Again the same promise, Allah will never punish a people unless they've denied the message after being sent a messenger and Allah is most Just! So just in fact, that He gave the more flexible option to the disbelievers. In Surat Al=an'aam, they asked why they weren't sent an angel instead of a human, not realizing that if they had denied the angel, then the punishment would've been immediate. But with the Prophet SAW, they were given time to reflect, contemplate, repent and learn! Years even! Badr happened in 624, 14 years after the initial revelation!

In surat Al-Hadid, Allah further describes the nature of this world as play, beautification, amusement and delusion, similar to verse 60.

Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said that one amongst the denizens of Hell who had led a life of ease and plenty amongst the people of the world would be made to dip in Fire only once on the Day of Resurrection and then it would be said to him:

O, son of Adam, did you find any comfort, did you happen to get any material blessing? He would say: By Allah, no, my Lord. And then that person from amongst the persons of the world be brought who had led the most miserable life (in the world) from amongst the inmates of Paradise. and he would be made to dip once in Paradise and it would be said to him. 0, son of Adam, did you face, any hardship? Or had any distress fallen to your lot? And he would say: By Allah, no, my Lord, never did I face any hardship or experience any distress. [Sahih Muslim]

The disbelievers will be asked to call out (for help) to those they used to worship besides Allah. We are reminded, shirk comes in small and big forms. While one may not name another god, aoothubillah, they may worship wealth, status, sex, etc. It is a day where the only currency is good deeds. And anyone who denies Allah has incurred a debt so great, no amount of good deeds can pay it back.

'if what you are saying is true and the Prophet ﷺ has indeed said that he travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem and then into the heavens, all in one night, then I believe it. How is that such a big deal to believe in when I already believe his claims that he recieves revelation from the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth.'

Iman bil ghayb (Belief in the Unseen) is an essential part of being a Muslim. You open up the Qur'an and it is the one of the first things mentioned: 

'Alif-Lãm-Mĩm. This is the Book! There is no doubt about it—a guide for those mindful ˹of Allah˺, who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and donate from what We have provided for them..' (al-Baqarah 1-3) 

Ghayb encompasses all that is within Allah's perfect knowledge which He hasn't shared with us. Anything that we don't know or that we can't grasp is ghayb. We just have to believe in it and  it is this belief which  ultimately distinguishes the believers from the disbelievers. 

'Indeed, those in awe of their Lord without seeing Him will have forgiveness and a mighty reward.' (67:12) 

vs 

'Had We sent down to you ˹O Prophet˺ a revelation in writing and they were to touch it with their own hands, the disbelievers would still have said, 'This is nothing but pure magic!' (6:7) 

*** 

In a world where materialism pervades everything, believing in the Unseen is deemed to be a strange thing. 'Where is God' 'Scientifically prove to me that God exists' 'You can't seriously believe that a child was born without a father!' 

For such people, unless you can have a materialistic, naturalistic explanation for something which their minds can grasp, they will refuse to believe. 

This is exactly like the Makkan pagans who demanded that for them to believe they would need to see a Book descend from the heavens to them or that an actual Angel deliver the message. And yet Allah swore that they would never believe even if they empirically observed such things with their own eyes. 

As Muslims we believe in many miraculous things that contradict our expectations of how the world normally works. The virgin birth of Isa AS. The wives of Ibrahim and Zakariyya AS giving birth when they were well past the age of child bearing. All the many miracles given to Musa AS. Allah cooling the fire for Ibrahim AS. The splitting of the moon. The sleepers of the Cave. Ya'juj and Ma'juj. And so much more. 

These things shouldn't normally happen but we believe that they did happen because the One who created it all said so. Simple as that.  

كن فيكون

And we firmly believe that they are real life events that happened *exactly* as Allah described. We don't try to explain them away as metaphorical.  The Red Sea really did part for Musa. Why is it so hard to believe that the One who *created* these laws of nature is able to suspend them whenever He so wills. 

We mustn't be like the Bani Israel who even after Allah had blessed them with so many miracles, went on to accuse Maryam AS of what they did. And even after they saw that same baby speak to them from the cradle and tell them that he was a blessed Prophet of God, they still tried to kill him when he grew up. (19:27-34)

This shows that no amount of explanation or rationalisation will satisfy the one who doesn't believe. The one who can't humble themselves to accept something outside of their limited perception of reality. But you see, Allah doesn't require us to understand. He only requires us to believe. 

*** 

The pagan Makkans ridiculed the Prophet ﷺ at any chance that they could get. When the Prophet ﷺ returned from his miraculous journey of Israa wal Mi'raj, he was obliged to inform the people of what happened however he was anxious because such a magnificent story was essentially providing an open goal for his detractors to mock him. 

When Abu Jahl heard this, he couldn't contain his excitement. This was the moment that the Prophet ﷺ was going to be discredited once and for all. Hearing about this even made some Muslims feel uneasy. But not Abu Bakr (R) who went on to earn his status of As-Siddiq (the Truthful) at this moment. 

When Abu Jahl came to Abu Bakr and informed him, Abu Bakr nonchalantly said: 

'if what you are saying is true and the Prophet ﷺ has indeed said that he travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem and then into the heavens, all in one night, then I believe it. How is that such a big deal to believe in when I already believe his claims that he recieves revelation from the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth.' 

SubhanAllah. Goosebumps. 

It really is that simple. We believe in Allah. He created us *from nothing* and us just existing is enough of an evidence to put all other contentions to bed. 

And so if we *truly* believe in that, how can anything shake our faith. How can there can be room for doubt? Whether it be evolution, the birth of Isa AS or even certain legal proscriptions that we don't understand – if we already believe in Allah then the rest of these so-called problematic issues are just background noise. 

We just have to live up to our name of Muslim and submit to Allah with all His perfect names and attributes. 

***

In the famous Hadith of Jibril, where we get our pillars from, the levels of faith were demarcated. Islam, Iman and then Ihsan. The highest level of faith, Ihsan, is as the Prophet ﷺ said: 'to worship Allah as if you see Him for even though you cannot see Him, He sees you' 

This is to believe in the truth of the Unseen with as much conviction as you have for the world around you. 

And if this happens to put you at odds with everything and everyone around you then remember: 'glad tidings to the strangers!' 

#ihsan
#iman
#ghayb
#unseen
#faith
#allah
#seerah
#abubakr

It makes me think about the idea of object permanence in human beings. By six to eight months of age, infants begin to grasp the idea of object permanence. It refers to the idea that even if you conceal a toy under a desk or cover it with a blanket, the object does not cease to exist simply because you cannot see it.  It takes a higher degree of intelligence and a more developed cognitive function to recognize Allah's signs, which He has made evident to the people of knowledge, in order to believe in God even when you cannot see Him. SubhanAllah

Allah has told us many examples and proofs in Al-Quran. Those who worship Him will enter Heaven and those who don’t, will be destroyed, here and in the hereafter. There are many people before us, who have been wiped out of this world for disobeying Allah. Punishment in this world is nothing to be compared to in Hell. I must remind myself to worship only Allah and leave everything Allah forbid. I don’t want to be among those who keep asking for unnecessary visible proof to satisfy my logical needs. Allah said in this verse, the disbelievers, even if Allah shows them some of His Power, will remain obstinate and find ways to deny it. So, what’s the point? As Muslims, there’s no need for arguing in that matter. It is a challenge for us to believe in the ‘unseen’, but, we must remember, we can still feel His presence and love towards us. Just like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.  May Allah preserve our faith in Him and guide us towards His Jannah.

Introduction to the Sections
1-5: Allah created the heaven and earth but the non-believers call others equal to Allah:
* 1-3 Praise to the Almighty and Omniscient creator
* 4-5 The willful disbelief of the Makkan infidels.

6 - 11: Allah’s punishment came upon those who denied the truth: 
* 7-9 If Allah had sent a written Book and an angel with it the unbelievers still would not have believed
* 10-11 Previous nations were punished for their disbelief.

12- 73: Rebuking of Idolators and their conditions on the day of judgement :
* 12 - 18: The Prophet (SAW) has been commanded to never be a polytheist.
* 19 - 20: Those who deny the Hereafter they are the real losers. 
* 21 - 32: Prejudice has made the people worship deities other than Allah
* 33 - 35: Consolation of the Prophet 
* 36 - 41 Those who listen will accept the Truth and use common sense to learn from the signs of nature. Even Idolaters will call upon God in their distress 
* 42 - 45 Prosperity in this world is not a reward but a respite
* 46-70 The decree of Allah, his majesty, power and might. Allah is the Final judge, the knower of the unseen and He will decide the destiny of the individuals or nations
* 71-73: Believers are commanded to establish Salah and to fear Allah alone

74-90: Prophet Ibrahim's arguments against Shirk
* 74 - 79 Ibrahim (AS) learned faith through the study of nature.
* 80 - 82 Arguments of Ibrahim(AS) with his people about Allah
* 83 - 90 The Prophets who succeeded Ibrahim (AS) including Musa, Isa and Muhammad, gave the message of Tawhid and Radical Skepticism of the people (87)

91 - 100 Allah's signs in the creation.
* 91-93 Allah is the One Who revealed the Taurat and Al-Quran. The fate of those who forge Scriptures is stated.
* 94 Idolaters deserted by their gods on the day of judgment
* 95 - 100 Examples from Allah's creation are clearly spelled out for the understanding of mankind

101 - 107: Allah has no partner, no son: How could Allah have a son without a spouse? Allah’s favour in sending the Quran.

108-115: Arrogance of the non-believers and their opposition to the Prophets.
* 108 - 110 Do not insult the deities to whom the Mushrikin offer their worship and that Guidance depend on the attitude of individuals
* 111-117 All Rasools of Allah had opposition from Shaitan and his followers & Radical skepticism (following the majority might mislead you from true guidance). The Scriptures are from Allah revealed in truth and None can alter the Qur’an. 

118-121 Law of permitted and forbidden meats:
* Allah's gifts for humanity and people's self-imposed prohibitions.
* Eat only that meat on which Allah's name has been pronounced

122-135 Guidance & Misguidance
* 122 - 124 Allah gives light (guidance) to whom he wills out of mercy. When good and bad are treated alike, criminals are appointed as their ringleaders
* 125 - 127 The blessedness of the faithful: Whomever Allah wants to guide, He opens up his chest to Islam
* 128 - 129 Jinns, and human beings who are misled by them, will all be cast into Hell
* 130 - 135: On the Day of Judgement kafirs (unbelievers) will confess that they were indeed kafirs. Rewards and punishments shall be according to actions

136 - 140 Mushrikin give their deities preference over Allah and Mushrikin falsely attribute their self-imposed prohibitions to Allah

141-147: The law concerning forbidden meats rehearsed 
* 141 - 142 Give Zakah of agriculture on the harvest day
* 143 - 144 Falsely attributed prohibition of livestock are clarified
* 145 - 147 Correct prohibitions of livestock are spelled out and Explanation of why live stock was prohibited on the Jews

148 - 150 Mushrikin' excuse for being Mushrikin
151-152 The 10 Islamic commandments. In Islam forbidden things are based on fundamental moral principles 
153 - 160 Those who divide the religion into sects are not Muslims
161 - 165 Affirmation of the nature of life in this world as a trial, a continuous test, from beginning to end. 
* Islam is the true religion (Insistance upon the Straight path)
* Universal principles of Islam: Our prayer, sacrifice, life, death, everything must be for Allah. The idolaters exhorted to believe in God

Basic Themes: 
1. Unity of Allah is the reality in this universe.
2. Polytheism has no foundation.
3. Prophet Ibrahim -peace be upon him- preached Tawhid.  Other Prophets also gave the same message.
4. Allah's judgment will come and the truth will prevail.
5. Allah gives right the guidance about food and other matters of life.
6. The will of Allah (He guide those that seek guidance and mislead those that seek misguidance)

6: Surah al-An'am (Livestock)

* 6th Surah according to the arrangement of the Qur'an; 55th according to the order of revelation.  
* Verses: 165 verses .
* It was revealed in Makkah about 1 or 2 years before the Hijrah. 
* High emphasis on Tawhid (Creed).  It contains basic principles of Tawhid.  It gives beautiful description of Allah's creative power.  It criticizes Shirk and its manifestations.

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