desires and Hell?
· How do satan, earthly desires and Hell bestow depth on a person?
· What is the wisdom behind the creation of difficulties?
As revealed in verse 30 of Surat al-Baqara, " When your Lord said to
the angels, 'I am putting a successive authority on the earth,' they
said, 'Why put on it one who will cause corruption on it and shed
blood when we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your purity?' He
said, 'I know what you do not know'," Allah created conscious
entities, human beings, even though angels were already in
existence This is because Allah loves human beings according to
their piety, who harbor a fervent love and fear of Him, who know and
praise His might, who love and appreciate His creations, who know
and are content with all the beauties He creates and who delight in
all these things, more than He does the angels. The reason why
Allah loves human beings more than the angels is that angels simply
obey Allah's commands, while human beings strive against satan and
earthly desires and believe in the mysteries without seeing Him. It
is because of these traits that separate man from the angels that
our Lord addresses our Prophet (saas) as "beloved," thus indicating
the love He feels for the Messengers and devout believers.
Rasulullah (saas) notes this love that Allah feels for His servants
in a hadith, " ALLAH said: "I have created you from My own light,
and other things from your light." ( Îmân Ahmed, Musnad IV-127;
Hâkim, Mustadrak II-600/4175; Ibni Hibban, Al- Ihsân XIV-312/6404;
Ajlûnî, Keshfu' al-Hâfâ I-265/827 ).
" Who could have a better faith than someone who submits himself
completely to Allah and is a good-doer, and follows the religion of
Abraham, a man of pure natural belief? Allah took Abraham as an
intimate friend." (Surat an-Nisa, 125)
In verse 125 of Surat an-Nisa', our Lord expresses His love of
those who have faith by speaking of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) as an
"intimate friend."
Our Lord Created Satan, Earthly Desires and Hell for Human Beings to Compare
Allah loves all fine things, including virtuous people, pleasant
views and delightful scenes and places. And He wants human beings
to delight in them, too. For example, He has sent down the verses of
the Qur'an with a delightful, melodious and magnificent harmony.
Had He wished, He could have sent them down without that harmony.
Had He wished, He could have created man in Paradise, without
creating the Earth and Hell at all. But if human beings had been
created directly in Paradise, they could never have known the
deficiencies of this world and the torments of Hell, and could never
have compared them and attained the fervor, depth and submission
desired by Allah. As revealed in verses of the Qur'an, Allah created
the Prophet Adam (pbuh) and his wife in Paradise. Despite being a
prophet, Adam (pbuh) fell into error because he knew nowhere else
other than Paradise. Indeed, verses reveal that the sorrow the
prophet Adam (pbuh) felt when he descended to earth stemmed from
his comparing this world with that of Paradise. This regret is
described as follows in verses:
" But satan made them slip up by means of it, expelling them from
where they were. We said, 'Go down from here as enemies to each
other! You will have residence on the earth and enjoyment for a
time.'
Then Adam received some words from his Lord and He turned towards
him. He is the Ever-Returning, the Most Merciful." (Surat
al-Baqara, 36- 37)
The beauty of anything can only be appreciated in comparison with
what is unpleasant and ugly, and virtue can only be appreciated when
compared with vice. One can compare the glorious variety and beauty
of life by putting good and bad, attractive and ugly side by side
and thus come to appreciate all the blessings one possesses.
Otherwise, one cannot give thanks for or appreciate the value of
one's blessings, and one would not wish to strive against one's
earthly desires in order to attain the infinite delights of
Paradise. One can only appreciate delights in this world and enjoy
Paradise in the Hereafter by making comparisons. But in that event,
by Allah's will, Paradise and all of its delights become a true
blessing.
Striving against Satan and His Supporters Bestows a Feeling of
Fervor and Depth
In the verse " Mankind! Eat what is good and lawful on the earth.
And do not follow in the footsteps of satan. He truly is an
outright enemy to you" ( Surat al-Baqara , 168) Allah reveals that
satan is the enemy of man and commands man to strive against him.
Had our Lord not created satan, there would be no struggle between
him and his supporters and Muslims, and no preaching of the word.
Having a profound faith, waging an intellectual struggle to bring
about the glorious reign of Islam, intending to be a follower of
Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), being a strong and honorable believer and
intellectually annihilating superstition and the way of the dajjal
all bring great joy and fervor to devout believers.
Indeed Allah in the past created Pharaoh against the Prophet Moses
(pbuh), Nimrod against the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), pagans and
hypocrites such as Abu Lahab and Abu Jahil against our Prophet
(saas) and the dajjal against Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), so that believers
can enjoy beauty and zeal. Allah sends the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)
back to earth for there to be beauty and so Muslims can delight in
it, and makes Hazrat KHidhir (pbuh) instrumental in many events.
Allah gives Muslims the impression that the innocent are suffering
for the test. They appear to be suffering and dying. But they do not
suffer at all. Our Lord says this of martyred Muslims, " They are
alive and well provided for in the very presence of their Lord, "
(Surat al-'Imran, 169) thus making their condition in His Presence
perfectly clear. But by creating troubles and martyrdom in this
way, Allah increases Muslims' feelings of zeal and eliminates
apathy and monotony.
Striving against Earthly Desires and the Difficulties One
Encounters Bestow Depth on a Person
Striving against satan and earthly desires allow one to reflect very
deeply. Allah loves a servant who thanks Him deeply, finds him very
beautiful, and at the end of his life in this world He will reward
the believer with the eternal life of Paradise.
One who fails to see the marvels and details that Allah creates in
this world will also fail to see them in Paradise. Someone who acts
in the light of earthly desires, who gives in to troubles and fails
to strive against them can take no pleasure fromPparadise if Allah
places him there. The glorious life of Paradise and all its delights
will mean nothing to him because he has not striven to earn
Paradise, has made no comparison between deficiencies and beauties
and has acquired no spiritual depth. But in the face of satan,
Hell, and earthly desires one acquires a glorious depth and never
forgets one's struggle for all time. One's endeavors in the face of
these tests created by Allah give one a profound mind and soul.
That is when Paradise becomes delightful for the believer. As
commanded in verses:
" O self at rest and at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleasing
and well-pleased! Enter among My slaves!
Enter My Garden.(Surat al-Fajr, 27- 30)
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