The prophets of Allah, peace be upon them, and those who possess
religious knowledge keep away from things which cloud their judgment
in any situation. First and foremost, they know that there are no
Asbab )means or ways( to anything except by the expressed Will of
Allah. It is following the commands and prohibitions that Allah
Almighty has prescribed for us that enables us recognize and see the
truth for truth and adhere to it, and to see falsehood as such and
avert it. Deception is the only other alternative. There is a striking
example of this in the Quran. When Talout, or Saul, set out to defeat
Goliath, he tested his men by prohibiting them during their force
march from drinking in a nearby river, saying: "He who drinks of it is
not of me" ]2:249[. Nearly all the men, perhaps thinking of the long
march ahead, and how they were going to need water for physical
strength, drank from the river—disobeying him! They calculated
strength and ability by physical means, instead of understanding that
God has power over all things and gives success to whom He wills.
By the time Saul crossed the river, those who had drunk from the water
said: "No strength have we today against Goliath and his forces," '
and they gave up! By disobeying God's messenger, they lost the true
power of faith in Allah!
But those who realized they would certainly meet Allah Almighty said:
How many a small company has prevailed over a more numerous company by
Allah's permission. And Allah is with those who are patient!" Those of
Saul's men who obeyed him, and knew that all might and power is with
Allah, were given deeper understanding and ability from Allah to
defeat the enemy."And when they went forth to ]face[ Goliath and his
soldiers, they said, 'Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly
our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.' So they
defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and
Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that
which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking ]some[ people
by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is
full of bounty to the worlds."]Quran 2:250-51[
The choice is ours
The believers know that Allah's supreme power is obvious in every
single thing that they see in this world, and that their own
capabilities are given to them only by Allah—and may be taken away
from them By Him Almighty at anytime. Sometimes the Companions of
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, would shake out of
fear of not living from one moment to the next. Living with such
awareness is living with full knowledge of Allah's absolute Lordship
over His creation.
The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, referred to Allah Almighty
as "the One in Whose Hands is my soul." This underscores the
incredible sense of awe he felt toward his Creator, the Giver of Life,
and the Bringer of Death. Allah Almighty gave the Prophet Muhammad,
sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his Companions, may Allah be pleased
with them, ultimate strength and victory in this life. But why do most
of our peers have such a drastically different sense?
It contrasts so markedly with our own because the state of the
Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, came from a conscious
effort and deliberate choice. Believers constantly remind themselves
of Allah's absolute power over existence. Disbelievers, on the other
hand, do not see signs of Allah Almighty at all—anywhere. The reason
for this is quite simple: The Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa
sallam, said Allah Says:"I am at the contemplation of My servants: I
am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I
too, remember him in Myself."
Imagine that. The intimacy between Allah Almighty and the individual
human is dependant in the sense of spiritual favor on how often we
ourselves actually choose to open our hearts and turn to our Creator
in gratefulness and repentance, and for signs of guidance. If we do
not turn to Allah Almighty, we have no guarantee that He Almighty will
turn to us. But if we turn to Him, then Allah Almighty is the
Ever-Returning. He will turn to us, give us knowledge of Him,
strengthen our hearts, and open up doors for our advancement in the
real life to come.
He Almighty is the one who purifies His servants' intellect and gives
them a criterion for understanding the values of things in the life of
this world, till they meet Him in the next. Allah Almighty gives His
obedient servants a criterion for recognizing the true nature of power
and might, and the ultimate value of the things around them and the
actions they choose to do. There is a connection between these three
things—the Divine criterion, the true nature of power, and the
ultimate value of things and actions—which the human being
instinctively relies upon even in his daily interactions with others.
We must look to utilize this part of our human nature in our daily
interactions with Allah Almighty.
For there is no power nor might nor value to anything except through Him.
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