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 | | Subject: WHO IS ALLAH PART 4 Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:41 pm | |
| Rahîmiyyat - The Third Divine Grace
The third Divine Grace, Rahîmiyyat, follows His Rahmâniyyat. The difference between this and Rahmâniyyat is that in the case of the latter the beneficiary is not under obligation to make himself good or bring his ego out of the coverings of darkness, or to put forward any effort to take advantage of it. In the case of Rahîmiyyat striving and effort and purification of the  and supplication and attention towards God and every other kind of appropriate effort are needed. He alone receives this grace who seeks it and this grace descends upon those who work for it. Allâh says:
“And those who strive hard in Our cause, We will certainly guide them to the ways that lead to Us” (29:69)
It is out of this grace that our prayers and supplications are accepted:
"And when My servants ask you concerning Me (tell them), I am nearby indeed, I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me, so they should respond to My call, and believe in Me (that I possess all these attributes) so that they may proceed in the right way.” (2:186).
By virtue of this grace God’s name is al-Rahîm, the Ever Merciful. Since the attribute of Rahîmiyyat follows upon the fulfilment of certain conditions it is mentioned after Rahmâniyyat. This Mercy can be acquired by obligations, in a way as the verse 7:156 continues to inform us or by Divine Grace followed by what is said in verse 48:2.
This Qur'ân is sent by the All-Mighty, the Ever Merciful (- Al-Azîz al-Rahîm) (36:5)
Mâlikîyyat - The Fourth Divine Grace
The fourth Divine grace - Mâlikîyyat - Master of the Day of Requital, is followed by Rahîmiyyat. To bring creation to perfection, the manifestation of Mâlikîyyat is also needed, as submission to the laws brings in the reward which results in the advancement of human beings. Disobedience to the laws must result in punishment and as a result of this retardation in progress. There are ample indications in the nature that the Divine Law of requital is constantly at work and is being manifested every moment. In fact, the punishment of wrong is necessary in the Divine scheme, as is the reward of good. Reward and punishment are different phases of the exercise of the attribute of Rabûbîyyat, for the perfection is still the object, and Hell is nothing but a nursing home, a kind of a hospital till the souls of sinners are completely cleansed of the taint of the disease of sin. Fear of punishment and punishment is the only deterring influence in crushing evil. The pressure of legal penalties is a discourager of wrong and wherever it relaxes its hold, evil begins to crop up.
The fear of punishment in this world and the Hereafter acts as a deterrent in this respect; such can hardly be the case with the belief in the Atonement. If God could not find any other remedy for the cleansing of human sins, then there is no need of any good action on our part. There are few human beings who pursue virtue for its own sake. It is the requital and reward of virtue, especially seen in its efficacy in counterbalancing the effects of sin that they fulfil the law and lead a good life. But if the same thing is attainable merely by a belief in the “Grace of Blood”, few would consider it worthwhile to bear the hardships and trials of the life of piety and righteousness. Belief in the Atonement obviates the necessity for good deeds. We must not forget that it is only the awe and fear of Divine Majesty that can safeguard against sin and evil. Once one realizes that God is dispenser of punishment as well, and that His punishment is severe (2:165), that awesome consciousness would become a barrier against sins. The idea of atonement makes a person unbridled and wayward. But compassionate mercy and mastery stimulate both hope and effort. Mâlikîyyat supported by culture and progress has played havoc with the belief in Atonement. Belief in this attribute, when rendered into action in our daily life, would bring our culture and civilization to collapse. It is useless to sing hymns at the top of our voices if we are not leading Godly lives. He does not stand in need of any adoration from us. It is neither creditable to Him nor profitable to us. It is very dangerous to believe in things that not only have no bearing on our life but are actually harmful in their effects on the building of our character. In the matter of culture and civilization such beliefs as Atonement have proved an implacable enemy to human progress. Virtue and vice, both in their growth and origin, are in the right proportion with strength or weakness of our belief in law and its forces. Crimes come to the surface in quarters where law and order can be avoided without fear of detection and punishment. And law loses all its force and cannot compel universal attachment unless and until some reward or punishment comes to its fulfiller or breaker. We cannot imagine any greater harm to the very fabric of human society than that which comes to us as a natural growth by reason of our belief in a doctrine of Atonement that either weakens our sense of responsibility or causes us to lose our physical or moral strength and divests us of a motive for action. So to bring creation to perfection, the attribute of Mâlik yaum al-dîn, Master of the Day of Requital, is needed. Hence in the very opening chapter of the Holy Qur'ân this basic attribute is mentioned. This sequence is in agreement with the book of nature. Perfect composition in a book of revelation demands that the order followed in the book of nature should also be kept in view in a book of revelation. To reverse the natural order in composition is to reverse the law of nature. For a perfect composition it was also necessary that the order of nature, as if it were its photograph, which is natural, and in fact prior, should be prior in description also.
While describing the attribute the word Mâlik or Master and not the Judge or Administrator of Justice to meet out the requital of good and evil is very significant. The essential difference between a judge and master is that the former is bound to punish the evildoers for each and every evil and crime, while the master can exercise his discretion, and may either punish the evildoer or forgive him and pass over his sins and crimes. It is because of this fact that the Holy Qur'ân says
“O my servants who have committed excesses against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allâh (that Allâh is going to punish you at all cost, and cannot forgive your sins). Surely Allâh forgives all sins. Verily He is the Great Protector, the Ever Merciful.” (39:53).
Hence the attribute of Mâlik and Master is introduced to link the idea of punishment with that of forgiveness and mercy. In the body of the Qur'ân, Allâh is also mentioned as Al-Ghafûr (91 times), Al-Ghâfir, and Al Ghaffâr with the cognate verb forms (560 times). Hence it will be seen that the Qur'ân gives prominence to the attributes of love and mercy in Allâh to an extent where the parallel is not to be met with in any other book.
On one hand, the Holy Qur'ân stresses the fact that the Divine Law of Requital of deeds is working every moment and thus makes a human being feel the responsibility of what he does, and on the other hand gives prominence to the quality of forgiveness in Divine nature. So the law of requital is not like a rigid law of nature but like the dealing of a most gracious and ever merciful master.
It is here that the makers of the modern Christian creed have made their greatest error. Such doctrines were incorporated from paganism. They are contrary to the very teachings of Jesus Christ, who demands of every person that he should bear his own cross. It is wrong to think that a human being was born with a hereditary stain upon him, and this stain for which he was not personally responsible had to be atoned for, and that God was compelled to make a blood sacrifice of His own innocent son in order to neutralize this mysterious curse. It goes against the justice and mercy of our Creator. It is a piece of superstition and can no longer receive approval from reason and culture. It was to popularize the Christian faith with the pagan world that the dogma of God incarnate with other mystery tenets in its brain was incorporated into the real and simple faith of Jesus Christ. The borrowed  , though, remained deep and thick enough for centuries to conceal the real faith and have in the meantime become threadbare and are no longer in demand. The suffering God is no longer an ideal in the estimate of the thinking laity. The crucified deity is thus an old myth, well enough for a child’s imagination or for those who are inclined to shift their burden on the shoulders of others. They think that the Son of God is needed to atone for the evil deeds of humanity, since God, being a judge, cannot, and should not, forgive sins without taking revenge unless somebody can be found to provide a compensation. This conception of theirs is against both the justice and mercy of God. God is a Master and He is therefore able to forgive.
The Grace of Mâlikîyyat has nothing to do with the autocracy, inexorability, vengeance and cruelty. On the contrary, this Grace along with the graces of Rahmânîyyat and Rahîmîyyat, which are the graces of love and mercy are emphasized in the Holy Qur'ân and in the sayings of the Holy Prophet again and again. Not only does every chapter of the Holy Qur'ân open with the attributes Rahmân and Rahîm, thus showing that the qualities of love and mercy are predominant in Divine nature, but the following text lays a big stress in explicit words on the immeasurable vastness of the Divine Mercy.
We read in the Holy Qur'ân passages like these which were already cited above:
“He has taken upon Himself the rule of mercy” (6:12, 54),
“Your Lord is the Lord of All-Embracing Mercy” (6:146),
"My mercy embraces all things” (7:156),
“Our Lord, You embrace each and every thing in Your mercy” (40:7).
Abû Hurairah told that he heard Allah’s Messenger say, "Allâh, Most High, had inscribed a document before bringing the creation into being: 'My Mercy has preceded my anger' and that this is written in His presence above the throne." (Bukhârî)
So great is the Divine mercy and love of Allâh that it encompasses believers and disbelievers alike. The picture of the Divine graces portrayed in the Holy Qur'ân is, first and last, a picture of love and mercy and punishment is to impress that evil is a most hateful thing, which ought to be shunned. The punishment itself, as described, is of a remedial nature and has in it nothing of vengeance or intolerance. His punishment is the treatment of a disease, which a human being has brought upon himself and it is only for a limited time. It is still love and affection, as its object is still to set a person on the path of progress, after healing the disease.
“And We sent (Messengers) towards the communities before you, (because of their rejection) We afflicted them with destitution, calamities, and adversities (to discipline them and) so that they might become humble before us (and to set them again on the path of progress).” (6:42, 7:94).
These four Divine Graces are the prime and fundamental source of all other attributes of Allâh. They form the pivot around which all the other Divine attributes revolve, and the basis of the working of the universe and of the labour between Allâh and human beings. Our surprise knows no bounds when we think of the Divine economy of words in the selection of these four names for our meditation. Not only do they serve the purpose of theology but they are comprehensive enough to bring with their scope all that is needed to guide us through all conceivable avenues of human activity and perfect civilization. They are our guide in mundane affairs as well as in morals and spiritualism. Whatever branch of life we may enter upon, we find in these attributes the surest of guidance by which we can achieve our aim of life and real progress and greatness.
Al-Hamdo li (A)llâh - The Opening Words in the Holy Qur'ân
The Holy Qur'ân begins with the words Al-Hamdo li (A)llâh. In the light of what has been said above these words mean: Every type of true praise, whether relating to external aspects or internal realities, whether relating to inherent excellencies or as manifested in natural phenomena, is due only to Allâh. No other shares in it. There is no excellence which the wisdom of the wise can imagine or that the mind of a thinker can contemplate, but belongs to Allâh, the Supreme. This praise, which is offered in appreciation of commendable action of One worthy of praise, and lauding One Who has done a favour of His own volition and according to His own choice. It is the due only of the Being Who is the source of all Grace and Light and exercises beneficences deliberately and not in ignorance or under compulsion or like a robot, mechanical to some extent, efficient but devoid of sensibility, will and volition. All this is formed in Allâh only. He is the true Benefactor and Ever Merciful. If the suspension of His operation for a single moment were to be imagined, the earth and the heavens and all that exists therein would perish instantly. If we tried to count His Excellencies we would not be able to number them, even if we exerted ourselves hard (31:27). He is known through His glories and Excellencies. Praise is inspired by His qualities, the perfection of beauty (Rabb and Rahmân) and the perfection of beneficence (Rahîm). If a being imbibe in him His Excellencies his melts and yearns for Him with fervent devotion and love and worships Him with all his humbleness. He is then drawn closer to that peerless and unique Being. That is why in the very opening chapter (al-Fatihah) of the Holy Qur'ân this charming description and beautiful picture of Allâh has been set forth, Whose Excellencies are the culmination of beauty and beneficence and Who suffers not from any shortcoming or defect. God says:
He has given you of all that you wanted of Him by your natural demand. And if you try to count Allah’s bounties you will not be able to number them. Surely a human being is very unjust, very ungrateful. (14:34)
Countless Thy favours
O God!
A hundred thousand tongues
Can deliver not the thanks
due to Thee.
Favours upon favours
Has Thou showered
On the handful of dust
Life entire
Is indebted to Thee
Thy universal care
Al-Wadûd - Allâh’s Attribute of Love
“And He is the Most Forgiving and the Most Loving” (85:14)
The Qur'ân gives us a long list of Allâh's attributes. If we take a look at them, we will find that a great number of them bear on Allah’s love, mercy, grace, concern, affection, friendship and attachment. Majesty (Jalâl) and beauty (Jamâl) are two intrinsic attributes of awe (Haybat), and bewilderment (Hayrat) is the effect of Majesty (Jalâl) and Beauty (Jamâl) on the human being. Many things that are existent become the object of awe. Allâh says that He is Wadûd - Lovely and Loving. He also is Wallî, a Friend, Companion, Comrade. In human hearts, Love for Allâh, our Creator, is embedded deep. There is no lover and no beloved except Allâh. This Love is a basic and inborn human instinct. It is a part of human nature and it is part of the human seed. In the words of Rûmî:
My navel cord was cut
With promise of Thy love
for me
And in my nature didst
Thou sow
the seed of my love
for Thee.
The Holy Prophet said, Allâh loves His servants much more than a mother. It is not that a human being is not acquainted with love. His is capable of love of many different kinds - love of parents, love of one’s children, love of near relations, love of riches. How is it that the Being to Whom we owe our every thing and to love whom is a guarantee of our welfare in this life and the Hereafter is considered to be inappropriate as an object of love? We can find no peace of mind without His love and without worship. The Holy Qur'ân says,
“I have created the jinn (- fiery natured and haughty) and the ordinary people only that they may worship Me” (51:56)
It would be unworthy of Him that He should have created us for the above purpose and not have provided means and the capacities and capabilities for doing it. The first step towards attaining this goal is strong desire, strong yearning and strong love for the object we worship. Worship without love and adoration is of no meaning. It is for this reason that love of Allâh is part of our natural endowment and an inborn yearning. We have an inborn desire for communion with Him. Worship is not an affliction or an imposition, as He does not have the slightest need for it. He does not depend on us for His praise and glorification. We need to praise and glorify Him for our own sake, to illuminate, purify, get comfort, and peace of mind. Our and soul needs the light of worship. The largest measure of worldly success, material wealth, kingly power, personal glory and fame cannot by themselves lead to true happiness and genuine peace of mind. These blessings are vouchsafed only to the soul which is deep in love with God and which has attained communion with Allâh.
Love has its motives, its springs, perfection of beauty and perfection of beneficence, and these are the unique qualities of Allâh. Beauty and beneficence and love are connected naturally and eternally, where there is beauty and beneficence there must be love. And nothing is more beautiful and kind than Allâh. Where there is strong love there is a strong longing to see the loved one. Overpowered with love and affection, Moses was compelled to say:
"Lord! Reveal Yourself to me so that I may look at You (and Your Beauty)”. (7:143)
If He were to momentarily unveil Himself and manifest a glimpse of His sublime beauty and glory, all creatures would be stunned prostrate before His overpowering majesty (7:143). But as "the physical vision cannot comprehend Him" (6:103), He invites us again and again to ponder over the evidences of the perfection of His beauty and perfection of beneficence.
Who is it that created the heavens and the earth, and sends down water for you from the clouds? (It is We.) Then We cause to grow with it orchards full of bloom and loveliness. You had no power to cause their trees to grow. Is there any god with Allâh? (There is none;) yet there are a people who ascribe (to Him) equals (in all these works) (27:60).
He invites us again and again to ponder over His creation (6:95-99; 10:4; 10:34; 16:6; 50:7; 55:11; 67:3-5). Why this repeated invitation to ponder over His creation? Why the wonderful work of which our Creator is the author is described in the Holy Qur'ân again and again? Why this repeated appeal? Is it not because He wants to kindle the flame of love in our hearts? Knowledge and awareness of perfection is bound to create love of Him. The first thing that moves us to love is beauty. It attracts us. The appreciation of beauty is the part of human nature. It is not possible that there should be beauty and it should not move us. Who has created this beauty? Not self-created, for sure. He Who has created all this beauty, how very beautiful must be He Himself. It does not make good logic that He should be able to create beauty but Himself remain devoid of it. He Who gives beauty to others, how can He be without it Himself? Who enriches others must be rich Himself. He who has nothing himself, what can he give to others? Surprising, a penniless beggar offering charity. His beauty makes us forget all other beauties. His grace makes us forget those nearest and dearest to us. But for His animating beauty there would have been no beauty anywhere in the world. The enchantment of beautiful faces comes all from Him; the colour of all flowers too comes from Him. This eternal beauty, even a passing view of it, could inspire verses like the following:
Patent and perverse
Is this Light of lights
The whole world has become
One large mirror
For the willing to see.
Yesternight the moon I saw,
Made me lose my peace
For some thing in it resembled
The Beauty of the One
Loved by me.
Its beauty abundant
Has filled my
With frenzied joy - therefore
Tell me not of Tartar
or the Turkish beauty.
The waves in the ocean, the sun,
Are witness into Thee.
Each scintillating star is a scene
of radiance
That is Thee.
The beauty of all beauties
of this world,
is Beauty of Thine
The rose, the rose garden,
Receives their colour
From the garden that’s Thee.
The heavy-lidded drunken eye
Of every beauty
Reveals only Thee:
The curved lock
On every cheek
Has its hand
Pointing to Thee.
Wave of Thy beauty
Are to be seen
In the effulgence
Of the sun, and every star
Carries a beam
Of Thy flash!
With Thine own hands
Hast Thou sprinkled biting salt
On the wounded souls:
So, naturally, therefore,
On every side, now,
Is raging a tumult
Of the waxing cries of love,
Wrung from the desolate
Of the disconsolate lovers!
For those blind
Of eye, thousands of veils
Have come to hang betwixt:
Otherwise, Thine own face,
Thine own approval,
And pleasure, was the final
Aim and object of every
Believer and nonbeliever!
Thy charming looks constitute
A sharp sword, which cuts
Clean through everything--
Cuts clean through every
Other loyalty, and love!
That I be able to meet
Thee, I have mingled
With the dust, hoping, thereby,
To find some remedy, would put
An end to this torture
Of separation
Not even
For a single moment,
Do I find any rest,
Any peace, without Thee:
My life is all the time
Sinking like the
Of an ailing person.
Find out quick
What is the meaning
Of these cries, this noise
This tumult, in Thy love?
Turn Thy attention, immediately
Lest the blood of a lovesick
Caught in the violent throes
Of love, should finally come
To lose his life!
The only thing really,
that matters in this world
is Thy love, material life
Is nothing but a pitiful
Groping, in a thick
And baffling darkness!
Thou art, indeed,
My sweetheart,
And this love, alone,
Is the love that is real,
And pure!
So strange, diverse,
In all directions scattered
O beloved Lord!
Is Thy power.
Should we but look--
Around, above, below--
Every time we view
Some aspect of Thee
For Thy sweet sake,
I have scattered the dust,
that is me, on the winds
That blow; This is the way
I have lived my life,
Right from the moment
I came to know this
Is the indispensable
Condition of all genuine
Cases of loyalty
And love!
It is possible that on account of his own insensitive mind a person may not feel the impact of beauty when in its presence - the same as animals would remain unmoved by it. Likewise, his own lack of spiritual insight may not permit him to discern in earthly beauty a pointer to the Divine beauty, Who is the eternal, everlasting and the ultimate source of all other beauties - ephemeral and fleeing, though, essentially in character. It is an undeniable truth that beauty and love are connected naturally and eternally. Where there is beauty there must be love, and nothing is more beautiful than Allâh. As Allâh is without body, so the beauty of Allâh is not confined to the physical what we see. Beauty is excellence proper to the person whose beauty is being judged and is in question.
Another thing that moves us to love and inspire the spontaneously with admiration and strong liking, inclination and ardour is the perfection of beneficence. If a being contains both these excellencies - the perfection of beauty and the perfection of beneficence - the melts and yearns for him with fervent devotion. Islam aims at impressing these two excellencies of the Supreme Being upon the seekers after truth. So that we may be drawn to that peerless and Unique Being and worship Him with fervent devotion and yearning.
(Say O Prophet!,) "I ask no reward from you for (my preaching). All that I ask you is to cherish the strongest love to be near (to Him).” (42:23)
A human being, it is true, is bound to love Allâh; does Allâh also love a human being in return? Yes, Allah’s love for a human being is clearly proved and promised. He is One Most Approving and One Most Appreciating (64:16). We cannot have the least doubt that He will not respond to our love by His. A storm of love in one’s but no response to it by Allâh, this is impossible. How can we in return attract His attention? The way to it is told to us in the following verse:
Say (O Prophet!), “Follow me if you love Allâh. (If you do so) Allâh will love you and grant you protection from your sins. Allâh is Great Protector, Ever Merciful.” (3:31).
What a transparent, persuasive and eloquent affirmation we have here of Allah’s love for human beings. Not the least doubt is left that Allâh loves him who qualifies for His love and fulfil his obligation towards Him (64:16-17).
TO BE COUNTINIOU | |
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