The beginning of creation

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when some people of Banu Tamim came to him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Banu Tamim! Rejoice (at the glad tidings)." They said: You have given us glad tidings; now give us something as well. Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then some people of Yemen came to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people of Yemen! Accept the glad tidings, since Banu Tamim did not accept them." They said: O Messenger of Allah! We accept your glad tidings (of Islam), and we have come to you to learn the religion. First of all we ask you about the beginning of the universe: what was here first? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "First there was only Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and there was nothing before Him, and the Throne of Allah Almighty was upon the water. Then Allah Almighty created the heavens and the earth, and wrote everything in the Preserved Tablet." The narrator said: Just then a man came and said: O Imran bin Husayn! See to your mount; it has run off. Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I went out in search of the she-camel, and it had already crossed the sandy expanse. Then he said: By Allah! I wished that I had not gone after the she-camel and had kept listening to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he narrated the hadith, and in it the wording was that they said: "We have come to ask you about the creation of the world." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There was Allah, and there was nothing other than Him; His Throne was upon the water; He wrote everything in the Preserved Tablet, and He created the heavens and the earth."
Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded this hadith in his Sahih from Umar bin Hafs bin Ghiyath. What is meant by it, and Allah knows best, is: then He created the water, created the Throne upon the water, created the Pen and commanded it to write, and then it wrote everything in the Preserved Tablet.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The first of all things that Allah Almighty created was the Pen, and He said to it: Write. It said: O my Lord! What shall I write? Allah Almighty said: Write the decree (qadar). So it wrote everything that was to happen from that day until the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Then Allah Almighty created the fish (Nun) and spread out the earth upon it. Thus vapour rose from the water, and from it the heavens were split apart. Then the fish moved, and the earth swayed and shook, so it was made firm and stable with the mountains; and for this reason the mountains boast over the earth until the Day of Resurrection.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The first thing Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, created was the Pen, and He commanded it to write everything that was to be." The same is stated in the marfu' hadith of Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of my hand and said: "Allah Almighty created the soil on Saturday, the mountains in it on Sunday, the trees on Monday, the disliked things on Tuesday and the light on Wednesday; He spread the living creatures over the earth on Thursday, and created Adam (peace be upon him) after Asr on Friday, he being the last creation; and the last of the hours of Friday is between Asr and Maghrib."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "On Friday there is an hour in which no servant asks his Lord for anything except that Allah Almighty gives it to him." He said: Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Allah Almighty began creation and created the earth on Sunday and Monday, created the heavens on Tuesday and Wednesday, and created the provisions and whatever is in the earth on Thursday; and on Friday, at the time of the Asr prayer, He finished creating these things. So that is the hour between Asr and sunset.

Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty created Adam (peace be upon him) from the soil of the whole face of the earth, and his descendants then came forth accordingly. Among them some are white and some black, some brown (wheat-coloured) and some red; and likewise some of them are gentle-natured, some wicked of soul and some good."

Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty created Adam (peace be upon him) from a handful of soil which He took from the whole earth, so the children of Adam came forth in accordance with that earth. Among them some are red and some black, some soft and some hard, and likewise some good and some bad."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The angels were created from light, the jinn from a flame of fire, and the description of Adam's creation has been given to you (you already know it)."
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: "I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me" [Surah al-Dhariyat: 56].
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah Almighty created creation for His worship, meaning that He commanded whomever He willed of His servants to worship Him, and He guides whomever He wills along the straight path and brings him to the intended destination.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Allah Almighty created His creation in darkness, then cast some of His light upon them. Whoever was reached by some of that light on that day was guided, and whoever was missed by that light went astray. That is why I say: the pens have written and dried, in accordance with the knowledge of Allah."
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, made clear that the best of His creation are the prophets, as He says: "At first all mankind was one community; then Allah sent the prophets as bearers of glad tidings and as warners" [Surah al-Baqarah: 213]. So Allah Almighty chose our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from among His servants to be entrusted with His revelation and to establish His proof among them.

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I entered the mosque (and came) to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he narrated the hadith, until he said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! How many prophets are there?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One hundred and twenty-four thousand." I said: "How many of them are messengers?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three hundred and thirteen."
Only Yahya bin Sa'id al-Sa'idi narrated it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no prophet among the prophets except that he was given signs and miracles the like of which led people to believe in him; and the sign and miracle that I have been given is revelation which Allah Almighty has revealed to me, and I hope that on the Day of Resurrection I will have the most followers of them all."
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Then Allah Almighty, mentioning His chosen, special servants, said: "Indeed Allah chose Adam (peace be upon him) and Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran over all the worlds" [Surah Al Imran: 33]. And setting out his discussion of this verse, Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Then Allah Almighty chose Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) from the chosen ones of the family of Ibrahim, and before sending down the Furqan upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) He sent down His Books, and in them described him (peace and blessings be upon him) and the virtue of his followers thus: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are very firm against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. You will see them sometimes bowing and sometimes prostrating, seeking the bounty of Allah. Their marks are prominent on their faces because of their many prostrations. This is their description in the Torah and in the Gospel: they are like a crop that puts forth its shoot, which then strengthens it, grows firm and stands upon its stalk" [Surah al-Fath: 29].

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will be the leader of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection; mine will be the first grave to split open (and I will come out); I will be the first to intercede, and mine will be the first intercession to be accepted."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection I will be the first to intercede, and on the Day of Resurrection I will have more followers than all the prophets; and among the prophets there will be some who, on the Day of Resurrection, will have only a single man who believed in them."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been given five things which were not given to anyone before me: I have been helped by awe (cast into the enemy) at a distance of a month's journey; the spoils of war have been made lawful for me, which were not lawful for anyone before me; the earth has been made a place of prayer and a means of purification for me, so any man of my ummah, wherever the time of prayer comes upon him, should pray right there; I have been given the (great) intercession; and every prophet used to be sent to one particular people, while I have been sent to all mankind."

Khaythamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man recited Surah al-Fath before Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). When he reached this passage: "Like a crop that puts forth its shoot, then strengthens it, so it grows thick and stands upon its stalk, delighting the sowers, so that He may enrage the disbelievers through them" [Surah al-Fath: 29], he said: "So that He may enrage the disbelievers through them" means that Allah enrages the disbelievers through the Prophet and his Companions. Then Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You are the crop whose harvest time has drawn near."
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning this statement of Allah Almighty: "You are the best nation brought forth for mankind" [Surah Al Imran: 110]: Allah Almighty has given this ummah its virtue because it is the ummah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as opposed to the nations of the earlier prophets.

Bahz bin Hakim bin Mu'awiyah al-Qushayri narrates from his father, and he from his grandfather (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "You complete seventy nations; you are the best of them and the most honoured of them before Allah, the Mighty and Majestic."
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: After the message of the earlier messengers had been interrupted, Allah Almighty made him (his message) and his person the opener of His mercy. So He said: "O People of the Book! Our Messenger has indeed come to you after an interval (in the succession) of messengers, making things clear to you, so that you cannot say: 'No one came to us to give glad tidings or to warn.' So now a bearer of glad tidings and a warner has certainly come to you" [Surah al-Ma'idah: 19]. Likewise is this statement of Allah Almighty: "It is He who sent among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves" [Surah al-Jumu'ah: 2]. In these verses it is made clear that Allah Almighty sent him to all His creation, because among them were both the People of the Book and the unlettered; through him Allah Almighty opened His mercy and sealed the chain of prophethood, and He also issued a declaration about this: "(O people!) Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is not the father of any of your men, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of all the prophets" [Surah al-Ahzab: 40].

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been favoured over the prophets with six things: I have been given comprehensive words; I have been helped with awe and dread; the spoils of war have been made lawful for me; the earth has been made pure and a place of prayer for me; I have been sent as a Messenger to all creation; and the chain of prophethood has been sealed with me."

Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My example and the example of the prophets before me is like that of a man who built a house, made it very beautiful and completed it except for the place of one brick. People began entering it, marvelling at it and saying: Why has the place of this brick not been filled?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "So I am (in) the place of that brick. I came, and with me the chain of the prophets has been sealed."
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is the decree of Allah Almighty that He will make this religion prevail over all religions, as the Exalted Lord says: "It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religions" [Surah al-Tawbah: 33]. And the Imam has explained the manner of its prevailing elsewhere.

Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We complained (of our hardship) to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka'bah. We said: Why do you not pray to Allah Almighty for us? Why do you not ask Allah to help us? His (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face turned red and he sat up straight. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By Allah! Among the (believing) people before you, a man would be seized and a pit would be dug for him. Then a saw would be placed on his head and he would be cut into two pieces, yet even this would not turn him away from his religion; and he would be raked with iron combs between his sinews and his flesh, yet even this torment would not keep him from his religion. And Allah Almighty will most certainly make this religion prevail and complete it, until a rider among you will travel from San'a to Hadramawt fearing no one but Allah, nor (fearing) the wolf for his sheep; but you are in a hurry."