Silsilah Sahihah

Benefits:

If a person wishes to attain knowledge (ma‘rifah) of Allah’s Essence, there is only one solution: he should reflect upon His creations and thereby estimate the greatness of His Essence and Attributes. For example, consider the great creations such as the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, and the earth, all of which stand without any support; each of them is surrounded by space. Observe the seas and their waves, look at the various treasures within the earth, ponder over the rain that pours from the heavens, and see the diverse animals, plants, and birds. Ultimately, one will have to admit that the Essence whose creation is of such magnitude—how great must He Himself be! We cannot even comprehend the realities of His creation, so how could we ever fathom His Essence? The servant who cannot go above the moon—what can he say about the Essence who is manifest above the seven heavens upon the Exalted Throne (‘Arsh)? The Essence of Allah is so supremely great that it is beyond the capacity of any human to estimate His greatness. The statement of Allah, the Exalted, is:

«إنّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَايَتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ٥ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللهَ فِيمَا وَ فَعُودًا وَ عَلَى جُنوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا ما خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِه» [سورة آل عمران: 191، 190]

“In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day, there are indeed signs for people of understanding—those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying: ‘Our Lord! You have not created this in vain. Glory be to You! So protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’”

The meaning of this verse is that those who reflect upon the creation of the earth and the heavens and the other mysteries and secrets of the universe, they attain knowledge (ma‘rifah) of the Creator of the universe and its true Sovereign. They understand that behind the orderly system of such a vast and expansive universe, there is an Essence who is running it and managing its affairs, and that is the Essence of Allah, the Exalted.

The requirement of this hadith is that we accept the Essence of Allah, His Most Beautiful Names (Asma’ al-Husna), and His Lofty Attributes (Sifat ‘Ulya) exactly as they are, and do not trouble our minds regarding their modality (kayfiyyah). It is sufficient to know that Allah, the Exalted, is above the Throne (‘Arsh), He has an Essence, He has Hands, He laughs, He becomes angry, He hears, He sees... «علي هذا القياس» But regarding any of these matters, it is not permissible to ask how He or any of His Attributes or modalities are.