Allah سبحانہ وتعالی is our Creator, and knowing Him is a very important part of our relationship with Him. This knowledge helps us form a firm basis for our faith and understand where we came from, where we are going and why we are here.
Learning about His creation is a means to recognizing His limitless power and increasing our love for Him and, in effect, our obedience to Him.

Creation of the universe

When Allah سبحانہ و تعالی wishes to create something, all He commands is, “Be! and it is. in just six days, He created everything in the entire universe in perfect order. Allah سبحانہ و تعالی says, “Surely, your lord is Allah who has created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then He established His authority over the Throne.
He makes the night cover the day in swift pursuit; and [He made] the sun, the moon, and the stars submissive to His command. Surely, He is in charge of the creation and authority. Blessed be Allah, the lord of the worlds.”

Allah سبحانہ وتعالی not only created one heaven but seven, vast heavens. ‘Abbas رضی اللہ عنہ narrates that the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said, “Do you know what is the distance between the heaven and the earth?’ We said, Allah and His Messenger know best. ‘He said: ‘The distance between them is 500 years; and the distance between one heaven and the next is 500 years; and the breath of each heaven would take 500 years to travel. There is a sea between the seventh heaven and the Arsh, which has between its lowest and highest ends the distance equivalent to that between the heavens and the earth. And Allah, Most High, is beyond that, and no deeds from the sons of Adam are withheld from Him.”

Allah سبحانہ و تعالی created this vast universe, and He is taking care of it without tiredness or losing control. In the verse known as Ayatul Kursi, Allah سبحانہ وتعالی says:”Allah: there is no god but Him, the Ever living, the Sustainer. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede in His presence except by His permission? He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His chair extends over the heavens and the earth. looking after them does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Great.”

The best of creation

Even though Allah سبحانہ و تعالی created such a vast universe filled with multiple number of creations, humankind is Allah’s سبحانہ وتعالی best creation, He created us and nurtured us in the darkness of our mothers’ womb. He says: “Indeed, We created man from an extract of clay; then We placed him as a small seed in a firm resting place; then we made the seed a clot; and We made the clot a lump of flesh; and We made out of the lump bones, Then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We caused it to grow into another creation. So, blessed is Allah, the best of creators, Then indeed, after that, You shall die, then, on the Day of Judgment, you shall certainly be raised.”
Our whole existence is in the control of Allah سبحانہ وتعالی It is He who makes [whom He wants] laugh and [whom He wants] weep, and It is He who causes death and gives life, and it is He who creates the pairs, male female.”
Humankind has been created in the best form, The only purpose of creating humankind is so that they worship Allah سبحانہ وتعالی. He says in the Quran:”I did not create the Jinn and Humankind except to worship Me.” The reward Allah سبحانہ و تعالی has promised for His worship is also great; the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:”Indeed, Allah, the Most High, says ‘O son of Adam devote yourself to My worship; I will fill your heart with richness and ease your poverty. and if you do not do so, then I will keep your hands busy and will not ease your poverty.”

Worshiping Allah

Allah سبحانہ و تعالی created us to worship Him, so that He can reward us make us the dwellers of Paradise. He is not in need of anything, let alone worship and recognition from humankind.
No one can harm or benefit Allah سبحانہ و تعالی in any way.

The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم relates that Allah سبحانہ و تعالی said:

“O My servants I have forbidden oppression upon Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another.

The Quraan Kareem is one of the great miracles that we have access to every day and a reason for our belief in the truth of Islam.
Its beauty and treasures captivate Muslims all over the world and strengthen their belief that it is not an ordinary book nor the work of a human. Rather, it is revelation from Allah Almighty sent to the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم .
When the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, its splendid from and message mystified the Arabs around him.
Being masters of Arabic, the Arabs were left wondering about its origins.
The Quran Kareem amazed them by the way it used the Arabic language; many even thought the words were a form of spellbinding magic.
Ponder over the number of times a Muslim recites, for example, Surah Fatihah during the day, over and again without becoming bored. What about the thousands of people who memorise every letter of the Quran, often without knowing Arabic?
These are unique miracles of the Quran that point to its divine origins.
Also, the Quran has been preserved in its original language and form. It is within the Quran language that we can find its true beauty and wonder. For this reason, we should learn Arabic so we can recognise the divine beauty of the Quran and uncover the treasures and wonders of its words.
The Quran kareem is also a text that has remained unchanged.
No matter where you go in the world and pick up a copy of the Quran kareem, you will find the words and meanings are identical.
This is a promise made by Allah Almighty who says, “Indeed, We have sent down the Quran, and We are its protector [From change and corruption].”

Tawhid

Tawhid is one of the most important teachings of Islam. To teach this very important message, Allah Almighty sent all His messengers and prophets to the world. Tawhid is to have firm belief that Allah Almighty is one and alone; He is unique, independent and unlike any of His creation. Also, no one can share or claim to have any of Allah’s qualities and attributes.

Allah Almighty states in the Quran, “We did not send any messenger before you (O Muhammad) but we revealed to Him saying, ‘La Ilaha illa Ana’ There is no God besides Me!”
He also states in the Quran, “Your God is only One God. There is no God besides Him and He is the Most Merciful, Most Kind.”

Conflict in intentions

A true god is one who has full control and power over everything. If there were two or more gods, then each god would try to overpower the other. So the fact that what is around us remains- for us- stable and not in chaos, is a sign that there is only one God.

One of the names of Allah Almighty is al-Qadir, the All-Powerful. if there were two or more gods then they all would have to be al-Qadir and would remain in conflict. For example, if one god decided he had enough and wanted to destroy the world, and the other wanted it to remain, one of them would have to give in to the decision of the other and will not remain all powerful! This will lead to chaos as Allah Almighty says: “Had there been other gods besides Allah [in the heavens and the earth], then indeed, both [the heavens and the earth] would have been ruined.’

He also says in the Quraan: ” Allah has no son, nor is there any god along with Him. If such was the case, each god would take away what he had created, and some would try to overcome others.”

Shirk

Shirk is the opposite of tawhid, and it means to associate partners or think that something or someone else is equal to Allah Almighty. Shirk is divided into two categories: major shirk and minor shirk, and both are sins in Islam.

Major Shirk
Major shirk is to clearly make something or someone a partner or equal to Allah Almighty, or to think that Allah Almighty has a family. It also includes worshiping anything else besides Him. Allah Almighty has no partners or any equal. He says, “Say: ‘He is Allah, the One Allah, the Self-Sufficient, He does not give birth nor was He given birth to. And there is none equal (or comparable) to Him.”

Major Shirk is not liked by Allah Almighty, and is one of the greatest sins and acts of ungratefulness to Allah Almighty.
Allah Almighty says, ” Indeed, Allah does not forgive making partners with Him, but He forgives other than that for whomever He wills. And whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah has indeed strayed far away.”
However, if someone commits major shirk and repents to Allah Almighty, He will forgive them.

Abu Bakrah رضی اللہ عنہ narrates that the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said, ” Shall i not inform you of the worst of the major sins: associating partners with Allah (Shirk), disobedience t parents. ‘ He then sat up from a reclining position, adding, ‘and false statements and false statements and false testimony!’ He continued to repeat this to the extent that i thought he would not stop.”

Shirk is so grave that if someone commits it after having done good deeds, all of their previous good deeds will go to waste:” Indeed, it has been revealed to you and those before you that if you join others in worship with Allah, surely your deeds will amount to nothing, and you will certainly be amongst the losers.” We should always ask Allah Almighty to protect us from shirk.

Minor Shirk
Minor shirk are beliefs and actions that subtly remove a person from firm belief in the Oneness of God. These can be of many types:

Riya- Showing off

Going to fortune tellers/ reading horoscopes

Believing in good or bad luck

Black Magic

The sunnah (Syaings and actions) of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) teaches us the best actions and the most suitable ways to worship our lord. Allah Almighty states in the Quran Kareem “Says, ‘Obey Allah and obey the messenger. If you turn away, [know that] He is responsible for the duty placed upon him, and you are responsible for the duty placed upon you if you obey [the messenger], you will be rightly guided; the messenger’s duty to only to deliver the message clearly.”

However, today some Muslims may think that although the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a good person, his life is not relevant anymore. They may think this because so much has changed since the days of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who lived over 1400 years ago, in comparison to the modern life of today. Others may believe that only the Quran needs to be followed and the Quran Kareem is enough as source of law and teaching. However, as true Muslims, this is not what We believe.

Allah Almighty sent the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم as a role model for us. He states in the Quran Kareem, ‘Indeed, the Messenger of Allah Almighty is an excellent example for those who yearn for Allah Almighty and the Last Day and remember Him often’ The verse explains that the reason why some Muslims fail to see the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم as a role model, is because they do not yearn for Allah Almighty, the Hereafter or remember Allah Almighty plentifully. Allah Almighty also says. ‘ Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah Almighty.

For Muslims, the Sunnah is just as important as the Quran. After the Quran Kareem, the Sunnah is the second source of law. Allah Almighty instructs us in the Quran, ‘Whatever the Messenger has brought, take it and whatever he has prohibited, stay away from it.’

Al-‘Irbad رضی اللہ عنہ narrates, ‘One day the Messenger of Allah Almighty led us in prayer, then faced us and gave us a persuasive reminder, at which eyes shed tears and hearts were left trembling… [the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ] added, ‘I advise you to be conscious of Allah Almighty and to hear and obey…. You must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs. Grip onto it firmly and clench onto it with your jaws!..”‘ The prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم also said in a hadith “whoever obeys me, obeys Allah and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah.”

The companions of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم eagerly followed the Sunnah. When they heard the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم order or advise something, they would immediately act on his words. Once, the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم saw a gold ring on the finger of a male companion. He took off the ring from the Companion and threw it away, saying [referring to the gold ring], ‘[how does] one of you take a piece of burning coal and place it in his hand?!’ afterwards. it was said to the man, ‘why do you not take the ring and derive some benefit from it?’ He replied ,’By Allah, i shall never take it after the Prophet had thrown it away!”

The zeal of the companions to follow the Prophet can also be seen at the time of the prohibition of wine. When the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم announced that Allah Almighty had prohibited wine, all of the Companions stopped handling wine straight away- if they were pouring wine, they immediately threw it away, The companions spilled all wine they had, so much so, that the streets of Madinah were flowing with wine.”

The companions were the most keen to listen and obey the Prophet and wasted no time in acting on the words of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, regardless of whether they liked it or not, Ubadah ibn Samit رضی اللہ عنہ narrates, ‘ Wwe [the Companions] swore allegiance to the messenger of Allah Almighty to hear and obey in both times of difficulty and ease; at times when we felt like obeying and at times when we did not feel like obeying; [We also swore allegiance] to not argue with people in authority and to stand by the truth whenever we are, without worry of being blamed by the one who criticizes’,

Once, the companion ‘Abdullah ibn Masood رضی اللہ عنہ said, ‘ Allah Almighty curses women who tattoo, those who ask to be tattooed, those who pluck the eyebrows and those who make spaces between their teeth for beauty, changing the creation of Allah Almighty.’ This statement reached Um-e-Yaqoob who came to him and said, ‘It has come to me that you stated [the above].’ Abdullah ibn Masood رضی اللہ عنہ replied, ‘should i not curse those whom the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم cursed [and which] is also [stated] in the book of Allah.’
Thereupon, the woman said, ‘I have read what is in between the covers of the Quran yet i did not find [the statement],’ to which, he said in response, ‘If you had read it [thoroughly] you would have found it; Allah, the most high and glorious, says, “what Allah’s messenger brings to you, accept it and what he forbids you from, stay away from it!” what ‘Abdullah Ib Masood رضی اللہ عنھم meant was that the commands and prohibitions of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ السلام were just as important as the verses of the Quran.

Note:

As Mulims we do not discriminate, abuse or hurt anyone who may have tattoos, gold rings, drinks alcohol or even plucks their eyebrows, Rather, we should follow Allah’s advice:” And invite on to the way of your lord with wisdom and good advice..”

Following the sunnah of the prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is a sign of our love for him. Allah Almighty says, “Say [O Prophet], ‘If you love Allah, follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins; Allah is Most forgiving, Most Kind,” The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said, ‘Whoever revives my sunnah has loved me and whoever loves me will be in Paradise with me.”

Sunnahs We can bring into our lives

• Respecting elders and having mercy on our young oness.
• Saying Salam to Muslims we know and we do not know.
• To speak politely.
• Using the miswak.
• Not finding fault with the food we eat.
• Drinking with the right hand.
• To always remain in the remembrance of Allah Almighty.
• To be kind to those who are rude to you.
• To always remain positive.