Basics of Religious Education — Page 57
B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION 57 57 57 57 57 springs from the first (i. e. , Ar-Rahmaan , the Gracious) of these two at- tributes and is, therefore, placed first. The fruits of acting upon this guid- ance follow and depend upon the second attribute Ar-Raheem , the Merci- ful. The next verse is: (Alhamdu liLlahi rabb-il-`alameen) ‘All praise belongs to Allah alone, Lord of all the worlds. ’ The word ( Rabb ) signifies both the act of creating and developing. God is not, therefore, only the Creator of all things but also develops them to the highest stage of perfection. The word rabb stands in beautiful con- trast with the word ( Abb ) meaning father which we hear so much about in Christianity means only father while Rabb means God the Creator, Developer and Sustainer. No doubt, the ties which join a son with his father are strong but they are insignificant with the ties that join one to one’s Creator, Developer and Sustainer. A father is related to his son through the fact that he happened to be a means of bringing him into existence while the word Rabb signifies a far stronger and nobler tie. During a battle, the Holy Prophet of Islam saw drew attention to a woman who was hurrying here and there in great distress in search of her only child who had become lost. At last she found him lying on the ground and tears of joy trickled down her cheeks as she clasped him to her bosom. Although the love of a mother is stronger than the love of a father, the Holy Prophet saw said to his companions that the love that God has for His creatures far ex- cels the love that this mother had for her son. The words Rabbil `Aalameen (Lord of all the worlds) is a comprehensive term inasmuch as it signifies not only this earth and all the heavenly bodies, but also the different planes of existence. The God of Islam, Allah, is the Creator of the soul as well as the body. The words Rabbil Aalameen also points to the universality of the religion of Islam. The verse teaches us to understand that God is the only Being to whom all praise is really due, for though man becomes the means of bringing into existence many things in this world, yet the real praise is due to God, for He it is who has endowed man with the different faculties necessary to plan and 2. 4 Verse 2 2. 5 2. 5 2. 5 2. 5 2. 5 A A A A A LLAH LLAH LLAH LLAH LLAH AND AND AND AND AND THE THE THE THE THE H H H H H OL OL OL OL OLY Y Y Y Y Q Q Q Q Q UR UR UR UR UR ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ AN AN AN AN AN — S — S — S — S — S URAH URAH URAH URAH URAH A A A A A L L L L L -F -F -F -F -F A A A A ATIHA TIHA TIHA TIHA TIHA AND AND AND AND AND C C C C C OMMENT OMMENT OMMENT OMMENT OMMENTAR AR AR AR ARY Y Y Y Y