Your Questions Answered (volume 4)

Q1. Is Science Action of God?

"The Qur'an is the word of God and Science is the action of God", this was stated by Alhaji F.M. Quraishy in the "Nigeria Observer." I would have written to him directly but for the lack of his address. I have however been very fortunate to come across your address. Do you agree with this statement? If so, please comment and convince me. (Asked by a Christian from Nigeria)

A. Science literally means 'knowledge'. The present day Scientists endeavour to 'know' (discover) the mysteries of this vast universe. Some times they succeed; some times they fail while at times they reach nearer the truth.

The greatest achievement of science in recent times has been to unravel, to a certain extent (but not fully), the secret of the atom. It is true that this "universe" is the action of God; but science is only a human attempt to "know' about that action. But this attempt of man cannot be termed Action of God.

Q 2: IF ALLAH IS JUST (ADIL) THEN WHY DID HE CREATE SATAN (SHAITAN)?

You say that God is just and will give full and complete justice to his creatures on the day of Judgement in accordance with their past deeds and actions. There is absolutely no doubt about it. There is also no doubt that he has knowledge of the unseen (Ilm-e-ghaib) and is Alim (Omniscient).

I have also read somewhere in the Qu'ran that he created mankind weak.So; the question is that when He knew that.

He created mankind weak, He also knew before creating Satan that the latter would mislead people and influence them to commit all sorts of sins, and that the people being created weak with no strong willpower to withstand the attractions and influence of Satan why then He in the first place, created Shaitan, and why He gave him so much power knowing, before creating him that he {Satan) will do everything to mislead the people and lead them to the wrong path?

If the answer is that God brought us into this world and wanted to test us, then why did He create us weak and at the same time why did he give all the powers to Satan? My friend also gives an example of a carpenter or for that matter, any craftsman.

He said that if a carpenter wanted, to make a chair or any type of furniture, he would ensure before making it that the material he used was strong and could withstand all sorts of strain and stresses. He would use the best quality for he knows that if he used a low quality material the piece of furniture would not last long.

In the same way when God created mankind very weak and knew before creating him that he would not be able to with-stand the influence of Satan then why did He create Satan in first place and why He gave him so much power?

A. Firstly, you should read my book entitled "Justice of God" thoroughly which will give you the necessary information and thus, enable you to ponder upon this question in its correct perspective. Secondly, Satan has no power misleading human being forcibly.

His power is only confined to suggesting wrong ways to man. Whether or not to follow his suggestion is entirely dependent on man's own choice and decision, Allah has mentioned this fact, in the Qur'an: "Verily, there is no authority for him (Satan) over those who believe and rely on their Lord. Verily, his authority is only over those who befriend him and those who associate others with Him." (Qur'an, 16:99-100)….

Shaitan himself will draw attention of the unbelievers to this fact on the Day of Judgement in the following words:-

"Verily Allah promised you the promise of truth, and I gave you promises but failed to keep them to you; and I had no authority over you except I called you and you responded unto me; so do not blame me, but rather blame yourselves." (Qur'an, 14:22).

See how Satan (Shaitan) clearly defines his role: he has no authority upon man; he just calls him to evil and man responds to this call on his own will and by his own strength. As a matter of fact the power of suggesting to follow the right or the wrong way is also given to human beings. Will you suggest that all human beings (except the purest and the most pious ones) should be exterminated?

If not then why should you object to the existence of Satan (Shaitan)?

Thirdly, to make the above point more clear, read the following 'Aya which mentions about Shaitans from amongst human beings":-

"Say: "I seek refuge in the Lord of the people,The king of the People.The God of the people. From the evil of the slinking whisperer, who whispers into the breasts of the people, from among the Jinn and the men." (Surah 114)

Fourthly, you will now appreciate that Shaitan is not an overwhelming force against which the human beings are mere helpless weaklings. He is just like any other evil companion, cajoling us to follow wrong ways. Whether we remain on the right path or go astray is entirely our own choice and it is our own free will.

Fifthly, it is only when man, by his own will and choice goes along the wrong path that Satan gets him in his grip. Allah says in the Qur'an (7:27): "Verily, We have made the Satans guardian of those who do not believe." Notice that when one becomes unbeliever he comes under the domain of Shaitan.

Sixthly, it should be pointed out that in this life we have been given equal options of doing good or evil. And to keep the balance, we have been provided with one invisible enemy (Satan) and one invisible guide (intellect); and also one visible enemy (human Shaitan) and one visible guide (Prophet and Imams).

So, you cannot say that balance is weighted towards evil. Finally, it should be clarified that in your question "man was created weak" has been quoted out of context. It is not meant to compare man with Shaitan and it does not declare that man is "weaker than Shaitan".

The Aya should be seen in its context. It runs as follows:-

"Verily, Allah desires to turn unto you (with mercy); and those who follow their own lust wish that you should deviate a great deviation. Allah desires to lighten your burden and man has been created weak." (4:27-28)

This Aya depicts the Mercy of Allah upon mankind because man has been created weak. Is it not ironical that your friend wants to use it to prove "injustice" of Allah?

Q3: WAS SATAN AN ANGEL?

According to Holy Quran, Allah told the angels to bow down to Hadhrat 'Adam; everybody did except Iblis. Was Iblis an angel or jinn?

A. Here are 3 ayat which provide the answer- "And when we said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam"; so they bowed down except Iblis. He was from the Jinns, and he broke the command of his Lord." (Qur'an, 18:50) "He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, and created Jinns from smokeless fire." (Qur'an, 55:14-15)

"Said He, "What prevented thee that thou did not bow down when I did command thee?" Said (Shaitan), "I am better than him; Thou hast created me of fire and Thou created him (Adam) of clay." (Qur'an, 7:12)

These ayat clearly show that Iblis was not from amongst the angels - he was a Jinn who was created from fire. Then why was he condemned for disobeying a command given to the angels? It was because he was amongst the group of the angels who had been ordered to bow down to Adam, and since he formed one of the members of the group, the order also pertained to him as the third 'aya clearly shows that he was 'ordered'.

If in a group there are, let us say, more men than women (as in 'Aya of Tat-hir), then the whole group is referred to in masculine gender and the women are automatically included in it, even if the pronouns etc. are masculine. This rule is called the Rule of "Taghlib" (Rule of Predominance).

Likewise, in that group of angels there was only one Jinn (Shaitan); therefore, the order given to that group, even if it was addressed to the 'angels', covered the group collectively including Satan. That is why he was condemned by Allah for his disobedience. Even Satan understood it perfectly. That is why he did not argue that he had not prostrated because the order was addressed, not to him, but to the angels.

Q4: ARE THERE SOME PEOPLE CREATED FOR HELL?

I fully appreciate your point of view that there is no fatalism in Islam. But there is one verse in the Qur'an which is very difficult to reconcile with this view:-"Now what is the matter with the unbelievers that they rush madly before thee, from right and from the left, in crowds? Does every man of them long to enter the Garden of Bliss? By no means.

For We have created them out of the (base matter) they know." (Qur'an, 70:36-39).These verses are very difficult to understand without the concept of pre-destination being accepted, since even after accepting Islam some are said to have no chance of entering the Garden of Bliss, as they are created of some very base matter .

A. These 'ayat do not say that "even after accepting Islam some have no chance of entering the Garden of Bliss, as they are created of some very base matter".

The Qur'an uses the word "the unbelievers".It refers to those who had not accepted Islam. Therefore, your interpretation "even after accepting Islam" is quite out of place. And it is not only "some" who have been created of some very base matter. Indeed every human being has been created of that very base matter, i.e. the sperm.

I think the cause of your misunderstanding is the words "they hasten on around you on the right hand and on the left hand, in groups." Perhaps you think that hastening on around the Prophet shows their love towards him.

It is not so. The fact is that the unbelievers rejected the belief in the hereafter. When the blissful life of the hereafter was described to them in detail, they ridiculed it and further mocked at it by pretending to run a race for it.

Q5: WHY DIFFERENCE OF RELIGIONS?

I am asked, "Do you believe in God?" I say, "Yes" Is He everyone's God?" "Yes" "Then why there is a difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim?" What can I answer? A. Allah has created everything, including human beings. He has shown the man the true path, and has warned him against going astray.

After giving him freedom of will, he does not compel anyone in this world to choose this or that course. That is why some people go astray. Of course, everyone will be rewarded or punished for his belief and action, but it will be on the Day of Judgement.

Q6. CHOICELESS AWARENES!

I went through a book by Krishnamurti. (Its description is enclosed.) He Writes that through self-knowledge one can go beyond self where he can experience the presence of God. The central fact of all Krishnamurti's teaching, as Aldous Huxley Stresses in his preface, is that for each individual the central human being problem can be solved in only one way-for and by himself.

"There is, Krishnamurti claims, a transcendent spontaneity of life, a "creative Reality" as he calls it which reveals itself as immanent only when the perceiver's mind is In a sate of "alert passivity", of "choiceless awareness" What do you say about this claim?

A.I have read the photostet copy of the dust-cover of krishnamurti's book sent by you. I invite your attention to the following statement therein:

"The central fact of all krishnamurti's teaching is that for each individual the central human problem can be solved in only one way-for and by himself…….there is hope in men, not in society, not systems, organized religious system but in you and me.

When you quote the Bhagvad Gita, or the bible, or some Chinese sacred book, surely you are merely repeating, are you not? And what you are repeating is not the truth. It is a lie; for truth cannot be repeated. It is through belief in someone else's symbols, that a man comes to the eternal reality…………"

If Huxley had been sincere in his claims, he should not have written this book at all, because the rule of "each man himself" does not leave room for accepting anybody's advice or guidance and because if someone accepts his advice, he would in is own words, be merely repeating', and "it is a lie, for truth cannot be repeated" Huxley has merely indulged in rhetoric by coining the phrase "choiceless awareness" which has ambiguous meaning, if it has an meaning at all!

Such people take advantage of the general disenchantment with the society which is prevalent in the west today, and which is manifested in hippieism and other such movements. To entice and attract them, he condemns all systems, including religion, but, in the same breath, he offers his own system for acceptance to the world at large.

Q7. HOW HUMAN RACE BEGAN?

Adam (a.s) and Hawwa gave birth to two sons. Then how did human race begin in this World?

A. According to the Jewish tradition, Adam (a.s) and Hawwa (Eve) gave birth to twins - a boy and a girl. And a boy of one pregnancy was married to another pregnancy, and so on. The same story has been repeated by the Sunnis in their books .But according to Shia traditions, god sent a "houri" (nymph of paradise) for Shees (Sheth) (a.s) and a "Jinn" (Genie) woman for another child of Adam(a.s). Then the cousins were married to each other and thus the human race multiplied.

Q8. WERE LUQMAN AND SOME OTHERS IMAM

I would like to know if luqman and khidr and Talut were imams. A. No, Luqman, according to many traditions was an Ethiopian blessed with an extra- ordinary endowment of wisdom. But he was not a prophet. Some identify him with Asop of the well-known fables. Khidr was a prophet whilst Talut was a king appointed by Allah.

Q9. SONS OF NABI IBRAHIM (A.S)

How many sons did Hadhrat Ibrahim (a.s) have? And whom did he make prophet after him?

A.Nabi Ibrahim had three sons: Isma'il, Ishaq and Midyan. He did not make any one of them a prophet. Prophets are not made by human beings. It is Allah who appoints Prophets and Imams. Hadhrat Isma'il and Hadhrat Ishaq were prophets as designated by Allah. (I advise you to read 'Prophethood' published by this Mission).