Question:
Most
people think that things were created from the light of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and that his light was created
from the light of Allaah.
They narrate,
“I am the light of Allaah and everything is from my light” and also,
“The first thing that Allaah created was the light of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Is there any basis for this?
They
also narrate “I am ‘Arab without (the letter) ‘ayn, i.e., Rabb, and I
am Ahmad without (the letter) meem, i.e., Ahad.” Is there any basis for
this?
Praise be to Allaah.
The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has
been described as being light from the light of Allaah. If what is
meant by this is that he himself is from the light of Allaah, then this
goes against the Qur’aan, which refers to his being human. If what is
meant is that he is light in the sense that he brought the Revelation
by which whoever Allah wills of His creation is guided, then this is
correct. The committee has issued a fatwa concerning this matter, as
follows:
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) has light which is the light of the message and
guidance from Allaah, through which Allaah guides whomsoever He will of
His slaves. No doubt the light of the message and of guidance comes
from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
‘It
is not given to any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless
(it be)by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He sends a
Messenger to reveal what He wills by His Leave. Verily, He is Most
High, Most Wise.
And thus We have sent to you
(O Muhammad) Roohan (an Inspiration, and a Mercy) of Our Command. You
knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We have made it (this
Qur’aan) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will.
And verily, you (O Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the
Straight Path (i.e., Allaah’s religion of Islamic monotheism), --
The
path of Allaah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that
is in the earth. Verily, all the matters at the end go to Allaah (for
decision).”[al-Shura 42:51-53]
This light is
not derived from the Seal of the Awliya’ as some heretics claim. The
body of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
blood and flesh and bone, and so on. He was created from a father and a
mother, and had no existence before he was born. The reports which say
that the first thing created by Allaah was the light of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or that Allaah grasped a
handful of the light from His Face and that this handful was Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then He looked at it and
it formed drops, and from each of these drops He created a Prophet, or
He created all of creation from the light of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) – all of these reports and the like
are not saheeh, and nothing like this has been narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).”
From the fatwa quoted above, it is clear that this is a false belief.
As
for the report which says “I am ‘Arab without (the letter) ‘ayn, i.e.,
Rabb, and I am Ahmad without (the letter) meem, i.e., Ahad” – the
attributes of Lordship (ruboobiyah, from Rabb meaning Lord) and
Absolute Unity (Ahad meaning One) are attributes that belong uniquely
to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. It is not permissible for
any one of His creation to be described as “the Lord (Rabb)” or as
being One (Ahad) in absolute terms. These are attributes that belong
exclusively to Allaah, and are not used to describe the Messengers or
any other human beings. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his
family and companions.
Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’ (Standing Committee for Academic Research and the Issuing of Fatwas).
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/310.
Question:
Is
it said that Allaah created the heavens and earth for the purpose of
creating the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? What
is the meaning of the words, “Were it not for you, the universe [lit.
heavenly bodies] would not have been created”? Is there any basis for
this hadeeth? Is it saheeh or not? Please give us the facts.
Answer:
The
heavens and earth were not created for the sake of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They were created for the reason
mentioned by Allaah in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“It
is Allaah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like
thereof (i.e., seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and
earth), that you may know that Allaah has power over all things, and
that Allaah surrounds (comprehends) all things in (His)
Knowledge.”[al-Talaaq 65:12]
As for the
hadeeth mentioned, it is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and has no grounds for authenticity.
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/312.