Islam Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for Muslims, experts in Islam, and those interested in learning more about Islam. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
In the Quran it is claimed that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is Rehmat-al-alamin (that is kindness to all the worlds). Does that mean he was the only prophet for the Entire Universe. Does it mean Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) laws are applicable only to this world?
So if we meet an alien race ever from the outer space, should we expect them to be Muslims or we should leave them alone assuming Islamic laws do not apply to them?
Islam is a general name of the religion which applies to the entire beings in the Universe. Islam means obedience and surrender. Islam is the path of being obedient to Allah. Any creature (alive or non-living) that is obedient to Allah is on the path of obedience.
In fact, every being in the entire Universe, besides most of the humans, are obedient to Allah.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَابُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ وَمَن يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن مُّكْرِمٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاء
Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people? But upon many the punishment has been justified. And he whom Allah humiliates - for him there is no bestower of honor. Indeed, Allah does what He wills.
Hajj 18 (22/18)
Every being in the the skies and on Earth are surrendered to Allah.
Shariat is for a specific target. It is updated with every delivery of nabi (prophet). Shariat changes according to era and conditions.
I will give an example (don't take its directly with asking for proof, this is just an example). Assume that humanity escapes from the Earth and allocates in a different planet in a different solar system which is revolving around its sun once in a hour. Then, when a nabi comes, in the shariat given to him, the number of salats in a day likely to be reduced; like one salat each three days. This is what shariat is.
For example, cats have a different shariat, their ibadats are catching birds in the park. Threes have different shariat, their ibadats are growing up and converting carbondioxide to oxygen. What we simply call shariat is actually shariat for humans in long.
Shariat is not universal, we cannot claim that it is the same in the entire universe. It is updated as soon as a new nabi arrives. But Islam is universal, more general. It is the path or surrendering to Allah. It is the same in the entire universe.
If there is an intelligent alien race somewhere in the Universe, they will receive their own nabi among them. Without receiving a nabi and warned by him, they won't be responsible for anything.
مَّنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً
Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.
Isra 15 (17/15)
For example, another fantastic example, assume that an alien group visits the Earth when Moses was alive. They meet with Moses. Can Moses be a nabi for them? No. The aliens' nabi must be from themselves. As a nabi for human must be human, a nabi for aliens must an alien.
هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ
It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error.
Jumu'a 2 (62/2)
Firstly, word of the "al alamin " in Arabic is the plural of the word "world" (al alam). allah siad:
وَلِلَّـهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن دَابَّةٍ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
All things that move on the earth and in the heavens, and the angels, bow in homage to God, and do not behave with pride. [16:49]
Is best known explain "al alamin" that it is all things only God, all of the galaxies in the universe and space and ... Etc. is one of worlds, and Imam Razi in his Tafseer the aya:
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds
is
Moreover, the "al alamin" is all that exists except God.
“Allah is He who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof” (Qur-an 65.12)
‘Abd ibn Humayd and ibn al-Mundhir transmitted through the route of Sa’id ibn Jubayr from Ibn ‘Abbas:
a man asked him [about the verse], “Allah is He who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof” and Ibn ‘Abbas said, “what will save you from disbelieving if I inform you?” Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Shu’ab transmitted through the route of Abu l-Duha from Ibn ‘Abbas [that] he said in regards to His (Exalted is He) statement “and of the earth the like thereof”: “Seven earths: in every earth is a prophet like your prophet, an Adam like your Adam, a Nuh like your Nuh, an Ibrahim like your Ibrahim and an ‘Isa like your ‘Isa.”
Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi narrated from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in marfu’ form:
between one heaven and the [next] heaven is five hundred years and between one earth and the [next] earth is five hundred years.
Ishaq ibn Rahwayh and Al-Bazzar transmitted it from the hadith of Abu Dharr in like manner. End, in summary-form.
Muhyi al-Sunnah al-Baghawi said in Ma’alim al-Tanzil:
Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Indeed the earths are on the back of a fish, and the fish is in the sea, and the sea is on a green rock, which is on the horn of a bull, and the bull is upon soil and what is below the soil is not known but to Allah.”
For a discussion of the authenticity of these ahadith: deoband.org - REPRIMANDING MEN FOR DENYING THE ATHAR OF IBN ‘ABBAS
I do not think so. Allah is very powerful. He knows there are many religions in the world. Allah does not want any muslim to enforce Islam. I can firmly say this because Mighty Allah must have written in the Quran that such-such religion will be there and it is the duty of Islamic people to enforce Islam over them but Graceful Allah did not do it.
