Names and Attributes of Allah - , An atheist saying “Can Allaah create a god like Himself?”.

questions such as, "If Allaah is able to do all things, can He create
another god like Himself?" or "Can He create something so heavy that
He cannot lift it?".
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The atheist needs someone who will call him to Allaah and remind him
of the blessing and signs of Allaah which point to Hisexistence,
Oneness and might.
The entire universe points to Allaah, may He be exalted, how can anyone deny it?
How could anyone disobey God or how could anyone deny Him
When God has a sign in everything that exists to point to His Oneness?
No attention should be paid to the specious arguments of the atheists
and those who have gone astray, exceptby the one who is qualified to
refute them.So we must be very cautious, because a specious argument
may become settled in the heart, after which it is difficult to get
rid of it.
Secondly:
This argument is one of the oldest specious arguments offered by the
atheists, and the scholars have a well known answer to it, which may
be summed up in two points:
1 – This matter is impossible, because if the other one was a god,it
would not be possible to create him. To assumethat he can be a god
andbe created is impossible.
It says in al-Durar al-Saniyyah min al-Ajwabah al-Najdiyyah (3/265): A
story discussing a different issue was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas,
which is that the devils said to Iblees, O our master, whydo we see
you rejoicing over the death of a scholar in a way that youdo not
rejoice over the death of a worshipper? For we cannot influence the
scholar but we can influence the worshipper. He said: Go a worshipper,
go to him when he is worshipping.They said: We want to ask you. He
turned to them and Iblees said: Can your Lord create another like
Himself? He said: I do not know. He said: Don't you see that his
worship cannot benefit him when he is so ignorant?
They asked a scholar about that and he said: That is impossible,
because if he were like Him, he could not have been created, and the
idea that he is created and is like Him is impossible. If he is
created he is not like Him, rather he is just oneof His slaves. He
said: Don't you see that this man can destroy in an hour what it took
years to build? And Allaah knows best. End quote.
2 – The idea of another god existing alongside Allaah is inherently
impossible. There is a great deal of evidence tosuggest that it is
impossible, the least of which is the existence ofthis organized
universe. If there were another god, the system of the universe would
be spoiled because they would compete with one another and each ofthem
would want to prevail over the other, asAllaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) aalihah (gods)
besides Allaah, then verily, both would have been ruined. Glorified be
Allaah, the Lord of theThrone, (High is He) above all that (evil) they
associate with Him!"
[al-Anbiya' 21:22]
"No son (or offspring) did Allaah beget, nor is there any ilaah (god)
along with Him. (If there had been many gods), then each god would
have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to
overcome others! Glorified be Allaah aboveall that they attribute to
Him!"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:91]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer: i.e.,
if there was a number of gods, each one of them would have taken away
that which he created and the universe would be in disarray. What we
see is that the universe isorganized and orderly, and each realm,
upper and lower, is connected to the other in the most perfect manner.
"you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious" [al-Mulk
67:3]. And each of them would seek to dominate the others and some of
themwould prevail over others.
The same applies to the creation of an object so heavy that Allaah
could not lift it. It is impossible,because Allaah is the Onewho
creates it, and He is able to destroy it at any moment, so how can He
be unable to lift it?
The atheist only wants tocast aspersions on the general meaning of the
words of Allaah, "Allaah has power over all things" [al-Talaaq 65:12].
So he says, if He has power over all things, why does He not have the
power to do this?
The answer is: Because itis impossible, it is nothing.
That which is impossible does not exist, because itcannot exist, so it
is nothing, even if the mind can imagine it. It isknown that the mind
can assume and imaginethe impossible, the mindcan imagine two
opposites, such as something existing and not existing, at the same
time.
The verse states that Allaah has power over "things" but that does not
include things that are inherently impossible, because theyare not
things, rather they do not exist and they cannot be brought into
existence.
Hence more than one of the scholars have stated that the power of
Allaah has to do with that which is possible, for thereason that we
have mentioned, which is thatthat which is non-existent and impossible
is not a "thing".
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:As
for Ahl al-Sunnah, in their view Allaah, may He be exalted, has power
over all things, and everything that is possible is included in that.
As for that which is inherently impossible, such as a thing both
existing and being non-existent, there is no reality in it and its
existence cannot be imagined, so it cannot be called a "thing"
according to the consensus of the wise. This includes the idea of
creating another like Himself, and so on. End quote from Manhaaj
al-Sunnah (2/294).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Shifa' al-'Aleel
(p. 374): Because that which is impossible is not a "thing", so His
Power hasnothing to do with it. Allaah has power over allthings and no
possible thing is beyond His power. End quote.
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Names and Attributes of Allah - , The hadeeth of the mountain goats is a weak hadeeth.

hadeeth of the mountain goats? How should we understand it in the
light of modern science?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The text of the hadeeth of the mountain goats is as follows:
It was narrated that al-'Abbaas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said:
I was in al-Batha' with a group of people, among whom was the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). A
cloud passed over him, and he looked at it and said, "What do you call
this?" They said, Sahaab (a cloud). He said, "And muzn (rain cloud)."
They said, And muzn. He said, "And 'anaan (clouds)." Abu Bakr said:
they said, "And 'anaan." He said: "How much (distance) do you think
there is between you and the heaven?" They said, We do not know. He
said, "Between you and it is seventy-one or seventy-two or
seventy-three years, and there is a similar distance betweenit and the
heaven above it [and so on]" – until he has counted seven heavens.
"Then above the seventh heaven there is a river, between whose top and
bottom isa distance like that between one heaven and another. Then
above that there are eight (angels in the formof) mountain goats. The
distance between their hooves and their knees is like the distance
between one heaven and the next. Then on their backs is the Throne,
and the distancebetween the top and thebottom of the Throne is like
the distance between one heaven and another. Then Allaahis above that,
may He be blessed and exalted.
Ibn al-Atheer said in al-Nihaayah (3/355):
Mountain goats means angels in the form of mountain goats.
This hadeeth is well known in the books of the scholars, and is
narrated in most of the books of Musnad. It was narrated by Ahmad in
al-Musnad (1/206), Abu Dawood in al-Sunan (4723), al-Tirmidhi in
al-Sunan (3320), Ibn Maajah (193), al-Daarimi in al-Radd 'ala
al-Jahamiyyah (50), al-Bazaar in his Musnad (4/134), Muhammad ibn
'Uthmaan ibn Abi Shaybah in al-'Arsh (1/66), Ibn Khuzaymah inKitaab
al-Tawheed (1/234) al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (2/410) and other books
of Sunnah.
The reports of these imams come through five isnaads, all of which
meet in Simaak ibn Harb from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrah from al-Ahnaf
ibn Qays from al-'Abbaas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (mayAllaah be pleased
with him).
As for Simaak ibn Harb, he met a number of the Sahaabah. Muslim
narrated from him, as did al-Bukhaari in mu'allaq reports. He was
regarded as thiqah (trustworthy) by a number of scholars, suchas Imam
Ahmad, Abu Haatim, al-Bazaar and others. But some of the scholars
criticized for some strange matters in his hadeeth. Hence he was
classed as da'eef (weak) by Shu'bah and Ibn al-Mubaarak, and Ibn Abi
Khaythamah said: I heard Ibn Ma'een being asked: What is his fault? He
said: He narrated ahaadeeth which no one else narrated, but he is
thiqah. Ibn 'Ammaar said: They say that he used to make mistakes, and
they differed concerning his hadeeth. Al-Thawri regarded him as
somewhat da'eef but no one rejected him. Al-Nasaa'i said: Sometimes he
repeats everything he hears, therefore when he narrates a hadeeth
which no one else narrated, that cannot be regarded as sound. Ibn
Hibbaan said in al-Thiqaat: he makes many mistakes.
See his biography in Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb (4/204)
As for 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrah: we do not know anything about his
biography except that he narrated from al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, and no one
is known to havenarrated from him except Simaak ibn Harb. None of the
scholars stated whether he was thiqah or da'eef except Ibn Hibbaan who
mentioned him in al-Thiqaat. Ibn Hajar saidin Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb
(5/301): al-Bukhaari said: It is notknown whether he heard from
al-Ahnaf. He was mentioned by Ibn Hibbaan in al-Thiqaat, and
al-Tirmidhi classed his hadeeth as hasan. I (Ibn Hajar) say: Abu
Na'eem said in Ma'rifat al-Sahaabah: He lived during the Jaahiliyyah
and he was the guide of al-A'sha, but it is not proven that he
accompanied the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or
saw him. Muslim said in al-Wuhdaan: Simaak alone narrated from him.
Ibraaheem al-Harbi said: I do not know him. End quote.
Because Simaak's report is not to be accepted when he is the only one
narrating it, and because we find that there are some doubts about
'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrah, the scholars differed as to whether the
hadeeth should be classed as saheeh or da'eef.
Al-Tirmidhi said concerning the hadeeth:it is hasan ghareeb. It was
classed as saheeh byIbn Khuzaymah in his report in his book al-Tawheed
where he stipulated some conditions for its soundness. Al-Haakim said
in al-Mustadrak: it issaheeh according to the conditions of Muslim
although they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)did not narrate it.
Among the later scholars, Ibn Taymiyah inMajmoo' al-Fataawa (3/192)
and Ibn al-Qayyim in Mukhtasar al-Sawaa'iq (433) said itsisnaad is
jayyid.
With regard to the scholars who classed it as da'eef:
This is what is understood from the words of al-Bazaar in hisMusnad
(4/115), where he says: We do not knowof these words being narrated
except with this isnaad from al-'Abbaas from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). We do not know of anyone who
narrated from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umayrahexcept Simaak ibn Harb. End
quote.
Ibn 'Adiyy said in al-Kaamil (9/27): it is not known.
Al-Mazzi indicated that itis da'eef in Tahdheeb al-Kamaal (10/391).
Al-Dhahabi said in al-'Uluw (1/60): It was narrated only by Simaak
from 'Abd-Allaah, and 'Abd-Allaah is somewhat unknown. End quote. But
al-Dhahabi classed the hadeeth as hasan in al-'Arsh (24).
Another of the later scholars who classed it as da'eef was al-Albaani
in al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah (1247).
What seems most likely –and Allaah knows best – is that the hadeeth is
da'eef. As Simaak ibn Harb was the only one who narrated this hadeeth
which has to dowith matters of the unseen, this means that it is not
acceptable. The fact that little is known about 'Abd-Allaah ibn
'Umayrah further damages the soundness of the hadeeth. Then there is
the interruption (in the isnaad) between him and al-Ahnaf ibn Qays.
If anyone wants to quote this hadeeth as evidence that Allaah is above
His creation and that He is above the mighty Throne, the Qur'aan and
saheeh Sunnah are full of such evidence and there is noneed to quote
this hadeeth as evidence. There are a thousand pieces of evidence
which Imam al-Dhahabi compiled in his book al-'Uluw, for those who
want to know more.
We have already quoted

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The ranks of people in the Hereafter – I

There is no doubt that onthe Day of Judgement, people will vary in
rank according to their status; they shall be classified according to
their deeds and standing.
The first six ranks in the Hereafterare:
1. The messengers with strong Will and Determination (i.e., the Ulil-'Azm)
As for the first and foremost rank, it belongs to the five Messengers
of Allaah with strong Will and Determination from amongst the
Messengers of Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention, for they are the
most honourable of Allaah's creation. They are the dearest to Him and
the ones whom He has chosen; they are those upon whom He has sent
peace. Allaah Says what means: "And peace upon the Messengers."
[Quran 37: 181]
It is sufficient to mention regarding their honour and virtuethat
Allaah has selected them for revelation and entrusted them with His
messages. Allaah has made them intercessors betweenHim and His
creation. Allaah has also favoured them with honourable gifts, such as
supernatural occurrences and abilities. Allaah has chosen some of them
as a Khaleel, or a close, intimate friend; He has directly spoken to
some of them, and elevated others to a lofty rank. Indeed Allaah has
rendered them to be the only means to reach Him; how could mankind
reach Allaah except through His Messengers? It would have been
impossible. Thus, the Messengersare those that have the closest
contact with Allaah from mankind.
2. The remaining messengers
The second rank consists of the remainder of the three-hundred and
sixty-five (365) Messengers, those who were sent by Allaah totheir
people with a new messageto deliver. The Messenger of Allaah has
informed us that the number of Prophets, may Allaah exalt their
mention, was one-hundred and twenty-four thousand (124,000), of which
three-hundred and sixty-five (365)were Messengers. This is so that
Allaah could establish His proof against mankind that they wouldhave
no excuse not to worship Him. The seal of all the Prophets and
Messengers was Muhammad .
3. Prophets
The third rank consists of the Prophets those who were sent byAllaah
to their people but had no new message to deliver.
Therefore, this means that Messengers were of different ranks. Some
Messengers were favoured by Allaah over others, such as the five of
strong Will andDetermination as was mentionedabove, and these were:
Muhammad Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses), 'Eesaa (Jesus) and Nooh
(Noah), may Allaah exalt their mention. These were the finest five of
all the Messengers, and the best andmost virtuous of these was
Muhammad then Ibraaheem Al-Khaleel, then Moosaa Al-Kaleem (i.e. the
one whom Allaah spoke to directly), then 'Eesaa and then Nooh,
although the people of knowledge differedas to which one of the last
two was of a higher calibre. Thus, thismakes up the first rank, while
thesecond rank consists of the rest of the three-hundred and
sixty-five Messengers, while the third rank consists of the Prophets.
4. Scholars
The fourth rank includes those who inherited the knowledge of the
Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, as well as their successors.
They are those who apply the message propagated bythe Messengers of
Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention. These are the people who
possess knowledge, act upon it, and call others to it. This is the
finest class of mankind after the Messengers and Prophets; it is the
class of truthfulness, and Allaah has paralleled these people to His
Messengers. Allaah Says what means: "And whoever obeys Allaah and the
Messenger –those will be with the ones upon whom Allaah has bestowed
favour of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs
and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions." [Quran 4:
69]
So, this is the next rank after those of the Messengers and Prophets,
may Allaah exalt their mention. So who does it include? It includes
the scholars who havelearnt the Islamic Sharee'ah and taught it to
others. This is the rank that follows those of the Prophets and
Messengers, may Allaah exalt their mention, and they are undoubtedly
their inheritors.
People in this category vary in their level of knowledge and
theirapplication of it.
The question arises: can the term"witness" be conferred to the
scholar? The answer is yes, because the scholar is Allaah's witness
over His creation. He will bear witness, through the knowledge that
Allaah has given him, over Allaah's creation. Thus, the scholar is
referred to as a witness from this perspective.
These steadfast affirmers are the ones who are literate regarding the
religion, act upon it, teach it to others and are patient with regard
to the trials that inflict them due to this; these scholars are of
high rank and distinct virtue. There can be nothing better for a
person than to be busy with his worldly work during his lifetime, or
even be lying in his grave while his limbs have decayed, while having
his good deeds increasing.
For such a person, good deeds are being added to his record constantly
and good actions are being awarded to him from where he would least
expect. All this is due to the fact that when the scholar teaches
people religious laws and they apply them, he will receive the same
reward as they do due to them applying the knowledge that he has
taught them. Hence, even if such a person is dead and in his grave,
his books and other writings remain a source of reward for him. He
procures rewards from them in his grave, despite being a collection of
dismembered body parts.
As a matter of fact, even if such a person is preoccupied with worldly
matters in his home, the fact that his sound Islamic judgements and
knowledge are being circulated among people means that the rewards for
this are being inscribed for him in his record of good deeds.
Some may say: 'These are the scholars, but we common peoplewill never
get any portion of suchrewards.' We say, No! Rather, whoever learns
something about the religion and passes it onto those he knows, such
as family, relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues and others, then
he is rewarded for this knowledge that he has related. Moreover, he
continues to be rewarded for that piece of knowledge he has related
for as long as it is passed on.
This demonstrates the great virtue of learning the religion
andteaching it to others. It also confirms the necessity of that
knowledge being accurate, since if a person relates a fabricated
Hadeeth or an erroneous Fatwaa to people, then he continues to receive
the sin from it as long as it continues to circulate among others. On
the other hand, if he learns and relates sound knowledge, then he will
continueto be rewarded for it. It is for thisreason that Imaam Ahmad
mentioned regarding the people of knowledge:
"All praise is due to Allaah, who has rendered in between every time
interval of Messengers remainders from the people of knowledge. They
call the misguided to guidance and they patiently bear maltreatment
from them. They enlighten the religiously-blind by virtue of the light
of Allaah (i.e., the knowledge that they possess). How many of those
whom Satan killed (i.e., killed his soul and spirit), have they
brought back tolife? How many of the ignorant and misguided have they
guided?How excellent is their influence on people, and how repulsive
is their people's effect on themselves. They preserve the Book of
Allaah from the ignorant who seek to erroneously interpret its hidden
meanings; from the distortion of the extremists; and the plagiarism of
the fabricators."
5. Just rulers
The rank in the Hereafter which follows that of the scholars is that
of the justleaders and rulers. It is through them that the roads and
paths become safe and the world becomes upright. Through them the weak
receive support, the oppressors are humiliated, and the frightened
become secure. They are the oneswho enact the divine penalties and
repel corruption. They enjoin the good, forbid the evil, and implement
the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger . Theyextinguish
the fires of innovations and misguidance.
'Umar ibn 'Abdul Azeez was one such just ruler. Allaah granted him
knowledge and commandment. He ruled with sound knowledge. He governed
the people for only years; he assumed leadership in 99A.H. and was
assassinated(through poisoning) two years later, in 101 A.H. Some of
his people could not stand him and so they poisoned him, which caused
him to die . He was, by the consensus of the Muslims,the fifth of the
rightly guided caliphs. In just two years, he accomplished much
morethan any of the Umayyid caliphs did in many years.
Justice was so widespread that even when charity money was being
circulated, there was nobody to be found who was in need of it – there
was not a single poor person left and thusthe alms were sent back to
treasury. Moreover, a shepherd in the desert whose goat had been
attacked and eaten by a wolf said: "Something has happened to the
chief of the believers (i.e., 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-Azeez)" and after he
inquired about it, he found that 'Umar had died that very day. So
thepeople asked him: "How did you know?" He replied: "We have come to
know of his justice that is so prevalent that even the wolves no
longer attack our flock, so when this wolf attacked, we realised that
something must have happened to 'Umar bin 'Abdul Azeez." His justice
had even influenced the aggressiveanimals, who ceased their aggression
due to it.
On the other hand, if an oppressive ruler reigns, then even the
whales, the scorpions in their burrows, and the other animals curse
him, as wasmentioned in the prophetic narration where the animals
curse the disobedient from the children of Aadam (i.e., people) due to
them being the cause of the hindrance of rain. Rainfall ceases from
the skies due to the oppression of such governors and rulers.
6. Mujaahideen (i.e., those who fight in the Way of Allaah)
The rank that follows the just rulers and governors are those who
fight in the way of Allaah. They are the soldiers of Allaah through
whom the religion is established, the enemies repelled, and the
influence of Islam and its essence protected. The power of the Muslims
and the essence of Islam are protected by whom? By the Mujaahideen –
they are the ones who fight the enemies of Allaah so that the whole
religion becomes solely for Allaah,and so that His word is

The story of Saba’ , General Articles - ,

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none
worthyof worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and
Messenger; as well as his family and all his companions.
Allaah Says (what means): "There was for [the tribe of] Saba' in their
dwelling place a sign: two [fields of] gardens on the right and on the
left. [They were told]: 'Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be
grateful to Him. A good land [you have], and a forgiving Lord.' But
they turned away [refusing], so We sent uponthem the flood of the dam
[i.e. the overwhelming flood that caused a break in their dam], andWe
replaced their two [fields of] gardens with gardens of bitter fruit,
tamarisks and something ofsparse lote trees. [By] that We repaid them
because they disbelieved. And do We [thus] repay except the ungrateful
? AndWe placed between them and thecities which We had blessed [In the
lands of what is now southern Syria and Palestine] [many] visible
cities. And We determined between them the [distances of] journey
[i.e., We placed the intermediate settlements at calculated distances
for the convenience of travellers.], [saying]: 'Travel between them by
night or by day in safety.' But [insolently] they said: 'Our Lord!
Lengthen the distance between our journeys,' and wronged themselves,
so We made them narrations [i.e., their story became a tale related
amongst people to take an example from] and dispersed them in total
dispersion. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and
grateful. And Satan had already confirmed through them [i.e. the
people of Saba'] hisassumption [i.e., that mankind could readily be
misled by him.], so they followed him, except for a party of
believers. And he had over them no authority except [it was decreed]
that We might make evident who believes in theHereafter from who is
thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian." [Quran
34: 15-21]
The people of Saba' were the kings of Yemen and Balqees, the wife of
Sulaymaan was from them. The people of Saba ' lived happy and joyful
lives that were full of blessings; their sustenancewas abundant and
their trees and plants very fruitful. Allaah sent messengers to them,
instructing them to eat from what He had provided for them and show
gratitude towards Him,as well as to worship Him alone and believe in
His oneness. They adhered to these instructions for a while, but then
shunned His commandments, and were thus punished by a flood on their
land.
Ibn 'Abbaas, narrated that a man came to the Prophet andasked him
whether Saba' was a name of a man, a woman or a land; the Prophet
answered by saying: "It is the name of a man who had ten children from
his progeny, all of whom were Arab; six of them later lived in Yemen
and four in Shaam (i.e., ancient Syria). The ones in Yemen were later
known as the tribes ofMathhij, Kindah, Al-Azd, Al-Ashaa'iriyyoon,
Anmaar and Himyar. As for the ones who livedin Shaam, they were to be
the known tribes of Lakhm, Juthaam,'Aamilah and Ghassaan." ] Ahmad [
Imaam Ibn Katheer, said: "The meaning of the saying of the Prophet :
"…who had ten children from his progeny, all of whom were Arab" is
that these ten descended from his offspring,to whom all the Arab
tribes originate. It does not mean that they were his direct children,
because between him and some of them were two or three generations,
and more in some cases. After the flood of the dam hit their area,
some remained in their land, while others left to other locations."
End of quote.
The sign that Allaah gave to themrefers to their land, which was
blessed with fields of gardens, as well as being protected from
afflictions, all of which necessitated gratitude. These gardens
yielded enough fruits to suffice them, so they were overwhelmed by the
happiness ofbeing free from need. Allaah commanded them to express
gratitude for these favours, namely:
1. The abundant provision He provided for them from these two gardens.
2. Good land, a beautiful climate and few cases of sickness (i.e.,
they rarely became sick due to the nice weather Allaah blessed them
with).
3. The forgiveness they were promised in return for
expressinggratitude towards Allaah.
Instead of continuing to be thankful, they turned away and shunned the
commandments of Allaah; they shunned monotheism and His worship, and
refused to be thankful; they began worshipping the sun instead of
Allaah, as the hoopoe bird informed Sulaymaan saying, as Allaah
informs us what means: "… 'I have come to you from Saba' with certain
news. Indeed, Ifound there a woman ruling them, and she has been given
of all things, and she has a great throne. I found her and her people
prostrating to the sun instead of Allaah, and Satan has made their
deeds pleasing to them and averted them from [His] way, so they are
not guided." [Quran27: 22-24]
The flood that Allaah sent upon them comprised of a huge amount of
water, which resulted in the total destruction of their gardens; their
fruitful trees were rendered into others that were useless, bearing
bitter fruits.
Look what happened to them! Look how their gardens, with their
fruitful trees, pleasant shade and fine natural views, were rendered
into thorns and trees with bitter fruits, all of which resulted from
their ungratefulness, their refusal of the truth and their association
with Allaah. What was the result? "…That We repaid them" meaning that
they were punished.
Allaah knew that these people needed to travel in order to conduct
trade with people of other villages, so He facilitated for them the
means to reach these places for trade in a very easy manner, without
them having to encounter any difficulties or feeling fearful in the
least whilst on their journeys.This was another of the favours that
Allaah had bestowed upon them. There were villages along their way
which were close in distance, so that they would not have to carry
much provision and water for their trips; also, the way to their
destination was simple and well-known so that they would not get lost.
Their travel was safe, regardless of whether they travelled during
theday or by night, as an additional bounty.
Nonetheless, they did not appreciate these bounties and favours from
Allaah, and instead of being grateful, they requested that Allaah make
their trips lengthy. They became very ungrateful and supplicated for
distances that demanded large amounts of provision for their trips;
therefore, their journeys became frightening ones, which also required
much effort to complete. These people acted just as the children of
Israel did with Prophet Moosaa, when they requested him to provide
them with green herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions instead
of having the bountiful provisions and life that Allaah had provided
them with; this is why Allaah addressed the children of Israel saying
what means: "…'Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go
into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked.'
And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with
anger from Allaah [upon them]…" [Quran 2: 61]
The punishment that befell them was exemplary; an illustration
forpeople of how they would instigate the punishment of Allaah if they
were to ever act with ungratefulness. Also, it is a lesson for the
afflicted to persevere through hardships; it isalso proof that
punishment befalls the disobedient in this life prior to the one they
will face in the Hereafter. Mutarraf, used to say: "The best slave is
he who when blessed gives thanks and when afflicted, perseveres."
Suhayb ibn Sinaan, narrated that the Prophet said: "How wonderful is
the case of a believer! There is goodness for him in everything, and
this is not the case with anyone except for abeliever. If prosperity
attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allaah, and that is good for
him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently, and that
is also good for him." ] Muslim [
Satan has taken a vow to misleadmankind, as Allaah informs us, saying
what means: "[Satan] said:'By your might, I will surely mislead them
all. Except, among them, Your chosen servants.'" [Quran 38: 82-83]
Satan was not certain of what he would do, because he could not have
been; this is due to the fact that what would happen in the future was
something of the unknown and unseen for him, and thus it was merely an
assumption on his part. The people of Saba ' in general are amongst
those for whom Satan's assumption came true, and they indeed followed
his way. On the other hand, therewas a group of them who did notfollow
Satan, and these were thus included in the exception mentioned in the
abovementioned verses of Chapter Saad .
Allaah affirms that Satan has no power or authority over people to
force them to do anything; Imaam Al-Hasan Al-Basri, said: "I swear by
Allaah! Satan hasno stick with him with which he hits people to (force
them to) follow his way; this is nothing but whispers and
self-delusion on the part of people – he simply calls people, and they
respond." End of quote.
The wisdom behind allowing Satan to do what he does and whisper to
people is to test themand make evident those amongstthem who are
truthful, and thosewho are liars.
There are many lessons one can derive from this great story, the
following are but some of them:
· The people of Saba ' are a real life example to anyone who even
contemplates being rebellious to the commands of Allaah, or ungrateful
regarding His favours. Allaah warns people, especially the rich
amongst them, to not follow in the footsteps of the people of Saba '
or imitate them, lest the same punishment befalls them.
· It is mentioned in many places in the Qur'aan that certain
disbelievers enjoyed gardens and fruits, but these gardens were
squandered and eventually faced destruction; this story is one
suchexample. Another example concerns Pharaoh and his people,about
whom Allaah Says
(what means): "So We removed them from gardens and springs. And
treasures and honourable station – Thus. And We caused to inherit it
the Children of Israel ." [Quran 26: 57-59]
· Allaah is the only Provider and Sustainer.
· The punishment of Allaah follows very quickly when people are
rebellious and shun His commands. It is the way of Allaahthat whenever
people shun His commandments He sends punishment down upon them, and
there are numerous verses inthe Qur'aan addressing this issue,such as
the saying of Allaah which means: "And Allaah presents an example: a
city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to
it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favours of
Allaah. So Allaah made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for
what they had been doing." [Quran 16: 112]
· If the slave does not thank Allaah for a favour, his punishment
could be through that very favour. Water was one of the favours that
the people of Saba ' had been bestowed with, and they were punished
with it when they were ungrateful for it and shunned the commands of
Allaah.
· Allaah never punishes people without them being deserving of it due
to their sinning and disobedience, as Allaah Says whatmeans: "…And We
would not destroy the cities except while their people were
wrongdoers." [Quran 28: 59]
· Only those who persevere and are grateful would benefit from the
lessons of the Qur'aan and the signs of Allaah, despite the fact that
all people observe these signs, yet the heedless never benefit from
them, as Allaah Says what means: "And how many a sign within the
heavens and the earth do they pass over while they, therefrom, are
turning away." [Quran 12: 105]
There are three types of perseverance:
· In performing acts of obedience
· In refraining from prohibitions
· During decrees of Allaah that arepainful
There are three ways of expressing gratitude to Allaah:
· By the heart: through having it devoted to the One bestowing the
favours, and acknowledging that He is the source of all favours.
· By the limbs: through continuously being obedient to Him and using
His favours in waysthat please Him.
· By the tongue: through the repeated mentioning, praising

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