In an ultimate way, the answer to these and other similar questions is
simple: Allah Almighty has willed it. This is so because nothing can
happen in this world except by the permission of its mighty Creator
and wise Lord, Allah, The Most High.
All of this happens because Allah Almighty, in His infinite wisdom,
created laws and means )including evil( which allow certain outcomes,
regardless of whether He loves it or not. This does not absolve people
from their intentions and deeds, but quite the opposite. It forms the
crucible and volitional test of human faith. This is known as Allah's
Creative Will or Al-Iraadah Al-Kawniyah.
Allah Almighty also has what is known as the Prescriptive Will,
Al-Iraadah Ash-Shar'iyah—or the Sharee`ah—which prescribes for us what
Allah Almighty requires us to avoid and loves for us to do. Here Allah
Almighty sets forth unambiguously what He detests as evil and what He
loves and aides; namely, good, the righteous, and the good deeds they
do.
Consequently, everything, good or bad, occurs under Allah's knowledge
and happens only by His permission and creation. Making wars,
conquests and the defeat of the weak by the physically strong, all
take place by His permission because that is His Creative Will but at
the intention and choice of man. Thus Allah Almighty Says in the Quran
)what means(:"In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He
wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful. ]It is[ the
promise of Allah. Allah does not fail in His promise, but most of the
people do not know .They know what is apparent of the worldly life,
but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware."]Quran 30:5-7[
Reflecting upon history and reality shows us that Allah Almighty has
made us into various competing communities and nations, who vie with
one another for glory. Allah Almighty gives and takes from whom He
pleases, even according strength to those He despises. Yet, as the
preceding verses indicate, material displays of strength are
deceiving. Allah Almighty has created them as an illusion for the
disbelievers and those who have disregarded His signs. Strength in
this world is meaningless in the next, because it cannot be truly
substantial unless it occurs under God's favor.
So it might be a fair question to ask ourselves what do might and
power mean for the Muslim—a person who declares: La hawla wa la
quwwata illa billah, or "There is neither might nor power save with
Allah?"
In the course of our answer to this, we will see that the root of the
oppression that Allah Almighty mentions time and again in the Quran
originates from a crucial misunderstanding of power, the illusion we
mentioned previously. All the oppressors in the world perceive
themselves as strong and the makers of their own destiny as well as
the destiny of others. But the Quran makes clear that everything is as
God wills, and that "indeed, Allah is powerful over all things" ]Quran
2:20[.
So our question develops. What is the nature of power and does Allah
wish us to view it? Then what sort of concepts about power may we have
to correct in ourselves when we answer our question?
Power and Devine knowledge
Consider Ibrahim, Father of Prophets, Friend of God. He approached
King Nimrod, calling him to submit to Allah Almighty. But Nimrod
doubted and disputed him, simply because Allah Almighty had granted
him kingship )2:258(. In arrogance, Nimrod saw his kingdom and control
over other people as a sign that his power made him responsible to no
one. But Ibrahim, peace be upon him, insisted: "My Lord is He Who
gives life and gives death." And Nimrod said: "I give life and give
death."And it was true in a sense. Nimrod could decree the execution
of whomever he wished in his kingdom.
But Ibrahim, peace be upon him, saw that Nimrod's argument was sheer
falsehood. "Then, indeed, it is Allah who brings the sun from the
East. So you bring from the West." Nimrod could not answer. Ibrahim,
peace be upon him, knew the flimsiness of Nimrod's arguments, how weak
a web of self-deception he had spun for himself. He recognized the
difference between the violent might and meaningless power of Nimrod,
and the wise and ultimate nature of true power from Allah. Prophet
Ibrahim, peace be upon him, knew true power comes only from complete
submission to God, not from physical outbursts and the compulsion of
others.
The same is evident from the Prophet Muhammadwho said:"A strong person
is not the one who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong
person is the one who contains himself when he is angry."]Al-Bukhari[
The believer does not wish to extend his human limitations onto other
people through needless violence, harsh words, and spiteful thoughts.
Allah Almighty Says )what means(:"And do not turn your cheek ]in
contempt[ toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly.
Indeed, Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful."]Quran
31:18[
This Quranic verse shows attributes, not of the strong, but the
spiritually weak. Instead, the strong man of God is in selfless
devotion to his Creator. The Prophet Muhammaddid not take his revenge
on the people of Makkah when he conquered it. He did not raise his
voice at those who disrespected him. Instead, he went against most of
the expectations of what the Arabs considered to be actions of the
strong and powerful at that time. In this was a sign of his real
strength.
When we desire to oppose oppression, we must remember that we serve
only the One who has created all things, and not the created things
themselves. We have all heard the expression: "Do not fall in love
with the things of this world." But it is equally true to say: "Do not
fall into hatred of the things of this world."
To succumb to either condition is to abandon our submission to Allah
for surrender to the world and its illusions, which become controlling
over us. It is to lose sight of ultimate purposes and ends, and out of
love or hate, to focus on the temporary and miss the eternal. We lose
ourselves to our own emotions instead of locating ourselves in the
refuge of the All-Merciful.
It is always better to seek to live by Allah's commands than to follow
our false desires. An example of this is the celebrated anecdote of
Ali ibn abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, on the battlefield.
His enemy fell beneath him, open to the deathblow. At that moment, he
spat in Ali's face. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, held his
stroke and turned away, to the astonishment of his opponent, who asked
him why. His action would have emerged not from obedience to Allah,
but from personal anger, making it insincere.
Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, recognized that to strike at that
moment would be to transfer his submission from the Divine to the
dunya )world(, controlled by the actions of his enemy or his physical
emotions. If this story is true, it goes a long way to show the solid
character of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, who wanted his heart
to be moved only by Allah Almighty and for His sake alone, not the
deception of this world.
He sacrificed a display of physical strength )at that moment(, so he
might observe the limits Allah had established )not to kill for one's
own whims or motives(. He knew that all power in this world comes from
Allah alone, and this power loses its meaning if it is not used in His
way. Through this type of action, Allah made him and many other
Companions of Prophet Muhammadof the strongest and wisest of His
servants.
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