The Creation

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Imam Ibn Taymiyya




Many people become confused and fail to differentiate between the realities having to do with Allah's orders, his deen which He has enjoined on the human and the jinn, and the Iman of His slaves on the one hand, and the realities having to do with His creation, His decree, and His complete power and ******* over everything in the universe and all events which occur therein. To Allah belongs creation (Al-khalq) and authority or command (Alamr), as He said in the Qur'an:
“Verily your Lord is the one who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then sat on the throne. He covers the day with the night which seeks it persistently (is never late in its succession). The sun, the moon and the stars are subjugated to His command. Verily, His is the creation and the command, blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.” [Qur'an, Surahh Al-A’raf, 7:54]
Thus, Allah is the Creator of all things and their Lord and their Sovereign. There is no other creator other than Him, nor any other Lord. Whatever He wills is and whatever He does not will is not. Everything which is in the universe, motion and lack of motion is by His decree and His power, His will, His decision, and His creation of it. Furthermore, Allah has ordered His creation to obey Him and to obey His prophets, and forbid them to disobey Him and to disobey His prophets. He has ordered us with Tauhid and Ikhlaas (absolute sincerity of intention and worship for Allah ta'ala), and has forbidden us associating anything with Allah. The greatest of good deeds is Tauhid, and the worst of sins is associationism (shirk). Allah says:
“Verily Allah does not forgive the associating of partners with Him, and He forgives anything less than that to those whom He wishes. Whoever associates partners with Allah has gone very far astray indeed.” [Qur'an, Surahh An-Nisa’, 4:116]
“And among the people are those who make others as equals to Allah. They love them as the love of Allah, but those who believe are more intense in their love of Allah.” [Qur'an, Surahh Al-Baqarah, 2:165]
In the two books of Muslim and Bukhari, Ibn Masood narrates: I said: "O, Messenger of Allah, which sin is the most serious?" He said: "To make a partner with Allah though He created you." I said: "And then what?" He said: "That you kill your offspring for fear that he will eat with you." I said: "And then what?" He said: "To commit adultery with the spouse of your neighbor."
Allah reaffirmed the content of this hadith when He revealed the following verse:
“Those who do not call to any other deities along with Allah, do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except with the right to do so, and do not commit illegal sexual acts. Whoever does that will meet athaama (a pit in hell reserved for the punishing of adulterers). His punishment will be multiplied on the day of Qiyama, and he will stay in it forever, debased. Except for those who repented, believed, and did good works, for these Allah will change their misdeeds into good deeds and Allah is ever forgiving, merciful.” [Qur'an, Surahh Al-Furqan, 25:68-70]
Allah has enjoined justice, kindness, and giving to (needy) relatives, and forbidden
obscenity, disreputable acts, and transgression on the rights of others. He has informed us that He loves those who have taqwa, those who do good and are kind, those who are just, those who frequently repent, those who keep themselves clean and pure, and those who fight in His path in a solid line, as if they are a mortared building. He has also informed us that He hates that which He has forbidden, as He said in Surah Al-Israa':
“The evil of all such things is hateful in the sight of your Lord.” [Qur'an, Surah Al-Israa', 17:38]
In the verses before this verse, Allah forbids associating partners with Him, rudeness to parents, He ordered the giving of relatives all of their rights, forbid misuse of wealth miserliness and the tying of one's hand to his neck (i.e. withholding ones wealth and being miserly), or spreading it all the way out (i.e. being too openhanded with ones wealth to the detriment of one's own needs and the needs of those under one's responsibility), He forbid killing of humans without justification, illegal sexual acts, and handling the property of orphans except in ways to their benefit. Following all of this, Allah said: “The evil of all such things is hateful in the sight of your Lord.”
Allah does not like corruption, and is not pleased with the disbelief of any of His slaves. The worshipper is ordered to repent to Allah constantly, as Allah said:
“And repent to Allah all of you O, believers in order that you may be successful.” [Qur'an, Surah An-Nur, 24:31]
In Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated that the Prophet said:
"O, people, repent to your Lord for, by the one in whose hand by soul is, I seek forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him each day more than seventy times."
In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated that the Prophet said:
"Verily clouds come over my heart, and I seek forgiveness from Allah one hundred times in a day."
In the books of As-Sunan, Ibn Umar narrates that:
"We used to count the Prophet saying "My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance. Surely You are the ever-returning, the Merciful." one hundred times in a single session." In another version he said: "more than one hundred times."
Allah has ordered the Muslims to end good works with the seeking of His forgiveness. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to seek Allah's forgiveness three times after the conclusion of every prayer and then say: "O, Allah you are the Peace and from you is peace blessed are you O possessor of Greatness and Beneficence."
As has been reported in a sahih hadith from the Prophet. Allah mentioned in the Qur'an talking about the believers: “Those who seek forgiveness in the small hours of the night.” [Qur'an, Surah al-‘Imran, 3:17] ordering them to stand in prayer in the night, and seek His forgiveness in the small hours of the night.
Likewise, Allah concluded the Surah entitled Al-Muzammil, which is the Surah which discusses the night prayer, by saying:
“And seek the forgiveness of Allah, verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” [Qur'an, Surah Al-Muzzammil, 73:20]
And, about the pilgrimage, Allah says:
“So, when you descend en masse from Arafat, mention Allah in the sacred precincts, and remember Him and how He guided you even though you were before that of those gone astray. Then, move on by the same route as the people and seek the forgiveness of Allah. Verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
[Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:199]
Moreover, Allah sent down near the end of the Prophethood when the Prophet went out on the expedition of Tabuk (the last of his expeditions):
“Allah has turned to His Prophet (i.e. accepted his repentance) and the migrators and the helpers and those who followed him in the time of difficulty after the hearts of one party of them nearly became diseased. Then, Allah turned to them, He is with them Compassionate, Merciful. (He has also accepted the repentance of) the three who stayed behind (who were boycotted by the Muslims on the order of the Prophet) until the earth seemed to squeeze in on them in spite of its spaciousness, and the remorse pressed in on them and they realized that there was nowhere to run from Allah except by running back to Him and seeking His acceptance. Then Allah turned to them in acceptance that their repentance may be complete. Verily Allah is the ever-returning, the Merciful.” [Qur'an, Surah At-Tawbah, 9:117-118]
This was one of the last verses to be sent down. It has been said that the last verse to be sent down was:
“When the help of Allah come and victory * And you see the people coming into the deen of Allah in droves * Celebrate the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, verily He is ever returning with acceptance.” [Qur'an, Surah An-Nasr 110] in which Allah ordered the Prophet to conclude his work with the praises of Allah and the seeking of His forgiveness.

(Continued)