It is as the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) stated in his response to Jibrīl when he asked him about ihsān. He said: "Tell me about ihsān." He replied: "It is to worship Allah as if you can see Him; if you cannot see Him, He sees you." ‘Umar added: Then, he left, and I waited for a short while, after which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "That was Jibrīl; he came to teach you your religion."
[Narrated by Muslim (8), Abu Dāwūd (4695), At-Tirmidhi (2610), An-Nasā’i (4990), and Ibn Mājah (63)] Our Lord informs that the followers of this true religion will go to Paradise, with their different degrees and ranks, and whether they are people of Islam, Imān, or ihsān. He, Exalted be He, says: {The Book that We have revealed to you [O Prophet] is the truth, confirming that which came before it. Indeed, Allah is All-Aware and All-Seeing of His slaves. Then We made to inherit the Book those whom We have chosen from among Our slaves. But among them are some who wrong themselves, some follow a middle course, and some are foremost in good deeds with Allah’s permission. That is the great bounty. They will enter Gardens of Eternity; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments will be of silk. And they will say: "All praise be to Allah Who has taken away from us all sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Appreciative."} [Surat Fātir: 31-34] Chapter on the Command to Adhere to the Sunnah and Hold onto It There are many verses and Hadīths that urge us to adhere to the Sunnah and hold onto it and warn us against departure from it and forbid us from disunity and conflict. Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah much.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 21] He also says: {Those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions, you have nothing to do with them.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 159]
It is as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stated in his response to Jibrīl when he asked him about ihsān. He said: "Tell me about ihsān." He replied: "It is to worship Allah as if you can see Him; if you cannot see Him, He sees you." ‘Umar added: Then, he left, and I waited for a short while, after which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "That was Jibrīl; he came to teach you your religion." [Narrated by Muslim (8), Abu Dāwūd (4695), At-Tirmidhi (2610), An-Nasā’i (4990), and Ibn Mājah (63)] Our Lord informs that the followers of this true religion will go to Paradise, with their different degrees and ranks, and whether they are people of Islam, Imān, or ihsān. He, Exalted be He, says: {The Book that We have revealed to you [O Prophet] is the truth, confirming that which came before it. Indeed, Allah is All-Aware and All-Seeing of His slaves. Then We made to inherit the Book those whom We have chosen from among Our slaves. But among them are some who wrong themselves, some follow a middle course, and some are foremost in good deeds with Allah’s permission. That is the great bounty. They will enter Gardens of Eternity; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments will be of silk. And they will say: "All praise be to Allah Who has taken away from us all sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Appreciative."} [Surat Fātir: 31-34] Chapter on the Command to Adhere to the Sunnah and Hold onto It There are many verses and Hadīths that urge us to adhere to the Sunnah and hold onto it and warn us against opposing it and forbid us from disunity and conflict. Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah much.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 21] He also says: {Those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions, you have nothing to do with them.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 159] And among His signs is your sleep by night and day, and your seeking of His bounty [by day]. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who listen. And among His signs is that He shows you lightning, causing fear and hope, and He sends down water from the sky, reviving therewith the earth after its death. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who understand. And among His signs is that the sky and earth are maintained by His command. Then when He calls you out of the earth, you will immediately come forth. To Him belong all those who are in the heavens and earth; all are devotedly obedient to Him. It is He Who originates the creation then repeats it, which is easier for Him.} [Surat ar-Rūm: 19-27]
He also established the argument against His servants by the fact that He created them from a single soul. Allah Almighty says: {He created you from a single soul, then He made from it its mate, and He created for you eight pairs of livestock. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers [in stages], creation after creation, in three layers of darkness. Such is Allah, your Lord. To Him belongs the dominion; none has the right to be worshiped except Him. So how are you averted?} [Surat az-Zumar: 6] So, He mentioned His origination of the creation and that all animals are created by Him, and then He established the argument against us by the fact that He created us in the wombs, in darkness, and that none else can turn a drop of sperm into a human being.
In the preceding verses, Allah Almighty mentions one of the strongest proofs of His existence, namely His creation of the heavens and the earth and what is between them.
He also established the argument against His servants by His care of them and what they find in themselves and their progeny, and the fact that He brought them out of their mothers' wombs not knowing anything and then looked after them until they reached maturity in form and knowledge. He, Exalted be He, says: {Allah brought you out from your mothers’ wombs not knowing anything, and He gave you hearing, sight and intellect, so that you may be grateful.} [Surat an-Nahl: 78] As He brought everything into existence and prepared it, He also guided His creation to what is beneficial for them. Speaking about Pharaoh, our Lord says: {Pharaoh said: "So who is the Lord of you two, O Moses?"} [Surat Tāha: 49] And the divine response came: {He said: "Our Lord is the One Who gave everything its form then guided it."} [Surat Tāha: 50]
We believe that Allah Almighty spread out the earth and placed therein firm mountains and caused to grow therein everything in due proportion. This equilibrium we see in the world bears the strongest testimony that Allah is the Creator. Likewise, the rain Allah sends down in a specific manner that humans cannot do, nor can they store what comes down from the sky, testifies that Allah is the Creator, the One God, and the Subjugator. In the Qur’an, He says: {As for the earth, We have spread it out and placed therein firm mountains, and caused to grow therein everything in due proportion. And We have made therein for you means of sustenance and for those whom you do not provide. There is nothing except that We have its treasuries, and We do not send it down except in a determined measure. And We send fertilizing winds, and send down rain from the sky for you to drink, and it is not you who could store it.} [Surat al-Hijr: 19-22]
We believe in what the prophets and messengers believed in and have certitude in the proofs and arguments they brought forth, which point to Allah, the Exalted. For example, Allah points out that Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) cited as an argument against Nimrod that Allah causes the sun to rise from the east and none else can bring it from the west. Allah, the Exalted, says: {Abraham said: "My Lord is the One Who gives life and causes death." He said: "I give life and cause death." Abraham said: "It is Allah Who brings the sun from the east, so bring it from the west."} [Surat al-Baqarah: 258]
Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) cited another argument against his people: that Allah guided him, gave him food and drink, and healed him whenever he fell ill, and He is the One Who would cause him to die and then bring him to life. He is quoted in the Qur’an as saying: {Who created me, so He guides me; and it is He Who provides me with food and drink; and when I am ill, He heals me; and He will cause me to die then bring me back to life.} [Surat ash-Shu‘arā’: 78-81] Allah Almighty mentions that Mūsa (peace be upon him) cited as an argument against Pharaoh the fact that his Lord is the One: {Who gave everything its form then guided it.} [Surat Tāha: 50] It also occurs in the Qur'an that Allah glorifies Himself above any defect, and He introduces Himself to us. Our Lord says: {Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who created and fashioned in due proportion, and Who determined [the creation] then guided them.} [Surat al-A‘la: 1-3]
Moreover, Allah Almighty cites as proof for Him being the sole Creator of this universe that He causes the cheerful gardens to grow and that humans cannot cause their trees to grow. He also mentions as an argument that He made the earth stable, placed therein rivers and firm mountains, and put a barrier between two bodies of water preventing their water from merging together. And that He alone is the One Who responds to the distressed - even if not a believer - when he calls out to Him, the One Who guides people in the darkness of the land and the sea, and the One Who sends the winds as harbingers ahead of His mercy; and He is the One Who provides for us, and there is no provider, lord, or creator other than Him. Our Lord, Exalted be He, says: {Is He [not better] Who created the heavens and earth, and sent down for you rain from the sky, by which We caused to grow gardens of cheerful beauty? You could never cause their trees to grow. Is there any god besides Allah? No, but they are people who ascribe equals [to Allah]. Is He [not better] Who made the earth a stable place to live, and caused rivers to flow through it, and placed therein firm mountains, and made a barrier between two flowing bodies of water? Is there any god besides Allah? No, but most of them do not know. Is He [not better] Who responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and Who relieves suffering, and Who makes you successors on earth? Is there any god besides Allah? Little is it that you take heed! Is He [not better] Who guides you in the depths of darkness of the land and sea, and Who sends the winds as harbingers ahead of His mercy? Is there any god besides Allah? Exalted is Allah far above the partners they associate with Him! Is He [not better] Who originates creation then repeats it, and Who gives you provision from the heaven and earth? Is there any god besides Allah? Say: "Produce your evidence if you are truthful."} [Surat an-Naml: 60-64]
He Almighty also says: {It is He Who spread out the earth and placed therein firm mountains and rivers, and created therein fruits of every kind in pairs. He causes the night to cover the day. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who reflect. And on the earth there are neighboring [yet different] tracts of land, and gardens of grapevines, grains and palm trees – some growing in clusters from one root or standing alone. They are all irrigated with the same water, yet We cause some of them excel others in taste. Indeed, there are signs in this for people of understanding.} [Surat ar-Ra‘d: 3-4] So, Allah Almighty affirms that He alone is the One Who spread out the earth and created all trees and fruits in pairs, and He alone is the One Who causes the night to cover the day. He also uses the argument that different tracts of land produce similar and dissimilar plants, though they are irrigated with the same water. Glory be to Allah, other than Whom there is no lord or creator.
Our Lord demonstrates that mountains, though firm and solid, contain such splendor that points to the magnificence of the Creator. Allah Almighty says: {And in the mountains there are various tracts of white and red, of various colors, and raven black.} [Surat Fātir: 27]
He also points out that He is the One Who created all these worlds and subjected them for mankind. An example is the fact that He enabled ships to sail through the sea. Allah, Exalted be He, says: {It is Allah Who has subjected for you the sea, so that the ships may sail on it by His command, and so that you may seek His bounty, and so that you may be grateful. And He has subjected for you all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; all is from Him. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who reflect.} [Surat al-Jāthiyah: 12-13]
Our Lord proves His existence to us by the fact that He subjected the animals for us, giving us means of transport, clothing, foods, and drinks, and that He holds the bird in the open air. Allah, the Exalted, says: {Do they not see the birds enabled to fly in the open air? None holds them up except Allah. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who believe. Allah has made your houses a place of rest for you, and He has given you tents made from the hides of livestock which you find light to handle when you travel and when you camp. And out of their wool, fur and hair [He has given you] furnishings and enjoyment for a while. Allah has made for you shade out of what He has created, and has made for you shelter in the mountains. He has also made for you garments protecting you from heat [and cold], and garments [of armor] protecting you in battle. This is how He perfects His favors upon you, so that you may submit to Him.} [Surat an-Nahl: 79-81] All these are signs that bear testimony to His existence and lordship. Who could bring them into existence except Him, Glorified be He? There is no creator or lord other than Him.
And He presents to us a great witness that occurs every day and points to His existence and lordship, namely that He is the One Who cleaves the daybreak and causes the grain and fruit stones to sprout. In the Qur'an, He says: {It is Allah Who causes the grain and fruit-stones to sprout. He brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living. Such is Allah! So how are you being turned away? It is He Who cleaves the daybreak, and made the night for rest, and the sun and the moon with a precise measurement; that is the design of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 95-96]
As He made the sun and the moon two signs, He too rendered the night and day two signs pointing to His existence and lordship. Allah, the Exalted, says: {We have made the day and night as two signs. We darkened the night and made the day bright.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 12]
Allah Almighty also points out that He is the One Who makes the bodies of water fresh and salty, and provides therein for us tender meat and ornaments, which point to His existence. He, Glorified be He, says: {It is He Who has subjected the sea, so that you may eat from it tender meat and extract ornaments to wear. And you see the ships cleaving their way through its waves.} [Surat an-Nahl: 14] He also says: {It is He Who merges the two bodies of water: one fresh and palatable and the other salty and bitter, and He has made between them a barrier and an insurmountable partition.} [Surat al-Furqān: 53]
And our Lord clarifies that sound minds can realize that this universe could not have come into existence without a Creator. He says: {It is He Who gives life and causes death, and to Him belongs the alternation of night and day. Do you not understand?} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 80] He also says: {Abraham said: "Do you then worship besides Allah that which can neither benefit nor harm you in the least? Fie upon you and upon all that you worship besides Allah! Do you not have any sense?"} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 66-67] Could there be greater signs of His existence and lordship, Exalted be He!
Allah Almighty criticizes those who attribute the creation to other than Him and asks them in a scolding manner: Were they created from nothing? Or did they create themselves or create the heavens and the earth? Or do they possess the treasures of Allah? Or are they in control of everything? In the Qur’an, Allah, Exalted be He, says: {Were they created by none, or were they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and earth? Rather, they are not certain in faith. Or do they possess the treasures of your Lord, or do they have full control [of everything]?} [Surat at-Tūr: 35-37] These verses provide one of the strongest proofs for the existence of the Almighty Creator. Hence, Jubayr ibn Mut‘im reported: I heard the Prophet (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recite At-Tūr in the Maghrib prayer, and when he reached those verses, {Were they created by none, or were they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and earth? Rather, they are not certain in faith. Or do they possess the treasures of your Lord, or do they have full control [of everything]?} he said: "My heart was about to fly." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (4854), Muslim (463), Abu Dāwūd (811), An-Nasā’i (987), and Ibn Mājah (832)] Jubayr (May Allah be pleased with him) heard those verses before he embraced Islam, and they pointed out that people are created beings and submissive servants to their Lord, Exalted be He above what they ascribe to Him.
Allah Almighty says: {I did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and earth, nor even the creation of their own selves, and I would not take those who misguide others as helpers.} [Surat al-Kahf: 51] If man is unaware of how the heavens were created and how he himself was created, how could he deny the One Who created him and brought him into existence?
We believe that Allah did not create the universe for no purpose; rather, it is the perfect creation for a great purpose. Allah, the Exalted, says: {We did not create the heavens and earth and all that is between them for fun. If We had wished for a pastime, We could have had it from Our own, if We were to do so.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 16-17]
He also responds to the claim made by the Christians that the Messiah is a god and a creator who manages the affairs of this universe. Allah maintains that nothing on earth or in the heaven is hidden from Him, and that He is the One Who shapes people in the wombs; and among those He shaped and created is the Messiah (peace be upon him). Allah, Exalted be He, says: {Indeed, there is nothing hidden from Allah on earth or in the heaven. It is He Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. None has the right to be worshiped except Him, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 5-6] In addition to many other signs and proofs in the Qur’an, like the verses in Surat al-An‘ām and Surat an-Nahl, which all point to the existence and lordship of Allah Almighty.