Epiphany of the Self-minded Soul
May 08, 2007 | 22 Rabbi al-Thanni 1428
It is not my customary approach to be preachy. On the whole, I despise self-aggrandizing rhetoric but I feel compelled to share the thoughts that came over me this morning. I had an experience today while going to take my final. Not exactly an epiphany but something significant none the less.
To give a little background, I have been re-reading Tafsir Ibn Kathir over again lately as well as some biographical material on the Prophet, sallahu alayhi wa sallam, as well as my general Qur’anic readings for memorization. And as I was striding up to Temple to hand in my final paper, I lamented about having to drop a course this term. My initial reaction was, “Damn. One more class I gotta make up.” And as my mind started to crunch the data as to how far that might set me back a little light went off in my head…
It is so often that we humans think of things in both linear fashions as well as leaning towards individualistic tendencies. It’s normal, I suppose, though that should be no excuse to not combat those innate characteristics of our being that are less desirable. So to begin to bring this together, the Qur’anic verse went off in my head [all translations by yours truly]: “Laa yukallifu Allahu nafsan illaa wus’ahaa” (Allah does not place a burden on a sould greater than it can bear) suwratul Baqarah, The Cow, 2:286.
For the first time in my fifteen years as a Muslim, I reexamined this verse [a trend I seem to be doing more as of late]. What did it mean? Was it straightforward as it seemed or could there be something further, something more subtle or even more expansive. As this thought was bouncing around in my head another verse went off, from the suwrah I’m currently memorizing, Yunus [Jonah]: “Wa idtha massa al-Insaana ad-durru da’aanaa ljanbihi aw qaaidan aw qaa’iman,” (And when a calamity touches Mankind, he calls upon Us, laying on his side, sitting, or standing), “Fa lammaa kashafnaa ‘anhu durrahu marra ka’an lam yad’unaa ilaa durrin massa, kadhaalika zuyyina lilmusrifiyna maa kanuw ya’lamuwn” (And when We remove his calamity he proceeds upon his way as if he had never called upon Us for that calamity! Such is the way that the ingrates make what they do seem fair) suwratu Yunus, Jonah, 10:12.
To complete the triumvant, the next two verses also chimed in, “Inna al-Insaana lirbbihi lakanuwd, wa innahu ‘alaa dthaalika lashahiyd” [Without a doubt, Mankind is ungrateful to his Lord and He (or he) is a witness to it] suwratul ‘Aadiyaat, The Steeds, 100:6-7. Ingratitude? Arrogance? All in face of God’s bounty? That’s what started to piece together. It is so often that Man [and I lump myself in here] sees his calamity from his own perspective, judging it from his/mine/our limited scope or viewpoint. But God sees everything from all stances. Was it lamentable that I had to drop a course or could that in itself be the burden I was unable to bear? Sadly, at the time of dropping my course, not once did I give thought that this may be a rahmah [a mercy]. Ibn Kathir points out two valid opinions on interpreting, “wa innahu ‘alaa dthaalika lashahiyd” [and He (or he) is a witness to it], meaning that God is most certainly aware of Mankind’s ungracious attitude. But the second opinion is that Man himself is aware of this. Perhaps now, in hindsight, I have become aware of my ingratitude.
Again, I hope this will not be taken as grandstanding but as one brother who just wants to share some thoughts – and God knows best.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Salaams, and thanks, Safiyah. It reminded me of one of the themes that Dr. Sherman Jackson talked about last year at the Seerah talk that he give at NYU and that Revelation is a top-down phenomenon and so is Allah’s bounty. It is not to say that a person cannot do good and therefore influence Allah’s deliverance of His bounty but as in the following saying, it is ultimately up to Him and beyond our control and/or perspective: “good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people”.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
wow
sometimes you come across something that feels like it was written only for you.
left speechless and humbled and in tears.
may Allah always listen to your pleas as he listened to mine - and may you never be as forgetful as i have been.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:26 am
It is a relief when you can find a perspective that God always knows all; that it is our comfort.
We may know limited, but there are grains of knowledge to let us know that the rest of what we do not know is all playing into God’s vision. Let our shortcomings be our successes and our victories be our admonitions - for God’s message is for those who hear.
I have no scripture to quote, but I have a saying that keeps me in perspective:
“All who know do not say, all who say do not know; But everything known could be wrong - so there is faith.”
Good to see the blog up Marqas!