should surel y ha ve bestowed on them wa lcr(rain) in abundan ce.
That We might try them thereby. And whosoever tums away
from the Rem inde r of his Lord (i.e. thi s Qur ' an , and practices
not its laws and orders), li e wi ll cause him to enter in a severe
torment (i.e. Il e ll ). ) (Soora" AI-Jillll 72: 1-1 7)
We have given the exp lanation ofthisSoorah and the comp lete
story at the end of Soorah A I-A IIqafand we menti oned aJw(/eelh
re latin g to it therc. We sa id that th is group was from among
th c jinn o f Naseebecn (I) - or according 10 other narrati ons,
from th c ji nn of Busra - and they passed by the Messenge r of
Allah ~ when he was stand in g in prayer wi th hi s Companions
..;.. at Baln Nak hlah, in Makkah and they slOod and listc ned 10
hi s rec ita ti on. The n th e Prophct ~ mcl w it h th em for a whole
night and they asked him about th ings th at he had e nj oined
upon thcm and things th at he had fo rbidden to them. They also
asked him abou t provision (for thc Aftcrtile) and he said to
th em: "Every bone all which the Ila llle o f Alb.l h is rec ited is
your prov ision. The time it w ill fall in your hand it wou ld be
covered with ncsh, a nd th e du ng of (t he ca me ls) is fodde r for
your animal s." (2J
Fire. Acco rdin g to one opin ioll (t he correc t one) they would
enter Paradise, based on the generality of th e Words of Allah ,
Mosl Hi gh, ( But fo r him who (t he true believer of Islamic
Monotheism who perform s all the duti es ordained by Allah and
lIi s Messe nge r Muhamm ad, and keeps away (abstai ns) from
all kinds of s in and ev il deeds prohibited in Islul11 and) fcars
the sl<l nding before his Lord, there will be IWO Garde ns (i.c. in
Paradi se). Then whi ch o f the Blessings of you r Lord will you
both Ginn and men) dcny?" ) (Soorah Ar-Rahmall 55: 46,47)
Ima m Ahm ad narrated, on the authori ty of Jabir Ibn ' Abdi llah
~, that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ~ say ing: "The
throne of Iblees is over the sea and he sends hi s leg ions cvc ry
day to spread discord among the peop le and the grea tcs t of
th cm in his sight is th c one who sprcads the 1110st di sco rd." m
(I) Thi s is an authentic Iwe/eelll narr.lled by Imam A hnlad ( 14400) and all or
the mcn in its chain [lrc tnlstwonhy.
(2) This is an authent ic Ill/deetll I1llmltcd by Imam Ahmad (14699) lind the
men in its chain are trustwonhy.
(3) Narrated by r.,·luslim (2813).
128 Alellfioll oflhe Crealioll of lhe Jillli lIlId Ih e 5 /01 :1' oj.
.~---""'~,IJP " •
is why Satan thank s th e efforts o f the one who ca uses thi s.
So th e one whom A Ilah reb ukes, Satan praises; the one who
invokes All ah 's anger, Sa tan is pleased with him - may All ah's
Curse be upon him. A ll ah has revea led th e Mil 'awwidllataill
(i.e. 5001"0h A/-Fa/of! and 500l"all Ali-NtIS) (1) as a mean s of
repe ll ing all man ne rs of evil and its cau ses and objectives, in
pa rti c ular,
SOOl'al1 An-Nos, whic h sates, ( Say, "I scek refugc with (Alla h,
) the Lord of the mankind , the King of the mankind , The !lah
(God) of the manki nd, fromlhe evi l of the whi spcrcr (the devil
who whi spers evi l into Ihe hearts of people) who with draws
(from his whis pcrin g in onc 's heart aOer one remembers Allah),
who whi spers in the breasts of the mankind, ofjinn a nd men." )
(Soora" All-Nas 114: 1-6)
(\) This is an authentic hadeefh narrated by Imalll Ahmad (8 170) and the
men in its chain arc trustworthy.
(2) This is an authentic hadeelh narrated by imam Ahmad (2098) and Abu
Dawood(S I1 2}.
130 )\fell/io/l o/flle CI"(!alio/l "trhe ./illll olld lite StOlT oj:. •,,
r----"'~
'"
4'F .-" . - . ..
such a ques ti on, o ne should seek re fu ge w ith A ll ah a nd g ive up ~
such thoughts." ( 1) I
Allah, M ost Hi g h, says, ( Verily, those w ho arc a/-II1f1uaqool/
(pi o us, G od-fearing). when an ev il thoug ht comes to them
from ShaifOlI, Ih ey reme mber (Allah). and ( indeed) they thell
sec (aright) . ) (Saorah AI-A 'ra(7:20 I)
I-Ie, Mosl High, says, ( And say: 'My Lord! I seek re fuge
w i th You from th e w hi sper in gs (sugges ti ons) or
tile S/w),aleell. ,-
And I seek refuge with You, My Lord. lest they may attend (or
co me ncar) me." ) (Soorall AI-Mil 'lIIi110011 23:97,98)
He, Most Hi gh , says, ( So when you want 10 rec ile the Q ur ' all .
seck refuge w ith All nh from S/Witall, the outcas t (the at:curscd
one). Veril y, I-Ie has no power over those w ho believe rmel put
th e ir trus t o nl y in th eir Lord (A ll ah). Hi s powe r is o nl y ove r
those who o bey a nd fo ll ow hi m (Satan). and those w ho joi n
pa rtners with Hi m (A ll a h) (i.c. those who arc A1l1shrikoo..!.£: -::.
po ly th eists). ) (Soora" All-Noh! 16:98-100)
Imam Ah mad and the co mpi lers orthe SIfIUI11 narra ted on the
aut hority of Abu l-Mu lawakkil , w ho reporled o n the authority
o f Abu Sa'eed A I-Khud ri ~, that he said: T he Messenger of
A ll ah ~ used to say, " I sec k re fu ge w it h A ll ah, the A ll- Heari ng,
the A ll-Knowin g from the accursed Satan , from hi s urg in g,
from hi s inspiratio n and fro 111 his utt eran ces." m
And in the SI/I/OII it was repo rted that the Messenger of Allah
~ forbade that anyon e should s it between the sun and the shade .
He sa id. " It is the sit ti ng place o f Satan ." (3 )
All ah, Most High, says, ( Le i no tlh en thi s (world ly) present
life decc ive you, nor let the chi ef dece iver (Sata n) deceive you
abolll A llah. ) (Sooral1 Luqll1(111 3 1:33)
( I) Narrated by Abu Dawood ol1thc tluthori lYof Abu Yusr -to ( 1552).
(2) Narr:llcd by AI-Ti nnidhi (2988).
Menlion oflhe Crelilirm ofllle ./illll alld {he SIOl:1' of. LA'<!""'" 137
~ ~ ~
AI-Bukhari narrat ed 011 the authority of' A' ishah (may Allah
be pleased wit h her) that she said , " I asked the Proph et :ti about
one's look ing here and th ere durin g the prayer. I-Ie rep lied, ' It is
wha t Sa ta n stea ls from the praye r of anyone of you' ." (l)
Al-Bukhari narrated on th e authority of 'A bdullah Ibn Abi
Qatadah, who reported on the aut hority of his filth er ~ that he
said: Th e Messenger of All ah ~ said: "A good dream is from
Al lah, and a bad or evil drea m is from Satan; so ifany one of'
you has a bad dream of which he ge ts afra id, he shou ld spit on
hi s len side and should sec k refuge with Allah from its ev il , for
th ell it will not harm him ." (.1)
He, Mos t Hi gh, says, informin g li S about the jinn (Ihat Ihey
said), ( And we have sought lO rC;lch the hea ve n, but fou nd it
filled with stem guards and fl aming fires. And verily, we used
10 sit there in sta ti ons, to (steal) a hC<1ring, but an yone who
lis tens now will find a fl amin g fi re watching him in ambush. )
(SoO/'oll AI-Jillll 72:8 ,9)
A I-Bukhari narrat ed 0 11 th e au thority o f Ab u I-I urairah ~
that he said: Veri ly, the Prophet of Allah ~ sa id, "When Allah
dec rees some orde r in the heave n, the a ngels flutter their wings
indicating complete surrender to His say ing whi ch sou nds li ke
chains being dragged on rock. ( Unti l fear is banished from
th eir hearts. they say, 'What is it tl1 at yo ur Lo rd has said?' They
say: ' The truth. And He is th e Most Hi gh. the Most Great. '
) (Saarall Saba' 34.23) The n Ihe sleallhy li sleners (devi ls)
hear this comma nd , and thcse stea lthy listene rs are like thi s,
one over the other." (Suryan, a sub-narrator demon strated thi s
by holdin g hi s hand upri ght and separating the fi ngers.) "A
stealthy listener hears a wo rd which he will convey to the one
be low him and the second will convey it to the onc below him
ti ll the last of them will convey it to the magician or foretell er.
Sometim es a name (fi re) may strike the devi l before he can
co nvey it, and sometimes he may convey it before the fl ame
(fi re) strikes him, whereupon the mag ician adds to that word
a hund red lies. The peop le will then say, ' Did not he (i.e. the
magician) tell sllch-and-sllch a thing on such-3 nd-such a date?'
So th at mag ician is said to ha vc to ld the tnuh because of the
stalCment wh ich has been heard from the heavens." ( 1)
Allah, Most High , says, ( And whosoever tu rn s away (b linds
himself) from th e rcmembrance of thc rviosl Benefi ccnt (All ah)
(i.e. the Qur' an and worshi p of All ah), We appoin t for hi m a
S/witall to be n qareell (an intimate compa nion) to him. And
ve rily, they (the dev ils) hind er them from the Path (of All ah),
( 1) Narrated by Ahmad (231 9) and the men in its chain arc trustworthy.
(2) Th is is an authenti c !wdee/II narrated by Ahmad (87 17).
140 (?! lite Cl'l!lIrirJ/l (lOire .!hlll /lilli/he 5101:1 ' or
.\IellfuJi/
• •
lIIuhajil' (migra te) is that or a horse in his strengt h and stam ina.
But he disobeycs him and migrates. Theil he lays in wai l fo r
hi m a t the pa th ofjilwd. whi ch is to strugg le wi th one's se lf and
one's wea lt h, a nd he says: ' Will YO LI fi ght and be ki ll ed, aft er
whi ch your w ife w il1 be married and your wea lth di vided ?'
But he di sobeycs him and pcrformcs jihad." The Messenger
of All ah ~ said, "So if anyone of the m (the sons of Adam 'f.f.' )
does thai , it w ill be his rig ht upon A ll ah tha i He w ill ad mit him
10 Paradi se. If he is kill ed, it will be hi s ri ght upo n Allah that
He will ad mit him to Parad ise. Ifhe is drowned, it wi ll be his
right upon All ah thai J-Ie wi ll admit hi m to Pa radise. And if hi s
ri ding beast breaks hi s neck, it wi ll be his right upon Allah that
He will admit him to Parad ise." (II
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authori ty of ' Abdu ll ah Ibn
'U mar """ that he sa id: The Messcnger of All ah ~ did not use
10 neglect these supplicati ons in the morning and the eve ning:
"0 Allah! I ask You to pardon mc in thc life of thi s worl d an d
in the Herea fte r. 0 All ah! I ask YOLIID pa rdo nl1lc and grant me
we ll bei ng in my Reli g ion, my wo rl dly affa irs, my fa mily and
my property. 0 All ah ! Cover up my defi ciencies an d ca lm my
fea rs. 0 Allah ! Protec t me fro lll my fron t, fro m behind , fro m
my ri ght, fro l11 my le n and from above me. I seck refu ge with
Your Majesty from bcing snatched from below." Wakee ' said
it means to sink down. c2)
Allah, Most High, says, , And ( r~ l1l el11bcr) \\ hen your Lord
s.dd 10 the an gel s: " Veril y. I am goin g \0 p ln l:C (ma nk in d)
ge nerati on s aft cr gCll cratio ll \ 011 Earth." they said. "wi ll You
place the rc those w ho w ill ma ke m isc hi ef and s hed b lood while
we g lo rifY You \\ ilh pra ises and thanks (E}.. allcd he You abm c
all Ih alIh cy as:.oc ial c w il h Y Oll as pilrlil crs ) a nd sa nctify YOll ,"
I-k (Allah) sa id . ,, [ know th at which you d o not know." ' A nd I k
taught A dam a ll th e nam es (o r every thing ), th en l ie showed
the lll to the ange ls and said . "Te ll Me the Ila lll es of these if
you a rc truth ful. '· They sa id. "Gl o ry be 10 YOli. we have 110
knowledge c'\ccpt w hat you han! tau ght us . Ve ri ly, il is Yo u. the
A ll-Kn ower, the A Il -Wi se." lI e sa id. "0 Ada m ! In form the m of
th e ir nmnes," and when he had in for med them o f th e ir nam es,
He sa id . ··Did I nOl le ll you Ih al I kn ow th e glwih (unsee n) in
the hca\"cns and the Ea rth ,1Ild I kno w \\'hal YOli revca l and
what you ha\"c bcen concca lin g? A nd (re mem bcr) w hc n We
sa id 10 Ih c ange ls: . Prostra te yourse lves be fore Ada m. A nd th ey
J 42 Whllf l itH He('/) Said Regardillg file Crealioll o}lId(l1ll
, ~~ ,
prostrat ed except Iblees : he rdused and was proud and was
one of th e di sbeli evcr!-> (d isobedi ent to All ah). And We sa id. '0
Adam! Dwe ll you and yo ur w ife in the Parad ise and cat both of
yo u freel y w ith pleasure and de li ght of' things th erein wherever
you wi ll , but co me not ncar thi s Irel! o r you bo th will be o f
the ::a/i lllooll (wrong-doers).' Th en th e SIwifOIl made the m
s liplh crc from ( Parad ise), and go t th cm Ollt {i'om that in whi ch
they were . We sa id, ' Get yo u do wn, all , with enmi ty betwee n
yoursel ves . On Earth w ill be a d we llin g place for yo u an d an
enjoyment for a time.' Then Adam rece ived from hi s Lord of the
Words. And hi s Lord pa rdoned him (accept ed his repentance).
Veri ly. He is th e On e Who forg ives (accepts repentance). the
Most Merc iful. We said , ' GCI down all of you frolll thi s place
(the Paradise), th en when eve r th ere comes to you Guidance
from Me. and whoeve r foll ows My Guidan ce, there shall be no
fear on th em, nor shall th ey g ri eve. Blit those who di sbeli eve
and be lie Our Ay al (proofs, evidences, Verses, lessons, signs.
revelations, etc.) slleh ure the dwe llers of the Fi re, th ey shull
abide there in fo rever ' ," (Soorah AI-Baqarah 2:30-39)
He, Most !-ligh, says, ( It is I-Ie Who has c rcllt ed you from
a s ingl e person (Adam), and (th en) li e has created from him
his wife (Hawwa) , in order that he might e njoy the pl casure
of living w ith her. When he had sex ual re lation s with her, she
became pregna nt and she carri ed it ubout lightl y. Then , when
it became hea vy, they bo th invoked Allah , th eir Lord (say ing) :
,Wlla/lfas JJeen Said Regan/illg ,lie Crl'flfiu ll f~r"dalll " .'";:-'-'- - - -"
143
He, Most Hi gh, says, (Allah) said. ' Get YOll down ( from the
Paradi se 10 th e Earth). bo th o r you together. so me of you are
an e nemy to some ot hers. Then if there eo mes to you g uidance
fr0111 Me, then whoeve r fo llows My Guidance sha ll ne ither
go aSlra y. nor f~ill into di stress and mi sery ' . ) (Soomll 7(1 No
20: 123)
Allah, Most Hig h, says th at He addressed the a nge ls, saying
( "Verily, I 3m go ing to pla ce ge nera ti ons after gcner'll ion s on
Earth"' ) (Soora" 111-8"""ra" 2:30)
144 IV/w I 11m· Becn Said Regarding (he Cr(f(l(io ll oft/ dam
,-~~~~.~ ~
' Abdull ah Ibn ' Abbas ..#i> sa id, "Th ey are thesc namcs with
whi ch th e mankind is acqua inted, such as humans, animals,
ea rth , plains, seas, mounta ins, camels, donkeys and other
thin gs." Muj ahid said, " He taught him the names of th e pl ate
and the pOI and even the terms for breaki ng wind."
M ujah id also said , " He taught him the name of every anima l,
eve ry bird and every thi ng."
11'''0/ Hils /Jeen Suid Regarding the Cre(lfiOIl oj A dam 145
, f:'11J"'* ..
A I-B ukhari and Muslim narrated on th e authority of A nas Ibn
Malik ";", who repo rted from the Messenger of Allah ~ that he
sa id, "O n the Day of Resurrecti on the beli eve rs will assembl e
and say, ' Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our
Lord : So they wi il go to Adam ~ and say, 'You arc the fa ther
of all the peopl e; and A ll ah crea ted you with I-li s Own I-lands,
and ordered the angels to pros trate to YOll , and ta ught you the
names of all thin gs. ' (1) He reco rded the Iwdeelll in full.
( Th en I k showed them to the angels and sa id. ' Tell Me th e
names of these if you arc truthful ' ." ) (Soora h AI-Saqarah
2:3 1)
AI-Hasan AI- Basri said, "W hen Allah wanted to create Adam
~~ . th e ange ls sa id, ' Ou r Lord wi ll not create a creation except
th at we arc mo re kn ow ledgeab le than it.' Thus they were put
to trial and that was w hy All ah sa id, ( · . .. ifyou are truthful .' )
(Saara" AI-Baqara" 2: 3 1)
( They (ange ls) said, ' Glory be to You , we have no knowledge
except what you ha ve taught us. Ver il y, it is Yo u, the AII-
Kn ow ing, Most Wise'''' ) (Soorah AI-Saqarall 2:32) Tha t
is, no Oll e can encompass anythin g from Your Know ledge,
except w hat You have taught ; You are far above that. Th is is
as All ah says, ( And th ey will neve r compass anythi ng of Il is
Know ledge except that which li e will s. ) (So orah AI-Baqarah
2:255)
l ie sa id , ' 0. Adam! Inform th em of the ir names,' and when
i
. Abd ull ah Ibn Mas·ood .... 'A bdu ll ah Ibn ·Abbas ... a group
of the Compan ions ~ Sa'ced Ibn AI-Musayyib and others sa id
tha t Iblees was th e leader of the ange ls in the earthly heave n.
In one narrat ion a ll ributed to 'A bd ull ah Ibn ' Abbas 4>, he sa id
Ihnt hi s name was 'Azazeel, wh ile in another narration , it was
ascri bcd to him th at he said that his nam e was A I-I-Iarith . An-
Naqqash sa id that hi s agnomen was Abu Ka rdoos. 'Abdu ll ah
Ibn 'Abbas ~ said: " He was from one of the tribes o r the angels
wh ic h was known as AI-Jill". They were the gua rdians of the
Gardens and he was th e most cminent of them and the grea test of
the m in know ledge. I-Ie had fOllr wings, bu t A ll ah lra nsformed
hi m into a curse." In SOOl'all Sac/, He says, ' (Remcmber) w hen
yo ur Lord sa id to 1hc angels: ' Trul y. I am go ing to create man
from clay.' So w h ~ n I ha vc f:\shi ollcd him and brca thed into
him (his) sou l crea1t:ci by Mc. then you fa ll down prostrate him.
So Ihc angels prostratcd thclllsclycs , all of them: excep1 Iblecs.
( I) The wkhreej for Ih is has already been given.
Wltalllm Bel.!li Said /?{,/::lInlil1g lhl' ( 'Il! lIIiOIl OJ- l e/lIlII 149
, •
li e was proud and W<lS Olll: Drill !.: di sbe li evers. (A llah) sa id , ' 0 .
Iblcl!S (Sa tan)! What prc\"t~llIs YOli from prost rati ng yo ufsdf
Ihe o ne whom I IMVC e re,lIed wi th My bo th I land s'! Arc you 10 0
proud (to prost rate A dam), or arc you oll e o f the hi gh ex alt ed'!"
( lb lccs (Saltln]) said .. ,' am bCI1l.:r th an he: YO li creat ed me from
fi re. ami YO li created him fro m d ay.' (A llah ) sa id. ' Theil go
dow l1 from here. 1'0 1' vt.!ril y, you arc an outcasl. A nd ve ril y. My
Curse is on you until thl! Day o f Recom pense.' (Ibh:cs [SalmI])
said. ' f\ ly Lord! Gi \'c mc then respite till the Day the (dead)
arc n: surrect cd.' (A ll ah) said. "Veril y, yo u arc o flho sc all owl:d
respite lill the Day of th e time appo inted,' ( Iblces [Satan]) said .
' By Your Mi ght , the n I w ill sure ly mi slcad th cm a ll , cxe(.: pI
Your c hosc n s ia v(.:s among the m (the {;Iithl'ul. o bedi cnt. true
bclievers o f Is la mic Mo no theism}. ' (A ll ah) said. ' T he TnJlh is,
and the Tmth I say, tha t I wi ll fill Il e l1 wi th you (I bl ccs) a nd
thosc o f thc lll (ma nkind) that fo ll ow YO ll . toge th cr ' ," (Soorah
50d38:71 -85)
t
(l
i
t,
Th ese are mino r differences o f opin ion; in fa ct, A lla h has le ft
obscure the prec ise nature o f the tree - and if there was any
<...J benefit for us in His mention ing it , He would ha ve done so.
o Thi s is a lso the ca se with regard to o ther matters wh ich have
~ ~~ bee n left un de fin ed in the Qur' an.
'1jJf Th e only rea l d iffe rence that they menti oned wa s rega rding
91(" ,,/ whether o r not th e Ga rde n tha t Adam ~ cntcred was in heaven
Ql ~ o r on th e Earth. Thi s is a difference of op ini on wh ic h must be
~ ~ § clarified and se tt led.
\)()I
cr-C) T he majority o f scholars hold (the view) that it was (located)
in heaven a nd thaI it was Janna! A I-Ma 'IVa (the Ga rden of
Refuge) , based on the apparent meaning o f the Verses and
a/we/eelh, as in the Wo rds of Him , Most High: ~ And We
said, '0, Adam ! Dwell you and your w ife in the Parad ise ' :'
) (Saara" Al-Baqarah 2:35) The word ing here indicates tha t
w hat is referred to is a spec ifi c Paradi se and that is JOlllla l Al-
Ma' lVa.
But thi s is weak, because He says regard ing the first (sending
down) , ( Then Shairall made them slip thc reFrom (Parad ise)
a nd got the m out li'OJll that in whi ch they we re. We said. ' Get
you down, a ll , w ith ellmity betwee n yourse lves . O n Earth will
be a dwe lling place for you and an enjoyment for a time' ," )
(SoO/'ah AI-Baqarah 2:36), whi ch proves that th ey were sent
down to the Earth in the first sending down. And Alla h knows
better.
best day o n which the S UIl rises is Friday: on that day Adam ~
was c rea ted; on it he was admitted to Paradi se and on it he was
sent out of it. " (1)
Imam Ahmad report s frol11 Anas that the Pro phe t ~ sa id:
"W hen Allah created Adam, He left him al one for as long as
I-Ie w ill ed to leave him a lone, so Iblces began circling around
him . Once he saw that he was hollow. He rea li zed that he was
a c reat ion that coul d not cO lltrol itself."(J)
Ibn Hi bban reports in his 5aileeil from A nas ibn Malik that
All ah's Mcssenger ~ sa id : "Whcn the soul was blow n into
Adam and it reached its head, he sneezed and said, 'A ll praise
is due to A ll ah, Lord of the '""orlds,' so He, blessed and exa lted
A I-Bu khari reports from Abu I-Iurairah that the Proph et :Jt
said: Allah crea ted Adam with a hc ight of s ixty cubit s. Th en he
sa id, " Go and grcet that group o f angels w ith salaam and sce
how they respond to you, for that shal l be you r gree tin g and thc
(I) Abu Y:l' taa reporl ~ il in his MlIsllad. 111453. No. 6580: AI -t-Iailhami Slales
in AI-Majll/o' (8/ 197). "Abu Va'Jaa reponed iI, and it contai ns Ismaa 'eel
ibn Raafi'. AI-Buklmri sa id he is "reliable (lltiqo"). mediocre in narrntion
(1III1qa(/rib al-I1Od, 'elh):' whil e Ihe majorit), declared him weak. The re-
mainder orthe narr.IlOrs arc frO lTllhc narr.llors oflhe Salleell."
(1) Hasan So"ee": AI-Tinnidh i: Book ofTafseer of Ihe QIII' '(11/: Ch. Concern-
ing SOOI'll" A I-A '/'{Ia! No. 3076.
What Ill1\' Beell Said Regan/illg the Creatioll olAdalll 165
•
greeti ng of yo ur ofIs pring," He said, "As-salaam 'alaikum" 10
which they replied, "As-salaam 'alaika 11'0 rahlllalllllah," So
they add ed in repl y to him , "lI'a rahmallfllah." A ll those who
e nter Pa rad ise wi ll have Adam 's form ; and th e creation have
!lot ceased to dim ini sh in size (from his ti me) until now,41)
' Umar ibn Al-Kh alta ab sa id: I heard All a h's Messenger ~
being asked about it and he sai d, " Whe n A ll a h crea ted Adam ,
peace be upon him , He wiped his back with His Right J-Ia nd
and brought out hi s offsprin g." He said, " I created these for
Paradi se, and they will do the deeds of the People of Parad ise,"
A ma n asked , "0 Messe nger of A ll ah, then what is the purpose
o f workin g?" A ll ah 's Messe nger ~ said, "When A ll ah creates
a sla ve for Pa radi se, He ca uses him to do the deeds of the
Peopl e or Paradise, un til when he di es 0 11 one of th e deeds or
the People of Paradi se, he ent ers Paradi se, Wh en Alla h creates
a slave for th e Fire, He ca uses him to do th e deeds o f'th e Peopl e
of th e Fi re unti l when he di es 0 11 one of the deeds o f the Peopl e
o f Ihe Fire, he e nt ers Ih e Fire,"(2)
(I) AI-l3ukhari: Book of Ill e I/{ufilll.l' of lite Proplte/s: Ch. The Creation of
Adam, AJ1"h's sahnations be on him, and his offspring, No. 3326.
(2) Sallet!1t Li Glmirill: Malik : Kiwah AI-Jaami': eh. Prohibit ion of Reject-
ing Predestination, No, 1661.
166 IVlwl lias Been Said Regarding the Creatioll uJAdam
• n~N ~
(Ahl AI-Yollleell) and the People of the Left I-land (Ahl AI-
Shill/aaf), and He said , "These arc fo r Paradi se and I do not
ca re, and these arc for the Fire and I do not care."!l)
We al so menti oned the hadeelh th at on tha t day " j-Ie crea ted
(I) Ibid.
(2) The vcrsion of this narrntion mentioncd in Taf~eer AI-Tabaree states that the
sister of Qabccl was morc beautiful and so it was he who refllsed to marry
off his sister. What is mentioned here might be a Iypogrnphica\ error.
.
WIIlII lias Beell Said Regardill}.: Ihe Crealioll ojAdam
~.
169
.
her to hi m but he refused. Therefo re, he orde red th em both to
make an olTe rin g while Ada m we nt otT to Makkah to perfO nll
flajj. Upon departure, he req uested the heavens to guard his
SO il S but th ey refused. I-I e as ked the earths and th e mountai ns
but they refu sed, but Qabecl agreed 10 guard the m.
When he had left , they bo th made the ir o fTe ring. I-labecl o fTered
a fat la mb as he was an o\Vner of sheep, while Qabeel made an
onering o f a bu nd le of c rops ta ken from those of his c rops
Ihal we re o f poor qua li ty. A fire came down and consumed the
oITe ring o f I-I abeel but le ft th e o ITerin g of Qabee l. He becam e
angry and said , " I w ill ki ll you so tha t you cannot marry my
sister." He responded, "A ll ah only accepts from th ose mindful
o f Him ."
(1 ) It is without basis as the author has mcntioned ill F(/ylll/~Q"dee/" (4/5 06),
Al-iv\unallwi allributcs it to Al- Ilazzaar in his MII.I"II(/(/ on the aUlhority o f
Abu Hurayrah.
(2) The aUlhor is referring to the /w(/eelh of 'the bankntpt perso n' reported by
Muslim: lJook: Right ions ofPmyer and Mannerism. Chapter: Impenll is·
sibly ofOppressioll. No. 258 t.
(3) Sallee": Ah mad (No. 16 12) and At· Tinnidhi (No. 2 194) report it fro m
Whal /-las Beell Said Regarding Ihe Creatioll ojAdam 17 1
, ~~.~~~.
As fo r the oth er (son), Imam Ahmad report s that Ibn Mas' ood
sai d: Allah 's M esse n ger ~ sa id, "No sou l shall be killed wrongly
except that a shnre of sin for it s blood belongs to the ori ginal
SOil orAdam, lor he was th e first persall to introduce l11urder. "(l)
Ibn ' Asakir narrated on the au thority of ' A bdu ll ah Ibn 'A bbas
~ that the Messenger of A llah ~ said, " The a nge ls said,
"Allahu Akbar (Allah is Grea test)" over Ad am ~ fo ur ti mes;
ancl A bu Bakl' sa id. '"Allallll Akbar" over Fati mah four times;
and ' Umar said, "Alla!w Akbar" four times over Abu Bakr; and
Suhaib said , "A llallll Akbar" four time s o ver 'U ma r." (2) Ibn
'Asak ir snid , " It was a lso narra ted by ot hers on th e au thori ty
of Maimoo n, who reported it o n the authority of' Abdu ll ah Ibn
'Umar -#0.
( I) This narration is rai sed to the level of hosol/ by other supporting narra-
tions: it was narrated by Ahmad (2270) on the authority of 'Abdlillah Ibn
'Abbas ~ ,
176 Melllul/1 0/ ,11(' /J('ulli a/Adam (lml /lis Adrice 10 His
.I"'---''''''''Y:: ~ . ~
Ibn Ishaq said that he was the first person to write w ith a pen.
I-Ie li ved for three hundred and e ight years of Ada m's li fc. A
group of pco pl e sa id that it was hc who was referred to in th e
hadeeth reporled oll lh c autho ri ty o f Mu'awiyah Ibn A I-I-I akam
As - Su l ami ~, who reported th at when he asked the Messenger
of All ah ~ about wriling in the sa nd, he sa id, "The re was a
Prophet w ho wrote in the sand, so if they do it as he d id, that is
penni ssib le." (II
A I- ' Awfi reported on the autho rity of ' Abdu ll ah Ibn ' Abbas
.;" Ihal hc sa id regarding th e Words of All ah, Mosl Hi gh: ( We
rai sed him to a high station ) (SoO/'al1 MlIIyalll 19:57), " I-I e
wa s rai sed to the six th heave n and he died the re." Ad-Da hhak
said li kew isc. But the hadeeth in which it is stated that he is
in the fourth heaven, whi ch is agreed upon by AI-B ukhar i and
But thi s does not necessa ril y prove their case, because it
m ight be that th e narrator did not remem be r it prec ise ly, or
he may have sa id it by way of indu lge nce and humility and
he did not address h im as a father as Adam , the fat her of the
mankind and Ibraheell1 , the Kllaleel, o f the Most Beneficent
and the greates t of the UIIII- 'AzlII (2 ) - after Muhammad (may
th e Bless ings and Peace of A llah be upon them nil).
Hc was born a hund rcd and twe nty-s ix years aOcl' the deat h
of Adam ~ , according to what Ibn Jarecr and ot hers have
mentioned.
(I) This is an uuthent il; Iwdeelh nurrated by Ibn Hibban in hi s S(lheeh (1-1/69.
No. 6 190).
The Story uf Noo" ~ 179
•
for acceptance stipulated by Muslim , though it was not narrated
by hi m or by AI-B ukhari.
(I) The wkhreej for this narration has already been given.
(2) Narrated by AI-Bukhari (427) and Mustim (528).
184 7111: Sw"y {~f Nooh ~
<~----~~~Mr.'~~'--------------------------~~----~.
And what is mcant is tha t whcn the corruption spread on the
ea rt h and the sco urge of worshipp ing idols beca mc widespread
therein, Allah sent His slave and I-lis Messenger, Nooh ~
to call them to the worship of Allah, Alone, without partners
and to forbid th em from worshipping other than Him. He
was the first Messenger sent by Allah to th e pcople of the
Earth, as eo nfirmcd in the Sallee/will, 0 11 the au thority of Abu
Hurairah ...t,D, who reported li-OIll th c Prop het 1i1 that he said, in
the hadeelh of Ash-Sila/a 'all (th e Intercession), "They will go
10 him and say, '0, Adam! You arc the fat her of all manki nd,
and Allah created you with His Own Hands, and ordered the
angels to prost rate for YOll , and made you li ve in Paradise.
Wi ll you nol intercede for LIS with your Lord? Don ' t you see in
what (m ise rable) state we are, and to what co ndi ti on we ha ve
reached?' On that, Adam wi ll rep ly, ' My Lord is so Angry,
as I-Ic has never been before and wi ll never bc in the future ;
(besides), He forbade me (to cat from) the trec, but I di sobeycd
(Him), (J amlVorried about) myselr. Myselr. Go to somebody
else; go to Nooh.' They will go to Nooh and say, '0, Noah!
You are the first amongst the Mcssengers of Alla h to the people
oflhe Earth, and Allah named you a thankful slave. Do you Il ot
see in what a (m iserable) state we nrc and to what co nditi on we
have reached? Will you not interccde for us wi th your Lord?'
Nooh will rcp ly, 'Today my Lord has become so Angry, as He
has ncver been before and will never be in the fu ture. Myse lf!
Myse lf! " til And he mentioncd the hadeelh in its entirety. I-Ie
also related it in the sto ry of Noah $B_
When Allah sen t Noah ~~ , hc called upon thcm to wo rship
on ly Allah, Alone, withou t partners and 110t to wo rship any
idols or graven images or any Taghool wi th I-lim and to
acknow ledge His Oneness and thc facl that nOll e has the right
( I) NarrJicd by AI-Bukhari (3340 and 4712) and Muslim (194)_
]11t! Story' ofNrHJIi ~ 185
.~----~~--------------------------~<m~.W-F.~>----~.
to bc worsh ipped bu t I-Ic. Th cre is no lord but He, just as He
com manded the Messengers who came aftcr him - a ll of whom
were from hi s progeny - to do, as He, Most I-li gh, says, ( And
his progeny, th cm We madc thc survivors (i. c. Shc l11. I-la m and
Japhcth ). ) (SoO/·oil As-S,ifJat 37:77)
( "A nd constmct the ship under Our Eyes and w ith Our
Inspi rati on, and address Me not 0 11 be ha lf o f those w ho did
wrong; 1hey are surely to be drown ed." ) (Soora" Nood II :37)
Whcn Nooh ~ despa ircd of the ir ever-becomi ng ri ghteous
lind successful and cons idered that th ere was no good in them
and that they continu ed to harm him, to oppose hi m and to
be li e him w it h alllhe means 1111heir disposal. includ ing words
and deeds, he in voked A ll ah's Anger agai nst th cm and Allah
an swered his invocati on. I-Ie, Most High, says, ( An d indeed
Nooh invoked Us, and We are Ih c Best of those who answer
(the request). And We rescued him and his famil y from the
great di stres s (i.e. drowning) (Saara" As-Saffill 37:75,76)
I-Ie, Most High, says, ( Then he invoked his Lord (saying);
. / have bcen overcomc, so he lp (me)'! ) (Soorah AJ-Qalllal'
54: I 0). So their s in s of di sbe li ef and iniquity and the in vocati on
of their Prophet combin ed against them and at that point, Al lah
co mmanded him 10 bui ld Ihe Ark.
A llah, Most High, says, ( "A nd none bel ieved w ith him ,
except a few." ) (SoO/·all I-load 11 :40) Thi s was in spite o f
the long period of time and the fact that he remain ed among
them and the urgent ex hort ati ons he made to th em ni ght and
day, propo unding to them teachings, w ith courteousness,
so metimes usi ng threats and warn in gs and oth er times lIsing
encouragcmcnt and prom ises.
A llah, Most High, says, ( And when you have embarked all
the ship, you and w hoever is with you, then say, 'A ll praise and
thank s be to A1Iah, Who has saved us from the people who are
zalimooJl (i.e. oppressors, wrong-doers, polytheis ts, those who
join others in worsh ip with All ah, etc.). And say: " My Lord!
Calise me to land a t a blessed landing-place, for You are the Best
of lhose who bri ng 10 land ." ) (SoOl·all AI-Mu'minooIl23:28,29)
He commanded him to praise and thank his Lord for provid ing
him with th is sh ip and fo r sav ing him therew ith ; for grant ing
him victory over hi s peop le and relievi ng hi s heart of those
who opposed him and beli ed him, as He, Most Hi gh, says, (
And Who has created a ll the pa irs and has appointed for you
ships and cattle on which you ride, in orde r tha t yo u may mount
fi rmly on the ir backs, and then may remembe r the Favor o f your
Lord whe n you mOllnt thereon , and say: 'G lory to Him who has
subjected th is to us, and we cou ld never have it (by our efforts).'
And veri ly, to Our Lord we indeed are to retum! " ) (SoOl·all Az-
Zukhru[ 43: 12-1 4)
And il was said. "0. earth! Swa ll ow lip your wa te r:' and.
"0. sky! Withhold (your rain)." And the water was dimini shed
and the Decre!.! (or A llah ) was fulfilled (i.c. the destruction of
the pt.:oplc o r Noo h. And it (the ship) res ted o n MOllnt Judi . and
it \\as sai d "Away wi th the people who are =alilllooll , (SoOl'(l1i
Hood II :44). That is, whe n All ah had dea lt w ith th e inh abi tant s
of th e Earth and no nc or those who had wo rshipped oth ers
besides Alla h, the A lmi g hty, the Al l-Powerful relllai ned, Alla h
cOlllma ndcd the ea rth 10 swa ll ow its watcr a nd He co mm anded
Ihc sky to sto p rainin g. ( And th e water was dim ini sht.:d ) - That
is. it dec rea sed from what it had bee n. And th e Decree (o r
Alla h) was fulfi ll ed. ) That is, that which Alla h had prev iously
ordai ned, due to Hi s All-Encompass in g Know ledge was
infli cted upon them. ( And it was sa id "Aw<ly with the peorl!:
who arc =alimmm. ) (Soorall Hood II :44) And a lso All ah,
Most High, says: ~ Beca use of th ei r s ins they were drowiled.
then weve made 10 enter thc Fire. And th ey towund no ne to to
help thcm ins tead of Allah. And Noah sa id: "My Lord! Lca\-c
not o nc oftht:: disbelicvers o n the early If you leave them. Ihe)
w il1m islcad your slaves. and they w ill bege t none but w icked
198 r"e SlOry of Nuu" .' M'
.~--~.~~~
> ----.------~~~~~~~--~~----~>
Then I-Ie , Most Hi gh, says, ~ It was said , "0, Noo h! Comc
down (frolll the ship) with pcace from Us and b lessi ngs on
you a nd on the people who arc with you (and 0 11 sOlll e of
th cir offspring), but (Lhere wi ll be other) people to whom We
shall grant their pleas ures (for a time), but in the end a pai nfu l
torm enL will reac h the m from Us.") (Soorah !-Iood 11 :48) Thi s
was a command to Nooh ~ when the water subsided from the
face o f the carth and it became possib le to travel across it and to
dwell in it. So he di scmbarked from the ship, which had come
to rest after its longjourney, on the upper portion of a mountai n
in AI-Jazecrah, which is well -known. We have already spoke n
of it when we di scussed the c reati on of the mounta ins. ( Wi th
peace from Us and bless ings ) . That is, disembark in safcty,
wit h blessin gs upon you and upon thc nations that will be born
al1crwards. That is, from yo ur progeny, for All ah did n OI <l ll ow
<lily o f' th e Believers who were with him to produce offs pring,
as ide from Noa h i:J~ .
As for what has been said by many ignoran t people, that they
ate from the le fto ve rs of their prov isions and from grai ns which
they had brough t w ith them and they ground th em that day
and applied i'''lI1id 10 th ei r eyes in order 10 stre ngthe n their
sight. because il had beco me cut off by Ihe bri ght light, after
hav ing been co nfi ned in the darkness of the shi p, none of thi s is
au thentic. It is on ly men tioned in incompl ete tradit ions narrated
from the Chi ldren of Ism 'ee l. They are not to be re lied on and
they should no t be fo ll owed. And A llah knows better.
( I) Narrated by Imam Ahmad (8500). In its i.~lllId is one Abu Ja'far, who
has been condemned as "weak" by a number or scholars, while others
declared him to be tmstworthy. (In stich cases. it is the practice of the
scholars to act upon the negati vc report. since a scholar mi glll declare
a pcrson tmstwonhy because he has heard nothi ng negative about him.
another scholar might know somcthing (ncgati ve) about him which the
other scholar does not know). There is 3150 one' Abdus·Samad. who has
been declared wcak by scholars. In addition , hi s rather is ullkl\olVl\ (0 lhe
scholars. Another person in the chain is Shabeel. who was known to make
mistakes.
(2) Narrated by AI·Bukhari (2004). on the authority or'Abdullah Ibn ' Abbas
4io and by Muslim (1 130). but neither of these two narrntions mentions
Nooh 'b!.l .
200 71le SIOI )' of.""'()O/t ~
.~----~'~
~.W-~
,~>----.----------------------~~----~.
denied that the Oood took place, whilc others among them have
accepted it and they sa id, " It was on ly in the land of Babylon
and it did not reach us." They said, "We have conti nlled to
inherit the land fro m generati on to generati on from the time of
Ada m ~ until our time."
T he Arabs were known bc fore Isma' cel ~ as AI- 'A rab AI-
'Aribah and they consisted of nUl1l erolls tribes, including: ' Ad ,
T ha mood, Jurh ull1 . Tasl1l , Jadces, Ameem, Madyan, ImlaC] ,
Abi l, Jasim, Qahtall , Banu Yaql un and others.
Wha t is lllemH is that ' Ad - the first ' Ad - were the first to
wo rshi p idols aftcr the Great Flood. The ir idols were three:
Sadd , Samood and I-lara . A llah sent to them the ir brother, Hood
~ and he ca ll ed the m to All ah, as I-Ic, Most Hi gh , says after
me nti on ing the peo plc ofNooh ~ and th cir casc in Soorah Al-
A 'raJ, , And to 'A d (people. We senl) their brothe r I lood. He
sa id , "0. my peopl e ! Worship AlIah~ You have no other ilolt
(god ) bu! Ilim . (Lo ila/w il/al/ali: none ha s the right to be
wor~hipped but A !lail), Will YOll not fear (A ll ah}?"" The Icad cr~
of those who di~bclicvcd among hi s peopl e said. "Venly, we
sec you in fooli shness and vc rily. wc think you arl.! one of the
liars:' (llood) sa id. "0, my peoplc~ There is 110 foolishness in
mc_ but (I am) a ~lcssenger from the Lord o f the '.lIam(!('1I
(mankind. jilll1 anc all that ex ists)! I convey unto YOll th e
Messages of Illy Lord. and I am a trustworthy ad\'iser (or we ll
-wisIH:r) for YOli. D,) you wonder Ihat there has come to you a
Reminder (und nn ad\'icc) frol11 your Lord through a man from
amon gs t yo u Ihat he may warn you'! And remcmber that lie
.
HI(' SltJl y 0/ "ood ~•
~----~~--------------------------~~~
205
' ----~,
mad c you successo rs allcr Ih c pcoplc of Noo h alld increased
you <Imply ill s l alUr~. So remcmber Ih e g races (beslowed upon
you) li'om Allah, sO Ilwl you may be successful." They sa id.
"You ha ve come 10 us Ihal we should worship A ll ah. A lone and
for sa kc Ihal which ollr l ~lI he rs used to worsh ip. So bring us Ihal
Whl.:fcw ilh you ha ve threa tened LI S if YOll arc of the truthful."
(liood) sa id. "Torment and wrath ha ve already 1~lIl en on you
from your Lord. Di spute yo u wilh me over names whi eh you
ha n: named YOll and your t~lIhers. with no au thority from
Allah? Then wait . I am with you among those who wait.·' So
\Vc saved him and those who were wit h him by a Mercy from
Us. and We cu t Ih e 1'00ts oflhose who belied Our I"l.ml (proof's.
e\' iden ces. ve rses. lessons. signs. revelations. etc.). and they
were not bel ievers (Saara" AI-A 'ra[7:65-72)
He, Most Hi gh, says, ( Docs he prom ise you that when you
have died and ha ve bqcolll c dust and bones, you sha ll come
out alive (resurrected)? Far, very far is that which you arc
pro mised. Th ere is nothin g but our life o r this worl d! We die
and we li ve! And we arc not going to be resurrectcd! li e is
212 The S,o". o/"Hood ""-'-
.~----w------------------~~~,
onl y :I ma n who has i n vent~ d a lie agai nst Allah. but we arc
no t go in g to bclic,"c in hi m: ' , (SoOl'oll AI-Mit 'millooll 23:35-
38). They ex pressed th eir belief that the prom ised Resurrecti on
is far in the future and they rejected th e idea that the ir bodies
could be resurrec ted afler they had become dust and bones.
They said, " Far, fa r away is th is promise. ( "Therc is nothing
but our life of this world! We die and we live! And wc arc no t
going to be resurrcf.:tcd!" (SoOl'oil AI-Ml{ 'minoon 23:37) That
is, a people die and anot her people are born. This was the belief
of the Dahriyyall , ( I) as some of th e ignorant people among the
zOlladiqah (2) say, "The wombs deli ver and th e ea rth swallows."
Among the things they said to him was, ( " Have you comc to
us Ih al wc shou ld worship Allah Al one <lnd f'orsak e Ihal whic h
our Hlt hc rs lIsed to worship , So bring LIS that wherew ilh you
have threate ned us if you arc of the truthfuL" ' (Soorah A/-
A 'raf7:70) ThaI is, have you come 10 us (to ask us) to worship
All ah , Alone, and to oppose our fathers and our forefathers
and that which they fo ll owed? I f you are truthful regarding
wha l you have brought, then bring us the punishment th at you
promise, because we do not be lieve in you, we will not fo ll ow
you a nd we do not beli eve you. As they said, " It is the same to
us whcth er you prcac h or be not o f those who preac h. Thi s is no
1110rc tha n the ra ise tal es and relig ion o fl il e allcic nts, and we arc
nol go ing 10 be puni shed." , (Soorah Ash-SIIII 'ara '26: 136-138)
The word in Verse 137 has been reci ted as k/w/q and k/I/{/lIq,
According to th e formcr recitation, the mcanin g would be:
What you have brought to us is no more than fabri ca ti on from
you; and you ha ve take n it from the books of the ancients, Th is
was how it was exp lained by more than one of the Companions
~ and the Tabi '0011. And accordi ng to the second rec itation, the
meaning would be: This religion which we are following is no
more than the relig ion of our fathers and our grandfathers and
we will not change and we will continue to hold fas t to it.
Both recitat ions are suited to their wo rds, ( "and we are not
going to be puni shed." ) (Saarail Asil-Slw 'ara' 26: 138)
He, Most Hi gh, says, ( (Hood) sa id, "Pun ishment an d Wrath
have already fall en on you fcom your Lord. Dispute you wit h
me over names which you have named - YOll and your fa thers,
with no authority fro m Allah? Then wait, I am with you among
those who wail." ) (SoO/'ail AI-A 'raJ7:71) That is, you have
deserved because of these word s ignom iny and Anger from
Allah; do you reject worship of Allah, Alone, without partners,
in favo r of the worship o f idols, wh ich you have carved out
and called "gods" of your own accord and agreed upon - you
and your forefathers - and All ah has revea led no authority for
th em? That is, He has sent down no ev idence for your beliefs.
If you refu se to accept the tnuh and insist on falsehood, it is
all the sam e to you whether I forbid you to foll ow what you
are follo wing or not. So wait now for the Punishment of All ah
which will befa ll you and that Punishment cannot be rescinded
or prevented.
Allah, Most Hi gh, menti oned the story of their destruct ion in
detai l and in bri ef, as we said earli er, sllch as in His \Vords, ( So
We saved him and those who were with him by a Mercy from
Us, and We cut the roots of those who beli ed Our Ayal and they
were not believers. ) (Saarail A I-A 'raJ7:72)
His Words, ( And when Our Command ment came, We saved
Hood and those who be lieved wi th him by a Mercy fco m Us,
and We saved them fro m a severe pun isment. Such were' Ad
(people). They rejected the A)'ol or the ir Lord and disobeyed
Th e 5101)" of flood ~ 215
.~--~~------------------------~
.~~,~
> --~.
His Messe ngers, and follow ed the command of every proud
obstinate (o ppresso r of (he truth. from their leade rs). And they
were pursued by a curse in thi s world and (so (h ey will be) 0 11
th e Day of Resurrecti on, No doubt! Veril y, . Ad di sbeli eved in
th eir Lord. So away with ' Ad, the peop le o f I-load, ) (Soorah
/-Iood II :58-60)
requested rain (from the ir idols). They saw a cl oud in the sky
and thought that it was a rai n of mercy (for them), but it was
a del uge of punishment. Thi s is why He, Most Hi gh, says, (
Nay, but it is that (pu ni shment ) which YOll we re aski ng to be
hastened! A wind w herein is a pai nful puni shme nt ! ) (Soorall
AI-Ahqaf46:2 4) Th at is, from the inflicti on o rthe Punishment
and that is thei r sayi ng, ( "So bring us th at w herewith you have
threatened liS if you are of the truthful." ) (Soorall AI-A 'raJ
7:70) And there are other similar Ve rses in SOOl-all AI-A 'raJ
Muhamm ad Ibn Ishaq said, "The first pe rso n who saw it and
rea lized tha t it was a wind was a woma n fro m ' Ad, whose name
was Mahd. Whe n it became clear what was ill it, she screamed
and then fain ted. When she rega ined consc iousness, thc peop le
as ked her, "W hat di d yo u see, Mahd?" She said , " ) saw a wind
ill it, li ke burni ng fla mcs and in front o f it were men, leading it.
Allah imposed it on them ( ror seven nights and eight days ill
succession ) (Soorah AI-Haqqah 69:7). It did not leave a single
person frolll 'Ad ali ve." He (Ibn lshaq) said, "Hood ~ and
those who believed in him were in an enclosed area. Nothing
hi t them or those with th em except that w hich was gentle to
the ski n and pleasing to the soul. The wi nd passed ove r ' Ad,
dest roying all that was betwee n the heaven and the earth and
marking them with stones." Then he reported the res t of the
story.
Im am Ahmad na rrated a hadeelh in his Mllsnad on the
authority of Al-H a rith (i. e. Jbn Hassan, or it was said , Ibn
Yazeed Al-Bakri) which resemb les this story; he said, " I sel
out to comp lain to lh e Messenger of A ll ah 3:i abollt A I- 'A Ia' Ibn
Al-Hadram i and I passed by Ar-Rabazah, where [ saw an old
woman from Banll Tameem, who was alone in that area. She
sa id to me, ' 0 , slave of All ah! I need to reach the Messenger
The SI0/1' of Ilood ~ 2 17
.~----~~--------------------------~
~ ~~.~
' ----~,
of A Hah to ask him for somc of my needs, will you take me to
him?' So I took her along with me to AI-Madinah and found
the Mosque full of people. I also found a blaek fl ag ra ised
high, wh ile Bilal was holdi ng a sword before the Messenger of
All ah. I asked, ' What is the mattcr with the people?' Th ey said,
' Th e Prophct ~ intends to send ' Amf Ibn AI-' As (o n a military
expediti on) somewhere.' So I sat down. When the Prophet ~
went to his house, I asked fo r permission to see hi m, and he ga ve
me permi ss ion. I entered and greeted him. He said, ' Was there a
di spute be tw een you and Banu Tamee m?' I said, ' Yes. And we
had been victorious over them. I passed by an old woman from
Bantl Tamee m, who was alone, and she asked mc to bring her
to you, and she is at the doo r.' So he all owed her in and I said,
' 0 Messenger o f All ah ! What if you make a barrier betw ee n us
and (the tr ibe of) Banu Tameem. such as the desert?' The old
woman became angry and opposed me. So I said, ' My examp le
is the ex amp le of a shee p that carri ed its own destructi on. I
ca rried thi s woman and did not know that she wa s an opponent.
I seek refuge wit h All ah and 1-1 is Messenger that I become li ke
the emi ssary of ' Ad.' So the Prophet :ij: asked me about the
emissary o f ' Ad, having better know ledge in it, but he liked to
hear the story again. I said, ' Once, ' Ad suffe red from a famine
and they sent an emi ssary (to get reli ef), whose name was Qail.
Qa il passed by Mu 'awiyah Ibn Bakr and stayed with him for
a month . Mu' awiyah suppli ed him with alcoho lic drinks, and
two fe male singers were singing for hi m. When the month
ended, Qail went to th e mo untains of Tih amah and said, '0,
All ah! YOli kn ow that I d id not co me here to cure an ill person
or to ransom a pri soner. 0 , All ah! Give ' Ad wat er as You used
to.' So blac k clouds ca me and he was call ed, 'Choose which
one of them you wish (to go to ' Ad)!' So he po inted to one of
the bl ack clouds and he heard someone proclai mi ng fro m it,
2 18 Tlte Story of H()od ~
.~-- __~t?~~~~~----------------------~~----~,
' Take it , as ashes that wil ll eavc non c in 'Ad! " And it bas been
conveyed to me Ih al the w ind sent to thcm was no more than
what wou ld pass through thi s ri ng of mi ne, but il destroyed
them '," Abu Wa'il said, "That is true. When a man or a woman
wou ld send an em issary, they would tell him , 'Do not be like
the em issary of 'Ad (bring ing disaster and utter destruct ion to
them in stead of re li ef),' (I) At-Tirmidhi record ed it thu s on the
authority of' Abd Ibn l-iul11a id, who IlmTaled it on the au thori ty
ofZa id Ibn AI-Hubab. III
'A bdullah Ibn Ma s'ood, 'Abdullah Ibn ' Abbas (may Allah
be pl eased w ith them both ) and more th an one 11110111 from
among the Tabi'ool/ sa id th at it was a cold wi nd, which blew
seve rely. ( Wh ich A llah imposed on them for seven nights and
e ight days in successio n. ) (SoO/'all AI-Haqqah 69:7) Th at is,
comp let e and sll ccess ive days. It was sa id that thc first of the m
was a Friday and it was a lso sa id that it was a Wednesday. (
So that YOll co uld see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if
they were hollow tru nks of date-palms! ) (SoO/'ah AI-I-Iaqqah
69:7) Allah comparcd thcm wi th holl owed out trunks of date-
palms, whi ch have no heads and thi s was because the w in d
would co me to one of them and pick him up and ra ise him into
th e air, thcn it would in vert him and drop him on the to p of his
head and shatter it and hc wo uld remain li ke a body without
a head, as Allah , Most High, says, ( Verily. We sent against
them a furiou s w ind of harsh voice on a day of ev il ome n and
continuous calam ity. ) (SoO/'aII AI-Qamar 54 : 19) That is, all a
day of ev il omen for you and continuous pun ishmen t infl icted
upon you. ( Plucki ng out men as irthey wcre uproo ted sIems of
datc-palms. ) (Soorah AI-Qamar 54:20) W hoever says that th c
day of ev il omen and co nti nuous ca lam ity wa s a Wcdn esday
(I) This Iwdeellz is h(l.w11 and it was narrated by Imam Ahmad ( 15524),
(2) This 'I(ldeelh is h(ls(l11 and it was narrated by At-Tinnidhi (3273 ),
and based on thi s understanding, cons ider it to be a day o f
evil omen, is in error and contradic ted the Qur'an, because
He, Mos t Hi gh says in another Verse, ( So We sent upon them
furiou s wind in days of evil omen. ) (SoOl·all Fllssi/a{ 4 1: 16)
It is well known that they were eight consec uti ve days ; and if
they were th cmse lves evil ome ns, then all of th e seven days of
the week incl uded in th em wou ld be days of evi l omen - and
no one says this. What is meant is that they we re days of cv il
ome n for thclll.
He, Most Hi gh, says, ( And in 'A d (there is also a sign) whe n
We sent against thcmlh e barrcll wind. ) (SoOl·all Adll-Dllar;yar
5 1:4 1) That is, whi ch di d not produce any good, because the
wind alone does not scalier clouds or pollinate trees. Rather,
it is barren and no good resu lt s from it, whi ch is why Allah
says, ( it spared nothing that it rcachcd , but blew it into broken
spreads of ro tt en ruins. ) (SoOl·all Ad-Dllariyat 5 1:42) That is,
like a thi ng tha t is decayed and vcI)' old and from which no
benefit whatsoever may be derived.
It is poss ib le that the punishm cnt whic h affl icted thcm from
the fur ious and violent wi nd , which continued to afflic t them
for sevcn ni ghts and e ight days leaving not a singlc one of
them, followcd th em even as they sought she lter in mou nta in
caves and caverns, w inding around them , expe ll ing them,
ann ihilating them and destroying their sturdily constnlcled
houses and pa laces over th em, Just as they had bee n blessed
w ith stre ngth and powe r and said , "W ho is greate r in strength
than we?" - A llah inAicted on them tha t whi ch was grea ter
in stren gt h and more powcrfu l th an they - and that was the
barren wi nd . It is possib le that at the end , this wind rai scd up a
cl oud, which those who remai ned, th ought was a cloud bearing
mercy and abu nd ant rain fo r them. But Allah se nt it agains t
111c S(m:1' of/lood .'~ 221
.~--~~------------------w--~.
thcm fill cd with spa rks and firc. as morc than one pc rso n has
mcntioncd. Thi s would be si milar to that whi ch amictcd thc
Compan ions o f th e Canopy from among the pcoplc ofMadyan .
A combination of a co ld wi nd and a punishm ent of fire was
infl ictcd on thcm - a nd tha t is th c most seve re pu nishment,
consisting ofd ifTcrc llt and opposing c1emcnts, accomp,lIl ied by
th e cry whi ch was menti oned in 500mh Qad Ajlaha (50omh AI-
MIf'minoon). And Allah knows better. The apparent mea ning
of the Verse is that they saw .1I1 'aridh a nd what is understood
from it lingui sli c<lll y is a cl oud . Muslim narrated in his 5aheeh
on the au thority of 'A' ishah (may Alla h be pl eased with her)
Ihat she said: Whe ne ver th e wind was sto rm y, the Messenger
o f A ll ah ;fi; used to say: "0, All ah! I ask You for what is good
in it, th e good whi ch it contains and the good of that whic h
it was sent for. I seek refuge with You n·o m wha t is evi I in it,
what cv il it contai ns, and the ev il o f that whi ch it was sent for. "
And when th ere was thunder and lightning in th e sky, hi s co lor
underwent a change, a nd he woul d pace in a nd ou t, backward
and forward ; and when Ihe rai n ca me, he felt rel ieved, and I
wou ld notice the (sign of reli ef) on hi s face. ' A' ishah (may
Allah be pl eased with her) asked hi m (a bout it) and he said,
" It may be as the peop le of' Ad sa id, when they saw a cloud
formatio n co ming to their va ll ey, ( "Thi s is a cl oud bring ing us
rain." ) (Soorall AI-IIllq'1[46:24) ( I)
(peop le) be lied the Messe nger. When the ir brothe r Sa lih said to
the m: " Wi ll yo u not lear A llah and obey Him? I am a trustworthy
Messe nge r to you. So fear A ll ah. kee p your dUl y to Ilim . and
obey me. No reward do I ask o f you for it (m y Message of
Islami c Mo nothe ism), my rewa rd is onl y from th e Lord o f the
·A/ameen . Will you be left sec ure in Ih al whi ch you have hcre'!
In gard ens and sprin gs .lI1d green crops (fi clds. etc.) and datc-
pa lms w ith son spadi x. And you carvc hou ses out ofmoulltains
wilh great skill. So fear Alla h, kee p your duty to I lim, a nd obey
me. And fo llow not the comma nd o f a/-musri/ilOl1 (i,e, thei r
chi efs, Icaders who were polythe ists. crimin als and sinners).
who mak c mi schi e f in th e land , and refo rm not." They said ,
" You arc on ly of th ose bewitched! You a re but a human be in g
like liS. T hen bring us a sign if you are of the truthfuL " li e
said , " I lcre is a she-camcl: it has a ri ght to drink (watcr). and
you ha vc a right to drink (wat er) (each) on a day, know n. And
tOllch her not w ith harm , les t the punishm ent o f a Great Da y
se ize YOll. ' · But they kil led her and then th ey beca mc regre tful ,
So the punishment overtook th elll , Verily, in thi s is indeed a
sign, yet most o fth ell1 arc no\ bdi eve rs. And ve ril y! Your Lord.
li e is indeed the Almi ght y. th e Most Me rciful. ) (5001'011 AsII-
Shu 'ara' 26: 141 - 159)
Imam Ahmad a lso na rrated o n the authority of ' Abd ull ah Ibn
'U mar ~ that he sOlid: When the Mcssenger of A ll ah ~ wns at
AI- Hijr, he said, " Do not enter the dwc ll ings o f those peop le
who we re punished, un less YO ll (I rc weeping; and if yo u are
110 t weeping, then do 110 t e nter the ir dwc ll ings, so tha t YO LI will
110t be afflicted by a pun ishment simib r to th at which afflicted
them." (2) AI-Buk hari and Muslim na rrated it in the Saheeltaill
from more than o ne source. (3)
Imam Ahmad narra ted o n the au tho ri ty of ' Amr Ibn Sa'd ..:e
th at he sa id: At the time of the Ba il ie of Tabook, the peop le
haste ned to cnte r th e houses of th e peopl e o f AI- I-I ijr; the
Messe nger o f All ah :t5 was in for med of th is and he ca ll ed to Ih e
people, " Pray in cong rcgnt ion:' 'Alllr ';" sa id: So I wenl 10 th e
Prophet :I;; a nd fo und him holding o nto his came l and he was
saying, " Do not enter the d well ings of a people upon who m
All ah's Wrath was visited. " A Illall ca ll ed o ul to him , " We a rc
a mazed at them, Messcnger of A ll nh!" I-Ie said, "S hall I not
' Abdu llah Ibn ' Abbas .lJ; and Abul · ' Ali ya h said: If Allah had
not said, ( " and safe ty for Ibrahecm! " ) its co ldn ess wou ld
have harmed Ibrahec lll ~ ."
.~~~·~~.WP~--------------------~~----~,
When I-iajar returncd, she gave birth 10 Isma 'ee l iW. It is said
that she gave birth to him when Ibraheell1 ~ was eighty·six
years o ld and th at was thirteen yea rs before the birt h of Ishaq
~ . T hcy said that when Isma'ee l itiY was born, Allah inspired
in Ibraheem ~ the glad tidings oflshaq's birth from Sarah. On
hearing these glad tidings, Ibraheell1 ~ fell down to prostrate
in thanks to A llah and A ll ah sa id to him , " I have answered yo ur
supplicat ions by giving you Isma 'eel and I ha ve blessed him
and increased him and ad vanced him greatly. From hi m wi ll
be born twelve great ones and I w ill mak e him the head of
a great peop le. Thi s was also glad tidi ngs of the coming of
thi s great (Muslim) nat ion and these tw el ve great ones arc the
twelve Righteous Ca liph s of Wh0111 we were informed in the
hadeerll of 'A bdul Ma lik Ibn ' Umair, on the auth ority of Jabir
Ibn Samurah ~, who reported from th e Prophet ~ that he said,
" There w ill be twelve Commanders." Then he spoke word s
wh ich I did not unde rstand and so I asked my fath er what
he had sa id. I-I e rep lied, "A ll (twelve) of them wi ll be from
Q umis h. " T his was na rrat ed by AI·Bukhari and Musli m in
the Sallee/win. ( I) In another narration , he added, "T hi s ll1atter
wi ll cont inue." (2) And in still another narrati on, " Islam will
cont inue to be powe rful until there have been twe lve Caliphs,
of fly ing around water and not leaving it. They said , " Th is bird
must be flying around wmcr, thou gh we know that there is no
water in thi s valley." They se nt one or two messengers who
di scovered th e so urce of water, and renll11cd to infonll them of
the wnter. So, th ey a ll came (toward the water). The Prop het
~ added: [sma 'cc l's mo ther was sitting ncar th e water. They
asked he r, " Do you allow LIS to Sl ay with you?" She repli ed,
" Yes, but Y OLI wi ll have no right to possess th e water. " They
agreed to that. The Prophet It furt her sa id: Isma'ee l's mothe r
was pleased with the whol e situation as she llsed to love to
enjoy the company of people. So, they se ttl ed lhere, and late r
on they sen t for their fam ilies who came and settled with them
so that some fami lies became permanent residen ts the re. The
child (i.e. Isma" ee l :-&B.) g rew up and lea rned Arabic from them
and (his virtues) ca used thcm to love and admire him as he
grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made
him marry a woman fro m amongst th em.
After Isma ' eel 's mother died, Ibraheclll ~ g came afte r
Isma'ee l's marriage in o rder to see his family tha t he had left
be fore, but he did not fi nd ISl11a'ee l ~ there. When he ask ed
Isma'ee l's wife about him , she replied, " I-Ie has gone in search
of our li ve lihood." The n he asked her about th e ir way of li ving
and their cond itio n, and she replicd, "We are livi ng in m isery;
we arc liv ing in hards hip and des titut ion," com plaining to hi m.
I-Ie said, "W hen your husba nd returns, convey my salutation
10 him and tell him to change the thresho ld of the gale (o f
hi s house). " Wh en Isma 'ce l ~ came, he seemed to have felt
something unusua l, so he asked hi s wife, " Has anyon e visit ed
you?" She repl ied, "Yes, an old man of so-and-so descript ion
ca me and asked me abo ut you and I informed him , and he
asked about ou r state of li ving, and I to ld him that we we re
livi ng in hardship and pove rty." On hearing that , Isma'eel .
said, "Did he adv ise you anyt hing?" She repl ied, "Yes, he told
me to co nvey hi s salut ati on to you and to tell you to change the
th reshold of your gate." Isma'eel ~ sa id, " It was my father,
and he ha s ordered me to d ivorce yo u. Go back to yo ur fa mily."
So, Isma 'eel ~ di vorced her and marri ed another woman from
amongst th em (Le. Jurhum).
Allah, rvlost Hi gh, says . .. And he said (after his resc ue from
th e fire). "Ve rily, I al11 goi ng to my Lord . l ie wi ll guide me! My
Lord! Gra nt me (offspring) from the rigiHcollS." So We gave
him th e glad tidi ngs o f a forb earing boy. And, whe n he (h is
son) was old enough to wa lk with him. he sa id, "0, my so n!
I have seen in a drcam tha t I am slaught cring YOll (oneri ng
you in sac ri fice to Alla h), so see what you thin k," li e said.
"0, my fath er! Do tha t \\ hich you a rc co mma nded, /11 .'illll·
AI/all (if A ll ah wi ll s), you shall find me of As-Sahireell (one
o f the patie nt ones. ctc.)." The il , when they had both sub mitted
th emselves (to th e Will o f A ll ah) an d he ha d laid him prostrate
on hi s forehead (or on the ~ ide of his forehead for slaughte ri ng),
and We call ed Ollt to hilll , "0, Ibrah ec m! YO LI ha ve fulfilled
th e drea m (v is ion)! Ve ril y! Th us do We reward the /lllIlisi l lOOI1
(t hose who do good)." Verily. that indeed was a mani fes t trial
and We ra nsomed him wi lh a grea t sac ri fice (i.e. a ram); An d
We left for him (a goodl y remembrance) among gen emtions
(to come) in late r ti mes . Sa/all/llll (peace) be upon Ibmhcell1!"
Thus indeed do We reward the MIlh... il1o(}// (those who do good),
Verily, he was one of Our believin g slaves. A nd We gave him
the glad tidin gs o f Ishaq (Isaac) , a Proph et from th e ri ght eous.
We blessed him and Isha q. and o f't he ir progeny arc (some) tha t
do ri ght . and some that plainly wrong th emse lves . . (SOOl'olr
As-SajJat 37:99- 11 3)
All ah, Most Hi gh, infonns li S regard ing His K/m/eel,
270 Th e S IOI JI of l hr(lheem ~
.~--~.~~~~~----------~~~~~------~.
As fo r All ah 's say ing: ( And, when he (hi s son) was old
enough to walk w ith him ) (Soarall As-Saffilf 37: I 02), it mean s
when he became a young man and began to wo rk as his fath er
did. Accordi ng to Mujahid , it means he beca mc a young man,
went on journeys and bcgan to do what hi s fa ther di d, such as
stri ving and working. At Ihat ti me, Ibra hccm ~ was shown
in a dream that he was comm anded 10 sacrifice this son of his.
(I ) }llllwfo' : Those who pro fess the tme Religion (I slamic MonOl hcism).
(2) Narrntcd by AI-l3ukhari (1587) and Muslim ( 1353) and the word ing is
fro m the hat/eel" of' Abdull ah Ibn ' A bbas ~.
bui lt before A I-Kllaleel ~. Whoeve r re li ed fbr evidence on
th e Words o f A llah : ( the sitc ofthc (Sacred) House) (Soorah
AI-Hajj 22:26), thi s is neith er conc lusive nor ev ident. Because
what is moant is th e place preord ained by All ah - a locat ion
venc rated by the Prophets from Adam ~ unt il th e time of
Ibrahee m ifl:B.
(t) The taklll"cej orlh is Iwr/cctll has already been given a shon while ngo.
The Slon.' 0' Ibraheem 't8 279
.~~::~~"~~::~=-------------------<~~~.~>~--~.
a Ilumber of matters, such as his say ing to th e Messenge r of
Allah ~ , "Were we to lake Maqam Ibra hecm as a place of
prayer. .. " Then A ll ah revea led: ( And take you (peopl e) the
Maqo1l1 (place) of Ibrahcc lll (or the stone on which Ibrahecm
stood whil e he was bui ldi ng th e Ka ' bah) as a place o f prayer
) (Saarah AI-Baqarah 2: 125). The root prints o r AI-Klmleel
~~ had re main ed in the slone from the beg inning o f Isla m and
Abu Ta lib sa id in hi s well -known poem, "AI-Qaseedah AI-
Lomiyya/i" :
And TllOlVr Cave and he who held/ast IvilIT perseverance fa
his position,
A nd proved superior ill pie~)' in Hira .and remained there,
Alld by the H Ollse. (h e fme /-IolISe inlhe center of Makkah,
And by Allah, Iru~F. A//ah is not lIJ1l1WClre,
Allah. Mosl Iligh , says, ( And (reme mber) when Ibrahce lll
sa id, ·'My Lord! Show mc how YOli give life to the dead:' He
(A llah) said, ·'00 yo u not be lieve?" He (Ibrahcc m) sai d, "Yes
(I believe), but to be stronger in faith:' l ie said, ·T a ke four
bird s. th en cau se them to incl ine towa rd YO ll (then slau ght er
them, cut (hem into pieces). and the n put a portion of them
(I) Narr.ucd by Muslim (820).
(2) Narr.llcd by A\· Bukhari (3371). Abu Dawood (4737) and At-Tinnidhi
(2060).
Th /.' 5101,. of ' brahC!/.'111 "'=-
.~~~~~~--------------~w
285
.
on cvery hill. and ca ll them. they will come to YOli in ha ste.
And know Ihal A llah is A lmighty. Mosl Wi se." ) (Soorah A/-
Baqarah 2:260) Sc ho lars of Ta/s eer said thm Ihere were reasons
for Ihi s question , which we have cxplained in Ihe T(~f;'eer and
wc cSlabl ished thc m beyond doub t.
So I-Ie made c lear that Ibrahec l11 i:MJ fo llowcd th e true Relig ion
of Islami c Monothe ism, which is to have since re intention 10
devote oncse lfto the wors hip of A ll ah, A lone, w ithout partne rs
and to in tentionall y turn away from Iha l which is fal se, in
favor of the truth, whi c h co ntrad icts Juda ism, Chri sti an ity and
paga ni sm. Allah , Most High , says, ( And who turns away from
th e religion of Ibraheem (i. e. Islami c Monot heism) except
•"
,,
~
The ...,'(ory oIlhraheclII ~
.~~~~--~--------------~w
287
.
him who befools himse lf? Tru ly, We chose him in thi s world
i and veril y. in th e Ilc rcafi cr he will be among the ri ghteous.
When his Lord suid 10 him , "Submi t (i.c. be a Muslim)! " He
sa id. " I have submitted myself (as a M uslim) to the Lord of
the 'Alall1eclI." And thi s (subm iss ion to Alla h. Islam) was
enj oi ned by Ibrahcclll upon his so ns and by Ya ' qoob, (saying).
"0. my sons! Allah has chose n for yo u th e (true) Re ligion,
then die not except in the faith of Islam (as Mu slims - Is lamic
Monotheism):' Or we re YOli witn esses when death approached
Ya'qoob? When he said unto his sons, "W hat will you worsh ip
alter meT' They sa id , ';Wc slwll worship yo ur //all (God - i.e.
A ll ah), th e !lall (God) of your falhers, Ibrah cc m, Isma 'ce l.
Ishaq , One /lah (God). and to Hi m we submit (in Is lam) ." That
was a nation who have passed away. Th ey shall rcceive the
rcward or what they ea rn cd and you of what you ca m . And
you w ill not be asked of w hat they used to do. And they say.
" Be Jews or Christians, thcn you will be gu ided:' Say (to
them, 0, Mu ha mmad), "Nay, (We follow) only the Re ligion of
Ibrahce m, I-Iani/all (ts lf.Unie Mo notheism, i.e. to worship none
but A ll ah. Alone), and he was not of al-l1Il1shrikooll (those who
worshipped ot he rs along wi th A ll ah." Say (0, Muslim s), "We
be lievc in Alla h and that whi ch has bee n sc nt down to us and
that wh ich has bee n sent down to Ibmhecm, Isma·ee l. Ishaq ,
Va'qoob. and to AI-lisbat (the twelve sons ofVa ' qoob [Jacob]),
and tha t which has becn give n to Moosa (Moses) and 'Eesa
(Jesus). Hnd that which has bee n given to the Prophets frol11
their Lord . We nwke no di stinction bc twec n an y of the m, and
to Ilim we have submi tt ed (in Islam) ." So if they be lieve in the
lik e or that which you be li eve, then they a re ri ght ly gu ided.
but if thl!Y turn i.l\vay. then th ey a re on ly in opposit ion. So
Allah wi ll suffi ce you against th em . And He is th e A ll-l iea ring.
the All-Know ing. (Ou r Sibghah [Re ligion] is) the Sibglwh
(Religion) or Allah (lslal11) and whi ch Sibglw" (Religion) can
be better th an A llah 's? And we arc His wO f!. hippers. (ut/seer
Ibl1 Karheer) Say (M uh am mad to the Jews and Christians),
" Dispute you with us about Allah while I-I e is our Lord and
your Lord? And we arc to be rewarded for our deeds and you
for you r deeds. And we are si ncere to I-li m in worsh ip and
obedi ence (i.c. we worshi p !lim Alone and none else, and we
obey His Orders)." Or say you that Ibrahccm, Isma'cel, Ishaq,
Ya'qoob and AI-Asbar (the twe lve sons of Ya'qoob) were Jews
or Christi ans? Say, "Do you know belter or docs Allah (knows
belle r. . . that th ey all were Muslim s)? A nd who is marc unjust
than he who concea ls Ihe tes timony (Le. 10 believe in Prophet
Muhammad ~ when he comes, written in th eir Books) he
has from All ah? And All ah is nO! unaware o f w hat you do ."
) (Soora" AI-Boqara" 2: 130- 140) So Allah, the Ahnighty, the
A ll -Powerfu l declared Hi s K/w/ee/ innocent of thei r claim, that
he was a Jew or a Christian and made clear that he was onl y
a Hanee! - a Muslim and he was not one of the polytheists, I
wh ich is why He says, ( Verily, among ma nki nd who have the
best claim to Ibrahcem are th ose who fo ll owed him ) (SoO/'all
Ali '!/JIron 3:68) That is, those who followed his Reli gion and
obeyed him du ri ng his lifeti me and those who he ld fast to hi s
Religion after them ( and th is Prophet ) (SoO/'o" Ali -illlrall
3 :68), That is, Muhammad ~ , because A ll ah leg islated for him
the Hanee! Re ligion, whi ch He legislated for AI-Kilo/eel and
He completed it fo r hi m, giving to him that which He had not
give n 10 any Prophet or Messenger be fore him , as He, Most
Hi gh, says, (S ay (0, Muhammad), "Trul y, my Lord has guided
me 10 a Straight Pal h, a ri ghl re ligion , the religion o f Ibrahcclll,
HOllijall (i.e, the truc Islami c Monotheism - to be lieve in One
God [Allah i.c. to wo rshi p none but Allah, Alone]) and he was
nol o f a/-mllsl1rikool1," Say (0, Muhammad), "Veril y. my salah
, ____
The
.~
StOlY of________________________
~
Ihmh eem ~ ~uo~mr~'
~ __
289 ~,
(prayer), my sac rifi ce, my li ving and my dyin g arc for All ah,
the Lord orlhe A/ameen. l ie has no partner. A nd of th is I have
bee n comm anded and I <l llllhc first o rl he Mus lims." ) (SoOl"oli
A I-An '0111 6 : 16 1- 163)
AI-B ukha ri narratcd on thc aut hority of' Abdullah Ibn' Umar
~ th at the Prophet ~ sa id, ''The honorab le, the son o f the
honorable, the son the honorab le, the SOil of is Yoosuf, the son
o f Ya ' qoob, the son or Ishaq , th e son of Ibraheclll," (2 )
(l) Siwak: A naluml loOlhbmsh made from the roo t of the arak Iree,
(2) Nan-dted by tbn r\bi 1-I;lIim ill the 1iifw!('" ( t/359),
(3) Narrated by AI-I3t1khari (58R9) and Muslim (257).
294 The Simy oj Ihraheem ~
.~~n~~~,~------ ______~~-~~~~.
narrator said, " I think that he said it is made from pearl." I-Ie
said: " In it th ere is no cfrlck in it and no weakness. Allah ha s
preparcd it fo r Hi s Klloleel, Ibra h eclll ~ , to enjoy." A I- Bazzar
sa id, "And Ah mad Ibn Jamee l AI -Marwazi told us that An-
Nad r Ibn Shul1lail told him that Hamad Ibn Salamah sa id th at
he repo rted it on th e authority of Simak, who reported it on
the authority of ' Ikrimah, who reported it on the authori ty of
Abu I-Iurairah 4 ." And he sa id, "We are unaware of anyon e
narrating thi s hadeetll on the authority of I-Iamad Ibn Salamah
except Yazeed Ibn Haroon, An-Nad r Ibn Shu mail and others
and he narrated it in a mOlVqooj fonn. I say that were it not
for th is defec t, it would be in accordance w ith the conditions
requ ired of an authentic hadeeth. Bu t th e compilers of the
Saheeh did not narratc it.
A I-Bukhari narratcd that Muja hid said that whcn the peop le
mcntioncd th e Da))al before Ibn ' Abbas and said that he wou ld
have the word Kerfi,., (i.e. di sbeliever) or the le tters ka/, fa',
ra' (t he roo t of the Arabi c vc rb to di sbe lieve) w ritten Oil hi s
forehead, he said, " I heard Ibn ' Abbas sayi ng, ' I did not hear
this, but the Proph et 315 said , If you wan t to see Ibraheelll, thcn
look at your Compan ion (i.c. the Proph et him se lf) but Moosa
was a curl y-haired, brown ma n (who lI sed to ride) a red ca mel ,
the reins of which were made of date-pa lm fibers. It is as if I
we re now looking down a va lley." (2)
said th at Ibraheem lfJl beca me ill and d ied whe n he was aged
a hundred and seven ty -five years, It was al so said th at he was
aged ninety years at the lime o f hi s dea th and that he was buri ed
in the cavern which was in the Hitt ite reg ion of I-lebron, near
to his wife, Sarah, who was buri ed in the fi eld of ' Afro on AI-
Haith. Hi s sons, Isma 'eel ~ and I s aac ~ , undertook the ta sk
of burying him. There is also a report lhat prov ides evidence
th at he lived for two hundred years, according to Ibn A I-Ka lbi.
(I) This is an authentic Iweleel" narmtcd by Ibn Hibban in his S(lIIee" ( 14/84.
No. 6204).
(2) Its chain ofnarmtors is authentic. according to the conditions for accep-
tance stipulated by Muslim. It was narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Saheeh
( 14/86. No. 6250).
The 5/01'.1' o/'hroh('('/ll ~ 297
.r----~~------------------------~'"'~~
, ~
' --~.
- and A llah knows belter.
The first SOil born to him was Isma ' eel ~ , w ho was born
o f Hajar, the Egyptia n Cop I. Then Ishag ~ was born to him
from Sarah , who was the daughter of hi s paterna l uncle. Then
afte r her, he married th e Q'.lIltoora th e daughter of Yaq tuna
AI-Kan 'a ni ya h. She bore him six children: Zamfa ll , Yashan ,
Madyan. ishbak , and Shu ah. Th e sixth was no t llillll Cd . Arter
her, he marri ed Hajoon. the daughte r of Ameen, who bore him
fi ve children: Kai san. Sooraj, Uma im, Loota n and Nan s. This
is how Abu l-Qas im As-Suhaili rc pon ed it in hi s book 'Al-
Ta 'reef Wa/-/ 'lam'.
That Occurred Duri ng the Lifetime of Ihraheem W , Al-
Klwlee l is the Story of tile People ofLot ~ .lnd the Ge neral
Punishment T h'lt Befell T hem
Loot Y ha d parted company with his ullc le, A/- Kha /ee/ ~ .
by his comma nd and hi s pe rmi ss io n and settled in the cit y of
Sadoom (Sodo m), in the land ofG hawr Z ug har. It was the main
cit y in the area and it con ta incd land , work sho ps and vi llage s
which were attached to it. It s pcopl e inc luded some of the most
sinful and di sbeli ev ing people, harboring ev il thoug hts and
wicked ideas. They practi ced hi ghway robbery and had ill ici t
sex in the ir mee ting places. Th ere was no sin len that they di d
not indulge in . Th ey comm itted sin s which no man before th em
had comm itt ed, includi ng: men having sex ual re latio ns w it h
oth er men; aba nd oning the wo men whom A ll ah had created
for Hi s righteo us s laves . Loo t ~ called upo n them to worship
Allah , Mosl Hi gh , A lone, wi tho ut ascribing pa rtn ers 10 Him
and forba de the m from indul gin g in th ese unlawful deeds
and vil e, shame less acts. But they persisted in the ir eITor and
Among lite Greal EI'ellfs 299
.~--~------------------=-~~=---~~~~---.
transgression and continucd in the ir debauchery and di sbeli ef
and so Allah ordained a punishment for them which cou ld not
be resc inded, the li ke of which they had never im agin ed or
expec ted. He made th em an ex ample to all of mankind and a
warn ing to all men of intelligence. This is why All ah, Most
Hi gh, mentioned the ir slOry ill a Ilumberofp laccs in Hi s Book,
such as '-li s Word s in Sool'all AI-A 'raj ( And (remember) Loot,
when he said to hi s people, " Do you comm it the worst sin such
as none preceding you has cOlllllli llcd in the 'Alameen? Veri ly,
yo u practi ce your lusts on men inslead of women. Nay, but
yo u are a people tran sgress ing beyond bounds (by cOlllm itting
great sins)." And the answer o f his peop le was onl y Ihal they
said, " Drive them out o f your lawn, these are indeed men
who want 10 be pure (from sins)!" Th en We saved him and
his 1:1I1li ly, except hi s wife; she was of those who remained
behind (in the pun ishment ). And We ra ined down on them a
rain (of stones). Then sec what was the end o f thc l1Iujrimoon
(crim ina ls, polyth eists, sinners, etc.) ) (Soorah AI-A 'raf7:80-
84)
He, Most Hi gh, says ill SOO/'Cill I-I ood, ( And ve rily, thcre
ca me Our Messenge rs 10 Ibra hcem with g lad ti din gs. They
said, Salam (gree tin gs or peace) !" '-Ie an swered, "Salam
(greeti ngs or peace) !" And he hastened to enterta in them with
a roa stcd calf. But when he saw their hands went not towa rd
it (the mea l), he felt somc mi strust of them, and conce ived a
fear o f them. Th ey said, " Fcar not, we ha ve been sent aga inst
the people of Loot:' And his wi fe was stand ing (th ere) and she
laughed (either, because thc Messc ngers did not eat their food
or for being g lad for thc des truction of the people o f Loot. But
We gave her glad tidin gs of lshaq and aner him, of Ya' qoob.
She sai d (in astoni shment), " woe un to me! Shall I bear a chi ld
wh ile I am an old wom'-1n , and here is my husband, an o ld man?
300 Among fhe Gr(,{11 !;1't: 1If.1
.~~~
. ~~--------------~------~,
Verily ! This is iI strange th ing!" They sa id, "no yo u wonder at
the Decree o l' Al lah? The Mercy of All ah and Ilis l3Iessin£s be
on YOII, O. family (o f Ib ra heem). Surely, li e (Al lah) is Mos t
Pra isewort hy, Most Glori ous." Then when the fear had gone
away from (the mind of) Ibrahcel11 and th e g lad tid ings had
reached him, he began to plead with Us (Our Messengers)
for the people of Lool. Verily, Ibrahcel11 wns , without doubt.
forbeari ng, used to invok e Allah wit h hll111ilit y, and was
repentant (to A Ilah al l the time, aga in and nga in). "0, Ibraheel11!
Forsake thi s. Indeed. the CommandmeTlt o r your Lord has gOlle
forth. Ve ri ly, there will co me a torment lor th em which canno t
be turned back." And when Our Messenger:-. came to Loot. he
was gri eved on their account .md felt hil1l 'jelr straitcned for
them (lest the lownpeoplc should approach them to co mmit
sodomy wi th them). He said. "This is a di stressful day." And
hi s people ca me rushi ng toward him, and since aforc ti me they
used to commit crimes (sodomy. etc.). he said, "0, my people!
Here arc my daughu.: rs (Le. th e daught ers of my nation). they
arc pure r fur you (if you marry thcm lawfu lly). So fear Allah
and dcgrade mc not as rcgards my guests! [s there not among
you a single right-minded man'!" They said. "Surdy you know
that we ha ve ncither any desire nor arc we in nced of yo ur
daughters, and indeed you know well what we want!" lie
sa id, "Wou ld that I had strength (men) to overpowcr you. or
that I could betake myself to so me powerful support (to resist
you}." They (the Messengers) sa id. "0. Loot! Verily, we arc
the Messenge rs from your Lord! They shall not reach you! So
travel with you r fami ly in a part or the ni gh t and lei no t any
of you look back, but your wife (w ill rcmain bchind), verily.
th e pun ishment whieh will amiCi them will amiCI her. Indeed.
morning is their appointed tim e. Is not the morning ncar'!"
So when Our Commandme nt came, We lurned (the tow ns or
Ali/mIg 1111' Great HI'I.}IIf.\ JO I
.~
. ~~-------------------'~~~~,
Sodom tn Pa lesti ne) upside down. and rained on th em ston es of
baked c lay, pi led up: marked fro m yo ur Lord. and they arc no t
eve r fill' from the =alil1lool1. ) (SOO/'Cdl Hood 11 :69·83)
He, Most High, says, ( Then, when the fear had gone away
from (the mind of) Ibrah eem a nd th e g lad tidings had reached
him , he bega n to plead with Us (Our Messengers) for the peopl e
of Loot ) (SoQl'ail Hood II :74). Thi s was because he hoped
that they would repent to Allah, sub mit to Hi rn and des ist from
their sin ful ways.
Thi s is why All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( Ve rily, Ibrahecll1 was,
without dou bt. forbearing, lI sed to in voke Allah with humility.
and was re pen tant (to Allah ,ii i the timc. agClin and aga in). "0.
Ibraheem! Forsake this. Indeed, the Com mandmcnt of your
Lord has gone forth . Veril y, there will co m..: a punishment for
them which cannot be turn ed back." ) (Soora" Hood I I :75,76)
That is, desist fro m thi s and spea k of something else, beca use
their fa te ha s been dec ided and th eir punishment , destru ction
and anni hilation are inev itab le. ( " Indeed, the Commandment
o f your Lord has go ne lo rl h." ) . Th at is, He Whose Command
ca nno t be rescinded, Whose Pun ishment cannot be tumed back
and Whose Judgement cann ot be questioned, has given His
Command: ( "Verily, th ere wi ll co me a punishmen t ror th em
whi ch cann ot be turned back." ) (SoOl·all 1·lood I I :76)
Qatadah stated that they arri ved while he was working on the
land and they sought hospi tality from him. He was embarrassed
before them and tri ed to pe rsuade Ih cm to Icave thi s town and
seek shelter in another. He sa id to the m, "0, peopl e! I know
not of any people on the fa ce of the earth wickeder than the
peo pl e of thi s city. " Th en he wa lked a littl e way, and th en he
repeated these words fOllr tim es. !-Ie (Qatadah) said that they
(the ange ls) had been commanded (by A ll ah) not to destroy
them until the ir Prophet had borne witness to that effect.
As-S uddi sa id: The a nge ls dcpm1cd from Ibrahee m's presence
and headed for the people of Loot ~ and they arrived there
in the middl e of the day. W hen th ey reac hed the Ri ve r Sodom,
they mel th e daughter of Loot ~ , who was draw ing water for
her fa mil y. He had two daughters, the e lder of whom was named
Areetha, wh ile the younger was named Daghooth a. They sa id
to her, " 0 , young gir l! Do you know of any place where we can
find accolllmodat ion?" She sa id , " Rema in here! Do not ente r
(the city) until I come to YOll." She feared tha i some ill might
306 AoulIlj! rhe Gn!(/( E\'ellfs
.~----~~~>----------------------------------~.
befall them at the hands of her people and so she went to her
father and said to hi m, "0, my fat her! Some young men arc
asking for you at the gates of th e city; , have nevcr seen marc
handso me faces of any men than theirs, Let not yo ur people
take them and dishonor them." His people had forbidden him
from giving hospitality to any man, but he took them in secret
and no one knew of th eir presence except his family. BlIt his
wife went out and informcd his people of thcm, saying, "'n
Loot's hOllse there are me n, the like of whose beautiful faces
I have never seen." Then his people came hastening angrily
to him . Alla h says, ( and since aforetime they lIsed to commit
crimes (sodomy, etc.) (Soorah Hood II :78) That is, Ihi s was
in addi tio n to the many major sins they had comm ined. ( 0 ,
my people! Ilere .Ire my daughters (i.e. the dau ghters of my
nation), th ey arc purer for you (if you marry them lawfu ll y) )
(Sool'Clh Hood II :78) J-Ie forbade th em from committi ng sllch
indece nt acts and bore witness that there was not a single ri ght-
minded .md intell ige nt ma n among them, nor any good person;
on the contrary, he averred that all of thcm were foolish ,
terribly debauched, an-ogant disbelievers. This was just what
th e ange ls wanted to hear fro m him before Ihey asked him
about it. I-lis people - may Allah's Curse be upon them - said,
in answer to what their Prophet ~ had ordered them to do, (
"They said: Surely you know tha t we have ncither any desire
nor are we in need of your daughters, anJ indeed you kno\\'
well what we wrlllt! " ) (Soora" Hood I) :79) They said - may
Allah's Curse be on them "0, Loo t! You know that we have
no desi re for women and verily, you know full wel l wha t we
desire (Le, men)." They addressed these wicked words to their
nob le Messenger and they did not fea r the infliction of Allah's
painfu l punis hmen t. This is why Lool ~ said, ( "Would Ihm
I had streng th (men) to overpower you, or Ihat I cou ld betake
Amollg the Crem El'ellf.\" 307
.~--~---=~~------------~~----~
.~~~--~.
myself' to some powe rful support (to resist yo u)." ) (Sooral1
Hood II :80) He w ished that he had the strcngth to overco me
them or the abil ity to res ist them and kin to hclp him aga inst
them, in orde r to infl ict all thcm the pu nishment they deserved
fo r these words they had spoken. It is reported on the authority
of Abu J-Iurai rah ~ in a /11{{//00' fonn that he said, " \\fe are
more liable to be in doub t than Ibrahec l11 when he sa id , (
" My Lord! Show me how You give lifc to the dead ." . '-Ie (Le.
A ll ah) sa id, " Don' t yo u bcli cve then?" He (i.e. Ibra hce m) sa id ,
"Yes, but (I ask) in order to be stronge r in raith ," ) (SoO/'oil
AI-/3aqarall 2:260) May A lla h send His Mercy on Loo t' He
w ished to have a powerfu l support. If I we re to stay in prison
for stich a lon g ti mc, as Yoosuf did, I would ha ve accept cd the
o rYer (of fre edom w itholl t insisting on having my guilt lessness
decla red)." It is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah ~
that he sa id, " May A ll ah have mercy on Lot; he w ished that he
could bctake himself to some powerful support (to resist them).
(Mea ning A lla h, the A lmighty. the A II-Powerful), Allah did not
se nd a Prophet al1er him except that he was from the wealt hy
alllong his peo ple." (1)
All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( And the inhabitants o f the city
came rejo icing (at the news of th e young me n's arri val ). ( Loot)
sa id, "Vc ril y! Th ese arc my guests, so shame me not. And
fea r All ah and di sgrace me 110 1. " They (the pcop le of the c ity)
sai d, " Did we no t forbid YO LII O enl ertain (or protect) any o f th e
'A lomeell (pcopl e, fore igncrs, stra ngers, etc. from us)'!" (Loot)
sa id. "Th ese (the g irl s o i" lh c nation) are my daughtcrs (to marry
la w full y), iryo u mu st act (so)," ) (SoO/'"II AI-Nijl' 15:67-7 1)
( \) This is all authentic //{Idee'" narrated by tmam Ahmad (21332. No. ~76 1 ).
J08 , Imfll/g Ihe Ul'l!o( H1'ell/.\
.r----~~--------------------------~.
were follo w ing and the s in s they were commi tti ng, But they
did not cease a nd di srega rded hi s words, Instead, the more he
forbad e them , the more strenuous became th e ir effo rts to reac h
the guests and the more exci ted Lhey became, But they did not
know the fat c that had been decreed for them and to w hich they
were head ing, Thi s is why All ah, Most Hi gh, says, swearing
by the life of Hi s Prophet, Muha mm ad ( Vordy, by your life (0,
Muhammad), in the ir wild intoxil:lItion. they were wande ring
blindl y , (SoO/"ail AI-Nijr 15:72) He, Most High, says, ( And
he (Loot) indct.!d had warnl.!d them of Ou r IJrasp. but they did
doubt the warni ngs! And Ihey indeed sought to shame his guests
(by ask in g to commit sodomy with them). So We blinded the ir
eyes. "Then taste you My Torlllt.!111 and My Warnings." And
verily. an abiding punislun..:nt sc i/cd thel11 ..:arly in the morning
) (SoO/"oil A I-Qolllor 54:36-38)
homes, feeling the walls and threatening th e Messe nge r orA llah
~ and say ing, " In thc mornin g, wc will dea l with him." All ah.
Most High, says, " An d they indeed sought to shame his guests
(by ask in g to commi t sodomy with them). So We bli nded their
eyes. "Thc n taste you My Pun ishment and My Warnings." And
vcri Iy, an ab iding punishment se ized the m carl y in the morn ing .
) (Soorall AI-Qal11ar 54:37,38) Th is wns a fter the ange ls had
approached Loot ~ and commanded him 10 travel in th e latte r
pan of the night with hi s family and th ey comma nded them
that none should look back, i.e. when they heard the sound of
the punishm ent be ing inflicted on Loo t's people. As for His
Words: ( except you r wire ) (Soorah I-load 11: 8 1) if the word
fo r " wi fe" is read in A rabi c as illlra 'a/ak, then it is possibl e that
th e meani ng is that hi s wife was cxccp ted from the comma nd:
( "SO tra vel wit h your famil y in a part o r the nigh!." ) (Soorall
/-load I I :8 1), as if it was bein g sa id, "cxcep t your wife, do not
make the j ourney by night with her." It is also pl1ssib lc that it
is from His Words: I' and let not an y of you look bac k, except
your wife ) (SoOl'oll /-load I I :8 1) That is, shc will ccrtain ly
look back and th at whi ch will affli ct them wil l affl ict her al so.
This interp retation is stre ngthened by the rec itati on of lhe word
" wire" in Ara bi c as imra 'otak. However, the formcr is more
apparen t in meani ng. And All ah knows better.
As ror His Words: ( and \Ve rai ned on thc m ston es or ba ked
clay, piled up ) (Soorah I-load II :82) The word sijjeel is an
Arabi cisecl Pe rsian word and it mean s forceful . hard and
strong. ( Pi led .up ) that is, falling one upon ano ther upon them
from the sky. ( Ma rked ) that is, the sto nes were marked and
sealed, all of them having th e names o r their victims writte n
on them, as He, Most Hi gh, says, ( Marked by your Lord
for the IIl1ls r{(ooll (pol yth eists, crimina ls, sinn ers those who
trespass All a h's set limi ts in ev il -doings by commilling great
310 Amo11g lite Greal EI'ellls
~~>~~~=-=-=-=-~~~=-=-=-~-•
•
sins) ) (SoO/'ah Adh-Dhariym 51 :34) and as He, Most Hi gh,
says, ( And We rai ned on them a rai n (of punishment). And
how evil was the rai n of those who had been wanted ) (Soorab
Ash-SIIII'ara' 26: 173) And He, Most High, says, ( And He
destroyed the ove rthrown cit ies (of Sodam to which Prophet
Loot was scnt). So there covered them tha t which did cove r
) (Soomh An-Najm 53:53,54) Thai is, he in ve rt ed th em and
dropped them face down and then covered them wi th a deluge
of stones from sWeet, whi ch followed one upon another, each
one of thcm marked wi th the name of the perso ll among those
present in the city upon whom it wo uld fa ll and al so upon those
who were abse nt on journeys, those in di stant land s and those
who were isola ted from it. It was said that th e wife of Loot ~
remai ned with her people and it was also said that she set out
wi th her husband and her two daughters, but when she heard
the shout and the falling of the city, she tUllled round toward
her people, disobey ing the COlllmand of her Lord ilnd said,
"0, my people!" Then a rock fell on her and crushed her and
she joined her people, since she fo llowed their relig ion and
she spied for them on the gues ts who stayed with Loot ifiY.
Al lah, Most Hi gh, says, ( Allah sets forth an example for those
who disbelieve, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lool. They
were und er two of our righteous slaves, but they bOl h betrayed
(their husbands) so they (Noah and Loot) benefited them (th eir
respective wives) not, aga inst Allah, and It was said, " Enter
the Fire along with those who enler!" ) (Soorah At-Tahreem
66: I0). That is, betray them by not following their Reli gion; it
docs not mean that they llsec\ to co mmit adultery - Allah forbid
that! Never! For Allah wou ld not ordain for His Prophet that
his wife should commit ad ultery, as 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas '*"
and othe r Imams among earlier and the later scholars said, "No
Among lhe Greal E"ellls 311
• •
wife of a Prophet ever comm itt ed adultery." (2) And whoever
claimed otherwise has committed a grave error.
Allah made th e location of this city into a pu trid sea, whose
wa ter provides no benefi t and neither do the lands surrounding
ii, due to th eir ruin, their bad ness and poor qua li ty. Thus they
beca me a lesson, a warn ing and a sign of All ah 's Omnipotence,
His Greatness and His Powe r in inn ic lin g retribution 011 those
who di sobey I-li s COll1mand, belie His Messenge rs and follow
th eir own lusts. These verses arc also" proof of Hi s Mercy
towards Hi s bel ievi ng slaves, in lh at He saved th em from being
among those who wcre destroyed and '-Ie brought them QUI
from darkness into li ght , as I-Ie, Most Hi gh, says, ( Verily, in
thi s is a n Ayah (proof or sign), yet most of them (polythe ists,
pagans. etc., who do not believe in the Resurrec ti on) arc not
believers. And ve rily, your Lord! He is tru ly th e Almi ghty, th e
Most Merciful ) (Saarah Ash-Slllt 'ara '26:8,9)
Allah, Most Hi gh, says in 500rall A/-A 'raJ, a fter re lati ng the
story of the peopl e of Loot , ( And to (the people of) Madyan
(M idia n), (We sent) their brother Shu 'a ib. He sa id, "0, my
peop le ! Worsh ip All ah! You have no other ilah (god) but
I-lim (La illlha iIIaflah [none has the right to be worshipped
but All ah]). Veri ly, a clear proof (s ign) from your Lord has
co me unto you; so g ive fu ll mcasure and full we ight and wrong
not men in their things, and do not co mmit mi sch ief on the
earth after it has been set in order, that will be better for yo u,
if you arc Believers. And sit not on every road , th reatening,
and hinderin g fro m the Path of All ah those who be lieve in
Hi m and seek ing to make it crooked. And remember whcn you
were but fcw, and He mu ltiplied you. And see what was the
Among the Grc(l/ El'ellls 315
~ .
•
end of the mufsidoon (m isch ief-make rs, corrupt people, liars).
And if there is a party oryoll who believe in tha t with wh ich
I have been sent and a party who do not believe, be patient
until All ah judges between us, and li e is the Best of j udges."
The chiefs orlhase w ho were a n '! 3 nt among his people said.
" We shall certainly drive ) 0, Shu'aib and those who
have bel ieved with you fro m our [Own, or e lse you (all) shall
return to our reli gion." lie sai d, "Even though we hatc it ! We
shoul d have invented a lie against Allah if we ret urned to your
re ligion. afler Allah has rescued us from it. And it is not fo r
us to return to It un less A lla h, our Lord. should wi ll. OUT Lord
comprehends all things in His Knowledge. In Allah (A lone) we
put Oli T trust. Our Lord! Judge between us a nd our peop le in
truth . for You are the Best of those who give jUdgment." The
chiefs ofthase who disbe lieved among his people said (to their
peopl e). " If you fo llow Shu 'aib, be sure th en yo u wi ll be the
losers !" So the earthq uake seized them and they lay (dead).
prostrate in the ir homes. Those who belied Shu'aib became
as if they had never dwe ll there (in their homes). T hose who
belied Sh u'a ih, they were the losers. T hen he (S hu'aib) turned
fro m them and sa id, "0, my people! I have indeed conveyed
my Lord's Messages unto you and I haye given yOli good
advice. Then how can I sorrow for the disbelieving people's
(destruction).") (SaO/·oil AI-A ',-0/7:85-93)
"The se ll er and Ihe buyer have the right 10 keep or return goods
as long as they ha ve not parted or ti ll they part; and if both the
part ies spoke th e truth a nd desc ribed the defec ts and qual ities
(o f the goods), then th ey wou ld be blessed in thei r transact ion ,
and if they told lies or hi d something , the n the bless in gs of th eir
transacti on woul d be losl." (8)
°
them to the tmth wi th the cl earest guidance. He sai d to th em,
" Do you cons ider, den iers ( " if I have a clear evidence from
my Lord . . ." ) (Saara" !-Iaad II :88). That is, if I a m fo ll ow ing
a clear co mmand from All ah, which is that He sent me to you
( and li t! has g iven me a good sustcnance from Himself ) -
mea ning Prophet hood and Messengership. That is to say, and
know ledge of that was co ncea led from YOll, then wha t ca n I do
I wilh yo u?
All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( Enjo in you al-hirr (pie ty and
righteousness and each and eve ry act o f obedi ence to All ah) on
the people and yo u forgel (to pra cti ce it) yourse lves, whil e you
recite the Sc ript ure (Ih e Tawrah [Tora h])? '·Iave you th en no
sense? ) (Saarah AI-Baqarah 2:44). In the ''!/.i'eer o f this Verse,
it was authenti call y reported from the Messenger of A ll ah 3i
that he said, "A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrec ti on
and thrown in th e Fire, so th at hi s intestines will come ou t and
he will go around lik e a donkey goes around a mi ll stone. The
people of the Fire wi ll gather around hi m and say, ' 0 , so-and-
so! What is wrong with you? Did you not use 10 order us to do
good deeds and fo rbid us to do bad deeds?' I-I e wi ll rep ly, 'Yes,
I used to order you to do good deeds, but I did not do them
322 Amollg llt c Grem E !'eJllS
.~ ____ ~
· m~
.~~.~
' __________ ~~ __ ~~ __ ____________•
~
As for Shu'a ib 's say ing: ( "and Ih e peopl e of Loot arc not
far ofT from you." ) (SoOl-al1 !-Iood II :89), il is sa id thai its
meanin g is that they were not far offfrom them in time; Qatadah
As for their saying: ( "Wcre it not for your fami ly, we should
ccrtainly have stoncd you ; and you arc not powc rful against
us" ) (Soorah Hood 11 :91 ), this was due to their profou nd
disbe lief and the ir di sgraceful obstinacy, as they said, ( They
said, "0, Shu'aib! We do not understand much of what you
say," ) (SoO/'ail H ood II :9 1) That is, we do not undcrstand
it, nor do wc co mprehend it, because wc do no t li kc it and
we do not wa nt it, so we have no eagerness for it and wc will
not fo ll ow it. And thi s is li ke thc saying of the disbelievers of
Quraish to the Messenger of Allah : ( And they say, "O ur hearts
arc under co verings (sc reencd) from Ihat to whi ch you in vite
324 Amllng file Greal EI'ellls
<~--~,$~----------------------~.
us, and in ali I' cars is dea rn css, and bctwcc n us and yo u is a
sc reen, so work yo u (on your way): veril y, we arc work in g (on
o ur way)." ) (Soorah F'ussilar 41 :5) As for the ir say ing: ( "a nd
we consider you a weak person (it is sa id that hc was a blind
ma n) among us ." ) (SOOtY'" /-Iood 11 :9 1), it mea ns despi sed and
aba ndoned. ( "Werc it no t for your fiun il y .,. " ) . means, your
tribe and your kin sfolk a lllong us. ( "We should certa inly have
sto ned you; and you arc not powc rfu l against us '" He sa id. "0,
my peopl e! Is then my linnily of mo re weight with you than
Allah'!" ) (Soorall Hood II :9 1,92), Tha I is, do you fear my tri be
and my kinsfolk and hes itate to harm me because o f Ihem, ye t
you do no t fear All ah 's Anger or hes it ate to harm me because
I am a Messenge r of All ah? That mea ns th at YOli consider my
tribe more powerful tha n A ll ah! ( And yo u ha ve cast Him away
behind your backs ) (SoO/'oli i-iood II :92), ThaI is, yo u have
pla ced fea r of All ah behind your back s. ( " Verily, my Lord is
surrou nding all that YO ll do : ' ) (Sooralt /-Io od II :92). That is,
He is fu ll y Aware of what you do and He encompasses all of
that and He w ill recompense you for it all the Day when yo u are
return ed to Him. ( And 0, my people! Act according to your
abi lity and way. and I am ac tin g (on my way) . You will comc
to know who it is all whom descend s thc punis hment th at will
covc r him wi th ignomi ny, and w ho is a liar! And watch you!
Vcri ly, I too am wa tc hing with yo u." ) (Soora" Hood 11:93)
Th is is a stcrn th rcal and a pos iti ve warn ing, lha t if they shoul d
continue on th eir path and in thei r (w icked) ways, they would
co me to know o n whol11 All ah's Pu nishment wo uld be infli cted
and upon whom would destruct ion and anni hilation be vis ited.
In an ea rli er Ve rse in th is SoO/·ct/" he said, ( "and all whom w ill
fa ll a lasti ng puni shment." ) (Saara" I-Iood 11 :39) ( " and who
is a liar!" ) (Soora" Hood II :93) That is, wh ich of us is the lia r
in the information , the glad ti dings and the wtImings he gave,
Among Ille Crelll EI'('tIf" J -'-)
.r---------------------------w~--~,
you or I. ( "And watch you! Veri ly, I too am watching with
yo u."' ) (SoO/·aII Hood II :93). Th is is like the Words or A ll ah: (
" And if there is a party of yo u who be lieves in that wi th whi ch
I have bee n sent and II part y who do not bd ievc, so be patient
until All ah judges between us, and l ie is the Bes t o f j ud ges."
Th e ch iefs of those who wcre nrrognnt among hi s people sn id.
"Wc shall ccrtn inly dri\' c you out, 0 , Shu ' aib. !'lnt! those who
have believed wit h you from our town. or else you (all) shall
relUrn to our rel igion." li e sa id. "Even tho ugh we hate it! We
should have in ve nted a li e again st Alla h if we returned 10 your
religion. ancr A llah has resclied us from it. And it is not for
us 10 relurn 10 it unl ess A llah. our Lord, should w ill . Q UI' Lord
comprehends all things in 1-1 is Knowledge , In A llah (Alone) we
put our trust. Our Lord! Judge between us and our peopl e in
truth . for You are the Best of thc/Oliheell," ) (SoOl'ali AI-A 'ra/
7:87-89)
They demanded that th ose who had bel ieved in Shu' a ib 's
Message reI urn \0 their reli gion and so Shu 'a ib ~\ d isputed
w ith th em on behalf of hi s peop le, say ing, ( "Even though \w
hate it ! ) (Soorall AI-A 'rqf7:88) That is, these peop le (who
ha ve be lieved) wi ll not retu rn vo luntari ly to yo u; if they re turn ,
they wi ll onl y do so unde r comp ulsion and that is because
oncc th e joy of fa ith has pervaded the heart, none w ill be
d iscontented w ith it and none wi ll reject it, a nd no olle can
avoid that. Thi s is why he said , ( We shou ld have invent ed a
lie against A llah if we retu rned to you r reli gion. a fter A ll ah
ha s resc lled liS from it. And it is no\ for us to return to it un less
Allah , our Lo rd, should w ill. Our Lord comprehends alilhin gs
in Ili s Knowledge . In Allah (A lone) we put our trust ) (SoO/'ali
AI-A 'raf 7:89) Th at is, He is Sufficie nt for tiS, He is our
Protector and we takc refugee w ith Him in a ll of ou r affa irs.
Then he sought j ud gment from A ll ah aga in st his peop le and
asked his Lord to hasten the infliction of the punishment that
they deserved upon them, saying, ("Our Lord! Judge between
liS and our people in tmth, for You are the Best oftheJofiheen ."
) (Sooro" III-A 'raf7:89) That is, of those who give j udgment.
So he in voked Allah aga inst them - and Allah does not reject
the invoca tions of His Messenge rs when they seek help from
Him aga inst those who reject Hi m, disbelieve in Him and His
Messengers. and oppose them. But in spite of this, they remained
determined to persist in what they we re doing (Le. disbelief,
sins, ctc.). ( The chiefs of those who disbelieved among his
people said (to their people), "If you follow Shu'aib, be sure
then you will be the losers!" ) (SoO/'a" A/-A 'ro(7:90) All ah,
Most High, says, ( So the ea rthq uake seized them. and they lay
(dead), prostrate in their homcs, ) (Saara" A/-A 'raf7:78) All ah
me ntioned (earl ier) in SOOl'oli AI-A 'raJ that the earthquake
seized them (i.e. the people of Thamood); that is to say, the
earlh upon which they stood shook severely and caused their
souls to be taken out from their bodies, while the an imals in
their land became like sto ne and their (i.e. the people's) bodies
became corpses, without sOllls, un llloving and senseless. Allah
had combined upon th em a varie ty of punishmenIS, lesso ns and
affli ctions and this was because of thei r wicked characteristics.
Allah infl icted on them a severe earthquake, which stilled all
movement and a great Shollt ex tinguished their voices and He
sent a shadow or cloud upon them which emitted fire and sparks
from all sides and all dircctions. But I-Ie, Most High, infonned
us about them in every SOOl-ali in whi ch mention of thcm was
appropriate. And in the course of the narrative in Soorah Al-
A 'raJ, I-Ie mentioned that they spread fa lse stori es about the
Prop het of Allah ~ and his companions and threatened them
with exp ulsion from their town, if they did not return to their
fonner religion. Allah says, ( So the earthquake seized them,
Among file Grear EI'ellfs 327
.~--~--~~~----------------~~~.~~.~~.
and they lay (dead), prost rate in the ir homes, ) (SOOl'O" A/-
A 'raJ 7:78) A llah responded to the ir spread in g of fa lsehoods
(iljafJ with the ea rthquake (raj/air) (12) and th e ir intimidati on
(ik/wfilh) with te rror (klreeJall), ( 11) which was Illost appropria te
in this contex t.
As f'or Alla h's Word s in SoO/'all Ash-Shu 'ora ', He me nti oned
that a puni shment se ized them on th e Day of Shadow, A nd that
was a respon se to th eir request and somet hing ap proxim ating
what they asked for, for they sa id , ( ';YOll arc only one or th ose
bew itched ! YOli are but a hu ma n be in g like us and , ve rily, wc
think th at you arc oll c ofthe liars! So cause a pi ece or th e ht!Jven
to fa ll on us, if you are of the tnlthful! " He said, " My Lord
is thc Bes t Knowe r o f wha t you do, " ) (Soorah Ash·S/l/I·aro·
26 : 185-1 88)
(12) hjajand rajfah are bOlh from the salllc rOOI verb rajaja ,
( 13) Ikfwfttl, and Kheeftllt are bOlh from the same rool verb kfWftl,
328 Amollg the Great El'ellls
.~--~~~-~~~~----------------~------~.
Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized Ih em; indeed that was th e
plI ll ishme lll o r a G reat Day. ) (Saara" As"-S/Il/ 'ara '26: 189)
Then All ah mentioncd the sa mc crit icism regarding the
Companions of th e Aykal/ that He had made of the people of
Madyan, wh ich was that they used to cheat in their we igh ts
and measures and thi s proves tha t they were the one people,
who were destroyed by a vari ety of punishmcnts. Regarding
All ah 's Words: ( But th ey be licd him. so the torm ent o f the
Day o f Shad ow (a gloomy cl oud) seized thel11 , indeed that
was th e punishment of a Grea t Day) (SoOf'ail Ash-SIIlI 'ara '
26: 189). scho lars have sa id that th ey we re affli eted by an
intense heat and All ah sent aga inst them a fie rce wind, which
blew for seven days and neith er water nor shade, nor entering
tunnels avai led them aga inst it. They fl ed from their homes into
the cOllnt rys ide, where they were cove red by a cloud. They
ga th ered beneath it. in order to seek shade fro m it, but when
they had all gathered under it, Allah caused it 10 cnst sparks
and flames offire on them, while the earth shook beneath them
and the Shou t came to them frol11 the heaven and their sou ls
we re ex tracted from them and des troyed. ( So the earthquak e
se ized th em and they lay (dead). prostra te in their homes.
Those wh o belied Shu ' aib beca me as if they had never dwe lt
th ere (in their homes). Those who belied Shu 'aib, they were
the losers. ) (Saara" A/-A 'ra/7:9 1,92) So Allah saved Shu'aib
jfi9 and the be lievers who were with him , as I-Ie, Most High,
says, and He is II'" Most Tnlthfu l of Speakers, ( And when
Our Com ma ndment came, We saved Shu' aib il nd those who
believed with him by " Mercy rrom Us. ) (Saara l! Hood I I :94)
He, Mos t High, says, ( So th e earthquake se ized them and they
lay (d ead). prostrate in their homes. Those wh o belied Shu ' aib
beca me as if they had never dwe lt there (in th eir homes). Those
who belied Shu' aib, they were the losers. ) (SoOl-ali AI-A 'raj
AIIJ(JIIg 'he Crelll EI'elll,\ 329
.~-----------------------------------<~;w0~'~---,
7:9 1,92) This was in response to their sayi ng: ( " If you foHO\\'
Shu ' aib, be sure the n you will be th e losers," ) (So omh Al-
A 'ra/7: 90) . Then A ll ah, Mos t Hi gh, menti oned regarding Hi s
Proph ct ;' that he rcproac hed th em and rebuk ed the m, as
All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( Theil he (S hu' aib) tu rned from thc m
and sa id, "0. my peop le ! I have indeed co nvcyed my Lord's
Messages unto you and I have g ive n you good advice. Then
how can I sorrow fo r the disbel iev in g peop le's (destructi on)'- '
) (5001'011 AI-A ''-0/7:93) Th at is, he turned away from their
placc after they had been dest royed, sayi ng, ( " I ha ve indeed
co nveyed to yo u the Message o f my Lord. and ha ve give n yo u
good ad vice." ) (Saarah AI-A 'ra/7:79). Th aI is, I have ful fi ll ed
what was incu mben t upon mc, by co nvey ing tOYOli the Message
in full and giving you the comp lete advice and I have striven
to gui de you to the ut most of my ab ili ty and wilh all of the
mea ns at my di sposal. But tha t has not benefi ted YOll, because
Allah does not gui de those who will full y go astray and they
have no ne to help them. So I do not regret w hat has befa ll en
you after all that , because yo u d id not accept th e advice and
you did not fear th e hum iliation, Thi s is why he said , ( " Theil
how can [ sorrow... '!" ) (SoO/"oll AI-A 'raf7: 93) Th at is, how
can I be sad for a di sbe lievi ng peopl e, i,e, a peop le who do not
acce pt the truth and do not rct urn to it or even look toward it.
So Allah infl ic ts His Punishment upon the m - a puni shmcnt
which ca nnot be resc inded, nor can it be prevented or avoided
by anyone for w hom it is intended?
We shall embark at (hi s point on a detailed di scuss ion
regardi ng the progeny o f Ibra heem ~ , becau se Allah placed
Prophets among hi s offspring and reveal ed Sc riptures to them;
so every Prophet who ca me ancr him was from his progeny.
A ll ah, Most High, says, ( And ment ion in the Book (the
Qur ' an) Isma'eel ( Ishmae l), Verily! He was true to what he
prom ised, and he \Vas a Messe nger, (and) a Proph et. And
he used to enjo in on hi s fa mily and hi s people a.\·-soloh (the
praye rs) and ::akah, and his Lord was plensed with hi m )
(Soarah MCllyalll 19:54,55)
He, Most Hi gh, says, ( And remc mbcr O ur slaves, Ibmh ecm,
Ishaq , and Ya'qoob, (a ll ) owners of stre ngth (in wo rship ping
Us) and (also) of relig ious understa nd ing. Ve ri ly, We did choose
th em by gra nting them (a good thing, i.e.) the re mcmbra nce of
the home (in the Hereafter and they lIsed to make the people
remember it. and also they used to in vite the peo ple to obey
All ah and to do good deeds for the Herea fte r) . And they are
with Us, veri ly, of the chosen and the bcst! And re mcmbe r
Ism a' eel (Ishmael) , AI-Yasa'. (E lisha) . and Dhu l-KiA (Isa iah),
all are among the best. ) (Saara" Sad 38:45-48)
He, Most High, says, ( And (rcmember) Isma 'eel, and Idrees
(Enoch) and Dhul-Kifl. all were from among As-Sabiree11.
And We admitted them to O ur Mercy. Vcri ly, they were of the
righteous. ) (Saarah AI-Anbi),a' 2 1:85,86)
He, Most Hi gh, says, ( Ve ri ly. We havc inspi red you (0,
Muhammad) as We inspired Noah and the Prophets nfte r
332 ,\/elllivlI oflhe 1'1'01;('11.1' o/'hmheelll ~
.~----~~~,--------~~~~~~~~--~~~.
him: We (a lso) in spircd Ibrahcem, Isma 'ee l (lsma'cel ). Ishaq.
Ya'qoob, and AI-As/)at (the twe lve sons ofYa'qoob), ) (Soora"
An-Nisa' 4: 163)
He, Most High, says, ( Say (Musl ims), "We bcl ieve in All ah
and thm which has becn scn t down to us and that whic h has
been senI down to lbrahcem , lsma'cel. Ishaq, Ya'qoob, and to
A/-Ashtlf (the twe lve son s of' Ya'qoob).) (Soorah A/-Baqarah
2: 136) So methin g similar was re lated in another SoO/'al1, ( I~ )
He, Most High, says, ( Or say you that Ibraheem, Isma'ce l,
Ishaq, Ya'qoob and AI-As/wI (the twe lve sons of Ya'qoob)
wc re Jcws or Christians? Say, " Do you know better or docs
All ah (know bett er. ,. thaI Ihey all were Muslims)? ) (SoO/'ali
AI-Baqarah 2: 140), So All ah ha s descri bed him as possessin g a
ve ry fi ne qua lity and He made him a Prophet and a Messe nger
and decl ared him innocent of all th at the ignoran t people have
attributed to him. He comm anded His be lievi ng slaves to
be li eve in what was revea led 10 him .
A I-'Umawi reported on the auth ori ty of' Ali Ibn AI-H usa in,
who reported on the auth ority o f his fa ther (Le. ' Al i Ibn Ab i
Ta lib ..te), from the Prophet ~ that he sa id , "Th e first person
to speak cl ear Arabi c was Isma'eel, when hc was fo urtee n
yea rs o ld. " (I~) Yoon us sa id to hi m (i.e, the narrato r), "Yo u have
spokcn the truth , Abu Yasa r! II was narrated to me in th e same
way by Abu Jurayy," He married an A ma lek ite woman whe n
he was a young man, bu t hi s father ordered him 10 separa te
from her, AI-' Um awi sa id , " Her name was ' Umarah Bint Sa'd
Ibn Usama h Ibn Akee l, the Ama le kite. Then he married another
brOl her and so they called hi m Ya' qoob. ( 11) He is also known
as Ism'eel an d the Children of Ism' eel claim descent fro m him.
They (the People of the Scripture) said tha t Ishaq loved Ecsu
more than Ya'qoob, beca use he was his firstborn and that his
wife, Rifqa loved Ya'qoob more, because he was the younger
of the two.
In summ ary, we may say lilat He, Mosl High, praises His
Noble Book , which He se nt dow n to His slave and noble
Messenger, in eloquent and clea r Arabic language, whieh can
([7) The word ror heel is '(ll/i/), which is rrom the rOOI verb 'tlqal)(l, meaning
10 rollow: and it is rrom this Ihnt the name Ya'qoob is derived.
( 18) This is rec ited berore commencing the recilalion or,he Qur'an .
MI'IIfIOI/ offht' Progeny of Ihmltl'l'lII 335
.~------------~~------------------~.~~~'~--~,
be understood by every rat ional and illl cilige nt person and it
is the 1110st emi nent Boo k sent down frolll the hea ven to the
most eminent of mank ind in an y time or place. Whe ther He
is speaking of past e vents or contemporary on es, it mention s
the bes t of th em a nd th e clearest of thc m and makes the tru th
nppa rent in mattc rs in w hic h people have di ffered. while
refuting. invnl idati llg and rcjcc ting th,lI which is fn lsc. Whcn
it dea ls with commands and prohib itions, it is the most just
of legislati ons, the clcarest of programs, fi ll ed w it h the mos t
obviolls wisdom a nd thc fa irest o f judgments . As A ll ah , Mos t
Hi gh, says, ( And th e Word o f your Lord has been fulfill ed
in truth and in justi ce. ) (Soo r cd1 AI-All 'am 6 : 115) That is,
trut h in the information givcn a nd justi ce in th e commands
and proh ibi ti ons; and thi s is w hy A ll ah, Most High, says , (
We re latc unto you (Mu hnIl11l1nd) the best o f stori es through
Our Revc lati ons unto YOll , of thi s Qur 'a n. And be fore this,
YO ll were a mong those who kncw nothing about it. ) (So01-ah
rooslI! 12: 3) That is, ignorant regarding what was revea lcd to
you therein , as He, Most High, says , ( And thus Wc ha ve sent
to you (0. Muh alllmnd) Roohan (a n Inspi rati on and n Mercy)
of Our Comman d. You knew not what is th e Book, nor what
is Faith. But We hnve made it (thi s Qur ' an) a li ght whe rcwith
We gu ide whosoever of Our slaves We w ill. And veril y, yo u
(0, Muh a mm ~ d ) a re indeed gui ding (mankind) to the Strai ght
Pnth (i .e. AlIah 's re li gion of Islmn ic Monothei sm), the Path of
All ah, to Wh om bel ongs a ll Ihm is in th e heave ns and all th at
is in th e Earth . Veri ly, all th e matters at the end go to A llnh (for
decision). ) (SoOl'ah Ash-Shoom 42 :52,53 )
that is. docs not be li eve in it or act on its orders), ver il y. they
will bear a heavy burd en (of sins) on the Day o f Resu rrec tion,
They wil l abi de in that (s tatc in th e Fire ofi-lel l), and ev il indeed
wi ll il be thaI load for Ihcm on the Day of Resu rrec tion. )
(SoOl'al1 UI flo 20:99-10 I) T hat is, whoever rej ects thi s Qur 'an
and foll ows a nother book w ill have thi s th reat fulfill ed upon
hi m, as reported in the hadeeth narrated in Imam Ahmad 's
Musl1ad and in the Slll1al1 of At-Tirm idhi , on the authority of
the Commander of th e Fa ithful, ' Ali ~ , in a mm/oo' [onn and
al so in a mawqoof fOfm : "Whoever look s for gu idance from
some source other than it (i,e. the Qur 'an), A ll ah will cause
him to go (further) astray. " (19)
( 19) Narrated by Imam Ahmad (706) and At-Tinnidhi (2906) and its chains of
narralors is weak.
(20) Narroted by Imam Ahmad (14 736) and declared aUlhentic by Ihe author
(i.e. Ibn Kalheer). Bul I say: In its chain o r narrators is one Mujalid Ibn
S:l'ced (who is weak, accord ing 10 AI- l3ukhari , who said in AI-Tal'eekll
As-Sagheer, " Ibn AI-Qal\an said he is weak and Ibn AI-Mahdi would not
narrote from him, while Yahya Ibn Ma 'ccn, Ibn Hibban and Abu Hmilll
said tlmt his !todeelll cannol be cited as evidence :md he is weak .")
Melllioll 01' fhe PI"O{Jellol' Oo( I hrahecm 337
~.-=~~"----~'~__~~-=~~~=-~~XO~oW~Y"~---.
hi s father, " 0, my fath er! Ve rily, I saw (in a dream) e leven stars
and the S UIl and the moon ; I saw them prostra ti ng the mse lves
to me ," I-Ie (hi s fath er) said. "0, Ill y so n! Re late not your
vision to you r brothers, lest th ey arran ge a plot against YO ll .
Veril y! Slwifafl is to man an open enemy ! Thus w ill your Lord
choose you and leach yo u th e interpretat ion of d rea ms (a nd
ot her th ings) and pe rfect Hi s Favor Oil you a nd oOlhc o ffspring
of Ya ' qoob. as He perfec ted it o n your fa th ers, Ibra hccm and
Ishaq aforct imc! Verily. your Lord is A ll -know ing, Most Wise: '
) (SoO/ooil YOOS II! 12 :4-6)
Ya ' qoob i:2iY had twe lve sons and all of th e twe lve tri bes of
the C hildren of Isra ' ee l ascribe the ir ances try to them. The
nobl est, th e most revered and the greatest of the m was Yoosuf
~ . A group of scholars has stated the opinion that none was
a Prophet except him and th at hi s brothers did not rece ive any
reve lat ion. It is apparent fr0111 the ir acti o ns and th eir words
in th is story that thi s view is correct. Those who cl a imed that
they were Proph ets c ited as ev idence the Words of All ah ,
Most Hi gh : ( Say (Muslims), 'olVe beli eve in A ll a h and that
wh ich ha s been sent down to LIS and th at w hich has been sen!
down to Ibraheem, Isma' eel, Ishag. Ya'goob, and to AI-Asbal.
) (SoO/ooil AI-Boqarail 2: 136) They clai m ed that these (th e
brothers ofYa'qoob ~) are AI-Asbat, but the ev idence for this
is not strong, because what is meant by AI-Asbat is th e tribes
of the Children of Isra 'eel and none of th em was Prophet 10
whom Reve lation was se nt down fro l11 the heaven . And A ll ah
knows better.
Thi s is why, when the Messe nge r of A ll ah 3:i was asked wh ich
of the pcop le was noblest, hc said, " Yoosuf is the Prophet of
Allah, son of the Prophet of All ah, th e son of the Prophet of
A ll ah , the son of A llah 's Klta/eel." (23)
Alla h, Most Hi gh, draws our atte nti on to the s igns, wisdo ms,
proofs, warn ings and indi sputable evide nces contained in thi s
(23) Narrated by AI- Bukhari (3374), Muslim (337 t) and Imam Ahmad (9284),
on the authority of Abu I-I urairah ~.
340 J\ le/lfioJl of ,lte Pmgl'II)' of l11mlll'l'm ~
.~----w------~~~~~~~~~,
story, The n He me l1lions th e e nvy fe lt by Yoosuf's brothers
towards him , beca use of the fact that his father loved him and
hi s brothe r Binya mccll morc than them . (Yoosuf ~ and hi s
brot hc r, Bi nya lll ee n were bo th born to thc sa mc moth er, wh il e
the ot hers were born of another mot her). They said, " We have
more right to his love than these two. " ( '·Rea ll y. ou r Huher is in
pl ain crror." ) (SoOl'al1 Yooslif I2:8) That is, by lov ing them more
tha n us. Then they consulted one another regardin g th e idea of
killing him or expelling him to a land from whi ch he wou ld not
return , so that th cy would be left alone w ith thcir fathe r, th at
his love wo uld be devo ted sole ly 10 them and woul d suffice
thcm. They harbored within th em the intenti on of repen tin g to
Allah after that. So w hen they dccided on the ir pl an a nd agrced
on it ( One from a mong thc m said ) (So oral1 Yooslif 12: I 0) -
Mujah id said that the on e referrcd to was Sham' oon. As-Suddi
said that it was Yahooza. Qatadah and Muhammad Ibn Ishaq
asscrted Ihal it was the oldest o f them, Roobeel. ( One from
a mong them sa id. "Ki ll nol Yoosuf (Joseph). but ifYO llll1U SI do
it, throw him down 10 the bollom ora we ll , he will be picked up
by so ml.! caravan of tra ve lers." ) (Soora/z Yooslif 12: 10) That is,
some passing caravan of travc lers. ( "bu t ifYOlllllllst do it," ) .
mea ns, if you must do what you have mentioned , then do w hat
J have suggcsted, rather than ki lling him or bani shi ng him . So
they agreed on the ir dccision to do th is, a t wh ich po int they
said, ( Thcy sa id. "0. our !iuher! Why do you 110t IruSlliS wi th
Yoosuf, when we <Ire indeed hi s well-wishers'! Send him wi Lh
us IOmorrow 10 enjoy himsclf'a nd play, and ve ril y, we will take
care of him ." He (Ya'qoob) sa id , ''Truly, it saddens me that you
should tnke him away. I fea r les t a wo lf should devour him,
w h il~ you arc ca re less o r him." Th cy sa id. "If a wo lf devou rs
him. wh ile we arc '/ls/wlt (a strong group) (to guard him), then
surely. we arc the losers." ) (Sooml1 Yoo.'ilif 12: 11-14)
\h'lIfioll oj Iht! PmgeIH' oj'Jlm,hl'/!m 341
.r------------------------------~~~--~.
They asked the ir fa ther to send them with their brother,
Yoosuf 'A!.' . and th ey cla im th at th ey inte nd ed 10 ta ke good care
o f him and to play wi th hi m an d give him a good tim e. while
in fac t, th ey harbored fee lin gs toward him o f whi ch A ll ah was
full y Aware, The o ld ma n - may Alla h's c ho icest prayers and
bless ings be upon him - answered them, saying, "0, my sons!
It gri eves me 10 be pa rted from him for even an hour o f the day,
and in additi on 10 thi s, I fear that you w ill be busy w ith your
games a nd you will not ta ke care of him and that awo l f may
come and de vour him , a nd he will be un able to de fend himse lf
aga in st it , due to hi s youth fuln ess and yo ur neg lect of him,"
( Th ey sa id, " I f a wolf devours him , while we are 'lIsba" (to
guard him), then su rel y, we are th e losers," ) (SoOl'ali YOOSII!
12: 14). That is, if a wo lfa ll acks him and cats him whil e he
is among us, or we a re di st rncted from him and a llow thi s to
happen, the n we mus t be a powe rl ess gr0u p, and we w ill be
dest royed (then surely, we arc the losers),
A ll ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( So. when they took him away. th ey
all agreed to thro w him dow n to th e bOllom of the well. and
We inspircd in him. " Indeed. you sha ll (one day) inform them
of thi s affa ir of thei rs. whe n they know (you) no\. '· A nd they
cmnc to their father in the earl y part of the ni gh t weepi ng. They
said. "0. our fat h er~ We we nl racing with one a nothe r. and left
Yoosuf by our belongings und n wolf devoured him: bUI you
will neve r beli eve us eve n whe n we speak lh e truth:' And they
brou ght hi s shin stain ed with fa lse blood. l ie sai d. "Nay. bu t
yOli yourse lves ha ve made lip a ta lc. So (for me) pati cnce is
most fitling , And it is Alhlh (Alone) Whose help can be sought
against that whi ch you assert," ) (Soorah Yoos /if 12: 15- 18)
Then, when they had placed him in the well and left him
th ere, they took his shirt and stained it with blood and returned
to their father at night and they were weep ing, i.e. for their
brother. This is why one of the Sala/sa id, "Be not dece ived by
th e weeping of one who comp lains of having been wronged,
because he may be a wrongdoer, though he weeps," and he
mentioned the story of Yoosuf ffi:B and how th ey came to
their fa ther al ni ght and they werc weepi ng. They wep Lin the
darkncss of ni ght, in order 10 hi de their treachery (Le. believing
tha t their faces wou ld not betray them in the poo r light).
Allah, Most High, says, ( They said, "0, our father! We went
racing wi th one another, and left Yoosuf by our belongings."
) (SoO/'a" YooslI/12: 17). That is, we left him by our clothes,
( "and a wolf devoured him." ) (Som'all }oo.nif 12: 17). That
is, while we were absent, rac ing wi th each other. They said, (
"but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth."
) (SoO/'all Yoo.\·lif 12: 17). ThaI is, you will not believe what
we arc telling you regard ing the wolf hav ing devoured Yoosuf,
even if you consider us truthfu l. So what about when you
suspect that we are not trut hful, especiall y since yo u feared that
Mel/lioll o/ fhe Progeny o/Ihraheem 343
.~----~----~~~--------------~<~ ~~~.~--~.
the wo lf mi ght devour Yoosufand we guara nt eed 10 you that he
woul d be sa fe, due to our numbers around him and so we have
co me to be co ns idered untrustworthy by you. So we do not
blam e you for not be lieving us in these circllmstances. ( And
they brought his shirt stained with fa lse bl ood ) . That is, with
fabr icated evidence; they had laken a baby goat and slaught ered
it, then they look it s blood a nd smeared it on hi s shi rt , in order
to lend c redence to their claim that a wo lf had eaten hil11. It
was sai d th at th ey forgot to tear th e shirt - and the ruin of lying
is forget fu lness. When the signs o f doubt became apparent in
them, their deed did not surprise th eir fa th er, because he knew
of their enmity toward Yoosuf ittB and the envy they harbored
toward him , because of the fa ct tha t he loved him more than
them, due to the nob le and venerab le attributes he di spl ayed
in his c hildhood - allributes which Alla h had bestowed on
him , as He had dest ined Prophethood for him. Once they had
persuaded him to let them take their brother, no sooner had
they taken him , de pri ved him of him and removed him from
hi s sight , than they returned, weep ing over what they had done
aga in st hi m and claim ing that th ey had been help less to save
him. This is why Ya ' qoo b ~ sa id, ( "Nay, but you yo urse lves
have made up a tal c. So (for me) pati ence is most fittin g . And it
is All ah (A lone) Whose help ca n be sought again st th at whi ch
YO LI asse rt o" ) (SoO/ooil )oosll( 12: 18)
A ll ah , Most Hi gh, says, ( An d th ere came a caravan; they
sent their water-drawe r, and he let dow n hi s bucke t (into the
well). He said, " What good news! Here is a boy." So they hid
him as merchand ise. And All ah was the All- Knowing regarding
what they did . And they so ld him for a low pri ce - fo r a few
dirhams (i.e. for a few silver coin s). And they we re of those
who regarded him as in signifi cant. ) (SoO/'all YODSlif 12: 19,20)
344 1\ f('/IliOIl of the Progeny of fbmheem ~
.~--~'~~~~
' --------------~~~~~~--------~.
Allah, Most High, informs Ihal Yoosuf ~, when he was cast
into the well, sal wai ling for Allah 10 de li ve r him and bestow
Ki ndn ess on him. ( And there came a ca ra va n ) . means, a pany
of lTavelers. ( He said, "What good news! ) That is, whal good
fortune forme ! ( "Here is a boy." So they hid him as merchandise
) . That is, thcy pretended that he was wilh thcm and Ihal he was
one of the slaves that made up their merchandise. ( And Alla h
\\ns theA ll-Knowing regarding what they did ) . That is, He was
full y acquainted with the pial th at his brot hers had conspired
aga inst him and the way those who fou nd him hid hi m amongst
th ei r merchandise. BlII He did not intervene due 10 His Greal
Wisdom, His All-Enco mpassing Omnipotence and the Mercy
whic h woul d be bestowed on the people of Egypt at the hands
of this young boy, who entered Ihe land in the form ofa capti ve
slave, and after that, he came to hold the reins of powe r in his
hands and Allah benefited them th rough him, in the life of this
world and the Hereafte r in ways 100 numerous to menti on or
desc ri be. When Yoosuf's brot hers rea lized that the caravan had
taken him, they overtook them and said, "Thi s is our slave who
has run away from li S," and they (th e people of Ihe caravan)
purchased him from Ihem fo r a low pri ce. ( J] few dirhams (i.e.
for a few sil ver coi ns). And they were of those who regarded
hi m as insignifi ca nt ) (SoO/'all Yoosly l 2: 19)
Allah, Most High, says, ( And he (t he Illan) from Egypt who
bought him, said to his wife. "Make his stay comfortab le." ) .
ThaI is, be kind to him ( "may be he will profi t us or we shall
adopt him as a son. " ) (SoO/'all rooslI! 12:2 1) This was from
Allah 's Kindness, Mercy and BCllcnce nce toward him, as it
was His Will that He should make him fee l at home ancl give
hillll he goodness of this life and the goodness of the Herea fter.
Scholars said that the person who bought him was an Egyptian
and his title was AI- 'Azeez; he was the min ister in charge of the
Melllioll ojlhe Pmgell.\' oj I/)raheem 345
.~--~--~~~--------~ ~~.~~.
treasury. Ibn Ishaq sa id, "1-1 is name was' A t feer, so n of Ruh aib."
He sa id, "The Fir'awn of Egypt at that time was Ar-Rayya n,
son of AI-Wa leed and the name of the wife of AI- 'Azee= was
Ra'ce l, da ughter of Ru'aee l." Oth ers sa id that her name was
Zula ikha; but it wo uld appea r th at that was he r ni ckname.
Ibn Ishaq sa id, " II was report ed on the authority of ' Abdullah
Ibn Mas ' ood ..;:0 that he said, 'The nobles t of peopl e are three:
The' Azeez ofEgyp l, when he said to hi s wife, ( " Make hi s stay
comfo rtab le." ) , the woman who sa id to her fath er, regarding
Moosa, ( " 0 , my fa the r! I-li re him! Veri ly, the best of men for
YO ll to hi re is the stro ng, the tru stworth y. " ) (Soorah AI-Qasas
28:26). and Ab u Bah As-Siddeeq .:;o, when he a ppoint ed 'U mar
Ibn AI-Khattab .:Go as hi s sllccessor." (24)
and youthfulness. He desc ribes how she loc ked the doors on
him and herself, then prepared herse lf for him , hmv she made
herself up and donned her fin est and most splendid garm ents,
in spite of th e fact that she was the wife of AI- ·Azeez. Ibn Ishaq
sa id, "She was the niece of Ar-Rayya n Ibn AI-Waleed, the king
and rul er of Egypt. In addition to all of this, Yoosu f was an
ex tremely handsome, youn g man ; howeve r, he was a Prophet,
descended from a line of Prophets and his Lord pro tected him
from co mmitting ev il deeds and from the pl ots of women; he
was the master o f the seven nobl e and God-fearing masters,
ment ioned in th e authen tic hadeel", on the authority of the Seal
of the Prophets, who reported the Words o f the Lord o f the
heave ns and the Earth: "Allah wi ll give shade, to seve n, on the
day when there will be no shade but Hi s. (These seven perso ns
are) a j ust ru ler, a youth who has been brought up in th e worship
of Allah (i. e. wors hips Allah sincerely fr0111 chi ldh ood), a
man whose heart is attached to th e mosques (i. c. to pray ing
the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congrega ti on), two
persons who love each other onl y for All ah's sake and they
meet and part in Allah's cause onl y, a man who refuses the call
of a charmi ng woman o f nobl e birth for illi cit intercourse with
her and says: ' I am afraid of Allah,' a man who gives charitab le
gifts so sec retl y that hi s left hand does not know what hi s righ t
hand has given (i.e. nobody kn ows how much he ha s give n in
chari ty) , and a person who remembers All ah in sec lus ion and
his eyes are th en flooded with tears." OS)
Wha t is meant is that she ca ll ed him to her (i.e. she tried to
seduce him) and she coveted that greatly; but he said, (" I seek
refuge in All ah (or All ah forbid)! Truly, he is my master!" )
(Sooralt Yoosuf 12 :23) That is, her husband was th e owner o f
the house and hi s master. (" li e made my stay agreeable !" )
(25) Narr;lIcd by Al-Bukhari (660) and Muslim (1031).
348 Melllioll olllte Proge/~\, (~FI!Jra"(!(!/Il ~
.~--~~~----------------~~------~.
That is, he has bec n kind and hospita bl c to me. ( Veril y, the
=alimool1 will ncver be sll ccess ful. ) And we havc discussed
previou sly I-li s Words : ( And indt:cd she d id des ire him and he
wou ld have inclin ed to her des ire had he no t seen th e evidence
of hi s Lord . ) (Soorah Yooslif 12 :24) - in a manner whic h is
suffic ient and co nvincing in the Tt~rs eer.
Most of the sayings of the scho lars here are tak en from the
books of the Peo ple of the Scrip ture, but is more appropri ate
fo r us 10 avo id th eln . Wha t is inc um bent upon us is to beli eve
that AJl ah , Most Hi gh, pro tected hi m and declared him
innoce nt o f co mmitting an y wrongdoin g and I-I e guarded hi m
and preserved him from it. Thi s is wh y He, Most High, says, (
Thus it was, that We m ighl tu rn away from him ev il and ill ega l
sex ual imcrcoll rsc. Sure ly, he was one o f QUI' choscn, gu ided
slaves. So they raced wi th one anot her 10 the door ) (Soora"
Yoos III 12:24 ,25) That is, he ran from her, see king to open the
door and fl ee frol11 the roo m and she chased a fter him. ( T hey
both fo und he r lord. ) T hat is, her husband ( at the door ) an d
she has tened to speak to her husband be fore Yoosll f ~ could
do so, and in c ited him aga inst him : ( She said , "What is th e
recompense (punishment) for him who in tended an ev il design
aga inst your wife, excc pt thm he be pu t in pri son or a pa infu l
torment?'" ) (50orah YOOS1!! 12:25 ). She accllscd him, whil e in
fac t, shc wa s Ihe guilt y onc an d she prOi ec ted her reputation and
acqu itted herse lf of any blame. T his is why Yoos u f ~ said, (
He (Yoos uf) sa id. " It was she Ihal sough t 10 seduce me ." ) . II
was necessary for him to speak the truth and defend him self,
due to the need to protect hi s own honor. ( And a witness of
her household bore w itncss. ) It was sai d tha I he was a child
in his crib ; thi s was the op ini on o f ' Abdull ah Ibn ' Abbas ?
Ibn Jareer At-Taba ri pre fe rred thi s say ing and he narrated an
auth ent ic hadeelh to thaI e ffec t, on th e auth ority of ' Abdul lah
,\ f{,lIliml flllfll! PIYJK"IlY 01 filralt(!('111 349
.~----------------------------------~~~----~.
Ibn' Abbas ~ . Olhers claimed Ihat the narration could on ly
be asc ribed 10 'A bdullah Ibn ' Abbas .i;o (Ihal is, Ih ey did nOI
ascribe it 10 th c Prophet ~), ( 26) It was al so said tha t he wa s a
man of approxima tcly the same age as 'A tfee r, her hu sband.
And it was also said that his age was close to that of Zulai kha.
Ail ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( She said , "Thi s is he (the youn g
man) abou t whom you did bl amc mc ( fa r hi s love)." ) (Sooralt
Yoosu! 12:32) Then she pra ised him for his pe rfect chastity,
say ing, ( and I did see k to seduce him, but he resisted the
te mpta tion ) (Saara" YaaslI! 12:32) That is, he refused. ( ··And
now, if he refuses to obey my order, he shall ce rtai nly be cast
into pri son and he w ill be one orthose who nre di sgraced." )
(SoO/'all Yoosu! 12:32) The other wo men incited him to henr
nnd obey his mi stress, but he vehementl y re fused and remain ed
aloo f, beca use he was frol11 the stock of Pro ph ets; he invoked
the Lord of th e worl ds, say ing in his supplicat ion, ( 0 , my
Lord ! Prison is more to my liking tha n that to whic h they
in vit e me. Unless YOli tum away thcir plot from me, I w ill reel
inclincd toward [h cm and be one (of those who co mmit sin
and deserve blame or those who do deeds) of the ignorant. " )
(Saara" YOOSII! 12:33) That is, if You leave me to depend on
myse lf, I will be weak and unab le to resist. I possess not the
ability to benefit or haml, except as All ah wi ll s, because I am
weak, unless You strengt hen 111e, protect me and presc rve me
with Your Powe r and Your Strength . T his is why A ll ah , Most
High, says, ( So hi s Lord answered hi s in voca tion and tLirned
away from him their plot. Verily, li e is the A II -Hcaring, theA l! -
Kno wing. ) (Soorall Yooslif 12:34)
Allah, Most Hi gh, says, And there e nte red with him two
young men in the pri so n. (Saora" Yoosl!f 12:36) It was sa id
that one of them was the king 's cup bea rer, and it has bccn said
that hi s namc was Banll. The oth er was the king's baker, i. e.
the onc who prepared hi s food, and is known to the Turk s as
Jasha nkir, and accordi ng to what has been said, hi s name was
Mujallath. Bot h of them had been accused of so me thing by
the king, who had them thrown in ja il. Whe n they saw Yoosuf
~ in jail, they werc amazed by hi s characte r, his dignified
demea nor, his Fai th, hi s words and actions, his freque nt acts of
wo rship and his good condllcl lOward his fe ll ow-m an. Each of
the m had a dream appropriate to hi m.
(28) This is .HI authentic Ilt/deelll namllcd by Abu OawOO£i (5020). At-Tirmi-
dhi (22 79), tbn Majah (3914). Ahmad ( 15749) and i\d-Oarimi (2148), on
the authority of Laqect Ibn Sabirnh ~ .
1\ /ell l;OIl of/he Progeny of Ibrahecm
• •
Allah, Most High, informs us thal Yoosuf ~ said to the one
whom he knew would be saved, w hic h was the cup-bearer,
( " Menti on me to yo ur lord." ) , That is, mention my case
and th e situation that I am in to your king; I am imprisoned,
without ha ving committed any crim e. Thi s is ev idence of the
pe rmi ss ibi lity of taking the necessary steps to achieve one's
objec ti ve and this is not in consistent with trusting in the Lord
of lords (taIVakkuf). As for the saying of Him, Most Hi gh: (
But S/wilall made him forget to mention ilIa his lord ) (SoOl'oII
Yoosuf 12:42). ThaI is, Satan caused the man who was saved to
forget to mention what Yoo s llr ~ had entrusted to him.
He, Most High , says, ( And th e kin g (of Egypt) said , "Veril y,
I saw (i n a dream) seven fal cows, whom se ven lea n ones were
devouring - a nd o f seven grcen ears of eorn, and (sevcn) others
dry, 0, notables! Ex pla in to me my dream, if it be that you can
interpret dreams," T hey sai d, "M ixed up false dream s and we
arc not ski lled in the in terpreta ti on of dreams," Th en the man
who was re leased (one of th e two who we re in pri son), now at
le ngth remembered a nd sa id , " [ wi[ 1 tell YOll its inte rpreta tion,
so send me forth ," (I-Ie sa id), "0, Yoosuf, the man of truth !
Ex plai n to LI S (the dream) o f seven fat cows whom seven [can
ones were devouring, and of seven green ea rs of com, and
(seven) othe rs dry, that I may retu rn to the peop le, and that
th ey may know," (Yoos uf) said, " For seven consecuti ve years,
you shall sow as usua l and that (th e ha rvest) w hich you reap
yo u sha ll leave in cars, (a ll ) - except a litt le of it w hic h yo u
may eat. The n will com e an er that , seven hard (years), which
will devour what you have laid by in advan ce for th em, (a ll)
except a litt le of tha t which you have guarded (stored), Theil
the rea ft er w ill come a yea r in wh ich people will have abundant
ra in and in which they w ill press (w i,l}e and o il)," ) (SoO/'oll
Yoosu! 12:43-49)
358 Menlion of lite Progeny of /braheem ~
.~~~%'~AAr*~------~~~~~~~~~~~.
He, Most High, says, ( And the king said , " Bring him to me."
But when the messenger cam e to him, (Yoosuf) said , "Return
to your lord and ask him , " What happened to the wo men who
cut their hands'? Surely, my Lord (A llah) is Well -Aware of their
plot." (The king) said (to the wo men), "W hat was your a fTair
when you did seek to seduce Yoosuf!" The women s.lid, "A llah
fo rbid! No evil know we agai nst hi m!" Th e wife ofA/~ 'Azeez
sa id, "Now the truth is manifes t (to all ), it was I who sought to
seduce him , and he is surely o f th e trmhfu!. " l Ie sa id, " It was in
order that he (;1/- 'A::ee=) may know that I betrayed him not in
sec ret. And, ve rily! Allah guides not the pl ot o fth c bctra yers.
360 I\ lel/lioll of/he Pn lgellY of Ibraheem .~
• •
And I free not mysc lf (fro m th e blame). Veril y, th e (huma n) self
is incl ined to evil, except when my Lord bestows I lis Mc rcy
(upon who m He will s). Veri ly, my Lo nJ is On-Forg ivin g,
Most Merci fu l." ) (SoO/-oil Yoosllj I2: 50-53)_ When 'he king
rea lised th e compl eteness of Yoosuf's know ledge, the perfect
na ture of his intellect, his acute powers of perception and his
understa nd ing, he ordered th at he be brought in hi s prese nce,
so th at he mi ght become a member of hi s in ner circle. When
th e king's messenger came to hi m w ith Ihis informatio n, he
preferred not to leave until it had become clear to everyone
that he had been wrongly and unj ustly impri soned and that he
was totally innocen t of the crim e th ey had false ly ascribed to
him. ( [Yoosuf] said, Retu rn to your lord ) , that is, the ki ng.
( "and ask him, " What happened to the women who cut th eir
hands? Surel y, my Lord (All ah) is Well-Aware o f thei r plot."
) (SoO/'ail Yoosllj I 2:50) It was said that it means: Verily,
my master, AI- 'Azeez knows that I am innocent of what was
attributed to me; i.e, so te lllh e king to ask them how I strongly
rejected their advances, when they attempted to seduce me
and encourage them to tell the truth about thi s matter, which is
neither hon orab le nor ri ght. So when they were asked about it,
they acknowledged what had actually happened and confimled
Yoos uf's pra iseworthy conduct. ( Th c wo mcn said, " Allah
forbid! No evil know we against him! " ) (SoO/'ah YooslIf I2:5 1).
At this point, ( th e wife of A/· 'Azeez said ) , That is, Zu lai kha.
( " Now the truth has hasha.w ." ) (Soorah Yoosuf 12:5 1). That
is, now the truth has become man ifest to all; and the tnuh
has a greater right to be heeded (than fa lsehood)_ ( " It was I
who sought to seduce hi m, and he is surely of the truth fuL" )
(SoO/'all YOOSlI! 12:51). Th at is regardi ng hi s cl aim that he is
inn ocent, that he did not attempt to seduce me and that he was
wrongfull y and unj ustly imprisoned, based on fa lse testimony.
Melllioll of/he ProgellY of Ibraheem 361
.~----~--~~~------------~~~v~~,
And He, Most High, says, ( He sa id, " It wa s in order that he
(111- A=ee=) may know that I be trayed him not in secret. And,
veril y! Allah guides not th e plot o f the betrayers." ) (SoOl'all
YooslI! 12:52). 1i was sa id Ih allhis was Ihe saying ofYoosuf Wl;
i.e. I only requested thi s invest igati on in order that AI-'Azeez
should know that I did not betray him in hi s absence. It was
also said that it was the concl us ion of the speec h of Zul aik ha,
i.e. I only acknow ledged thi s (s in) ill order that my hu sband ,
AI-' Azeez should know that I di d not aclually belray him in
this matter (by committing adultery). It was only an attempted
sedu cti on, and it did not res ult in unl awfu l sex ual interco urse.
This interpretation was supported by a great number of the
later scholars and others. But Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi I-Iatim
only related the first interpreta tion.
( "A nd I free not myse lf( frol11 lhe blame). Verily, Ihe (human)
sclfis incli ncd to evi l. exccp t whe n my Lord bestows His Mcrcy
(upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is On-Forgiving, Most
Mcrcifnl." ) (SoO/'ail YOOS II! 12:53) It was sa id that this was
from th e speech of Yoosuf ~ and it was also said that from
the speech of Zulaikha; the view that it is a continuati on of
the speech of Zulai kh a is more apparent, more appropriate and
stronger. And All ah knows better.
And He, Most Hi gh, says, ( And th e king sa id, " Bring him to
me tha i I may attac h him to my perso n." Th en, when he spoke
to him. he said. "Vcril y, thi s day, you arc wilh us hi gh in rank
and full y lniSled." (Yoosu f) said , "Sel mc ove r the storehouses
of the la nd; I am ind eed /wfeez and ·a/eell/ ." (as Minister o f
Financc in Egypt, in place of AI- 'A=ee: who was dead at that
time). Thus did We g ive full authority to Yoosuf in the land. to
take possession therein, as when or whe re he lik es. We beslow
of Our Me rcy on whom We please, and We make n OI to be lost
362 Melliioll oflhe Progeny oj lbmlJecm ~
..-- --''''.
'''W?t •
the reward of AI- Mllhsinooll. ) (Soorah YOOSII/ 12:54-57)
When Yoosuf's spotl ess character and his in nocence of the
accusati on they had leve led aga in st him bcc<lme appa rent to
the king, he sa id, ( Bring hi m to me that I may allach him
to my person." ) That is, I wi ll make him one of my inner
circl e members , a prominent member of my governm ent and
an eminent personage in my entourage. When he had spoken
to him and heard his words and his situation had become clear
to hi m, ( I-Ie said, " Verily, this day, you arc with li S high in
rank and full y trusted." ) (SoO/'all Yoosllf 12:54) That is a
perso n occupying a posit ion of aut hority and tru stworthi ness.
( [YoosufJ sa id, "Set me o ve r the storehoLl ses ort he l<l ncl ; 1 am
indeed IIqfee:: and 'aleem." ) (500roll }oos/if 12:55) He as ked
the king to appoi nt him to ove rsee the g ra in stores, because
of the ex pec ted depletio n in the amount of gra in stored a ft er
seven years of plenty, as he wo uld then be in a position to
manage the si tuati on in a manner that was pleasing to Allah, by
making provisions fo r thcm and treating them w ith kindn ess.
He in fo rmed the kin g that he was ( "lwJeez" ) . That is, strong
in preserving what was in his hands and hc could be tru sted
not to deal with it in any d ishonest way. He a lso said that he
was ( .. 'aleem" ) , That is, possessing full k nowledge of thin gs
and of the best way to dea l with the grain stores, In th is, there
is ev idence of the pcnni ss ibili ty of seekin g a n appo intment for
the o ne who kn ows himse lf to be tru stwort hy and ca pab le,
All ah, Most Hi g h, says, ( Thus did We g ive full aut hority
to Yoosuf in the land, to take possess io n the rein , as, when
and whe re he liked. ) (SoO/'all YODs/if 12:56) T ha t is, after
imprisonment , hardsh ip and confine ment came fre edom to do
as he pleased w ithin the land s o f Egypt, ( 10 take possess io n
there in. as , whe n and w here he li ked. ) T hat is, wha t's oever he
1\ lellfiull of fhe Pmgell)' of Ibl'llileem 363
........ I t'!' ..
• .. Ir." "
charge of both sccular and rcli gious affa irs in Egypt and when
they entered in hi s presence, he recogni zed them, but they did
not recognize him, for they could not have drea med of the rise
to high slatu s and greatness that had come to Yoos uf ~ ; thi s is
why he recognized them, but they did nOI recognize him.
men of stron g form . Thi s was said by 'Abdulla h Ibn ' Abbas
..;." Mujahid , Mu hammad Ibn Ka'b , Qatadah, As-S uddi and
Ad-Dahhak . It was also sai d that he wa nt ed thc m to separate ,
that haply, they mi ght find some trace ofYoos llf ~ . Thi s was
said by Ibrahee m An-Nakha ' i. But the fi rst opinion ap pears
more correct, whi ch is why he said , ( "and I ca nnot avail YOll
agai nst A ll ah at all ." ) . All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( And when
they entered accordin g to their fa ther 's advice, it did not avail
the m in th e least aga inst (the Wi ll of) A ll a h, it was but a need
of Ya'qoob 's inne r-se lf whi ch he di sc harged. A nd , ve rily, he
was end owed with know ledge beca use We had taught him , but
most men kn ow not. ) (SoO/'all )'ooSI!f 12:68)
I-Ie, Most High, says, ( " You are in th e worst case, and Allah
kn ows bes t the truth o f'wha t you asse rt !" ) . He a nswered the m
silen tly, in low voice - and his words were words of clemency
and kindness, forgiveness, and pardon; th ey also spoke with
kindness and gentl eness, (though aloud) saying, ( " 0, rul e r
of the land! Veril y, he has an old fat her (who will gri eve fb I'
hi m); so tak e ail e o f us in hi s place. Ind eed we th in k that you
are one of th e Mullsinooll (those w ho do good)." I-Ie sa id.
"A llah fb rb id that we should ta ke a nyon e but him with whom
we fbund ollr prope rt y. Ind eed (if we did so), we shoul d be
ZolilllOOIl (wrongdoers):' ) (SoO/'oll )'oosl!f' 12:78). That is, if
we let the acc used go free and took an innocenl person. Thi s is
somethin g lilal we would not do and we woul d not penni! it to
be done. We will only take the perso n in whose possess ion we
found our prope rty.
him of what you ha ve seen orlhe matter with your own cyes. (
"A nd we testify no t except acco rd ing 10 what we know, and we
could not know the ull seen! And as k (the peo ple of) th e tow n
where wc have bee n, and the ca ravan in whic h we returned." ) .
That is, what we have told you about them sc izing our brother
because he had cOlllmitted an act of th eft is a matter which has
become wide ly known in Egyp t and the peopl e of the ca ravan
in which we returned know about it, because they we re th ere.
( "A nd indeed we arc tell ing the truth. " !-I e (Ya' qoob) said ,
"Nay, but yo ur oWllselvcs have begu ilcd you into so mcth ing.
So pa tience is most fi lling." ) . That is, the matte r is not as you
have described; he did not stea l, because it is IlOt in hi s nature
to do so. It is onl y your own se lves th at ha ve sed uced you into
believ in g so mething (that is not true) , so pat ienee is the most
filling thing for me.
Let YOllr heart rOLlI. 1 wherever YOlt wish j ar the sake oj love,
But (true) love is only jar the first love.
I-Ie saw the situation they wc re in and the pit iful paymcnt
that they brought and hc felt co mpassion for them and made
hi mself known to them, info rm ing thcm about the COlllmand
of hi s Lord and their Lord. When he had revea led his ide ntity
to them, ( l ie said, " Do you know what you did with Yoosuf'
(Jose ph) and hi s broth er. whcn yo u were ignorant? They said" ) .
They wcre abso lutely amazed to know hi s identity. fo r they had
visited hi m numerous ti mes a nd they had not re('ogni sed him.
( "A rc you indeed Yoosufr I lc said , " I am YooslIf, a nd this is
111y brother (Binyamccn)" ) . That is, I a m Yoosufw ith w hom
you dealt as you did and whol11 you abandoned aforetimes. (
" And thi s is my bro ther (Binya mccn) .·· ) I-Ie said thi s in order
to co nfirm th e truth o f what he had to ld thc m a nd to ma ke clcar
to th em the c nvy that they had harbored toward them and the
dece itful stratagems th ey had emp loyed agai nst the m, wh ich
is why he sa id, ( "A lI nh hn s indeed bec n Gra cious to li S." )
That is, by the ki ndn ess and cha rity He ha s shown to us and
by gatherin g us together afte r having bec n separa ted . This was
the result of our obedi ence to Him and the paticnce wc ha ve
shown in the fac e o f the tria ls that have beset us, in additi on to
the obed ience and fi lin l piety we have shown towa rd our fath er
and his great love a nd affc cti on for us. ( "Verily, he w ho fl!af!.;
(29) Terebi nth : Pistacia vera , a small tree which is grown for its edible seeds
(akin to pistachio nuts).
376 II/ell/ioll o/Ihe ProgellY 0/ liJralieem ~
.r----~·"'~W~~~--------------~----~~~--------.
Allah with obedi ence to Him (by abstaini ng from s ins and ev il
deeds, and by per forming right eous good deeds), and is pat ient ,
then surely, Allah makes not the rewa rd of the Mllilsillooll
(those who do good) to be lost. " Th ey sa id. "By Allah ! Indeed
Allah has prefe rred yo u above us." ) That is, He ha s fa vored
you over us and given yo u th <lt wh ich !-I e has not given to us
(Le. Prophet hood) . ( "And we certainl y have bee n sinners'"
) . ThaI is, in what we ha ve done to you; and now here we are
before you. ( He sa id, "No reproach all you Ihi s da y." ) ThaI
is, I will not rebuke you for what you did to me after thi s day.
The n he went furth er, saying to them, ( "may All ah forgive
YOll, and He is the Most Merciful of th ose who show mcrcy!" )
Thcn he ordered them to go wi th hi s shirt, which he wore next
to his skin, and he told them to pl ace it ove r their fathe r's eyes
and he told the m th at his sight would be restored as a result, by
A ll ah 's Penniss ion , after he had lost it. This was an amazing
phenomenon, proo f of his Prophethood and a major mi racle.
Then he ordered th em to bring all of th eir fami lies to the lands
of Egypt, to enjoy goodness, abundant provision and uni ty,
after separation, in the most complete manner. ( And when the
caravan departed, their falh el" sa id. " I do indeed feel the smell I
ofVoosuf, ifonly you think me not a dotard (a person who ha s I
weak ness of mind because of old age)." They sa id, " By Allah!
Certai nl y, YO ll arc in YOllr old error." Th en. when the bearer
of the glad tidings arri ved , he cas t it (t he shirt) over his face
and he became clear-sighted. I-Ie sa id, "D id I not say 10 you
that I know rrom Allah that whic h you know not?" They sa id,
"0, ollr fa the r! Ask ror rorgiveness ( rrom Alla h) for our sins.
indeed we have been sinn ers." He sa id , " I will ask my Lord for
forgiveness ror you, ve ril y, I-Ie, only li e is the Oft-Forgi vi ng.
th e Most Mereifu l." ) (Saara" Yaasuf I2:94-98)
'A bd ur-Razzaq narrated on the 3U1hori lY of 'Abdullah Ibn
Meillioll (l/IIie PmgellJ' o/Ibl'lllteem 377
.r----~--~~~~------------~~*? ~.~~C£~--~,
Allah, Most Hi gh, says, ( and they fell down before him
in prostration ) . That is, hi s parents and hi s cleven brothers
prostrated before hi m, in order to venerate and ho nor him
and this was leg islated for them (by Allah) and it conti nued
to be acted upon in all of the Di vine Legislations until it was
made un lawful in the Reve la ti on given to Muhammad. ( And
he said, "0, my father! This is the interpret<l ti on of my dream
aforcti me!") That is, this is the in terpretation of the dream that
I re lated to you, in whi ch eleven planets and the sun and 11100n,
which prostrated before me when I saw them; and you told me
380 .\fell/ioll of'''e l)m~l'/~I' oj Ihmhel'III 'i:tO:
.~----~.~
. ~~
. ~>--------------~----~~~----------.
to keep it sccret and you promised me tha t which you prom ised
l11e at that time. ( " My Lord has made it come true! I-I e was
ind eed good 10 me, w hen l ie took me uut of the pri son," ) That
is, alier the a ffli ction and hardship, I-Ie hus made me a govern or
and a pe rson whose words are heeded and impl ement ed in th e
lands of Egypt, wherever I wish ( "a nd brought YO ll (a ll here)
a lit o f the Bedouin life." ) Th at is, from the desert , for they li ved
in the region o f the Arabs, in the I<mds of A/-Klia/eel. ( "After
S/lOirllll had sown enm ity between me and my brothers." )
Th is refe rs to the envy and ma lice wh ich Satan inspi red in their
hea rts, which ca used the m to do what they did to Yoosuf ~,
whi ch we have a lrcndy descri bed. Then he sai d, ( " Ce rtainl y,
my Lord is the Most Courteolls and Ki nd unt o whom l ie
w ill s." ) That is, when A ll ah Wills something, I-Ie prepares the
ca uses that w ill bring it abou t a nd makes them casy in ways
of whic h the slaves are unaware. Indeed. He ordai ns them and
faci litates them, as a Kin dness from Him, by Hi s Su preme
Omnipotence. ( "Trul y. lI e, Onl y lie is the A ll-Know in g" ).
That is, He possesses (com plete and pe rfec t) Know ledge of all
a mlirs. ( " Th e Most Wi se." ) . T hat is, rega rdin g Hi s creati on ,
Hi s Legislatio n and Hi s Di vin e Predestin ati on.
T hen, when Yoosuf 'f:,:B saw that his b lessing was comp lete
and all of his family had been ga the red, he realized th is
(earthly) abode wi ll not remai n and tha t everything in it and on
it is tra nsitory. He saw thaI there is no thing after com pl eteness
except defi c iency. As he realized a ll Ih is, he praised hi s Lord
in OJ manne r Ihat bcfitt cd Hi m and he ac know ledged His G reat
Kindn ess and Grace and asked Him - and He is the Best of
those who are asked - to gra nt that whe n death came to him ,
he mi ght die as a Muslim and be join ed w ith Hi s righteous
slaves. T hus it is said in the words of the suppli cation: "0,
Allah! Calise liS to live as Muslims and to die as Musli ms."
Melllioll oflhe l'mgeflY olJhraheelll 381
.~----~----~~~--------------~~ ~~~----~,
Thil t is, w hen You bring death to us. It is poss ib le that he asked
th is w he n dea th a pproached hi m, as the Prop he t 3'i: asked, w hen
deat h approac hed hi m , that A ll ah ra ise h is so u l to the heave nl y
host and the ri g hteous companions from amo ng th e Prophets
and the Messe nge rs; he sa id three times, "0, A ll ah! Let me be
wit h the h ighest compan ions," and then he d ied. (1)
(36) The mcaning of this can be found in the Sall ee/will and it was narrated
with an authcntic chain ofnarmtors by Imam Ahmad, on the authority of
Sa' d Ibn Abi Waqqas .:;;. (1484).
him every morning a nd every eveni ng. One o f them said to
hi s companion , 'You know, by Allah, that Ayyoob committed
a great sin wh ich nobody in the world eve r committed. ' Hi s
compani on said , ' Why are you saying that?' I-I e sa id, 'For
e ightee n years he has bee n suffering and A lla h has not had
Mercy on him and re lieve hi s suffering.' When he went to him
the nex t morn ing, the (second) man could no t wait to te ll this
to Ayyoob. Ayyoob sa id , ' I do not know what you are ta lking
about , but A ll ah knows that if I passed by two men who were
arguing a nd they mentioncd the Namc of A llah , I wou ld go
back home and offer cxp iati o n lest they had mentioned the
Name of A lla h in an imprope r manner.' W henever he went out
to answer th e ca ll of naturc, w hen he fin ished, hi s wife wou ld
take hi s hand unt il he came back homc. One day he took a long
time, and Allah had revea led to Ayyoob, ( Strike with your
foot. Thi s is (a spring of) wa ter to wa sh, coo l and a (re freshing)
drink ) (SoO/"oil Sad 38:42) She thought that he had taken too
lo ng, so she turned to look at him, and saw that A llah had taken
away the afflicti ons he had been suffering, and he looked better
th an he had ever looked. When she saw him , she sa id , " May
A ll ah bless you! Have you see n Allah 's Prophet, the one who
is sore ly tested By A llah? I have ncver seen a man who looks
more likc him than you , if he were healthy." I-I e said, " I am
he." He had two threshing floors, o ne for wheat and one fo r
barley. All ah sent two c louds, and whe n o ne of them reached
the threshing floor of the whea t, it rained go ld until it was fu ll.
The o ther rained gold onlh c th reshing fl oor oft hc barley until
it was full. " 437)
Ibn Abi Hatim narra ted on the aut hority of Ab u Hura irah
.t;e, from the Prophet 3i$ that he said , " Whcn Allah restored to
hea lth , Ayyoob ~ He rained golden locusts down on him and
(37) Narrated by Ibn Jnrccr in his Ta/seer (23 / 167).
386 rhe Story ojAy)'ooh (Joh) ~
.~----~.~
~W-~~
> --------------------~~~~~--~~.
he began to gathe r them up wi th his han ds a nd place them in
hi s ga rme nt. It was sa id to him , ' 0 , Ayyoob! Do you not have
suffi cient ?' He sa id, ' 0 , my Lord! Who can ever have suffi cient
o f Your Mercy?' (3S) It was also narrat ed by Ibn Hi bban in hi s
Sahee" , 09) but non e of the compi lers o f the (six authentic)
boo ks narrated it, though it confo rm s to the criteria rcquircd for
a hadeefh to be accept ed as authenti c. And Allah knows bcltcr.
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authori ty o f Abu I-Iu rai rah ..#f,
th at he said : The Messe nger of All ah ;l'; said, " Wh ile Ayyoob
~ was bat hing nak ed, loc usts of gold fe ll upon him. Ayyoob,
peace bc upon hi m, began ga theri ng them in his ga nnenl. Th en
hi s Lord call ed to him , ' 0 , Ayyoob, have I not made you so
ri ch that you have no necd of what you sec?' I-I e said, ' Yes,
Lord ! Bu t I cannot do without Your Blessi ng' !" This was also
na rrated by AI-Bukhari,on Ihe au thorityo f ' Abdur-Razzaq ...;e. (40)
All ah's Sayi ng: ( Stri ke wi th your foot ) mean s: strike the
ground with you r foot; and he did as he wa s commanded to
do, upon whi ch, All ah ca used a spring, whose water was co ld,
to gush fo rth for him . Th en All ah co mma nded him to wash in
it and to drink from it; he did so, and Allah re moved th ereby
all of the pa in, di sfi guremcnt and ill ness that had affi icted his
body, both outside and inside. I-Ie replaced hi s former ill-hea lth
with good hea lth, bestowing on him perfec t beauty and great
wea lt h, to such an extcnt that I-I e rained down a shower of
golden loc llsts upo n hi m and He returned hi s famil y to him, as
He, Most Hi gh, says, ( and We restored his I~uni ly to him (th at
he had lost), and the lik e thereof along with the m. ) (Soorah
He, Most Hi gh, says , ( And take in your hand a bund le of thi n
grass and strike therew ith (your wife), and break not your oath.
Trul y! We found him pati ent. I-low excelle nt (a) slave! Veri ly,
he was eve r o ft -retuming in repentance (to Us)! ) (Soorah Sad
38 :44) Thi s is a lice nse from All ah, Most Hi gh, to Hi s slave
and I-li s Me ssenger, Ayyoob ~ . beca use of the oath he had
made to beat hi s wife with a hundred slripes. II was said Ihal
he mad e an oat h to do this becau se she had sold he r braids.
It was also said that Satan appeared to her in a pleasan t form
and he desc ribed to he r how to prepare a cure for Ayyoob .~
and so she prepared it and informed Ayyoob ~ o f what had
happened. He reali zed immedi ately that it was Satan and he
swore an oath that he woul d beat her with a hun dred stripes.
When All ah, the Almi ghty, the All- Powerful cured him , He
command ed hi m to tak e a hundred stems of thin grass a nd
strike her with the m once; an d thi s wo ul d be equi va lent to a
388 Tile Story ofAXl'Ooh (Job) ~'
.~----~~~~>--------------------~~~~~--~~>
Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi Naj eeh narrated on the aUl hority of
Muj ahid that he wa s not a Prophet, but th at he was a right eo us
ma n, who was appointed to act on beha lf o f the Prophet se nt
to hi s people and to carry out his responsibiliti es toward s them
and to judge betwcen them with fairness; as a result, he was
known as Dh ul-Kift. ( J [)
(4 3) Narr:ltcd by Ibn Jarccr At-Tabari in his Tafteer (2 0/80). In AI- J\lajlllll'. AI-
J-Iai lhami amihUled it to AI- Bazzar in both 1//{/\l"(lo<ifand II/ar/oo' forms.
while in At/·/JII"" i11-MUll/hoor (5/ 129). As·Suyooti ascribed it to Ibn Abi
lI alitn. And Al-Haitharni said. ·· ... :lnd it s rijal (men) arc all narrators of
authentic (llllIdeelh."
392 The SIOfJ' oj DIIIII-Kifl ~
.r--~Y'~~~~------------------~~----~~.
claim also requires careful investi ga tion.
Ibn Jareer At-Tabari narrated on the aut hori ty of 'Abdulla h
Ibn ' Abbas 4:0 that he said: "The dwe llers of Ar-Rass were the
inhabitants of one of the villages ofThamood." And at the start
of his Tareekh, when describing th e buildi ng of Damascus,
AI-Hafiz Abul-Qasim Ibn 'Asakir related from the 7llreekh of
Abul-Qasim ' Ubaidullah Ibn ' Abdull ah Ibn Khurdazbah and
from other sources th at the dwellers of Ar-Rass were in !-Iadoor
(44) and A Ilah sent a Prophet to Ihem whose name was l-Ianzalah
Ibn Safwan, but they rejected hi m and kill ed him . So ' Ad, son
of' Aws, son of Iram, son of Sam, son of Nooh ~ led his
children from Ar-Rass and sett led in AI-Ahqaf and thcy spread
out through the land of Ycmen and through out all the lands,
until Jairoon, son ofSa 'd, son of ' Ad, son of ' Aws, son of Iral11,
son of Sam, son of Noah settled in Damasl.:us and built the city,
ca ll ing it Jairoon and that is Iram of the Pillars. (4~) And there
is no place with marc stonc pillars than Damascus. Allah sent
Hood, son of 'Abdullah Ibn Rabah, son of Khal id, son of AI-
Khu lood, son of 'Ad to the descendants of ' Ad at AI-A hqaf, but
th ey rejected him and so A\l ah, th e Almighty, the All-Powerful
destroyed them. This means th at the dwellers of Ar-Rass li ved
a vcl)' long time before 'Ad. And Allah knows better.
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn
' Abbas ~ tha t he said, UAr-Rass is a well in Azerbaijan." Ath-
Thawri narra ted 0 11 the aut hority of Abu Buka ir, who reported
on the aut hority of ' Ikrima h that hc said, "Ar-Rass is a we ll in
wh ich they buried their PropheL" (46 ) Ibn Juraij sai d, " Ikrimah
wages of you (fo r themselves), and who are rightl y guided. And
why shou ld I not wors hip Him (Alla h, Alone) Who has created
me and to Whom YOll shall be returned. Shall I take besides
Him a/ilia" (gods), (whe n) if the Most Beneficent (Allah)
intend s me any hann, the ir intercess ion will be of no use for me
whatsoever ~ and nor can they save mc? Th en veril y, I shoul d
be in plain error. Ve rily! I have bel ieved in your Lord, so li sten
to me!" It was sai d (to hi m when lhe di sbe li evers killcd him),
"E nter Parad ise." He said, "Would that my people knew! That
my Lord (A llah) has forgiv en me, and made me of the honored
ones!" And We sent not aga inst hi s peop le after him a host from
heaven , nor do We send (suc h a thing). It was bu t one Sailwh
(shout, etc.) and lo! They (all) were si len t (dead - destroyed). )
(Saarali Ya Seell 36: 13-29)
It has been widel y reported from many of the Salcif and the
later scho lars that th is town was Ant ioch (Antakiyah). This
was narrated by Ibn Ishaq , who reported it on the authority
of 'Abdullah Ibn ' Abba s ~, Ka ' b AI-Ahbar and Wahb Ibn
Munabbih. It was lik ew ise narrated on the authority ofBuraidah
Ibn Al-Husaib, ' Ikrimah, Qatadah, Az-Zuhri and others.
But this say ing is very weak , because when the Maseeh ~
sent three of the Disc ipl es 10 the peopl e of Anti oc h (A nt akiyah).
they were the fi rst city to believe in th e Masceh ~\ at that time.
For thi s reason , it was one or the four citi es in which th ere
were Chri stian Patriarchs; and they were An ti och, Jerusa lem.
Alex andria and Rome . Arter them , Constan tinopl e became
a Patriarchal cily, but none of them was destroyed, wh ile
the inhabitants of thi s village mentioned in the Qur ' an wcre
destroyed, as All ah says at the end of their stOlY, after they
had kill ed the one who be lieved in the Messengers. ( And pu t
forward to them a similitude; the (story of the) dwellers of the
396 U,e S,ory (~I 'he People OflCISl'l'1l
.r----~~r
. .~--------------~~----~~--~.
He, Most High, says, And pUI forward to Ihem a simil itude.
) T hat is for you r peop le, Muhammad . ( th e (story o f the)
dwe ll ers of the tow n ) , That is, the city, ( whell there cam c
Messenge rs to them. Wh en We se lll 10 the m lwO Messe nge rs.
they belied th em both, so Wt.: reinforced Ihem w ith <l thi rd .
) (SoO/·ail Yo Seell 36: 13, 14) That is, We supported th em by
send in g a third perso n to de li ver the Message. They sa id.
"Our Lord knows that we have been sent as Messe ngers 10
you .. · ) (SoO/·oil Yo Seell 36: 16). But they answered them by
say ing th at they were on ly human be ings, li ke them, as (all ) Ihe
disbeli ev ing nations said to the ir Messengers, deem ing the idea
Ihat All ah wou ld send a huma n Messenger to be farfetched. The
Messe ngers replied Ihat A ll ah knew that Ih ey were Messcngers
sent 10 them and that ir they were lyi ng about Him, He wou ld
have pu nished them and exac ted condign Retr ibut ion on lhem.
"And our duty is on ly to convey pla inly." ) (SoOl'al1 }'c1 Seen
36: 17) T hat is, the only ob li gation upon liS is to convcy 10 you
Ih e Message with which A ll ah has sent us to you; it is A ll ah
Who guides whom He will s and increases in misguidance
whomsoever He will s, ( Thcy (Ih e people) said, " Fo r us, wc
sec an t.:v il olllc n rrom you ," ) That is, we see an ev il omen in
tha t whi ch you have brought. ( .. .. . if you cease not, we will
surdy stone you," ) . That is, we w ill rev ile you verba ll y. It was
also sa id that it means we wi ll physica ll y stone you, Bu t the
first ex pl anation is supported by His Word s: ( "and a pa inful
rite StOlT oj llt(' People oj' )(ISeell 397
.~------------------------------~~~----~.
torment will touc h you from LIS." ) _ So they threaten ed them
wi th dea th and vc rba l abusc. ( Th ey (the Messengers) said.
"Your evil omens be wi th you~" ) Th at is, they arc th rown back
upon YOll. ( "(Do you cu ll it .• an ev il olll en" ) beca use you are
admoni shcd?" ) That is, bccause of the gu idan ce 10 whic h we
have ca ll cd you, woul d you thrcate n us wi th dea th and verba l
abuse? ( "Nay_ but you arc a people mllsrijiJOJI (tra nsgrcssing
all bounds by com mitting all kinds of great s ins, and by
di sobeyin g All ah)," ) That is, you do not accept the tmth,
no r do you desire it. And He, Most Hi gh, ( And th erc ca me
runn ing from the fa rthest part of the town , a man . ) Thm is, 10
support the two Messenge rs and to open ly decl are hi s bclief
in th em ( say ing, "0, my peopl e! Obey the Messc nge rs; those
who ask no wages of yo u (for themse lves), and who are ri ghtl y
gui ded." ) (Soorall Ya Seell 36:20,2 1). That is, th ey ca ll you to
Ihe pu re trut h, without reecivi ng or expecting any payment or
.my reco mpense, Then he ca lled upon them 10 wJrship All ah,
Alone, withou t ascrib ing partners to him and he forbade them
to wo rship any ot her de ity besides I-li m, whi ch ca n offer th em
no benefit in thi s world or in the Hereaft er. ( "Then vcril y, I
should be in plain error." ) (SOOl'OIr Yo Seen 36:24). ThaI is, if I
aba ndoned the worship of A Il ah and worshipped others besi des
Him. Then he sa id, address ing the Messengers, ( "Veril y! I
have bel ieved in yo ur Lord, so liste n to me!" ) (Soorah )'t1 Seen
36:25). It was said that it means: Listen ( 0 Ill y wo rds a nd bear
witness fo r me to them before your Lord. It was also said tha t it
mea ns: Hear, 0, my people, my open testimony of beli ef in the
Messenge rs of Allah. Upon hea ring thi s, they kill ed him; it was
said tha t they stoned hi m. It was also said th at they tort ured
him to death. A nd it was also sa id that they leapt upon him
as one man a nd ki ll ed him. Ib n Ishaq related from one of hi s
compan ions, who repo rted on the authority of •Abdullah Ibn
398 The SUNY of 'he People of )'aSeel1
• •
Mas'ood ~ that he sa id, "They stamped o n him un til they had
spilled hi s entra il s."
'A bdullah Ibn 'Ab bas ~ said, " I-I e advised his people whil e
he li ved: ( " 0 , my people! O bey the Messengers." ) (SoO/'oll
Ya Seen 36:20) ~ and after hi s dea th: ( He sa id, "Would that
my people knew ! That my Lord (A ll ah) has forg iven me, a nd
made Ille of the honored ones!") (SoO/'oll Ya Seen 36:26,27)
This was narrated by Ibn Ab i Ha tim. Qatadah said: "You will
never find a be liever but he is since re and is neve r insincere.
Whe n he saw with hi s own eyes how A llah had honored hi m.
He said, ( ' Wou ld that my people knew! T hat my Lord (A llah)
has forgivc lll11c, and made I11Co rthe honored o nes!' ) (Soomh
Ya Seen 36:26,27). He wished tha t hi s peop le could know abo lit
what he was see ing with hi s own eyes of the honor of All ah,"
Qa tadah added, "A nd no, by A ll ah! All ah did no t censure hi s
peop le after they had kill ed him." ( It was but o ne Saihah and
lo ! They (a ll) were si lent (dead - destroyed ). ) (SoO/'oil Yo Seen
36:29)
And He, Most I-Iigh, says, ( And We sent not aga inst his
people afte r him a host from heaven, nor do We send (such a
thing) . ) (Soorall Yo Seen 36:28) That is, We di d not need to
send down an army from th e heaven in order to exact retribut ion
upon them . Th is was the meanin g narrated by Ibn Ishaq, who
report ed on the aut hority or
o ne o f his co mpanions, who in
tum reported on th e authority of' Abd ullah Ibn Mas'ood 4i>.
Mujahid and Qatadah sa id, that Hi s not se ndin g upon the m a
host mea ns: I-Ie did not send down to them another Message.
But Ibn Jareer At-Tahari said, " But the fir st exp lanat ion is more
appropriate. "
I say th at it is a lso stronger, which is why A llah says, ( nor
do We send (s uch a thing). ) (SoOl-aII Ya Seell 36:28) That is,
The SlOr..!' of the People of }hSee" 399
.~-----------------------------------'~JWi~ > ----~>
We did not need to do thi s in order to exac t ret ribution, whe n
they be lied Q ur Messengers and ki ll ed Qu r /Va/i. ( It WllS but
aile Sailwh and 10! They (all) were si lent (dead - destroyed). )
(SoOl·all )'Cl Seen 36:29)
The scho lars of ta!'ieer said tha t All ah sen t Jibrace l ~ to
them and he seized the posts of the gates 10 their city, then he
unlcashed a single shout upon them ( and lo! They (a ll ) were
silent (dead - destroyed) ) (SoO/'oil Yo See" 36:29). That is, their
voices were silenced and their movemcnts were stilled , so that
not even an eye move ment remai ned amo ng them. All of thi s
proves that thi s village was not Ant akiyak (Antioch), because
th ese people were destroyed beca use of their rejec ti on of the
Messengers w hom Al lah sent 10 them , whil e the inhab itants of
Ant ioch bel ieved and obeyed th e messengers of the Ma seeh
~~ from a mong the di sc iples whom he se nt to them . For thi s
reason it was said that Anti och was the first city 10 be lie ve in
the Masech ~ .
A ll ah , Most Hi g h, says in SOOl"all YOOI1I1S , ( Was th ere any
town (comm unity) thai believed (after see ing th e puni shment) ,
and it s fa ith (at that moment) saved it (from th e pun ishment)?
(The an swer is none,) - except the people of Yo onus (Jonah);
when they be li evcd, We rcmoved from them the torment or
disgrace in the life of the (prese nt ) wo rld , and permitted them
to enjoy for a wh ile . ) (Saarall Yaol/lls 10:98)
ror a whi le. ) (SoO/'ail As-Sa/Jat 37: 147, 148) This enjoyment
for a while docs not negate the possibility that there is another
rewa rd with it, that bei ng the liftin g of the Pu ni shment of the
Hereafter. And Allah knows better.
He, Most I-I igh , says, ( But We threw him ) (Soorah As-Set/fat
37: 145). That is, We cast him forth ( on 01- '(lm' ) (Soorah
(48) This is an authentic hadeelll naml1cd by Im.un Ahmlld (2800) and At-
Tinllidhi (25 16).
As-Saffat 37: 145). That is, in a deserted place, in w hich there
are no trees; rather, it is ba re o r the m. ( Wh ile he was sick )
(Soorafl1ls-SaJJaI 37: 145). That is, phys ica ll y weak . 'Abdu ll ah
Ibn Mas'ood "*' said, " Like the body of a chi cken w ithout
feathers on it." (~ 9) 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas '*',
As-Suddi and Ibn
Zaid said that hi s body was like the body of a chi ld when it is
born, swo llen and wi thout anythin g on it. ( And We ca used a
gourd plailt to grow over him ) (Soorah As-Saffat 37: 146).
M"'tuH~£ Virt,,~
/'tHNUtS ~\
Allah, Most High, says, ( And, verily, Yoonus was one of the
Messe ngers ) (Soorah As-SafJot 37: 139). A\l ah, Most High,
ment ioned him as being among the Noble Prophets in Soorah
An-Nisa' and Soorah AI-A nbiya ' - may the choi cest prayers
and blessings from Allah be upon them all.
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah ~ that
he said: The Messenger of All ah ~ said, "No slave should say
that I am better than Yoonus, son of Matta." (5 1)
AI-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah ~ that
he report ed from the Prophel <!'l lhat he said, "No slave should
say that I am better th an Yoonus, son of Matta." (.S2)