WHERE LIES THE VICEGRENT?

1
By
Shaikh Jalilu Issah

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

Transliteration

[Huwa allathee khalaqa lakum ma fee al-ardi jameeAAan thumma istawa ila alssama-i
fasawwahunna sabAAa samawatin wahuwa bikulli shay-in Aaaleemun]

Translation

[He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, and He directed Himself to the
heaven, so He made them complete seven heavens, and He knows all things.]

First of all Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala has mentioned the blessings of life that He has
created. He has created each and everything what we can see and feel with our live
senses. What you and I can see in the highs and lows of the earth – has been created for
us, the human beings. Did we ever cogitate that why it is all? Before proceeding further
it would be relevant to discuss the phenomenon. Adam was to be created on somewhere
in the time and space according to the design of Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala. And in the
solar system there was a third planet and that was the earth which was selected by the
Qudrat of Allah. Because it was so much important to create other relevant things which
may harbor the life of humans. That’s why we were given the sun, the moon, the
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Shaikh Jalilu Issah

gravitation, the minerals, the waters of the seas and oceans, the metals and oars, the
winds, the fertile land, and the sands under which there are reservoirs of petroleum,
ozone layer around the earth to protect us from the direct ultraviolet rays of the sun. Why
it was
created and for whom? It was created for us for the protection of our life. So Allah has
created each and everything in the highs and lows of the earth and skies just for us. It is a
great blessing of Allah.
Allah has given other blessings too and He has mentioned in other verse to remind
us and to tell us that what different kinds of blessings He has created for us. And how
many blessings we can count in our soundings. Allah says

[wasakhkhara lakumu allayla waalnnahara].

He created for the day and night. In other verse Allah told us about other blessings:

[sakhkhara lakumu albahra] He created seas and

oceans for us. Further He says:

[Wasakhkhara lakumu alshshamsa

waalqamara] He created the sun and the moon. Also note it:

[wasakhkhara lakumu al-anhara] He created rivers

for us. Allah has mentioned in many other verses about many different verses which
have been created for us. These are all the great blessings for us. How Allah is
beneficent! Human life needs to have day to work. Human life needs to have a night to
rest. Human life needs to have a light to work – for this the sun was created. Human life
needs to have light in the night – the moon was created for this purpose. Human life
needs to have water for the life - seas and oceans and rivers were created for us. Human
life needs to have a roof on house – sky was created. In the house there should be a floor.
For this we have the earth. But this earth is not only a floor. Underneath there are
treasures hidden to explore and excavate for us for the life of us, which may promote and
make our life go to further destinations. If these things which have been said blessings
were not to have been with us, what the condition would have been of us? Naturally
there would have been no concept of creation of the life here. All these blessings were
commanded to serve humans. All the forces of Allah running universe and turning our
efforts to the corresponding results all have been given in the service of the human life.
He also created seven heavens. Because

[wahuwa bikulli shay-in Aaaleemun] He is the

All-Knower of everything. There are seven heavens and on every single heaven there are
different angles. Every sky is the abode of the angels who have their predesigned tasks
from Allah. But the question what comes in our little mind that why there are seven
heavens? There could have been five or six or in some other numbers, but only seven? It
is better to mention here Allah is the only one Who knows all the answers of these
tedious questions with perfect exactitude. Why he made and created all the forces and
blessings to serve the mankind? He knows only the reason with its divinity. Because He
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Shaikh Jalilu Issah

is the All-Knower. And then after that Allah said:

[Wa-ith qulna lilmala-ikati osjudoo li-

adama] Now Allah is talking to the angles after He created the heaven and this is before
the human being was created. That when your Lord said to the angels that He is going to
appoint Adam His vicegerent on the earth. On it Allah told us that the angels replied to

Allah: [atajAAalu feeha man yufsidu

feeha] Are you (Allah) going to appoint who will quarrel on earth and do the
corruption? Actually to other lives it was totally a new idea before them that another life
which will be called Adam is going to be
created on the planet earth. And Adam is a kind of life that is erroneous and prone to
mistakes. That’s why they were surprisingly astonished that what Allah Subhana-Wa-
Ta’aala was going to do. One more important point was this that the forces running the
universe are not prone to any change or to commit an error. Because error conducts to
terror. Error and terror, hit and trial, cause and effect, satanic and platonic, Adam was
going to be equipped with them. Why? It was strange to them. But they were forgetting
one thing that Allah is the All-Knower.
Allah asked the angels to bow before Adam. According to the design of Allah it
was very important for them to bow before Adam. Because bowing before something
means that something is superior to the bower. And because Adam was supreme in his
all qualities and capabilities and further he would keep on building his capacity that’s
why Allah asked angels to prostrate before Adam.
khalifa in Arabic comes from the word Khalf . It
means ‘back’. It’s opposite of Imam . It means ‘in-front’. Imam is always in-front.
Either in prayer, politicks or government he is in-front. Its opposite is Khalf – back. So
if someone who stays at your back that is Khalifa. Who represents you on behalf of you
at your back he is called Khalifa. So Khalifa is the deputy of Allah on the earth. But
there is some difference in the meanings of Khalifa. One Khalifa is to represents Allah
and other Khalifa is the one who comes after the life of the prophet (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi
wa sallam) or after the death of the prophet. The Khalifa after the life of the prophet
(Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) someone who will come and take the charge and take the
control after the messenger of Allah passed away.
There are three different opinions about Khalifa. It is being mentioned in the
following for your information and perusal:
1. First opinion that Allah made Adam the vicegerent of angles.
2. Second opinion that vicegerent is a deputy of Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala.
3. Third opinion that Allah wanted to make Khalifa because He wanted to create
human being but the first group who will come to lead there will be another
generation who will come and cover them and live up to those generation
path.
But according to the hadith of Ahlul Bayt there is a proof that vicegerent is to
represent only Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala
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Shaikh Jalilu Issah

Now we proceed to very interesting thing that how did angels know that Adam
would create problems and shed blood on the earth? Because Allah had created some
other human beings before the Adam. They lived and created corrupt deeds on the earth.
That’s why and angels knew already about the nature of Adam.
Some say that Allah did not create human beings before. Actually Allah had told
them about the nature of the human beings. Allah divided human beings in three

categories. The group about whom Allah says: He created

some of His servants, when He gave them intellect but He did not give them desire of
doing something. And when Allah created angels, He created them with intellect. And
they understood what was bad or what was wrong. But Allah did not give them any
desire of liking something. They had no desire to take rest or eat or drink or get married
or to get children etc. And when you come to other kind of creature it is totally opposite
of the first one. Allah created them and gave them desire, they want to eat, drink, sleep
and work, but they have no intellect to know what is right or wrong. These are the
animals.
Whereas on the contrary, the human beings can do what they desire, what they
wish, what they feel. Because the human being has been equipped with the intellect of
the supreme form. At the same time he is destructive and at other moment he is
constructive. His desires may lead him to the paradise or to the hell. And these both
paths are known to the human intellect. And because human being can control and steer
his emotions and sentiments he is superior to angles.
When the messenger of Allah was taken on the heavens in the night of Miraj, he raised
one point over there. He asked Gabriel that would he leave him alone? Gabriel said

Oh Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi

wa sallam) you have reached in a position that no one before you have reached to the
position and no one can reach that position after you. And the holy Quran supports in
Surah Najam: [Fakana qaba qawsayni aw
adna]. The messenger of Allah has reached closest to Allah. That was the highest
possible close that a man got near to Allah. Gabriel did not reach the position that
Muhammad reached. So this is the status of man that he may get closer to Allah but with
the presence of his sane senses.
The presence of the sane senses is very important factor in the life of a man. The
time cam in the life of Adam when he did not use his sane senses. He was forbidden not
to eat the fruit of forbidden tree. But he ate. Human being was clearly told that he
should not follow the devilish intentions erupted in his heart. These satanic thoughts will
give him a great loss. He was told in advance. The control on emotions is too much
important. Anyway the Adam defied the clear instructions of Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala
and did not use the positive side of his intellect. Resultantly he lost the blissful comfort
in his life and fell into the pit of corruption. Whereas the main aim of the birth of Adam
is to erect a wall before sabotage.
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Anyway man came out of the paradise like life. A true paradise that he lost. We
are a paradise-lost humanity. The holy Quran still can support us. We have the life of
Ahlul Bayt. We have the teachings of twelver. What else a man could have more than
this? This directly takes us to the paradise.
Because Adam did not use the positive portion of his great wisdom he came to the lower
levels of lower animals. Sometimes animals become better than the human beings.
That’s why on the Day of Judgment man would be seeking help who did not use the
positive portion of the intellectual vision for the purified deeds. Allah says:
[laytanee kuntu turaban] that the people because on the
Day of Judgment of Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala will judge animals because animals
could also be judged as well and they would be raised to the level of human beings.
Allah would say ‘be a soil or ground’
Due to the satanic use of the refined intellect human being will be counted from
among the animals. Believers always use the positivity against the negativity. And they
will be having a great deal of blessings of Allah on the Day of Judgment. And the
disbelievers will be having the worst possible part of the non-progressing life.
May Allah give us the power to use the intellect and understand the holy Quran
and seek the light from Ahl-e-Bayt.

Further will be discussed in next lecture Inshallah!