The Realms of Al-Ghaib,
The Unseen
Marium S. Uddin
M. S. Uddin
Al-Ghaib literally means a thing that cannot not be seen. It can be relative or absolute. The relative unknowns are those that are beyond our ordinary sense of perception, but can be known with mechanical aids e.g. visual aids telescope, ultrasonic machine etc. The Absolute Ghaib is unknown to creations, but seen by, and known to, AllahSWT:
"With Him are the keys of the Unseen (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in the land and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a clear record." (Al-An'am, 6:59)
Say (O MuhammadSAAW): "I do not tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the Ghaib; nor I tell you that I am angel. I but follow what is revealed to me." (Al-An'am, 6:50)
Believing in Al-Ghaib, in Hereafter, and in Allah's Qadah Wal-Qadr are articles of Faith; one cannot be a Believer without believing in these articles by heart. Thus, the definition of a believer combines the physical actions (declaration of the testimony to the Oneness of Allah, and accepting Pillars of Islam), and believing the articles of Faith, including Al-Ghaib.
To highlight the importance of believing in Al-Ghaib, the first four verses of the Holy Qur'an refer to the definition of Muttaqun, saying that the Muttaqun are those who believe in the Ghaib as the first criteria, and belief in the Hereafter as the last criteria. The verses also refer to the Pillars of Islam, as mandatory requirements for Muttaqun:
"Alif Lam Mim. This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun, Who believe in the Ghaib, and perform As-Salat, and spend out of what We have provided for them (Zakat, charity). And who believe in (the Qur'an and the Sunnah), which has been sent down to you, and in that which was sent down before you (Taurah, and Injeel), and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter (Resurrection, Paradise, and Hell)" (Al-Baqarah, 2:1-4)
The purpose of this article is to explore the Realms of Al-Ghaib, and the phenomenon of creation per the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, and to support that knowledge with scientific reasonings (when possible) for deeper and firm understanding.
Articles of Al-Ghaib
It is an extensive list, because what we do not see are much more than what we do see. Al-Ghaib includes different realms of existence. AllahSWT, the Creator exists in the Divine Realm, while the Primordial creations exist in the Primordial realm. The following creations belong to the Primordial realms:
(1) the Angels
(2) the Throne, the Kursi,
(3) the Primordial Water,
(4) the Universe,
(5) the Pen,
(6) the Lawh Al-Mahfuz,
(7) the Day of Resurrection,
(8) the Paradise and Hell, the creation of mankind.
Al-Ghaib also includes what AllahSWT and His MessengerSAAW informed about the detailed knowledge of the matters of past, present, and future:
(1) The Messengers, and the Divine Scriptures (The Qur'an, the Taurah, the Injeel, the Psalm, and the scrolls),
(2) mankind,
(3) news about the creation of the heavens and the earth,
(4) creation of all forms of life,
(5) news about the nations of the past, their actions and accountability
The Holy Qur'an, revealed to Prophet Muhammad SAAW, as well as the Holy Scriptures of the past, frequently make reference to Al-Ghaib, in different contexts (realms), and in different tense of time, to inform mankind about Al-Ghaib (the unknown realm), to bring them to the light of knowledge about AllahSWT, the Creator, and the unknown realms of creation:
"Alif-Lam-Ra. (This is) a Book which We have revealed unto you (O MuhammadSAAW) in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into the light of (of belief in the Oneness of Allah and Islamic Monotheism) by their Lord's leave to the Path of the All-Mighty, the Owner of all Praise." (Ibrahim, 14:1)
The Holy Qur'an narrates the stories of the creation of the universe, the creation of mankind, and the stories of the past nations like that of Adam, Nuh, Hud, Saleh, Lut, Ya'qub, Musa and Pharoah, up to the time of the Prophet Muhammad SAAW, for all Prophets and Messengers, to derive lessons from these stories, and use them as a guiding light for their Ummah:
"This is a part of the news of the Ghaib (unseen i. e. the news of the past nations of which you have no knowledge), which We reveal to you (O MuhammadSAAW). You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them will be in charge of Maryam; nor you were with them when they disputed." (Al-'Imran, 3:44)
On the Day of Resurrection, people will be called to account for their actions (while alive), and the stories of the nations and the Messengers, will be narrated and verified by the followers, and the Messengers will be asked if they had discharged their responsibilities to their nations, before the final decisions of the reward or retribution will be made about the people:
"Then surely, We shall question those [people to whom it (the Book) was sent, and verily, We shall question the Messengers. Then surely, We shall narrate unto them (their whole story) with knowledge, and indeed We have not been absent. And the weighing on that Day (Resurrection), will be the true (weighing)." (Al-A'raf, 7:6-8)
The Divine Realm
AllahSWT is the Creator. He exists in an Unseen realm, the Divine Realm. He is the Originator of creation, therefore there was nothing before Him, and He is the Eternal, therefore He is the Last, nothing after Him. He is not seen but he is known by His Attributes:
"He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Hidden, and He has full knowledge of all things." (Al- Hadid, 57:3)
He is the First: He is the First because He is the Creator (the Khaliq); nothing could exist before the Creator. The Messenger of Allah said: "First of all, there was nothing but Allah, and (then He created His Throne). His Throne was over the water, and He wrote everything in the Book (with Him, in the Heaven), and created the Heavens and the Earth." [Narrated Imran bin Husain, Sahih al-Bukhari 3191, Book 59, Hadith 2, Sahih al-Bukhari 6982, 3192].
"He is the Last":
Because He is Eternal, and 'Omnipresent', His Existence is unaffected by time and space, while every created thing is 'time and space bound', and shall perish. When everything will perish, nothing will be left except the Countenance of His Majesty, which will abide Forever, the way He existed before the beginning of the creation:
"Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord, full of Majesty and Honor will remain forever." [Ar-Rahman, 55:26-27]
"HeSWT is Evident":
All creations: physical or spiritual, visible or non-visible, are the manifestations of Allah's Attributes. Creation of the universe, the ocean and the water, the air and the cloud, the rain and the growth, are the obvious evidences of Allah's creative attributes. Their existence and persistence, and their benefits, are the signs of Allah's mercy and grace:
"Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alteration of night and day, and the ship that sails through the sea with that which is of use to mankind and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky, and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are Ayat (proofs/signs) for people of understanding." (Al-Baqarah, 2:164)
"He is Hidden" in the invisible micro-spheres of the physical world, and in the non-visible realms of the spiritual world. Therefore, He knows everything of every creation, nothing is be hidden from Him:
"All-Knower of the Unseen and the seen, the Most-Great, the Most-High." (Ar-Ra'd, 13:8)
AllahSWT is Al-Hayy Al-Qayyuum: These are the two greatest names of Allah. They mean He is Ever-Living, the Eternal, the All-in-All, the Self Sufficient. He does not need protection, but He is the One Who protects and sustains all that exists. All creation stands in need of Allah, and totally relies on Him. He is the Most Rich, Who stands in need of nothing that He created: "Allah! La Ilaha illa Huwa, Al-Hayyul-Qayyum." (Al-Baqarah, 2:255)
He is Incomparable, and unlike anything that He has created: "Creator (Fatir) of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates for yourselves, and for the cattle (also) mates…There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer." (As-Shura, 42:11)
Say (O MuhammadSAAW): "He is Allah, (the One), the Self-Sufficient Master, He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him." (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-4)
The Prophet Muhammad SAAW also said:
"Thou art the First, so that nothing before Thee; and Thou art the Last, so that there is nothing after Thee; and Thou art Evident (or Ascendant) so that there is nothing above Thee, and Thou art the Hidden, the Knower of Hidden things, so that there is nothing hidden from Thee." [Narrated by Suhail from Abu Halih, Sahih Muslim, 2713a, Book 48, Hadith 82]
AllahSWT is Omniscient: all-Knowing, Omnipotent: all-Powerful, Omnibenevolent: all-Good. He is also Omnipresent: He is timeless, spaceless: not bound by time and space; He is above all these created things. Creation is like a minuscule that He can hold and roll up in His Hand. This is AllahSWT, the Magnificent; nobody can give due estimate of Him:
"No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him: On the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His Handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the partners they attribute to Him." (Al Zumar, 39:67)
AllahSWT is the Gracious, the Most-Merciful, and the Most Forgiving:
He is infinitely merciful, kind, and loving; He is also the All-Mighty and All-Wise. His Mercy overtakes His Might: He ignores His servants' mistakes, gives them repeated chances, and forgives their sins:
"All the Praise and thanks belongs be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin; the Gracious, the Most Merciful." (Al-Fatihah, 1:1-2)
Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves), who have transgressed against themselves (by committing sins)! Despair notof the Mercy of Allah: verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Az-Zumar, 39:53)
AllahSWT, the Creator and Bestower of forms:
AllahSWT creates things with the Command "Be". It is an expression of His Will. Once He wishes a thing, He only says to it: "Be", and "it is", coming out of nothing, and when the creation comes into physical existence, He gives each creation its particular size, shape and virtues, to fit into the purpose, for which it is created:
"He is the Creator, the Inventor of all things, and the Bestower of forms." (Al-Hashr; 59:24)
This is AllahSWT, the Omniscient, the Omnipotent, the Omnibenevolent, and the Omnipresent. How can anyone fully enumerate His Attributes! Any such attempt is bound to fall 'far…far' short. His Signs are in all creations, and His mercy envelops all creations, which can never be fully described in human language, however extended may be the means of our imagination and expression:
Say (O MuhammadSAAW): "If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out), the Words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than the Words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid." (Al Kahf, 18:109)
AllahSWT is known by His Signs: AllahSWT exists in an Unseen Realm and He is unlike anything of His creation. Therefore, He is beyond our perception and imagination. However, He is known by His Words (the Holy Qur'an), and by His Attributes (the Beautiful Names). The Holy Qur'an is His Words of communication with His creations (men and Jinn), and the creation within and around us, is the encyclopedia of His Attributes:
"To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on the earth, and all that is between them, and all that is under the soil…Allah! La Ilaha illa Huwa! To Him belongs the Best Names." (Ta-Ha, 20:5-8)
The seekers of knowledge can find AllahSWT through deep contemplation in the phenomenal worlds of the heavens and the earth. It is like a spiritual dive into the depth of the visible world seeking the mystery of their creation, and the purpose, they are created for:
"Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alteration of day and night, there are indeed signs for men of understanding, those who remember Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth…" (Al-'Imran, 3:190-191)
AllahSWT is Far, and further, but He is near and closer:
Allah is Far because we cannot see Him, but He is nearer to us (by knowledge), because He is All-Hearer and All-Knower, He is closer to us than we are to ourselves:
"And indeed, We have created man, and We know what his own-self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge)." (Qaf, 50:16)
The Proximity of AllahSWT can be reached by the pious slaves (Al-Muttaqun) of Allah by ascending the rungs of spiritual ladder in contemplation, and will find that in the life of Hereafter, AllahSWT has reserved a special place for them:
"Those (the Musalleen), who remain constant in their prayer. And those in whose wealth there is a recognized right for the beggar who asks, and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth. And those who believe in the Day of Recompense, and those who fear the torment of their Lord. Verily, the torment of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure—and those who guard their chastity, except for their wives or whom their right hand possess – for (then), they are not blameworthy. But whoever seeks beyond that, then it is those who are trespasser. And those who keep their trust and covenants, and those who guard their prayer well. Such shall dwell in the Gardens (Paradise), honored." (Al-Ma'arij, 70:23-35)
"Verily, the Muttaqun (the pious) will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers (Paradise), in a seat of truth, near the Omnipotent King." (Al-Qamar, 54:54-55)
And in the physical world, when he looks around, he finds that AllahSWT has created everything in the universe for the benefit of mankind, and everything makes sacrifice for them; be it the sun in the sky that burns itself to give light and energy, or a patch of cloud that gives shade and rain, or a tree on the ground to provide shade and fruits, or an insect/warm in the soil that digests the waste, and converts it to ingredients that fertilize the soil:
"It is He Who has created for you all things that are on earth; then He turned to the heaven, and made them into seven firmaments, and all things He has perfect knowledge." (Al Baqarah, 2:29)
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