Will you explain the issue of Allah’s creating the beings in the form of ibda and insha?

A Brief Description of the Question: 

Will you explain the issue of Allah’s creating the beings in the form of ibda and insha?

The Answer: 

Ibda means to create something out of nothing. The universe was created out of nothing when it was first created. Absence or nonexistence will not end by creating.

Insha means to make new things from the elements or atoms that were created. The atoms and elements in the first creation are used in it. Only the differences regarding shape, color and nature take place later. Only that part is created.

Ibda can be likened to an alphabet and insha to writing a book. Elements – so to speak – are a divine alphabet; they were made exist through ibda. Every being is written like a book with that alphabet of elements.    

In every insha, there exists a new ibda because every being is an original version. Allah creates fast but no being is the same as another one. Some people of truth express it as “la takrara fi’t- tajalli”; that is, “there is no repetition in manifestation.”

To make a non-existing thing exist and to make an existing thing non-exist are the constant laws of Allah. Everything is created out of nothing. Scientists express some figures about the age of the universe. To determine an age for something means that it did not exist before that age. There is a beginning for everything except Allah. Besides, the fact that the things that are created are worn out and die shows that they are not pre-eternal.

Everything is composed of atoms. How can it be claimed that all beings have been created out of nothing?

First of all, let us state that some materialists and atheists perform the following plan in order to induce doubts in pure minds:

Instead of denying Allah directly, they deny the creation first by saying, “The universe was not created out of nothing but made up of atoms.” Then, by denying the creation, they proceed to deny Allah, who is the Creator of the entire universe.

Nevertheless, a work whether it has been created instantly or has been created out of atoms gradually has a maker, a creator in both cases. No work of art can be without a designer and no letters can be without a writer. The existence of the designer and the writer is known more clearly than their works. Then, the creation of the beings –in whatever way it is- indicates Allah’s existence, unity, magnificence and grandeur, attributes and names. Then, that question cannot be asked to deny the Creator of the worlds but only to learn His wisdom. 

Almighty Allah has two ways of creation. One is in the way of “origination and invention”; that is, the creation of the elements constituting the universe out of nothing. The other one is in the way of “composition”; namely, invention of the beings in the form of composing them from atoms.

Almighty Allah first created the atoms, the foundation stones of numberless beings He created in that universe, out of nothing -through origination-. Then, he brought some kinds of beings into the field of existence for some wisdom such as displaying the manifestations of His Divine names, setting laws of His knowledge and principles of His wisdom and renewing His graces. Namely, He has created atoms out of nothing through origination; and He has composed other creatures from those atoms.  

Let us try to answer the question through a wider perspective:

First of all, let us mention that there is no difference between the creations of beings through “ORIGINATION” or “COMPOSITION” in terms of Almighty Allah’s power. Creation of atoms out of nothing and composition of a being from those atoms are equal for the Divine Power; namely, neither one is easier, nor the other is harder.

If man, who has thousands of needs and who is unable to attain his simplest need, evaluates that fact, which is one of the essentials of divinity by his particular measures, of course misguides himself, is mistaken and can deviate into denial by deeming it unlikely. However, while considering works of arts of a person, one should take his attributes into consideration. That issue should be taken into consideration in terms of Allah’s attributes compassing everything and His boundless power. Instead of contemplating Allah’s grandeur, which makes that grand universe serve man, in His magnificent works of art, man deviates into great heedlessness by comparing the Divine Facts with his own trifling mind, strength and will.  

The creation of beings through “origination” or “invention” can not be deemed unlikely from the power of the Creator of all things who sets the blue vault over us like a tent, who turns over and over countless objects in that endless space by His power and who spreads the surface of earth with His wonderful works of art under our feet. As a matter of fact, a man gets into an obvious paradox if he assigns Allah impotence, after he has believed that Allah has all perfect attributes. 

Almighty Allah’s power comes from His Essence; it is boundless and absolute. There is no difference between His power’s regarding towards the sun and regarding towards a particle. He creates, administers and directs both of them with the same easiness. There is no fragmentation or division in His regarding and acting. Restrictions existing for beings cannot prevent His invention. Certainly, there is no difference between the creation of things by origination and invention in relation to His power.   

The One of Grandeur, who creates everything with an extreme easiness and turns over and over suns like particles, who changes everything from a period to another, from an attitude to another, can dispatch and bring everything He wishes from nonexistence into existence or from existence into nonexistence easily.

Certainly, it is the most obvious fact that the One Powerful over All Things, who squeezes numberless inventions in a split second, creates atoms out of nothing and other things from atoms.

Considering that there is no difference between “origination” and “composition” in terms of the Divine Power; human mind accepts that fact easily; he can only investigate the wisdom of creation out of nothing. We will try to explain briefly within the borders of our scholars’ explanations expounding the essence of that matter.

First of all, we find it useful to introduce some basic knowledge that will help the issue to be explained.           

What Do Origination and Invention Mean?

Origination is invention out of nothing; giving things existence out nothing and nonexistence and creation of everything necessary for them from nonexistence.

Composition is the invention of things in the form of gathering them together from existing elements.

There are two kinds of origination: First is the absolute composition (or pure and general origination), that is, invention from nonexistence and from nothing. The other one is particular origination.

The first creation of the universe is through pure origination. Namely, everything has been created out of nothing in the first creation of the universe. To put it more clearly, it is the invention of the world of existence from nonexistence and nothing without any examples, imitations and precedents when there were no laws, materials, time, origins, shapes and models.

The formation of the universe, that is, the specific natures, shapes and characteristics of the earth, the moon, the sun and stars was through pure origination; the first models of all living being realms are also through “pure origination.” All realms have been created from those primary models.    
 
 The universe and the atoms composing it have been created through pure origination. After that first creation, the door of pure origination was closed down. At the moment, every being is being created from the existing atoms because, there is a general balance prevailing in everything in the world. Through that law of balance, Almighty Allah has arranged every being with such a fine measure and such a sensitive balance that there is no futility and waste in nature as there is no injustice and imbalance. Certainly, that law of balance and order prevails in everything from red and white corpuscles in the blood to births and deaths of all living beings, from the balance in atom systems to the signs of heaven, space systems. Since there is a general law of order and balance in the universe, nothing including elements which are the basic substances of this world can be excluded from that law.        

The presence of models and forms of everything created in Divine Knowledge indicates that that Essence’s knowledge is unlimited; previous creation of atoms, which are the basis of everything, also shows His unlimited knowledge and measure. Certainly, that situation is a proof of that He plans and makes everything ready with a perfect measure, He manages and organizes everything favorably without conflicting, forgetting and neglecting and He does not waste even one atom.

It is a necessity of wisdom that the law of balance, which is observed in parts and pieces, also prevails in wholes. Indeed, the same measure is used in the arrangement of the every organ of man in accordance with his body and in the systems composing the universe.

 Almighty Allah uses atoms, which He has created through pure origination like –so to speak- threads and He weaves all creatures like fabrics. As you see, creation of those threads out of nothing is pure origination, and weaving various things by composing them is composition. New forms, figures, themes and essences emerging through that composition are particular origination; although their materials had been created before, they are being created for the first time and out of nothing. According to that, particular origination emerges through realization of origination and composition together and happens in every moment in the universe. For instance, -so to speak- the plans and the programs of every being which is being created at the moment are origination. Emerging of things in accordance with those plans and programs are composition. Countless attributes, qualities attached to things by their emergence demonstrate again the fact of origination. So, every moment, a new composition based on origination is observed in the universe.    

Let us give an example in order to comprehend origination and composition better:

Although Selimiye Mosque, which is deemed as a masterpiece in terms of architecture and aesthetics, was built of stones, nobody can call that work of art as “bulk of stones” and can claim such a thing. Without doubt, that work of art and artfulness emerging with those stones are new things emerging from their craftsman’s thought and art as being distinct from the stones.

Thus, the fact that the mosque is built of stones is a good example for the composition fact; its countless attributes, features and qualities, that is, everything related to it except the stones are examples for the origination fact.

Selimiye Mosque was built of stones; a nightingale was built of atoms. That nightingale is not a bulk of atoms, anymore. The Divine power created an utterly different essence in that being which He has created from atoms. Thus, all those features of the nightingale created out of nothing and nonexistence are origination.

That magnificent universe is like a nightingale created by Allah’s power. That nightingale proclaims the Most Sacred Essence’s beauty and perfection through boundless warbles. Now, will we call that wonderful miracle of power as nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and so? Will we attribute those completely new natures to simple elements? Or, will we assign those wonderful inventions to blind forces and aimless chance?  

Everything created is a distinct miracle with its material, essence, shape and properties it bears. That universe swarms with miracles of origination and composition every moment.

Let us explain the issue with another example:

Let us suppose that a learned person wants to write a book encompassing various sciences. That person decides and determines all of the subjects of that book in his knowledge first. Then, he fills ink, enough to write that book, into his pen and he writes his book in accordance with the rules and the principles he has determined in his mind. Can it be said about that wise and learned person “Why has that person filled the ink enough to write the entire book previously? He should have used different ink for every page!” Can it be a deficiency for the writer to fill all ink previously? Indeed, that situation is a proof of the perfection of that writer’s knowledge and measure. Likewise, it signifies that the book had existed and had been ready in his knowledge before it was written; every letter was written in accordance with the plan and the determination in his knowledge. Similarly, Almighty Allah willed to write that book of universe. He determined all atoms necessary for that book in His knowledge and he created that world with His unlimited power.

Various animals and plants which have been weaved from the same simple materials and which have been written with the same ink have distinctive properties, tastes and smells, natures and abilities although they benefit from the same air, same water and same light. Thus, those countless properties which do not exist in atoms emerge through origination. Indeed, spring is a wonderful example for that fact.

ALLAH Knows Best.