1989-June-16

Muslim Journal

The Lord Of All The Worlds

Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Our previous speaker for today mentioned that this religion of Al-Islam is a Universal Religion. I also think that that is what we should be looking for, when we are looking at the beauty, the wisdom, and the gifts of this religion. We are to be looking for the universal context and the universal application for it.

I would like to set what I think would be the stage for creating a spirit or a frame of mind or a set of emotions that would help you appreciate my comments on this topic. We say, "Ash-shahadu anla shahadu anna Muhammadan rasultullah bear wtness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah Hlaha illallah. wa ash-shahadu anna Mnhammadan rasuttulteh." What we are saying is: I bear witness that there is no diety, no divine, no god except Allah. And I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.

Allah the Most High, for Him is the praise and for Him is the glory. In the last of the Revealed Books, the Qur'an, Allah is seen as the Merciful Benefactor. Certain men and certain nations want the people to see them as the benefactor. It is Allah Who is the Benefactor. We owe him thanks and obedience for the gifts and the benefits that we find — all of them. Whether it comes from Christian societies, Muslim societies, Jewish, atheists, or communists, if it is good for man, then we owe Allah thanks and appreciation for that. As all religious people say in the established religions, "Nothing could have happened without God!"

Allah says of Muhammed, the last prophet, "We have not sent you to be other than a mercy to the worlds" The term for the worlds in Arabic is "Al-Alamin." This term addresses worlds forming or conforming to disciplines of knowledge — science. In the word "Al-Alamin" is also the root "a'ilm" which is knowledge. Af-Alamin means worlds that have formed or grown upon certain knowledge.

We know there are worlds that have not developed according to that description. The worlds of savagery, the worlds of magic, of mysticism, of pure superstition, and of idolatry — such is the "Jahiliyyah" world (world of ignorance) that Prophet Muhammed brought enlightenment to that existed in the area today we call Arabia and surrounding areas- Those worlds were not built, supported, or structured by knowledge of science. So those worlds cannot be included. Allah is not the Lord of those worlds.

Allah has power over those worlds, certainly. He is God over those worlds, certainly. He evolved those worlds before they came into a second evolution of their own foolishness, certainly- So Allah is Lord of all the worlds, but not of these so-called worlds that are nothing but guesswork and foolishness. We make the mistake of calling them worlds.

We have the business world. We have the world of education, the world of politics, the world of government. We have the world of cultures and the world of religions, Allah is the Lord of the worlds. We first take Allah's usage of or reference by the term Al-Alamin to refer to the worlds of men — that is, the nations with their different nationalities. However, for the not so general or for the direct detailed reference this term "At-Atemin" for "The Worlds" is meant worlds ordered upon the disciplines of experienced, tested, and established knowledge.

We speak of the Western world and the Eastern world. The difference is to be seen in how knowledge has evolved these two worlds. That is what makes for their differences. Business. Education. Government. Culture. Religion. From these concerns have developed an endless list of specialized interest and activities. We have so many other fields that are to be included under business concerns, and the same goes for the other major headings referred to here.

As a matter of concern it is to be understood that in viewing that over which Allah is Lord, we are to see both — the divisions of matter and activities outside the borders of our human existence and human influences and powers, and also to see within the borders of our own existence. For the outer boundaries, there are the worlds of planets. So when we say Allah is Lord of all the worlds, the first picture perhaps that comes to mind is that He is the Lord of the Universe. That is true. That is correct. That is the bigger picture.

But tell me, how much benefit has that in my life — to know that Allah is the Lord of Neptune and the Lord of Jupiter? I do not know anything about Jupiter, and Jupiter is not doing anything for me. Jupiter has no play in my life that I know of. Maybe the mystic will bring something to me, but still there is nothing that I know of personally.

Though the big picture is the extended universe, which is the world of material matter, we know this picture is more important and bigger than our small planet. But as a matter of importance in our personal lives, this planet, earth, is more of a concern for us than is Jupiter and all of the other many planets in the galaxies beyond.

Therefore, when I think of Allah as Lord of all the worlds, I see it saying Lord of the world of science, Lord of the worlds of industry, Lord of the world of business, Lord of the world of education, Lord of the world of government, Lord of the world of politics, et cetera. I think that is closer to the meaning that Allah wants me to have. For it is man who wants us to think that he is "lord" of these worlds. Allah wants us to know, "No man is not Lord of these worlds." Allah says, "I am Lord of these worlds."

I repeat, of Prophet Muhammed, the last Messenger (PBUH), Allah says he has not been sent except as a mercy to all the worlds. If Allah has said this of Prophet Muhammed, then it is true and Muslims accept it. And if our Prophet is a mercy to all the worlds, then we should have some interest in all the worlds. And we should have some role in all of the activities in all of the worlds. This is required of us because our Prophet came as a mercy to all the worlds.

If you are accepting my explanation, then you also have to accept that Muslims have to have great interest in the world of education, in the world of science, in the world of industry, in the world of government, in the world of culture, in the world of entertainment. We are to have a real serious interest, and we are to be involved. We are to be seeking the Muslims' role in those worlds. For Allah says, our Prophet has been sent as a mercy to all the worlds.

If you can take that and run with it, I think I can see where you are going. You are going with a religion that is good for any nation, that has value for any nation and any society.

People are not afraid of kindness; people are afraid of cruelty. People are not afraid of friendship; they are afraid of coldness and indifference. They are not afraid of love; they afraid of fear. So if we come with the religion as Allah intended it for us, we can have this religion in any nation. We just have to have the diplomacy.

The conclusion reached after we give searchful thought to Allah's declaration that He has not sent Muhammed except to be a mercy to all the worlds is that Muhammed is not sent to be merciless or to be heartless to any world or to any people. Generally, we have been given religion in the wrong way.