Allah’s Covenant
with Adam
Chapter 3
The Barzakh
• As Muslims we do not believe in reincarnation, nor
do we believe in Karma
Karma
• primarily means action, work, or deeds. In its
secondary sense it signifies the effect of an action,
or the sum total of effects of past actions.
•
It is stated in the veda that those who past deeds have
been good will after death be reborn from the the
womb of a Brahman woman, whereas the deeds of
those have been evil will be reborn from the womb of
an outcaste woman.
Karma continued…
• Due to their bad deeds they will be born to a
woman from a lower caste and they have to
good in order to be reborn to a higher caste.
• They say that he has become perfect, the cycle
of rebirth ends with his soul dissolving and
reuniting with the world soul, Brahma, in a
process known as “Nirvana”.
Muslim Belief Regarding Death
• In Islam we believe that when a person dies on
earth he will not be reborn until the Day of
Resurrection. After the destruction of the
world, all of mankind will rise up from the dead
to be judged by Allah.
Barzakh
• From the time a man dies until he is
resurrected, he remains in a suspended state
known in Arabic as the “Barzakh”.
Barzakh Continued…
• From the time a man dies until he is resurrected,
he remains in a suspended state known in Arabic
as the “Barzakh”.
• Once a man dies, time does not exist. He leaves
the time zone and a thousand years becomes like
the blink of an eye. It is like sleep.
• Allah described this in the story in Surah al
Baqarah about the man who Allah allowed to die
for 100 years and then Allah questioned about the
time of his death after bringing him back to life.
Pre-Creation
• Islam does recognize that the soul of each child
came into existence prior to its birth on earth.
• The prophet said, “When Allah created Adam,
He took a covenant from him in a place called
“na’man” on day of Arafah, then He extracted
from him all of his descendants who would be
born until the end of the world, generation
after generation, and spread them out in front
of Him in order to take a covenant from them
also. He spke to them face to face saying:
Pre-Creation Continued…
• “Am I not your Lord? And they all replied,
“Yes, we testify to it.’ Allah then Allah said,
“That was in case you (mankind) should say on
the Day of Resurrection, ‘Surely, of this we
were unaware. We had no idea that you O
Allah, were our God. No one told us that we
were supposed to worship you alone.”
• The proof is also in the Quran
Pre-Creation Continued…
• The proof is also in the Quran where Allah states:
•
َ
ُ
َ
َ
‫ور ِه ْم ذُ ِ ِّريَّت َ ُه ْم َوأ َ ْش َهدَ ُه ْم‬
‫ه‬
‫ظ‬
‫ن‬
‫م‬
‫م‬
‫د‬
‫آ‬
‫ي‬
‫ن‬
‫ب‬
‫ن‬
‫م‬
‫ُّك‬
‫ب‬
‫ر‬
‫ذ‬
‫خ‬
َ
ِ
ِ
ِ
َ
َ
ُ
ِ
َ ‫ِإ ْذ أ‬
َ
ُ ‫علَ ٰى أَنفُ ِس ِه ْم أَلَ ْس‬
‫ش ِه ْدنَا ۖ أَن‬
َ ۖ ‫ت ِب َر ِبِّ ُك ْم ۖ قَالُوا بَلَ ٰى‬
َ
‫ين‬
َ ‫ع ْن َه ٰـذَا غَافِ ِل‬
َ ‫تَقُولُوا يَ ْو َم ْال ِقيَا َم ِة ِإنَّا ُكنَّا‬
‫أ َ ْو تَقُولُوا ِإنَّ َما أ َ ْش َر َك آبَا ُؤنَا ِمن قَ ْب ُل َو ُكنَّا ذُ ِ ِّريَّةً ِ ِّمن‬
‫ون‬
َ ُ‫بَ ْع ِد ِه ْم ۖ أَفَت ُ ْه ِل ُكنَا ِب َما فَعَ َل ْال ُمب ِْطل‬
“When your Lord drew forth from the loins of the Children of
Adam their descendant and made them testify concerning
themselves, saying, Am I not your Lord?” They said, Yes, we
testify to it: This is in case you should say on the Day of
Judgment, ‘We were unaware of this.” or in case you would
say, “It was our anscestors who made partners with Allah
and we were only their descendants. Will you then destroy
us for what those liars did? (7:172-173)
Pre-Creation Continued…
• This proves that everyone is responsible for believing in Allah
and no one will be excused on the day of Judgment.
•
Adam was shown his children by a light that was placed
between their eyes. He was amazed by how many there
were.
•
One light caught Adam’s attention and he asked about this
child. Allah told him that it was Dawood who is from among
the last nations among his descendants. Adam asked about
his age and Allah informed him that he was 60. Adam said,
“O Allah increase his age by taking 40 of mine. At his time of
death the angel came to take his life and he said, Don’t I have
40 more years and the angel told him that he had given them
to Dawood. Adam denied that he had done so and his
descendants denied their promise to Allah.
Adam’s Forgetting His Covenant
• He ate from the tree due to forgetting his
covenant to Allah and Satan’s deceptive attack.
Striving to do Good
• Those who want paradise will always strive to
do good and Allah will assist those who
maintain this relationship with Allah.
Man’s Natural Disposition: The Fitrah
• When a child is born, it has with it, its pure and
natural belief.
• If the child were left alone it would grow up
believing in Allah.
• The Prophet said, “I created my servants on the
right religion but the devils made them go astray.”
• “Each child is born in a state of fitra, but his
parents make him a Jew or a Christian.”
Man’s Natural Disposition: The Fitrah
• Following the way of the Prophets is the only true way to
remain in Harmony with ones nature.
•
Not doing things just because our parents did them. These
things still have to be according to the Quran and Sunnah.
Allah states:
‫علَ ْي ِه‬
َّ ‫َو ِإذَا قِي َل لَ ُه ُم ات َّ ِبعُوا َما أَنزَ َل‬
َ ‫اّللُ قَالُوا بَ ْل نَت َّ ِب ُع َما أ َ ْلفَ ْينَا‬
‫ُون‬
َ ‫ون‬
َ ‫ش ْيًًا َو ََل يَ ْهتَد‬
َ ُ‫ان آبَا ُؤ ُه ْم ََل يَ ْع ِقل‬
َ ‫آبَا َءنَا ۖ أ َ َولَ ْو َك‬
•
“If they are told to follow what Allah has revealed, they say,
‘No, we will continue to follow what we found our
forefathers doing!” Even though their forefathers did not
comprehend anything, nor were they rightly guided.”
Man’s Natural Disposition: The Fitrah Continued
• Proof for not following our Parents false way.
Allah states:
ِْ ‫ص ْينَا‬
‫اك‬
َ ‫س‬
َ َ‫ان ِب َوا ِلدَ ْي ِه ُح ْسنًا ۖ َو ِإن َجا َهد‬
َّ ‫َو َو‬
َ ‫اْلن‬
َ
‫ْس لَ َك ِب ِه ِع ْلم فَ ََ ت ُ ِط ْع ُه َما‬
‫ي‬
َ ‫ِلت ُ ْش ِر َك ِبي َما ل‬
• “We advise man to be good to his parents, but
if they try to make you do in My name what
you know to be false, do not obey them.” (29:8)
Being Born Muslim
• This does not give you an automatic ticket to
Paradise.
• You still have to work for it.
• The prophet said that before the last day some
Muslim would actually worship idols.
• Today, there are Muslims all around the world
praying to the dead, building tombs and masjids
over graves and even performing rites of worship
around them.
The Covenant
• Kalimah Tawheed – It is the statement La ilaha illa
Allah
• One fulfills their covenant with Allah by believing
in tawheed and putting that into practice, while
staying away from Shirk.
• Fulfills the covenant by worshiping only Allah.
• The prophet said, “If you ask in prayer, ask only of
Allah: and if you seek help, seek it only from Allah.”