Inspite of this, their heart are so dark and cold that they cannot remain steadfast and fall back into the quagmire of infidelity and polytheism. Their situation and the history of preceding nations is a witness to this fact. Allah-SWT sent His-SWT Messengers"-AS and when they did not believe in them, punishment was inflicted in the form of famine, destruction of crops and various diseases. This too was a manifestation of Divine Mercy for them, in order to awaken in them the natural capabilities that help revert to Allah-SWT . But they failed to turn to Him-SWT and cry out or ask for His-SWT Forgiveness. This was because their hearts had hardened to an extent that even after so much suffering, they could not make themselves remember Allah-SWT . The callousness of the heart is indeed such a strange sickness that it makes man lose his natural capabilities, lie begins to see only what the Satan wants him to see. Hence Satan gets a chance to make evil deeds look beautiful to him. Then such people feel proud of their wrong doings and oppressive conduct, instead of feeling embarrassed and ashamed.
Sometimes it so happens, that when people completely forget the Divine Commands, their mundane wealth is increased. This too is a trial from Allah-SWT , to give them a chance, that they may turn to Him-SWT in gratitude and become His-SWT obedient folk. But drowned in the darkness of the heart, they ascribe the increase in their wealth to their own efforts and become arrogant instead. According to Hadith if a person possesses all the riches and yet indulges in sin continuously, beware that he shall soon be seized by Divine Punishment. Thus Allah-SWT abruptly took to task those who failed to repent and reform themselves. Some were drowned, others annihilated by lire from the heavens, and for some the land was turned upside down. The fate of many nations has been recollected in the Quran. When these people were seized they were left with no hope of help from anywhere and even their relics were obliterated from the face of earth. Praise be to Allah-SWT , the Sustainer of the Universe: the destruction of transgressors is also a gesture of His-SWT Mercy for the rest of His-SWT creations.
O' Prophet-SW remind them that Allah-SWT has blessed them with the senses of seeing and hearing and He-SWT is capable of taking them back. Just as the eyes and ears are the organs of physical body the heart too has been given the requisite organs to see, hear, and comprehend. All the senses given to the physical body-are also given to the heart in another form. Now if He-SWT does not seize the physical faculties. He-SWT seals off the heart as a punishment, depriving it of its senses. Is then there any other god, who besides Allah-SWT can restore these senses? Certainly not! When this is not possible, it does not seem proper to worship or obey anyone but Allah-SWT . See how clear and explicit Signs are being revealed, but they do not benefit from them and are at a loss!
The Righteous also Face Hardships
These infidels probably think that if Allah-SWT's Punishment is to come, it will destroy both the nobles as well as the malefactors, so why worry. They must be informed that this certainly is not the case. Whether punishment is inflicted suddenly or gradually; it is always for the transgressors and those who believe nations who were destroyed. The problems faced by the righteous in this world do not come as punishment, rather, they serve as a source of atonement for their mistakes or as rewards lo elevate their ranks. The non-believers and the evil doers, on the other hand, suffer punishment for their sins.
Miracles or Karamah not Necessary for Prophet-AS or Wali
The very personage of the Holy Prophet-SW itself was a great miracle. The Makkans were a witness to his childhood, his youth, his elegance and his exemplary manners. Then came the sudden oration of such words, which were not only true, but of such highest literay standards that they left the eloquents of Arabia speechless. The event of his-SW Ascension and the absolutely correct answers he-SW gave to the queries of the polytheists of Makkah about the Dome of Rock and the Caravan was also miraculous. Take the splitting of the moon, which was not only seen by the Makkans, but also elsewhere in the world. The pictures of the moon clearly indicate a fissure as if it has once been split and reunited. Nevertheless, while describing the Office of Prophethood and its functions. Allah-SWT declares that it is not the duty of a Prophet-AS ’ to fulfil all that the non-believers demand nor is it a must for him to manifest miracles, The manifestation of miracles is a blessing from Allah-SWT for the guidance of mankind but even if a Prophet-AS does not perform a single miracle throughout his lifetime, it does not negate his office. Certainly, he will be a Prophet-AS if appointed by Allah-SWT . The proof of his Prophethood would be the knowledges termed as Ilahiyat, which deal with the knowledge of the Supreme Being and His-SWT Attributes, this world and the Hereafter, the beliefs and practices and the end results thereof. Thus the functions of the Office of Prophethood are to teach the right beliefs, to guide towards the righteous conduct and to inform on the rewards, and to forewarn against the consequences of wrong beliefs. Then it is upto each individual to decide for himself which way he wants to go. Those who believe in the Message conveyed by the Prophet-AS‘s and reform themselves are indeed successful. They will neither grieve over their past nor fear the future. Those who go against the Prophet-AS indeed deny Allah-SWT's Words, as he does not speak of his own accord but only conveys Allah-SWT's Message. Therefore, they shall face reprisal in this world, and will be punished much more severely in the Hereafter. The saints perform the same very task of inviting people towards Allah-SWT in obedience of the Prophets-AS
Prophets--AS not Raised to fulfill Mundane Needs
To demand from the Prophets-AS that they should make those who believe in them wealthy or should inform their followers of future events or guide them in trade by foreseeing the future such as rates of commodities, is indeed ignorance. Allaah-SWT tells the Holy Prophet"SAAW that even though it may be possible for him to fulfil all such demands, yet he-SW should make it clear to people, that he lays no claim on Allah-SWT's treasures, nor does he-SW claim to know the unseen.
Soothsaying
Remember that all Divine blessings, whether in the form of Barakah or knowledges, distributed amongst the entire creation, is only a fraction of what the Holy Prophet-SW was blessed with. Its assessment, however, is beyond human reach. But inspite of all this, a Prophet-AS‘s does not claim having any authority over the treasures of Allah-SWT, nor is any promise of financial gains a motive or condition for accepting the faith. This is typical of religions based on falsehood to associate worldly gains with worships and beliefs thereby deceiving the people. Another thing considered as an excellence in these ungodly religions are the knowledges of soothsaying, numerology and divination; some of these are a demonstration of evil powers, while others are like medical science, depending largely upon human experiences and conjectures. The experts of these fields sometimes recount events not known by others and thus convince people of their knowledge of the unseen. But this is not the knowledge of the unseen, nor is it the knowledge revealed to the Prophets"-AS nor because of this can the soothsayer be termed as the knower of the unseen. A soothsayer's or a fortune teller's knowledge is limited to things otherwise accessible through various scientific devices: for example, watching the events taking place in other parts of the world or any future prophecy based on conjecture. However, the doors to the heavens are not opened to them.
Although the knowledge of the Prophet-AS‘s pertains to the matters of the unseen, such as Allah-SWT, the Angels, the Hereafter, the Hell and the Paradise, yet the Quran terms it as information on the unseen. Having the knowledge of unseen is only Allah-SWT's Attribute. He knows everything on His-SWT Own, without employing any means It is a consensus of the entire Ummah that the Holy Prophet'-SAAW received the lion's share of the knowledges given out by Allaah-SWT yet it is only information on the unseen. They Holy Prophet"SAAW made it clear that he does not claim to know the unseen. And the misconception the infidels had about a Prophet-AS, that he should neither eat nor drink, nor marry nor sleep, was absurd. These were human qualities and he had never claimed to be an angel. He only claimed to receive Allah-SWT's Revelation. For him the trial was lo practise what he preached. Had he failed to practise himself, they could have objected that if the Message had been from Allah-SWT then His-SWT Messenger-AS, had to be the first to practise it himself. His claim as well as his actions, are known to them and his character was his true identification. He prays for some, gives others the glad tidings of victory or warns them against Allah-SWT's Punishment. Nothing he says is on his own, but all is from Allah-SWT . He only conveys it to the people. This is the greatest form of his excellence. Wealth or worldly success can be acquired through a king or an influential person, but the honour to have a dialogue with Allah-SWT can only be attained through a Prophet-AS. This is the real reason of relationship with a Prophet-AS. The worldly benefits are definitely gained in the process, but they are only peripheral and not at all the real aim.
The Identification of a Wali
A very important rule emerges about the concept that wealth, children or succour in absentia can be attained by visiting the Aulia. It is totally false. It is also untrue that they are different from the rest of mankind and live in jungles without food. In fact, the only identification is that their hearts are illuminated with the light transmitted by the Holy Prophet-SW and in their company, the hearts of seekers too become enlightened. Thev themselves abide by Allah-SWT's Commands, and those who associate with them are also blessed with a spirit to obey Him-SWT , which indeed is a great reward.
Let it be also known to the non-believers that anyone who follows the Message of Allah-SWT can observe both the worlds, while the denier is blind. A believer keeps an eye on the likely outcome of all his actions on the Day of Judgement, while a non-believer is oblivious of the consequence even in this life. Therefore, take note that a blind and a clear-sighted can never be equal. While in this world, there is an opportunity to think, which may lead to repentance. The blindness of the heart is indeed-the most fatal of the diseases. May Allah-SWT protect us!
