Shama' said, "Nothing happens against the Will of Allah and what He has predestined. Whatever happens in the world, follows predestination as ordained by Allah-although man does often use the choice that Allah has bestowed on him. It is on the correct use, or misuse, of the choice that he is rewarded or punished. Anyway, it is a basic part of faith that we should believe in predestination otherwise our faith and belief is imperfect.
It is imperative that Believers believe in the unseen. However, the news of the unseen that other people give us is not reliable, for instance, what the sorcerers or astrologers say. It is not correct to believe in what they say. Similarly, it is wrong to rely on the so-caled pirs, spiritualists and holy-men who claim for themselves divine-nearness particularly when their behaviour goes against Shari'ah.
What the Prophet (ﷺ) tells us about the unseen, we must believe in that and regard as true. It is wholly a news of the unknown. The Prophet (ﷺ) learnt it through wahy (revelation) and he passed it on to us. We must believe in everything the Prophet (ﷺ) tells us whether we encompass it or not with our limited understanding. Allah says,
So, let me tell a story we would never know, except through Divine revelation, not mentioned in the Quran, but we learn it from the Prophet (ﷺ), on whom be the best of benedictions.وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىBy the star when it descends, – [QS.53:1]
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىYour companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred, - [QS.53:2]
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىNor does he speak from [his own] inclination. - [QS.53:3]
إِنْ هُوَ إِلا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىIt is not but a revelation revealed, - [QS.53:4]
The life of this world is made up of hardships. Every human being bom in this world has to face difficulty sometime or the other whether he is rich or poor, city-dweller or villager, woman or man. Everyone has to face different kinds of ordeals. This is life. Allah says,
This goes on till the last breath before death. One could face problems related to earning livelihood, or, to family or residence. The morsel a man eats involves tremendous effort and labour to earn. For every morsel one man eats, several people put in a lot of effort. Indeed, it is nature's arrangement to put different people to different work so that man's mutual needs are fulfilled. Every blessing that we enjoy in this world has behind it a story of hard work. Besides, there is illness in the process or unfavourable external circumstances, opposition from strangers or dissociation by close circle of companions. In short, he goes through the grinding process all his life.لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ"We have certainly created man into hardship." - [QS.90:4]
Prophet Musa, alaihissalam, is one of the pre-eminent, glorious and determined Prophets of Allah. He faced innumerable hardships in life. He had to fight Pharaoh and his army. He had to flee from Egypt to Madyan when a Coopt was accidently killded by him, and at Madyan he had to graze the cattle for eight or ten years. When he was made a prophet, he had to face Pharaoh's wrath. Every now and then, the Children of Israel showed stubbornness, disobedience and hostility. He went through much hardship and difficulty.
Perhaps it was these difficulties that caused him to wonder if the basis of worldly problems lay in the dismissal of Prophet Adam, alaihissalam, from Paradise. "If he had not partaken from the forbidden tree, he would not have had to exit Paradise and land on earth. His children too would then have stayed in Paradise with him. They would not have had to go through the vicissitudes of the world." So Prophet Musa said, "O Allah! Show me Adam! Show me Adam who caused himself and us to be expelled from Jenna. I want to have an argument with Adam at ease."
In Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying,Reference :
Al-Bukhari recorded, Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying," احْتَجَّ آدَمُ وَمُوسَى فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى أَنْتَ آدَمُ الَّذِي أَخْرَجَتْكَ خَطِيئَتُكَ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَقَالَ لَهُ آدَمُ أَنْتَ مُوسَى الَّذِي اصْطَفَاكَ اللَّهُ بِرِسَالَتِهِ وَبِكَلاَمِهِ ثُمَّ تَلُومُنِي عَلَى أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِّرَ عَلَىَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُخْلَقَ فَحَجَّ آدَمُ مُوسَى ""There was an argument between Adam and Musa. Musa said, 'Are you that Adam whose lapse caused you to get out of Paradise?' Adam said to him, 'Are you that Moses whom Allah selected for His Messengership, for His conversation and you blame me for an affair which had been ordained for me before I was created?' This is how Adam came the better of Moses."
" احْتَجَّ آدَمُ وَمُوسَى فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى أَنْتَ آدَمُ الَّذِي أَخْرَجَتْكَ خَطِيئَتُكَ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ. فَقَالَ لَهُ آدَمُ أَنْتَ مُوسَى الَّذِي اصْطَفَاكَ اللَّهُ بِرِسَالاَتِهِ وَبِكَلاَمِهِ، ثُمَّ تَلُومُنِي عَلَى أَمْرٍ قُدِّرَ عَلَىَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُخْلَقَ ". فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَحَجَّ آدَمُ مُوسَى " مَرَّتَيْنِ."Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam. 'You are Adam whose mistake expelled you from Paradise.' Adam said to him, 'You are Moses whom Allah selected as His Messenger and as the one to whom He spoke directly; yet you blame me for a thing which had already been written in my fate before my creation?"' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said twice, "So, Adam overpowered Moses."Prophet Adam and Musa, alaihimussalam, are both among the pre-eminent Prophets of Allah. The former is the father of mankind and the latter is Kaleem Allah (one who had the distinction of having conversation with Allah). The dialogue that took place between the two came to our knowledge through the Prophet (ﷺ). Where did they meet and have the conversation, when and how? These are questions whose answers the Hadith does not provide us and we cannot know. Nevertheless, we believe firmly that their meeting did take place because the truthful Prophet (ﷺ) has told us so.
It is worth remembering that Prophet Adam was the first of mankind while Prophet Musa was bom hundreds of years later. So, it is impossible that the two could have met in the world in their physical self. How. then, they met and where? The Hadith is silent on this issue. The Ulama have, nevertheless, advanced some explanation. Abu Al-Hasan Al-Qabisi has said that the souls of the two Prophets met in the heaven (sky) and they debated there. Qadi Ayad Maliki has said, 'This Hadith is to be taken at its words. Both of them met physically. We have seen in the account of Al-Isra' that the Prophet (ﷺ) met the other Prophets, alaihimussalam, in the heavens and also led them in Salat at Bayt Al-Maqdis. Hence, it is not beyond reasoning that Allah might have given them life again as it is related about the martyrs.' There is also the possibility that they may have met and debated at the request of Prophet Musa to Allah that he may be allowed to meet Adam in this world.
Prophet Musa reminded Prophet Adam of the favours of Allah upon him. He was created, given a soul, created as a perfect human being, the angels were commanded to prostrate before him, given residence in Paradise-these favours called upon Prophet Adam that he should have refrained from eating from the forbidden tree, because Allah had placed on him that only one restriction.
Prophet Adam gave Prophet Musa an answer about which the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It silenced Musa."
Prophet Adam began with recounting the favours Allah had conferred opun Prophet Musa, "O Musa! Allah chose you as a Prophet and Messenger, honoured you by speaking to you directly and granted you the Tablets of Torah. After receiving this honour, it did not behove you to speak to me as you did. Just tell me, how long before I've been created, the Torah was written down?" When Prophet Musa confirmed that it was written down forty years before the creation of Prophet Adam, he said, "Have you not read in it the verse,
Prophet Musa said, "Yes, of course!" Then Prophet Adam asked him, "Then, in spite of that you blame me for something that Allah had decreed already forty years before my creation?"وَعَصَى آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَى"...And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred." - [QS.20:121]
The Prophet (ﷺ) concluded that Prophet Adam gave a convincing reply. His reply convinced Prophet Musa that it was wrong to blame Prophet Adam because all of us are bound by the Will of Allah Who had decided that man would be sent to earth and would be appointed His Khalifah (vicegerent) on earth.
There was much wisdom behind that decision, all of which was undisclosed. It was to begin with Prophet Adam residing in Paradise and disallowing him to approach a particular tree and its fruit. But, he would be tempted by the devil into eating that fruit and would thus be punished and sent to earth. Therefore, the reason for his expulsion from Paradise was not his eating the fruit but it was the Will of Allah and His predestination ordained for Prophet Adam, alaihissalam."
Then Shama' said, "O my brothers and sisters, this Hadith concerns etiquette and morals. This Hadith tells us that religious guides may hold differing opinions for which an oral debate and discussion is allowed. However, the limits of Shari'ah must be observed and the exercise should be undertaken to propagate truth. Besides, it is the characteristic of these people that they should accept the truth when it is disclosed or confirmed. Prophet Musa knew that Prophet Adam’s argument was correct and he accepted it.
This hadith also teaches us that when two people differ on an opinion and debate on the issue then they must both describe each other's good qualities so that the difference of opinion does not lead them to hate each other. Prophet Musa took care to describe the excellences of Prophet Adam and, in his turn, Prophet Adam remembered the merits of Prophet Musa, alaihimussalam."
وَإِذَا مَسَّ الإنْسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُ مُنِيبًا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُ نِعْمَةً مِنْهُ نَسِيَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَنْدَادًا لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ قُلْ تَمَتَّعْ بِكُفْرِكَ قَلِيلا إِنَّكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ"And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Rabb, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before, and he attributes to Allah equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, 'Enjoy your disbelief for a little; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire'." - [QS. 39:8]
- Maulana Muhammad Zakaria Iqbal, Stories from the Hadith, Darul Isha'at
