My Testimony II

  

17

 

DOES ALLAH NEED A FAMILY?

 

Allah "has not taken a wife or a son." (72.3) Allah does not have a family. He does not need them. He does not need to be loved by a wife or helped by a son. Otherwise He wouldn’t be God. The best wife Allah could create for Himself or the best son He could ever make should be either as good as or better than Him. But why should Allah have someone in His presence who could be as good as or better than Him? What would be the purpose? There can’t be anything as good as or better than Allah and anything less good than Allah cannot be a god. “Naught is as His likeness.” (42.11) Period. There can only be Allah, on the one hand, and the Kingdom of Allah, on the other hand. And then "Thy Lord createth what He willeth and chooseth." (28.68) Why? Because "If there were therein gods beside Allah, then verily both (the heavens and the earth) would had been disordered." (21.22) "Allah hath not chosen any son, nor is there any god along with Him; else would each god have assuredly championed that which he created, and some of them would assuredly have overcome others." (23.91) "If there were other gods along with Him, as they say, then had they sought a way against the Lord of the Throne." (17.42) Look at what man, this weak mortal creature, has done against Allah in the earth; what if Allah surrounded Himself with other gods in the Heavens? Would any sensible king accept to have around him someone who could do what he does or undo what he undoes? That would be unwise of him. We have seen what happened throughout History between kings and their parents and their children and their siblings.

 

Allah says: "And it was not (vouchsafed) to any mortal that Allah should speak to him unless (it be) by revelation or from behind a veil, or (that) He sendeth a messenger to reveal what He will by His leave. Lo! He is Exalted, Wise." (42.51) "Yet they worship instead of Allah that which can neither benefit them nor hurt them. The disbeliever was ever a partisan against his Lord." (25.55) Allah can do all His work on His own. "Unto Him belongeth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Lo! Allah, He verily is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise." (22.64) So the Kingdom of Allah can only be ruled by Allah. But Allah does not want to rule by force only. With those who want force Allah will use force because He is “the Almighty, the Wise." (3.6) For those who deserve love Allah will appoint love because He is “Merciful, Loving.” (11.90) Umar ibn al-Khattab said : “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child she embraced him and put him to her breast. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us: ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said: ‘No, by Allah, not if she is able not to.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child.’

 

WHY DOES ALLAH PROVIDE FOR NON-BELIEVERS?

 

We all know that the rain, which is a gift from Allah, does not fall only where Allah is worshipped. Allah says: "Each do We supply, both these and those, from the bounty of thy Lord. And the bounty of thy Lord can never be walled up." (17 .20) "And He it is Who sendeth the winds as tidings heralding His mercy, till, when they bear a cloud heavy (with rain), We lead it to a dead land, and then cause water to descend thereon and thereby bring forth fruits of every kind. Thus bring We forth the dead. Haply ye may remember." (7.57) This “dead land” could be anywhere in the world. Allah says: "We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things?" (41.53) We now know that in almost every country in the world there’s at least one person or two who believe in Allah. For the sake of that one person Allah is ready to provide all the people living where he lives. Because that person will need to eat, to wear clothes, to use transportation, to have a home, etc, and all this cannot be done by him alone. He will need people to farm for him, people to make clothes for him, to build a home for him, etc, etc. All the people will eat quite the same things, use the same transportation, have the same kind of homes, etc, but in this world only. In the Hereafter only the faithful will have the good things. That’s why it’s not un-Islamic for a good Muslim to enjoy the good things of this life. Allah says: "Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath brought forth for His bondmen, and the good things of His providing? Say: Such, on the Day of Resurrection, will be only for those who believed during the life of the world. Thus do we detail Our revelations for people who have knowledge." (7.32) That’s why Allah provided our forefathers who did not believe in Him. He provided them with food, with shelter, with everything. He caused love to make them feel so good so as to encourage them to marry, to support a family, to prepare the future generations of believers. That’s why when Angel Gabriel said to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that, if he wanted, Allah could destroy the people of Taif, who had mistreated him, he said: "No, but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah Alone and will worship None besides Him."

 

DOES ALLAH NEED TO BE ADORED?

 

Does that mean that Allah is doing all this and taking all this trouble because He needs to be adored, to be loved? Well, the Prophet (pbuh) died 14 centuries ago, his message is still being shared in so many languages by people who have tasted the sweetness of Faith, by people who love Allah.

  

WHAT DO I EARN AND LOSE EACH DAY?

 

As I live a new day I earn something and lose something else, the least of which are my past days which are gone for good and will never come back. Everywhere I look I see signs that I’m leaving this world one day. I see babies who will be my age when I’m gone. I see young people who remind me that I too was as young as them and I am no more. I see very old people and I’m not sure I’ll live as long as them. I see plants that last a few months and trees that are more than 100 years old. All this reminds me that I am leaving sooner or later. At the same time, when I say my prayers five times a day, and read some Quran, and do some good, day in day out, I get the feeling that I am kind of investing in these days gone by and that this investment should bear fruit upon my death. I feel that my life is in fact eternal once I left my mother’s womb. Allah says: "They taste not death therein, save the first death." (44.56) This gives me hope.

 

HOW DO I KNOW THAT ALLAH LOVES ME?

 

In the Quran I read: “... whom He loveth and who love Him” (5.54) What does that mean? Well, it means that, why not, Allah can love me too. And that’s something I would love so much. But how do I know that Allah loves me? Allah says: "As for man, whenever his Lord trieth him by honouring him, and is gracious unto him, he saith: My Lord honoureth me. But whenever He trieth him by straitening his means of life, he saith: My Lord despiseth me." (89.15-16) I would probably assume that if Allah gives me everything I want, that can be a sign that He loves me. But what’s the sign that I love Him? Why should Allah love me if I don’t love Him in return? Am I "the best in conduct"? Allah says: "O mankind! Lo! We have created you from male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware." (49.13) Allah also says: "Surely We created man of the best stature" (95.4) "See ye not how Allah hath made serviceable unto you whatsoever is in the skies and whatsoever is in the earth and hath loaded you with His favours both without and within?" (31.20) "And if ye would count the favour of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! Allah is indeed Forgiving, Merciful." (16.18) If that applies to me too, what did I give Allah in return? When someone gives me something I say thank you. Did I thank Allah for all His gifts? How? Do I have a special relationship with Allah, a relationship far, far better than my relationship with anybody else? Allah says: "Those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah-" (2.165) "Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will." (39.23) "They only are the (true) believers whose hearts feel fear when Allah is mentioned, and when revelations of Allah are recited unto them they increase their faith, and who trust in their Lord; Who establish worship and spend of that We have bestowed on them. Those are they who are in truth believers. For them are grades (of honour) with their Lord, and pardon, and a bountiful provision." (8.2-4) "Remember Allah as ye remember your fathers or with a more lively remembrance." (2.200) Am I among those meant by these verses? When I want to sin, for example, do I hide from Allah or from people? Do I fear Allah or do I fear people? Allah says: "... A party of them fear mankind even as their fear of Allah or with greater fear." (4.77) "They seek to hide from men and seek not to hide from Allah." (4 .108) "The erudite among His bondmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving." (35.28) "And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen." (2.207) Do I really care about "the pleasure of Allah"? Do I really fear Allah? Do I really love Allah? Allah says: "Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (3.31) Do I follow the Prophet (pbuh)? Do I ask myself such questions when I am alright or only when I am miserable? What do I do when I am miserable? Do I turn to Allah or do I turn away from Him? Do I implore Allah to forgive and help me or do I try by all means to change my fate? And before all this and that, am I a good believer? Am I a true believer? The Prophet (pbuh) said: "None amongst you believes (truly) until he loves for his brother" -or he said "for his neighbor- "that which he loves for himself. "

  

WHAT DO I LOVE FOR MYSELF?

 

What do I love for myself? Normal adult people generally aspire to three things: financial independence, marriage and good health. What if I had none of these? What if I were jobless, single and sick? What could I do? Not so much apparently. All I can do is live with that and accept it and wait for salvation -just like a homeless person who can’t find a shelter. "If you work hard you will succeed" does not work always. Otherwise, all the homeless, all the unemployed… would be lazy. But that is not true. One may suffer accidents along the way.

 

Suppose I were married and had two wonderful boys and a loving spouse, would I know what may happen to me or to them in the near future? Now, here’s an anecdote. It’s in the Quran. "…So they twain journeyed on till, when they met a lad, he slew him. (Moses) said: What! Hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man? Verily thou hast done a horrid thing. He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me? (Moses) said: If I ask thee after this concerning aught, keep not company with me. Thou hast received an excuse from me. " (18.74-76) Moses (pbuh) was a prophet and yet he could not see the point in killing an "innocent lad". You and I would have the same reaction.

WHY DOESN'T ALLAH GIVE THE RIGHT CHILD RIGHT AWAY?

 

Even after reading the justification for the killing of the lad one would still wonder: Why didn’t Allah give those good parents the right child right away? Well, they might have taken that for granted, just like I take it for granted when I take the train, when I switch on the light, when I turn on the tele, when I go to work, when I take a call from a dear person… Do I thank Allah for all this comfort? What if I lost such comfort overnight? What if I lost anything that was so dear to me?

  

WHAT WOULD I PREFER - A JOB OR A LOVED ONE'S MESSAGE?

 

Hopefully, that great loss may -I say may- bring me closer to my Lord so that I’ll think more seriously not only of my material comfort, my healthcare, my financial ease in this world, but also of my salvation. What would you prefer: work after a long period of unemployment or a kind message from a person you loved so much and thought he/she had forgotten all about you? How would you feel when you read that unhoped-for message or when I get a surprise call from that dear person? If we think about it, it’s nothing compared to when Allah sends down the rain after a severe drought or when He puts out the fire of a deadly war or when He helps someone repay his debt after he was very close to imprisonment. That’s our chance to feel the love of Allah. That’s our chance to relish and cherish that love from our Lord and the Lord of the Worlds. People are proud to take selfies with humans like them, what about the love of the Lord of the Worlds?

  

These are personal experiences. What happens to me can happen to other people in various ways. I too need to understand things that cannot be understood by reason alone. So I need to go through personal experience and to know about other people’s personal experiences as well.

  

HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND ALLAH'S LOGIC?

 

Ayshah reported: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had slaughtered a sheep and distributed major portions of its meat. Then he asked: ‘What is left of it?’ I replied: ‘Nothing remains except its shoulder.’ Thereupon he said: ‘All of it remains except its shoulder.'” How could you and I understand this with our logic? The sheep was eaten by the poor and there remained no more in Ayshah’s room but that shoulder: that’s logic, that’s reason. But to the Prophet (pbuh) there was another logic. He saw Allah’s logic. We humans when we lose something it’s hard for us to think of a replacement/a compensation that we can’t see with our eyes.

  

We humans will always ask such logical questions as to why Allah gave the prophets Noah and Lot bad wives and to the tyrant Pharoah a good wife he didn’t deserve. Would we see in Pharoah’s wife a wife to him but also an adoptive mother to Moses (pbuh), who could otherwise have been killed by Pharaoh?

  

The Quran tells us that Allah did not give a child to Abraham (pbuh) until he was very old. And then after He gave him a child and this child grew up a little bit, Allah told Abraham (pbuh) (in a dream) to sacrifice him. Someone who doesn’t have faith in his heart would only see in this some kind of sadism. But both Abraham and his son would forget all about the pains they had suffered during the trial once they saw the gift brought down by angels from the heavens, from the Lord of the Worlds. It’s like slapping your little son or little brother, for whatever reason, and then you give him a surprise present: the slap is painful, but your present will make him forget it, because you gave him a sign that you love him, that you didn’t mean him any harm. Likewise, it is not easy for many people to fast during the holy month of Ramadan. And yet they do it, not out of fear of people, but to please Allah and to do good to their own health.

  

WHY DID ALLAH ORDER ABRAHAM TO SACRIFICE HIS SON?

 

Why did Allah do that to Abraham, why did He order him to sacrifice his only son? We don’t need to dream up an explanation. When Allah tells me, as a believer, to do something I have to do it, I don’t ask why. Allah says: "The saying of (all true) believers when they are called unto Allah and His messenger to judge between them is only that they say: We hear and we obey. And such are the successful." (24.51) "And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest." (33.36) Nobody asks a king to justify an order. Allah is the King/the Lord of the Worlds, period. Adam, don’t touch that tree. That’s it, don’t touch it. Allah says: "And when Saul set out with the army, he said: Lo! Allah will try you by (the ordeal of) a river. Whosoever therefore drinketh thereof he is not of me, and whosoever tasteth it not he is of me, save him who taketh (thereof) in the hollow of his hand." (2.249) So don’t go beyond what you have been ordered. Allah says: "To hunt and to eat the fish of the sea is made lawful for you, a provision for you and for seafarers; but to hunt on land is forbidden you so long as ye are on the pilgrimage." (5.96) That’s it, don’t hunt on land. Don’t ask questions. Maybe there are secrets I don’t know and Allah would not let me in on the secret. So I have to do as I am told. Who am I to be let into the Secret of Allah? I should respect the distance between me and my Lord just as I respect the distance between me and my superiors at work. I should show my Lord that He is indeed my Lord. I should show Him that I love Him by obeying His orders whatever they are. I should not ask why a male heir should receive twice as much as a female heir. That’s none of my business. I should not ask why a woman does not pray or fast during menstruation. Allah did not ask me to use water for my ablutions if I am ill. Allah permits me to only perform tayammum if I can’t find/use water, or to perform my daily prayers lying on my side in bed if I am ill. Allah permits me to postpone my fasting until after Ramadan if I am ill. If I can see the symbolism in tayammum, why can’t I see symbolism in Adam’s tree or in Hevrews’ river or in hunting during Hajj in Mecca?

  

WHAT IS MY JOB AS A VICEROY?

 

Allah made me (as a human) a viceroy of Him in this earth. A viceroy is not the king. But a viceroy can be brought near the king. I too can be brought near my Lord if I make a good viceroy. What’s my job as a viceroy? I do what I can, that’s my job. I can help a homeless person by giving him shelter or food or clothes or money or just a smile. I am doing this for a human like myself. If I marry I marry a human like myself. If I work, I work for a human like myself. If Allah wants to take revenge on a tyrant He will send him a human like himself. Allah will not transport victims in ambulances or help the blind cross the street. I, as a believer, do it in His name. If Allah wants me to be jobless, nobody will ever give me work unless Allah wills. If Allah wants me to be single, nobody will marry me unless Allah wills. That’s because Allah is the Lord. Allah says : "Knowest thou not that it is Allah unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; and ye have not, beside Allah, any friend or helper?" (2.107) Allah is never in the news, but He is somewhere behind what’s in the news. When a celebrity dies, all the media talk about that celebrity, but where is he/she taken? To a church or a mosque, to where God is (supposed to be). People who have faith in their hearts know that. So each would do what he/she can as a viceroy of Allah. They would seek a peaceful rather than confrontational relationship with Allah, because they know that there are things that Allah alone can do. Allah does them for us. Allah says: "Have ye seen that which ye cultivate? Is it ye who foster it, or are We the Fosterer? If We willed, We verily could make it chaff, then would ye cease not to exclaim: Lo! we are laden with debt! Nay, but we are deprived! Have ye observed the water which ye drink? Is it ye who shed it from the raincloud, or are We the Shedder? If We willed We verily could make it bitter. Why then, give ye not thanks?" (56.63-70) "Let man consider his food: How We pour water in showers Then split the earth in clefts And cause the grain to grow therein And grapes and green fodder And olive-trees and palm-trees And garden-closes of thick foliage And fruits and grasses: Provision for you and your cattle." (80.24-32) We humans tend to forget all about that until we are struck by a wildfire, a flood or a drought. But those people amongst us who have faith in their hearts never forget the Bounty of Allah. So they strive to serve their Lord and do not wait for Him to serve them. When they need something they beg of Allah to help them. When they have questions they think about possible answers rather than ask them bluntly. These people know that even science cannot explain everything. So they try to guess what Allah would expect of each of them and each would strive to accomplish his/her mission in the best way possible. What matters is what Allah wants, not what they want.

  

HOW DOES ALLAH REMIND US OF HEAVEN?

 

These people see (with their hearts) how Allah would even use earthquakes and wars and all sorts of calamities to remind man of Heaven when man does not want to see anything but the life of this world. These people see that despite all calamities life remains beautiful. People find the time for joy and fun even in war times. Ask any woman about labour, she’ll say awful. Ask her about the first smile of her baby, she’ll say something else.

 

 

 

18

 

WHY PRAY EVERY DAY?

 

I am grateful to Allah for all His gifts and favours. But why should I, for example, perform my prayers every day, repeating myself again and again? Why don’t I pray only when I am free and focused? Well, our day is cram full with repetitions, isn’t it? We eat and drink every day; we go to the toilet every day; we sleep every day, we do a lot of things every day, don’t we? Also we make use of our vision, our hearing, our mind, our hands, our feet and much more every day. Wouldn’t it, then, make sense for me, as a believer, to give thanks to the Creator and Provider by remembering Him every day too? Allah says: “O mankind! Remember Allah's grace toward you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provideth for you from the sky and the earth?" (35.3) "Remember Allah as ye remember your fathers or with a more lively remembrance." (2.200) "O ye who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify Him early and late. He it is Who blesseth you, and His angels (bless you), that He may bring you forth from darkness unto light; and He is Merciful to the believers." (33.41-43) "Remember Allah, as He hath taught you that which (heretofore) ye knew not." (2.239) "Therefore remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and reject not Me." (2.152) "Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou createdst not this in vain. Glory be to Thee!" (3.191) "Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them." (32.16)

  

Allah says in the Hadith Qudsi: "I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his (remembrance), and if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by the cubit, and if he draws near Me by the cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two hands. And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him." And in the Quran we read: "Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!" (4.69) That’s the real Elite.

  

WHY PAY ZAKAT?

 

As a believer I also have to pay Zakat. Zakat is meant to help the poor. But that’s the state’s job, I would say. It’s the state who should take care of the poor. I already pay taxes for that. Well, in return for the taxes that we pay every year, our state provides us with services (schools, hospitals, roads, etc) and we need all that only and only as long as we are alright and fit. What about when we begin to become unable to walk alone, unable to sit up or eat unassisted or even hear or recognize our relatives? What could the state do for us then? We may even be asked to pay for our funeral and burial after our death. Zakat, when I can afford it, is what I pay for eternal bliss in Heaven, where there are no economic crises, no racial tensions, no wars, no hurricanes, no blizzards, no wildfires, no climate change, no viruses, no fear, no depression, no death. And that does not have a price.

  

WHY FAST A WHOLE MONTH?

 

In the same vein, I may ask myself: why should I fast a whole month? Good question. But, to be honest, I should also ask: how much would it cost me to spend a month in a deluxe hotel in a beautiful country? What if I had to spend a 30-day holiday in a good hotel every year? Then I ask myself: how much would I be prepared to pay for one day -just one day- in Paradise (after my death)? Fasting is but a symbolic price for a place in Heaven!

 

WHAT DOES A CEMETERY REMIND ME OF?

 

Follow me, I go past a cemetery. I take a glance. I see rows upon rows of graves. People who, like me, asked questions probably. People who, like me, had more or less the same aspirations and desires, the same hopes and fears. And then, one day, it was all over. The book was closed. No more news. No more job applications. No more salaries. No more cars. No more pleasures. All but silence. Hence this reminder from "the Living One Who dieth not" (25.58) He tells us, if we want to hear Him: "Lo! this life of the world is but a passing comfort, and lo! the Hereafter, that is the enduring home." (40.39) "The similitude of the life of the world is only as water which We send down from the sky, then the earth's growth of that which men and cattle eat mingleth with it till, when the earth hath taken on her ornaments and is embellished, and her people deem that they are masters of her, Our commandment cometh by night or by day and We make it as reaped corn as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do we expound the revelations for people who reflect." (10.24)

 

CAN I BE HAPPY IN THIS WORLD TOO?

 

Heaven is no doubt great, I would say. What about my life in this world? Can’t I be happy here too? Allah says in the Quran: "Whoso desireth the reward of the world, (let him know that) with Allah is the reward of the world and the Hereafter. Allah is ever Hearer, Seer." (4.134) "No soul can ever die except by Allah's leave and at a term appointed. Whoso desireth the reward of the world, We bestow on him thereof; and whoso desireth the reward of the Hereafter, We bestow on him thereof. We shall reward the thankful." (3.145) But the Quran reminds me that "The reward of Allah for him who believeth and doeth right is better, and only the steadfast will obtain it." (28.80) "Better far is the abode of the Hereafter for those who keep their duty (to Allah). Have ye then no sense?" (6.32) "But ye prefer the life of the world Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting." (87.16-17) "Whoso desireth the harvest of the Hereafter, We give him increase in its harvest. And whoso desireth the harvest of the world, We give him thereof, and he hath no portion in the Hereafter." (42.20) "And verily We have displayed for mankind in this Qur'an all manner of similitudes, but man is more than anything contentious." (18.54)

  

So I may ask one more question. Normally, if I got it right, a good believer should be much, much better off than a non-believer, no? In reality, though, that's not always the case. Why? Well, Allah says: "He it is Who hath placed you as viceroys of the earth and hath exalted some of you in rank above others, that He may try you by (the test of) that which He hath given you. Lo! Thy Lord is swift in prosecution, and Lo! He verily is Forgiving, Merciful." (6.165) "Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Sovereignty, and, He is Able to do all things. Who hath created life and death that He may try you which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving." (67.1-2) "And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days - and His Throne was upon the water - that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct." (11.7) "Then We appointed you viceroys in the earth after them, that We might see how ye behave." (10.14) "See how We prefer one of them above another, and verily the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment." (17.21)

  

"Now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain Scripture, Whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path. (5.16) "Thus Allah expoundeth unto you His revelations in order that ye may give thanks." (5.89)

 

SHOULD I ENVY THOSE BETTER OFF THAN ME?

 

If I am a sensible person, I should thank Allah for this precious light. Or should I perhaps envy those who I see are better off than I one way or another? Should I spend the rest of my life comparing myself to others? In the Quran I read: "Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you Until ye come to the graves." (102.1-2) "Lo! man is in a state of loss, Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance." (103.2-3)

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HAPPY?

 

Now, what does it mean to be happy? It goes without saying that happiness means different things to different people. So how can Allah make me happy? Well, I don’t even need to ask such a question if I think and believe that I can do without Allah and don't need Him at all. The moment I ask what Allah can do for me to be happy I have to bear in mind what I would have to give in return. There should be some kind of covenant. When the government pays me unemployment benefits during a time of economic crisis it’s because I, or most people in my country, pay taxes to the state. Similarly, can Allah pay me weekly/monthly unemployment benefits in a time of a major economic crisis? Of course not. Worse, He can make me lose my job and suffer from poverty even in normal times when most people are well off. Why? Well, it’s not a matter of capability, to be sure.

 

Allah says: "Every soul must taste of death, and We try you with evil and with good, for ordeal. And unto Us ye will be returned." (21.35) "But lo! with hardship goeth ease, Lo! with hardship goeth ease." (94.5-7) "Allah will vouchsafe, after hardship, ease." (65.7) Even the best religious society, led by the best religious ruler, would have problems. Societies are tried just like individuals. An individual believer can lose his job, a society (a people) can suffer from drought or an economic crisis.

 

WHAT'S THE USE OF RELIGION IF IT ADDS TO MY PROBLEMS?

 

So what’s the use of religion if it will only add on to my problems? If I put that question bluntly, I will get nowhere. If I put it in good faith, there’s room for discussion. Allah says (to the Prophet (pbuh) : "Thou knewest not what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith. But We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our bondmen. And lo! thou verily dost guide unto a right path." (42.52) "And if We willed We could withdraw that which We have revealed unto thee, then wouldst thou find no guardian for thee against Us in respect thereof. (It is naught) save mercy from thy Lord. Lo! His kindness unto thee was ever great." (17.86-87) That means religion is a mercy, a divine favour, not a problem. Why should Allah bother sending thousands of prophets and messengers in so many languages to so many peoples over a long period of time? What’s the use for Allah to do that? Isn’t that a "problem" for Allah? When Allah says "Ah, the anguish for the bondmen! Never came there unto them a messenger but they did mock him!" (36.30) "Shall We utterly ignore you because ye are a wanton folk?" (43.5), what good would that add to Him? Yes, Islam says don’t do this, don’t do that. And yet many people don’t have a problem with that. They would even love to move up from Islam to Iman to Ihsan. Many people would love to elevate their nafs from ammara to lawama to mutmaina. Many people would love to approach beauty and greatness in the light of the Word of God. Many people would seek godly solutions rather than lament over Satanic problems. But that’s the minority of the minority. Allah says: "Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!" (4.69) That’s the Elite, once again.

 

CAN ANYBODY ATTAIN THAT HIGH LEVEL?

 

Can anybody attain that high level? Allah says: "And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil); Those who spend (of that which Allah hath given them) in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; Allah loveth the good." (3.133-134) "Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou createdst not this in vain. Glory be to Thee!" (3.191) "Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them." (32.16) "The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace; And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing." (25.63-64) "The steadfast, and the truthful, and the obedient, those who spend (and hoard not), those who pray for pardon in the watches of the night." (3.17) "Who are constant at their worship And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged For the beggar and the destitute." (70.23-25) "And to feed in the day of hunger, An orphan near of kin, Or some poor wretch in misery, And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity." (90.14-17) "And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him, (Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you." (76.8-9) "And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear not to give to the near of kin and to the needy, and to fugitives for the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and show indulgence. Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (24.22)

  

So, roughly speaking, it’s all about gratitude towards Allah and solidarity between humans. The details may differ from one verse to another, but the major guidelines are the same. "Ihsan," as the Prophet (pbuh) said, "is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." How can I translate this into acts? Well, the Quran answered this in the verses above. That’s what al-muhsinoon (the good) do. But suppose I can’t do that. For one reason or another, I can’t fast very often or worship Allah at night while people are sleeping, for example, and yet I aspire to be among al-muhsinoon.

 

WHAT IF I CAN'T DO WHAT THE GOOD DO?

 

 What can I do? Well, if I can’t do what al-muhsinoon (the good) and asseddeeqoon (saints) do in terms of acts of worship I should not expect to get the wages they get or the special place they get near Allah. Playing in the school games is not like playing in the Olympic Games. However, I can still increase my Iman and stand out in the Eyes of Allah. How? I should have a strong faith, an unwavering faith. If I hear "Is there any God beside Allah?" (27.62), my heart will say before my tongue NO ! I have to be among those "Who have believed and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah." (13.28) That means I have to be anything but "anxious", "fretful" or "grudging." (70.19-21) If I have a problem I implore Allah: I "call on Him in fear and hope. Lo! the mercy of Allah is nigh unto the good." (7.56) In addition to praying I keep my duty to Allah, Who says: "And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation. And whosoever putteth his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Lo! Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah hath set a measure for all things." (65.2-3) If my prayers are not answered quickly, I persevere and keep hope. "Such as are steadfast and put their trust in Allah." (16.42)

  

By doing so I discover things that I can only read about in the Quran and the Hadith. It’s my problems and how I see them solved by the help of Allah, by the power of Allah, by the knowledge of Allah, that will show me whether this religion is about truth or about dogma. If I don’t have a problem, how will I ever know that? Allah says: "And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation." (65.2) Who can try that out? It’s my personal experience (what I feel when I have a problem, what I do to solve that problem, how I do it) that will teach me on Allah better than any scientific or religious book. These are the signs that affect my life directly. Allah says: "If Allah touch thee with affliction, there is none that can relieve therefrom save Him, and if He touch thee with good fortune (there is none that can impair it)." (6 .17-18) "And your Lord hath said: Pray unto Me and I will hear your prayer." (40.60) "But lo! with hardship goeth ease, Lo! with hardship goeth ease." (94. 5-6) "Lo! Allah defendeth those who are true." (22. 38) "And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation. And whosoever putteth his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Lo! Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah hath set a measure for all things." (65.2-3) "And whatsoever ye spend (for good) He replaceth it. And He is the Best of Providers." (34.39)

 

IS THIS ABOUT REASON OR OBSCURANTISM?

 

If anyone tells me about reason versus obscurantism, well, I tell him that there are things that can never be rationalized. If you ever have to go through a real love experience, for example, chances are that you will be confronted with situations where reason can’t help at all. An awful lot of happenings have remained an enigma.

  IS IHSAN A PREREQUISITE TO HEAVEN?

Fortunately for us, Ihsan is not a prerequisite to Heaven. An ordinary Muslim who keeps his duty to Allah is entitled to Heaven. Ihsan is a chance given to ambitious believers who would like to stand out with their work, to express their gratitude to Allah in the best way possible. It’s a further step towards Allah, Who made this world and gave you and me a chance to live in this world. Many people in history began as low-ranked soldiers and then became army leaders or even kings. It’s a matter of ambition : to move up from Islam to Iman to Ihsan. Allah says: "And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil); Those who spend (of that which Allah hath given them) in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; Allah loveth the good." (3.133-134) "It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing." (2.177) "Those who entered the city and the faith before them love those who flee unto them for refuge, and find in their breasts no need for that which hath been given them, but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot. And whoso is saved from his own avarice - such are they who are successful." (59.9) "And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him, (Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you." (76.8-9)

  

DO I WANT TO STAND OUT IN PEOPLE'S EYES OR IN ALLAH'S SIGHT?

 

Now, do I want to stand out in the eyes of people or in the sight of Allah? Do I want to be talked about by people or by angels? Do I want to be a celebrity in the earth or a celebrity in the heavens? Do I believe in Allah because I am sure that He is God or because I just want a deity -whoever it may be- to give me a job or to give me this or that ? These are essential questions! My intention should be clear and pure. Do I do what I do for the sake of Allah, for love of Him? If only my initial faith (intention) were good! Allah would then take care of the rest. He says: "As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good." (29.69) "Lo! Allah is with those who keep their duty unto Him and those who are doers of good." (16.128) "While as for those who walk aright, He addeth to their guidance, and giveth them their protection (against evil)." (47.17) "Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He bringeth them out of darkness into light." (2.257) "O ye who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify Him early and late. He it is Who blesseth you, and His angels (bless you), that He may bring you forth from darkness unto light; and He is Merciful to the believers." (33.41-43) If I am a sinner, Allah says to me (and to everybody): "Save him who repenteth and believeth and doth righteous work; as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. And whosoever repenteth and doeth good, he verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance." (25.70-71) If I want Allah, Allah says to me (and to everybody): "And whoever hopeth for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord." (18.110) If I forget, if I relent from time to time, Allah reminds me: "O man! What hath made thee careless concerning thy Lord, the Bountiful, Who created thee, then fashioned, then proportioned thee? Into whatsoever form He will, He casteth thee." (82.6-8)

  

WHAT IF MY FAITH IS NOT PURE?

 

If my faith is not that good, if it’s not pure, well, Allah will yet give me another chance, but through a trial, maybe two, maybe more. He says: "Man tireth not of praying for good, and if ill toucheth him, then he is disheartened, desperate." (41.49) "And verily, if We cause him to taste mercy after some hurt that hath touched him, he will say: This is my own; and I deem not that the Hour will ever rise, and if I am brought back to my Lord, I surely shall be better off with Him." (41.50) "When We show favour unto man, he withdraweth and turneth aside, but when ill toucheth him then he aboundeth in prayer." (41.51) "And if we cause man to taste some mercy from Us and afterward withdraw it from him, Lo! he is despairing, thankless. And if We cause him to taste grace after some misfortune that had befallen him, he saith: The ills have gone from me. Lo! he is exultant, boastful; Save those who persevere and do good works. Theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward." (11.9-11)

  

WHAT DOES MY TRIAL SHOW?

 

My trials will show whether I really want Allah. It’s then when I am supposed to do my best not to succumb to the lure of worldly pleasures; it’s then when I have to show that I remember the Creator, I remember Him as I would remember a loved one. Allah says: "... remember Allah as ye remember your fathers or with a more lively remembrance." (2.200) My trial will not necessarily be a hardship. I may be tried with a very good job, with a very happy family life. And that may be even harder than being tried with a hardship. In either case, I have to show what I want for myself in this world.

  

My belief in Allah entails a responsibility on my part; otherwise I'll be of those of whom Allah said: "And when it is said unto them: Spend of that wherewith Allah hath provided you, those who disbelieve say unto those who believe: Shall we feed those whom Allah, if He willed, would feed? Ye are in naught else than error manifest." (36.47) There’s good in all of us. The problem is that many of us don’t want that good to bear fruit. We prefer evil to good because evil is often easier than good. It’s easier to lie than to tell the truth, for example. I can lie to people, but unless I am a pathologically complex person, I would not lie to myself. I know my mistakes. If my faith is alive there will be a struggle between me and my conscience. It’s in fact a struggle between my nafs ammara and my nafs lawama. The mere fact that I have this nafs lawama is a good sign. It’s a sign that I care about my faith. When my nafs lawama is stronger than my nafs ammara, what do I do? Well, I know that "Unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (3.129) "Allah loveth the good; And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - Who forgiveth sins save Allah only? - and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did." (3.134-135) "Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (5.74) So I beg Allah’s pardon. I know Allah is just. He says: "And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then, And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then." (99.7-8) So I implore Allah to forgive all my mistakes. That’s how I move up on the scale of my faith.

 

DOES ALLAH EXPECT ME TO BE AN ANGEL?

 

Allah does not expect me to be an angel. Allah expects me to be honest with myself first. I should be the engineer of my own redemption. In theory, if I personally am good and my family is good and my neighbourhood is good, who will ever be bad? In practice, though, even if all society is good, that’s not a guarantee that I’ll be good too. I have to perfect my own soul -regardless of what other people do. Allah says: "And a soul and Him Who perfected it And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it. He is indeed successful who causeth it to grow, And he is indeed a failure who stunteth it." (91.7-10) When I go to mosque I don’t find a devil who prevents me from entering; when somebody goes to the nightclub he doesn’t find an angel who prevents him from entering. The judgement will come on the Day of judgement, not now.

 

 

19

 

IF I JUDGED PEOPLE, WOULD I BE FAIR?

 

Suppose Allah gave me the power to judge people, what would I do? Well, this is not an absolute utopia. In a number of countries you could be a member of a jury. Would I be fair in my judgement, if I judged people? Wouldn’t I be subjective, impulsive in my judgement? Allah wants me to be honest, free from contradictions, fair in my judgement of myself first. He says: "As for man, whenever his Lord trieth him by honoring him, and is gracious unto him, he saith: My Lord honoureth me. But whenever He trieth him by straitening his means of life, he saith: My Lord despiseth me. Nay, but ye (for your part) honor not the orphan, And urge not on the feeding of the poor, And ye devour heritages with devouring greed, And love wealth with abounding love." (89.15-20) If I can be fair in my judgement I should judge myself first. If I judge myself fairly my nafs may move up from ammara to lawama to mutmainna. When I shed tears of repentance that’s a good sign that my nafs is on the right track towards reconciliation with Allah. When I see someone not as good as I (imagine myself) I should, at least in principle, implore Allah to guide him. Allah says: "Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is best aware of those who go aright." (16.125)

 

AM I SURE I WILL REMAIN RELIGIOUS?

 

If I'm really good, if I see myself that religious,, am I sure I will remain as religious as I am until the end of my days? Am I sure X or Y is not going to become as good as or even better than me? A Moroccan saying goes: "How many landfills have become mosques and how many mosques have become landfills!" Besides, am I sure I am a religious person? Allah says: "Ah, woe unto worshippers Who are heedless of their prayer; Who would be seen (at worship) Yet refuse small kindnesses!" (107.4-7) "Hast thou observed him who belieth religion? That is he who repelleth the orphan, And urgeth not the feeding of the needy." (107.1-3) Do I urge the feeding of the needy? Religious people would say: "We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you." (76. 8-9) Don’t I expect a reward or thanks when I do good to somebody?

  

That’s the kind of education Islam wants for the believer. Islam wants me to be honest with myself. I should, as much as possible, do as I say and say as I do. Otherwise I’ll be only lying to myself. It’s a matter of (good or bad) faith, once again. Allah says: "And as for him who hoardeth, he hoardeth only from his soul. And Allah is the Rich, and ye are the poor. And if ye turn away He will exchange you for some other folk, and they will not be the likes of you." (47.38)

 

WHAT IS ISLAM REALLY ABOUT?

 

Islam is not only about the veil or the beard. Islam is about every aspect of our life. Allah says: "A kind word with forgiveness is better than almsgiving followed by injury. Allah is Absolute, Clement. "(2.263) "O ye who believe! Spend of the good things which ye have earned, and of that which We bring forth from the earth for you, and seek not the bad (with intent) to spend thereof (in charity) when ye would not take it for yourselves save with disdain; and know that Allah is Absolute, Owner of Praise." (2.267) "Ye will not attain unto piety until ye spend of that which ye love. And whatsoever ye spend, Allah is Aware thereof." (3.92) "It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing." (2.177) "O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo! He loveth not the prodigals." (7.31) "Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath brought forth for His bondmen, and the good things of His providing? Say: Such, on the Day of Resurrection, will be only for those who believed during the life of the world. Thus do we detail Our revelations for people who have knowledge." (7.32) "Now whatever ye have been given is but a passing comfort for the life of the world, and that which Allah hath is better and more lasting for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord, And those who shun the worst of sins and indecencies and, when they are wroth, forgive, And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish worship, and whose affairs are a matter of counsel, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them, And those who, when great wrong is done to them, defend themselves, The guerdon of an ill-deed is an ill the like thereof. But whosoever pardoneth and amendeth, his wage is the affair of Allah. Lo! He loveth not wrong-doers. And whoso defendeth himself after he hath suffered wrong - for such, there is no way (of blame) against them. The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress mankind, and wrongfully rebel in the earth. For such there is a painful doom. And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth - lo! that, verily, is (of) the steadfast heart of things." (42.36-43) "No soul can ever die except by Allah's leave and at a term appointed. Whoso desireth the reward of the world, We bestow on him thereof; and whoso desireth the reward of the Hereafter, We bestow on him thereof. We shall reward the thankful." (3.145) "What concern hath Allah for your punishment if ye are thankful (for His mercies) and believe (in Him)? Allah was ever Responsive, Aware." (4 .147)

 

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF HAPPINESS FOR STRONG BELIEVERS?

 

Strong believers are not interested in being among the foremost when happiness is being doled out in this world, nor are they eager to be among the foremost when the heavens are being distributed in the Hereafter. And yet strong believers have yaqeen (strong faith) that Allah will not let them down however long and hard their trial may be. Their definition of happiness is different from that of most people. They believe that "the most wretched" is "He who denieth and turneth away." (92.15-16) Allah said to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): "We have not revealed unto thee (Muhammad) this Qur'an that thou shouldst be distressed." (20.2) And to all believers Allah says in the same Surah: "Whoso followeth My guidance, he will not go astray nor come to grief." (20.123) So those people, the strong believers, who have yaqeen, are willing to endure hardship(s) for decades, if need be. They endure and outdo everybody else in endurance, in patience, and they are ready to wait (until the end of their lives) to see salvation. These people worship Allah for what He is, not for what He has.

 

DID THIS START WITH ISLAM?

 

This did not start with Islam, by the way. Allah says in the Quran: "Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous. And whatever good they do, they will not be denied the meed thereof. Allah is Aware of those who ward off (evil)." (3.113-115) "Those unto whom We gave the Scripture before it, they believe in it, And when it is recited unto them, they say: We believe in it. Lo! it is the Truth from our Lord. Lo! even before it we were of those who surrender (unto Him). These will be given their reward twice over, because they are steadfast and repel evil with good, and spend of that wherewith We have provided them, And when they hear vanity they withdraw from it and say: Unto us our works and unto you your works. Peace be unto you! We desire not the ignorant. Lo! thou (O Muhammad) guidest not whom thou lovest, but Allah guideth whom He will. And He is Best Aware of those who walk aright." (28.52-56) But Allah is "the Benign, the Merciful. (52.28) "Lo! Allah is ever Knower, Aware." (4.35) He knows that life in this world cannot be sustained if all believers, whatever their number, are deprived and suffering. There should be enough manpower and money to keep the economy going and society at peace. So even in a Muslim society (be it devout or depraved) you’d see that most people lead more or less a normal life. In truth, Allah would not love to see Muslims in a miserable state. (He boasts of them to the angels.) So most people work, marry, beget children, build homes, do business as normal, etc. And like all societies there’s a small minority who would suffer from some deprivations even in normal times -when there’s no war, no economic crisis. So to believers who find themselves caught up in such an unlucky minority, i.e. in the face of adversity, the Quran stands as a thoughtful reminder (a rampart, if you will) against despair and depression.

 

WHY ABRAHAM?

 

When Ibrahim (pbuh) got married, in his youth, neither he nor his wife chose to be child-free. When he begot two sons, in his very old age, one became the spiritual leader of the Arabs, the other became thend forefather) of prophets and kings. But "man was ever hasty." (17.11) "And say not of anything: Lo! I shall do that tomorrow, Except if Allah will. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest, and say: It may be that my Lord guideth me unto a nearer way of truth than this." (18.23-24)

  

Those people around Ibrahim (pbuh) were in no way better than him, and yet most did not have this problem. Ibrahim (pbuh) continued to pray because such a problem does have emotional ramifications, if not for one like himself, at least for his wife –or for any other normal parent who wishes to have a child. But Ibrahim (pbuh) did not condition his worshipping of Allah on anything. He worshipped Allah with sincere devotion. Allah says: "Lo! Abraham was a nation obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the idolaters." (16.120) He Ibrahim alone was worth a nation, because of the quality and quantity of his worship of Allah!

 

Why Ibrahim? Well, Allah called on our prophet (pbuh) to follow the creed of Ibrahim. He said to him: "Follow the religion of Abraham, as one by nature upright. He was not of the idolaters." (16.123) And to all Muslims He says: "And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper!" (22.78)

 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR FAITH WEAKENS?

 

What happens to many of us is that our faith weakens once we get the impression that Allah does not care about us. At the same time some of us stop caring about Allah once they feel they got all they wanted. Allah says: "And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge so that if good befalleth him he is content therewith, but if a trial befalleth him, he falleth away utterly. He loseth both the world and the Hereafter. That is the sheer loss." (22.11) "Whoso chooseth Satan for a patron instead of Allah is verily a loser and his loss is manifest." (4.119) "Is it then in vanity that they believe and in the grace of Allah that they disbelieve?" (16.72) "And whatever of comfort ye enjoy, it is from Allah. Then, when misfortune reacheth you, unto Him ye cry for help." (16.53) "Yet most of mankind believe not." (40.59) "Say: Who delivereth you from the darkness of the land and the sea? Ye call upon Him humbly and in secret, (saying): If we are delivered from this (fear) we truly will be of the thankful. Say: Allah delivereth you from this and from all affliction. Yet ye attribute partners unto Him. Say: He is able to send punishment upon you from above you or from beneath your feet, or to bewilder you with dissension and make you taste the tyranny one of another. See how We display the revelations so that they may understand." (6.3-65) "Lo! Allah is a Lord of bounty for mankind, yet most of mankind give not thanks." (40.61)

  

Others may think that if they worship Allah "harder" they will get what they want sooner. They start regarding what is commendable as obligatory and what is blameworthy as illicit (haram). They become too rigid and impulsive to see their wrong. They urge other people to do like they do. And when they run into trouble they deflect blame to somebody else. Allah says: "He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham." (22.78) "So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful." (64.16) "What concern hath Allah for your punishment if ye are thankful (for His mercies) and believe (in Him)? Allah was ever Responsive, Aware." (4.147)

  

DID THE FIRST MUSLIMS EMBRACE ISLAM TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES?

 

The first Muslims did not embrace Islam in order to improve their lives. They embraced Islam because they believed it's the Truth. They believed and then said: "Allah sufficeth us. Allah will give us of His bounty, and (also) His messenger. Unto Allah we are suppliants." (9.59) "So Allah gave them the reward of the world and the good reward of the Hereafter. Allah loveth those whose deeds are good." (3.148)

  

DO ALL PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THE SWEETNESS OF FAITH?

 

In the Hadith we read: "Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness (delight) of faith: 1. The one to whom Allah and His Apostle become dearer than anything else. 2. Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake. 3. Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire." Do all people care about "the sweetness of faith"? "And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: If it had been (any) good, they would not have been before us in attaining it. And since they will not be guided by it, they say: This is an ancient lie." (46.11) For these people it's a lie that alms should be taken from the rich to help the poor. For them it's "every man for himself".

  

In the end, everyone thinks as they want. To those who believe, the Quran says: "Lo! the righteous shall drink of a cup whereof the mixture is of Kafur, A spring wherefrom the slaves of Allah drink, making it gush forth abundantly, (Because) they perform the vow and fear a day whereof the evil is wide-spreading, And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him, (Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you; Lo! we fear from our Lord a day of frowning and of fate. Therefor Allah hath warded off from them the evil of that day, and hath made them find brightness and joy; And hath awarded them for all that they endured, a Garden and silk attire; Reclining therein upon couches, they will find there neither (heat of) a sun nor bitter cold. The shade thereof is close upon them and the clustered fruits thereof bow down. Goblets of silver are brought round for them, and beakers (as) of glass (Bright as) glass but (made) of silver, which they (themselves) have measured to the measure (of their deeds). There are they watered with a cup whereof the mixture is of Zanjabil, (The water of) a spring therein, named Salsabil. There wait on them immortal youths, whom, when thou seest, thou wouldst take for scattered pearls. When thou seest, thou wilt see there bliss and high estate. Their raiment will be fine green silk and gold embroidery. Bracelets of silver will they wear. Their Lord will slake their thirst with a pure drink. (And it will be said unto them): Lo! this is a reward for you. Your endeavour (upon earth) hath found acceptance." (76.5-22)

 

 

20

 

DO I NEED TO BE A SCIENTIST TO BELIEVE?

 

Allah says: "And we made every living thing of water" (21.30) “Say: Have ye thought: If (all) your water were to disappear into the earth, who then could bring you gushing water?" (67.30) "And We send the winds fertilizing, and cause water to descend from the sky, and give it you to drink. It is not ye who are the holders of the store thereof." (15.22) These verses only remind us of what we all know already. Water shortage kills. Drought causes huge fires. Allah says: "And have sent down from the rainy clouds abundant water, Thereby to produce grain and plant, And gardens of thick foliage." (78.14-16) Up to this day man has been unable to solve the problem of drought. Engineers have bombed clouds but apparently that hasn't worked. It takes more than bombing a thousand clouds to fill a river or save a forest from an imminent blaze. And when it does rain there's the risk of floods and mud slides.

  

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE SKY TO FALL ON MY HEAD?

 

Also Allah says: "Lo! Allah graspeth the heavens and the earth that they deviate not, and if they were to deviate there is not one that could grasp them after Him. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving." (35..41) "He holdeth back the heaven from falling on the earth unless by His leave. Lo! Allah is, for mankind, Full of Pity, Merciful." (22.65) This might seem highly unlikely for a non-believing scientist but not entirely impossible for an ordinary believer like myself. All I know is that in February 2013 a thousand people were wounded after the fall of a meteorite in Russia, which has got an advanced space programme. Yes, I concede that's rare and not so much dangerous, but should I wait for the sky to fall on my head so as to believe? Many people never cared about wildfires or floods until they one day found themselves surrounded or forced out by the danger.

 

SHOULD I KNOW OR BELIEVE?

 

Allah also says: "And of all fruits He placed therein two spouses (male and female)." (13.3) I am not a scientist to check that out. So should I know or believe? Scientific knowledge is not static. Many things that are now obvious were not known a century ago.

  

Allah also says: "Let man consider his food: How We pour water in showers Then split the earth in clefts And cause the grain to grow therein And grapes and green fodder And olive-trees and palm-trees And garden-closes of thick foliage And fruits and grasses: Provision for you and your cattle." (80.23-32) "Have ye seen that which ye cultivate? Is it ye who foster it, or are We the Fosterer? If We willed, We verily could make it chaff, then would ye cease not to exclaim: Lo! we are laden with debt! Nay, but we are deprived! Have ye observed the water which ye drink? Is it ye who shed it from the raincloud, or are We the Shedder? If We willed We verily could make it bitter. Why then, give ye not thanks? (56.63-70) What can I say about this? We humans take many things for granted. Allah says: "He it is Who hath made the earth subservient unto you, so Walk in the paths thereof and eat of His providence." (67.15) We have seen how people move about in space. They can't walk as they do in the earth.

  

IS IT EASY TO ARGUE WITH ALLAH?

 

Allah says: "Man is more than anything contentious." (18.54) It is easy to argue with Allah because Allah is not going to argue with you NOW. But Allah is not dead. He is "the Living One Who dieth not." (25.58) To Allah the real dead are those who want to argue with Him. He says: "Is he who was dead and We have raised him unto life, and set for him a light wherein he walketh among men, as him whose similitude is in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge? Thus is their conduct made fairseeming for the disbelievers." (6.122)

 

HOW CAN I BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SENSE?

 

Just as Allah revives the land after its death so does He revive the souls of men and women who suddenly feel the light of wisdom. Allah says: "He it is Who sendeth down water from the sky, and therewith We bring forth buds of every kind; We bring forth the green blade from which We bring forth the thick-clustered grain; and from the date-palm, from the pollen thereof, spring pendant bunches; and (We bring forth) gardens of grapes, and the olive and the pomegranate, alike and unlike. Look upon the fruit thereof, when they bear fruit, and upon its ripening. Lo! herein verily are portents for a people who believe." (6.99) “Portents” (signs) “for people who believe”. I believe first, then I look for the signs. Allah says: "And in the Earth are neighbouring tracts, vineyards and ploughed lands, and date-palms, like and unlike, which are watered with one water. And we have made some of them to excel others in fruit. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who have sense." (13.4) How can I be one of the people who have sense if I don't think about what's happening around me? You know, high temperatures can burn many, many people, including the haves and the gifted, and their homes in just a few days.

 

HOW CAN I FEEL THE IMPORTANCE OF HEAVEN'S DESCRIPTION?

 

Allah says: "Allah promiseth to the believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide - blessed dwellings in Gardens of Eden. And - greater (far)! - acceptance from Allah. That is the supreme triumph." (9.72) Also about Heaven Allah says: "Reclining therein upon couches, they will find there neither (heat of) a sun nor bitter cold." (76.13) How can I feel, as a believer, the importance of this last piece of description if I haven't felt the difference between heat and cold? Allah says: "Nor is the shadow equal with the sun's full heat." (35.21) Is walking in the shade like walking in the baking sun? A good believer knows that the shade is a great gift from Allah. A good believer would thank Allah for the mere sight or smell of a fruit, let alone eating it! In the Quran we read: "None can inform you like Him Who is Aware." (35.14)

 

"Is he who knoweth that what is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the truth like him who is blind? But only men of understanding heed." (13.19) "The erudite among His bondmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving." (35.28) Those are the minority of the minority: those "who believe and do good works are the best of created beings. (…) Allah hath pleasure in them and they have pleasure in Him. This is (in store) for him who feareth his Lord." (98.7-8)

  

What can I understand from the verse which says: "Say (O Muhammad, unto the disbelievers): My Lord would not concern Himself with you but for your prayer." (25.77)? Well, if I think about it a little, as a believer, I’ll notice that non-believers produce the good things for believers in this life. Most believers get only a fraction of all that production, but even a wealthy person’s stomach can't hold more than a few kilograms of food! In the Hereafter only believers will find the good things; nobody will produce such things for non-believers in Hell. Allah Himself says: "Few of My bondmen are thankful." (34.13) Allah knows that people who really care about Him are few compared to the total number. And yet He makes these few suffer! He deprives them of things they love. Allah says: "Lo! therein indeed are portents for every steadfast, grateful (heart)." (31.31) And those are not very many.

 

WHY DOESN'T ALLAH FEAR OF LOSING THE MINORITY?

 

Why doesn't Allah "fear" of losing that minority of the minority? Well, because He knows they are honest and intelligent. They have "hearts wherewith to feel and ears wherewith to hear. For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind." (22.46) And so they can but love Him. He knows that, whatever happens to them, they will be patient and, on top of that, GRATEFUL ! For them, that's only a good sign that they are on the right path. In the Hadith we read: “Anyone for whom Allah intends good is made to suffer some affliction from Him.” And in the Quran: they are described as those “whose hearts tremble with awe whenever Allah is mentioned, who are patient with whatever afflicts them, who establish prayer, and who donate from what We have provided for them.” (22.35) These people get real satisfaction from remembering Allah all the time. That's part of their “reward” in this world. And in the Hereafter, they will get “A gift of welcome from their Lord. That which Allah hath in store is better for the righteous.” (3.198) “Theirs are the Gardens of Paradise for welcome” (18.107) "Is the reward of goodness aught save goodness?" (55.60)

  

WHY DID ALLAH MAKE GENERAL NORMS?

 

That's why Allah made general norms (to rule the world) for the sake of that specific population. People marry and enjoy themselves generation after generation and as they do so a few souls are born in every generation and stand out with their hearts so as to join the lucky club of "every steadfast, grateful (heart). Such as are steadfast and put their trust in Allah." (16. 42)

 

DID ALLAH DO ALL THAT JUST FOR US TO ENJOY OURSELVES?

 

Allah is not rash. He knows what He is doing. He says: "Deemed ye then that We had created you for naught, and that ye would not be returned unto Us?" (23 .115) "Thinketh man that he is to be left aimless? Was he not a drop of fluid which gushed forth? Then he became a clot; then (Allah) shaped and fashioned And made of him a pair, the male and female. Is not He (Who doeth so) able to bring the dead to life?" (75.36-40) How many people care? Allah says: "See ye not how Allah hath made serviceable unto you whatsoever is in the skies and whatsoever is in the earth and hath loaded you with His favours both without and within?" (31.20) "And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate." (14.34) Did Allah do all that just for us to enjoy ourselves in this world, just for us to play and sing and dance and sleep...? No, Allah says: "It may be that those who disbelieve wish ardently that they were Muslims. Let them eat and enjoy life, and let (false) hope beguile them. They will come to know!" (15.2-3) "And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them in vain. That is the opinion of those who disbelieve." (38.27) Good believers "give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord" (23.60) because they hold Allah in high esteem. They know that "The thunder hymneth His praise and (so do) the angels for awe of Him." (13.13) They know that "if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea, with seven more seas to help it, (were ink), the words of Allah could not be exhausted." (31.27) "Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways (Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years." (70.3-4) Those people know that "all who are in the heavens and the earth praise [Allah], and the birds in their flight. Of each He knoweth verily its worship and its praise; and Allah is Aware of what they do." (24.41) "The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein praise Him, and there is not a thing but hymneth His praise; but ye understand not their praise. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving." (17.44)

 

In the Quran we read: "Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth, and causeth water to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you, and maketh the ships to be of service unto you, that they may run upon the sea at His command, and hath made of service unto you the rivers; And maketh the sun and the moon, constant in their courses, to be of service unto you, and hath made of service unto you the night and the day. And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! man is verily a wrong doer, an ingrate." (14.32-34) "See ye not how Allah hath made serviceable unto you whatsoever is in the skies and whatsoever is in the earth and hath loaded you with His favors both without and within?" (31.20) Why all this? Just for us to play and sing and dance and sleep?

"Their reckoning draweth nigh for mankind, while they turn away in heedlessness." (21.1) Disasters are warning me every day. Just think of drought and water shortage, among other things. How can't I fear? Allah says: "If Allah took mankind to task by that which they deserve, He would not leave a living creature on the surface of the earth; but He reprieveth them unto an appointed term, and when their term cometh - then verily (they will know that) Allah is ever Seer of His slaves." (35.45) "Verily We have brought them a Scripture which We expounded with knowledge, a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe." (7.52) "And in truth We have made the Quran easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?" (54.17) "Will they then not meditate on the Quran, or are there locks on the hearts?" (47.24) "O ye who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify Him early and late. He it is Who blesseth you, and His angels (bless you), that He may bring you forth from darkness unto light; and He is Merciful to the believers." (33.41-43) "Allah directeth the ordinance from the heaven unto the earth; then it ascendeth unto Him in a Day, whereof the measure is a thousand years of that ye reckon." (32.5) "All that are in the heavens and the earth entreat Him. Every day He exerciseth (universal) power." (55.29)

 

SHALL I LIVE IN THIS WORLD FOREVER?

 

Shall I live in this world forever? What would I do if I found out upon my death that I had just been wasting my life away? Allah says: "We warn them, but it increaseth them in naught save gross impiety." (17.60) "Thou art but a warner unto him who feareth it." (79.45) I did not fall from the last rain. I know what's happening in this world. I know that people commit suicide in rich beautiful countries. People get depressed despite all their financial ease. People lose faith easily. People feel lonely in homes where everything is available. People take drugs to forget their unforgettable problems.

  

We are all Allah's guests in this earth. Whether we like it or not, the earth belongs to Allah alone, Who can act as He pleases. He is "Doer of what He will" (85.16) Allah was here before we came into being and He will be here after we are gone. Suppose somebody put at my disposal his home and said make yourself at home, treat yourself, you're worth it! would that mean that this home will be mine? I know that I only came after Allah only knows how many generations who all had quite the same dreams and desires and that I too will go one day. "Allah's is the heritage of the heavens and the earth." (3.180) "Is it not a guidance for them (to observe) how many generations We destroyed before them, amid whose dwelling places they do walk? Lo! therein verily are portents! Will they not then heed?" (32.26) But Allah also says: "Those are a people who have passed away. Theirs is that which they earned, and yours is that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of what they used to do." (2.134) "Then We appointed you viceroys in the earth after them, that We might see how ye behave." (10 .14)

 

HOW MANY MEN ARE WILLING TO RETURN?

  

The question is, where do we go from here? The previous generations left us with a heritage partly red (like fire), partly green (like the meadow). The member states of the European Union, for example, envision a total ban on the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars by 2035. That's because everybody has been aware of the dangers of air pollution. One does not need to be an intellectual to notice that our prosperity (fruit of our frantic development) has had side effects. We all know that each and every one of us is partly responsible for what has happened to our planet. Deforestation, over-exploitation of fisheries, corruption, and so on are the results of our own greed. Our leaders have understood belatedly that no single country, no single continent, can solve such problems alone. Hence all that quantity of world summits on this and that. Only now are we convinced that all Men are one. Allah was the first to address men as one (being). He says: "And He it is Who hath produced you from a single being, and (hath given you) a habitation and a repository. We have detailed Our revelations for a people who have understanding." (6.98) "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women." (4.1) "And We have not sent thee (O Muhammad) save as a bringer of good tidings and a warner unto all mankind; but most of mankind know not." (34.28) "Unto Allah belong the East and the West, and whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah's Countenance. Lo! Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing." (2.115) What is amazing, though, is that man has acknowledged his "sin" perpetrated against this earth; he has acknowledged his weakness; he has acknowledged his responsibility towards future generations… but how many men have acknowledged the role of Allah in our lives? Allah says: "Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of (the evil) which men's hands have done, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return." (30 .41) How many men are willing "to return"? How many men are willing to listen to Allah, Who says: "Lo! Allah is a Lord of Kindness to mankind, but most of mankind give not thanks." (2.243) Even those who, like me, pretend they listen to Allah, well, listen to what Allah says about them: "O ye who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the devil. Unto whomsoever followeth the footsteps of the devil, lo! he commandeth filthiness and wrong. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, not one of you would ever have grown pure. But Allah causeth whom He will to grow. And Allah is Hearer, Knower." (24.21) "And thus have We inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our command. Thou knewest not what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith. But We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our bondmen. And lo! thou verily dost guide unto a right path." (42.52) "And if We willed We could withdraw that which We have revealed unto thee, then wouldst thou find no guardian for thee against Us in respect thereof. (It is naught) save mercy from thy Lord. Lo! His kindness unto thee was ever great." (17.86-87)

  

Allah said to the Prophet (pbuh): "We sent thee not save as a mercy for the peoples." (21.107) Allah wants mercy for us all. Can any fire brigades in the whole world put out a huge forest fire if Allah does not help them with the rain? Allah says: "And He it is Who sendeth down the saving rain after they have despaired, and spreadeth out His mercy. He is the Protecting Friend, the Praiseworthy." (42.28)

 

CAN OUR LEADERS REPLACE ALLAH?

 

Our leaders can be good and well qualified, but they can't replace Allah. Allah says: "And the earth hath He appointed for (His) creatures." (55.10) That is, for mankind. Some of our leaders are erecting walls and fences of all kinds at the border and imposing visas. Why? Well, every leader fears for his dear country. That's understandable. If I were them, I would probably do the same. Allah does not "fear" for His Kingdom. "Unto Him belongeth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Lo! Allah, He verily is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise. " (22.64) "Unto Him belongeth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth. All are obedient unto Him." (30 .26) The problem is that some of our leaders give us the impression that they can give us everything we want, that they are the masters of this world. Well, that's questionable. Also, the first thing a leader thinks of before going to bed is his/her memoirs. Allah does not need memoirs. Allah says: "Or do they own the treasures of thy Lord? Or have they been given charge (thereof)?" (52.37) "Or are theirs the treasures of the mercy of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower?" (38.9) He even says: "Those unto whom ye pray instead of Him own not so much as the white spot on a date-stone." (35.13) And that's true. If leaders in the past owned "so much as the white spot on a date-stone", no empire would have fallen, no economic crisis would have torn societies apart. "Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Sovereignty, and He is Able to do all things." (67.1) Whether I believe that or not, Allah says: "Call upon those whom ye set up beside Allah! They possess not an atom's weight either in the heavens or the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor hath He an auxiliary among them." (34.22) "Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is therein, and He is Able to do all things." (5.120) "Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty! Thou givest sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdrawest sovereignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt and Thou abasest whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is the good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all things. Thou causest the night to pass into the day, and Thou causest the day to pass into the night. And Thou bringest forth the living from the dead, and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living. And Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou choosest, without stint." (3. 26-27)

  

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I REALIZE THE GREATNESS OF ALLAH?

 

When I realize the greatness of Allah, at its fair value, when I concretely see the grace of Allah, I can only feel rest in my heart. Even when I feel the fear of Allah my fear is immediately followed by rest in my heart. Allah says: "Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide." (39.23) "Those who believe and obscure not their belief by wrongdoing, theirs is safety; and they are rightly guided." (6. 82) "Lo! verily the friends of Allah are (those) on whom fear (cometh) not, nor do they grieve." (10.62) Even on the day of resurrection, as the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Allah will give them protection with His Shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His Shade."

  

WHY SHOULD I FEAR ALLAH?

 

A non-believer would say: why should I fear Allah if, as he says, "He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will." (3. 129)? That's a good question. But why do I look at "punisheth whom He will" and don't I look at "forgiveth whom He will?" The full verse is: "Unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (3.129) Why don't I try as much as I can to do good and avoid evil and then hope to be one of those whom Allah will forgive, since He is "Forgiving, Merciful"? But, at the same time, if I make a silly mistake, I don’t deem myself "secure from Allah's scheme" because "None deemeth himself secure from Allah's scheme save folk that perish." (7.99) "Allah is Mighty, Able to Requite (the wrong)." (14.47) Allah wants to scare me in order to save me. He says: "With this doth Allah appal His bondmen. O My bondmen, therefor fear Me!" (39.16) "And Allah summoneth to the abode of peace, and leadeth whom He will to a straight path." (10.25) He also says: "And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil)." (3.133) Wouldn't I be stupid if I missed such a golden opportunity? If there's so much space in Heaven, why don't I hope to be one of the lucky dwellers of that beautiful world?

  

Allah says: "Therefore keep your duty unto Me, O men of understanding." (2.197) Allah is speaking to "men of understanding." "Therefor give good tidings (O Muhammad) to My bondmen Who hear advice and follow the best thereof. Such are those whom Allah guideth, and such are men of understanding." (39.17-18) "But only men of understanding heed; Such as keep the pact of Allah, and break not the covenant; Such as unite that which Allah hath commandeth should be joined, and fear their Lord, and dread a woeful reckoning; Such as persevere in seeking their Lord's Countenance and are regular in prayer and spend of that which We bestow upon them secretly and openly, and overcome evil with good. Theirs will be the sequel of the (heavenly) Home, Gardens of Eden which they enter, along with all who do right of their fathers and their halpmeets and their seed. The angels enter unto them from every gate, (Saying): Peace be unto you because ye persevered. Ah, passing sweet will be the sequel of the (heavenly) Home. (…) Allah enlargeth livelihood for whom He will, and straiteneth (it for whom He will); and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of the world is but brief comfort as compared with the Hereafter." (13.19-26) That's the best investment, isn't it?

 

IS HEAVEN WORTH SUCH SACRIFICES?

 

 Why do angels say to Heaven dwellers "because ye persevered"? Well, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Fire is surrounded by desires." An Olympic gold medal is not Heaven, but can anybody be an Olympic champion without making sacrifices? Can you get a high university degree without making sacrifices? The right question is, is Heaven worth such sacrifices? No doubt our world is beautiful; otherwise there wouldn't be any such thing as tourism, with the myriad sumptuous hotels and resorts and campsites... But there are also tragedies. Allah says: "A similitude of the Garden which is promised unto those who keep their duty (to Allah): Underneath it rivers flow; its food is everlasting, and its shade." (13.35) There's no "toil nor weariness" (35.35) in Heaven. There are no problems in Heaven, no worries, no losses. So to get a chance to go there I have to endure some kind of suffering in this world.

 

ARE THE REST OF MANKIND STUPID?

 

Are those described in the Quran as "men of understanding" the only people in the world who can understand all this? Are the rest of mankind stupid? What about those who love and donate their money and sometimes give their lives to gurus? What about those who give huge sums of money to build sumptuous temples and shrines for other gods? Can't those people make better use of their money? All these are legitimate questions. But there's yet one more question: who is happier, those who love and worship Allah or those who love and worship other gods?

  

Whatever the answer, we all know that some people commit suicide because they can't have a lasting feeling of happiness. Others cannot bear even the slightest sadness. But one can suffer, for one reason or another, and yet have a lot of happy days in this world. Shouldn't Allah be thanked for that ? Imagine the suffering of a relative of a hostage and imagine his/her joy after the (tearful) reunion! Imagine the shock of someone who had just learned he/she has a potentially serious illness and imagine their relief when they are cured of it. Allah says: "For those who do good in this world there is a good (reward) and the home of the Hereafter will be better. Pleasant indeed will be the home of those who ward off (evil)." (16.30)

  

DO I REALLY NEED TO BE IN HEAVEN?

 

But do I really need to be in Heaven after my death? Well, Ibrahim (pbuh) "was a people obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the idolaters" (16.120) and "Allah (Himself) chose Abraham for friend." (4.125) And yet Ibrahim (pbuh) said: "And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Delight." (26.85) Allah says: "See how We prefer one of them above another, and verily the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment." (17.21) How can't I pray to Allah to grant me a place in Heaven too? The Prophet (pbuh) said: "If you ask of Allah, ask Him for al-Firdaws (the highest part of Paradise)" You know those kinds of radio shows where you are invited to send answers in SMS text messages. They give an easy question so that a large number of people send a large number of text messages. Well, for you personally, to increase your chance of winning you send as many text messages as you can afford. Why don't I do the same when it comes to Heaven? An ordinary Muslim who keeps his duty to Allah is entitled to Heaven, but to avoid "bad surprises" I should try to do a little better than a mere Muslim. Why don't I try to be a moomin (a believer), that's a higher grade? I should first try to secure a place in Heaven, then try to philosophize about the whole thing.

  

HOW DO I UNDERSTAND THE STORY OF HEAVEN?

 

Now, how do I understand the story of Heaven? Allah could have stayed ‘alone’ and not bothered to make anything. He was God, Absolute, free and self-sufficient. But He was too beautiful not to be known. He was too generous not to share His beauty. But with whom? He was God and nothing could be like Him. Nothing could match up to Him. Nor did He need anything or anybody. It’s only by the grace of Him that He created the world to share not only His beauty but also His bounty. He made Heaven beautiful in every sense of the word. He made it not for Himself. (He didn’t need it.) He made it for us. Whether Allah created the earth before or after Heaven and Hell, that’s not a really big question. But it’s interesting to notice that Allah made part of the earth look like Heaven (orchards, natural parks, reserves, etc.) and part of it look like Hell (volcanoes, etc.), as a reminder for the future dwellers of this planet, for us. Allah describes the Quran as a reminder. Now that we are here we should ask ourselves questions. Allah says: "I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Lo! Allah! He it is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of unbreakable might." (51.56-58) I can't over-interpret these verses. They are clear. Allah wants man to worship Him. Does this mean, though, that Allah needs man to worship Him? Allah Himself answers this question. He says: "And Moses said: Though ye and all who are in the earth prove thankless, lo! Allah verily is Absolute, Owner of Praise." (14.8) Do you think Allah waited thousands or millions of years for someone like me to write something like this ? If I believe in Allah that’s a favour from Allah, not from me. Allah says: "And though We should send down the angels unto them, and the dead should speak unto them, and We should gather against them all things in array, they would not believe unless Allah so willed. Howbeit, most of them are ignorant." (6.111) If Allah needed to be adored He would have spared at least those who adored Him in the best way in the past, but we all know that even prophets and saints died. Would Allah be interested in the number of worshippers or in the quality of worshippers or in the quantity of worship? Again, "Allah verily is Absolute, Owner of Praise." (14.8) Suppose Allah was interested in the number of worshippers or in the quantity of worship, how much would my (own) worshipping weigh in all that? Would I deserve eternal happiness in Heaven for this little worshipping I do in my short life? This doesn't make sense. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little." And yet Allah does not want us to go to Hell. He says: "Shall We utterly ignore you because ye are a wanton folk?" (43.5) "Ah, the anguish for the bondmen! Never came there unto them a messenger but they did mock him!" (36.30)

 

WHAT IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN HEAVEN?

 

The question is, why does man want to go to Hell? True, "It is not for any soul to believe save by the permission of Allah." (10.100) But you and I know what man is like. Many men love defiance. Many men are reckless. Even many smart men make silly mistakes. Think of AIDS, drugs, bad eating habits, etc. So it’s easy to generate question after question. Some people ask questions so as to understand, others just to argue for the sake of arguing. Those who ask questions so as to understand can understand that Allah made Heaven to show how great He is, how merciful He is, how gentle He is, how responsive He is, how lovely He is. Allah created Heaven to share with believers His beauty and bounty. Therefore He is worth worshipping. Not because He has got a Fire “in His back garden”, as one would say, not because He "is strong in punishment" (13.6) (He is also "rich in pardon for mankind despite their wrong" (13.6)), but because He is "Merciful, Loving." (11.90) These people will understand that Allah would be worth worshipping even if there were neither Heaven nor Hell. But there must be Heaven and Hell. There must be a way to differentiate between the grateful and the ingrate. That’s why we are different: in colour, in shape, in health, in wealth, etc. All that is but trials for us. Allah will not accept to be worshipped for free. He says of himself: "Now Allah be Exalted, the True King! There is no God save Him, the Lord of the Throne of Grace." (23.116) Allah is there to guide me, if I am willing to listen, and pay me for the slightest thought of Him. He says: "And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then." (99.7) He can pay me in the life of the world. He can grant me a place in Heaven. But there’s something more precious than Heaven. Can you guess? It’s "Allah's pleasure". (2.265) That’s why "of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen." (2.207) And because Allah is not just anybody, His "pleasure" is hard to obtain. Hard but not impossible. It requires sacrifices.

 

I do things for love of Allah, out of respect for Allah, not out of kindness. Allah does not need my kindness. Allah wants me, as a believer, to love Him and to know why I should love Him. I love Allah because He is beautiful, bountiful, merciful, forgiving, loving. I love Him for His intrinsic qualities. I love Him because that’s the natural course, it's so obvious.. I love Him because it goes without saying, as they say. I would love a human for much, much less virtues and qualities than that. Likewise, just as I would love to see a wonderful resort created on earth by a human like myself, I would love to see Paradise which was designed and prepared by Allah Himself for the faithful. I believe in Allah and I don’t know what He is like. My little (mortal) human brain can't imagine Him. I believe in Heaven and I don’t know what it really is like. I believe it's beautiful, but I can’t imagine it. Now I believe in the invisible as the only way -decided by Allah- to pay a ticket for Paradise. In other words, I don’t only think of Heaven from a religious perspective, but also from an intellectual perspective. For this idea to be clearer, take one person. Imagine a man by the name of Juan, a 22-year-old teacher in Lima, Peru. This man comes across a Muslim couple in his city. These Muslim man and woman are not Arabs. They are Peruvian. The teacher, accustomed to Western lifestyle, asks himself questions. He does some research on the Web. He reads books, then travels to an Arab country. On his arrival, he is shocked to see that many people in this Arab Muslim country do not really give him the impression that this is Islam. So what does he do? Does he go back home and say why should Islam be good to me while these Muslim people do not practise true Islam in their own country? Or does he say I don’t care of the people. I came here to discover more about the religion. Suppose he ignored the people and focused on the Faith as such, what could happen to him? Well, many people went through a more or less similar process and some of them ended up becoming clerics and imams who preach Arabs and non-Arabs on true Islam! Imagine the happiness of such clerics and imams.

  

SHOULD I TAKE THIS AS AN EXCUSE?

 

Allah says: "Lo! this is an Admonishment, that whosoever will may choose a way unto his Lord. Yet ye will not, unless Allah willeth. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise." (76.29-30) "Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book in which is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills." (39 : 23) Should I take this as an excuse and say if Allah wants me to be a good believer He would make me a good believer? Well, that’s like staying home and waiting for Allah to bring me what to eat, etc. That’s like giving birth to twelve children that you can’t feed.

 

As I said before, the Quran speaks to "men of understanding" who "hear advice and follow the best thereof. Such are those whom Allah guideth." (39.17-18) That means, I use my own mind, my own personal experience to know the truth, and when I know the truth I have to heed it. Even good believers -who are already believers, (that is, ("only men of understanding")- say: "Our Lord! Cause not our hearts to stray after Thou hast guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Thy Presence. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Bestower." (3.8) They always say: "Show us the straight path." (1.6) If I use my mind correctly I can only strengthen my faith. Allah says: "Those who have been given knowledge see that what is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the truth and leadeth unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of Praise." (34.6) "And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from thy Lord, so that they may believe therein and their hearts may submit humbly unto Him. Lo! Allah verily is guiding those who believe unto a right path." (22.54)

 

WHY DO SOME ILL PEOPLE AND PREGNANT WOMEN FAST?

 

Why do some ill people and pregnant women fast Ramadan? Sometimes the holy month of Ramadan comes in the hot season and yet many men insist that they should fast although they are ill and many women insist that they should fast although they are pregnant! Allah says: "And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast the same) number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you." (2.185) "Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks." (5.6) "But (as for) those who believe and do good works -We tax not any soul beyond its scope." (7.42) "This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion AL-ISLAM. Whoso is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (5.3)

  

It’s not Islam that is pushing ill men or pregnant women to fast Ramadan or these hungry people not to eat from a meat that is normally forbidden. It’s these people’s hearts that push them to do so. It’s their love of Allah that is making them to behave in that way. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "One amongst the denizens of Hell who had led a life of ease and plenty amongst the people of the world would be made to dip in Fire only once on the Day of Resurrection and then it would be said to him: O, son of Adam, did you find any comfort, did you happen to get any material blessing? He would say: By Allah, no, O my Lord. And then a person from amongst the persons of the world who had led the most miserable life (in the world) from amongst the inmates of Paradise would be brought and he would be made to dip once in Paradise and it would be said to him. 0, son of Adam, did you face any hardship? Or had any distress fallen to your lot? And he would say: By Allah, no, 0 my Lord, never did I face any hardship or experience any distress."

 

 

21

 

 

WHY DOES ISLAM CALL TO HUMILITY?

 

In Hajj people from all over the world meet at the same place, do quite the same things, and go back each to one’s home. Back at home each follows one’s own customs. What do these customs do? They tell you how to behave well in society. That’s what the Quran does. If if I am a believer, the Quran tells me how to behave well when I am alone and when I am in society. I am never alone, actually. I am physically alone, but my soul is supposed to be connected to the Creator. Also there are two angels and a comrade (a jinn) with me. Having that in mind, the Quran helps me handle all my relationships: with myself first, with my kin, with my close community, with my state, with the country I live in, with the Ummah (The Islamic Nation), with mankind, with Allah and with Satan. In my relationship with myself, for example, I am advised on how to preserve my life, my money, my mind, my faith and my honour. I am advised on how to manage my relation to beauty and greatness. I am advised on how to turn my fragility (instincts, etc.) into a moral strength that preserves my honour and self-esteem. I am advised on how to elevate myself from an animal (a body) into a decent human being (a good soul in a good body).

 

Moroccan society is not American society or Russian society or Chinese society. But as humans we have many things in common. We may experience unemployment, for example, in many different ways. But the basic feelings of an unemployed person remain more or less the same. When you fail to find a job very often people would deal with you in a bad way. You may be surprised to see friends or family members turn their backs on you. This has to do with mental health. We all need a good mental health, and faith does help a great deal with that.

Dreams are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. But there are dreams and dreams. There are dreams that can be fulfilled and dreams that will never come true. As a believer, I should be realistic. I should take into account all "the data", as I said before. Age 50 is not like age 20. A married person is not like an unmarried person. An only child living in a suburban villa is not like a young boy living with his brother or sister in a small room in a small apartment in an under-privileged area. Being a child of well-educated, religious parents is not like being a child of illiterate parents interested in money only. Living in a country where social security and healthcare are commonplace is not like living in a country where social security and healthcare are a luxury. If I personally can make do with as little as 60 dollars per month, another person would need at least 500 dollars per month. If I personally can find someone to feed me when I lose my job, another person may not find anybody to give him a loaf of bread. My own hardships may be very, very hard -for me-, but they may be nothing compared to another person’s hardships. That’s why Islam calls to humility. The Quran says: "And walk not in the earth exultant. Lo! thou canst not rend the earth, nor canst thou stretch to the height of the hills." (17.37) If I have eyes, I should think of one who doesn’t have them. If I have legs, I should think of one who doesn’t have them. If I have a roof, I should think of one who sleeps on the street. If I am married, I should think of one who can't have the means to marry. That’s how I will feel how Allah has loaded me "with His favours both without and within." (31.20) Allah says to me: "and be thou kind even as Allah hath been kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not corrupters." (28.77) In other words, I should think of giving before I think of receiving. It doesn’t take a lot to be a benefactor: I can give as little as a smile or a nice word. That’s Islam how I perceive it. Better to think of giving even simple pious thoughts than to fall into the trap of victimhood. That’s the cure for many of our psychological problems.

 

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE WORLD A CENTURY AGO?

 

A century ago young people in many parts of the world would live with their parents until they were married. Most people, even illiterate people, had homes of their own. There was plenty of work for everybody. The youth could go to school and thus live a better life than their parents’. Massive destruction caused by war led to massive reconstruction and the massive drift to towns in colonized countries increased the number and size of the cities everywhere in the world. New jobs were created, new trainings, new lifestyles. Everybody wanted to be "modern". Each country had its own economic boom. And then each country had its economic crisis. Unemployment, a relatively new concept, became a problem. Economic crises became cyclic. Employers became increasingly demanding. Education became increasingly expensive. The (unlucky) masses were growing (in numbers) faster than the lucky few. Young people had to take out long-term loans to finance their homes or studies. The newer generations were asked to work harder in the hope of achieving half of what their illiterate parents or grand-parents managed to have. The result of all this: pessimism is everywhere. Analysts are telling us that the crisis is systemic, the problem is with the System. There are rich countries that will never be able to pay off their debts. Fewer and fewer countries will be able to control their budget deficits or even their currency. Unemployment is now a chronic disease in many countries. It can go down to 3% and then -presto- it goes back up to 10%. Robotization and Uberization are a big challenge. Many investors of today would prefer placing their money in banks or in stock exchanges rather than bet on manpower-consuming industries or farming projects. And yet it’s the individual citizen who would be blamed for not finding a job. Little blame would be laid at the door of bankrupt companies or even the government. In theory, the state is at the service of the citizen, but increasingly it’s the citizen who serves the state more. In many states of today many people pay taxes and on top of that they pay for their children’s education, healthcare, etc. But what can the state do -in many cases? Fewer and fewer states would have the means to provide free or low-cost education and healthcare without further widening the budget deficit or resorting to debt. It's a vicious circle. Each new government, whatever its political colour, tries to give itself a good conscience, but it is not always easy to recover from a general crisis. What is perhaps regrettable (or maybe we just can't help it) is that many of us continue to place a lot of hope in our governments, in the state in general.

  

We have believed in a certain image of the modern man. The cinema, the media, school, the family, society at large… all have contributed to the dazzling image of the successful man or woman. In a way, that image is not entirely new. Even in old times people had a certain materialistic image of the successful man. The Quran relates the story of "Korah" who "was of Moses' folk" (28.76) : "(…) Then went he forth before his people in his pomp. Those who were desirous of the life of the world said: Ah, would that unto us had been given like of what hath been given unto Korah! Lo! he is lord of rare good fortune. (...)" (28.79) What’s new is that this image has been popularized (seems even hackneyed) to the point that almost everybody believes he/she can be that successful person. At school we were taught "If you work hard you will succeed." In my country, for example, many low-income families (lower-middle class, if you will) spend as much as half their income on their children’s education, putting a particular emphasis on scientific subjects, because everybody believes his or her child can be a doctor or an engineer. The curious thing is that Literature, Philosophy, History, Geography…have all become taboo for many, many parents, but not always for their kids. An increasing number of Moroccan youths are interested in as much science as non-scientific subjects. They now speak languages better than I and talk about a lot of topics better than I.

  

Those trivial things I said about how people lived a century ago and how we are today have become terribly important to many people now. Many people have discovered that life calculations are not like mathematical calculations. They have discovered that the state is not the government, and the state’s financial capabilities under one government may end under the next. So pressure on the government does not work always.

  

Now, what does Islam say about all this? Well, when the Muslim state, under Caliph Umar, for example, had the means, most men, if not all Muslim men, got a certain income from the state. And yet Umar once said: "No one of you should refrain from earning a living and say, 'O Allah grant me provision' when he knows that the sky will not rain down gold and silver." The state is supposed to help me when it can afford it. And when the state can’t afford it, what do I do? When pressure on the government doesn’t work, what do I do? I give in to pessimism? I give up hope? I cease to dream? Well, that’s the worst thing a good Muslim could do.

 

WHAT DO I WANT?

 

But there are other important questions too. What do I want? Do I want to just lead a decent life or to live a better life than others? Which wages would I accept? Which lifestyle do I want?

  

DO I THINK OF ALLAH IN ALL CASES?

 

What about people who have nothing, no money, no skills? They are unfortunately just put on the side. This gives the impression of living in a world greatly influenced by the haves. But the truth is very different, though. The world has always belonged, and will always belong, to the One who created it, to Allah. Everyone agrees that here, in Morocco, economic activity depends greatly on rainfall. But when it rains little or not at all at the right time, rogatory prayers are performed in all the country's mosques. When the drought distorts the landscapes and burns the last grasslands and reduces the last fodder and dries up the biggest dams, we start to cross our fingers, to raise our eyes timidly to the sky. This means that your fate, mine, and the fate of everyone does not depend on the propertied, shareholders (or on the government, by the way) and that Allah Alone is the Lord of the world. Normally, we are supposed to think of Allah in all cases. Allah says: "Every soul must taste of death, and We try you with evil and with good, for ordeal. And unto Us ye will be returned." (21.35) What does that mean? It means that you and I ought to think of Allah, and not forget Him: when we are hungry, when we have something to eat and drink, when we are naked and when we have something to wear. As a believer, I ought to remember Allah when I am tired and when I go to bed, etc., etc. I ought to think of Allah by way of gratitude, whatever shape I’m in. Why? Well, it's because Allah says: "Therefore remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and reject not Me." (2.152) "Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou createdst not this in vain. Glory be to Thee!" (3.191) If I really believe that Allah is the Lord of the world, I ought to think of Him before thinking of anyone else. I ought to think of Him when I make my decisions about my job, my place of work, the salary I should accept, etc.

  

IS THE ROOT OF ALL PROBLEMS THE ECONOMY?

 

For some, the problem that is the root of all our problems (the root of evil, if you will) is not so much the economy, but rather lack of social justice, it is unfair distribution of wealth, it is the tax havens, it is corruption. Precisely, if everyone thinks only about money why should Allah think about us? Why should He see to it that we have the right rulers? Allah warns us in the Quran: "O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah. And let every soul look to that which it sendeth on before for the morrow. And observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Aware of what ye do. And be not ye as those who forgot Allah, therefor He caused them to forget their souls. Such are the evil-doers." (59.18-19) "The hypocrites, both men and women, proceed one from another. They enjoin the wrong, and they forbid the right, and they withhold their hands (from spending for the cause of Allah). They forget Allah, so He hath forgotten them. Lo! the hypocrites, they are the transgressors." (9.67)

  

Everyone wants to be modern, whatever that means, and this kind of (theological) thinking may not rhyme with modernity, is no longer up to date. Companian Abu Bakr Assidiq said: "We folks don't eat unless we are hungry, And when we eat we don't get full." Who applies this in his life, actually? Me? Not at all! I too am far from being vaccinated. I grew up like everyone else : in the same schools, in the same neighbourhoods, in the same stream of thought. But I know that some people have lived well on very, very little. People were deprived of everything except their faith, and yet they enjoyed their lives. These people loved Allah because they saw in this world (full of contradictions, full of inequalities, full of suffering, full of what have you) -(in spite of everything) they saw a sublime beauty inside and outside themselves. They liked to see gold without wanting to amass it, just as they liked to see the moon or sunset without wanting to own the moon or the sun. They loved Allah for the wonder He created in them. Yet, for many of them, they gave up only what was not so essential to them. They too ate and drank, they too married and had children, they too had their homes. Only they were not obsessed by the desire to have everything. Some had the doors of worldly life open wide to them after their renunciation. They had the choice to give up all luxuries (all comfort) to the extent humanly possible or to fully enjoy the pleasures of life.

 

DOES ISLAM FORBID YOU TO LIVE IN A PALACE?

 

Islam does not forbid you to live in a palace or in a luxurious villa. But this palace or any other good must remain in the hand and not in the heart. It is Allah and Allah Alone that must be in the heart. That's the difference between a believer and a non-believer. If you live in a hut you will see the beauty and goodness of Allah in this hut. (Just think of homeless people.) If you live in a luxurious villa you will see the grace of Allah in all its corners, in all the roses of the little garden. You will express your love for Allah whether you are in the hut or in the palace. It’s the same Quran that you read in there. It’s the same prayer that you perform in there. This love entails a responsibility on our part. We must do what Allah created us for. I speak to you here as I speak to myself. If Allah meant me to play a particular role in a particular place at a particular time, I should strive to play that role in the best way possible. There may be other people who were chosen by Allah to play similar roles. I am in a competition. I should not think of the prize before the competition is over. Allah says: "For this let (all) those strive who strive for bliss." (83.26) If I were a doctor, would I count how many patients were cured at my hands or would I count my money? If I were a teacher, would I count how many of my former students became successful people, or would I count my possessions? If I were a lawyer, would I count how many people were saved at my hands, or would I count my money? If I were a successful writer, would I count how many people found my work useful or would I count my royalties? Allah does not choose only believers to play such roles. He says: "And with Him are the keys of the Invisible. None but He knoweth them. And He knoweth what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falleth but He knoweth it, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, naught of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a clear record." (6.59) "Lo! Allah! With Him is knowledge of the Hour. He sendeth down the rain, and knoweth that which is in the wombs. No soul knoweth what it will earn to-morrow, and no soul knoweth in what land it will die. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware." (31.34) That’s Allah’s DATA, as I said before. That’s how Allah manages His Creation with His knowledge and His power, in Morocco, in Europe, in America, in Africa, everywhere. "Lo! He is Knower, Powerful." (42.50) Allah knows how many teachers, doctors, engineers, grocers, hairdressers, nurses, policemen, pilots, computer scientists, street sweepers… are needed to serve His bondmen. "And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who teacheth by the pen, Teacheth man that which he knew not. " (96.3-5) "And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers knowing nothing, and gave you hearing and sight and hearts that haply ye might give thanks." (16.78) That’s part of Allah’s Design when He willed that the whole universe should be at the service of man. Allah says: "Hast thou not known that Allah knoweth all that is in the heaven and the earth? Lo! it is in a record. Lo! that is easy for Allah." (22.70) "Is it they who apportion thy Lord's mercy? We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world, and raised some of them above others in rank that some of them may take labour from others; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than (the wealth) that they amass." (43.32) "And We have given you (mankind) power in the earth, and appointed for you therein livelihood. Little give ye thanks!" (7.10) "And we have given unto you livelihoods therein, and unto those for whom ye provide not." (15.20) Different jobs, different occupations - in the past, in the present and in the future. "Lo! your effort is dispersed (toward divers ends)." (92.4) Allah knows the pace at which every community, every nation, every state develops ; Allah is aware of every single new discovery, every new invention, every single development in History. All that is because Allah wants to make Himself known to all mankind. He says (to anyone who will listen): "Messengers of good cheer and of warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise." (4.165) Already Allah is known and adored in every part of the earth. He will be worshipped more and more on land, on the continents, on islands, on sea, en route in the sky, everywhere, night and day. This wonderful tool, the Internet, is a gift from Allah to mankind, it’s a tool for mankind to know Allah more; it’s a tool for believers to express their gratitude to Allah. "Remember Allah, as He hath taught you that which (heretofore) ye knew not." (2.239) Allah shared some of His knowledge with us ; those among us who have some knowledge have to share it with their fellow human beings. And yet Allah does not care how many billionaires or new millionaires will be there, how many people will make money out of this process. Allah cares only for those who care about Him, those who are keen to come closer to Him.

 

WHAT DOES WISDOM MEAN?

 

As I said earlier, what you learn at age 50 is not what you learn at age 20. Wisdom comes with time. Wisdom means knowing one's possibilities and limitations. Wisdom means that one should not blame others for one's woes. If there is an economic crisis, or social unrest, even if they were willed by Allah, everyone should examine one’s own behaviour first. Allah says: "That is because Allah never changeth the grace He hath bestowed on any people until they first change that which is in their hearts, and (that is) because Allah is Hearer, Knower." (8.53) The responsibility for all our problems lies with us in the end. We forget, for example, that road accidents are the leading cause of death in many countries. Allah says: "Whatever of misfortune striketh you, it is what your right hands have earned. And He forgiveth much." (42.30) "Whatever of good befalleth thee (O man) it is from Allah, and whatever of ill befalleth thee it is from thyself." (4.79) "And whatever of comfort ye enjoy, it is from Allah. Then, when misfortune reacheth you, unto Him ye cry for help. And afterward, when He hath rid you of the misfortune, behold! a set of you attribute partners to their Lord." (16.53-54) "Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of (the evil) which men's hands have done, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return." (30.41) For example, if the currency plummets, this, say the economists, has to do with the trade balance; when our imports exceed in volume or in value our exports there is a foreign trade deficit. Currency reserves are falling. Prices are soaring. And when you have no other choice but to import, you have no other choice but to bear the brunt of high inflation. Import energy (fossil or other), OK; import machines, OK; but why all these other imports? Are they all useful, are they all indispensable? Is it not our way of life that influences our trade balance and therefore our money and our purchasing power? It is easy to say that we have to put an end to certain practices that only maintain a sense of superfluous development.

 

WHO WILL START REPAIRING THE DAMAGE?

 

But who will start repairing the damage? If we are told that every year thousands of people join the ranks of the unemployed, or that most jobs are precarious, who is responsible? Who are these people who opt for robotization, for uberization, for off-shoring...? Aren’t they members of our society? Multinationals, who manage them locally?

  

Many people suffer so much that everyone tends to think that the fault lies with others. I'm just saying that it may be necessary to start by sweeping in front of one’s own door. Wisdom teaches me that one should not complicate things. Even when I want to move up from Islam to Iman, and from Iman to Ihsan, I have to proceed gently and gradually. The wisest man, the best believer, apart from the prophets, is liable to make mistakes. Man is fallible. One has just to feel sorry and say sorry whenever he falls. One can very well enjoy life within the limits prescribed by the Quran. Allah says: "O ye who believe! Forbid not the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not, Lo! Allah loveth not transgressors." (5.87) Why would I spend my time crying and sighing except when it comes to repentance?

 

The ulema, who have understood the Faith, say: (1) Warding off evil takes precedence over bringing benefits. They also say: (2) Necessities permit prohibitions (or Necessity removes restriction). (3) That without which an obligatory duty cannot be done is obligatory. These are (some of) the general rules. If I have good faith I will not break these rules. I will do my best to at least respect the spirit of the Quran. In any case, Allah alone knows what is in my heart and Allah alone will judge me. Wisdom also says that I should not overly raise the level of my faith requirements because I can never know what the future holds for me. It would be better for me to proceed slowly than to suffer within myself from what I am not quite capable of bearing.

 

 

22

 

WHAT ABOUT LOVE?

 

For love some people lost their lives. Others went bankrupt. Some became philosophers. Others went mad. Some wrote books. Others versified. Some hated the whole world save the beloved.

  

From the trenches, surrounded by the smell of blood and the fear of an unseen enemy, young soldiers wrote home to say how much they missed the smile of their women (wives and fiancées), how much they longed to go back home and see them again.

 

From the plane taking them far away, some pick up their mobile phones and say to that dear person back home, “Don’t forget, Katy. I love you. See you soon.”

  

Some stop somewhere to pick and choose a postcard and words to write on the back of the postcard. Others buy flowers or pullovers or whatever they think would make their beloved happy. Others just don’t bother to buy anything. Not because they are mean. But simply because they cannot find anything that would translate what they feel more than a smile from the bottom of the heart or a tear long held back.

  

For love some get so happy that they start doing what they never did before. Stingy people become generous. Proud people become humble.

  

Apparently, neither the colour of skin nor the physical beauty nor even the kindness of the heart or character seems to be a prerequisite for loving or being loved. The Beautiful can love the Beast. For many people love is a wish, but most often it just happens by accident, and when it happens it’s too late for anyone to judge whether the beloved’s ‘qualities’ do match the lover’s secret criteria. Even beauty can’t explain everything. Everybody is potentially loveable. All nations have love stories and love songs.

  

Whatever the criteria, what is perhaps crazy about love is that it can very often make you love somebody with all his/her physical or other defects. One can even love more than once in one’s life.

  

If you think about it, it’s really mystical. What’s driving me towards you? What’s in me that makes me attracted to you personally? If you are beautiful, kind, whatever…, you’re not the only one. So why you personally? Is it simply because I came across you in my school, my workplace, my neighbourhood, my family, during my travels…? Why shouldn’t other people love you like I do? Why shouldn’t you love me too? Why should you refuse to marry me while you love me? Why did I love other persons before you and forgot all about them? Any answer to such questions can only be approximate. Love is not always pure. It’s not always absolute. It’s not always naïve. But it’s there, it’s something real. Is it something normal? Or does it hide something? Couldn’t it be a sign for something? Couldn’t it be a message, an indirect message? Hey, look for the qualities in you: don’t wait for your sweetheart to love you. You are loveable in your own right. If you are black, white people have loved black people. If you are handicapped, able-bodied people have loved handicapped people… If you don’t have good looks, good-looking people have loved ‘bad-looking’ people. Just do like a treasure hunter who keeps searching a specific place until he finds the treasure… Is every beautiful bird aware of its beauty? But who is telling me this? Where could this indirect message be from? Is it self-coaching only? Or is it reality?

 

It may sound strange, but there is more than one Sufi master who tell us that no one has ever loved other than God. Leyla, Buthaina, Azza and all the other legendary women immortalized by Arab poets in their love poetry would in fact be only an image (an incarnation) of divine beauty. Not being able to see God, the poet expresses all his love, his passion, his gratitude,... while addressing a woman, in whom he sees all the beauty, the greatness and the wisdom of the world.

  

So is it all about Faith? Why should I be different, then? Why did my God make me different? Well, according to the Quran, for example, there’s no difference between a black woman and a white woman, between a handsome man and an ugly man, between a successful engineer and a street vendor, between a disabled person and an able-bodied person. They all have souls. They are all judged according to their deeds: good deeds and bad deeds. Being black, ugly or disabled -that’s just "the first creation" In the Quran we read: "We mete out death among you, and We are not to be outrun, That We may transfigure you and make you what ye know not. And verily ye know the first creation. Why, then, do ye not reflect?" (56.60-62)

  

Flowers are not all alike. Roses are not all alike. Jungle birds are not all alike. But they’re all beautiful.

  

DOES THIS MEAN I DO NOT DESERVE LOVE?

 

And if nobody cares about me, if no one offers me a bouquet of flowers or tells me tender words, if no one thinks of me beyond those around me, my parents and siblings...? Does this mean that I do not deserve this ‘little more interest’ that would flatter my ego? Does this mean that there is nothing special about me and that those who are loved are much better than I?

 

There was a Bedouin man (desert dweller) called Zaahir, and whenever he visited the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), he would bring him a gift from the products of the desert. When he intended to leave Madeenah, the Prophet (pbuh) would give him provisions from the products of the city. The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Zaahir is our Bedouin, and we are his city-dwellers.’ He (pbuh) liked him a lot. Zaahir was not very good looking. The Prophet (pbuh) once approached him while he was selling his merchandise. He hugged him from behind and Zaahir could not see him. Zaahir said: ‘Who is this? Let go of me!’ He turned and found out that it was the Prophet (pbuh), so he straightened his back and pressed it against the chest of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet (pbuh) then said: ‘Who will buy the slave?’ Zaahir said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you will find no demand for me (i.e. no one would buy me)!’ The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘But you are not so in the sight of Allah;’ or he said: ‘But in the sight of Allah you are valuable.’

 

Allah says in the Quran: "Wed not idolatresses till they believe; for lo! a believing bondwoman is better than an idolatress though she please you; and give not your daughters in marriage to idolaters till they believe, for lo! a believing slave is better than an idolater though he please you." (2.221) Allah does not speak here about just any woman or man; He speaks about the person you’d share your life with!

  

IS IT UN-ISLAMIC TO ASPIRE TO BE LOVED?

 

Is it un-Islamic, though, to aspire to be loved or to live with someone of one’s own choosing? Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Mughith was a slave.” He said: ‘The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) made intercession for me to her (Barirah)’. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said: ‘O Barirah, fear Allah. He is your husband and father of your child’. She said: ‘Apostle of Allah, do you command me for that?’ He said: ‘No, I am only interceding.’ Then tears were falling down on his (her husband’s) cheeks. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said to ‘Abbas: ‘Are you not surprised with the love of Mughith for Barirah and her hatred for him?’”

 

IS LOVE GOOD?

 

In the Quran we read: “And of His signs is this: He created for you helpmeets from yourselves that ye might find rest in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo! herein indeed are portents for folk who reflect." (30.21) This means that there should be a minimum of ‘love’, or, say, “accepatability”, between spouses, and this “love and mercy” is a gift from Allah. In other words, love is good.

  

IS LOVE SCARY?

 

But love is not a game. Love is scary. In the worst case, the one who loves may be disappointed, shocked, humiliated or even pushed to death. At best, an accident in life (a natural death, for example) may end a long love relationship full of happiness and joy. A real dilemma, isn’t it? Maybe this is a dilemma only in theory. There are lots of people, in all nations and all religions, who love each other, who live happily with their families, who have children, and for whom everything is going well.

 

This has always been the case since the Babylonians and even before. Where are all these people, where are their palaces, their gardens, their jewels...? There are only words left in poems or drawings on ruined walls or in caves. This told some people that one should rather see what is essential in life. That would be a giant step towards quietude that will make us less dependent on many things that we don’t have, on many people we consider indispensable, irreplaceable.

DO WE NEED MORE LOVE IN TIMES OF CRISIS?

 

It seems that we need more love and affection in a time of crisis (or as we advance in age). Sometimes we try to provoke, to arouse this love by caring to the maximum for one’s physical appearance in a desperate attempt to attract attention.

  

In a time of crisis many people crave affection and tenderness. We can all detect on faces signs of personal traumas and tragedies hidden by insincere smiles. Many people need to feel loved, and what's more natural? What more than a sincere love, a well-intentioned attention, could we use as a lifesaver, a cane to help us move quietly on the bumpy road ahead? But the truth is that there are married people who hate each other while sleeping together. Even those who love one another madly do not always have an easy life. Oh how many lovers are out there making war on a daily basis!

  

We all need compassion, or some kind of love, one way or another, one day or another. We need to compliment or soothe one another. We all love to hear nice words about us, about our possessions, our cities, our countries. However, there are many people who can live their love on their own and endure separation, as people can endure diabetes or high blood pressure. They say to themselves, when they want to, just what they like to hear. They give themselves importance when nobody is interested in them.

 

WHAT DOES LOVE TEACH US?

 

Love teaches wisdom because very often love experiences are full of frustration and missed opportunities. With age, the feeling of love matures and makes us love life as it is without giving up our wildest dreams, just as it makes us love a person with all his/her defects. This kind of love, when possible, would allow one to have some peace of mind, emotional assurance and the ability to smile from the bottom of the heart and see and enjoy what is left of the beauty of the world.

  

In a garden we gaze at the beautiful flower; we turn a blind eye to the dead one. We clap eyes on the palace and ignore the hut beside. But no (straight) man would ignore a young woman passer-by to see flowers instead. A young woman is more precious than a beautiful flower.

 

In a way, as I said above, we all need some kind of love these days; we need to really feel being in family when we sit at the dinner table, for example: everyone seems separated by TV, smart-phones or other gadgets. There are people who are sick and who need this love. What do they do if nobody is giving them the love they need?

  

IS IT BETTER TO BE A SUBJECT OR AN OBJECT IN LOVE?

 

In matters of love, intellectually and spiritually speaking, it is better to be a subject than an object. When we love, we give, we are generous. When we aspire to be loved, by all means, or when we feel loved, we risk falling into pride and greed. When we love we are more sensitive to flowers and songs of birds, to the beauty of orchards, to people and everything in the world we live in. Love tenderizes the heart and strengthens spirituality. With love one can realize one's full humanity. Love helps us extract strength from our weaknesses and resilience from of our setbacks.

 

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU LOST EVERYTHING?

 

Suppose you found your perfect match and lived together the happiest life ever. And then you lost everything overnight. What would you do? Would you still care about anything or anybody in the world, after you lost your spouse, your children and everything?

 

Think of Abdul-Rahman Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), one of the most, if not the most ever, distinguished Arab scholar of all times. In his diaries, he said something like this: "Many people here (in Egypt) were jealous of me when I became a Maliki Judge. There came a time when I could not endure anymore, so I asked to be relieved of my duties. Then, I devoted my time to writing and teaching. But I soon missed my family, who were still back in Tunis. The problem is I could not go there because of the Sultan of Tunis. So I asked the Sultan of Egypt to speak with the Sultan of Tunis on my behalf. The latter allowed my family to leave Tunis. They took a ship, but as they neared the Egyptian shore the ship sank, and so all the members of my family were lost…" This happened to Ibn Khaldun when he was old. And yet he remained mentally fit and told us his story. Now, all the distinguished thinkers in my country and in the Arab world were influenced in one way or another by the writings of Ibn Khaldun. They all care about his thoughts; hardly anyone gives a thought to his personal story.

  

WHAT DID IBN KHALDUN HAVE THAT ALLOWED HIM TO MOVE FORWARD?

 

For many people, such an unfortunate end would be the end of one’s life: no more hope, no more dreams, no more goals. For people like Ibn Khaldoun life ends only when the soul leaves the body. But should one be like Ibn Khaldoun so as to approach life in this manner? What did Ibn Khaldoun have that allowed him to move forward? Two things: the Faith and a certain knowledge of the world. 

 

HOW CAN FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE HELP US?

 

How can faith and knowledge help us when our life is blocked like a road in a war zone, when all barriers are erected before us? Well, they can help us “impersonalize” the whole thing. If I lost my love, the best love in the world, is only one pleasure among many. I can have pleasure by another means. If I lost a loved one, I ask myself: what if I lost myself? If I suddenly found myself in danger of death, would I think of that loved one I lost or would I think of my soul only? Do I miss, cry over, that loved one because I believe he/she should have lived longer or because I want him/her for myself, to be forever by my side? Is it an altruistic or an egoistic feeling? Well, when we impersonalize life we break down all egoistic barriers that prevent us from moving forward.

  

Do you think Ibn Khaldoun did not weep when he got the news? Even the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) shed tears when he lost his son Ibrahim. Jacob, too, cried when he lost his son Joseph. But Ibn Khaldoun did not have one family, his family? He had a much, much larger family: the family of readers; you and I are members of that family. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Jacob (pbuh) did not live for their family only, for themselves only: they lived for a much, much larger family, for mankind. You and I are part of this large family. Therefore, you see childless people help the children of other people; you see blind authors write for seeing people; you see poor artists entertain rich people; you see destitute bricklayers build houses for the wealthy; you see unemployed persons volunteer to give joy to people who have jobs.

  

IS ALTRUISM VERY FAR FROM EGOISM?

 

But is altruism very far from egoism? Not really. I can help others and at the same time have pleasure in doing so. This pleasure is my pay. Even when I do something for the sake of God, I can rightly and legitimately hope to have something good in return. In the Quran we read: "Lo! Allah loseth not the wages of the good." (9.120)

  

The world is all about beauty and greatness. Man aspires to beauty and greatness. When we are not beautiful ourselves, we strive to get somebody or something beautiful. When we can't be great, we identify to somebody or something great.

 

Men want beautiful women and women want handsome men. Both want beautiful children, a lot of money for housing, for education, for food and leisure. They want big cars, and property in the countryside...to impress friend and foe. They want the comfort of the life of the world as a sign of success, of greatness. Hence our trials in this world, in Arabic ibtila. Some are tried by having these things, others by being deprived of them. Allah says in the Quran: "Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode." (3.14) "Every soul must taste of death, and We try you with evil and with good, for ordeal." (21.35) "And We have appointed some of you a test for others: Will ye be steadfast? And thy Lord is ever Seer." (25.20)

 

WHAT DOES ISLAM SAY ABOUT BEAUTY?

 

Now, what does Islam say about beauty? The Quran gives an example of extreme beauty: Joseph, great grand-son of Abraham. “And women in the city said: The ruler's wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart with love. We behold her in plain aberration. And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cushioned couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is not a human being. This is not other than some gracious angel. She said: This is he on whose account ye blamed me.” (12.30-32)

 

There’s yet a much more compelling beauty that we could hardly, if ever, conceive of: the Houris, Heavenly Maidens. The Quran describes them “(In beauty) like the jacinth and the coral-stone.” (55.58) The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The marrow of the bones of the wives' legs will be seen through the flesh out of excessive beauty." Can you imagine them? But that’s not all. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty.” Can we imagine Allah’s beauty even in a dream? Of course not. “Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth (all) vision.” (6.103) “And when Moses came to Our appointed tryst and his Lord had spoken unto him, he said: My Lord! Show me (Thy Self) , that I may gaze upon Thee. He said: Thou wilt not see Me, but gaze upon the mountain! If it stand still in its place, then thou wilt see Me. And when his Lord revealed (His) glory to the mountain He sent it crashing down. And Moses fell down senseless.” (7.143) If we can’t see the beauty of Allah Himself, we can – and ought to – see the beauty Allah created in the universe and in ourselves. Our –human- beauty is only an instance of that beauty. Allah says: "And wherein is beauty for you, when ye bring them home, and when ye take them out to pasture." (16.6) "…and have caused of every lovely kind to grow thereon" (50.7) "We cause to spring forth joyous orchards" (27.60) "And verily We have beautified the world's heaven with lamps" (67.5) "And verily in the heaven we have set mansions of the stars, and We have beautified it for beholders." (15.16) "…and (We bring forth) gardens of grapes, and the olive and the pomegranate, alike and unlike. Look upon the fruit thereof, when they bear fruit, and upon its ripening. Lo! herein verily are portents for a people who believe." (6.99) The purpose is clear: man should meditate on the signs that Allah made in His Creation. “And whatsoever He hath created for you in the earth of divers hues, lo! therein is indeed a portent for people who take heed.” (16.13)

 

Usually, female peacocks prefer strong rather than "beautiful" peacocks. Why are some hens more beautiful than others? Maybe there are some that prefer certain shapes or colours. But does a rooster choose a hen for its beautiful plumage? In any case, these beautiful colours are made for us: "A vision and a reminder for every penitent slave." (50.8) Beauty endears the faith to the believer's heart. "It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." (27.44) Allah says in the Quran: "O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship." (7.31) Would it be OK if you went to a wedding party in your best clothes and to a mosque in a shabby attire?

 

In a mosque you'd see people with more or less different colours, who speak different languages, etc. "And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Lo! herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge." (30.21) "And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. Surely in this are signs indeed for people who have knowledge" (30.22) "…and We produce therewith fruit of divers hues; and among the hills are streaks white and red, of divers hues, and (others) raven-black; And of men and beasts and cattle, in like manner, divers hues? The erudite among His bondmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving." (35.27-28) That's because it’s Allah, "The Originator of the heavens and the earth", Who "multiplieth in creation what He will. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things." (35.1) "When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is." (2.117) He is capable not only of creating, but also of inventing and diversifying. “He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner." (59.24)

  

IS DIVERSITY PART OF BEAUTY?

 

Indeed, diversity is part of the beauty that Allah made in this world. You may be stunned to see how many colours are in tomatoes and eggplants, for example. And you would comfortably eat vegetables and fruits and meat of widely different colours. How would I know that this person is Chinese if he looks exactly like a Swedish or like an Indian American, or speaks exactly like an Irish man or a Moroccan Berber? Allah says: "O mankind! Lo! We have created you from male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware." (49.13) "And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Lo! herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge." (30..2) Does this mean that a Chinese person is worth less than or worth more than a person from another country? Not necessarily. In the Quran we read: "And in the Earth are neighbouring tracts, vineyards and ploughed lands, and date-palms, like and unlike, which are watered with one water. And we have made some of them to excel others in fruit. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who have sense." (13.4) First and foremost, it’s a question of ‘innocent’, ‘innocuous’ diversity. After that we can, yes, talk of some kind of differentiation, but not favouritism as we may understand it. The Quran says it explicitly: “And Allah hath favoured some of you above others in provision.” (16.71) “See how We prefer one of them above another, and verily the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment.” (17.21) "And covet not the thing in which Allah hath made some of you excel others." (4.32) So should I take offense when I see that Allah favoured somebody over me in terms of physical beauty or health or worldly possessions or power, etc.? Allah says: "And covet not the thing in which Allah hath made some of you excel others." (4.32) Allah even preferred some messengers above others. “Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted (above others) in degree.” (2. 253)

  

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Look at those who are lower than you but do not look at those who are higher than you, lest you belittle the favours Allah conferred upon you.” Unless I think maliciously I have to compare myself to other creatures first before comparing myself to my fellow humans. Allah says: “Verily we have honoured the children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17.70) A cat can eat what I spit, but I would never eat what a cat spits.

  

Besides, “preferment” is not necessarily pre-determined. You could buy a good car (of your own choosing) then find out that you could have bought a much better one with the same amount of money if and if and if. Idem for your house, your school, your shirt, your spouse, etc. Who would you blame, then, for something you decided yourself? Worse, you may be beautiful and your spouse beautiful too but your children turn out to be less beautiful than the children of a couple with no good looks at all. You could be smart and your spouse smart too but your kids turn out to be less smart than the kids of an illiterate couple. A son may be less handsome/smart than his brother and a daughter may be less beautiful/smart than her sister.

 

So where do we go from here? There’s the problem of beauty; there’s the problem of love; there’s the problem of choice. Should I, for example, see to it that I only “choose” to marry somebody who is beautiful and who loves me? What if my spouse were neither beautiful nor did she love me? Would that be a sign that that’s exactly what I am worth? Then, in this case, it would be my own responsibly. If I regard it as an absolute precondition that my future spouse be of the kind I dream of, then I don’t marry and I spare myself the trouble. If I can see in myself my own qualities, if I can value myself independently of what others may think of me, then I won’t see in my spouse “egoistic” signs that I am worth something. I am worth what I am worth. My wife, if I have one, is worth what she is worth. And yet the helpmeet I would “choose” may give me an idea about myself. Allah says in the Quran: “Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women.” (24.26)

 

So instead of being constantly obsessed with what I am worth in my own eyes or in the sight of humans like me I'd rather look higher than us all, to Almighty. "The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein praise Him, and there is not a thing but hymneth His praise; but ye understand not their praise. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving." (17.44) The Prophet (pbuh) said: "None of you is a believer till I am dearer to him than his child, his father and the whole of mankind."

 

Our actions are not always justifiable by analytical reasoning. Think of love at first sight, for example. Also beauty is very often relative. "There's no beauty without blemish," as the Moroccan proverb goes. Even the most beautiful woman gets old and loses her youth and beauty and the most handsome man gets old and loses his strength and virility.

 

The problem is that, at our time of weakness, we may be afraid of not being up to it. Self-acceptance is not always obvious. We all know, for example, that the plastic surgery industry is worth billions of dollars. And millions of people around the world are struggling with extra weight on a daily basis.

 

What may be shocking, perhaps, is that a true believer would never be "satisfied" completely and sincerely with a beauty of this world, be it a human face or body, or any kind of material possessions. A true believer is an ambitious believer, one who aspires to what is better. But a true believer is a human like all human beings, with more or less the same primordial impulses. Allah says: "Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode." (3.14) This applies to all men. The differentiation comes afterwards. "Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who keep from evil, with their Lord, are Gardens underneath which rivers flow wherein they will abide, and pure companions, and contentment from Allah. Allah is Seer of His bondmen." (3.15) "Is he whom We have promised a fair promise which he will find (true) like him whom We suffer to enjoy awhile the comfort of the life of the world, then on the Day of Resurrection he will be of those arraigned?" (28.61) "And strain not thine eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoy, the flower of the life of the world, that We may try them thereby. The provision of thy Lord is better and more lasting." (20.131) The differentiation comes with the faith. When I believe that, some day, I will be entitled to what is better than the best thing I can have in this world, I curb, as best as I can, my desires, wishes and whims and would be pleased with what I have. The French say: "When we do not have what we love we love what we have." That's true for a true believer, too, with the slight nuance that a true believer accepts what he has out of belief, not out of resignation. When I have this belief I rid myself of all psychological complexes and take pleasure in doing my duty, in living my life serenely within my faith.

 

Allah wants me to be at peace with myself. He said to the Prophet (pbuh): “…so let not thy soul expire in sighings for them.” (35.8) And to all of us: “Naught of disaster befalleth in the earth or in yourselves but it is in a Book before we bring it into being - Lo! that is easy for Allah - That ye grieve not for the sake of that which hath escaped you, nor yet exult because of that which hath been given.” (58.22-23) Allah even wants me, as a believer, to be fit physically. Hence my rest and sleep. “Have they not seen how We have appointed the night that they may rest therein, and the day sight-giving?” (27.86) “He it is Who hath appointed for you the night that ye should rest.” (10.67) 

 

Even when I get into trouble as punishment for my sins I should not worry myself to death. Allah says: “And when We cause mankind to taste of mercy they rejoice therein; but if an evil thing befall them as the consequence of their own deeds, lo! they are in despair! See they not that Allah enlargeth the provision for whom He will, and straiteneth (it for whom He will). Lo! herein indeed are portents for folk who believe.” (30.36-37) “Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (39.53) To soothe my soul I have easy tools. Allah says: “There is no God save Me. So serve Me and establish worship for My remembrance.” (20.14) "Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest!" (13 .28)

  

IF I CAN’T FIND THAT, WHAT DO I DO ?

 

If I am lucky to have just the right spouse with whom I can live in peace and love, that’s great. If I can’t find that, what do I do? Self-flagellate or blame others for my woes? Or rather look for the love I want, the beauty I want, in myself, in my soul? Self-esteem is more precious than anybody's love or beauty. I can find all that in myself and be happy with what I am, with what I have. And at the same time I can be ambitious without wanting to set the bar too high.

  

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) slept on a hard bed, lived on bread and dates, and once he had to roam the streets at night simply because he felt too hungry to stay at home. And yet his followers managed to build great (ambitious) empires. He could have made for himself a heaven on earth had he so willed, even if it meant waging bloody wars.

  

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to be a man of the people, not of the happy few. He wanted to set an example.

 

A governor came before Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab and offered him cakes. Umar said to him: “Do all people in your region eat such good cakes?” How on earth could a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) eat cakes which only the haves could afford? But that’s Caliph Umar, not you and me.

 

 

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Mohamed Ali Lagouader

MOHAMMEDIA, MOROCCO