THE MIRACLE OF TIME-QURANIC PERSPECTIVE
By: Abdullah Bukhari bin Abdul Rahim.
Translated by: Nur Fatimah Zahrah binti Rahimin Affandi.
Time is a miracle that Allah created. It does not have a body nor a face, but its existence itself is significant in our lives. When the clock is ticking, it is called "seconds". When the sun sets in the West, it will change to "days". When the earth completed its cycle by surrounding the sun for 365 days, it will change to "years". That is the beauty of "time". Nobody can run away from it. People that were young, now became old as time goes by. Humans also can mature and gain numerous experiences through time.
Despite that, sometimes time can be defeated with knowledge. Educated people with knowledge can change the power of time using vehicles that can speed. Travel with planes is very different from travel with cars. The principles said by Allah when he told about Prophet Sulayman's power which can decrease his traveling duration from a month to a day by riding the wind. Metaphorically speaking, we can say that the vehicle used by Prophet Sulayman to ride the wind is similar to a plane used today:
وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ
Meaning: And to Sulayman (We subjected) the wind- ITS MORNING (JOURNEY WAS THAT OF) A MONTH- AND ITS AFTERNOON (JOURNEY WAS THAT OF) A MONTH. (Saba'[34:12]).
Not just that, the angels that are created with light by Allah can also overcome the "time" with their swift movements. It turns out that "time" deals differently with the angels' technology and the humans' capabilities. Allah's commandment wraps it beautifully:
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
Meaning: The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him (to accept and complete their task) during a Day the extent of which (felt by the people that are at fault) is fifty thousand years (al-Ma'arij [70:4]).
Time is also one of Allah's first creations because there are a lot of verses that highlighted the early creation of the sky and the earth created in 6 "times":
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ
Meaning: And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and His Throne had been upon water (Hud[11:7]).
The existence of "time" in this world is determined by the sunrise, sunset and the emergence of the moon. Though, it will definitely differ from the "time" in al-Barzakh. This is because we do not know if there is the sun and the moon in al-Barzakh. It could be that the humans that died in Prophet Adam's time or died a day before Doomsday is still in a same "time" space with the power of Allah as "the Creator of Time".
I have read a dialogue between 2 people of Tabi'in (students of the companions that did not get the chance to meet Rasullullah SAW) that met in a dream. Abdullah bin al-Mubarak said: "I dreamt of meeting Sufyan al-Thawri (have passed away). And i asked him: What did Allah do to you?" Sufyan answered: I have met Muhammad SAW and his companions (al-Ruh by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Jawziyyah, case 28). Despite that, this dream still cannot be considered as an argument.
"Time" is a creation of Allah that is bound to its Creator. It is compulsory for "time" to obey Allah's desire like how the fire obeyed when saving Prophet Ibrahim AS:
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ
Meaning: Allah said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Ibrahim!" (al-Anbiya'[21:69]).
Throughout the human history, the power of time has been taken away by Allah for a few times like in the tale of 7 pious young men that slept in a cave:
وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَاثَ مِئَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا
Meaning: And they remained in their cave for three hundred years (by the count of the scribes) and exceeded by nine (by your count) (al-Kahf[18:25]).
Although "time" has passed for 300 hundred years, the 7 bodies of these young men are still very youthful like how they were when they first slept. Same goes to the tale of a young man of Bani Isra'il that slept for a hundred years:
أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّى يُحْيِي هَذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَلْ لَبِثْتَ مِئَةَ عَامٍ فَانْظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آَيَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنْشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Meaning: Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allah bring this to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said: "HOW LONG HAVE YOU REMAINED (HERE)?" THE MAN SAID, "I HAVE REMAINED (HERE) A DAY OR PART OF A DAY" HE SAID, "RATHER YOU HAVE REMAINED (HERE) ONE HUNDRED YEARS. LOOK AT YOUR FOOD AND YOUR DRINK; IT HAS NOT CHANGED WITH TIME. AND LOOK AT YOUR DONKEY ( THAT WAS ONLY LEFT WITH BONES); and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones (of this donkey) - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah is over all things competent" (al-Baqarah [2:259]).
This story clearly shows that Allah is the only one that holds the absolute power of controlling "time". This man's body and food was not affected because "time" was not allowed to touch them, but the donkey turned into bones because Allah allowed "time" to impose its power on it. Subhanallah!
It is the same with Prophet Isa AS. On a normal count, the Prophet was already over 2000 years old, but the Prophet's youth stayed with him like when he was brought up to the sky. He became immune from "time" and did not age because Allah forbid "time" from touching Prophet Isa AS.
May this writing open our hearts to realize that time is a very magical creation of Allah. This is one of the reasons why Allah swore against "time" in the Qur'an:
وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3)
Meaning: By time! Indeed, mankind is in loss -Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds, and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience (al-'Asr[103:1-3]).
Benefit this creation of Allah the best you can because it will be the reason for our happiness and sorrow in the hereafter. We will definitely be glad if we spend our "time" wisely by filling up our lives being obedient to Allah. On the contrary, we will suffer and regret if we waste our "time" in doing sinful and unbenificial things.
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