THE WILL OF ALLAH PREVAILS IN SHAPING THE DESTINY OF MAN, LETTING THE LIGHT OF GUIDANCE SHINE IN A HEART TO MAKE IT PERCEIVE THE DIVINE REALITY (SURAH INSAN-76 Part-III)

 

      

The human mind is such that it can grasp the fact of His existence and the manifestation of those attributes but can never grasp the How of His reality. This remembrance and appreciation of Him in everything around makes one overcome the resistances encountered in the way of truth.  “and bear in mind thy Sustainer's name at morn and evening” (Quran 76:25). This remembrance be carried out at all the times of wakefulness and in those times whenever unhappiness oppresses one and everything seems dark around.  “and during some of the night, and prostrate thyself before Him, and extol His limitless glory throughout the long night” (Quran 76:26). Those who will remain mindful of Allah, will never put the abode of Hereafter behind and will never be heedless of this. “Behold, they (who are unmindful of God) love this

fleeting life, and leave behind them (all thought of) a grief-laden Day. (Quran 76:27). They very well know that He who endowed their bodies and minds with the ability to enjoy “this fleeting life” can very easily replace this all as well. It may then be granted to other human beings who would have the same powers of body and mind, but would put them to better use.  “(They will not admit to themselves that) it is We who have created them and strengthened their make- and (that) if it be Our will We can replace them entirely with others of their kind” (Quran 76:28).

      This Quran is no doubt a reminder for those who want to attain guidance and through this guidance one will be able to save oneself from the Fire. “VERILY, all this is an admonition: whoever, then, so wills, may unto his Sustainer find a way” (Quran 76:29). Though one must work hard to please Him in order to attain this guidance but somehow this does not happen as such.  “But you cannot will it unless God wills (to show you that way): for, behold, God is indeed all-seeing, wise” (Quran 76: 30). It all depends upon the fact that whomever He wills and on whom His mercy prevails, will get the guidance towards the right path. Those who will remain grateful will become the recipients of His guidance. Now It’s all up to a man to prove himself either grateful or ungrateful. “He admits unto His grace everyone who wills (to be admitted); but as for the evildoers - for them has He readied grievous suffering (in the life to come)” (Quran 76:31). Whoever He guides, there is no one who can lead him astray; and whoever He leads astray, there is no one who can guide him. One cannot will for something and have it, unless Allah wills the same for him. So one needs to adhere to His guidance and surrender to Him in servitude.

     Every single mortal, brought into this world shouldn’t forget its beginning, that is the fluid that was guided by Allah to a path which led to the beginning of the life in the womb (Saadat, 2009). The man is thrown into the life helpless, coming into existence from a state of nothingness but soon after settling down, he seldom opts to ponder upon his beginning. It is He who fashions His creation in the best stature, raising him from a state of humility and worthlessness to a level of nobleness. However, the will of Allah doesn’t stop. It prevails in shaping the destiny of His man. If His will isn’t there, a man can’t even wish to get guidance. It’s no difficult for Him to replace him with others of his kind. It’s in fact His divine love (surrounding us) that if we see, hear, feel and experience, then we can know it. This guidance (divine revelations) remains all around us until we go back to the womb (earth) towards our final life. Man has been given the faculties of seeing, speaking, thinking and understanding to recognize and to voice the truth of God's existence. It’s the faith that illuminates the heart and the reality of all things become evident. But since when a person isn’t a true believer, his own evil self, weakens his divine element, and all the faculties then become subservient to Satan. His lower self takes over and it becomes difficult for him to distinguish between the good and bad. The multiple gifts of faculties endowed upon us, in this physical world should be made use of while attempting to get the guidance from the Book of Allah. For if we failed to do so, we may not be able to see the things in the right perspective and may not get the right guidance that we are seeking.  This will very easily deviate us from conducting our life in proportionate to the ideal position that we are capable of reaching in the sight of Allah. A position that would have helped us getting closer to Allah.

       This ability to grasp the wisdom of both the inner essences and outer forms of created things is a bestowal of Allah upon the ones whom He chooses among humanity, out of His love. Without this wisdom the understanding of the overt and subtle truths hidden in the depths of this Divine scripture becomes difficult. Its granted to those obedient ones who are willing to listen and see. It’s a reward for those who are faithful, righteous and whom Allah loves. He blesses them with peace and tranquility of hearts which in turn gives them the happiness even if it’s all that they possess. But if one loses this, then one can feel so miserable even if he possesses everything. 

    In this world we are compounded with both the divine and the satanic attributes, and the attribute that will dominate a particular moment will define our destiny for that moment.  The paradise (gardens) has to be earned, and is not cheap. Leaving aside the worldly delights by sacrificing self and enduring hardships by refraining from prohibited things, somehow becomes more relevant in pursuit of the completion of eternal dream. Which the Quran has more often described in terms of the allegories of blissful gardens, shades, clusters of fruits, drinks, immortal youths, garments of silk and brocade adorned with silver. This movement into heavens will take place only if the mind is able to extinguish the flames of envy, rancor, malice, living a vigilant and careful life in respect to that which Allah approves. However, the one who pulls down the curtains over the eyes of the heart will never be able to appreciate the truth and will plunge into darkness, which will throw him into an awful torment-full of fire and fury. This has been mentioned by chains and shackles and the blazing flames. Allah knows about human creation down to the finest details and commands us to think about it. So while one must not forget his humble beginning as a drop, one must also keep the eye of the heart open to appreciate the truth and consider himself an ocean that holds treasures (paradise) all placed in his arms (Mohiuddin, 2016).

      The remembrance of One Allah be carried out at all the times; the times of happiness and the times of unhappiness, when everything seems dark around. This remembrance is the only way to fill the heart with happiness. This only needs a simple realization of the fact that both the good and the bad times are in reality the perfectly crafted chapters in the story of life, being placed to test our faith and strength and bring us to a place where we find ourselves just at His mercy. It brings us closer to trust and accept His plans and that’s the only way to make this journey better in both the worlds (Fathi, 2018).

       It’s nothing to a man’s credit, it’s Allah’s Grace and Will that guides a man in this life. He allows those who wish to be guided, to be guided aright, and He allows or leaves those who wish to stray to be left astray for the period of the test. He guides those whose hearts incline to Him and then He lifts the seal/veil and the guidance soak into the heart and become quite natural to the person. He causes the light of guidance to shine in his heart giving an insight to perceive Divine reality and guides him to the path of those who are guided (Abdullah, 2019).