Question 7: How is it appropriate for a prophet from Uli Al-Azem [1], who is Abraham pbuh, to say that the planet, or moon, or sun is his Lord?
Answer: Only a deluded person would assume that these words came from Abraham pbuh in the world of Shahada, meaning this worldly life, even though Abraham perhaps repeated it in this worldly life to reproach his people who worship these planets, or the spirits which move these planets. [2]
The truth is that Muhammad and his progeny pbut have sacred lights, which have perplexed the people of complete intellect, from the greatest of prophets and the most favored of angels, [3] until they thought that they pbut were the All-Knowing King swt. [4]
Therefore, when the Kingdom of Heavens was revealed to Abra- ham pbuh, and he saw the light of Al-Qaim pbuh he said, “This is my lord.” And when he saw the light of Ali pbuh he said, “This is my lord.” And when he saw the light of Muhammad pbuhap he said, “This is my lord.” Abraham pbuh could not recognize that they were worshippers, until their truths were revealed to him [5], and their setting and absence from the Divine Self was clarified for him, and their return to the “I” at moments was made clear to him pbuh. Only then did he pbuh direct himself to the One Who created the skies, and he knew that they pbut were
“the creation of Allah, and the creation after them is a creation of theirs,”
as mentioned in the narrations of Ahlul Bayt pbuh. [6]
And Abraham pbuh here is excused. It is in the dua of the days of Rajab by Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh in the description of Muhammad and his progeny pbut:
“There is no difference between You and them save that they are Your worshippers and Your creation.” [7]
So praise be to your Lord, the Lord glorified above their description. And peace be upon Muhammad and the purified progeny of Muham- mad. And praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds.
Allah swt said,
{And so, We show Abraham the Kingdom of Heavens and earth so that he would be of certitude When the night grew dark upon him [Abraham] he beheld a planet. He said, “This is my Lord,” but when it set, he said, “I love not things that set.” And when he saw the moon rising, he said, “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said, “If my Lord had not guided me I would have been from the people who are astray.” And when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord! This is greater!” And when it set he said, “O my people, verily I am free from all that you associate [with Allah], I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, against your path, and I am not of the idolaters.”} [8]
To interpret Abraham’s words as if they were said in this worldly life and in the world of Shahada, for the sake of argument, against the worshippers of planets or the worshippers of the sun, in particular, does not contradict what I previously said. Also, the narration mentioned which says that the interpretation of this verse is in this worldly life is a narration from Imam Al-Retha pbuh, and it is an argument against the Abba- sid ruler Al-Mamoon (Allah curse him), that the prophets are infallible. And how could the Abbasid Al-Mamoon ever comprehend the words of the Imam pbuh if he spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven? Add to that that Al-Mamoon is an argumentative person who, by his question, only wanted to prove the Imam pbuh wrong, and he did not ask in order to seek an answer. And if he asked Imam Al-Retha pbuh for more knowledge, the Imam pbuh would have given him that.
And the Quranic context indicates that Abraham’s view of the planet, the moon, and the sun is a view in the Kingdom of Heavens. These words in the Quran came after Allah swt mentioned showing Abraham pbuh the Kingdom of Heavens.
In the book of the interpretation of Al-Qummi, Abu Abdullah pbuh was asked about Abraham’s words, “this is my Lord,” whether it was shirk, so he pbuh said,
“Whoever said that Abraham had committed shirk is a mushrik. Abraham was not a mushrik; he was seeking his Lord and if the same words had come from any other than him, that person would be a mushrik.” [9]
Al-Ayashi narrated that Ahlul Bayt pbut added to the narration above, saying,
“He was seeking his Lord, and he did not reach disbelief in Allah. If any person had done the same thing he pbuh had done, he would have been of the rank of Abraham pbuh.” [10]
Therefore, if Abraham’s words (“this is my Lord”) are in the world of Shahada, which is this world, as a search for the Lord, then they are defi- nitely shirk, whether it came from Abraham pbuh or from anybody else. Although it is not shirk coming from Abraham, because it is a heavenly spiritual search after the Kingdoms of Heavens and Earth were revealed to him pbuh. If it came from someone other than Abraham, it would be shirk, because it would be a search [for the Lord] in the world of Sha- hada, in this worldly life, and in the materials which exist in it.
And the Imam pbuh clarified that whoever searches for his Lord in the Kingdom of Heavens is not a mushrik, rather he is of the rank of Abraham pbuh.
“Our matter is difficult and made difficult. It is not tolerated except by a sent prophet, a close angel, or a believer whose heart was tested by Allah for faith.” [11]
Verily, because he is a believer whose heart was tested by Allah for faith.
Ahmed Alhasan
The Allegories – volume 1
[1] People of Intense Abilities.—Trans.
[2] Ali bin Muhammad bin Al-Jaham said, “I attended a gathering at Al-Mamoon’s [An Abbasid ruler], and Imam Al-Retha pbuh was So Al-Mamoon asked Al-Retha pbuh, ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah, do you not say that the prophets are infallible?’ Al-Retha said, ‘Yes.’ So Al-Mamoon asked him about verses from the Quran mentioning the prophets pbut and one of his questions was regarding the verse {When the night grew dark upon him [Abraham] he beheld a planet. He said, “This is my Lord.”}. Al-Retha pbuh responded saying, ‘Abraham was sent upon three categories of people: one which worshipped Venus, one which worshipped the moon, and one which worshipped the sun. And that was when he left the path of his people. When night grew dark upon him pbuh, he saw Venus and questioned, as in a denial, ‘Is this my lord?’ So, when the planet was no longer visible, he said, ‘I do not love things that set,’ because setting is a quality of the new, and not of the original. So, when he saw the clear moon, he questioned, as in a denial, ‘Is this my lord?’ So, when the moon was no longer visible, he said, ‘If my Lord had not guided me I would have been from the people who are astray.’ And when the morning started, he saw the clear sun, and questioned, as in a denial and not as in an affirmation, ‘Is this my lord? This is greater than Venus and the moon.’ So, when the sun set, he said to the three categories of people which worshipped Venus, the moon, and the sun, {O my people, verily I am free from all that you associate [with Allah], I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, against your path, and I am not of the idolaters}. By saying this, Abraham wanted to clarify for them the invalidity of their religion, and prove to them that that which has the attributes of Venus, the moon, and the sun is not deserving of worship; rather, He Who created them, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is the one deserving of worship. And what Abraham used as an argument was from the inspiration of Allah swt, as Allah swt says, {That is Our argument. We gave it unto Abraham against his people}. So, Al-Mamoon said, ‘This is verily from Allah, O son of Allah’s prophet.’” Oyoon Akhbar Al-Retha pbuh Vol. 1 page 197.
[3] As mentioned in the narrations of Al-Miraj.
[4] In the narration known as the knowledge, in which Muhammad pbuh speaks to Ali pbuh, Muhammad pbuhap says, “… And we preceded them in knowing our Lord, praising Him, and glorifying Him, because when Allah (m) first created, He created our souls, and He made us speak by His monotheism and praise. He then created the angels, so when they saw our souls as one light, they glorified our matter, so we praised in order for the angels to know that we are created creation, and that He is far above our attributes. So the angels praised by our praises, and they witnessed that He is far above our attributes. So when the angels saw the greatness of our matter, we said, ‘There is no god but Allah,’ in order for the angels to know that there is no god but Allah, and that we are servants and not gods to be worshipped with Him or without Him. So, they said, ‘There is no god but Allah.’ So when they saw the tremendousness of our status, we said, ‘Allah is the greatest,’ in order for the angels to know that Allah is too great for anyone other than him to acquire greatness of status, so when they saw…” Elal Al-Sharaie Vol. 1 page 5.
[5] It is not hidden that Abraham’s knowledge about them pbut is dependant upon his own rank, and he did not know them pbut as they should be known. Muhammad pbuhap said to Ali pbuh, “O Ali, none has known Allah except for you and I, and none has known me except for Allah and you, and none has known you except for Allah and me.” Mostadrak Safinat Al-Najat by Al-Namazi Vol. 7 page 182. This narration of Muhammad pbuhap leaves no room for anyone to consider that Abraham pbuh had known them as they should be known.
[6] In the book of Al-Lama Al-Bayda by Al-Tabreezi Al-Ansari, page 64, it is narrated that Muhammad pbuhap said, “Ali and I were light in the hands of the Merciful fourteen thousand years before He created His Throne (and in a narration in the book of Al-Awalem it says ‘forty thousand years before Adam’), so we kept promoting/elevating in the light until we reached the presence of Greatness in eighty thousand years, and then Allah created the creation from our light, so we are the creation of Allah, and all the creation is a creation of ours (and in another narration, ‘the creation later is a creation of ’).”
[7] Bihar Al-Anwar 95 page 393.
[8] The Quran 6:75–78
[9] The Interpretation of Al-Qummi 1 page 206.
[10] The interpretation of Al-Ayashi 1 page 364.
[11] Mokhtasar Basair Al-Darajat page 26.
First Mahdi : Yamani : Ahmed Alhasan 