Monday, May 27, 2013

[23].Surah Al-Muminun [The Believers]: Ayat 12-14



Ayat 12. And indeed Allah created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth).
Ayat 13. Thereafter Allah made him (the offspring of Adam) as a Nutfah (mixed drops of the male and female discharge) (and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of the woman).
Ayat 14. Then We made the Nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.
[Tafseer] In this beautiful passage, Allah's creative work, as far as man is concerned, is recapitulated, in order to show man's real position in this life, and the certainty of the future: to which he was referred for his reward in last verses 10-11. For the various stages of creation. Here we are not concerned with the earliest stage, the creation of primeval matter out of nothing. It is also a process of creation when inorganic matter becomes living matter. Thus inorganic constituents of the earth are absorbed into living matter by way of food and living matter reproduces itself by means of sperm. This is deposited in the ovum and fertilises it and rests for a time in security in the mother's womb. The first change in the fertilised ovum is the conversion into a sort of clot of thickly congealed blood; the zygote cells grow by segmentation; then the mass gradually assumes shape in its growth as a fetus. From the lump develop bones and flesh and organs and a nervous system. So far man's growth is like that of an animal, but a further process takes place which makes the infant animal into the infant man. This is the breathing of Allah's spirit into him (15:29): that process need not be precisely at a given point of time. It may be a continuous process parallel to that of physical growth. The child is born: it grows; it decays and dies; but after death another chapter opens for the individual, and it is to remind us of this most momentous chapter that the previous stages are recapitulated. Then Allah placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed; The growth in the foetal stage is silent and unseen. The fetus is protected in the mother's womb like a king in a castle; it is firmly fixed, and gets the protection of the mother's body, on which it depends for its own growth until birth. Then Allah made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (fetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create! From a mere animal, we now consider man as man. Is it not a Sign of wonder in itself that from dry dust (turab, 22:5) or inorganic matter should be made protoplasm (moist clay or organic matter); from it should grow a new animal life; and out of it should grow human life, with all its capacities and responsibilities? Man carries within himself Signs of Allah's wisdom and power, and he can see them every day in the universe around him.
Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH), the truthful and the receiver of the truth informed us, saying, "The creation of you (humans) is gathered in the form of semen in the womb of your mother for forty days, then it becomes a clinging thing in similar (period), then it becomes a lump of flesh like that, then Allah sends an angel who breathes the life into it; and (the angel) is commanded to record four things about it: Its provision, its term of life (in this world), its conduct; and whether it will be happy or miserable. By the One besides Whom there is no true god! Verily, one of you would perform the actions of the dwellers of Jannah until there is only one cubit between him and it (Jannah), when what is foreordained would come to pass and he would perform the actions of the inmates of Hell until he enter it. And one of you would perform the actions of the inmates of Hell, until there is only one cubit between him and Hell. Then he would perform the acts of the dwellers of Jannah until he would enter it.''
[Muslim Book 33, Chapter 01, Hadith # 6930].
Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Muminun Ayat 12."Allah created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay" "This Hadith deals with the problem of fate in which Faith is essential. What it means is that Almighty Allah already knows about every person, whether he will be pious or impious, whether he will go to Jannah or Hell. He has already recorded all this. But it does not mean that man is absolutely helpless and is deprived of will and power, as is believed by some deviant sects who have gone astray. Fate is in fact a manifestation of the Knowledge of Allah and it has nothing to do with the will and intention of a person. Allah has not created man as a helpless creature, but has endowed him with the freedom of will and action, because in the absence of these two qualities, there would be no justification for his trial. He could only be put to test if he was granted not only the ability to choose between good and evil but also the freedom to act. For this purpose, Almighty Allah, has clearly indicated to man both the paths and granted him freedom to choose whichever he likes. He has also told him the ultimate end of each. The Noble Qur'an says:
"Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful". {76}Surah Al-Insan [Man]: Ayat 3)
"Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve". {18} Surah Al-Kahf [The Cave] : Ayat 29).
But by mentioning this Hadith in the chapter relating to the fear of Allah, Imam An-Nawawi has warned that we should be fearful of Allah, pray for His Help, and an auspicious end of our life. He has advised us to adopt whatever means are available to us. In other words, we should make Faith and piety a way of life because one can find the means and resources according to one's capacity. Since nobody knows the result of his endeavors, one should leave it to Allah and rest assured that He Who has created him with a purpose will also create the ways and means to attain it. He who adopts piety, the ways to piety will open for him; and he who adopts evil, the ways to evil will open for him.
A Muslim should never go towards evil at any stage of his life, lest his life comes to an end suddenly and he is deprived of the reward of all the good deeds he has done during his life and consequently he is consigned to Hell rather than Jannah. May Allah save us from a bad end and such actions which lead one to Hell.

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