Tawzifnama 16 to 19
16.
Where one is helpless
He opens up another veil
And applies a remedy to that affliction
Let us then see what the Lord does
Whatever He does the result is beautiful
Why are we sometimes distressed and helpless? Well, our Creator wants to show us what other incredible things He has in store for us. In other words, to delight us more spectacularly He first gives us some fear and anxiety. The moment we think that everything is over for us and start sulking, a hitherto unknown and unsuspected veil is removed and lo and behold, we are face to face with a stunningly magnificent vista which solves our problem beyond our wildest dreams. The biographies of many great men and women show that before they made the big breaks which started off their brilliant and enriching careers, they were stuck in apparently hopeless ruts, wondering whether their sanity could even survive. Suddenly, something presented itself out of the blue and they instantly knew that their destined hour had come and grabbed the wonderful opportunity to soar into the realms of their dreams. A friend of mine told me the following story. “I was dismissed from my secure government job just because I had made too much noise about the injustices that went on in my department. Favouritism and perhaps even bribery was rampant and the needy citizens who applied to the department to get the benefits due to them under the law sometimes got nowhere while some well-off people got benefits fraudulently with the convenience of corrupt officials.
The news that I was dismissed without compensation shocked my family and especially my wife who was pregnant with our fourth child at the time. She bitterly scolded me for not listening to her repeated warning about turning a blind eye to the corruption and mind my own business and just get my salary for family responsibilities’ sake. After about a month of depressed apathy and the misery coming from the tears and reprimands of my wife and other family members, I decided to try some self-employment. I got a small loan and busied myself for several months with a small project. Although I made some sales over time, it got me nowhere as far as making a real profit and it couldn’t promise me a stable future. In despair, I abandoned the equipment and small stocks I had built and having failed to get another salaried job, I just sulked and prayed and prayed until I was tired of that as well.
One day, I was approached by a friend who held to my face a newspaper advertising a very well paid job which suited my qualification in broad terms. It was for a giant international company building a huge new factory in our area and was advertising for personnel. My friend told me that this was the opportunity of the decade for our area and everybody other than me knew about it and many had already applied for the relatively few vacancies advertised. I first said since the rush was so great I wasn’t interested because I wasn’t hopeful, but when I came home with the news, everybody pressed me to just at least try apply, which I did. Basically, there were about a dozen high quality vacancies (and several openings of lower quality) and for those dozen vacancies almost 500 people had applied, including my own. To make a long story short, I got one of those jobs within a month of my application and I started a kingly career of a very pleasant job with an enviable salary and other generous fringe benefits.”
I believe everybody has a similar story to tell. But to give another and great example which everybody can appreciate we can remember the “big- break” our prophet (sws) made.
Around the tenth year of his holy mission, our master Muhammad (sws) was suffering great trials and tribulations in such a short period of time. The handful of believers were barely surviving the deprivations and indignities of an economic and social embargo placed on them by their Meccan opponents and some were reduced to eating their boats, literally speaking. But worse was to come. The prophet’s dear wife and protective uncle died one after the other and because he was depending on both to a great extent, the blow felt very heavy. His visit to the neighbouring town of
Still, the holy messenger’s (sws) existence among his hostile compatriots was very miserable and now real danger to his life was a serious prospect since his protective clan head uncle had died. Under these seemingly terminally gloomy circumstances, succour arrived and two veils were opened, one after the other.
The first was his ascension to the heavens. One night when he had already retired, the archangel Jibril suddenly came together with a heavenly horse names “Buraq.” The Almighty was inviting His beloved messenger to firstly ride to Jerusalem to visit the holy morgue (temple) there of previous prophets and from thence, soar into the heavens to visit ancient prophets, the paradise, the hell and eventually, the Almighty- all of which he did with incomparable felicity. This was the first reward and consolation from the Most Merciful. But another was to come. A group of people arrived from the northern town Yathrib during the next pilgrimage (hajj) season in
In conclusion, never despair of Allah’s succour no matter what. Read if you want.
“ Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah.”
Whatever your circumstances, provided you hold on to your faith and hope Allah will eventually deliver you and deliver you spectacularly.
17.
Every instant to every servant of His
He is showing favour or ire
Every instant He is in another affair
Let us then see what the Lord does
Whatever He does the result is beautiful
Yes, each one of us cannot be in any condition if not in receipt of a favour from our Creator or subject to His rebuke. His law is that He will deal with creation only through creation and not “personally” so to speak. Thus, if something or somebody causes you to receive a blessing it is in actual fact Allah that is doing that favour to you. Still you must thank both your human benefactors is any and Allah. The Messenger of Allah (sws) said, “One who does not thank people is regarded as having not thanked Allah.” That is because every person’s heart is consciously or unconsciously open to Allah and that person’s resentment of or pleasure with you reaches Allah in no time, i.e. instantly. Hence, do not break hearts, make them. Similarly, when we feel frustrated and denied anything we regard as our due, it is again from Allah actually and not from the creature offending us. Therefore, rather than criticising the creature, turn to Allah and pour out your heart to Him in repentance and ask for forgiveness and sustenance.
You may ask at this point: “ You appear to suggest that we should not react to anything in this world however unjust or run after anything however much our due and instead keep still and quiet, expecting Allah to provide anything and everything He pleases- or nothing.”
My answer is “no.” What I am saying, as I explained earlier several times, is that sooner or later we must learn to curb our reactions to and running after things within the limits of powers and opportunities given to us and not unnecessarily and fruitlessly tire and upset ourselves by doing too much of them. For example, you can and must discipline your children and you may be able and welcome to give advice or offer criticism to your friend however, if you disregard your capabilities, authority and relative status to others and interfere with the lives of others as soon as you know it, you become a pestilential busybody that people will hate and shun.
Similarly, if you try helping people whom you cannot really help and waste your time and resources while your own problems are staring you in the face, you make a fool of yourself and get a lot of blame. There are in fact many people who will jump into any passing bang- wagon of lost of impossible causes, waste their money and time, tear their voice box shouting slogans or fighting police tooth and nail while at home their dependent family are starved of attention or their respective careers plummet. One day, they join the protest against “oil cartels,” another day they clash with riot police because an immigrant is to be deported (as if he knows all the circumstances of the case to decide whether the authorities or the immigrant is in the wrong) or still another day, empties the cash in their pocket to a sensationalist contribution collector for a cause he knows little about. Here is an example.
One day, a strangely dressed young woman holding a collection box and wielding an identification card approached a friend of mine. It displayed a photo and read something like this: “The Universal Spiritualistic Saving of the World Crusade.” However, the woman said something completely different altogether. “ Sir, we are a charity collected for deprived children. Wouldn’t you like to help save these suffering little children?” The woman was so strangely insistent that my friend, despite his grave suspicion, couldn’t help to drop in a smallish coin and save his life, so to speak. On further investigation, he was told that there were several criminal gangs disguised as spiritual movements collecting money all over the place and the collectors were brainwashed intimidated young people, usually homeless, who in turn were sparsely fed and sheltered. Here you are.
Similarly, no disaster or war can happen anywhere in the world or no real or bogus charitable or religious project is announced, but street corners fill with bogus contribution collectors. One shout’s out, “
To conclude, in every instant of your life consider your current experience in the light of your relationships to your Creator and after deciding to the best of your ability what Allah is trying to say to you through those events (and perhaps taking advice from one who is wiser), do something about it that will enhance your standing with your Maker. Remember, He will never leave you alone, and will always be communicating with you through the experiences He makes you endure. Thank or repent and amend!
18.
“Now giving, now withholding
Now harming, now benefiting
Now abasing, now elevating
Let us then see what the Lord does
Whatever He does the result is beautiful”
One instant we are given something we like while another instant we find that what we expected failed to arrive. Similarly, one instant we suffer some harm, yet another time we are landed with delightful presents and privileges. One moment, we feel that we are humbled and our feathers ruffled while another moment, we find ourselves walking over the clouds with elation.
All such experiences are for us; all are absolutely necessary for the expansion and deepening of our knowledge and wisdom as a result of which our enjoyment of the eternal life shall increase beyond measure. We have proof of this fact even in this world. We taste our best meal when we are most hungry, or we feel most blissfully comfortable when we arrive from bitterly cold outdoor activity into our heated home and especially when we immerse ourselves in out hot, foaming and fragrant bathwater. We hug our beloved child, friend or spouse most deliciously when we have been separated for some unduly long time and health tastes best after recovering from a dreadful illness. In other words, our Creator by swinging us between opposite experiences is thereby magnifying out capacities for pleasure from the experiences He will eventually grant us in the hereafter. Understand this and give thanks. As proof of this, listen to what the Messenger of Allah (sws) said:
“ On the Day of Judgement a man is brought to the presence of Allah (swt), a man who had suffered all sorts of afflictions in life. Allah asks him how he feels and he reports his sufferings. Allah then asks His angels to take this man and dip him only once in a spring in paradise and then bring him back. Having returned, Allah asks him, “ What did you suffer in life?” The man is in pure bliss. He wonders, “What suffering? I have not suffered anything.” Then the world’s worst tyrant is brought to Allah, a man who oppressed others most ruthlessly and indulged in all sorts of carnal pleasures. Similarly, Allah asks him to be dipped once in a pit in hell and he is brought back to Allah. Once back, Allah asks him, “ What did you enjoy in life?” He is dazed and replied, “ I have not tasted anything but torment O Lord.”
Now please, see for yourself.
19.
“Sometimes He makes His servant arif
Sometimes safe, sometimes in fear
He is the One who rotates hearts
Let us then see what the Lord does
Whatever He does the result is beautiful”
He chooses to make some of us as wise, insightful and mature personalities. You may ask, “ Why doesn’t He make everybody equally wise in which case we would have no problems like we have had throughout history?” I am expanding this question. “ Why doesn’t He create everybody equal in every perfection?” Well, if our minds and experiences of reality teaches us anything, it is that equality in everything means non-existence, because existence is known by differing impressions and if everything were of the same size, same shape, same colour and same taste and there was only one species of animals and only one type of person we would not tell anything apart, notice anything or need telling things apart or notice anything. We better not waste our time in silly conjectures and face the reality squarely: Conscious existence as we have, can only mean experiencing different kinds and intensities of things in and around us and it cannot be otherwise.
However, there is no injustice in these differences. Each creature has its share of unique merits and deficiencies so that each creature shall need every other, at least in its vicinity, one way or another in order to interact and exchange benefits and that disguised special kinds of benefits we call harms. To take our poem, we can say that some servants are wiser than others in order that they experience the exquisite pleasure of teaching others wisdom, while those less wise have the equally wonderful pleasure of learning exciting wisdom from a wise master. Look at a female cat and her kitten suckling her. Isn’t the she-cat as happy as her kitten because of the act of suckling? Isn’t the grandfather as happy as the grandchild he is playing games with? Read if you want what Allah (swt) says.
“ We have raised some of you above others in ranks so that some can employ others (for mutual benefit). ( 43:32)
You should know that through the eyes of each of us it is Allah who is watching everybody and everything else and through the hearts of each of us, it is Allah who is feeling what we feel towards each other and things. Read if you want.
“ Visions cannot perceive Him but He perceives all vision.”
“ Allah enters between man and his heart.”
“ We are nearer to him (man) than His jugular vein.”
Therefore, no sooner we hurt or please anybody, Allah knows it better than our recipient knows and takes offence or loves us together with the recipient. The difference of out qualifications or ranks in certain areas is ultimately irrelevant. The important thing in life and after death is our balance sheet of mutual hurts and favours. In this respect, we are absolutely equal and that is what matters. The greatest prophet is not entitles to hurt the lowliest infidel unduly more than that infidel is entitled to hurt the prophet. This is called “ al huqooq al ibad” whose infringements Allah promises not to forgive.
Lastly, whatever our ranks here and in the hereafter, our Creator took onto Himself to please us beyond our wildest expectations. Read if you want: “ He imposed on Himself Mercifulness,” and “ Say, “O my servants who exceeded all bounds in wronging themselves through sinning. Do not give up hoping for the Mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins without exception. Indeed, verily He is the Forgiver, the Merciful.”
You may ask, “ But what about those unrepentant faithless sinners?”
They will be punished and in fact are being punished sometimes while on this earth and we all see and know that. But, for every crime there is a proportionate punishment and no more. It is obvious from the verses of the Qu’ran that the guilty shall be very sorry and ashamed of themselves in hell. And Allah promised to keep them in hell forever.
Still, nobody can rule or overrule Allah. Criticise or question Him. He can change anything, anytime He wants. Read if you ant, “ Allah wipes out whatever He wants or confirms it. With Him is the Main Book,” and “ He cannot be held to account for anything He might have done, but you are help responsible (for your acts)”.
If and when Allah educates, disciplines and perfects any number of His servants and admits them to His felicitous company as He pleases, we couldn’t be happier for that.
“He is the one who rotates the hearts.”
Did I act virtuously and obediently our of my own perfections or was it out of Allah’s free favours that He made me do what I did that pleased Him? True, we feel in our hearts that we have some degree of control over our own egos and can therefore choose to obey or disobey our Lord. But that in itself is His free gift to us. He did not owe it to us. He does not owe anything to anybody in fact. He just pleases to create creatures and give them full happiness after a period of education, in ups and downs of earthly life which He is pleased to be necessary for in their final and triumphant felicity. In order to make us try and taste every possibility in life, He rotates our hearts from desire to desire, feeling to feeling, emotion to emotion and we have no control on, or defence against Him. Therefore, let us be humble and not boast our virtues and condemn too much those who seem more sinful than us (if they are at all- we may be wrong.)