Does His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): “And you were dead, so He gave you life” imply that non-existence precedes existence?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The verse...
Another questioner :[Al-Baqarah 2:28] .
...
The Shaykh : The point is not that a person should strain himself. Are you not answering the verse in contradiction to what you were saying? That death is before life; is that not so?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner :[Al-Baqarah 2:28] .
The Shaykh : Yes, whereas you were saying death is after life.
Another questioner : No, death is before life.
...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, that is correct.
The questioner :[Al-Baqarah 2:28] .
Another questioner : I mean, the original state of all existing things is non-existence... originally they are... dead, so Allah gave them life.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.
The questioner : Because non-existence is the original state.
The Shaykh : Yes, but... is death non-existence in our current state?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : The verse is correct in that its intended meaning is non-existence, but is it permissible to cite the verse for our current situation? No, the intended meaning of the verse is non-existence, then...
The questioner : ...pardon me; I mean, in the first creation, there was the world of the seed (al-Dhar), after that we have, I mean, death and then life, then death and then life, then another life, I mean the creation of the creatures.
Another questioner : Allah was, and there was nothing before Him.
The Shaykh : Be patient a little, my brother, so we can see what he is saying. What are you clarifying now, I mean, what is your assumption?
The questioner : The verse itself says:[Al-Baqarah 2:28], yes, this is the death that overtook us, I mean, after the world of the seed, after we were in the world of the seed, death overtook us; I mean, we were not brought into existence in life, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not create us.
The Shaykh : Before the world of the seed.
The questioner : Before the world of the seed, we were non-existent, we were not dead, so He created us in the world of the seed, then He killed us, then of course after that He created us in this worldly life, then He will kill us, then He will resurrect us for the Day of Reckoning.
Another questioner : ... .
The questioner : Now, before your current existence, were you not in the world of the seed?
Another questioner : What is the world of the seed?
The questioner : What is the world of the seed?[Al-A'raf 7:172].
Another questioner : The Messenger... after that.
The questioner : Where is your existence? This is death. Where are you? You were not brought into existence; I mean, you were not created in this worldly life.
Another questioner : ... .
The questioner : Your existence ceased. Where were you now, before you were born?
Another questioner : ...but it was in a specific form, continuing in a form.
The questioner : Where is it continuing? Who told you it is continuing?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Do not argue... you are saying: it ceased.
The questioner : This...
The Shaykh : I mean, nothing ceased, it remained as it was until the spirit was breathed into the fetus.
The questioner: ...
The questioner : ...there is no life for it here, it does not have, I mean, the attribute of life except when...
Another questioner : The earth exists, but He had not caused it to grow...
The Shaykh : Okay; did any of the scholars say this meaning that you are stating?
The questioner : No, it passes here, even in some things of this, in the explanation here in...
The Shaykh : Wait for me to see where the explanation is...?
...
The Shaykh : There is a difference between death and the dead.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Just as there is a difference between, for example, life and the living. What is the meaning of this philosophy?
The questioner : No, the meaning of the philosophy is that people...
The Shaykh : You agreed that the difference... is like life and the living? Yes, what is intended by this?
The questioner : No, I intend that when death was slaughtered, the dead people were alive, that is the intended meaning, I mean...
The Shaykh : Now I want to ask about the world of the seed, yes, he says... then...
Eid Abbasi : Did their souls remain between the world of the seed and the world of the existence of any one of them?
The Shaykh : What do we care about these details? We have no choice but to believe, even from the world of the seed, we do not... imagine it at all, but the report came about it, so we believed in it. As for us going and constructing details upon it that cannot be reached, neither by the path of reason nor by the path of transmission; it is not good to delve into such matters at all.
The questioner : Ibn Taymiyyah in his tafsir.
The questioner : This is what... is settled in my mind through my study of the tafsir of...
Eid Abbasi : If one of the scholars, like Ibn Taymiyyah and others, or... said it, then it is acceptable.
Another questioner :
How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ...
The Shaykh : The point is not that a person should strain himself. Are you not answering the verse in contradiction to what you were saying? That death is before life; is that not so?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner :
How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْThe Shaykh : Yes, whereas you were saying death is after life.
Another questioner : No, death is before life.
...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, that is correct.
The questioner :
How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَAnother questioner : I mean, the original state of all existing things is non-existence... originally they are... dead, so Allah gave them life.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.
The questioner : Because non-existence is the original state.
The Shaykh : Yes, but... is death non-existence in our current state?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : The verse is correct in that its intended meaning is non-existence, but is it permissible to cite the verse for our current situation? No, the intended meaning of the verse is non-existence, then...
The questioner : ...pardon me; I mean, in the first creation, there was the world of the seed (al-Dhar), after that we have, I mean, death and then life, then death and then life, then another life, I mean the creation of the creatures.
Another questioner : Allah was, and there was nothing before Him.
The Shaykh : Be patient a little, my brother, so we can see what he is saying. What are you clarifying now, I mean, what is your assumption?
The questioner : The verse itself says:
you were lifeless and He brought you to life
كُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْThe Shaykh : Before the world of the seed.
The questioner : Before the world of the seed, we were non-existent, we were not dead, so He created us in the world of the seed, then He killed us, then of course after that He created us in this worldly life, then He will kill us, then He will resurrect us for the Day of Reckoning.
Another questioner : ... .
The questioner : Now, before your current existence, were you not in the world of the seed?
Another questioner : What is the world of the seed?
The questioner : What is the world of the seed?
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَىAnother questioner : The Messenger... after that.
The questioner : Where is your existence? This is death. Where are you? You were not brought into existence; I mean, you were not created in this worldly life.
Another questioner : ... .
The questioner : Your existence ceased. Where were you now, before you were born?
Another questioner : ...but it was in a specific form, continuing in a form.
The questioner : Where is it continuing? Who told you it is continuing?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Do not argue... you are saying: it ceased.
The questioner : This...
The Shaykh : I mean, nothing ceased, it remained as it was until the spirit was breathed into the fetus.
The questioner: ...
The questioner : ...there is no life for it here, it does not have, I mean, the attribute of life except when...
Another questioner : The earth exists, but He had not caused it to grow...
The Shaykh : Okay; did any of the scholars say this meaning that you are stating?
The questioner : No, it passes here, even in some things of this, in the explanation here in...
The Shaykh : Wait for me to see where the explanation is...?
...
The Shaykh : There is a difference between death and the dead.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Just as there is a difference between, for example, life and the living. What is the meaning of this philosophy?
The questioner : No, the meaning of the philosophy is that people...
The Shaykh : You agreed that the difference... is like life and the living? Yes, what is intended by this?
The questioner : No, I intend that when death was slaughtered, the dead people were alive, that is the intended meaning, I mean...
The Shaykh : Now I want to ask about the world of the seed, yes, he says... then...
Eid Abbasi : Did their souls remain between the world of the seed and the world of the existence of any one of them?
The Shaykh : What do we care about these details? We have no choice but to believe, even from the world of the seed, we do not... imagine it at all, but the report came about it, so we believed in it. As for us going and constructing details upon it that cannot be reached, neither by the path of reason nor by the path of transmission; it is not good to delve into such matters at all.
The questioner : Ibn Taymiyyah in his tafsir.
The questioner : This is what... is settled in my mind through my study of the tafsir of...
Eid Abbasi : If one of the scholars, like Ibn Taymiyyah and others, or... said it, then it is acceptable.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.