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Reflect on other Creature's Worship
Shaykh Saud Ash-Shuraym [(Rabee 'ul
Thaanee 24, 1423 (July 5, 2002)]
All praise is
due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims!
The Almighty Creator created this universe with His knowledge and wisdom
and created in it all that exists of the angels, men, jinn, animals,
plants and other things which none but He knows. He created all these for
a single purpose that all acts of worship should be solely His, that all
these beings should affirm His Lordship and actualise all acts of worship
for Him alone; and that they should admit their helpless, submission and
their need for Him alone. Hence, the actualisation of worship for Allaah
alone cannot be properly achieved except by obeying Him and standing firm
on the right path that the religion may be Allaah's, that judgement may be
His and that all calls may be to Him. This duty can be carried out only by
those whom Allaah has made successors in and inhabitants of the earth and
that cannot be achieved by man except through words of the tongue, deeds
of the heart and the limbs. Also, real act of worship cannot be actualized
in the best form except by completely and absolutely surrendering and
submitting to Allaah with utmost love for Him. Therefore, the best man in
actualizing worship to Allaah is the best in submission and surrender to
Him. Worship in essence, is the religion and the only acceptable religion
before Allaah is Islaam.
"And
whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, never will it be accepted of
him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers."
(Aal 'Imraan
3:85)
This is the
purpose of creating the creation. Allaah also says,
"And
I created not the jinn and mankind except that they may worship me."
(Adh-Dhaariyaat
51:56)
He also says,
"Did
you think that We created you in play (without any purpose) and that you
would not be brought back to Us?"
(Al-Mu'minoon
23:115)
He says, while
rebuking a group of mankind who were heedless of the lessons inherent in
the universe around them,
"And
how many a sign in the heaven and the earth they pass by, while they are
averse thereof. And most of them believe not in Allaah except that they
attribute partners unto Him."
(Yoosuf
12:105-106)
Subhaanallaah!
Do they not see the illuminating stars, and the revolving orbits which all
are subjected to the Command of Allaah? How many are adjacent places,
gardens, mountains, seas and waves that are on the earth, yet they ascribe
daughters to Allaah and worship others beside Him. Glory be to the One God
Who created all the creations.
In view of
this, the wise person will be highly surprised to see the matters of this
universe turning upside down and see man turning away from worshipping
Allaah Who created him and being occupied with this finite world, after
Allaah has honoured him, made him travel in the land and in the sea,
favoured him above many of His creatures, and endowed him with many
blessings. With all this, yet man is arrogant, disbelieves, misbehaves, is
stingy and argues. Allaah says about him in this situation,
"Verily, man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer."
(Ibraaheem
13:34)
"And man is
ever miserly!"
(Al-Israa
17:100)
"But
man is ever more quarrelsome than anything."
(Al-Kahf 18:54)
"Nay! Verily, man does transgress (in disbelief and evil deeds), because
he considers himself self-sufficient."
(Al-'Alaq
96:6-7)
What is however
suitable for this man who has been endowed with the above great favours is
to be an obedient servant of his Lord not an arrogant rebel, to be
grateful and righteous and not ingrate wrong-doer. When one ponders over
many of the creatures in this universe one will realise that, there is no
creature who is given the like of attention that man is given. Rather, all
things are made subservient to man. Allaah says,
"And
He has subjected to you all that is in the earth; It is all as a favour
and kindness from Him."
(Al-Jaathiyah
45:13)
He even
subjected the angels for the service of man. He made some of them record
their deeds, some protect them from their front and rear; they protect
them from the Commands of Allaah; some are subjected to sending wind and
rain. Likewise, Allaah makes among their major duties, seeking for
forgiveness for men. He says,
"And
the angels glorify the praises of their Lord, and ask for forgiveness for
those on the earth."
(Ash-Shooraa
42:5)
In spite of all this, all these
creatures perfect their worship except man. They perfected their
submission to Him and their subjection to His Might save some creatures
like devils, some sinful jinn and some animals like gecko about which the
Prophet said, "Kill gecko, for it blew fire on our father Ibraaheem"
(Ahmad)
However, these
creatures are less sinful than man; for it was among men the one who said,
"I am your highest Lord", there was among men those who say "Allaah is
Jesus son of Mary", and that, "Allaah is the third of three gods" and
those who say, "Appoint for us a god as they also have a god", and those
who say "Allaah is poor and we are rich" and similar words of blasphemy.
This is how man
transgresses to the extent that we hear those who say that religion should
be separated from state, that there should be no religion in politics and
politics in religion; there are also some who say that, "religion is for
God and the nation is for all" or "leave what is Caesar's for Caesar and
what is God's for God" or those who describe religion as backwardness and
Islamic legal punishments as barbarism or describe Islaam as a restriction
on woman and unjust to her or believe that her freedom lies in her revolt
against the limits of her Lord and her proclamation of her disobedience to
His Law, thereby making her an object of theft for every thief and
wrong-doer and making her body an object of temptation and commerce.
Those are some
of the sayings of man. Compare this to the stance of the accursed Satan as
narrated to us by our Lord in His Book; did he say anything as grievous as
what man says? Did he say more than that he would mislead the children of
Aadam and saw his race as superior to that of man and failed to prostrate
for the one who was created out of clay. He even told some men,
"Verily, I see what you see not. Verily, I fear Allaah, for Allaah is
severe in punishment."
(Al-Anfaal
8:48)
How great is
the transgression of man, his arrogance and evil plot!
"But
the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it. Then can they expect
anything (else) but the sunnah (way of dealing) of the people of old? So,
no change will you find in Allaah's Sunnah and no turning off will you
find in Allaah's Sunnah"
(Faatir 35:43)
Almighty Allaah
emphasizes the reality of man's disobedience among other creatures and his
disdain from worshipping Allaah who created him,
"See
you not that whoever is in the heavens and the earth, and the sun, the
moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees and all living moving creatures,
and many of mankind prostrate themselves to Allaah. But there are many men
on whom the punishment is justified. And whosoever Allaah disgraces, none
can honour him. Verily, Allaah does what He wills."
(Al-Hajj 22:18)
This verse
indicates that most men are disobedient to their Lord, disdainful and
erring.
Fellow Muslims!
In order to reach a common goal, that is to worship Allaah alone, and in
order to know that there are negligent and disdainful ones among us, and
to make note that anyone who does a righteous deed among us feels big by
that and convince himself and his society that he lives in serenity,
uprightness and guidance and that he has carried out his obligation,
therefore, he needs not to improve; in order that, we may belittle our
deeds, however righteous they may be, it is better that we give examples
on some of the creatures of Allaah and in the course of that know the wide
gap between their worship and obedience to Allaah and that of us human
beings.
Among that is the religious zeal that
Allaah has created in non-living things when man wants to violate the
thing which Allaah has made sacred. In the hadeeth, a corpse was carried
past the Messenger of Allaah and he said, "Going to rest and giving rest
to others" He was asked, "What is going to rest and what is giving rest to
others?" The Prophet said, "When a believing slave dies, he goes to rest
from hardship of this world and its harm into the mercy of Allaah; but
when the sinful slave dies, all men, the land, the tree and all living
animals are relieved." (Al-Bukhaaree)
See
how the tree and moving animals get hurt by a sinful man and the
corruption, destruction and flagrant disobedience that he causes on the
earth whose repercussion does not affect the man alone.
Conversely, some living animals get
elated by man's religiosity and its blessing on the earth, hence they
supplicate for him and ask Allaah to forgive him. The Prophet said,
"Indeed, Allaah and His angels, and all the inhabitants of the heavens and
the earth, even the ants in her hole and the whale, do invoke blessing on
the man who teaches good to people." The moving animals even become afraid
of the Day of Resurrection because of its horror. The Messenger of Allaah
said, "Every moving living animal listens attentively every Friday out of
fear of the Day of Resurrection." (Ahmad). There is even a report about
the cock's worship and call to good. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Do not
abuse the cock for it calls to prayer" (Ahmad). He also said about the
horse, "At every dawn, each Arabian horse is permitted to make a
supplication saying: 'O Allaah! You have subjected me to whom you wish
among men, so make me one of his dearest household and properties.' It
would then be said: 'The invocation of this horse has been answered.' "
(Ahmad)
As for the
ants; they are one of the nations that glorify Allaah in spite of their
smallness and man's disdain for them. Allaah said about them,
"Till when they (Sulayman an his hosts) came to the valley of the ants,
one of the ants said: O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulayman and his
hosts should crush you while they perceive not."
(An-Naml 27:18)
The Prophet
said about it, "An ant bitten one of the Prophets of Allaah and that
Prophet ordered the ants village to be burnt, Allaah then revealed to him,
'Was it because of the bite of an ant that you ordered a whole nation that
glorified Allaah to be burnt?!' "
As for the
tree, Allaah says about it,
"And the stones and trees
both prostrate themselves to Allaah"
(Ar-Rahmaan
55:6)
The Prophet said, "There is not any
pilgrim who makes the talbiyah except that it makes it with Him
from his right and left every rock, tree or clay." As for rocks and the
trees' friendship to the believers, that shows the depth of their worship
to Allaah and their enthusiasm for His religion, the Prophet said, "The
Hour will not come until Muslims shall fight the Jews and kill them. When
a Jew hides behind a rock or tree, that rock or tree will say, 'O you
Muslim, O you slave of Allaah, here is a Jew behind me, come and kill
him.' " (Al-Bukhaaree)
Fellow Muslims! See how these afore-mentioned creatures and others worship
Allaah and glorify Him. See how the mountains fall out of fear of Allaah.
See how it refused to carry the trust for the fear of her Lord. See how it
crushed to pieces when our Lord showed Himself to Moosa. Allaah also
informed us that if the Qur'aan had been revealed on it, it would have
fell asunder out of fear of Allaah. It is therefore, very surprising that
man whose heart is just a lump of flesh can be harder when hearing the
words of Allaah, and remains arrogant as if he has not heard it and will
not be soft for the recited signs of Allaah. But Allaah says the truth
when He says,
"Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith
they understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily it is not the eyes that
go blind but the hearts which are in the breasts that go blind."
(Al-Hajj 22:46)
Brethren in
faith! A wolf made a surprising statement at the time of the Prophet which
indicated that it believed that provision comes only from Allaah. Aboo
Sa'eed Al-Khudree narrated, "A wolf attacked a goat and took it. The
shepherd then followed that wolf until he snatched the goat from him. The
wolf then said, "Won't you fear Allaah? You are taking away from me a
provision that Allaah has sent to me?" The shepherd said, "What a wonder!
A wolf addressing me with the language of men!" The wolf then told him,
"Should I not tell you of what is more wonderful than that? There is
Muhammad in Yathrib, telling people news of the past." In another
narration by Bukhaaree: People said, "Glory be to Allaah, a wolf speaks?"
The Prophet said, "I believe that, so do Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar."
Fear Allaah,
dear Muslims! Give Allaah His due estimation. Feel the impact of the
worship of non-living things, the plants and the animals though they are
lesser than you as regards favour of Allaah. Know that you are negligent
in your obedience to Allaah however much you try and that you are unjust
however just and perfect you claim to be. For, mankind’s farness from
knowing the reality, their lack of certainty on the Commandments and
prohibitions and lack of overriding their lusts; all these need a greater
struggle more than that of other creatures who glorify Allaah and obey
Him.
Fellow Muslims!
Recognise the honour given to man by making him successor on the earth.
Protect this jewel with real obedience to Allaah. Keep away from sins and
negligence, and beware lest the sins lead you to destruction,
"Thus it is, and whoever honours the symbols of Allaah, then it is truly
from the piety of the hearts."
(Hajj 22:32)
"But
none is granted it except those who are patient and none is granted it the
owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter)."
(Fussilat
41:35)
The more one humbles himself before
and shows his total submission to Allaah, the more he is honoured. And the
happiest of men is the greatest in actualising the worship for Allaah. The
Prophet said, "Allaah says, 'O son of Aadam, devote yourself for My
worship, I will fill your heart with wealth and remove your poverty but if
you do not do that, I will fill your heart with occupation and I will not
remove your poverty.' " (Ibn Maajah)
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