First published on: The Story of God ‘Allah’


  Esraa Mohammad

Before starting the story we should ask some questions:

– Why should we believe in God? Or why do we deny the most real thing in this world that God is there? 


– Do we need God? Or wherever we need Him or not He exists and this fact cannot be denied!


– What does God mean?


– Who created God? Or from where did God come?


– Why God created us? Or why we are here?

All these questions and more we will find replies to them after knowing the story of God ‘Allah’ let’s start now.

From Where God Came?


One of Prophet’s companions said:

O Messenger of Allah! Where was our Lord before He created His creation?’ He said: ‘He was (above) the clouds – no air was under him, no air was above him, and He created His Throne upon the water.'” (Hadith) (1)

Then, as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says:

The first thing Allah created was the pen. He said to it: Write. It asked: What should I write, my Lord? He said: Write what was decreed about everything till the Last Hour comes.” (Hadith) (2)

Also, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says:

Allah ordained the measures (of quality) of the creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, as His Throne was upon water.” (Hadith) (3)

Who Created God?

Allah is not created because He is not a creation. He is the creator of all the creations as we see before. He just say to a thing “Be” and it is. Only because we are creations, we thought that Allah should be was created as us. But the first meaning of God is He shouldn’t be created because if He’d been created, there should have been a creator for Him. At this moment, it would not be God. Allah says in Qur’an:

Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, “Be,” and it is.” [Qur’an 16: 40] (4)

Moreover, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) describes God in one Hadith, saying:

… You are the First, for there is nothing above You, and You are the Last, for there is nothing after you. And you are az-Zahir, for there is nothing above you. And you are Al-Batin, for there is nothing below You.” (Hadith) (5) 

The same meaning is mentioned in Qur’an:

He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.” [Qur’an 57: 3] (6)

Who Is God?


Say, “He is Allah , [who is] One, Allah , the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.” [Qur’an 112: 1-4] (7)


The Messenger of Allah said:

Your Lord wrote for Himself with His Own Hand before He created the creation: ‘My mercy precedes My wrath.'” (Hadith) (8)

How Were Heavens and Earth Created?

The heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, and then Allah parted them. And He has made from water every living thing. Allah says in Qur’an:

 Indeed, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and earth in six days and then He rose over the Throne.” [Qur’an 7: 54] (9)

Allah created the earth in two days, then He rose over towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth, “Come [into being] both of you, willingly or unwillingly.” They both said, “We have come willingly.”  Then He completed and finished their creation as seven heavens within two days and He inspired in each heaven its affair.  Allah adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to be guarded (from the devils by using them as missiles against the devils). And He darkened its night and extracted its brightness.


And after that, He spread the earth and extracted from it its water and its pasture, and placed on it firm mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein the sustenance for its dwellers in another two days, to take the creation of earth alone four days, were equal in the length of time.


The Creation of Angels


All praise is for Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who made angels ˹as His˺ messengers with wings—two, three, or four. He increases in creation whatever He wills. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything.” [Qur’an 35: 1] (10)

Allah created the Angels from light. They don’t eat, drink, or breed.

[They] never disobey whatever Allah orders—always doing as commanded.” [Qur’an 66: 6] (11)

Also, Allah says:

They glorify ˹Him˺ day and night, never wavering.” [Qur’an 21: 20] (12)

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says:

The Angels were born out of light and the Jinns were born out of the spark of fire and Adam was born as he has been defined (in the Qur’an) for you (i. e. he is fashioned out of clay).” (Hadith) (13)

The Creation of Jinn and Mankind

After angels creation, Allah created the Jinn from a smokeless flame of fire. They eat, drink, and breed. Some of them obey Allah and the others disobey Him by their choice; same as mankind that Allah created after the Jinn.

Indeed, We created man from sounding clay moulded from black mud. As for the jinn, We created them earlier from smokeless fire.” [Qur’an 15: 26- 27] (14)

Also, Allah says:

… And He originated the creation of humankind from clay. (7) Then He made his descendants from an extract of a humble fluid, (8) then He fashioned them and had a spirit of His Own ˹creation˺ breathed into them. And He gave you hearing, sight, and intellect. ˹Yet˺ you hardly give any thanks. (9)” [Qur’an 32: 7, 8 & 9] (15)

Allah states the purpose of creation saying:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. Indeed, it is Allah who is the [continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength.” [Qur’an 51: 56- 57] (16)

 

The Creation of Adam and Eve

Allah tells us about the story in different Chapters in Qur’an. To begin with, Allah says to the angels,

… I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own ˹creation˺ breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him.” [Qur’an 38: 71- 72] (17)

So the angels prostrated before Adam – all of them entirely, except for Iblees (he was one of the jinn) he refused to be with those who prostrated and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.

The story is continued in both Sad and Al-A’raf Chapters:


Allah said, “O Iblees, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands? Were you arrogant, or were you already among the haughty?”


Iblees said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”

Allah said, “Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased”.


Iblees said, “Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.”

Allah said, “Indeed, you are of those reprieved.”

Iblees said, “By Your Might, I will surely mislead them all, except among them, Your chosen servants, and I will surely sit in wait against human beings on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful to You.”

Allah said, “Get out of Paradise, reproached and expelled. My servants – no authority will you have over them and I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them that follow you all together.”

Moreover, Allah offered the Trust and man bear it:

Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they ˹all˺ declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But humanity assumed it, ˹for˺ they are truly wrongful ˹to themselves˺ and ignorant ˹of the consequences˺.” [Qur’an 33: 72] (18)

Adding to that,

He [Allah] taught Adam the names of all things, then He presented them to the angels and said, “Tell Me the names of these, if what you say is true?” [Qur’an 2: 31] (19)

Allah describes Himself in Qur’an saying:

Inform My servants ˹O Prophet˺ that I am truly the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful, and that My torment is indeed the most painful.” [Qur’an 15: 49- 50] (20)

As for Eve, Allah created her from a rib of Adam. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

Take my advice with regard to women: Act kindly towards women, for they were created from a rib, and the most crooked part of a rib is its uppermost. If you attempt to straighten it; you will break it, and if you leave it alone it will remain crooked; so act kindly toward women.” (Hadith) (21)

Also, Allah says in Qur’an:

O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it He created its mate, and through both He spread countless men and women…” [Qur’an 4: 1] (22)

The Beginning of the Exam


In Al-A’raf Chapter in Qur’an, we can see how the exam starts:

Allah said: “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.”

But Iblees whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts. He said, “Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal.”

And he swore by Allah to them, “Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors.” So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them. So they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. After that, their Lord called to them, “Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Iblees (Satan) is to you a clear enemy?”

They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” Then Adam and Eve received from Allah some words, and He accepted their repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.

Then Allah said to them all to go down from paradise. And for them the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time. Allah told them “therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth.” Allah also said to them when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance – there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs – those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

Conclusion


Finally, Allah said to all of us, warning us from Satan:


O children of Adam! Do not let Satan deceive you as he tempted your parents out of Paradise and caused their cover to be removed in order to expose their nakedness. Surely he and his soldiers watch you from where you cannot see them. We have made the devils allies of those who disbelieve.” [Qur’an 7: 27] (23)