Question:
Asalamualaykum,
I would like to ask a question regarding a few issues that I discussed with a friend of mine who studies with the Habashis.
The main issue we were talking about was the light of the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him and His Family). With my limited knowledge (correct me if I’m wrong) I informed him that there is a valid difference of opinion within the Ahlu-Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon) is a physical and spiritual light (or created from light) and hence if one holds this position and another disagrees then both should be tolerated and respected. He asked for the evidence which the scholars would use to support the idea that He (Peace Be Upon Him and His Family) is a physical light so I informed him of the following hadith of Sayyidina Jabir (May Allah Be Pleased with him), ‘O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light from.
I knew he was armed with a response since I heard it was only a little while ago they covered this topic in their weekly aqeedah class. His response was the following. He first stated that this hadith is weak or fabricated and is not accepted as sahih unless a hafidh of hadith has stated it is sahih. He then said that this hadith if taken literally would state that Allah (The Most High) is a light, which would be attributing Allah with an attribute of the creation, and if not taken literally (i.e. the light does not refer to Allah) then the hadith contradicts itself since it states the first thing Allah (The Most High) created was the light of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him and His Family) from ‘a light’ which must have already been created and therefore a contradiction, was the light of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him and His Family) created first or the light that His (Peace Be Upon Him and His Family) is created from.
I will be grateful if yourself or anyone could spread some light on this issue.
JzkAllah Khyr
Answer:
Alaykum as-Salam,
The objections you report from the Habashi show their ignorance of the Qur’an, Hadith, and the reliable positions of Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama`a.
If the “hadith of Jabir” as he claims “if taken literally would state that Allah (The Most High) is a light, which would be attributing Allah with an attribute of the creation” the reply is that the Qur’an is stating that Allah is “Nurus samawati wal-ard” and also that “from Allah has come unto you a light”, both of which attribute the origin of the created light to Allah Most High, and this never means “attributing Allah with an attribute of creation!” Subhan Allah.
If, on the other hand, “if not taken literally (i.e. the light does not refer to Allah) then the hadith contradicts itself since it states the first thing Allah (The Most High) created was the light of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him and His Family) from ‘a light’ which must have already been created and therefore a contradiction” the reply is that this reasoning shows kufr like the first reasoning, since it presupposes that any Divine attribute with which Allah creates must itself be created to begin with, such as His Qudra or His Yad or His `Ilm! Subhan Allah.
What seals the nails on the coffin of the Habashis’ ignorance of the distinction between the Divine Attributes and the status of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) is the phrases “and He cast upon them [His creation] from His light” and “out of His light” in the authentic hadith:
“Verily Allah Most High created His creation in a darkness then cast upon them from His light on that day. Whoever He touched out of His light on that day has been guided, and whoever He left out has gone astray.” Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi who said it is hasan.
Allah Most High has named Himself “the light of the heavens and the earth” and then gave a figurative description of that light in terms of the light of the heart and body of Muhammad upon him blessings and peace which he identified as a “shimmering star”(24:35). Furthermore He named the Prophet a “luminous lamp” (33:46) explicitly, and He said that he had been sent as “a light from Allah” (5:15). And He commanded him to name himself “the FIRST of those who surrender” (6:163) and He said He took the covenant from him before any other Messenger (33:7), which the Prophet explained thus: “I was the first of the Prophets in creation and the last of them to be sent: thus the sequence began with me ahead of them” (Ibn Abi Hatim, Tafsir, 10:3116, under 33:7), “because there is no one who is first other than Muhammad–upon him blessings and peace” (Qurtubi, under 33:7)
So he is the first in creation, and he is a Nur, this is in the Qur’an, Hadith, Tafsir, and the agreement of the Umma and Allah is enough as a Witness. So leave the ratiocinations of the wolves in sheep’s clothing who pretend to defend the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) when they are just waiting for the right moment to rob you of your belief concerning him.
Was-Salam,
Hajj Gibril Haddad
