IF ALLAH WILLS

 

   IF ALLAH WILLS

The disbelievers among the Quraysh tribe told the Prophet s.a.w. as narrated by Ibn ‘Abbās, “If you could widen the valleys of Makkah for us, move away its mountains so that we could cultivate the land, and revive our dead, or cut the land or talk to the dead [then we would believe you].” They also said” “Move our mountain to extend our land, or make Syria closer for us to go for trade, or bring back our ancestors from their graves.”  Then Allah revealed to the Prophet the following verse:

وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْآنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الْمَوْتَى بَلْ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا

أَفَلَمْ يَيْأَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ لَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لَهَدَى النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا

قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ (  الرعد:31)

And if there had been a Qur’an with which mountains

 could be moved (from their places), or the earth could be

 cloven asunder, or the dead could be made to speak (it would

 not have been other than this Qur’an). But the decision of all

 things is certainly with Allah have not then those who believed

 yet known that had Allah willed, He could have guided all

 mankind? And disaster will not cease to strike those who

disbelieved because of their (evil) deeds or it (i.e. the

  disaster) settles  close to their homes, until the

 Promise of Allah  comes to pass. Certainly,

 Allah  breaks not His Promise.

(Q. 13:31)

                  Ibn Kathīr ‘s commentary on this verse is as follows:

          “Allah says, ‘If there were a Book among the previous Divine Books with which the mountains could be moved from their places, or the earth could be cleaved asunder, or the dead speak in their graves, it would have been this Qur’an and none else.’ Or, this Qur’an is more worthy to cause all this, because of its marvellous eloquence that defies the ability of mankind and the jinns, even if all of them gather their forces together to invent something like it or even a Surah like it. Yet, these idolaters disbelieve in the Qur’an and reject it.”

          As the Qur’an is based on all other Divine Books, each of them could also be called “Qur’an.” Abū Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet s.a.w. said:

  خُفِّفَتْ عَلَى دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الْقِرَاءَةُ، فَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ بِدَابَّتِهِ تُسْرَجُ، فَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ

مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُسْرَجَ دَابَّتُهُ، وَكَانَ لَا يَأْكُلُ إِلَّا مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدَيْهِ " (رواه أحمد) 

Reciting was made easy for (Prophet) Dā’ūd (David)

 in that he used to order that his animal be prepared for him

 to ride and in the meantime he would read the entire Qur’an.

 He used to eat only from what his hand made.

 (Reported by Ahmad)

                “The entire Qur’an” here meant by the Prophet is “al-Zabūr, the Psalms.” Prophet David read the entire Psalms before mounting his animal.

          The Qur’ān is the most eloquent and most affected to the heart and the mind of people. Allah said,

لَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُتَصَدِّعًا مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ

وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ( الحشر :21)

Had We sent down this Qur’an on a mountain,

 you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rent

 asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables

 which We put forward to mankind that they

 may reflect.  (Q. 59:21)

          Allah’s response to the request of the Makkan idolaters is that He does not have to answer their requests with those impossible things, in order to make them believe. If Allah wills, He can guide, not only them, but the whole mankind without providing evidence, such as moving the mountains or reviving the dead.

          This statement of Allah is confirmed in another verse, as follows:

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَائِرٌ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (النخل:9)

And it is up to Allah to show the right way. But there

 are ways that astray. And had He willed, He would

 have guided you all.  (Q. 1  6:9)

          This is a fact we have to accept that we are different from others, and therefore we should not criticize, blame or humiliate them for being astray, but rather, show them the right way wisely, and the outcome is up to Allah.

          Allah also said:

وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ( يونس:99)

And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed,

 all of them  together. So will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers. (Q. 10:99)

          Diversity among mankind is again mentioned in the following verse:

لَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ. إِلَّا مَنْ رَحِمَ رَبُّكَ وَلِذَلِكَ خَلَقَهُمْ

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ ( يونس: 118-119)

And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely,

 have made humanity one Ummah (nation), but they will not

 stop disagreeing. Except those for whom your Lord has

 granted  mercy.  And it is for this that He did create them;

 and  the Word of your Lord had been fulfilled (i.e.,

 His saying), “Surely, I shall fill Hell with Jinn

 and men all together.” (Q. 11:118-119)

          Here it is stated clearly that Allah will not make Faith universally accepted. People will always differ in religions, creeds, beliefs, sects and opinion. He says:

وَلَوْ شِئْنا لَآتَيْنا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُداها وَلكِنْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ مِنِّي لَأَمْلَأَنَّ

جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ (  السجده: 13(

   And if We had willed, surely We would have given

 every person his guidance, but the Word from Me took

 effect (about evil-doers), that I will fill Hell with

 jinn and mankind together. (Q. 32:13)

          Narrated by Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet   s.a.w. said:

افْتَرَقَتِ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوْ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَتَفَرَّقَتِ النَّصَارَى

عَلَى إِحْدَى  أَوْ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلاَثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً  

(رواه  أبو داؤد:الألباني :حسن صحيح )‏

The Jews were split up into seventy-one or

seventy-two firqahs (divisions, groups, or sects);

 and  the Christians were split up into seventy one or

 seventy-two sects; and my community will be

 split up into seventy-three sects.

(Reported by Abū Dā’ūd; al-Albānī: Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ)

          In another ḥadīth, the Prophet s.a.w. said:

أَلاَ إِنَّ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ افْتَرَقُوا عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْمِلَّةَ

سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلَى ثَلاَثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ ثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ ‏ ‏

)رواه أبو داؤد;الألباني :حسن)‏

  Beware! The people of the Book before were split up into

 seventy-two divisions, (groups, or sects), and this community

 will be split into seventy  three: seventy-two of them will go

 to Hell and one of them  will go to Paradise, and

it is the majority group.

(Reported by Abū Dā’ūd; al-Albānī: Ḥasan)

          In another ḥadīth, the Prophet s.a.w. said:

“And verily the Bani Israel (Children of Israel)

 were divided into seventy two sects and my

 nation would divide into seventy three  sects,

 all are to hell except one”  on that the Companions

 of the Prophet   asked : “Who is that one,  

 O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied:

 “Al-Jama'ah (the majority group)”

          In another version the Prophet replied

مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَ أَصْحَابِي

It is what I am and my companions are holding

  

          In the time of the Prophet the Christians were divided into 72   sects. But more sects appeared after the death of the Prophet. Scholars who limit the number into 72 sects say that these new sects are subdivisions of one or more of the 72 sects. Scholars, who do not limit the number to 72 sects, but to indicate its great number, will not have any problem with the emergence of new sects. The Christian will be divided into more division than that of the Jews, and the Muslims will be divided into more division than that of the Christians. The number indicates the greatness in number, and not the limit of it.

           History shows us that the Rāfiḍah (Rafidites, deserters, those who reject legitimate Islamic authority and leadership, especially of Abū Bakr and ‘Umar as caliphs) were divided into more than seventy sub-divisions, the Khawārij (Kharijites, lit. “those who went out” the dissident who were initially supporting the authority of   Ali ibn Abi Talib, then later rejected his leadership) into more than forty-five sub-divisions, then the Sufi orders with various sub-divisions, and many other sects or division that will appear later, their number will be more than 72. So, this number is not the limit, but to indicate its greatness in number. According to Muslim scholars, such as Imam Abdullah ibn al-Mubārak, those 72 Muslim groups or sects will not be doomed to Hellfire permanently, for they are still Muslims. For example, ‘Ali himself said about the Khawārij that “they are our brothers who have abandoned us.”  Groups or sects which are excluded from Muslim ummah will also be excluded from this 72 sects.

          Muslim scholars who stick literally to the number say that the number 72 is the basic or main division, so that the Rāfiḍah is considered one division or sect, the Khawārij is also considered one  division or sect, and so on.  Al-Shahrastānī mentions those groups or sects by names, so that there will be no room for new sects that appear later. Therefore, as Ibn Taymiyyah put it, we cannot specify which groups belong to the 73 groups without any proof. We can only say that the group that will be safe is the one who follows the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa ‘l-jamā‘ah. This division, as al-Shāṭibī put it, occurred in the very basic or principles of religion, not in branches or sub-divisions of the religion, such as schools of law: Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfi‘ī, Ḥanbalī, Wahhābī, etc. All of them belong to one group, the Sunni, also called, Ahl al-Sunnah wa ‘l-jamā‘ah (lit. “Adherents to the Sunnah and the community.” It is not meant the name of a new Islamic organization founded in London in 2005. (CIVIC, 20.09.13)

 Bibliography:

Al-Maktabah al-Shāmilah

Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr

fatwa.islamweb.net/fatwa/printfatwa.php?Id=210628&lang=

          islamqa.info/ar/129109

www.alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?View=Page&PageID=3      08&PageNo=1&BookID=5  

sunnah.com/abudawud/42

http://www.allaahuakbar.net/article_read.asp?id=465