The First Ray of Light

The most beloved messenger of Allāh E, the seal to the gate of prophethood, Sayyidunā Muḥammad H, is not only the most beloved, nor just the most superior creation of Allāh E, he is the purpose of creation itself. The universe has been blessed to receive the honor of existence solely to recognize the status and grandeur of the Noble Muṣṭafā H. As one falls into the depths of the narrations which relay the series of events which take place since the very beginning of creation, he falls deeper into the unavoidable conclusion that the creations of Allāh E have been brought into the realm of existence only for the sake of His beloved.

The noble scholar, Shaykh Yūsuf al-Nabhānī[1] V, has penned a work by the name of “al-‘Anwār al-Muḥammadīyah min al-Mawāhib al-Ladunnīyah” which is an abridgment of ‘Imām Qasṭalānī’s[2] V “al-Mawāhib al-Ladunnīyah bī al-Minaḥ al-Muḥammadīyah.” In his abridgment, ‘Imām Yūsuf al-Nabhānī V has included narrations which detail the very beginning of creation.

The First Creation

In particular, one narration that is mentioned in this context is the narration of Sayyidunā Jābir bin `Abd-Allāh I. In the first half of the narration, Sayyidunā Jābir I states:

قلت يا رسول الله بأبي أنت وأمي أخبرني عن أول شيء خلقه الله تعالى قبل الأشياء. قال: يا جابر إن الله خلق قبل الأشياء نور نبيك من نوره. فجعل ذلك النور يدور بالقدرة حيث شاء الله ولم يكن في ذلك الوقت لوح ولا قلم ولا جنة ولا نار ولا ملك ولا سماء ولا أرض ولا شمس ولا قمر ولا جني ولا إنسي.

I said, “Oh messenger of Allāh, may my father be sacrificed upon you and my mother, inform me of the first thing Allāh, the Exalted, created before anything else.” He said, “Oh Jābir, verily, Allāh created the light of your prophet before anything else from light that belonged to Him. Then that light began to revolve with power as Allāh willed and in that time, there was no lawḥ, nor qalam, neither jannah, nor the fire, not an angel, nor any sky or land, neither any sun or moon, nor any jinn or human.”

The reality of Allāh’s beloved is beyond intellect and it was this reality which was created before anything else was brought into creation. This fact alone is a clear manifestation of the grandeur and superiority granted to him, but as we move further into the series of events, we grow in awe as we witness the way in which Allāh E adorned this universe by the mention of His beloved.

The Oath in the Realm of Souls

Prior to giving man a physical body, Allāh E had gathered the souls of all His prophets Q and bestowed to them the honor of seeing the purpose of His creation H. It was in this gathering of the souls in which Allāh E took a covenant from each of His beloved prophets. Shaykh Yūsuf al-Nabhānī mentions a narration of Sayyidunā `Alī al-Murtaḍā I detailing this eventful incident:

لم يبعث الله نبيا من آدم فمن بعده إلا أخذ عليه العهد في محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم لئن بعث وهو حي ليؤمنن به ولينصرنه ويأخذ العهد بذلك على قومه.

Allāh has not sent any prophet beginning from ‘Ādam and whosoever follows him except that He took a covenant from him regarding Muḥammad, may Allāh send blessing and salutation upon him, that if he were sent while they were alive, they would surely believe in him, they would certainly support him, and they would take the oath of that to their nation.

The covenant being mentioned in this narration is the same covenant that is mentioned in the Noble Qur’ān as Allāh E states:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَـٰبٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥ ۚ قَالَ ءَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِى ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَٱشْهَدُوا۟ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ

And [remember] when Allāh took the covenant of the prophets that what I grant you from a book and wisdom then a messenger comes to you verifying that which is with you all, that you will surely believe in him, and you most certainly support him. He said, “Do you all agree and take My responsibility on that?” They all said, “We accepted.” He said, “Then be a witness for each other and I, with you all, am among the witnesses.” [3]

This entire event is a clear testimony to the superiority of the noble messenger, Sayyidunā Muḥammad H, as every messenger is having to testify to his rank and honor, and they are being required to take an oath to support him before even being sent to their respective nations.

The Creation of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S

Relating the story of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam’s S creation, ‘Imām Yūsuf al-Nabhānī mentions the following narration:

لما خلق الله تعالى آدم جعل ذلك النور في ظهره فكان يلمع في جبينه، فيغلب على سائر نوره، ثم رفعه الله تعالى على سرير مملكته وحمله على أكتاف ملائكته وأمرهم فطافوا به في السماوات ليرى عجائب ملكوته.

When Allāh, the Exalted, created ‘Ādam, He placed that light in his loin, so it used to shimmer in his forehead, and it thus became dominant upon all of his own light. Then, Allāh, the Exalted, raised him up to the peak of His kingdom and placed him on the shoulders of the angels and commanded them so they revolved around him in the skies to show the marvels of His sovereignty.

This light that was placed in the loin of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S which dominated his own light and glow, and which caused the angels of Allāh E to circumambulate around him was the blessed light of the final messenger, Sayyidunā Muḥammad al-Muṣtafā H.

Another narration details an occurrence after Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S had been inspirited:

لما خلق الله تعالى آدم، ألهمه أن قال: يا رب، لم كنيتني أبا محمد، قال الله تعالى: يا آدم ارفع رأسك، فرفع رأسه فرأى نور محمد في سرادق العرش فقال: يا رب، ما هذا النور؟ قال: هذا نور نبي من ذريتك اسمه في السماء أحمد، وفي الأرض محمد، لولاه ما خلقتك ولا خلقت سماء ولا أرضا.

When Allāh, the Exalted, created ‘Ādam, He inspired him to say: “Oh my Lord, why have you given me the agnomen of ‘Abū Muḥammad?” Allāh, the Exalted, said: “Oh ‘Ādam, lift your head.” So, he lifted his head and thus saw the light of Muḥammad in the pavilion of the `Arsh, so he said, “Oh my Lord, what is this light?” He said, “This is the light of a prophet from your offspring. His name in the sky is ‘Aḥmad and in the land it is Muḥammad. If it wasn’t for him, I would not have created you, nor the sky, and nor the land.”

In this narration, Allāh informs Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S that if it wasn’t for the beloved al-Muṣṭafā H, He would not have even created Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S. The point that strikes the heart here is the fact that we do not ever see that any father has existed due to his own son. The son is always brought into existence by means of his father and whether the child exists or not, the father’s existence is unchanged as the father, himself, has received the gift of existence by means of his own father. But, in this case, we find that even though Sayyidunā Muḥammad H is to be born from the offspring of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S, the existence of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S is dependent on the son, Sayyidunā Muḥammad H. This is because the reality is that the entire creation is dependent on Sayyidunā al-Muṣṭafā H and thus, he is in the meaning of an ultimate father for all of creation. A testimony to this fact is the way that Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S would remember Sayyidunā Muḥammad H as he would say:

يا ابني صورة وأباي معنى!

“Oh, my son in appearance and my father in reality!” [4]

The Creation of Sayyidatunā Ḥawwā’ J

As the timeline of creation progressed, Allāh E created a wife for Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S and ‘Imām Yūsuf al-Nabhānī makes mention regarding this:

ثم خلق الله تعالى له حواء زوجته من ضلع من أضلاعه اليسرى، وهو نائم. فلما استيقظ ورآها سكن إليها ومد يده إليها فقالت الملائكة مه يا آدم، قال: ولم وقد خلقها الله لي؟ فقالوا: حتى تؤدي مهرها، قال: وما مهرها؟ قالوا: تصلي على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ثلاث مرات.

Then Allāh, the Exalted, created for him Ḥawwā’, his wife, from one rib of his left ribs while he was asleep. So, when he woke up and saw her, he felt reassured by her and reached his hand towards her, so the angels said, “Stop, oh ‘Ādam!” He said, “Why when Allāh has created her for me?” So, they said, “Until you offer her mahr.” He said, “And what is her mahr?” They said, “Send ṣalāt upon Muḥammad, may Allāh send blessing upon him and salutation, three times.”

Allāh E created Sayyidatunā Ḥawwā’ J as a wife for Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S, but even his means to access this blessing of Allāh E is Sayyidunā Muḥammad H.

The Repentance of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S

The manner in which Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S sought the mercy of Allāh E is a reflection to the grandeur and lofty status of Sayyidunā al-Muṣṭafā H. ‘Imām Yūsuf al-Nabhānī mentions a narration of Sayyidunā `Umar al-Fārūq I detailing this event:

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لما اقترف آدم الخطيئة قال: يا رب، أسألك بحق محمد لما غفرت لي، فقال الله: يا آدم، وكيف عرفت محمدا ولم أخلقه؟ قال: يا رب لأنك لما خلقتني بيدك، ونفخت في من روحك، رفعت رأسي فرأيت على قوائم العرش مكتوبا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله، فعلمت أنك لم تضف إلى اسمك إلا أحب الخلق إليك فقال الله تعالى: صدقت يا آدم، إنه لأحب الخلق إلي، وإذا سألتني بحقه قد غفرت لك، ولولا محمد ما خلقتك.

The Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh send blessing and salutation upon him, said, “When ‘Ādam committed the mistake, he said, ‘Oh, my Lord! I will ask you for the sake of Muḥammad until You forgive me.’ So, Allāh said, ‘Oh, ‘Ādam, and how do you recognize Muḥammad while I have not created him?’ He said, ‘Oh, my Lord, because when You created me by Your might and inspirited me with a soul that belongs to You, I lifted my head and thus I saw on the pillars of the `Arsh written: ‘There is none worthy of worship except Allāh, Muḥammad is the messenger of Allāh.’ So, I knew that You would not connect to Your name except the most beloved of creation to You.’ So, Allāh, the Exalted, said, ‘You spoke the truth oh ‘Ādam. He is surely the most beloved of creation to me and when you have beseeched Me for his sake, I have forgiven you. Had it not been for Muḥammad, I would not have created you.’”

The Beginning of Mankind

‘Imām Yūsuf al-Nabhānī mentions that as the first man and wife of mankind began to populate the planet, Sayyidatunā Ḥawwā’ J birthed 40 children from 20 pregnancies. All children would be born with a twin except in one case: the birth of Sayyidunā Shīth S. Sayyidunā Shīth S was the one to receive the Muḥammadan light from his father and was thus born without any match or equal. This is the status Allāh E had given the one who would carry the light of Sayyidunā Rasūl Allāh H. Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S entrusted this son of his to not place this light except in a pure woman. This command of Sayyidunā ‘Ādam S was passed down to each individual who would bear this light and this light was transferred from pure men to pure women, generation after generation, until it reached Sayyidunā `Abd-Allāh and Sayyidatunā ‘Āminah L and the purpose for which Allāh E had bestowed the gift of existence onto the creation had finally become manifest.

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