Welcome to the University of Sufism's Ramadan reading of Rosina Fawzia Al-Rawi's book,
The Call of Allah,
A companion to the holy month of Ramadan.
Today I will be sharing Day 15 about creation,
Also known as Al-Halk.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
The Messenger of Allah,
Peace be upon him,
Said,
There is none amongst the Muslims who plants a tree or sows seed,
And then a bird,
A person,
Or animal eats from it,
But is regarded as a charitable gift for him.
Allah is the creator of the universe and the light of the heavens and the earth.
See Quran 24.
35.
He is Al-Halk,
The only absolute transcendent reality that unites all differences in the ocean of his love.
During the blessed month of Ramadan,
It is particularly important to become aware of the miracles which surround us and to open our senses to his eternal light,
Anur As-Sarmadi.
When we fast and do not partake of anything material,
Anything from the earth,
This is an appeal to us to make time and space for the celestial,
Not obviously visible part in and around us.
Nature and the world can be a great place of distraction,
Absent-mindedness,
And constant search for entertainment,
And therefore our enemy that puts us in the state of half-sleep,
Ghafla.
However,
The world can also be a place of remembrance,
Zikr,
For us a place of understanding,
Idraq,
And knowledge,
Marifa.
We can find bliss in our soul,
But we will only ever find pleasure in the ego,
Nafs.
Is it not Allah's kindness,
Love,
And light which turn the day into night,
Which inspire the flowers to blossom,
Allow the birds to travel through the air,
And uncover the trees before covering them anew with buds and leaves?
Is it not Allah who places longing in the shoots so that they fight their way through the soil?
Is it not Allah who moves the stars and the planets in their orbits and gives the mountains the power to rise?
Is it not Allah who puts mercy in mother's hearts,
Be they human or animal,
So that they take care of their children,
Nourishing and protecting them?
And are they not aware that we have set up firm mountains on earth lest it sway with them and that we have appointed thereon broad paths so that they might find their way,
And that we have set up the sky as a canopy well secured?
And yet,
They stubbornly turn away from all signs of this creation.
" Quran 21,
31-32.
Imam Ali was asked,
What is creation?
He answered,
It is like dust in the air.
It only becomes visible when it meets with Allah's light.
Time and again we read in the Quran that there is actually no such thing as dead matter.
Everything is made of living matter,
And everything has a relationship with God.
Art thou not aware that before God prostrate themselves all things and beings that are in the heavens and all that are on earth,
The sun and the moon and the stars and the mountains and the trees and the beasts?
Quran 22,
18.
This is a harmonious balance between man,
Nature,
And creation,
But disharmony invariably arises when we human beings increasingly see ourselves as independent from God and nature.
In so doing,
We remove ourselves from that living relationship and we become greedy,
Aggressive,
And exploitative beings who are intent on pursuing their own interests and seeking profit.
When Allah says in the Quran,
I am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it,
Filardi Khalifa,
Quran 2,
30.
We,
Women and men,
Are being appointed custodians of something entrusted to us.
Amanah.
Allah is never absent.
Oh,
Verily,
His is all creation and all command.
Quran 7,
54.
When Allah announced this to the angels,
They said,
Wilt thou place on it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood?
And God answered,
Verily,
I know that which you do not know.
Ma la talamun.
Quran 2,
30.
Allah did not answer,
What you say is wrong.
You are mistaken.
It is true that this aspect is part of us.
We live in a world of duality governed by light and darkness.
And we also carry this potential in us.
Verily,
We did offer the trust of reason and volition to the heavens and the earth and the mountains,
But they refused to bear it because they were afraid of it.
Yet man took it up,
For verily,
He has always been prone to be most wicked,
Most foolish.
Quran 33,
72.
We are equal to the moral responsibility of distinguishing between good and evil if we open to Allah's love and guidance.
Huda.
Then we become what we truly are,
Deep,
Peace-loving,
Harmonious beings.
This is why it is so important,
Indeed vital,
For us to connect ourselves consciously with Allah,
Taqwa,
In our thoughts and our feelings,
And to heed our heart's constant longing to experience infinity and Allah's love.
And for that,
It is important for us to relate to ourselves,
To our fellow human beings,
To plants,
To animals,
And to creation for its own sake,
And thereby to God.
These relationships must be founded on justice and dignity,
And we must heed and love everything and everyone according to their needs.
Allah also shakes us awake when he says,
Since they have become oblivious of God,
Corruption has appeared on land and in the sea as an outcome of what man's hands have wrought.
And so he will let them taste the evil of some of their doings so that they might return to the right path.
Quran 30,
41.
Heeding creation and caring for creation means to express our love,
Our God-given nature and our respect,
And to take the responsibility for creation.
By observing and contemplating,
By reading creation in its multifarious shapes and forms,
The believers are reminded of the power and beauty of their Creator,
And this in turn strengthens their faith.
Verily,
In the creation of the heavens and the earth,
And in the succession of night and day,
There are indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight.
Quran 3,
190.
The command of mercy,
Rahmah,
The prohibition of wastefulness,
Israf,
And destruction,
Fasaad,
Are fundamental Islamic principles.
Our beloved Prophet gave us countless examples to teach us to deal in a mindful way with our environment,
Animals,
Plants,
Minerals,
And human beings.
He taught us to be careful when using natural resources,
Such as water,
To pay attention to cleanliness,
Nadafah,
And not to torture animals.
The Prophet said,
A woman was punished because of a cat she had imprisoned until it died.
She entered hellfire because she had mistreated the cat.
She had neither given it food or water while she held it prisoner,
Or let it out to eat vermin.
To plant a tree is considered an endless donation.
Sadaqah jariyya.
Practice suggested for today.
While you go about your business,
While you admire all things around you,
Big and small,
Keep repeating,
La ilaha illallah,
La ilaha illallah,
La ilaha illallah.
May you have a beautiful day.
Thank you for listening.
