Blocking the Entrance to Atheism
أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ لَنْ يَبْرَحَ النَّاسُ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ حَتَّى يَقُولُوا هَذَا اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَمَنْ خَلَقَ اللَّهَ ”.
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “People will not stop asking questions till they say, ‘This is Allah, the Creator of everything, then who created Allah?’ “
Benefits for this subject
It is one of the five senses that seeks an answer to this question. The reason for this is because the senses can only perceive something exists by something being present, by way of something else. The mind ultimately comes to this decision as it knows that everything which exists must have a creator before it can come into existence. Thus, once this question arises another question comes to mind and this goes on and on until there is no end to it.
These strings of questions are baseless. The mind can only confirm that there is a creator due its limits. It is certain that there is a creator as it attests to things which are in existence. Hence everything that is present must have someone to bring it forth to exist, and so on.[1]
This thought which comes to the mind comes from a whisper of Satan as found in another authentic hadith .
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ يَأْتِي الشَّيْطَانُ أَحَدَكُمْ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ خَلَقَ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَتَّى يَقُولَ لَهُ مَنْ خَلَقَ رَبَّكَ فَإِذَا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ وَلْيَنْتَهِ
The Messenger of Allah may peace be upon him) said: The Satan comes to everyone. of you and says: Who created this and that? till he questions: Who created your Lord? When he comes to that, one should seek refuge in Allah and keep away (from such idle thoughts).[2]
Although asking questions to learn is allowed, but asking ones which are contradictory, cause doubts and are loaded aren’t allowed and this hadith is a proof for that. Asking those kinds of questions opens up the heart to things which are doubtful and suspicious.
The question in itself has a contradiction in it, as comes after one affirms that Allah created everything. The person acknowledges that Allah alone created everything that exists, so therefore nothing has authority over Him. Then one would go on to say; “Then who created Allah?” By way of this question, he has gone against his own words when said, “Allah created everything…” [3]
Ishaq ibn Rahawayah said: It isn’t allowed (Haraam) to contemplate over the Allah, but it is allowed (Halal) to ponder over the creation and what we have been informed about regarding them, without diving into some much detail. When as person delves deep in then he’ll go astray. For example, Allah says everything that exists glories His praises.[4]
Accordingly, we aren’t allowed to ask how does a wooden bowl praise Allah along with other utensils, or how does bread and an oven praise Allah, nor can we ask how does clothes and their material offer their praises of the Highest. The fact that they do has been confirmed by Allah. He has caused these non-living things to offer praises of Him as He wills and how He wills, so we shouldn’t dispute about it.
The cure to this evil whisper has been mentioned in detail in various narrations. In the narration of Muslim we have been told to seek refuge in Allah. Moreover, in the narration of Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’I we have been instructed to read the Surah Ikhlas, then spit on your left three times, and then seek refuge in Allah. Furthermore, in the narration collected by Ahmed we were taught to say, “I believe in Allah and in His Messenger (ﷺ).” [5]
Collected and prepared by
Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle
Doha, Qatar Ramadan 1442H©
[1] كشف المشكل من حديث الصحيحين , by Ibn Al-Jawzi vol 3 ,pg268
[2] Muslim 136
[3] الافصاح عن المعانى الصحاح by Ibn Haybeerah, vol5,pg 249
[4] Isra :44
[5] البحلا المحيط, Shaykh Muhammad Adam Ethiopian vol3, 659