Secrets Of The Universe
What are the secrets of the universe? How can we read the secrets of the universe? How can we read the secrets and wisdom of the universe, which is a great reason to believe?
The currents of power flowing within the universe are virtually divine poems, silent and wordless. Reading these poems is possible only to the extent of the depth of the heart’s receptivity.
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Roaming around in this school of the universe with a dim and sullen expression, and being unable to understand the tongues of roses, nightingales, winds, rivers and mountains, is nothing but to turn the heart into a dark wreck.
The world is a school of divine wisdom. Its students are the entirety of mankind, while its teachers are the noble Prophets. Prophets have taught the Book and wisdom to mankind, and have cleansed and trained them.
This school has two kinds of books:
- The verbal book, the Qur’an.
- The physical book, the universe.
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The Qur’an and the universe are two separate manifestations of divine revelation that elucidate one another. Allah the Almighty explains and interprets the verses displayed throughout the universe with the Qur’an, and in turn, throws light upon the verses expressed in the Qur’an with the universe.
Just as the Almighty warns and teaches us with the expressive verses of the Qur’an, He also does the same, time and again, through the physical verses of the book that is the universe.
Thus, remaining indifferent to the book of universe and responding to it with a blank stare is just as disastrous as being unconcerned with the verses of the Qur’an.
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On 137 occasions, Allah the Almighty invites us to contemplate the patterns of divine power and manifestations of His glory exhibited throughout the universe.
The Qur’an is a universe wrapped in words, which talks and gives advice…
The human being is a pillar of wisdom and monument of divine manifestations standing right at the juncture of the Qur’an and the universe…
And the universe is a book of mysteries and wisdom filled with miraculous verses and manifestations of the divine names. And in this regard, it is a silent Qur’an.
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The hearts of people who look at the universe with an eye for wisdom reach such a insight that the skies above them assume a depth, which offers a glimpse into the divine mysteries, much like a splendid chandelier….
The earth, with every tree and leaf, opens its hands in prayer to Allah (JJ) with a joyful shiver….
The grass becomes a prayer mat for the Muhammadan community, while the flowers blissfully surge among them like a joyous nation….
The cries spilling from the tiniest hearts of small birds, echo in the hearts of those devoted to the Truth as the most poignant hymns…
Mountains, the majestic signposts, appear as standing on their feet in the divine presence….
The clouds become an ocean roaming the skies as sources of inspiration and abundance…
Lighting turns into the sparks of fear and hope…Thunder and thunderbolts become the edicts of “Al-Qahhar” (The Prevailer), and aerial bombings that warn against ignorance…
Days become little specks of the divine light, while nights appear as moments to plunge deep into divine mysteries and wisdom…
In a nutshell, the most important education for a Muslim is to progress his heart by adhering, at every moment, to the divine command, “Read in the name of your Lord who created!” (Al-Alaq, 96:1)
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The path to attaining the Allah’s pleasure and nearness is to not turn to the art but to the Artist; not to the effect but to the Cause, and not to the provision but to the Provider.
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The entire universe is an exhibit of Allah the Almighty’s divine power and glory. The Almighty has organised these according to human understanding, given, of course, that the human being can observe them with love in his heart, with an eye to draw lessons, and through reflection.
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The currents of power flowing within the universe are virtually divine poems, silent and wordless. Reading these poems is possible only to the extent of the depth of the heart’s receptivity.
The job of the heart is to read the manifestations of divine glory and the tremendous flows of divine power and patterns, in the name of the Lord who created…
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The impeccable ecological balance within the universe which makes life possible, openly declares that such a delicate order can in no way be the result of coincidence. It is for this reason that the Almighty’s first command in the Qur’an is:
“Read in the name of your Lord who created!” (Al-Alaq, 96:1) In other words:
-Read the Qur’an with the eye of the heart.
-Read, reflectively, your own creation from a drop of water!
-Read, in awe, how you were crafted from an insignificant state to the best of forms!
-Read, with tremor, the transience of your own life!
-Call yourself to account with a reflective eye starting from now, and begin to browse your book of deeds which you shall one day be handed and ordered to ‘Read!’.
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When every atom in the universe, every letter of the Qur’an and every cell in the human body testifies, in their own language, that nothing has been created in vain, how sad a deception it is for man to yield to ignorance by assuming he was created without purpose, and lead an irresponsible life estranged to divine wisdom and truths.
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Given that the entire universe continues to be sustained by a delicate balance, how can the human being, the pinnacle of creation, become overwhelmed by his ego and behave with reckless abandon?
The Qur’an states:
“Did you imagine We created you without purpose and that you would not be brought back to Us?” (Al-Muminun, 23:115)
“Does man think he will be left to wander without aim?” (Al-Qiyamah, 75:36)
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Human being!
Do not gaze at life and the universe with blank eyes! Nothing is created in vain.
Allah the Mighty and Exalted has presented everything in the skies and the Earth, the inner and the outer, and in man and the universe as indications to the oneness and power of Allah, and has offered them to the human understanding as materials for contemplation.
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Allah the Almighty and the Wise has created everything with a perfect measure. Upon gazing at the universe, our eyes are struck with a divine order and perfection from the tiniest particles to the heavenly bodies.
Is there a single person who says, “Tomorrow, there may be a change in the air’s delicate makeup of 21% oxygen and 77% nitrogen, so I best walk around with an oxygen tank”? Even an atheist is able to live in comfort thanks to an implicit trust in the divine order. Yet, the blindness of his heart prevents him from belief.
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How tremendous it is that divine power allows us to peacefully yet vigilantly live between two oceans of fire, namely the magma bubbling beneath the earth and the Sun blazing in the sky!
Similarly, despite the existence of an array of bacteria inside our bodies our Allah grants us health. How great a folly and blindness of the heart it is to look upon all these blessings as mere coincidence.
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The universe is a school of contemplation, a laboratory of belief. To remain here without belief, the mind would require a stamp of cancellation, and the heart would have to be blind.
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A human being who can truly reflect on the endless wisdoms and truths contained within the marvel of divine art that is the universe, does not take long to grasp how all creatures on earth depend on a major source of knowledge and power just to stay alive. In effect, he understands that he lives in a miraculous wonderland thanks to suitable conditions which he could not, in any way, have the power to realise himself. No mind, reasoning or conscience able to understand this, could be brazen enough to rebel against Allah the Almighty.
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Man must ask himself:
Where have we come from, and where are we going? Why are there these comings and goings taking place? On whose property do we live? Who has given us all the opportunities we are entrusted with? From where have these blessings come and what purpose do they have? Have they come to be by themselves? Does anything really happen by itself?
By posing these questions, he should realise just how much the human being needs his Creator!
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A quick look at the universe shows that nothing lacks purpose. The Sun, Moon, the stars, the skies, Earth and all creatures fulfil their duties determined by a fixed divine appointment to the letter. They turn, work and move without stop. The same goes for the micro universe. The protons, neutrons, electrons and quarks inside an atom spin at a dizzying speed around the nucleus - whirling round in an endless state of motion.
How great a neglect it is for the human being to remain oblivious to this divine order!
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The universe is an annotation of the human being; and everything within, is active at any given moment. From the macrocosm to the microcosm, every being is putting in a constant effort.
-Billions of galaxies are in a continuous state of rotation and movement. The sun, the moon and the stars do not take any time off, even if it be for just one day a week.
-Our hearts do not appeal to us for annual leave.
-The protons, neutrons and electrons within the nucleus of an atom, which is considered the smallest particle of matter, are in constant rotation at an incredible speed. The electron inside the atom of a hydrogen spins around the nucleus at a speed of 2,000 km per second.
All this offers a blueprint for our life of worship, precisely in how we need to exert an effort that is moderate yet constant.
In fact, the Companions are the models of perseverance and effort who defied the difficult conditions of the time to go to the four corners of the Earth. And while reading out loud the Prophet’s (SAW) letters in the presence of hangmen, they never once flinched, nor felt tired and lazy. The pleasure of being a servant of Allah and a disciple of the Prophet (SAW) gave them an incredible energy.
A long-term rest for a Muslim only begins after a peaceful death at the end of a life serving the Almighty; and it continues into the grave and onto eternity.
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Nothing in the universe is created without wisdom. The universe is a book of contemplation where divine secrets and wisdoms are to be read with the eye of the heart. The ability to read these depends on how clearly the heart can see.
Such is a person who draws a lesson from springtime when observing the blooming flowers, the fertile soil and the exuberantly flowing creeks and rivers, and thinks, “I should commit myself with similar exuberance and energy to my purpose of existence, which is to worship and strive in the path of the Almighty…”
Upon seeing autumn, he, again, reaps another personal lesson. The falling yellow leaves remind him that the days of his life are fast running out. The cypresses shaking coyishly appear as though they are waving at him from the world beyond, while the sun slowly fading out of sight into the horizon gives him the impression of a harbinger signalling a looming end. With full awareness of these divine messages, he seeks to raise his effort and worship before it is too late.
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Millions of ants would not suffice to fill the insides of an elephant. Yet, the organs that allow the elephant to live are also found in ants, and in creatures even smaller. How tremendous is the Allah’s knowledge and power in both the micro and the macro!
Through the knowledge, wisdom and power displayed in His creation, Allah reminds both of the glory of His Essence, and the sheer weakness and nothingness of the human being before the divine splendour.
For example, a sheep created by Allah (JJ) eats grass, drinks water and produces milk. Yet, even if man was to set up a high-tech factory and feed it with grass and water from one end, he would still be unable to produce a drop of milk.
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Since the Earth was created, no food of any creature has been neglected. Countless dinners have been set up for each, and it will continue to be that way until the end of time.
Just to think that three quarters of the earth is covered in water. And most of the one quarter of land is barren deserts and rocky terrain. Only a small remainder of it is soil. Yet, how tremendous a power does Allah (JJ) possess that He has made this soil the source of all food to feed the creation since the day He created earth.
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How does a seed produce a massive tree? How does that tree yield tonnes of fruit? How does the entire plan and programme of existence possibly fit into that small seed?
How does a creature emerge out of an egg? How about the human being? How does he come to exist from a particle? Which power envelops all his limbs within that tiny particle?
With its extraordinary secrets of creation, every being bears the stamp of divine power and glory for eyes that see.
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Billions of biochemical actions take place within the tiny sections of the countless factories inside our bodies; and they function in a magnificent order without even our knowledge. Who knows how many errors we would make, if we were given the command over our bodily functions just for one hour? This alone suffices to make us realise how much we need our Creator, and how necessary it is for us to obey and submit to Him.
In the Qur’an, the Almighty asks:
“O Man! What has deluded you in respect to your Noble Lord?
He who created you and formed you and proportioned you and assembled you in whatever way He willed?” (Al-Infitar, 82:6-8)
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On one hand, the Almighty makes it possible for a ten-year-old child to drag an elephant, while on the other, He knocks out the strongest of men with a virus so small that it is hardly visible even under a microscope!
This means that man must never ascribe the strength and power given to him by the Almighty, to anything else. He must never boast or brag, and instead always remember the true source of all the blessings he has. He must be in a constant state of gratitude, and seek refuge in the Real, knowing that he is not even a speck of dust before divine glory.
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Shaykh Sadi Shirazi said:
“Allah the Almighty has created colours, scents, flowers and food out of earth so that your eyes, nose, mind and mouth can take pleasure.
He has produced a date tree from a seed, a date from the tree and honey from the bee.
For you, He has supplied a rose from among thorns, musk from the belly of a gazelle, gold from soil, and fresh leaves from a dry branch.
He has drawn your eyes and brows with His own hand of might.
He is the Powerful. And so, He feeds His servants such a wealth of blessings.
So, in response to all this, should you not constantly thank Him not just with your tongue but with all your organs and from the bottom of your heart?”
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Allah the Almighty wants us to gain depth in contemplating this divine glory. He desires us to understand the silent language of existence, and read the divine messages contained within these physical verses with the eye of the heart.
The earth, for example, talks to us about transience. Once we bear in mind that the earth under our feet has been there for thousands of years, we realise that we are virtually walking on the stacked-up shadows of billions of people who have come and gone before our time. Also, the clothes of skin for all future generations will come from the same earth. In other words, our bodies mark a tremendous flow out of earth and back into it.
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Is it possible to contemplate the divine power flowing within the universe and not feel admiration? For a moment, let us reflect on the glass of water we drink.
Water consists of two hydrogens and one oxygen. One is flammable and the other is not. Allah gives life to all creation through that liquid.
Who knows how many times a glass of water has gone back and forth between the skies and Earth since Earth was created? It descended on Earth, passed through the bodies of humans and animals, became blood and urine, and got muddied and sullied. It then evaporated with the heat of the sun, and the winds carried it around in the skies from one clime to another. That way, it got sifted through a filter, became purified to form a clean and lucid cloud. At times, it became a rain drop, while at others a snow flake, and made its way back down to Earth. And once more, it passes through many creatures, the soil, vegetables and fruits.
Who knows how many times just a single glass of water has made this cyclical journey between Earth and the skies since the day life was created? Even determining such a fact transcends human capacity. If the adventures of a single glass of water were to be recorded, it alone would comprise volumes upon volumes of books.
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Rumi (QS) uses this metaphor to encourage us to draw a lesson from water:
“Water feeds the needy and orphans of Earth, and gives life to those parched dry. But once it loses its purity, it becomes restless like us who have been tarnished on Earth, and is left astounded. It starts to silently wail. It says, ‘Oh Lord! Whatever You have given me, I have handed out and given it all away. Now, I have fallen destitute. I poured out all my capital, everything in my hands, into both the clean and the dirty. My Lord, who gives out capital… bless me with more.’
Upon hearing this prayer, Allah the Almighty commands the sun to, ‘Quickly raise it to the skies with your heat!’ And He commands the wind, ‘To take it to a pleasant place without roughing it up!’
He then puts the water on a path of sorts. After cleaning it in the skies, He makes it pour back on Earth, sometimes as rain, sometimes as snow and even hail. And in the end, He makes it reach the endless ocean that has no shore.”
By highlighting this epic adventure of water, Rumi (QS) advises the human being to:
“Get closer to the Lord and cleanse yourself from all dirt of the ego, just as water purifies itself in the skies. That way, become just like the water, and pour back down with blessings and mercy!”
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Water is just one of innumerable blessings we have. The water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and every blessing we have, whether we are aware of it or not, is an incredible favour for which we are simply unable to properly thank Allah.
A believer must always remember Allah the Almighty who provides these, and remark, ‘Oh Lord!’. With this mindset, he should strive to become a thankful servant.
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Snow falls in winter. Along with thousands of other underlying wisdoms, it adorns the Earth in pure white like a bridal chamber. What if the snow fell from the skies in terrible blood red or in black? How great a gloom would that have brought! How depressing would that have been for people!
Beneath that chilly, cold snow, thousands of species remain protected in the bosom of the Earth without freezing to death, as if they were cradled in a cot. When spring arrives and the snow melts, a variety of creatures emerge.
Once observed through the lens of wisdom, each creature on its own bears witness to divine glory.
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How about the flower? How does it emerge from the dark soil? How many colour experts or decorators work on it? To whom does Allah the Almighty give this? Why do not such displays exist in other planets or stars uninhabited by human beings?
Every being is a physical verse of Allah the Almighty. Of course, this is apparent only for the wise and a society that is willing to think.
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A small child is enough to steer an entire flock of camels once Allah puts them in the service of man. But if the Almighty wills otherwise, then a tiny virus can bring the downfall of whole empires. These are divine lessons from the book of the universe for those who know how to absorb them.
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Shaykh Sadi expresses our need to observe events with the eye of wisdom:
“Take a lesson from the disasters that befall you, so that others do not draw lessons from you.”
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Rumi (QS) also emphasises the importance of lending an ear to the lessons taught by disasters:
“Have you not heard what the wind did to the people of Aad? Or what the water did during the Deluge?
How the Red Sea destroyed Pharaoh, or how the ground swallowed up Korah?
What the birds did to Abraha’s army, or how a small fly ate away the head of Nimrod who claimed to be god?
How stones rained down on Lot’s (AS) depraved people, and how they were buried beneath a dark and repulsive lake?
If I was to explain in detail how beings thought to be lifeless have helped their Prophets just like mindful humans, the Mathnawi would become so lengthy and voluminous that forty camels would be unable to carry it!
If your eye was commanded to cause you trouble, it would a take a thousand revenges off you. If your tooth was ordered to punish you, it would make you writhe in pain.
Open the book of medicine and read the chapter on diseases. Read it so you see what the soldiers inside your body are capable of doing.
If the source of life within every living thing is Allah, then fear rebelling against Him! Obey His commands!”
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The Majestic Qur’an provides examples of nations lashed with the whip of divine punishment for ignoring the warnings they received. These are not historical events reserved only to the past. They rather serve to caution the whole of mankind until the final hour against the ignorance in which those nations fell.
Unfortunately, however, people who commit the same tyrannies and injustices as those miserable nations, who turn weak and helpless humans into modern slaves and exploit the people they see as nothing more than cogs in the wheel; and who also portray a deviancy such as homosexuality as a human right and criminalise even the slightest voice against it, are dominant today, strutting about on the world stage.
In the Qur’an, the Almighty states:
“If Allah were to take mankind to task for what they have earned, He would not leave a single creature crawling on it…” (Al-Fatir, 35:45). In other words, compliant with the ethos of this life as a stage of divine trial, Allah (JJ) mostly delays the punishment of tyrants to the afterlife.
In the past, Allah the Almighty destroyed Nimrod, who claimed to be god, with a fly; and had flocks of birds turn Abrahah into chewed-up straw after he had set out from Yemen with an army of elephants to destroy the Kaaba. At times, Allah (JJ) has also made people experience certain manifestations of wrath, to put those intoxicated with conceit and arrogance in their place, and caution mankind to correct their ways.
In fact, the contagious disease of coronavirus which, during 2020 and 2021, spread rapidly across the whole world, ought to be taken as a lesson. A virus rendered the whole of mankind anxious and weak. It reminded people just how helpless science, technology, money and power really are.
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Today, humanity asks, “Who sent this virus?” The answer is the same one who sent the flocks of birds upon Abrahah.
The world today has gone off the rails. The caste system where the strong oppresses the weak has returned. Global powers have signed off on heinous tyrannies and massacres just to exploit the weaker regions of earth. They have driven millions of persecuted and weak Muslims from their homes, and turned them into refugees. They have erased mercy from many countries, and scraped away any vestige of conscience.
Yet, how striking it is that the pandemic that struck Western countries with a tremendous force, was seen less in persecuted and ill-treated regions. As the so-called global superpowers seemingly writhed in agony, it was as if the persecuted people, gripped by a lack of material means, were protected behind a divine shield.
The virus did not spread much in camps flooded by Syrian refugees, despite it being extremely difficult to maintain hygiene and a sanitised environment in such places. It just shows that the virus well knows where to go.
So, what is the remedy? To turn to Allah the Ever-Forgiving, make plenty of repentance, and pray for those victims right before the break of dawn.
The more we open our hearts to the oppressed, empathise with their needs and run to their aid, the more Allah will protect us under His divine mercy, forgiveness and grace.
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A believer must know how to analyse the universe and the events, not through the narrow and shallow perspectives of secular and materialist people, but from the vast horizon of a heart which is imbued with trust in Allah.
Much like an earthquake, flood, wildfire or a similar disaster, the pandemic that has spread across earth is laden with a range of meanings, depending on the spiritual states of those affected:
-For some, it is a reason of martyrdom.
-For some, it is compensation for sins.
-For some, it is an elevation of rank.
-For some, it is a warning.
-And while for others, it is a punishment.
Just as there is need to take physical precautions, people are also obliged to take the necessary spiritual measures in line with their own personal situations.
Incidents like these will be followed -Allah-willing- by joy and salvation, only if they make us, as individuals and a community, face up to our mistakes and awaken us from our neglect and remind us of our responsibilities towards the Creator.
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A believer must assess every incident he encounters with the consciousness of his belief. Especially when faced with a trouble, he must immediately recall that it is foremost a test. Along with the physical precautions he must take under such circumstances, a believer must also search for spiritual precautions within the vitalising standards of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
The Qur’an declares:
“We sent Messengers to the nations before you, and afflicted those nations with hardships and distress so that hopefully they would humble themselves.
If only they had humbled themselves when Our violent force came upon them! However, their hearts were hard and the devil made what they were doing seem attractive to them.” (Al-An’am, 6:42-43)
This means that remorsefully repenting and pleading to Allah is the first precaution to take against troubles and tribulations. This, however, depends on being mindful of one’s weakness and nothingness before divine power and splendour, knowing personal limits and leading a life of service with a refined and sensitive heart. Those who can, listen to advice and protect themselves from trouble by learning a lesson. Hard hearts lacking this quality are also devoid of the opportunity to take a lesson and seek refuge in Allah when faced with any kind of trouble.
How telling is the below warning by Shaykh Sadi:
“If your ears are blocked to advice, you will one day see shackles on your feet.”
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It is common to judge an event by its external reason. Yet, any given event always also has an internal hidden reason.
Allah the Almighty has tied the general functioning of the universe to a schedule. Nobody is ever concerned that the sun and moon may fail to rise or set, or the amount of oxygen and nitrogen in the air may vary. These always follow the same system and measure. We, therefore, take them for granted.
However, in line with the wisdom of a ‘divine warning’, Allah the Almighty makes certain things happen outside of this schedule. Through these, He both reminds us of the power and glory of His Essence, and also of man’s nothingness and vulnerability. And in so doing, He invites His servants to draw a lesson, contemplate, repent and seek forgiveness.
We need to give this some thought:
When not even a leaf falls outside the Almighty’s knowledge and will, do these sudden floods, ravaging wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis and contagious diseases really happen through sheer coincidence? Did the virus which, in a short time, enslaved the entire globe, really appear uninvited?
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The Prophet (SAW) said:
“When fornication appears and is practiced openly, a nation will most certainly suffer a plague and illnesses never before seen in any other nation.” (Ibn Majah, Fitan, 22; Hakim, IV, 583/8623; Bayhaqi, Shuab, III, 197)
Some time ago, the HIV virus appeared, and around 30 million people have since died from the AIDS disease it caused and this illness almost never appeared among communities who guarded their chastity.
And as medical science is still busy researching a cure and developing treatments for it, other viruses have come to appear.
How striking it is that a tiny virus invisible to the naked eye is able to knock out a burly body. It even spreads such fear and concern that it threatens nations and economies that boast how ‘nothing can beat them’. It instils anxiety in every sector from transportation and health to education and all avenues of life, and forces people to take strict precautions.
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We are driven to so much panic by illnesses which we do not even know we will ever contract or how deadly they are but how anxious do we feel about our death which is certain? How occupied are our minds with our impending lives in the grave and the real life that awaits in the hereafter? What measures are we taking today to avoid falling into a position of regret tomorrow? How much effort do we make to protect ourselves and families from the real evils of this time?
Let us not forget that the physical bacteria belong only to this world. However, not taking the necessary precautions against the viruses of disbelief and immorality which destroy are souls may -Allah forbid- convert an eternal life into painful torment.
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Many comments can certainly be made in pinpointing the material and spiritual causes that have triggered earthquakes, droughts, floods, plagues of locus and especially the viral diseases that have recently become common:
-Mankind has entered a race to consume and pollute the soil, water, air and even space.
-For the sake of material ambition, the natural, wholesome and halal foods granted by Allah the Almighty have been abandoned for an artificial food diet.
-Global powers have turned innocent regions into pools of blood, all because of a clash of interests.
-Wealthy countries play deaf to the cries of millions of human beings driven from their homes and homelands.
-Countries that are the so-called defenders of human rights are pitiless enough to shut their borders on innocent people fleeing lands that have become scenes of catastrophe battered under constant bombardment. And not only would they rather see a handful of people drown than take them in as guests, they even go to the trouble of sinking their boats, and turning seas like the Mediterranean into a refugee graveyard.
-The world is showing a poverty of mercy and compassion by turning a blind eye on the corpses of babies washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean, and others in Africa dying of hunger.
-In the ongoing tragedies in places like East Turkestan, Arakan, Syria, Yemen, Gaza, Jerusalem and elsewhere, the tyrant and the powerful have a louder voice than the victims.
-Man has stepped into a new age in selfishness, vulgarity and brazenness where he practically idolises his own ego. And as a consequence, he has transmuted the times into a modern age of ignorance.
Without doubt, such tyrannies, atrocities and injustices are a manifestation divine of wrath.
The core of all these causes, however, is the “forgetting of the Allah and hereafter”. Once the glory and power of Allah the Almighty, as well as His vengeance from the wrongdoers, is forgotten along with the looming account and punishment of the hereafter, mankind becomes more oppressive and even wilder than hyenas.
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Time and again, the Earth undergoes great disasters. It goes without saying that we need to take the necessary precautions to survive these disasters with the least damage possible.
The greatest disaster, however, is the inability to read the messages delivered by these events, to ignore the divine signs and warnings they carry, and to misjudge them with a positivist and secular viewpoint. The Qur’an states:
“Corruption has appeared in both land and sea because of what people’s own hands have brought about so that they may taste something of what they have done so that hopefully they will turn back.” (Al-Rum, 30:41)
This divine warning reminds us of our responsibilities during the tribulations we experience.
Remaining ignorant of the causes that trigger natural disasters is an even greater disaster than the natural disasters themselves. The real disaster is to fail to take a lesson from those tribulations, and to point the finger at others, instead of facing up to personal mistakes and working to make amends.
The greatest disaster is to rely on our material means, strength, vigour, health, youth and especially relying so much on the advances we have made in science, technology and medicine. Then we become forgetful of the reality of death by distancing ourselves from our need for Allah the Almighty, duties of servanthood and the awareness of our nothingness before Him.
Allah the Almighty warns:
“Do they feel secure against Allah’s devising? No one feels secure against Allah’s devising except those who are lost.” (Al-Araf, 7:99)
The real disaster is, therefore, to be ignorant of Allah.
The real disaster is to forget death, the grave and the hereafter, and lay waste to life through rebellion.
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The Qur’an states:
“When they embark on ships, they call on Allah, making their deen (religion) sincerely His, but then when He delivers them safely to land, they associate others with Him.” (Al-Ankabut, 29:65)
We can apply this example of the ship to many events. For example, when an airplane encounters turbulence, all the passengers seek refuge in Allah (JJ), repent and begin to plea and beg. But once the trouble is over and the plane safely lands, they forget Allah completely.
Similarly, it would be a great deceit to turn to Allah the Almighty for deliverance from this contagious illness we endure as we speak, and then return to our negligent ways as soon as the danger passes. Such negligence itself invites other troubles.
It is, therefore, essential to increase our closeness to our Lord and protect our servanthood in both good times and bad.
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Nothing in the universe is without wisdom or in vain. Every being and every incident carry divine messages and teach lessons of wisdom. Of course, they do so only for eyes that see, ears that hear, minds that reflect and hearts that understand. For the ignorant who have bid farewell to conscience, reasoning and impartiality, and the fools whose inner sensitivities have become blunt, even the clearest warnings are nothing more than coincidental natural events!
As a wise man once said:
“The cosmos is a gallery of beauty for the wise, while for the fool, a place to eat and lust with prying eyes!”
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Earth is a grand school filled with divine secrets. The wise take many lessons of wisdom and reach the pinnacle of marifatullah (direct knowledge of Allah). The ignorant, on the other hand, assume that the school of life is merely place of pointless pursuits and pleasures. Yet, Allah says:
“We did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them as a game.” (Al-Dukhan, 44:38)
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The wise read the divine wisdoms and truths imprinted upon the book of the universe with the eye of their hearts. On the other hand, fools whose hearts are blunted by their egoism are like living corpses.
As Shaykh Sadi has said:
“For the intelligent, each leaf of a green tree is a book of divine knowledge. But for the fool, all the trees on earth are not worth a leaf.”
“A wise person even draws a lesson from a joke or a tale. But if you were to read one hundred chapters of wisdom to a fool, he will look upon it as a tale, and nothing more.”
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Imagine how petrified a person who is blind from birth would be, if he was to suddenly see. With a simple gaze around, he would be overwhelmed by the seas, trees and birds, as he would have never seen them before. He would exclaim, “How beautifully has my Lord created all this!”, and stand in admiration and amazement.
The human being stumbles upon thousands of these beautiful scenes every day. Yet, he often unmindfully passes by without any contemplation. This is no different to a hard rock that is unable to absorb a single drop of the fertile April rain bouncing off its surface.
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Roaming around in this school of the universe with a dim and sullen expression, without being able to understand the tongues of the roses, hyacinths, nightingales, winds, rivers and mountains and remaining apathetic to the manifestations of the divine names “Al-Bari” (The Maker) and “Al-Musawwir” (The Shaper) exhibited in creation, is nothing but to turn the heart into a dark wreck.
Hearts blinded to the countless manifestations of divine glory are no different to a person who dies of starvation despite sitting on a treasure.
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What a shame it is that raw souls are incapable of solving the mysteries of life and the universe for no other reason than their inability to experience the love and zest of faith; and that they pass by the silent and wordless expressions of the beings around them in uninspired state. Rumi (QS) said:
“An ox suddenly arrived in Baghdad, and roamed the city from one end to the other. But its eyes only saw melon and watermelon peels!
Oxen and donkeys are hooked on the hay scattered across the roads, the grass trampled upon by feet or the melon and watermelon peels tossed out in a corner!’’
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Just as the eyes can see nothing without light, the eye of the heart can see no truth without the light of faith, and the inspiration of the Qur’an and Sunnah. The light of the heart shines through contemplation. People of wisdom have, in fact, said:
“Whoever looks upon the world without taking a lesson, grows a blindness in his heart the size of that ignorance.” (Ibn Kathir, I, 448)
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People roaming Earth with a dim and sullen expression ignorantly play the game of ‘blindman’s bluff’. Yet, this will reduce their afterlife into an eternal blindness. The Qur’an, in fact, states:
“But if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and narrow one and on the Day of Rising we will gather him blind.
He will say, My Lord why have You gathered me blind when before I was able to see?’
He will say, ‘Just as Our signs came to you and you forgot them, in the same way you too are forgotten today.” (Ta-Ha, 20:124-126)
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Uthman (RA) said:
“A person ought to fear being raised up by Allah blind, even though he had seeing eyes in this life! A meaningful word suffices for a person who understands wisdom. But the spiritually deaf cannot hear the truth.”
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Key to faith is contemplation. A person able to see the truth cannot possibly fail to detect the divine signature, unique patterns and the endless flows of divine power in the world around him. Even if the eyes on his head are blind, he would still be able to see clearly with his eyes of prudence. As Rumi (QS) said:
“Even a blind person can tell from its heat that the sun has risen.”
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Our Allah (JJ)!
-Give our eyes a light to see the truth.
-Give our ears a light to hear the sound of the truth and the good.
-Give our hearts a light so that, wherever we may look, we are reminded of Your glorious Essence, and experience the peace of Your nearness.
Our Allah (JJ)!
Revive our hearts, expand our chests and cure our spiritual and physical illnesses!
Our Allah (JJ)!
With Your grace and generosity, grant the eyes of our hearts the ability to read the verbal and physical messages You have imprinted upon the books of the Qur’an and the universe, and the gift of returning to Your presence with a clean heart and face!
Amin!
Source: Osman Nuri TOPBAS, The Heart Of A Muslim, Erkam Publishing
