عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

Some Manifestations of Allah`s Love for Humankind
Author : Dr. Hassan Abu_Arqoub
Date Added : 25-03-2025

Some Manifestations of Allah`s Love for Humankind

 

Anyone who examines the noble verses of the Quran and the honorable Hadiths will find an abundance of love in them, proving that Islam is a religion of love. This stands as a refutation of the extremists of our time who perceive religion as hatred, enmity, killing, and destruction. The true essence of Islam follows a completely different path and never aligns with such a distorted understanding. This article is an attempt to clarify that Islam is indeed a religion of love.

The Holy Quran has guided us in several verses to the manifestations of Allah’s Love and honored mankind. As mentioned literally in the following verse: "And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on land and sea, and provided them with good things, and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference." [Al-Isra/70].

Among the manifestations of this honor, which encompasses all human beings, is that mankind has been given authority over other creatures, including plants, birds, animals, and inanimate objects—the entire universe has been subjected to human service. Additionally, humans have been distinguished with a beautiful form, an appealing appearance, intelligence, and the ability to invent and create.

Therefore, Allah The Almighty Created everything on earth for the benefit of humankind so that they may utilize its creatures and resources. Allah Says (What means): "He is the One who created for you all that is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven and fashioned it into seven heavens, and He has perfect knowledge of all things." [Al-Baqarah/29]. The purpose is not only for worldly benefit but also for spiritual and eternal guidance. These creations serve as signs pointing to The Existence and Oneness of Allah. Thus, human benefit from these creations extends to both this world and the hereafter.

Moreover, Allah, The Almighty, has detailed some of these blessings that He intended for humankind to benefit from in His Saying (What means): "Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of the night and the day, the ships that sail in the sea for the benefit of people, what Allah sends down from the sky of water—giving life thereby to the earth after its death and dispersing therein every moving creature—and the directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the sky and the earth are signs for a people who use reason." [Al-Baqarah /164].

The creation of The Heavens and the earth and everything within them is for the benefit of humankind. Allah, The Almighty, details these blessings in a manner that highlights His favor upon His servants. The alternation of night and day is among the greatest blessings—night provides rest and tranquility, while the day is for work and livelihood. Ships sailing through the sea allow humans to travel and benefit from the bounties of the ocean. Rain sent from the sky nourishes the earth, providing water for drinking, growing crops, and sustaining livestock. The presence of various animals serves multiple purposes—some for carrying loads, others for swift travel, and some for food. Clouds bring rain and provide shade from the heat. All these blessings were created for humankind to live happily on this earth. They are clear signs of Allah’s love for humanity, as well as undeniable proof of His existence, oneness, and absolute power.

Anyone who reflects on the verses concerning the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) will clearly see manifestations of Allah’s love for humanity. Allah Honored Adam by making him a vicegerent (Khalifah) on earth, a status not given to any other creature. Allah Says (What means): "And [mention] when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority (Khalifah)." [Al-Baqarah /30]. Moreover, Allah Granted Adam immense knowledge that even the angels could not attain. He taught Adam the names of all things, demonstrating the superiority of human intellect and learning, as stated in the following verse (What means): "And He taught Adam the names—all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said: "Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful." They said, 'Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who are the Knowing, the Wise." [Al-Baqarah/31-32] This noble knowledge was then passed down to Adam’s descendants. Furthermore, Allah, The Most Exalted commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam in honor of him and his offspring. All the angels obeyed except Iblis, who refused out of arrogance, as stated in the Holy Quran (What means): "And [mention] when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam’; so they prostrated, except for Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers." [Al-Baqarah/34]. Thus, Allah’s selection of Adam for vicegerency, the gift of knowledge, and the command for the angels to prostrate before him are all clear indications of His immense love and honor for humankind.

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to slaughter sacrificial animals in public squares and streets?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The slaughtering of sacrificial animals (udhiyah) should take place in locations designated for slaughter, such as abattoirs (slaughterhouses), or in sites allocated by the relevant authorities for this purpose.
 
It is not permissible to perform slaughtering in a random or haphazard manner—such as in public squares, on roadsides, or in front of houses—in a way that creates health hazards, causes public nuisance, or endangers public safety. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on making up missed prayers during prohibited times?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to make up (qada’) missed prayers at any time, even during the periods when prayer is generally prohibited. The prayers that are forbidden and considered invalid during these times are 'absolute voluntary prayers' (nafl mutlaq)—which have no specific cause—and voluntary prayers whose cause follows the prayer itself, such as the Sunnah of entering Ihram or the Sunnah of the Istikharah prayer. Furthermore, no prayer is considered disliked (makruh) during these prohibited times when performed within the Meccan Sanctuary (Makkah al-Mukarramah).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim (Vol.1/P.181), one of the Shafi’i texts: 'It is not forbidden to perform prayers that have a cause that is not delayed (i.e., the cause is preceding), such as making up a missed prayer (fa’itah)—even if it was a voluntary one—and the funeral prayer (janazah); or a cause that is simultaneous, such as the prayer for rain (istisqa’) or the eclipse prayer (kusuf)... and the Sunnah of wudu, the greeting of the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid), the Sunnah of circumambulation (tawaf), the Sunnah of arrival, and the prostrations of recitation (tilawah) or thankfulness (shukr). These mentioned prayers and their like are not forbidden provided that one does not specifically intend (ta'ammud) to perform them during the disliked time because it is a disliked time. If one does so intentionally, it becomes forbidden, even if it is a mandatory makeup prayer that is due immediately; because in that case, one is acting in defiance of the Sharia. This is in contrast to when one does not specifically seek out that time, even if the prayer happens to fall within it, or if one seeks it for another purpose—such as delaying a funeral prayer to that time so that a larger number of people may pray over the deceased; in such cases, it is permissible and valid... And it is forbidden to perform prayers with no cause at all, like absolute nafl, or those with a delayed cause, such as the Istikharah prayer, the prayer for Ihram, the prayer for a need (hajah), the prayer before leaving the house, or the prayer before execution; because their causes occur after the prayer itself.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

See More