عَنْ اَبِى مُوسَى الأشعري رضي الله عنه قال: قَالَ رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: اِنَّ مَثَلَ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْعِلْمِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَصَابَ أَرْضًا فَكَانَتْ مِنْهَا طَيِّبَةً قَبِلَتِ الْمَاءَ فَأَنْبَتَتِ الْكَلأَ وَالْعُشْبَ الْكَثِيرَ وَكَانَتْ مِنْهَا أَجَادِبُ أَمْسَكَتِ الْمَاءَ فَنَفَعَ اللَّهُ بِهَا النَّاسَ فَشَرِبُوا وَسَقَوْا وَزَرَعُوا وَأَصَابَتْ مِنْهَا طَائِفَةً أُخْرَى إِنَّمَا هِيَ قِيعَانٌ لاَ تُمْسِكُ مَاءً وَلاَ تُنْبِتُ كَلاََ فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُ مَنْ فَقُهَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ وَنَفَعَهُ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ فَعَلِمَ وَعَلَّمَ وَمَثَلُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ بِذَلِكَ رَأْسًا وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ هُدَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ  

Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ashari (r): The Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said:

“The similitude of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is that of abundant rain which has fallen on some ground. A fertile part of earth has taken water in and brought forth much grass and herbs. Another part, which is hollow, has held the water, and Allah benefits men thereby, who have drunk and gave others to drink, and used it for cultivation.

But some of it has fallen on a portion of barren land which never keeps the water nor does it produce the herbage. Such is the likeness of the man who understands the religion of Allah and who gets benefit of what Allah has sent me with; he learns and teaches others. It is also the likeness of the man who neither raises his head on that account (meaning he does not benefit from what the Prophet (pbuh) was sent with) nor accepts Allah’s Guidance with which I have been sent.

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PROPHETHOOD & THE RAIN WHICH REVIVES THE DEAD

The Messenger of Allah, the Pride of the worlds, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, gave us an example in this Hadith. We see in the noble Quran as well the statements of these examples are simple and clear. But the Prophet (pbuh) who is equipped with the quality of a genius is far removed from simple talk and worthless speech. So, there should be great and comprehensive meanings behind these simple examples. When I started to ponder over this Hadith to reach deep and wide meanings, I found out the following points:

• The Prophet (pbuh) likened knowledge and guidance he brought from Allah (SWT) for people to rain which falls down from the sky. The rain (that is water) is an essential substance for every living thing on the face of the earth. Similarly, the messages that the Prophet (pbuh) brought from Allah (SWT) to humankind are an essential need –as well as water- for all people of the world, irrespective of their nation, colour and language. Just as it is impossible for animate things to live without water, it is the same (impossible) for people to live morally and to be happy in this world without messages which the prophet Mohammad (pbuh) brought. So, the need of people for knowledge and guidance which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) brought is like their need for water. Could you imagine what kinds of difficulties you would face if you had no water in this world?
• The Prophet (pbuh), when he spoke about the land which absorbs the rain coming down from the sky, means the believers who accept the divine messages that he brought and the Muslims who open their mind and heart to the divine guidance and knowledge. Just as the land which absorbs the rain and sucks it in brings forth an abundance of grass, crop and herbs and becomes fertile and productive, similar is the case with the believers who open their hearts and minds to the divine messages which the Prophet (pbuh) brought to humanity, when they accept divine guidance, they become fertile and productive. The believers who watered saplings of his/her soul with divine messages are always fertile and productive and are never parasite. He sprinkles several fruits of noble deeds. Thus, if his expertise lies in the field of literature, or of politics, or of medicine, or of art, then he produces excellent achievements, ideas of good standing and distinguished activities in all these respects, taking power from his faith. A productive believer always gives profit, as the land mentioned in the Hadith. He always gives both physical and moral nourishment to others. As for physical nourishments, he helps the poor by feeding them and answers their needs. As for moral nourishment, he enlightens the mind of people, shows them what is right and what is wrong, answers their questions, recovers and raises their morale, puts love, peace and trust into their hearts, guides them to prosperity and happiness both in this world and in the next. Here, some of the outstanding qualities of people who believe in the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, are being productive, beneficial, showing the right path and giving trust to others.
• In order for the believer to be useful and productive like a tree which bears fruits, should place firmly the values which the Prophet (pbuh) brought into his heart and mind. Otherwise, he can not be so. Because, the productive land stated in the Hadith, took the water in, similarly a believer should take the divine messages in to the deepest parts of his heart.
• The divine knowledge and message which the Prophet (pbuh) brought from Allah (SWT) revives the dead hearts which are like stones, merciless and unconsciousness in the marshes of ignoranance. Just as the rain which revives dry lands, it too gives life to souls which are about to perish and refreshes the spirits. In this manner, Wahy (divine revelation) is a reviver, replenisher and refresher. So, one who regulates his/her life according to divine revelation is alive and fresh, is in total peace with himself and with his environment. His inner world is pure and full of noble intentions. He is always dynamic and energetic. Therefore, Islam is a source of endless power and energy for the life of humankind. One who eats and drinks, but has no mercy, wisdom, knowledge, pity, love, faith, consciousness in his heart, in the sight of Islam, is dead, not alive.

The teaching and training of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) turned people who were nothing in their past into people who became everything, people who gave a new direction to the world. He turned spiritually dead people into living persons as if he were turning coal into diamonds. The blessings, love and spirituality which had been transmitted from the heart of the Messenger of Allah to his companions gave rise to star-like characters who would guide humanity until the end of time. Those who had been raised in the darkness of ignorance without law, mercy and love, with their hardened hearts to the extent that they even buried their new-born daughters alive, turned into a generation of believers who were characterized with compassion, kindness and tenderness of heart. On many occasion they even used to shed tears.

For example, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be happy with him. He used to be a camel shepherd. However, after converting to Islam, his heart turned into an ocean of knowledge and love, and he became an extremely kind and sensitive person. Also, his heart became a mirror for divine inspirations. With his own words, “We have received such spirituality from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that we used to hear the food we ate praising Allah..”. This great Sahabi was the founder of the Kufa School in Islamic Law. The greatest jurist of the world, Abu Hanifa, was a student of that school. Solomon and Hammurabi, who enjoy great reputations in the field of law, would be just apprentices of Abu Hanifa, who is also known as Imam A’zam (the greatest Imam).

Faith and divine light turned uncultured and lawless people into educated human beings. The message which the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) brought turned semi-savages into civilized people, criminals and mean characters into the Allah-conscious. That is, he made them into extraordinary humans who lived in the awe and love of Allah.

• The believer who opened his mind and heart to divine messages, repairs all that is spoilt and ruined around him. When he sees any trouble, defect or anything that is about to go wrong, he tries to rectify it. For, he is like a rain which brings benefit all around. With this point, the believer is always a reformer and improver, never a deformer, and is always constructive, never destructive.
• The disbeliever, or one who does not open his mind and heart to the divine guidance that Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) brought, is likened, in the Hadith, to the land which does not accept the rain from the sky. Thus, he neither benefits himself nor is beneficial to others. Even though the rain (that is divine knowledge and guidance) came to them before so as to revive them, they did not accept it, they did not open their mind or heart to it. As a result of this, their mind and heart could not be inspired by the divine light. That is why they took life down to the lowest level, eating, drinking and going to the toilet. They could not give to life a sublime purpose. They initiated the first and second world war, killed thousands of innocent children and women with two atomic bombs.
• The source of divine values which the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) brought to earth is the sky. For, the rain mentioned in the Hadith comes from the sky. The sky in Arabic language comes from (Sa, Ma, Wa) which means “high” and “lofty”. I think the sky is a symbol of loftiness in every language. So, all regulations, values and criteria which Islam brought to the earth came from a Lofty one, Exalted one, Excellent one, Perfect one. That is Allah, Only one God, the Lord of all worlds, The Creator of the universe, the Sublime, All-Powerful, All-Seer, All-Knower of seen and unseen worlds, the Sustainer, the Cherisher, the King of the Day of Judgment, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind. We glorify Him as many times as the number of His creatures

Al-Bukhari, Ilim 20. Muslim, Fedha’il 15

The topic in the philosophy of the first age was about “What is the main substance of nature?” Some philosophers said: “It is land”. Some others said: “It is air”. Others said: “It is fire”. But Allah (SWT) says in the holy Quran: “Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, and then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing . Will they not then believe...?” (Al-Anbiya: 30)

In fact, the Prophet (pbuh) likened the similitude of the believer to that of a date-palm tree in another Hadith. Muslim scholar explained the reason as following: “Because, date-palm tree is useful in four seasons. From its pips till its leaves, people get benefit. Similar is the case with a believer. People, animals and plants, all get profit from the believer at every season and in every place.

see, Bukhari, Menaqib 25