Both Worlds, for Your Sake

Matchless Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

Both Worlds, for Your Sake

Mawlana Kashif Shahzad Attari Madani

With the grace of Allah Almighty, one unique speciality of the Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is that all of creation was brought into existence solely for his sake, (Mawahib al-Ladunniya, vol. 2, p. 271).

Four Divine Hadith

O devotees of the Prophet! Countless hadith confirm this fact: the skies, earth, angels, jinn, and heavens were created ex nihilo for the sake of Allah’s Beloved صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. For example:

1.   Sayyiduna Abdullah b. ‘Abbas رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا narrates that Allah Almighty revealed to Sayyiduna Isa عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام:

يَا عِيْسٰى آمِنْ بِمُحَمَّدٍ وَاْمُرْ مَنْ اَدْرَكَهٗ مِنْ اُمَّتِكَ اَنْ يُّؤْمِنُوْا بِهٖ فَلَوْلَا مُحَمَّدٌ مَاخَلَقْتُ آدَمَ وَلَوْ لَا مُحَمَّدٌ مَا خَلَقْتُ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا النَّارَ

“‘O Isa! Believe in Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and command your nation to believe in him if they live to see his advent. If Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was not created, I would not have created Adam, heaven, or Hellfire,” (Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 516, Hadith 4285).

Commenting on this report, Imam Muhammad b. Abd al-Baqi al-Zurqani al-Maliki رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه remarked: “The content of this report could not have been rationally deduced [by Ibn ‘Abbas]; it is therefore deemed of prophetic origin (from the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم), (Zurqaani Alal-Mawahib, vol. 7, p. 186).

In his remarkable work on seerah, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khayr al-Ibad, Imam Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Salihi al-Shami رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه dedicated an entire chapter to this topic entitled, “The Creating of Adam and all Creation for His (the Prophet’s) Sake.” In this chapter, he cites Imam Jamal al-Din Mahmood b. Jumlah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه as stating: “Besides the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, no other Prophet or angel was given this unique distinction,” (Subul al-Huda war-Rashaad, vol. 1, p. 186).

2.   Sayyiduna Jibril عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام once informed the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم: “Your Lord says: ‘Certainly, I have made the world and those who live in it so that I may show them how lofty and auspicious your rank is, and if not for you, I would have not created the world,’” (Khasaais Kubra, vol. 1, p. 330).

3.   When Sayyiduna Adam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام was created by Allah Almighty, he beheld the light of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم upon the Divine Throne (arsh). Seeing this, he supplicated: “My Lord, how did this light come about?” Allah Almighty answered: “This is the light of one prophet from your offspring. Amongst the angels of the heavens, he is called Ahmad, whereas amongst those on the Earth, he is known as Muhammad. If he did not exist, I would not have created you, the skies, or the Earth,” (Mawahib al-Ladunniya, vol. 1, p. 35; Zurqaani Alal-Mawahib, vol. 1, p. 85).

4.   It has been stated in a divine hadith: لَوْلَاکَ مَاخَلَقْتُ سَمَاءً وَلَااَرْضًا وَلَا جِنًّا وَّلَا مَلَکًا “If you were not in existence, I would not have created the skies, earth, jinn, or angels,” (Jawahir al-Bihar, vol. 3, p. 42).

Worldly influences have no power over him: Imam Sharaf al-Din Muhammad b. Sa’eed Busiri رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes in his world-renowned poem, Qasida al-Burda:

وَکَیْفَ تَدْعُوْ اِلَی الدُّنْیَا ضَرُوْرَۃُ مَنْ

لَوْلَاہ ُلَمْ تَخْرُجِ الدُّنْیَا مِنَ الْعَدَمِ

How could worldly need tempt such a man,

Without whom, the world would never have existed.

Allamah Sayyid Umar b. Ahmad Effendi al-Hanafi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه commented on this couplet, remarking:

This couplet references the divine hadith, لَوْلَاکَ لَمَاخَلَقْتُ الْاَفْلَاک “Were it not for you, I would not have created the skies.” ^[1] The word الْاَفْلَاک “skies” here refers to the entire world and everything in it. Even though a part of the world is mentioned (skies), the entirety of it is meant.^[2] Furthermore, this couplet also alludes to an incident that took place on the Night of Ascension. The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, upon reaching the Lote Tree, prostrated for Allah Almighty. Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ then stated:

اَنَا وَ اَنْتَ وَمَا سِویٰ ذٰلِکَ خَلَقْتُهٗ لِاَجْلِک

“There is only Me and you; everything else, I created for your sake.”

The Beloved of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم responded:

اَنَا وَ اَنْتَ وَمَا سِویٰ ذٰلَکَ تَرَکْتُهٗ لِاَجْلِکَ

“There is me, and Your Divine Being; everything else, I have left it all for Your sake.”

Additionally, this couplet also contains reference to the fact that, this world is submissive and obedient to the Mercy for the world صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, and that it was created for him and his Companions. So how would it become possible, that these blessed personalities could be tempted by the world, or be involved in fulfilling worldly desires? (‘Asidat al-Shuhdah sharh Qasidah al-Burdah, p. 118).

Four Edicts of Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah

O devotees of the Prophet! Numerous Islamic scholars have explained that the Mercy for the Universe صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is the reason for which the universe came into being. As an example, see what the reviver of Islam and esteemed towering figure of Islam, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, writes:

1.   It is undoubtably true that Allah Almighty created the entire universe for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم; if the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم did not exist, nothing else would. This topic is found in and proved via a myriad of hadith in our treatise, Tala’lu’u al-Aflak bi Jalal Ahadith Law Lak, ‘تَلَاْلُؤُ الْاَفْلَاک بِجَلَالِ اَحَادِیْثِ لَوْلَاک’, (Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 29, p. 113).

2.   Creation was originated for the sake of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم; if he did not exist then nothing else would, and from him, all of creation was fashioned—he is the root of its existence, (Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 5, p. 301).

3.   The Most Esteemed Truth عزجلاله (Allah Almighty) made the entire world, solely and exclusively for the sake of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. If he did not exist, then nothing else would have been created. In other words, the entirety of creation was made by Allah Almighty for the sake, by means of, and for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, (Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 30, p. 667).

4.   I swear by Allah! And again, I swear by Allah! Not only does the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم remove difficulties and distribute bounties, but the presence and on-going existence of this entire universe is because of his existence! The same manner in which the universe was reliant upon him in its initial phase of creation, it is also reliant upon him to continue existing. If his auspicious being was not present, all of creation would cease to be, (Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 30, p. 667).