It is common observation that a person enjoying the favours of Allah-SWT cannot bear their withdrawal. For instance, if he suffers a financial loss or suffers from ill health or is ousted from power, he resorts to open despondency and ingratitude. However, if Allah-SWT restores His-SWT Favours unto him, in the form of wealth, health or power, he becomes boastful and arrogant. He then begins to deem himself above the law, and carries an air of superiority about himself.
Effects of Divine Cognition
Every person not blessed with Divine Cognition displays such attitude. However, those who are blessed with even an iota of it persevere under the most rigorous conditions. In case of financial loss they remain hopeful of a redressal from Allah-SWT and when profited they always thank Him-SWT and enjoy His-SWT Blessings within the perimeters of His-SWT obedience. Under no circumstances do they drift away from the path of righteousness and are always eager to obey the Holy Prophet-SW. As long as one's thinking remains restricted to the material resources one does not experience any peace. However, when it is extended to contemplate the Greatness of the Creator of all the resources, one is at peace in happiness as well as in sorrow. Thus a person becomes strong and persevere under all circumstances. Sabr (perseverance) means restraining oneself from evil and exerting all efforts to practise piety. This is why perseverance occurs in the Quran concomitantly with good deeds. However, inspite of best efforts in persevering on piety if there remain any shortcomings by virtue of being human, Allah-SWT ’s Clemency shall compensate them. Of course, His-SWT Mercy is designed for such people and for them awaits a great reward.
Endorsement of Truth is indeed the Refutation of Falsehood
The polytheists often took exception to the Holy Prophet-SW‘ ‘s rather stern admonitions against their deities and ancestral rituals. They argued that the Holy Prophet-SW may well propagate his-SW own Din but why should he-SW refute their religion? Their objections were unreasonable because to establish the truth, refutation of falsehood becomes inevitable. Two contradictory views cannot be true simultaneously. Moreover, it is Allah-SWT Who refutes disbelief, the ungodly rituals and the false deities and not the Holy Prophet-SW, as he-SW only explains what is revealed unto him-SW, a duty he-SW cannot abandon under any circumstances.
It proves that the fear of annoying anyone cannot deter a believer from conveying the truth and neither can infidelity and Islam be pleased at one and the same time. Nor should it distress the Holy Prophet-SW when the infidels object why a treasure had not been sent unto him-SW to enable him to make people believe through a royal splendour. Or why was he not accompanied by an angel who could call out to the people to believe in him for he was Allah-SWT ’s Messenger-SW? Both of these aspects did not suit the purpose of Prophethood as faith involves a sincere acknowledgement of the Greatness of Allah-SWT and of the credibility of His-SWT Prophet-SW. If such an acknowledgement is received through wealth, it will not render the person a Muslim.
Makkan Era was Devoid of Affluence
It is also proved that during the Makkan period of the Holy Prophet-SW‘s life was devoid of worldly riches, otherwise this objection could not have been raised by the polytheists. Hence the claim made, by the Ani-Islamic Movements in the garb of Muslims, that some of the people had converted to Islam only for material gains in Makkah is totally invalid. Moreover, even if an angel had descended it would have been of no help to the infidels because they could not have been able to see or hear him. And if the angel had appeared in human form they would have still maintained the same objection. Had they witnessed the angels and heard them, the condition of believing in the unseen would have been compromised. When they refuse to accept the truth despite witnessing clear miracles and the noble life of the Holy Prophet-SW ,how could anything else have convinced them? Besides, the Holy Prophet is Allah-SWT ’s Messenger-SW whose responsibility is to forewarn mankind of the perilous consequences of evil and disbelief, so that they could find ways of protecting themselves. The manifestation of miracles and signs is purely Allah-SWT ’s Domain who has Authority over everything. So the infidels should dare to demand them from Him-SWT . In fact Abu Jahl did make such a wish that if the Message conveyed by the Holy Prophet-SW was true, Allaah-SWT may destroy them, which was duly fulfilled at Badr.
The infidels would also accuse the Holy Prophet-SW of compiling the Quran himself while they were well aware of the fact that he-SW was unlettered and had never stepped into a school. For forty long years he-SW had not spoken anything the like of Quran. How could he-SW suddenly begin to speak such unique words which spelled out solutions to all the problems of mankind, acquainted man with his Creator and constituted a literary masterpiece?
The Holy Prophet-SW must tell these infidels that if such a composition was possible, they must invite their writers and poets and also their deities to join hands and produce only ten Ayat similar to the Quran, comparable to its overt and covert beauty and excellence, and laden with the blessings of both the worlds. They should do it if they are true in their assertions. And if they and their deities fail to do so it is itself a great proof that this Quran is a treasure of Divine Knowledge, which He-SWT has revealed to His-SWT Beloved Prophet-SW. Furthermore, it is also proven that Allah-SWT Alone is to be worshipped. As no one can share any of His-SWT Attributes, so is He-SWT Alone worthy of worship. Therefore, they must submit and embrace Islam.
However, if they do not accept the faith and continue to pursue worldly pleasures, they must beware that whoever neglects Allah-SWT and seeks only this world, Allah-SWT confines his sphere of activity to this world. If he does something good, Allah-SWT pays him back in terms of material gains right here. The Commentators have discussed this point at length as to whether this Ayah applies only to the non believers or to the Muslims as well. In fact it applies to the former, as seeking the world denotes the act of neglecting the faith in pursuit of worldly gains. However, if the latter acts piously with an intention to acquire only material gains from his good deeds, he is only a Muslim by name because actions are based on intentions. All the ungodly religions have one thing in common that they all promise worldly benefits in return for worship. Hence a person who verbally declares himself a Muslim, but his heart is saturated with cupidity, to the extent that even when he does Sajdah before Allah-SWT it is only to earn fame or wealth, he will be listed with those with whom he shares this trait. Of course, earning a livelihood within the framework of Allah-SWT's obedience is not prohibited. Moreover, those who covet only material gains are given wealth or fame, power or health etc in return for any good work done by them, but they are left with nothing for eternal life except the fire of Hell. The world by itself is mortal and with it will perish all their achievement and the hard work they had put in to execute their plans.
There are only two nations in the world, the non believing and the believing. So they can never be similar. The conduct of the believer is governed by beliefs and ideology based on truth revealed by Allah-SWT while the non believers have refuted it. The greatest evidence is the Quran itself, which the believers recite and is unique in every aspect. It highlights the Divine Being and His-SWT Attributes and discusses the Akhirah, the celestial world, the angels, Jannah and Hell, as well as the accountability. If the non believers have difficulty in the analysis of these facts, they may refer to the history of preceding nations contained in it and the complete code of practical life including politics, science and medicine. It has also foretold the future events, and no one has ever been able to refute its contents nor produce anything similar. With all its miracles, the Quran itself is the greatest witness to its own veracity. The Divine Books preceding it like Torah revealed to Prophet Musa-AS, provided the best guidance in their times. Reading and practising them was a source of attaining Divine Mercy. A Muslim believes in all the preceding Divine Revelations too. And the large number of non believers who deny the Quran and the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet-SW must not be misled by their worldly riches and remember that they have been promised Hell where they shall eternally dwell. A believer must never harbour the slightest doubt in his mind over the Quran which is based on truth and has been revealed by the Almighty Allah-SWT . His-SWT Providence demands that every individual must bear the consequence of his beliefs and actions. Hence the outcome of an infidel's disbeliefs and practices is Hell but most of the people are bereft of it.
Adopting Ungodly Religions is the Worst of Transgressions
No greater transgression can be conceived than the fabrication of a lie against Allah-SWT , or to ascribe something to Him-SWT which is not ordained by Him-SWT . All the ungodly religions are based on the same very concept. An imaginary deity is accepted as the most powerful being, rituals are devised and considered to be a source of pleasing it. Such people are indeed outrageously sinful. All those who issue fanciful verdicts also fall under this category. One day all of them shall stand before Allah-SWT and the eyewitnesses to their conduct will call out aloud, identifying them as the guilty. They will testify that these were the ones who invented lies over Allah-SWT . Amongst the witnesses will be the angels, the earth, their own limbs and their actions personified. So beware that the wicked will be accursed by Allah-SWT , which means that they would be deprived of all aspects of His-SWT Mercy. It will be so because they hindered people from the Path of Allah and led them astray and had no faith in the Akhirah. This lack of faith in the Akhirah is indeed the main reason behind disbelief. Those who give false verdicts in Din and introduce innovations and rituals therein also harbour the same denial in their bosoms, though they do not express it.
Hence these transgressors will be taken to task at a time predestined, for they cannot hide from Allah-SWT , nor can they find anyone's help against Him-SWT . Rather they would be tormented manifolds, for their own sins as well as the misdeeds of all those whom they had misled. Allah-SWT gave them hearing power but they failed to listen to the truth. He-SWT blessed them with eyesight but they failed to behold the truth. They not only destroyed themselves but all their suppositions and fabrications also proved a hoax.
Compared to these, the believers accepted the facts revealed by Allah-SWT and conveyed by His-SWT Messenger-SW .They gave their best in the execution of Allah-SWT's Commands while acknowledging their own humility, which means that instead of imposing their personal opinions they submitted to the Will of Allaah-SWT and His-SWT Prophet-SW .They are the dwellers of Jannah wherein they shall abide forever.
The two nations of believers and the non believers may well be described as the latter being blind and deaf while the former having the power to see and hear. This, of course, does not refer to physical state of these faculties but to the state of the Qalb, which if void of the light of faith, makes a person blind and deaf towards the truth. If the Qalb is enlightened with faith, one cannot only behold and hear the truth, but also believe it. And if one is fortunate enough to benefit from the company of the accomplished and attains the blessings of the Holy Prophet-SW these faculties are enhanced manifold. Verily, these two groups can never be the same. The difference between them is not difficult to discern, if only one reflects.
