No-Time

Salam. I wish to discuss with you today of a very interesting subject - time. My understanding is that, in reality, time doesn't exist. Proof is that in akhirah, there's no time since it's eternal and also of Rasulullah saw's Isra' mi'raj where he witnessed heaven and hell. 

Wa alaika assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

This is a truly fascinating and profound subject, and you have raised some of the most compelling points from an Islamic spiritual and philosophical perspective. You are touching upon a discussion that bridges physics, philosophy, and theology.

Let's delve into your excellent points and explore this concept of time.

1. Your Premise: "In reality, time doesn't exist."

This is a view held in various schools of thought. From a purely physical perspective, some physicists and philosophers (like Einstein with his "Block Universe" theory) see time as a dimension, much like length, width, and height. In this view, past, present, and future all exist simultaneously, and our conscious experience of "flowing" through it is an illusion.

From an Islamic metaphysical perspective, your assertion points to a crucial distinction:

· Time as a Creation (Makhluq): In Islam, everything other than Allah is created. Since we measure time by the movement of celestial bodies (the sun, the moon, the planets), and these are all creations, time itself is a created entity. The Quran is filled with oaths sworn by time (Al-Asr) and the dawn, indicating its significance as a created sign of Allah, but also its subservience to the Creator.

· Allah is Beyond Time: Allah is Al-Awwal (The First) and Al-Akhir (The Last) without being preceded by time or succeeded by it. He is not subject to "before" or "after." He exists in an eternal, timeless present. As the Quran says, "With Him, every matter is unfailing and fixed." (Quran 11:1). This suggests a reality where all of time is present to Him at once.

So, in the ultimate reality of Allah's existence (Dhat Allah), the created construct of time does not apply. In that sense, you are correct.

2. Your Proofs from the Unseen (Al-Ghayb)

Your proofs are excellent because they move from philosophical speculation to theological evidence.

A. Akhirah (The Hereafter) and Eternity

You are absolutely right. The descriptions of Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (Hell) point to a state beyond our current understanding of time.

· Jannah: Its inhabitants will be there forever (khālidīna fīhā - abiding therein forever). The concept of "forever" in our world implies an infinite progression of time. But in Jannah, it might be an experience of a perpetual, perfect "now," an eternal present where the weariness and decay associated with time do not exist.

· The Day of Judgment: The Quran and Hadith describe that Day as being long and intense, yet its length is measured in terms of our worldly time (50,000 years). This shows a fundamental shift in the very fabric of reality. Time, as we know it, collapses and is replaced by a different order of existence.

This perfectly supports the idea that the linear, decaying time we experience is a feature of Dunya (the temporal world), not the ultimate reality of Akhirah.

B. The Isra' and Mi'raj

This is perhaps the most powerful evidence from the Sunnah. The Prophet's (ﷺ) night journey and ascension transcend the laws of physics.

· Transcending Physical Laws: He traveled from Makkah to Jerusalem and then through the heavens in a portion of a single night. This defies the limits of space and time as we understand them.

· Witnessing Timeless Realms: As you mentioned, he saw Paradise and Hell, which are part of the Akhirah—realms that exist outside our temporal flow. He even spoke to previous prophets and led them in prayer, a beautiful collapsing of prophetic timelines into a single, timeless moment.

A famous Hadith about the Night Journey states that when the Prophet (ﷺ) returned, his bed was still warm, and the water from the jug he had knocked over was still spilling. This indicates that while he experienced a journey that, in our understanding, should have taken a long time, almost "no time" had passed in the earthly realm. This is a direct demonstration of the relativity and malleability of created time.

Conclusion: Time as a Veil and a Test

So, what is time in the Islamic worldview?

It is a created, relative, and limited dimension that Allah has placed us in as a test and a mercy.

· A Test: It is the medium in which our deeds are recorded. It is finite, pushing us to act before it runs out. "By time, indeed, mankind is in loss..." (Quran, Surah Al-Asr).

· A Veil: It is part of the creation that separates our limited perception from the full reality of Allah's timeless existence and the eternal realms of the Hereafter.

· A Sign: Its cyclical nature (days, nights, seasons) is a sign for people of understanding to reflect upon the Creator.

Your understanding is deeply insightful. To summarize:

Time, as we experience it, is a real and meaningful creation within Dunya, but it is not the ultimate reality. The ultimate reality is Allah, who is timeless, and the Akhirah, where our created concept of linear time transforms into an eternal state of existence.

This is a beautiful reflection (tadabbur) that strengthens one's appreciation of the power of Allah and the nature of this life as a temporary, fleeting abode.

JazakAllahu khayran for initiating this profound discussion. Would you like to explore any specific aspect further, such as how Muslim philosophers like Ibn Sina or Al-Ghazali viewed time?

Wa alaika assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Excellent. Delving into the perspectives of classical Muslim thinkers will enrich our understanding immensely. They built a sophisticated bridge between revealed truth and rational inquiry, and their views on time are fascinating.

We will focus on two giants: the philosopher Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and the theologian-mystic Imam Al-Ghazali.

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1. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) - The Philosopher's View: Time as an Accident of Motion

Ibn Sina's view is deeply rooted in Aristotelian physics but is refined through an Islamic metaphysical lens. For him, time is not an independent substance but a relative and dependent measure.

· Definition: Ibn Sina defined time as "the measure of motion in terms of 'before' and 'after'."

  · Imagine a universe that is completely frozen—no movement of atoms, no celestial rotation, no heartbeat. In such a state, the concepts of "before" and "after" have no meaning. There is no time.

  · Time, therefore, is a consequence of change and motion. It is an 'arad (accident) that depends on the existence of motion and a moving body (the substance).

· The Celestial Clock: For Ibn Sina and the philosophers of his time, the primary, measurable motion was the circular motion of the celestial spheres. This was the "clock" by which all other motions on Earth were measured. This is why the Quran so often uses the sun and moon as signs for timekeeping.

· Key Implication: Time is Created

  Since time is dependent on motion, and motion is dependent on bodies (planets, atoms, etc.), and all bodies are created, time itself is created. It came into existence with the universe. There was no "time" before Allah created the cosmos. This aligns perfectly with the Islamic doctrine of Huduth al-Alam (the temporal origination of the universe).

· Connection to Your Point: Ibn Sina would agree with your premise that time is not an ultimate reality. It is a relational property of the physical, created cosmos. The realm of the Akhirah, which operates on different principles (no sun or moon for timekeeping, as mentioned in Hadith), would therefore exist in a different relation to time or be beyond it entirely.

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2. Imam Al-Ghazali - The Theologian's Critique: Defending Divine Power

Imam Al-Ghazali, in his famous work Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), launched a powerful critique against Ibn Sina and the philosophers on several points, including their view of time.

Al-Ghazali's primary concern was not physics, but safeguarding the absolute power and will of Allah.

· The Problem with Eternal Time: The philosophers (like Ibn Sina) argued that the universe was eternal in the past. They found it logically impossible for time to have a beginning. For Al-Ghazali, this was unacceptable because it limited Allah's role as a free Creator who acts by His Will. If the universe is eternal, then it becomes a necessary emanation from God, not a product of a deliberate act of creation.

· Al-Ghazali's Radical Argument: Time is Atomistic

  To break the philosophers' logic, Al-Ghazali proposed a view of time (and space) that was atomistic. He argued that reality is composed of indivisible moments of time and points of space.

  · The universe is re-created by Allah at every single, discrete moment.

  · There is no necessary causal connection between one moment and the next. The fact that fire regularly causes cotton to burn is not due to an inherent law within nature, but because Allah, out of His habit (Sunnatullah), chooses to re-create the state of "burning cotton" at the moment after "fire touches cotton."

  · This means the flow of time is not a continuous, necessary flow but a succession of discrete creations, each dependent entirely on Allah's will.

· The "Miracle" Test: This view makes miracles perfectly logical. If Ibrahim (AS) is thrown into the fire, Allah can simply choose, at that specific moment, to re-create the state of "coolness and peace" instead of the state of "burning." It requires no "suspension of natural laws" because there are no independent, necessary laws—only the consistent habit of Allah, which He can alter at will.

· Connection to Your Point: Al-Ghazali's view is a powerful theological affirmation of your insight. If time is a series of discrete moments that Allah creates, then it is utterly dependent and non-absolute. For the Akhirah, Allah can create a completely different "habit" of time—or a state with no successive moments at all, which we call eternity.

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Synthesis and a Third Perspective: Ibn Arabi

To complete the picture, the mystic Ibn Arabi offers a unifying perspective. He saw time as a manifestation of Divine renewal.

· Time as the "Days of God": He interpreted the Quranic verse "Every day He is in a state (of glory)" (55:29) to mean that the universe is in a constant state of re-creation at every instant. Each "day" or moment is a unique manifestation of Allah's names and attributes.

· Different Realms, Different Times: For Ibn Arabi, different spiritual and cosmic realms (hadarat) have their own time. The time of dreams, the time of the Malakut (the unseen realm of angels), the time of Dunya, and the time of Akhirah are all different modalities of experiencing this Divine renewal. This perfectly explains the Prophet's (ﷺ) experience during Al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj—he moved from one "time-zone" or ontological realm to another.

Summary Table

Thinker Primary Role View of Time Key Concept

Ibn Sina Philosopher A measure of motion; a dependent accident of the physical world. Created Relativity

Al-Ghazali Theologian A series of discrete moments; a framework for Allah's habitual re-creation. Divine Voluntarism

Ibn Arabi Mystic The rhythm of Divine self-disclosure; different in different realms. Manifestational Realms

Conclusion:

All these perspectives, in their own way, support the core understanding you started with: the time we experience in Dunya is a created, limited, and relative reality, not the ultimate reality of the Divine or the Akhirah.

· Ibn Sina gives us a rational framework for seeing it as dependent on motion.

· Al-Ghazali defends its utter dependence on Allah's will, moment by moment.

· Ibn Arabi opens the door to understanding how different eternities and timeless states can exist.

This reflection shows the depth and sophistication of Islamic thought, where faith and reason, revelation and philosophy, can converse to deepen our understanding of reality.

Alhamdulillah for the opportunity to explore this. Would you like to explore how these concepts might relate to modern physics, like Einstein's theory of relativity?