Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 10
A Special episode in the occasion of the Prophet’s Birthday (2)
Translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy
This episode’s guests: Dr. Muhammad Hidaya, and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Saadi
The host starts displaying the topics discussed by the doctor in the previous episode regarding the acceptability and non-acceptability of celebrating the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) birthday memorial, mentioning the names of the Prophet (PBUH), the incident of ripping his chest, the moon split and other issues. This week we will discuss the issue of mediation and the pond and the Kawthar pond in Heaven. But first, I will ask a question that many people as: “Why did Allah send more than 120 thousand prophets and 315 messengers and many divine messages from Adam’s (AS) time until the Prophet’s (PBUH) time and why did people need all those prophets and messengers?” Moreover, why was there such a big time gap between Isa (“Jesus”) (AS) and the Prophet (PBUH)? And why was the Prophet (PBUH) the last prophet and messenger?
This question is one of the most important of questions that come to people’s minds especially to Muslims’, who have fully surrendered to Allah’s will, the Lord of all mankind. That was, in brief, what has been happening since Adam’s (AS) time and until the end of time; that is Allah’s wisdom in His creation. There was no nation since Adam’s (AS) time until Judgment Day that hasn’t had a prophet. Allah’s wisdom was sending messengers that were human beings who have succeeded each other throughout the nations. There may be many prophets in one nation as was the case with the Children of Israel; this is all a part of Allah’s wisdom. There are many things we as Muslims must understand since we are the recipients of Allah’s Book and Message.
As for your question of why Muhammad (PBUH) came at that time and no other prophet came or will ever come after him that is the issue at hand. Before saying that prophecies and messages have succeeded each other (and there’s a difference between prophecy and message) we must look back at earlier times, at the age of instinct as Allah says “And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam’s loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): “Am I not your Lord?” They said: “Yes! We testify,” lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: “Verily, we have been unaware of this.” (Al-A’raf, 172).
The issue that must settle in people’s minds is that the human instinct has fully surrendered to Allah before creation that is, in the world of atoms. Hence this is the wisdom of Allah. Why did Allah say {from the Children of Adam} and not Adam? It’s to prove that his posterity has descended from him during one moment, as our Lord orders things to take place immediately: “Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, “Be!” – and it is!” (Yassin, 82). He did not say Adam’ so that it wouldn’t be restricted to Adam’s children (his twenty sons from Eve), nor to his descendents from the prophets. He said the children of Adam to include all mankind. What must be understood is that during jahiliyya (The pre-Islamic period), the K’aba had a special sacred place in the hearts of people. Thus, they placed statues for worship and this House had certain sanctity from Adam’s (AS) time until Judgment Day. Life is difficult and we must understand it with respect to Ibrahim (“Abraham”)(AS) for which the K’aba had special symbolism and sacredness, and with respect to Muhammad (PBUH), it had a higher degree of symbolism and sacredness. Here we must draw attention to a verse from the Qur’an we usually forget and only remember after Ramadan when the season of Hajj approaches, “And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (K’aba ) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allâh], then Allâh stands not in need of any of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)” (Al-‘Imaran, 97).
The phrase “owes to Allah” implies an obligation as Allah says in the following verse: “And no moving (living) creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allâh. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterus, grave). All is in a Clear Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz – the Book of Decrees with Allâh)” (Hud, 6).
This verse relieved people who thought that our sustenance was a duty Allah owes us and that He would grant us sustenance, so that we become lazy, saying to ourselves that Allah will bless us because it’s His duty. One linguist said: “if the son of Adam ran away from his sustenance, it will follow him wherever he goes, and if he ran away from Allah’s fate, he will only be running towards it.”
We knew the meaning of “owes to” in the sustenance verse but we didn’t understand what it meant in the Hajj verse when it made Hajj a duty but seeking one’s sustenance not. When we hear the verse, we must understand that Hajj is a duty made for a purpose. We pray five times every day and after ablution we turn towards the K’aba, which is innate in us in prayer; turning towards the K’aba is Hajj itself. It’s as if we’re occupying our hearts with this duty; here let us remember the Prophet’s (PBUH) Hadith about “Al-Tashahodd’s supplication in prayer. When you reach “Ash-hadu alla ilaha illa Allah” (I testify that there’s no god but Allah), look in front of you as if you’re looking at the K’aba,” for one’s heart must be in the K’aba, which is the Kiblah, when you reach Hajj. The wisdom is in performing tawaf (circumambulation of the K’aba) seven times. It’s not right to say that we rotate around the K’aba, and many Muslims do not perform tawaf correctly; one person may be talking on the phone, another may be looking left and right, a third may be making supplication in such a loud voice that people may repeat after him, even if he mistakes a mistake because their hearts are not moved. If we feel that tawaf is performed in an anti-clockwise manner, so that the heart will be turned towards the K’aba, then we must look at the K’aba so that our sights get attached to it the same way our hearts do during tawaf. At the end of every stage, we see the struggles on the black stone and this all proves that we’re missing the goal of Hajj. In a medical conference, science proved that before the fetus is formed, the sperm rotates around the ovum in seven cycles before fertilization as if declaring its monotheism and this implies that instincts have surrendered to Allah’s orders, and the more people grow distant from the message, the more is the deterioration in values. If we look back at Adam’s (AS) time all the way to Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) time, we will find that people’s morals have deteriorated tremendously after each prophet. Thus was the need for another prophet to correct and reform people. The longest period between two prophets was the between Isa (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Just as Allah the Almighty has made a vow with Adam’s posterity, so He has made a vow with prophets as its stated in the verse: “ And (remember) when Allâh took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: “Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allâh), and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him.” Allâh said: “Do you agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I conclude with you)?” They said: “We agree.” He said: “Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for this).” (Al-‘Imran, 81).
In this verse there’s an acknowledgement and testimony that every prophet who appeared must believe in the prophet who follows him based on the covenant that he made with Allah, and if the prophet did not follow him, he must tell his people to believe in the prophet who will come after him (Acknowledgment and testimony). The term covenant means a solemn vow. Prophets succeeded each other until Isa’s (AS) time, who is the only one mentioned in the Qur’an regarding keeping his vow with Allah in the following verse: “ And (remember) when ‘Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: “O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allâh unto you, confirming the Taurât [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. But when he (Ahmad i.e. Muhammad came to them with clear proofs, they said: “This is plain magic.” (Al-Saff, 6).
There’s proof in the verse that Isa (AS) left evidence about Muhammad’s (PBUH) arrival after him and Musa (“Moses”) (AS) also left evidence about Isa’s (AS) arrival. (O, Children of Israel) and described Isa to them in the verse (the present state) “I am Allah’s Messenger sent to you” and the future state: “I have brought you glad tidings of a messenger who will come after me”, and this is a Qur’anic miracle; this is the greatness of Isa (AS) with respect to Muhammad and this is an evidence against the Children of Israel.
Now, we’re back to the question of why Muhammad (PBUH) specifically was the prophet. We say that it was because this is Allah’s choice and we, as Muslims, are ordered to believe in all the prophets and messengers so that we will not hate any group because of their prophet. However, when we reach Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) we find greatness in all aspects. We heard about incidents, the first of which is the incident of Omar’s (RA), who passed by the people of Qoraytha where he had a friend who had given him what was collected of the Torah. Omar was very happy and when he went to the Prophet (PBUH) to tell him, the Prophet’s face changed, so one of the companions told Omar, “can’t you see what happened to the Prophet’s face. Isn’t the Qur’an enough evidence for you?” He said,” I have accepted Allah as the only God, Islam as our religion and Muhammad peace be upon him as our Messenger”. The prophet smiled and said, “If Musa came to you now and you followed him you will be led astray. I was sent for you among all prophets, and you are my nation of all nations.” This Qur’an includes all the previous holy books and has risen above them and talks about all previous nations, “We relate unto you (Muhammad) the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Quran. And before this (i.e. before the coming of Divine Revelation to you), you were among those who knew nothing about it (the Quran)” (Yusuf, 3) Islam is the only nation that will bear witness upon all other nations, and it’s the nation that knows what happened to earlier nations from what was mentioned in the Qur’an. Another incident was when the people of Najran gathered and told the Prophet (PBUH) “do you want to be worshipped?” so Muhammad (PBUH) said,” Never, I take refuge in Allah that I’m not and would never order anyone else to be worshipped but Allah
“ It is not (possible) for any human being to whom Allâh has given the Book and Al-Hukm (the knowledge and understanding of the laws of religion) and Prophethood to say to the people: “Be my worshippers rather than Allâh’s.” On the contrary (he would say): “Be you Rabbâniyyûn (learned men of religion who practice what they know and also preach others), because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it.” (Al-‘Imran, 79).
That was the case of the message of the Prophet (PBUH) among all Prophets and messengers. After this verse was revealed, a man who really loved the Prophet came to him and told him; “We’ve been ordered to ask Allah to bless you and to love you, so will you allow me if only for once to kneel to you?” (Kneeling as in greeting not in worship because that was an Arab tradition) The Prophet (PBUH) said,” No, I take refuge in Allah! “And replied with the verse above: “On the contrary (he would say): “Be you Rabbâniyyûn (learned men of religion who practice what they know and also preach others)”, and this answers the question of why Muhammad (PBUH) came after that period.
Why wasn’t anyone sent after Muhammad? Because Mohammad (PBUH) was sent to the best nation of all mankind and which has none of the flaws that were found in earlier nations and since many medicines indicate many diseases, the multitude of prophets sent to one nation refer to the evil in a nation and Allah summarized the goodness of this nation in the verse: “ You [true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma‘rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden), and had the people of the Scriptures believed in Allâh (Jews and Christians), it would have been better for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are Al-Fâsiqûn (disobedient to Allâh – and rebellious against Allâh’s Command)” (Al-‘Imran, 110), for the components of the Muslim nation are bidding the right and forbidding the wrong and these are good components. As for the reason, it is Allah’s selection, which cannot be questioned. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “I have succeeded but will not be succeeded”, and the verse, “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma‘rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful.” ( Al-‘Imran, 104) means that all people will do the prophets’ job after Muhammad (PBUH) and the nation no longer needs messages or prophecies but needs da’wa (“calling for Islam”), thus came the verse “you enjoin Al-Ma‘rûf” before bidding the right and forbidding the wrong and calling all people to Islam in general as it was mentioned in the noble Hadith:” report my words even if just one verse”. The selection of this nation doesn’t need a prophet after Muhammad (PBUH) because the best prophet ever came to them as Allah said in the following verse: “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.” (Al-Ma’idah, 3). Religion was incomplete until Muhammad (PBUH) came.
We said there is a difference between diyana and deen, for diyana is the message and deen is Allah’s law for all the messages, “Truly, the religion with Allâh is Islâm” (A-‘Imran, 19), and this is the general law from Adam’s (AS) time and until the end of time. There’s no combination for this word, for religion is one as Allah says: “ He (Allâh) has ordained for you the same religion (Islâmic Monotheism) which He ordained for Nûh (Noah), and that which We have revealed to you (O Muhammad), and that which We ordained for Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Mûsâ (Moses) and ‘Îsâ (Jesus) saying you should establish religion (i.e. to do what it orders you to do practically), and make no divisions in it (religion) (i.e. various sects in religion). Intolerable for the Mushrikûn,[2] is that (Islamic Monotheism) to which you (O Muhammad) call them. Allâh chooses for Himself whom He wills, and guides unto Himself who turns to Him in repentance and in obedience.” ( Al-Shura, 13)
The host’s question: Islam is one religion so why is there a conflict between the three messages (Musa, Isa, and Muhammad, Peace be upon them all) although some books were distorted? The answer is one you know. Since some of their books were distorted, let them say what they may, what really matters is that there’s one religion since Adam’s (AS) time until time ends, and they’ve written names of people on their books such as Lucas’s Injil (Gospel) and Yohanna’s Injil and many others. Religion is law, as we said “ Truly, the religion with Allâh is Islâm”, and Christianity and Judaism are religions based on Islam, hence, when Allah the Almighty wanted to end all messages on earth He called the last religion and His law Islam; this is the meaning of Allah’s verse: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers” (Al-‘Imran, 85). Everyone had his own message during his days, but religion was one because Allah is one and it’s dangerous to say holy religions. Instead it is holy messages. So if someone says religions, we say it’s not holy for there’s only one holy religion, which is Islam since there’s only one god. However, there are many messages and that is Allah’s wisdom.
We’re back to the question of why didn’t any prophet come after Muhammad. We previously said that he has succeeded previous prophets. That is, he’s not succeeded by any prophet and because this nation is the best nation and its people will carry da’wa until Judgment Day, and since this nation doesn’t have all the diseases found in earlier nations. The greatness of this nation is found in Allah’s verses, “You [true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind;” and “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm)” and “Thus We have made you [true Muslims – real believers of Islâmic Monotheism, true followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways)], a just (and the best) nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad) be a witness over you” (Al-Baqara, 143) and your only witness is Muhammad (PBUH).
Every Muslim must call to Allah and we repeat that there’s one religion but many messages and that Allah the Almighty sent 124 thousand prophets and 313 messengers, five of which were the most determined led by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This nation stands in the middle between excessiveness and neglect, for there were some nations, which said there was no god, and others, which said there were many gods. However, the Islamic nation said there was no god but Allah; thus it comes in the middle between those who denied a god’s existence and those who were polytheists. The difference between prophet hood and messengers is that prophet hood may be limited and may not be revealed whereas. the message brings forth a Book and a way.
The Qur’an came to dominate all previous books; there’s no other book that explains the way the Qur’an does. For example, in Surat Yusuf (“Joseph”) (chapter of the Holy Qur’an) Allah says: “and Yusuf said” meaning “and [remember Muhammad] that Yusuf said” and tells us the whole story as if we’d witnessed it. Description in the Qur’an may be through sound; “and Yusuf told his father” and may be through vision; “Haven’t you seen what Allah did to the people of ‘Ad”. There’s no book that has ever had the same description of the Qur’an and I find it strange how people call some writers the leaders of short story or descriptive writing while none of them could ever describe the same way the Qur’an does. We will again explain the difference between the Holy Book and the Qur’an. The Qur’an is what was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) whereas the Book is what the Qur’an collected “ Alif-Lâm-Mîm. This is the Book, whereof there is no doubt” (Al-Baqara), meaning the whole book. When the Qur’an was complete it became a book as Allah says: “It’s a noble Qur’an in a hidden book” (Al-Waqi’a).
Question: We notice these days that Islam and Muslims are being attacked by non-Muslims, and so are the Messenger and the Qur’an. They are saying that there are contradictions between the Qur’an and the Hadiths; this attack is also spread throughout websites on the Internet, which are being given Islamic names in order to affect us. What should we do as Muslims so that we can be ambassadors of Islam and reply to such attacks?
The Qur’an replied saying,” So ask (you, O pagans of Makkah) of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not.” (Al-Nahl, 43). The Qur’an is explained by its people. Al-Shanqiti in his book Adwa’ al- Bayan fi Tafseer Al-Qur’an says that there’s no opposition in the Qur’an, nor is there a conflict between the Qur’an and the Hadith, for the halal (good) is clear and the haram (evil) is clear. There are those who will attack Islam in any case and one’s faith and beliefs will defend, and if there are other issues, then they must be tackled by scholars and dou’at (people who call for Islam). There are many, each according to his specialization, thanks be to Allah. If our nation worked on applying, explaining, and understanding the Qur’an, it will reach safety, if Allah wills. The host digresses by asking the doctor to make special episodes on ‘aqida (Islamic faith) and other common issues regarding those who attack the Qur’an and the Messenger (PBUH).
The host’s question: Allah the Almighty did not create anything or send Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for no reason. The Prophet had four characteristics: orphan hood, illiteracy, being a shepherd and tradesman, and honesty and trustworthiness. How can we associate orphan hood to shepherding, illiteracy and honesty and what is the wisdom behind his orphan hood, and how can the leader of all mankind be an orphan?
First of all, what does orphan hood mean? An orphan in the human world is that who has lost his father before puberty, in the animal kingdom it’s that which has lost its mother, and in the bird kingdom it’s that which lost both.
Why the father in the human world? Because a father’s duty is to support, raise and reform, whereas he who has lost his mother is called “severed”; let us not neglect the mother’s role in upraising. The term ‘father’ applies up till the seventh grandfather. When the Prophet (PBUH) was born, his father was dead so that no one will say that his father took care of him or raised him up, and every man who interfered in raising the Prophet (PBUH) up died: his father, then his grandfather, the mother who died when the Prophet (PBUH) was five or six, and even his custodians (Halima Al-Sa’diyya and her husband), for her husband was a busy man and they were people who lacked power. All this proves his words (PBUH): “Allah raised me and raised me well”. Thus, he was really raised by Allah the Almighty. His message was based on two: orphan hood and illiteracy. Therefore, no human being took care of him, but he was under the custody of Allah the Almighty, and no human being had any influence on his education.
If we search through the whole Qur’an, we will find that the term orphan occurs only once in Surat Al-Duha; “ Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge?” (6), whereas illiteracy occurs twice:” Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Taurât (Torah)and Injeel (Gospel)- he commands them for Al-Ma‘rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islâm has forbidden); he allows them as lawful At-Tayyibât (i.e. all good and lawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods), and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khabâ’ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allâh’s Covenant with the children of Israel), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honor him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’ân) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful” (Al-A’raf, 157), and “ He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them (from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this Qur’ân, Islâmic laws and Islâmic jurisprudence) and Al-Hikmah (As-Sunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship of Prophet Muhammad). And verily, they had been before in manifest error” (Al-Jumu’ah, 2).
Upon looking back at Surat Al-Doha, we notice that in “and gave you shelter” which comes after “Did He not find you an orphan”, there’s an important implication that Allah has sheltered and I believe that this Surah has been treated unjustly, for it wasn’t explained fully. This Surah was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) after days of suspension, so the people of Koreish said that Muhammad’s God had forsaken him (Thus, they admitted the existence of a God, and this is the case of disbelievers in every age whose disbelief is associated with belief). So the verses were revealed as a reply to the disbelievers of Quraish that Muhammad’s God didn’t forsake him as they had claimed. The interpretations of Allah’s verses in this Surah were not fair, as I’d mentioned “And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world)” Is it possible that the Prophet (PBUH) doesn’t know that the Hereafter is better than this life?! The interpretation must be related to the verses and Allah the Almighty swore in the beginning of the Surah and He can swear by anything and however He wishes; but we must only swear by Him. “Whoever swears should swear by Allah or remain silent”, for Allah swears by the forenoon and by the night when it darkens “Your Lord (O Muhammad) has neither forsaken you nor hates you”, means that Allah hasn’t left you. The Qur’an’s revelation hasn’t ceased and every time a verse will be revealed to you it will be better than the one before and so on. The first one means the long lasting, not the dunya (this life) and this will continue until the next is revealed. It was mentioned in the Qur’an:” Verily, this is in the former Scriptures – The Scriptures of Ibrâhîm (Abraham) and Mûsâ (Moses)”(Al-A’la, 19), and since He mentioned the first books in the Qur’an, the second must be mentioned “(It is) in Records held (greatly) in honor (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz)” (‘Abasa, 13), meaning the next. In verses of Surah Al-Duha, there’s an interpretation of the Qur’an by the Qur’an and we notice the order of the verses in the Surah, and find that Allah the Almighty says: “And verily, your Lord will give you (all good) so that you shall be well-pleased” and this is based upon “ Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge? And He found you unaware (of the Quran, its laws, and Prophethood) and guided you? And He found you poor and made you rich (self-sufficient with self-contentment)? Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression. And repulse not the beggar. And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the Prophethood and all other Graces)”. Thus, each verse follows the preceding one and every ruling depends on those essentials, such as guiding the beggar as Allah has guided you, giving shelter to the poor as Allah has sheltered you, as Allah found us poor and made us rich, speak of Allah’s blessings. This Surah, therefore, requires contemplation. (Look at the page of Surah Al-Doha in Lamasat Bayaniyya by Dr. Fadel Al-Samera’ie), and this is enough honoring for every orphan. We said earlier that ‘orphan’ occurred only once in the Qur’an and orphan hood lasted only twice with respect to the Prophet (PBUH) for the article “and” in “And gave you shelter” implies that once he was found an orphan, Allah sheltered him. Hence, he’s in orphan only according to people, because Allah had sheltered him the moment he was born. Thus this description requires reconsideration.
As for illiteracy, it needs careful examination. What does mentioning orphan only once followed by “And gave you shelter” and mentioning “illiteracy” twice as we said, actually mean? An illiterate person is not who can’t read and write. In Arabic, an illiterate person is he who only can’t write. The Prophet (PBUH) was an illiterate man for a long time until Jibril (“Gabriel”) came to him and said, “Read”. He read because writing is acquired whereas reading is innate. The proof is that if someone memorized the Qur’an while being illiterate then it would be better because his brain holds nothing that would occupy him. Even when the blind memorize the Qur’an, they concentrate all their brain’s capacities on memorization; hence the best Qur’an memorizers are the blind. Illiteracy, therefore, has nothing to do with reading, but it’s related to writing.
Question: Is it possible that reading means reading Allah’s wonders in the universe? Scholars derived this meaning from Allah’s phrase:” Who created” in the verse”
Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood)”.
This verse is basic for interpreting the whole Qur’an and must be interpreted completely and elaborately. Did we interpret “read” as “learn” or “understand” or “read the Qur’an” or “take the Qur’an”? When we hear Allah’s verse:” Who has created man from a clot” we’ll question how the term ‘clot’ can be mentioned to an illiterate man. When He said,” Who has taught (the writing) by the pen”, that man would sail the world’s lost ship towards Allah’s safe shores and turn shepherds into masters. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “I’m not a reader” (or “what shall I read?”) as that was the first word of revelation for the prophecy and the message, which occurred in Allah’s verse: “O you (Muhammad) enveloped in garments!” Therefore, the illiterate man is he who can’t write. When Musa (AS) met the good man in the story of Musa, he asked him to teach him what was taught through revelation and was very impatient. They are all humans taught by humans, whereas Muhammad (PBUH) was first taught, not by human beings, but by Jibril (AS), the transmitter of revelation, which is an honor to illiteracy; “ He has been taught (this Qur’ân) by one mighty in power [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] (Al-Najm, 5).
Muhammad’s (PBUH) book was the Qur’an. Illiteracy for us is a disgrace but for Muhammad (PBUH) it was an honor because he said, “Allah has raised me and raised me well.” In addition, orphan hood was an honor and didn’t last long because Allah sheltered him immediately. Thus illiteracy was an honor because what he first learned was through Jibril (AS) who was described in the following verse, “ He has been taught (this Quran) by one mighty in power [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] One free from any defect in body and mind then he (Jibrîl – Gabriel in his real shape as created by Allah) rose and became stable. While he [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] was in the highest part of the horizon, Then he [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] approached and came closer, and was at a distance of two bows’ length or (even) nearer.” (Al-Najm).
During the episode, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Sa’di makes monajat (whisperings) and a dou’a’ (supplication) in addition to the holy recitations at the beginning of the episode.
Monajat: Praise be to the Creator Who calculated all His creations, Praise be to Allah Who has no wife or son, Praise be to Allah Who has blessed all and left none behind, Praise be to the One and Only, Praise be to the One and Eternal, Praise be to our Lord the Most Exalted and High, we cannot praise Him enough as He has praised Himself, O Forgiver we have been guided by Your Light, and with Your Grace we’re no longer in need, with Your Blessings we rise and sleep, our sins lie between Your Hands, we ask You forgiveness for them, You approach us with Your Blessings, and we drift away from You with our sins, O Supporter of those who have no support, Oh Guide of those who have no guidance, O Pride of those who have lost their pride, O Savior of those who have no savior, O Lord Who suffices those who are in need, O Treasure of the Poor, O Protector of the weak and frightened, aid Your servants into Piety with Your Mercy , Power and Greatness, You are Most Exalted and Honorable .
Dou’a’: O Allah, Praise be to You, Light of the Skies and the Earth and what they hold. Praise be to you O Supporter of the Skies and the Earth and what they hold, Praise be to You Most Just and True, Meeting You is the Truth, Heaven is the Truth, Hellfire is the Truth, Prophets are the Truth, Muhammad (PBUH) is the Truth, and Judgment day is doubtlessly near, and You resurrect the dead. O Allah bless our Prophet (PBUH), whose birth brought spring, who obeyed his Lord, who applied the Qur’an and was an eloquent speaker among people. O Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad, the best of all mankind with his honesty and charity, his kindness to the orphans and the needy, he clothed the naked and the poor and made them happy. O Allah, bless our Prophet Muhammad, the best pupil and teacher, the most eloquent speaker. He ordered good deeds and forbade evil deeds, the seal of all prophets to whom was revealed the greatest verses of rulings. The mediator on Judgment Day, if his eyes shut to sleep, his heart never slept, he lit the world with the light of Islam. O Allah we call upon you with our tongues silenced by sin, with our hearts diseased by crime. O Allah fulfill our hopes and hear our prayers. O You are the Best whom we can call and the Best whom we can hope for. O’ You are the love of those who love You, and the apple of the eyes of those who take refuge in You. You are kind and many of us are evildoers. Overlook our bad deeds with your goodness, O Forgiver with Your Light we are guided and with Your Blessings we are no longer in need, accept our repentance and erase our mistakes and forgive all our slips and cover up for our flaws, and let all our matters lead us to guidance, heal our sick, have mercy upon our dead, defeat our enemies and aid us against Your foes. O Most High and Magnificent, bless our Prophet who has warned us and brought us glad tidings, and bless his family, friends and companions, the virtuous and the kind, the brave and the strong, and bless his wives, the mothers of believers and send him Peace.
This episode was broadcasted on May 9th, 2004