Question 31: Did creation out of nothing happen in the first beings only? Or, is it still going on?

Dear Brother / Sister,

We rewind time and imagine going to the point when everything was created out of nothing. Knowledge, system, plan and will are observed in the creation of everything. This knowledge, system and plan and the creation of a being out of many options based on preferences show us the Lord of the Realms with His names. 

For instance, when we look at a fruit, we see that it was created based on knowledge; we start to know Allah’s names Alim (Knower of All), Hakim (Perfectly Wise) and Qadir (All Powerful). The fruit was given a shape out of infinite options; we understand the names Muqaddir (Determiner)and Musawwir(Shaper of Beauty) from the preference. we understand the names like Rahman (All Merciful), Rahim (All Compassionate), Karim (Generous), Latif (Subtle One)and Razzaq (Sustainer) from the taste and smell of the fruit and the nutrients stored in it; we understand the name Hafiz (Preserver) from the genetic structure in its seed. When we look at the things around us with this viewpoint, everything shows with their planned, programmed and measured creation that they are the work of Allah.  

We also see that when Allah creates, He uses some causes. The mother and father are causesin the creation of the child. Sheep is a cause in the creation of the lamb. We also see that causes do not have the characteristics like knowledge, will and power that will produce effects; effects are also created like causes. Therefore, it is not possible for any cause to be a creator.

For instance, the material structures of living beings are made up of many different elements. Those elements were created beforehand in the universe. Thus, the creation of living beings from those existing substances is creation throughinsha. However, there are some characteristics that do not exist in the elements, but are present in living beings. For instance, the shape of that living being, its structure, characteristics, voice, talents, etc. do not exist in the elements. That is, all characteristics of that being except the elements are created and given to it out of nothing through ibda.

We can think of a nightingale as an example. The elements in the body of the nightingaleare put together in its body in the form of “insha”; the talents, behaviors, shape, voice and other features of it are created out of nothing in the form of“ibda” anew, peculiar to that nightingale.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see the laws of ibda and insha in your creation.Your matter was taken from the universe but the shape and the structure given to that matter and your talents and all of your characteristics from your walking style to your speech were created through “ibda”,peculiar to you.

Why does man have difficulty in understanding creation out of nothing?

The reason for it is the fact that man compares himself to the creator and looks at His attributes and deeds from his own viewpoint.That is, he compares the activities of Allah in the universe to his deeds and thinks that Allah creates everything within the framework of certain laws. However, it is Allah who creates causes and imposes laws. He does things in the realm of beings by giving commands.

A commander makes a soldier walk with the command “March”; he also makes an army walk with the same command.

Similarly, Allah creates an atom with the command “Be”; He creates the whole universe with the same command and will. There is no difference for him between little and much, big and small.

Thus, Allah uses the substances that He created beforehand when He creates and He also creates new features that did not exist in those substances before.Yes, Allah’s creation in the form of both ibda and insha continue all the time. He abolishes those causes and laws whenever He wishes and creates whatever He wishes and however He wishes.

Questions on Islam