Quranic Guidance: Answering Life's Why, Not Science's How

The Quran: A Book of Guidance, Not Science

We know, of course, that the moon is not actually growing and becoming small. It is the reflection of the light of the sun on the moon — that certain parts of it are illuminated and the other parts are dark. The bright side and the dark side of the moon.

But the Sahaba, at that time, they asked Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم — يَسْأَلُونَكَ, they are asking you, they are asking you, عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ, about the moon — how does it change in shape? So they asked a question about how. And the answer to how things happen — this is science.

And Allah revealed the Qur'an as a source of hidayah, not as a book of science. The Qur'an does not necessarily answer the question of how things happen. It answers the question of why things happen.

So how is a baby developing in the fetus? How does a person develop and grow? All of the different stages of life — how that happens — this is the subject of science. And then why it happens — like why are we here, what is the purpose of our creation — this is the realm of sharia and wahi. All of the scientists in the world and all of the philosophers in the world, if they put all their scientific knowledge together and all of their philosophy together, they cannot answer the question of what is the purpose of our existence.

Why? Because:

The purpose of our existence is to recognize and worship Allah. So where did our ruh come from — alam al-arwah — and where is it traveling to — akhira? The scientists cannot tell you.

Are we saying we don't need science? That we should discredit the whole scientific experience and journey? No, absolutely not. We need it because this is our worldly life. Allah says:

Allah has subjugated for you, for your service, everything in this world. So when the wind is blowing — wind has been defined as the moving air — why is the air moving? It is for your service. There is kinetic energy in the moving of the air. That energy can be harnessed to bring light in the masjid, in the house of Allah. From the moving of the air, we have the turbines. The turbines are moving, taking that energy and then through the electromagnets creating the flow of electrons — known as electricity — and then lighting the bulbs. SubhanAllah.

So we can worship Allah in the nights of i'tikaf. And other people can do other haram things with that same light. Na'udhu billah.

Those who do not have haya — as the saying goes — if one has no shame of consequences and no sense of hayaa, then let them do as they wish, for there is no goodness awaiting them. And when hayaa departs, a person lives in a state devoid of good.

And as has been said beautifully in verse: Ahlul layli fee laylihim aladhu min ahlil lahwi fee lahwihim — those who are enjoying the munajat of Allah in the night, they have more pleasure than those who are enjoying the drink and the other sins of the night.

So science will help us — it is beneficial — but it will always answer the question of how things happen, and the sharia will answer the question of why things happen. This is a very fundamental principle.

The Moon: A Calendar, Not a Scientific Curiosity

So over here, what happens is — they ask you, how does the moon increase and decrease? So Allah, what did He do? Does He not know the answer? Absolutely — He is the Khaliq of the moon, Khaliq of the sun, Khaliq of the solar system, universe. He is the Khaliq of the alameen. He is the Rabbul alameen.

The alam by definition is kullu ma siwa Allah — every single thing in existence besides Allah is the alam. So on one side is Allah, the Khaliq, and every single thing besides Allah is makhlooq. Not just makhlooq — His makhlooq. He is the sole creator; everything else is His creation.

So He knows what He created. He could have answered it — it's simple; we teach that in the first grade to the kids, how the sun and the moon work. But He said, no, this is not why I revealed the Qur'an. Not that He was incapable, but He wanted to say: this is not the purpose.

It is a source of guidance. So He diverted the attention and said:

The Sahaba are asking you about the moon. Allah is ordering Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم — you respond to them. Qul — say: the purpose of the moon, the objective, the maqsad of it — why this happens — is so that you can determine your time. I made it as a means of your calendar. And for Hajj — to determine the dates of Hajj.

The Bedouin Who Asked About the Day of Judgment

Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه narrates:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3688; Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 2639)

A Bedouin came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said, "O Messenger of Allah, when is the Day of Judgment?"

The fact that this man was a Bedouin — an Arab from the desert — is significant in many ways. One of them is that the Arabs were أَقَلُّهُمْ تَكَلُّفًا — they had no formalities. They were very straightforward; they were not shy; they did not have fake takalluf. Number two — being an Arab from outside Medina — means he would not have had as much knowledge of the Qur'an. If he had more knowledge, he would have already been exposed to how many times Allah already mentioned in the Qur'an:

They ask you about the Day of Judgment — when is it coming? Say: only Allah knows. So many times it came in the Qur'an that Allah has kept the knowledge of the Day of Judgment hidden.

When Jibreel عليه السلام came and asked Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم — in order to make a point — Mata al-sa'a? When is the Day of Judgment? Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم didn't just say, "I don't know." He said, I don't know — and I also know that you also don't know. Because up till now, everything Jibreel was asking — about Islam, about Iman, about Ihsan — Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم was answering it, and what was Jibreel saying? صَدَقْتَ، صَدَقْتَ — yes, you gave the right answer, since he already knew the answer. So when he asks, "When is the Day of Judgment?" — if Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم simply said, "I don't know," then given the whole history of the question-and-answer context, it may have seemed that, oh, Jibreel probably knows, because he knew the other answers.

So Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said this concept in a very beautiful and comprehensive way:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 50; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 1)

The one from whom the question is being asked does not have more knowledge about the answer than the one who is asking the question. Which means: I don't have more knowledge than you, I don't know — and I also know that you don't know.

This Bedouin was not there when the hadith of Jibreel happened; he was not there when these ayat were revealed, nor did he hear about them. That's why he's asking such a question. And that's why the Sahaba loved the Bedouins — because when the Bedouins would come, they would do strange things, and every time they did, it would be a learning opportunity. They would see how Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم reacts. It is mentioned in one hadith that: we would look forward to when these Bedouins would come and do their various actions, because we would see how Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم responds, and it would be a learning opportunity.

"What Have You Prepared?" — Al-Mar'u Ma'a Man Ahabba

So he comes and says, Mata al-sa'a? When is the Day of Judgment? So Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم replied — he diverted the question. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3688; Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 2639)

What have you prepared for that day? This should be your question — how can I prepare for the Day of Judgment? Don't worry about when it's coming; worry about what you can prepare. So he asked him: Ma a'dadta laha? What have you prepared?

Now, if he wanted to have fake takalluf, he could have said, "Oh, I don't know, I don't have anything," and so on. But he was straightforward. The Sahaba — they had أَقَلُّهُمْ تَكَلُّفًا — the least formalities; أَعْمَقُهُمْ عِلْمًا — deep knowledge; أَبَرُّهُمْ قُلُوبًا — the purest hearts. مَصَابِيحُ الْهُدَى — they were the lanterns of guidance. رِضْوَانُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ.

So he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3688; Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 2639)

I have not prepared a lot of nafl sadaqa. A lot of nafl fasting, I have not done. But I am confident — I can declare — that I truly love Allah and His Rasul.

So then Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

A person will be raised in the company of whom he loves on the Day of Judgment.

Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه, who is the rawi of this hadith — the narrator who heard this exchange and is narrating it to us — he says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6170; Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 2640)

There is no single statement that we ever heard in our entire lives from Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم that caused us more happiness and was a greater glad tiding for us than when he said: a person will be raised in the company of whom he loves.

To understand the significance of this, we have to see who is the rawi — Anas ibn Malik. Anas ibn Malik is the exact opposite scenario of the Bedouin. We mentioned about the Bedouin that he just came from outside and didn't have exposure. Anas ibn Malik, on the opposite side, had the maximum exposure — from the Ansar — excluding the Muhajirun who were there 13 years in Mecca, like Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, who was wazeeruhu fil hayat wa rafiqahu fil mamat — his companion in his life and his companion in death. But besides Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and the sabiqoon al-awwaloon min al-muhajireen, if you look at the Ansar, then no one has more exposure than Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه.

He says: when Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم first entered Medina, my mother, Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها, said, "O Rasulullah, can you accept this 10-year-old boy in your khidmah?" So Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم accepted him. So from the age of 10, all the way till Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم passed away — 10 years in Medina, from age 10 to 20 — all the teenage years, he had mulazimah; he continually was in the khidmah of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم in those formative years. To the extent that when Arabs and other Bedouins and tribal people would come from outside, they thought he was a member of the family. Because Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم had azwaj al-mutahharat, different hujurat for the different wives, and he would be going in and out as a young child, doing the chores, bringing the groceries, helping out. So they thought he must be a family member — he's going into the house, he has inside access.

So after having this tool of long companionship — suhbah — if he says no statement made us more happy than this statement, it's truly remarkable. And then you have to think: why was he so happy about it? It's because, just like the Sahabi who mentioned this exchange, they did not have iti'mad — they did not have confidence in their a'mal. They said, "I'm not sure if my deeds are worthy of acceptance or not." But what they had confidence in was: they would not hesitate to declare from the rooftops — "I love Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم." There's no doubt about that one. Is my ibadah worthy of acceptance? I don't know — there is so much deficiency. But do I love Rasulullah? Absolutely. No doubt about that one.

So this hadith now applies to them; they feel it applies to them. And then the greatest thing is that — okay, if you love Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم, you enter Jannah — that's awesome, that's great too. But it's not only that. Ma'a man ahabba — you will be with Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم. So what could be more amazing than that? To have the murafaqat of Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم.

On one occasion, one Sahabi made Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم so happy — so happy — that he gave him like a blank check. Signed. Fill in what you want. He said: ask anything your heart desires; I'll ask Allah. So now is your opportunity — ask whatever you want. What did he ask? Murafaqataka fil jannah — I want your companionship in Jannah. Not just to get into Jannah, or Jannat al-Firdaws, or Jannat al-Adn. Your companionship in Jannah.

So Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said: okay — but help me in that by:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 1263)

Help me in that by doing many such sujood. As I have mentioned many times before — someone came to a shaykh and said, sif lana al-jannah nashtaqu ilayha — please give us a description of Jannah that will increase our shawq and desire. He wanted to hear about the hoors and the qusoor, the palaces and the maidens and the rivers and the gold and silver. So the shaykh said: la azeedukum ila anna feeha Rasulullah — what more can I tell you that should increase your desire to enter Jannah, than that in Jannah you will meet Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم?

So that should move us. And if it doesn't move us, we should also be moved by the question: why is it not moving me? Either we are directly affected — or we should be affected by the fact that we are not affected. Allahu Akbar.

The Month of Dhul Hijjah and the Family of Ibrahim

So, this is an example of diverting the question. Allah did the same thing — they asked about the moon, so qul hiya mawaqit — the purpose of the moon is to determine the time.

Anyway, I was beginning by saying that we have two calendars — one is the solar calendar and one is the lunar calendar. And as I was contemplating a topic — we have two types of months. Should I talk about Pride Month? Na'udhu billah — from the fitnah of pride and from the sharr of pride. Or we can talk about Dhul Hijjah. Dhul Hijjah is coming up — Ashhurul Hajj. Two topics. Maybe we can leave the pride topic for another discussion — we talk about that often. Such a darkening topic. All of the parents in all of our meetings always have this concern. Of course, not that we shove it under the rug — we need to talk about it. But we have a few minutes left, and I want to talk about Dhul Hijjah. Hopefully something that will inspire us and give us more hope, instead of becoming more despondent by the environment we are living in.

So the month of Dhul Hijjah is upon us, dawning upon us. There are many different aspects of the month of Dhul Hijjah. It is the last month of the Islamic year. And one aspect that is a prominent feature of this month is that this is the month where we need to study the life and the seerah of, and be inspired by, Ibrahim Khalilullah.

If in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal we have different seerah conferences — and it's an opportunity — well, we are supposed to love Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم day and night; it's not limited to any date or any month. But typically that is when the seerah of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم is revived and it's a season to remember. So likewise, in the month of Dhul Hijjah, it is an opportunity for us to revive the seerah of this beautiful family — the family of Ibrahim Khalilullah: Sarah and Hajar عليهما السلام, the wives of Ibrahim عليه السلام, and Ismail and Ishaq عليهما السلام, the sons of Ibrahim عليه السلام.

This is a beautiful family that was selected by Allah. Just like Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم and his pure wives — their role and position is like the father and mother of this ummah. As Allah says:

The wives of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم have the title of Ummahat al-Mu'minin — they are like our mothers. So if Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم and his pure wives are like our father and mother, then Ibrahim عليه السلام and Hajar عليها السلام are like our grandfather and grandmother. This language we get from where? From the Qur'an:

The word أَب refers to father, but majazan — figuratively — it can refer to grandfather as well. This is how the Arabic language works.

Allah has made it haram for you to marry your mothers and your daughters. So أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ means mother, grandmother, great-grandmother — all the way up. بَنَاتُكُمْ means daughter, granddaughter — all the way down. All are haram to marry. So likewise, father means grandfather, great-grandfather — all are included. مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ — he is like the grandfather of this ummah.

What do we recite in the salah? InshaAllah, if we make it till the end of the Jumu'ah, we will say:

The link is there. So inshaAllah we should take time out, as the khutbah time is ending now, to study the life of Ibrahim عليه السلام.

Ibrahim: The Tests and the Certification from Allah

Just a quick wrap-up. Who is this man? This is the man about whom Allah says:

Allah tested him with multiple tests. Do you love your father more or Allah?

And he left his father. Do you love your homeland more than Allah?

He left his homeland. Do you love your wife more or Allah? He left her in the desert. Do you love your son more or Allah? He prepared to slaughter his son.

"O my dear son, I see in my dream that I am slaughtering you — what do you think?" He didn't say, "Baba, you had a nightmare." He said:

Fulfill the command of Allah. Then — subhanAllah — do you love yourself more or Allah? He threw himself into the fire. Kalimat — all the tests:

He passed. SubhanAllah. Allah gave him a certification — certified by Allah. Allah is saying: He passed My test. Degree, diploma, signed by Allah.

He passed the test, so he gets the degree. The students right now have their final exams. So what is your degree? إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا — I make you the Imam of all people until the Day of Judgment.

So Ibrahim عليه السلام said, "O Allah, you give me this degree?" قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي — how about my progeny? Can they also? Allah said:

No. This is an honor for you. It will not extend to the zalimeen. Just because you're of his progeny — everyone has to make their own effort.

A person will not have to his credit except for what his own effort is. So Allah gave him a laqab — he was Imam al-Nas until the Day of Judgment.

Allah also said:

He was My loyal slave. And Allah said:

Allah has made him His khalil — His intimate friend.

Who Has the True Claim to Ibrahim?

Allah says that in the time of Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم, the mushrikun said, "We are the sons of Ismail — he is our father." They were worshiping idols and said, "He is our leader." The Jews said, "He is our leader." The Christians said, "He is our leader." The Sahaba, the Mu'minun said, "He is our leader." They were all claiming him. As the poet says: everyone says, "O Layla, she loves me." But then Layla says, "I don't love any of you." So likewise, they were all saying he is our leader. So Allah said — okay, I will make the judgment:

Ibrahim عليه السلام was not a Jew in the current understanding, nor was he a Christian. وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ — he was not a mushrik. From childhood he was the one who was breaking the idols. You are worshiping idols and you want to make a link with him — what's wrong with you? He was a true Muslim. And Allah says that those who accepted Islam at his hands — his own disciples, his Sahaba — they are very close to him. Then after them, this Nabi Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is following his way. And the believers of this ummah are following the way of Ibrahim عليه السلام.

The Way of Ibrahim: Submission — Islam

Allah wants us to follow the way of Ibrahim. From beginning till end, the way of Ibrahim عليه السلام — if you want to wrap it up in 60 seconds — is the way of submission. In summary: it is Islam. Islam meaning: submission. Sar-e-taslim khami, jo jo amr aaya ma'a — we submit to whatever our Beloved asks from us.

We see this theme throughout his life. In all the tests I quickly mentioned, he submitted in all conditions to Allah. And Allah says:

Remember when Allah told Ibrahim عليه السلام: Aslim — submit to Me. So he could have responded and said, أَسْلَمْتُ لَكَ — I submit to you. But in Balagha there is something called Iltifat — where you turn from one person to another. So instead of saying, أَسْلَمْتُ لَكَ — which would be mukhatab, second person — he turned to the third person, ghaib, and said: أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ — I submit to the Lord of the worlds. SubhanAllah.

Why did he say that? He's saying: this command of submission that he is fulfilling is not limited to him alone. Rather he is reminding everyone: I am submitting not to Rabb Ibrahim alone — I am submitting to the Rabbul Alameen. So therefore, just as I am submitting, everybody else — you are part of the alam — you need to submit as well. Allahu Akbar.

Then Allah said he was a true Muslim — وَلَٰكِن كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُّسْلِمًا. But when he makes dua, what dua does he make? He says:

O Allah, make me and my son Ismail true Muslims, and from our progeny create an ummah which will be a truly Muslim ummah. Allah says he is already a Muslim — yet when he makes dua, he says: make me a Muslim. And Allah tells us to follow him. When he made dua for this ummah, he asked:

From my progeny, create an ummah which will be a true Muslim ummah. And in the first ayah we mentioned at the beginning:

Follow the way of your father Ibrahim — he is the one who gave you the name of Muslim. Min qabl — in the previous scriptures this story is mentioned, wa fi hadha — and in the Qur'an it is mentioned. So he made dua for us to be a Muslim ummah — that's why we have the name Muslim. هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ — he gave you the name of Muslim. Like you say, what's your name? "Oh, this is the name my parents gave me." So where did we get the name of Muslim? Our forefather Ibrahim gave us that name.

And then lastly, Allah asks a question: whoever does not follow the way of Ibrahim عليه السلام and does not truly submit — what are they?

Safiha — a fool. Whoever turns away from the way of Ibrahim عليه السلام is a fool. Allah said: I had chosen him, I selected him; he is a righteous servant of Mine. If you still don't adopt his path, this is foolish behavior.

And when he was dying, he asked his children:

His grandson Ya'qub عليه السلام asked: what are you going to worship? This wasiyya — this bequest — continued. "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers Ibrahim, Ismail, and Ishaq — one God — and we are Muslims to Him."

Closing: A Call to True Submission

So, we have to truly submit to Allah. This is the test for us. This is just a glimpse of Ibrahim عليه السلام. Hajar عليها السلام — what did she do? Something else? No bid'ah — she also submitted. And Ismail عليه السلام has his own story of submission. All of them submitted to the will of Allah.

May Allah grant us all tawfiq as well to submit to the order of Allah in every condition. And may this month of Dhul Hijjah that is dawning upon us be a means for us to revive that spirit of submission to Allah. May He make us true Muslims and join us with Ibrahim Khalilullah — and beyond that, even with Muhammad Habibullah صلى الله عليه وسلم — in the Eternal Gardens of Jannah.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes. Please donate generously from the left side to the right side. Sadaqa on the day of Jumu'ah wards off calamities and carries additional reward.

Please note that inshaAllah we will be having the Khatm al-Bukhari Sharif graduation ceremony for the Alim and Alima program. This year, alhamdulillah, there are 14 ulema and 10 alimat graduating. Also Tahfiz / Hifz graduation, high school graduation, and one-year intensive graduation. All of these graduations are on Saturday and Sunday, June 17th and 18th, inshaAllah.

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