The noble Prophet (cpth) said:
(Oh God! Bless my Nation through its earliness ((the young)) )
[Musnada al Imamu Ahmad.]
The explanation of the Terms of the Hadith:
Bless: Add more good continuously.
My nation: Ummah in Arabic, which is derived from Ammah and Yeummuh that is to say make oneself refer to another and follow him considering him as a guide. And from the word Umm in Arabic, which means ((mother)) whose offspring gathered around her. Consequently we can say: Anyone who follows the holy Prophet is from his Nation i.e. he is led by him (cpth). That is He is the leading Prophet who leads all the noble Prophets and Believers.
Its earliness ((the Young)): Earliness means a state of being early, such as at its beginning, for example; we can say: ‘at the early day’ i.e. from the first part of the day or at the beginning of the day.
This noble Hadith shows us how the noble Prophet (cpth) is asking God to grant more good continuously to whom he follows the way of belief at the beginning of his youthful age (puberty age). Most of his companions were young at the beginning of their maturation age. But the latter ones who hadn’t followed early the way of belief weren’t like the first who were more successful. Actually anyone who is truthful and follows the prophet (cpth) from the beginning of his youthful age will absolutely achieve wide goodness and will be like the brave blessed prophet’s companions who conquered the East and West of Earth spreading the Divine light and mercy upon people.
But the important question is; how can man be truthful and follow the Prophet (cpth)?
My dear students: Man since his childhood starts with Questionssuch as: why are the stars shining? Where do Clouds come from? Where does the Sun go in the evening? Who does carry the moon? Where was I before coming to this uniVerse ? Who did bring me to this life? What are these days and nights? Some thoughts may come to his mind making him ask about God the Highest i.e. where is God? And so on like these questions about this uniVerse and the Creator.
So, who does teach the child these questions or who does direct them to him? No doubt, there is a hidden voice that is palpitating in the depth of his heart from time to time. You sure have heard this call and such questions in your childhood and you are still experiencing it now. Do you know who asks and stimulates your thought for that since your infancy? It is the voice of one of the holy Angels called the Angel of inspiration sent by God the Almighty to this child calling him silently in his spirit asking these questions to be able to find out the solutions of these new problems. God puts in man’s head the brain which is the center of thinking used by the spirit to get the realities and know all what surrounds it, consequently it recognizes the surrounding things and minds them. Then, it reassures and be satisfied by such knowledge which got through this thought.
By such questions inspired by the angel, the brain starts to function ((think)) and its cells and various parts grow to maturity daily, monthly and yearly till the child reaches the puberty age when the brain becomes completely matured and can get the reality and knows his great Creator the Provider. These questions agree with what God the Almighty explains to us in the fortresses of Am’ma Part of the holy Qur’an and other holy fortresses turning our thought to be looking at and thinking of this uniVerse, so long as man is a thinker-being.
So, Prophet Ibrahim (pth) used to think reasonably since his childhood … and so on at the beginning of his youthful age, he thought about his body, looked at the stars, moon, sun…then he was guided to God the Almighty. Our noble Prophet Mohammad (cpth) did so; he was always thinking, he thought about the wonders (signs) of this uniVerse, and that was the reason why he used to go to the Cave in the light hill in Mecca for meditation. His companions did so, they thought and believed in God. The ((people of the Cave; the sleepers of the Cave)) were adolescent, they thought and got guided. Finally the Scholar M. A. Sheikho (his soul has been sanctified by God) used to think of everything around him as you have seen in his stories how he used to proceed in everything by thought (see the book: Stories of the Scholar. It contains some works of the Scholar’s, you will see how he used to do all his duties after he had thought deeply about every duty he would do).And he is now showing you the way of belief.
Normally you have realized that, meditation ((looking on the uniVerse and thinking of its wonders i.e. its signs)) is an obligation which is ordered by God the Almighty. God says: ((Say: ((Behold all that is in the heavens and the Earth…)) . [Fortress, Yunus, Verse: 101] The more early man starts thinking and searching the more quickly he gets the reality and his deeds are great, for ‘Getting knowledge at the youthfulness age is firm like a sculpture on a stone’.
My dear student:
The first thing man has to do is to look at himself and think of his body, what he was created from, how he was created stage by stage in the womb of his mother till he became a complete human being. He has to contemplate how he was created from sperm/semen which was developed into cellular tiny thing like a leech which was implanted in the wall of womb, then into an embryo…. and finally into a complete formed human being. He should think deeply of that, of his organs and his bodily systems such as the sense organs: nose, ears, eyes, tongue and skin. Consequently he certainly will heartedly prostrate glorifying the ‘Greatest Hand’ Which created him perfectly and made him precisely.
Secondly if man continues looking and contemplating about how he was created in his mother’s womb, then he, after that, thinks about his childhood when he was still very small receiving his nourishment from his mother’s breast, tasty milk which is pure, full of vitamins and nutrients, suitable to the fetus and its ingredients rates change according to the fetus’ growth day by day according to the body’s requirement. I say, if man truly looks at himself according to what has been mentioned above thinking deeply in each stage of his formation and growth, undoubtedly his thought will guide him to know that, there is ‘A great Hand’ Which has created him and still providing him since his first formation gradually till getting out to this uniVerse till his present existence. These looks and thoughts have great positive effects in building the true belief in the Almighty Provider. Anyone who doesn’t proceed this belief way and doesn’t consider these looks at his first beginning and formation, will not have a true and firm hearted belief in his Provider. God the Almighty says: ((Let humanity reflect on what it is created from! It is created from an ejected fluid, And is issued from the backbone among dust (tiny particles).)) [ Fortress At’Tuariq, Verse 5 7.] And in His high holy saying in Fortress Al’Muminun: ((And indeed We created man out of an extract of clay (water and earth)., Thereafter We made him (the offspring of Adam) as a semen and lodged it in a safe lodging (womb of the mother)., Then We made the sperm into a cellular tiny thing like a leech, then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Al’lah, the Best of creators.)) [ Fortress Al’Muminun, Verse 12 14. ]
Thirdly, after man already knew his Creator the Provider and the greatness of his Provider appeared onto him, there is no doubt that, this will drive him to expand his thought and consequently he looks at his destine ending (his death) as he did of his beginning. He will then ask himself, what about so-and-so person who have passed away? What about such and such person whose life is not prolonged? And where is so-and-so person? What are the remains for those people who left this world of their powerful leadership or their authority and their kingship? What far from this life’ enjoyments they are! If death is the end of everybody, and unavoidable destiny, if all man’s attempts and efforts throughout his life leads him to this very important destiny, therefore, there will be no hope in this life. And the loser will be he who is diving in this life without knowing what is behind it.
Fourthly, This thinking about the inevitable end, about the destined grave where there is fright and loneliness makes the spirit fears its end, consequently it will truly resort to the thought to search for reality, why man has come to this uniVerse and what this ((Hand)) is, that has created him and sent him to this world then It predestined to him death with a separation from this life!. He again searches for this new knowledge looking at his source when he was semen, he says: This semen which I was created and formed from is mere an extraction formed from the different types of food and nourishments like fruits, vegetables…and herbs. These foods extractions are gathered and composed and I was created from them. Where are these foods brought from? Who has created them? What are these different grains? Where are they brought from? Who has thrown them on the Earth surface? What are these soils on earth that they grow from? How were they formed? What are these Rivers? What are these Rains? What is this Sun? What are these Days and Nights? What are these continuous movements? What are these regular movements of the earth? What are these seasonal organized circulations? Yet, what is this ‘Hand’ that is controlling all these to bring about and guarantee my life, giving me fresh air, pure water, nutriments and continuous living? Aren’t all those (the universe) working within rules and regulations? Who is controlling this uniVerse, How Great is He Who controls it! Having the highest power ruling and steering all the heavens or skies and the whole earth even an atom does not sink into oblivion.
Hence, man moves to this fifth important point where the spirit truly perceives the greatness of this High Will, the unlimited Power which organizes this uniVerse including all the things in it, from the highest thing to the lowest, the biggest and the smallest, the exalted and the low one. Consequently, man’s spirit perceives and recognizes a part of the Greatness of God and knows that there is no steerer of this uniVerse other than God the Almighty, and there is no ruler other than Him. Then he will realize the reality of the saying- (There is no god but Al’lah) knowing that ruling is up to Him alone, all mights and powers belong to Him alone, no action is done without His permission…, no wind blows, no accumulation of clouds, no rain falls, no Sun rises, no earth moves, no alternation of day and night, no beast crawls, no plant grows, no plant fruits and no leaf falls except by His knowledge and after His order. After that, man’s thought extends to a limit that he sees the hands don’t move or do any act, the legs don’t move a step, the eyes don’t blink, the ears don’t hear and the tongues don’t talk or pronounce a word except by permission, power and supply of God the Almighty. When he knows all these, his spirit will enter in the shield of righteousness and find that God the Almighty is with him through His caring and providing, thus He is the Provider and Supplier to him at all times. Wherever he goes, he moves, he looks and he face he sees God with him and He sees him. So God the Almighty is the most Seer, the most Watcher, the most Hearer, the most Nearer and He is the Creator of the uniVerse and all its contents. He is more nearer to human being than his spirit. God the Almighty says: ((And Indeed We have created man, and We know what his Spirit whispers, and We are nearer to him than the jugular vein)) [Fortress Qa’af, Verse 16.]. This is the grade that man attains and the reality that he finds after his continues thinking, he grasps it (the reality) and his true belief in God:’ There is no god but Al’lah’ becomes based on the knowledge of certainty as God the Almighty commands. God says:)) So, know that there is no god but Al’lah…)) [Fortress Mohammad, Verse 19.]
This type of belief must be attained by everyone and it is the true belief which constrains his owner from sins and evils. God says: ((…It is only those who have knowledge among His people that fear Al’lah…)) [Fortress Fatir, Verse 28.]. The Prophet also said: ‘He who says ‘there is no god but Al’lah wholeheartedly will enter the Paradise. It was said: what is its wholeheartedness? He said: That is to constrain him from breaking ((committing)) God’s prohibitions’. Reported by Al-Tuabarani fil-awsatilkabir. After this man has got into the stage of bearing witness that, God the Almighty is the most Seer Observer and the most Supervisor Nearer. For that reason he is straightened up according to the commands of God and he never disobeys the Almighty his Provider. So his eyes will not see, his tongue will not talk, his hands will not act and his legs will not move except within what God commands. Finally, he, the true believer, will truly become one of those who are (Mohammad’s Ummah) the nation of the Prophet (cpth), then the Almighty God offers him blessing good humane deeds because he previously has stood and worked hard seeking the true belief in his Provider since the age of his maturity. Such deeds he does, serving his brothers in humanity, lead him to the happy life and the eternal Paradise.