Praise be to Allah, the Lord (the One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad, the Truthful and the Faithful. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
Dear brothers, this is lesson number 7 of the interpretation of Surat Al-A'raf, and I will start with the Ayah number 12 where Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being), then We told the angels, "Prostrate to Adam", and they prostrated, except Iblis(Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrate. ﴿
I told you last lecture the story of creation and how man (as a soul) was created in Alam Ath-Tharr (The world where the covenant was given to Allah when mankind were in the loins of their father Adam). Moreover, all creatures are created in Alam Ath-Tharr (as souls) before they have bodies.
2- Assigning man with the trust by Allah:
Al-Amanah (the trust) was offered to all creatures. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's Torment). But man bore it ﴿
3- Worshiping Allah is the purpose man was created for, and it is the price for Paradise:
When man accepted to bear the trust, he was assigned to purify his soul by getting it to know Allah, obey Him and draw close to Him, so that he will pay the price for Paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth, and where there are what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no human heart has ever perceived eternally. Thus, basically we are created for this Paradise.
(( In Paradise, there are what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no human heart has ever perceived eternally. ))
[ Shuaib's Al-Musnad from Abu Huraira ]
Based on this fact, people are divided into two groups as Allah the Almighty indicates in the following Ayah:
﴾But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts* Verily, Paradise will be his abode. ﴿
The price for Paradise is manifested in religious discipline, in knowing Allah and in abiding by His Method, and in this regard Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him* And believes in Al-Husna. ﴿
He believed that he is created for Paradise and "Al-Husna" here refers to Paradise, given his belief establishes the ground of fearing Allah and fearing to sin. Due to this belief, he builds his life on giving (others).
﴾ We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). ﴿
Therefore, all his life's aspects serve the purpose of his eternal happiness (he longs to).
﴾ But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient* And gives the lie to Al-Husna (see Verse No: 6 footnote); ﴿
The second group of people includes those who disbelieve in Paradise, and they believe that they are created to enjoy the worldly life. Thus, they are indifferent to obeying Allah, so they disobey Him, and they build their life on taking. As a result, all their actions and activities in life lead them to misery.
﴾ We will make smooth for him the path for evil; ﴿
The story of creation is summed up in the following Ayah:
﴾ Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's Torment). But man bore it. ﴿
Man was not unjust and ignorant before bearing the trust, but when he accepted to bear it, and he betrayed it, he failed in fulfilling this trust.
﴾ Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results). ﴿
4- The elements of the Divine Assignment (to mankind):
I mentioned last lecture that when man bore the trust, Allah subjugated to him everything:
﴾ And has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him. Verily, in it are signs for a people who think deeply. ﴿
Upon bearing the trust, man was given the constituents of the Divine Assignment, and on top of them is this universe which is subjugated to man. This subjugation is meant for two purposes: to honor man and to be his means to be led to Allah.
When man is led to Allah, he should believe in Him, and upon being honored by Allah, he should be grateful to Him. Actually, when you believe in Allah, and you become thankful (to Allah), you will fulfill the purpose of your existence. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing. ﴿
The reason is another constituent of the Divine Assignment, and man has been given reason to be the frame of reference of holding him accountable for his deeds and to be his balance:
﴾ And the heaven He has raised high, and He has set up the Balance. ﴿
The mission of man's reason is to verify every religious reporting (i.e. religious texts) and to comprehend it but not to judge it at all.
Fitrah is the third constituent of the Divine Assignment, and it is man's inner detector whenever he errs.
﴾ And by Nafs (Adam or a person or a soul, etc.), and Him Who perfected him in proportion* Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him; ﴿
Man also has been given the free will, so that his deeds will be evaluated. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful. ﴿
Allah has installed in man lusts as a motivating power inside him, given lusts are neutral, so it is up to man to make them the means to be elevated high or the means to be destructed.
Ash-Share' (Islamic laws and rulings):
After all the above, Allah has given man Ash-Share', and He revealed to His Prophets PBUT the Divine Books, so that they would be the references for man's reason and Fitrah.
I mentioned all these constituents last lecture, and today I would like to move on to another topic which is The Gradual Evolvement of Faith.
The gradual evolvement of faith and its fundamental constants:
The first constant is the universe:
Dear brothers, the universe is considered the foremost constant over which no two persons will argue (because it has physical laws that are admitted by all mankind). The entire 7 billion people on earth watch this universe, which includes the sun, the moon, the stars, the galaxies, the earth, the mountains, the plains, the water springs, the rivers, the seas, the lakes, the million kinds of plants, the birds, the fishes, the animals, the minerals and the semi-minerals. Thus, this universe is the first constant in man's faith, given all Allah's Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes are manifested in this universe.
1- All the Beautiful Names of Allah and His Exalted Attributes are manifested in the universe:
All Allah's Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes are reflected in this universe, for man can sense Knowledge, Wisdom, Kindness, Mercy, Justice, Omnipotence and Power of Destruction of Allah Who created the universe. Thus, Allah's Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes are manifested in the universe.
In everything there is a Sign
Which indicates the Oneness of Allah.
2- The principle of reason is causality, purposefulness and harmony:
Man's reason functions according to three principles: causality, purposefulness and harmony, and the universe includes all the three principles, for everything in this universe but has a reason and a purpose and there is no contradiction in it (unreasonable things). Hence, the principles of the reason comply with the principles of the creation. In other words, when you use your reason to ponder over the universe, it will lead you to its Creator (i.e. Allah). Therefore, the reason is man's means to know Allah.
3- The universe is the language which is understood by all people around the world:
Dear brothers, this universe is a language which is comprehended by all mankind, so it is read the same way by Arabs and Westerners, which makes the universe a common denominator among people. Some scholars said, "The universe is a silent Quran, the Quran is a speaking universe and the Prophet PBUH is a walking Quran (due to his exalted conducts)."
Therefore, one of the most important constants of the sound faith is this universe which leads to Allah's Existence, and which manifests Allah's Perfection, Oneness, Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes. However, the reason has a precise mission, which I would like to explain by the following example:
If you enroll yourself at the university, by using your reason alone you will find harmony between all the facilities there, and the purpose of building them. You will find soundproof auditoriums with central heating, big screens, air conditioning and comfortable seats. Also, you will find parks, dorms for students and teachers, university's administration and labs. Thus, by using your reason, you are able to realize that behind all these facilities, there are significant minds and accumulated experiences which planned this system. However, no matter how clever you are, you will never know the name of the dean, you will never know the different faculties at this university, you will never know the administrative system nor will you know the system of passing and failing the exams. You will never know these pieces of information by using your reason, but you are able to get to know these things by reading the booklet of this university, and this booklet will complete the information you realize by using your reason.
This is just an introduction to the main concept that Allah the Almighty has made this universe a manifestation of His Existence, Knowledge, Omnipotence, Mercy, Justice, Kindness and Beauty, but what is the purpose of creating man in the first place? Allah the Almighty has sent down the Noble Quran in which He mentions this purpose:
﴾ And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). ﴿
Why is life short? Why is it only 40, 50 or 60 years? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world). ﴿
Why has Allah sent Prophets, PBUT? The Prophets' mission is to show people the purpose of their existence and to guide them to the path of their safety and happiness.
﴾ And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad PBUH) but We inspired him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)." ﴿
The Divine Book (i.e. the Quran) completes the information in your reason, and whatever your reason cannot comprehend, is told to you by Allah in His Book. One might say, "The Quran is the words of an eloquent human being", but this claim is refuted due to the miracles included in the Noble Quran which are Allah's Testimony that this Quran is His Words since it was descended 1400 ago; it was descended before any scientific breakthrough.
Some of the physical laws in the universe:
1- The phenomenon of light scattering:
20 years ago, some astronauts travelled to the moon, and on their trip they went beyond the layers of the air around the earth which extend more than 65.000 kilometers, and when they reached the point beyond the air layers, one of the astronauts shouted, "I am blind". The scientific explanation for such an incident is that the air around the earth is full of particles, which cause a physical phenomenon called "light scattering", and it is a general physical process where the light of the sun is forced to deviate from a straight trajectory by being reflected from the endless particles in the air, and these particles reflect the light to the other particles which the sunlight does not reach. As a result, there will be places where there is sunlight and places where there is daylight, and the daylight comes from this physical process "light scattering". When the astronauts went beyond the air layers, this process stopped, so they become amid the darkness of the space, and this is why they thought that they went blind. If you recite the Noble Quran, you will read the following Ayah:
﴾ And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to continue ascending thereto* They would surely say: "Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled. Nay, we are a people bewitched." ﴿
[ Al-Hijr, 14-15
]
No human being knew this physical process when the Noble Quran was revealed, because this fact was discovered after 1400 years, yet it is mentioned in the Noble Quran.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) exhibited on its website a photo of a supernova which looks like the Damask rose, and it is very similar to it down to the tiny details like the dark red petals with the green leaves around them and the sepal. They wrote beneath this photo "A photo of a supernova of a dying star called the Cat's Eye." This star is 3000 light years far from the earth. Pay attention to the following Ayah, please:
﴾ Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red-oil, or red hide* Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? ﴿
3- The barrier between two seas:
Astronauts observed the existence of a line between every two seas, and the color of each sea is different from the other. This scene triggered their curiosity, and by doing some experiments, they found out that every sea has its own water characteristics, density and saltiness, and it is impossible for the water of every two seas to be mixed. This line is very obvious in Mandeb Strait (it is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa), in Suez Canal in Egypt (it connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea), in the Strait of Gibraltar (it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea), in the Panama Canal (it connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean) and in Bosporus Strait (it separates the European part from the Asian part of Istanbul). Consider the following Ayah, please:
﴾ He has let loosed the two seas (the salt water and the sweet) meeting together* Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress* Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? ﴿
4- The sperm determines the gender of the fetus and not the egg:
As embryology advanced, scientists discovered that the sperm decides the gender of the fetus not the egg. The proof is in the Noble Quran:
﴾ And that He (Allah) creates the pairs, male and female* From Nutfah (drops of semen male and female discharges) when it is emitted; ﴿
5- Everything in the universe orbits:
After discovering the secrets of the atom, scientists discovered that everything in this universe orbits around a certain object, even the wood, the rock or any other thing, simply because everything in this universe is made of atoms, which consist of negative electrons that revolve in orbits around the positive nucleus. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ They all float, each in an orbit. ﴿
6- The nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine):
After discovering the Laser, it was found out that the lowest point on Earth in terms of dry land is the shore of the Dead Sea (Gawr Palestine). Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The Romans have been defeated* In the nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious* Within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allah, (before the defeat of Romans by the Persians, and after, i.e. the defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that Day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allah to the Romans against the Persians), ﴿
[ Ar-Rum, 2-4
]
The nearer land (the deepest dray land) is proved to be Ghawr Palestine on the shore of the Dead Sea, and the historical narrations positively proved that this battle took place between Al-Furs and Ar-Rum on that spot (i.e. Ghawr Palestine).
7- "And He creates (other) things of which you have no knowledge":
When you are on a Boeing 777, you enjoy the nice flight on your cozy seat, the air conditioning, the refreshments, the exquisite cuisines and all sorts of magazines, newspapers and TV channels. If you read the following Ayah, you will notice that this invention is indicated in it:
﴾ And (He has created) horses, mules and donkeys, for you to ride ﴿
How huge is the difference between a donkey and an aircraft in terms of transportations?
﴾ And (He has created) horses, mules and donkeys, for you to ride ﴿
These are the Words of the Creator of the Worlds:
﴾ And He creates (other) things of which you have no knowledge. ﴿
The previous Ayah embraces all sorts of transportations like airplanes, ships, trains and vehicles.
﴾ And He creates (other) things of which you have no knowledge. ﴿
8- The wisdom behind purifying the sacrificed animal:
The Prophet PBUH gave an Islamic ruling according to which the head of the animal should not be cut off entirely when we want to slaughter it, but rather only the jugular vein should be cut. At that time, there was no way that anyone would know the purpose of this Prophetic instruction, but do you know the difference between cutting off the animal's head entirely and cutting the jugular vein only? No one in the Prophetic era knew that, and no one knew that after 100, 200, 500 or 1400 years, but recently the scientific explanation behind this instruction has been revealed.
Since the heart is the most vital organ in the body, and because man's life depends on it, it cannot be run by the general electric system of the body, so it has to have its own electrical system. It has two systems instead of one in case the general system is not functioning, the heart will keep beating due to the second system, and if the latter stops functioning, there is a third one, so there are two alternative electrical systems in the heart. A resting heart rate is 60-80 beats per minute (BPM), and this is the normal range.
When man is attacked by an enemy, he runs, or if he faces a scary animal or a snake, he needs extra efforts which cannot be maintained by 80 beats per minute of the heart, so upon facing a serpent, for example, the eye realizes the danger man is facing, and it transfers the image to the brain which in turn interprets it and realizes how dangerous the serpent is due to its fatal bite, and since the brain is the king of the nervous system, it sends a request to the queen of endocrine glands (i.e. the pituitary gland), which in turn sends orders to its minister of interior (i.e. adrenal gland) which gives an order to the heart to increase its rate to 180 beats per minute, and it sends another order to the lungs to expand. Accordingly, a scared man will have an increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate and narrowing in his blood vessels and arteries. These orders and changes explain why the scared person becomes pale.
The adrenal gland also gives orders to the liver to release more sugar into the bloodstream, and finally it sends orders to release the hormone which makes the blood thicker (the blood of the scared person is thick, and it is sweeter than the usual blood).
Due to this fact, if we cut off the animal's head entirely, its heart rate will stay 80 beats per minute, and this is enough to pump only quarter of its blood out of its body, but when we kept the head attached to the body, the alternative system works and increases the heart rate to 180 beats per minute which is enough to pump the entire blood out of the animal's body.
This Prophetic way in slaughtering the animal keeps the color of the meat pink, delicious and tasty, but if it is slaughtered by cutting off its head, four fifth of its blood will stay in its body, and the meat will turn blue. Let alone, it will be harmful, because the blood is a good environment to bacteria. This Prophetic instruction is not derived from the Prophet's knowledge, his experience, his culture or the scientific findings of that time, but rather it is Divine Revelation. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Nor does he speak of (his own) desire* It is only an Inspiration that is inspired. ﴿
Based on the abovementioned points, the universe is the foremost constant of the sound faith.
The second fundamental constant is the Quran:
The second essential constant of the sound faith is the Noble Quran which is Allah's Words, whereas the universe is Allah's creation, given the Noble Quran is provided with Allah's Testimony that it is His Words.
Every Prophet was provided with a miracle:
Dear brothers, every Prophet PBUH was provided with a miracle whose purpose is to be Allah's Testimony to mankind that this man is Allah's Messenger, so it is a proof. Because the previous Prophets PBUT were sent exclusively to their people, their miracles were of a tangible nature, like our Master Musa (Moses) PBUH who threw his stick, and it was a serpent:
﴾ Then [Musa (Moses)] threw his stick and behold! It was a serpent, manifest! ﴿
The miracle of our Master Iesa (Jesus) PBUH is to bring life to the dead, and this is something beyond people's abilities. On the other hand, our Master Ibrahim PBUH was thrown into the fire, but it did not burn him.
These are miracles, but those Prophets PBUT were sent exclusively to their people, whereas Prophet Muhammad PBUH is the seal of all Prophets and Messengers PBUT, so he was sent to all mankind to be a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists) until the end of days and until the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, the Quran is the seal of all Divine Books, and this necessitates including a Testimony from the Creator that the Quran is His Book and His Words.
The tangible miracle is like a matchstick which is lit one time only, and it is put out, and this miracle becomes later on a piece of news that is believed by some people and disbelieved by others; however, the inimitability of the Quran is an ongoing Testimony from Allah.
In fact, there are close to 1.300 Ayat in the Quran (almost one sixth of it) about the universe. They are Allah's Words which include scientific miracles, and they are a Testimony from Allah.
﴾ And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). ﴿
It has been proven lately that the sun runs. In fact, there are endless scientific facts, and the miracles of the Quran will keep showing for years to come (till the end of days). The inimitability of the Noble Quran and Sunnah is the foremost proof that is used in calling people to Allah these days.
The third constant is Sunnah:
The Quran is inclusive, and it needs interpreting, so the Prophet PBUH clarified to people what is revealed in the Noble Quran. Accordingly, the Prophet's words are but an interpretation of the Quran and a clarification of what is mentioned in it. In other words, the Sunnh is an interpretation of Allah's Words.
I would like to repeat the fundamental constants that I have explained so far. The first constant of the sound faith is the universe, the second one is the Quran which includes everything, and the third is the Prophet PBUH whose words interpret this Quran, and this amounts to an explicit evidence that Allah exists, He is One and He is Perfect, that the universe is a manifestation of His Perfection, that the Noble Quran is His Words, and it includes miracles which prove that it is Allah's Words and that the Prophet PBUH is Allah's Messenger.
We are still talking about man's reason as his means to lead him to Allah, but after this stage, there is the role of the Divine Reporting. Concerning this point, bear in mind that everything the reason fails to comprehend Allah tells us about. As you know, we have the comprehensible matters, which are intellectual matters, and we have the news which are Divinely reported. While the reason tackles the comprehensible matters, the ear hears the Divinely reported news.
1- Allah told us about the existence of angels, jinns, Hell-Fire and Paradise:
Allah the Almighty told us that there are angels.
﴾ Who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded. ﴿
What is the proof that angels exist? There is no tangible proof that they exist, but there is a Divinely reported piece of news that they exist. If you trust someone in every drop of your blood and in every cell in your body, and upon asking him about the things he keeps in a closet you see in his house, and he says to you, "There are old books in it", you will believe him, so the evidence here is his words.
When you open that closet and look at what in it, you will realize with your mind that they are old books. However, he does not open it for you, but he tells you what contains. Much in the same line, Allah tells us that angels exist, so do jinns, and He tells us that there is life after death where there is Paradise with its ongoing bliss for eternity and there is Hell-Fire with its eternal torments.
2- Allah told us the stories of ancient nations:
Allah tells us also about the ancient world and how man was created, and He tells us about Adam and Eve, and how they lived in Paradise, but later on Shaitan (Satan) caused them to get out of it. Moreover, He tells us about the old nations like 'Ad, Thamoud, Ashab Al-Aikah and Musa and Harun's (Haroon) people. Thus, Allah tells us about the ancient world, about the far future and about His Divine Character:
﴾ Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. ﴿
This great religion includes comprehensible matters and Divine Reporting, so the former is comprehended by man's reason and the latter which cannot be comprehended is believed in since it is revealed to us from Allah the Almighty.
﴾ "And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being), then We told the angels, "Prostrate to Adam".": ﴿
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being), then We told the angels, "Prostrate to Adam", ﴿
Because man accepted to bear the trust, he acquired superiority over other creatures including the angels. The prostration in the previous Ayah means to take the order from Adam PBUH. In other words, it means to be subjugated to Adam PBUH.
When an ordinary person comes to you with an order from the king, obeying this person reflects your obedience to the king in its reality. Thus, Sujood here means to be submissive to Adam, and it means: "O angels, you did not bear the trust, but Adam did, and so he acquired superiority over all other creatures. I will pass to him My Order, and you will take My Order from him." Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "Prostrate to Adam", and they prostrated, except Iblis(Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrate. ﴿
﴾ Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's Torment). But man bore it. ﴿
Iblis's refusal to prostrate to Adam is a sin of pride:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him (Adam) the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him." ﴿
Iblis refused to prostrate to Adam PBUH, and he said:
﴾ Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." ﴿
His sin was pride. Sins are two kinds: sins of pride, and sins of weakness, and it is thousand times better to sin out of weakness than to sin out of pride, simply because pride contradicts submission to Allah, while whoever commits a sin out of weakness has a greater chance to turn to Allah with repentance. "A sin which makes the one who committed it humiliated and submissive is better than an act of obedience which makes man self-conceited and arrogant."
﴾ And (remember) when We said to the angels; "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis (Satan). He was one of the jinns; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. ﴿
He sinned by disobeying the Command of his Lord.
﴾ He disobeyed the Command of his Lord. ﴿
He did not prostrate. Iblis is not one of the angels, and before he received Allah's Command, he acquired superiority until he reached a level better than the level of the angels, but due to his pride and oppression in the land, he refused to prostrate to Adam PBUH.
﴾ Except Iblis(Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrate. ﴿
[ Al-A'raf, 11
]
﴾ He disobeyed the Command of his Lord. ﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Allah) said: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you?" Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." ﴿
Iblis is the first one who came up with "I am better than him":
If you have a straight bar and a hook and you ask, "Which one is better?", this question does not make sense. When you are in need of a straight bar, you use the straight bar, and it is the best means to serve your need, and when you are in need of a hook to hang something on it, then the hook is the best means to serve your need. Much in the same line, asking whether the clay is better than the fire is a ridiculous question, because each one of them has a quality which is the best for its function. The same goes for asking whether the car is better than the truck, because when you need a vehicle to transport people, the car is a better choice than the truck, but if you want to transport goods, the truck is a better choice than the car.
Every quality is the best when it serves the purpose behind using it. Well, it is fine to compare between two cars or two trucks, but comparing a truck to a car is not acceptable.
The following Ayah tells us what Iblis said (as Allah the Almighty mentions):
﴾ "I am better than him (Adam), …" ﴿
[ Al-A'raf, 12 ]
You are not better than Adam, because the high speed of jinns is suitable for their function, whereas the characteristics of human beings are suitable for their purpose, and every creature is given the characteristics which serve the purpose of his existence. Allah the Almighty tells us what Iblis said in the Quran:
﴾ He said: "Shall I prostrate to one whom You created from clay?" ﴿
Then Allah the Almighty clarifies this point in the following Ayah:
﴾ (Allah) said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself ﴿
The difference between refraining oneself and being prohibited from something:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Allah) said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself . ﴿
[ Saad, 75 ]
What prevents you from prostrating? We need to ponder over this Ayah, but let me before that mention what Allah the Almighty says in another Ayah:
﴾ (Allah) said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself ﴿
In the following Ayah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate ﴿
The difference between the two Ayat reflects the difference between being prohibited by force and being self-deterrent by choice.
In order to explain the difference between the two suppose that you want to eat, but a person prevents you from eating at gunpoint, in this case you are prohibited from eating by force. In another case, if there is food in front of you, and you want to eat, but a physician whom you trust tells you that this food is harmful to your body, and it will delay your recovery, no body forces you to refrain from eating, but you yourself choose not to eat. Thus, there is a big difference between being prohibited by force and being self-deterrent by choice. This shows us how the Quran is amazingly accurate:
﴾ (Allah) said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself ﴿
As if Allah is asking Iblis: "Is there an oppressing power which prevents you from prostrating?" In the other Ayah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate ﴿
As if Allah is asking Iblis: "Is there someone who talks you into not prostrating?" This is the difference between the first Ayah and the second one. Pay attention to the first Ayah:
﴾ (Allah) said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself ﴿
The following is the second Ayah:
﴾ "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate ﴿
It is a difference between being prohibited by force and being self-deterrent by choice. It seems that Iblis was convinced that fire is better than clay so he said (as Allah the Almighty tells us in the Quran):
﴾ "I am not the one to prostrate myself to a human being, ﴿
﴾ Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." ﴿
The results of disobedience:
1- Descending from Paradise:
Dear brothers, when Iblis refused to prostrate, he got the consequences (of his pride):
﴾ (Allah) said: "(O Iblis) get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced." ﴿
2- The meaning of "getting down":
Getting down has two meanings: the first meaning is material and the second one is moral. For instance, we say a plane lands at an airport, meaning that it gets down on a place. As for the second meaning, it is indicated when the general manager whose luxurious office is in the first floor is demoted to become the chief of staff and his office moves to the tenth floor. Though in terms of place he is higher, in terms of ranks he becomes in a lower position, with limited authorities and less income.
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Allah) said: "(O Iblis) get down from this (Paradise), ﴿
Iblis had once the potentials of being among the people of Paradise where no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no human heart has ever perceived, but when he was taken by pride and refused to obey Allah's Command and claimed that fire is better than clay, he deserved to get down from Paradise. Allah the Almighty says
﴾ It is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced." ﴿
This Ayah is a frame of reference in terms of evaluating people, for some of them refuse to obey Allah, they act arrogantly and refuse to offer Salah or to prostrate to Allah just like Iblis. Have you watched how the incumbents prostrate to Allah in religious occasions live on TV? This is but a medal of honor on their chests is not that true? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ For you are of those humiliated and disgraced." ﴿
[ [Al-A'raf, 13]
]
The one whose pride prevents him from prostrating to Allah is weightless in the Sight of Allah. How could you be arrogant against Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? In fact, the more submissive you are to Allah, the more honored Allah makes you among people.
When our Prophet PBUH loved His Lord and was humble before Him, Allah raised high his fame not only amongst Muslims but also amongst non-Muslims. The one who wrote a book about the most influential people in man's history (Michael H Hart the author of the book "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History"), came up with a list of 1000 people, then he chose 100 among them as the most influential people in history throughout all centuries and in all the continents and cultures, and our Prophet PBUH is on the top of this list.
In a previous lecture I mentioned what western thinkers said about the Prophet PBUH and how they praised him, and this is a proof of how Allah the Almighty raised high his fame among Muslims and non-Muslims.
Dear brothers, Allah Almighty says:
﴾ or you are of those humiliated and disgraced." ﴿
Iblis deserved this punishment, because his pride stopped him from obeying Allah's Command.
Reviewed
