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- Creed and Quran Miraculousness
Lust as a constituent of the Divine Assignment:
1- Who is the slave of lust?
Dear brother, this is lesson number 16 of the series "Creed and the Inimitability of Quran". In the previous lecture we started the topic of "Lust" which is one of the constituents of the Divine Assignment. The majority of people believe that without lusts people would never sin and they support their claims with proofs.
((Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Let the slave of Dinar and Dirham, of Quantify and Khamisa perish as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him."))
Man might be a slave of Dinar, Dirham, his stomach, his private parts or his clothes (appearance). In fact, this Hadith describes those who worship their lusts instead of worshiping Allah, and this concept is mentioned in the Quran in the following Ayah where Allah says:
﴾ Have you (O Muhammad PBUH) seen him who has taken as his ilah (god) his own desire?﴿
As you all know, in Arabic we refer to worshipers by using two words: either Abeed, or Ibad, and while the former is the plural of Abd (servant) who submits to Allah compulsorily, the latter is the plural of Abd (a devoted servant) who submits to Allah willingly out of gratitude. When man gets acquainted with Allah willingly, loves Him, obeys Him, submits to Him, adheres to His Method and becomes charitable towards His creations, he is entitled to be Abd (a grateful devoted servant), whose plural is Ibad.
﴾ And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness﴿
On the other hand, the one, who is unwieldy, whose desires control him and who worships his lusts instead of worshiping Allah, is Abd out of compulsory in the sense that he has no option but to be under the control of Allah, because he is in His Hand and at any second Allah might put an end to his life, so this person is Abd out of compulsory and the plural of this word is Abeed.
﴾ and your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves.﴿
2- Lusts are neutral:
As I mentioned in the previous lecture, lusts are neutral because man owns the free will. Moreover, lusts can be means to sublime to the highest ranks, or means to hit rock bottom and reach the lowest of low, thus lusts are neutral. Consider the following example which I mention a lot: The fuel in the car is located in its sealed tank, it flows through confined pipes and it ignites at the right time and place in order to produce a useful movement. This same fuel can be poured on the vehicle and by giving it a light, it turns into a destructive power to the car and the people inside it. The fuel is the same in both cases yet it can be useful or destructive. Likewise, lusts are neutral, so they can be means to exalt to the highest ranks or means to fall to the lowest of the low.
When man gets married to a pious woman, who is easy on the eye, who obeys him, who honors him in his absence and who gives him dutiful sons and daughters who will grow up and get married to pious husbands and wives, he is actually starting a family. This extended family of grandparents, children and grandchildren start with a very notable man and a sexual intercourse, isn't it? This same sexual intercourse can be done in a very corrupted place like a night club which is built by a deviated man and where sins of all sorts are committed and Zina (fornication) is allowed. This indicates that lusts are neutral and they can be means to exalt to the highest ranks, or means to fall to the lowest of the low, and it is the same lust in both cases.
3- Fortunes in life are neutral:
The desires, fortunes in life and intelligence are neutral. Man can be clever, and he use his cleverness in spreading the word of truth, whereas another man with the same cleverness might use it to misguide people and to earn tremendous amounts of money unlawfully. Handsomeness can be used in serving the truth, because it helps man in achieving his goals in life. However, it can be a destructive means to the person who uses it in committing thousands of sins.
Eloquence, fortunes, desires and Divinely bestowed skills are neutral. If Allah gives you money, either you spend it in obeying Allah and exalt to the highest ranks thusly, or you spend it in corrupting other people and fulfilling your desires unlawfully, which displeases Allah. As for the prestige, it can be gained because of an official social position through which one can enforce the truth and prevent falsehood. As a result, he will exalt to the highest ranks, or he will hit rock bottom if he uses his position to collect unlawful hefty wealth. Therefore, fortunes, desires and Divinely granted skills are neutral because man owns the free will and all of that can be means to exalt or to fall. Allah says:
﴾ As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): "My Lord has honoured me."* But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: "My Lord has humiliated me!"﴿
The Divine deterrent Response is the following:
﴾ Nay!﴿
Allah denies that His bestowal is means to honor man, or that His withdrawal is means to humiliate him, because in fact His bestowal is a test, whereas His withdrawal is a Divine Treatment. Let me ask this question which I repeatedly ask: Is money a grace? The answer to that question is yes and no. Is poverty a grace? The answer also is yes and no, but how? Money is a grace only if it is earned and spent lawfully. By Allah, I visited once the father of my friend in Eid many years ago, and he said to me, "I am 96 years old, and yesterday I had tests and everything in my body was normal". Then he said, "By Allah I never committed Haram in earning money or with regard to women". Indeed whoever leads a pious life, will have good health.
4- Obeying Allah guarantees man security, happiness and tranquility:
Dear brother, the worldly life becomes beautiful by obeying Allah, and the one who obeys Allah will acquire a right given to Him by Allah the Almighty. Narrated Mu'adh bin Jabal:
((The Prophet BPUH said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's Right upon His slaves is?" I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet PBUH said, "To worship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah). Do you know what their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet PBUH said, "Not to punish them (if they do so).))
I am addressing every believer who attends this religious session and who listens to it: If you obey Allah in all His orders, He will grant you a right upon Him, and this right is that you will not be Divinely tortured.
﴾ Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they Istaqamu, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve!﴿
By Allah dear brother, I cannot believe that the heart of the believer have any fears, worries, despair or pessimism, simply because the believer is appeased in the Noble Quran where Allah assured him that He will help and defend him. Allah says:
﴾ Truly, Allah defends those who believe.﴿
﴾ and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good.﴿
This abundant good you are granted is manifested in being pleased with Allah and in being secured, which is the mother of all graces.
﴾ (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear. ﴿
Allah will grant you happiness and tranquility.
I would like to repeat again dear brother, lusts are neutral, better yet, had man had no lusts, he would not have exalted to the Lord of the heavens and the earth and there would not have been Paradise. Suppose that there are no prohibitions, how would you get closer to Allah? In fact prohibitions draw you closer to Allah when you abstain from doing them. For instance, when you lower your gaze from looking at forbidden things, when you reject any suspicious money and when control your tongue from backbiting, calumny, sowing dissension between people, bragging and other fifty sins committed by the tongue, you will get closer to Allah. Hence, when you abstain from committing sins and control your hearing, sight, tongue, movement and hand, you will exalt in the Sight of Allah. Therefore, I assure you that without lusts we will not exalt to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and there will not be Paradise under which rivers flows.
﴾ Its provision is eternal and so is its shade,﴿
﴾ Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Take, read my Record!* "Surely, I did believe that I shall meet my Account!"* So he shall be in a life, well-pleasing* In a lofty Paradise* The fruits in bunches whereof will be low and near at hand* Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past! ﴿
5- Lusts have lawful ways to be fulfilled and there is no deprivation in Islam:
Dear brother, hereby I am addressing the youth: When you are young, beware of believing or mistakenly claiming that there is deprivation in Islam, because this is not true. There is no deprivation in Islam, but rather Islam organizes your desires, in the sense that every lust, installed in man, has a lawful way to be fulfilled. Deprivation has no grounds in Islam, because Islam is the religion of Fitrah (an inborn natural predisposition which cannot change, and which exists at birth in all human beings. It is inclined towards right action and submission to Allah, the One Deity), and every lust installed in you has a lawful way to fulfill it even the lust for ruling which exists in every human being. This lust has so many terms (according to psychologists) like self-esteem, superiority or mastery and which can be fulfilled and satisfied by seeking knowledge and offering good deeds, and so man will be honored by Allah. Allah says:
﴾ Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad PBUH?* And removed from you your burden* Which weighed down your back?* And raised high your fame?﴿
Whosoever seeks knowledge will acquire a special rank in the Sight of Allah the Almighty. The fame of the Prophet PBUH is indeed raised high. In Umrah, millions visit the Prophet's Masjid in Al-Madinah and supplicate, "O Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that you have conveyed the Message, fulfilled the trust, advised the Ummah, strived for the Sake of Allah as He deserves and guided His servants to the Right Path". The Prophet PBUH knew Allah and carried the burden of Da'wah (call to Allah).
﴾ O Prophet (Muhammad PBUH)! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner* And as one who invites to Allah [Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allah (Alone)] by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light (through your instructions from the Qur'an and the Sunnah the legal ways of the Prophet). ﴿
Allah also raised high the fame of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and millions of visitors stand before his grave and say, "O companion of the Prophet PBUH, O you, about whom the Prophet said:
((The sun never rises or sets on any better man than Abu Bakr except for a Prophet.))
Millions of visitors stand before the grave of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and say, "O Farooq, you are the one about whom the Prophet PBUH said:
((If there were a Prophet after me, he would be Umar.))
Allah raised high their fame, because they were honest, they were believers, they were righteous, they were sincere and they were good doers. On the other hand, where are those who stood up against Islam? They are in the dumpster of history, like Abu Jahl. Will anyone say O Master Abu Jahl? Absolutely, none will.
Dear brother, lust is the same for any human being. However, it can be means to exalt or to hit rock bottom. Lusts are neutral and man owns the free will, so every lust Allah has installed in you might be your means to exalt to the highest ranks.
6- Lusts can only be fulfilled in certain ways defined in Islamic laws:
There is another point concerning the fact that every installed lust in you has a lawful way to be fulfilled. This point is that if you obey Allah, it is thousand times impossible to lose, and you will never win if you disobey Him You have been provided with a Divine Method, and in general every lust in you can be fulfilled in a range of and angle of 180 degrees (some areas are lawful [and are defined in the Divine Method] and sh3er are unlawful).
In order to clarify this issue, consider the example of driving your car on a road where there is a deep valley on the right side of it and another deep valley on the left side of it, and the range within which you can direct your steering wheel is wide and cover an angle of 180 degrees. However, only an angle of 30 decrees of the right 90 degree angle will keep you safe but directing it within the next 60 degrees of the right 90 degree angle will lead you straight to the right valley, and the same goes for the left 90 degree angle. Hence, the allowed safe area where you can direct your steering wheel safely in is only 60 degrees (30 degrees on the left and 30 degrees on the right), while directing your steering wheel more to the left or more to the right will cause your death (by ending up in one of the valleys). This same example is applicable to lusts, for there is a wide range in which desires can be fulfilled. However, the Divine Method allows a limited range for them to be fulfilled, and actually this is the concept of the entire religion, for the philosophy of the religion is about moving only in this limited area. Take for example earning money, there is a wide range of ways to earn it like earning money by stealing, extortion, swindling, forging, cunning, deceiving or lying. On the other hand, the lawful money is earned only by being honest and by perfecting your job.
It is like when you drive your car within the safe 60 degrees I have already mentioned, while using other unlawful ways are like directing your steering wheel within the danger zone which will lead you to the valley. Accordingly, how can we define religion? Religion is mere control, it is controlling your movement which is motivated by your lusts in order to put it on the right track defined by the Divine Method and allowed by Allah. This is the religion, this is uprightness and this is the good deed. Allah says:
﴾ Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life ﴿
Paradise is the price for controlling our desires. It is said that the Islamic civilization is based on self-control, whereas the western civilization is based on despotism and controlling nature.
Controlling nature is manifested in their achievement when they were able to drill an oil well in the middle of the sea in order to bring out the oil from the bottom of it. How were they able to dig these wells in the bottom of the sea? How did they do that without allowing the salty water to leak into it? How were the wells enforced? How were the pipes put? How were they able to pour concrete despite of water? How amazing thing job is. The westerners were able to bring out oil from the bottom of the North Sea, and they reached the moon, Mars and Jupiter. Furthermore, they were able to transmit images and sounds to the entire glob till the world became one small village, beside many other scientific amazing breakthroughs. After making the entire world one small village on a desktop, they controlled it, and by pressing one bottom you can talk to the entire world. I was once in Mount Arafat, and I was asked to deliver a speech on the Syrian satellite channel. While I was doing so, my speech was heard in the five continents. By pressing one bottom I was able to transmit my speech to five continents, and this is a remarkable breakthrough and unbelievable matter.
7- Controlling one's desires is the price he pays for Paradise:
Dear brother, every lust installed in man has a lawful way to be fulfilled through it, and the believer's movement should be in the allowed limited range defined by Allah through His Method. Allah says:
﴾ But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts* Verily, Paradise will be his abode. ﴿
Paradise is a reward deserved by those who are able to control their desires, and it is the reward of keeping your movement within the Divinely allowed range. Hence, you can eat Halal food after buying it with your lawful money which is earned because of your honesty and hard working not because of lying and fraud.
((Make your living in Halal ways, and your supplicating will be answered))
You are allowed to marry a woman, and this relation will never bring shame to you, because it is lawful. The Prophet PBUH said:
((In the sexual act of each of you there is a sadaqa." The Companions replied: "O Messenger of Allah! When one of us fulfils his sexual desire, will he be given a reward for that?" And he PBUH said, "Do you not think that were he to act upon it unlawfully, he would be sinning? Likewise, if he acts upon it lawfully he will be rewarded.))
This is unbelievable! However, the same sexual desire can bring Divine Punishment or Divine Reward. The believer can exalt through his desires twice; once by being grateful to Allah, and once by being patient. Thus, the believer will gain rewards in both cases.. If you are in the street and a half-naked woman passes by you, but you lower your gaze and say,"I fear Allah, Lord of the Worlds", you will be exalted once by being patient (because you strived hard to keep your eyes away from her), and you will be exalted another time because you are satisfied with looking at your wife, and you thanked Allah for giving this grace to you. Hence, you will exalt by being thankful to Allah. Similarly, when you reject unlawful money you will exalt because you remain patient, and when you start a business and make lawful money with which you buy food and clothes, you will exalt because you are thankful to Allah. As I have just said, the believer exalts to Allah twice, once by being patient (because of abstaining from Haram) and other time by being grateful to Allah (for all His Graces). Let me remind you again that man will not reach the Lord of the heavens and the earth and will not deserve Paradise without the lusts installed in him.
You should leave a space between you and sins, and this space is a safety zone for you. The subtopic here is as follows: Zina is impermissible, and when Allah forbids it, He puts it in the following words:
﴾ And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse ﴿
Allah does not say, "Do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse" but rather He says, "Do not come near to the unlawful sexual intercourse" due to Divine Wisdom:
﴾ And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse ﴿
This means that you should leave a space between you and this major sin and this space is the safety zone for you (from fornicating). The best example to clarify this point is to consider the 8000 volt power lines. Since this electric power is fatal, the minster of electricity puts a sign which says, "Do not approach, high power", but this sign is put 8 meters away from the power lines because the range of the power covers 8 meters where it can be fatal and can burn man instantly. Hence, this safe area around the electric lines is a safe zone to protect people from being gravitated by electricity and carbonized. The same goes for lusts, as they have a tremendous gravitating power, so there should be a safe area between man and sins, and this safe area is manifested in so many forbidden matters like being alone with a woman (Khalwah), befriending vile people or feasting eyes on women's beauty, for all of which make man come near to Zina. Therefore, whosoever refrains from the introductions of Zina, will be honored by Allah by protecting him from Zina.
((Anyone who hovers around the Hima-foyer (where prohibited) to fear of falling into it.))
((Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions.))
You should leave a safe area between you and Zina. You can imagine the forbidden lusts as a deep scary river with a slant slippery bank, and a dry plain shore next to it. In this case, your safety is maintained by walking on the dry shore, but walking on the slant slippery bank will most likely cause your fall in the river. Jesus PBUH said,
((The chaste is the one who stays away from the causes of sins.))
﴾And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily, it is a Fahishah [i.e. anything that transgresses its limits (a great sin)], and an evil way (that leads one to Hell unless Allah forgives him). ﴿
﴾ These are the limits (set) by Allah, so approach them not.﴿
﴾ "And come not near to the orphan's property, except to improve it﴿
You should be aware of the Divine Status, for the entire faith is all about fearing that Status.
﴾ But for him who [the true believer of Islamic Monotheism who performs all the duties ordained by Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, and keeps away (abstain) from all kinds of sin and evil deeds prohibited in Islam and] fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). ﴿
One Paradise is in the worldly life and the other one is in the Hereafter.
﴾ But for him who [the true believer of Islamic Monotheism who performs all the duties ordained by Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, and keeps away (abstain) from all kinds of sin and evil deeds prohibited in Islam and] fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). ﴿
One of the scholars said, "I feel pity for the people who come to this worldly life and leave it without tasting the sweetest thing in it which is being close to Allah the Almighty." The proof is in the following Ayah:
﴾ They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world (i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigating or sowing or reaping, etc.)﴿
Allah confirms that some people know the outside appearance of the worldly life (which means there is another lofty side of it which is to be close to Allah). Another scholar (Ibn Taymiyyah) said, "What can my enemies do to me, my paradise and garden are in my chest, and they are with me wherever I go. My expulsion from my homeland is tourism, my imprisonment is my privacy with Allāh, and my killing is martyrdom."
The difference between the believer and the disbeliever is very big:
Frankly, the difference between the believer and the disbeliever is not a difference between two men one of whom offers Salah, while the other does not. Absolutely not, but rather the difference is deeper than that, for it is a difference between a stable, happy, optimistic, prosper, protected, supported, advanced and evolving person and a lazy, desperate, worried, cautious, dispirited and frustrated one, so the difference between the two is very big.
I hope that all of you know beyond doubt that the difference has nothing to do with the physical appearance. People vary in their appearance, for some of them have unattractive physical appearance, or they might vary in height which is an insignificant difference. As for the believer and the disbeliever, the difference is substantial, and it is about the quality, the psychological state, the trust in Allah, the stability and the happiness. There is a subtle meaning for the following Ayah:
﴾ Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Take, read my Record!* "Surely, I did believe that I shall meet my Account!"* So he shall be in a life, well-pleasing* In a lofty Paradise* The fruits in bunches whereof will be low and near at hand* Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!* But as for him who will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: "I wish that I had not been given my Record!* "And that I had never known, how my Account is?* "I wish, would that it had been my end (death)!* "My wealth has not availed me* "My power and arguments (to defend myself) have gone from me!"* (It will be said): "Seize him and fetter him* Then throw him in the blazing Fire* "Then fasten him with a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits!"* Verily, He used not to believe in Allah, the Most Great,﴿
The main issue is unless you believe in Allah the Great (by glorifying Him and following His Path) you will not follow His Straight Path, because even Satan believed in Allah yet He did not glorify Him. Satan said as mentioned in the Quran:
﴾ By Your Might﴿
﴾ "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)." ﴿
Satan said:
﴾ You created me from fire, and him You created from clay ﴿
Success lies in believing in Allah the Great and glorifying Him. Otherwise, man will deserve Hellfire, because his disbelief in Allah will lead to disobeying Him, and as a result it will be easy for him to commit violations against sh3er. The clearest example is the dissolute man who never minds having an illicit affair with a young woman, who might have become a mother or a pious wife, but because of what he does, she will deviate from the Right Path and deserve thereby misery in the worldly life and in the Hereafter, given he is the reason behind her misery. Allah says:
﴾ And verily, those who believe not in the Hereafter are indeed deviating far astray from the Path (true religion Islamic Monotheism).﴿
When you believe in Allah and remain steadfast, there will be no problems, but when man does not believe in Allah the Great, he will most likely deviate from the Straight Path. This deviation will be manifested in committing violations towards against and taking what does not belong to him. Thus, this is the delicate indication in the Ayah; unless man believes in Allah the Great, he will definitely deviate from the Right Path.
Man owns the free will in everything he does:
People usually say, "Satan tempts us, Satan corrupts us or Satan whispers to us", but there is a very clear decisive Ayah which denies this:
﴾ And Shaitan (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, so you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allah (by obeying me in the life of the world). ﴿
Accordingly, there is not a man who misguides another one though it apparently seems so, but actually there is a man who has the desire to be deviated, because basically man owns the free will. The second Ayah is the following:
﴾ "Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves ﴿
Dear brother, these lusts are means for us to exalt to Allah and the reason for entering Paradise. These lusts are our ladder to sublime and they are neutral. Though Allah has installed lusts in man, Allah has made lawful ways to fulfill them. Hence, without lusts we will not deserve to be admitted to Paradise. Do you think that lusts are a grace or a disgrace? Well, they are a grace.
A poet who does not believe in the Quran or Sunnah said the following:
You created beauty to be Fitnah (to distract people)
Yet, You said, "O servants fear Me".
This is but poet's words:
﴾ As for the poets, the erring follow them, ﴿
Quick comparison between two kinds of people:
Let us read about this quick comparison:
﴾ Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise) ﴿
The one who lowers his gaze, controls his tongue, is keen on earning a lawful money, spends his money in lawful ways, moves within the Divinely allowed range and is adherent to the Right Path then died, this man will be honored by Allah. Allah says:
﴾ Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise), which he will find true, like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)?﴿
The difference between the two is very big.
﴾ Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise), which he will find true, like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)?﴿
Lusts bring pleasure to man, yet these pleasures are temporary, and they are followed by remorse, whereas faith brings happiness as well but it comes from within not from outside (like the pleasure of lusts).
Dear brother, when man gets acquainted with Allah the Almighty, he fulfills his lusts within the Divinely allowed range, and this is what secures him (from Allah's Punishment).
The good deed has a useful outcome in the future:
By the way man usually longs to safety and happiness, and he can achieve safety by following Allah's Path, whereas by offering good deeds he can achieve happiness, and as you know there is a big difference between safety and happiness. If man, on the other hand, longs for lusts he will be in agony eventually. A philosopher once said, "If lust becomes one of man's principles, it will turn into agony". Actually people who are keen only on fulfilling their desires and focus on nothing else are the most miserable ones.
You should know that the most miserable man in the worldly life is the one who is attached to it most, whereas the happiest man is the one who is the furthest from it, because this person lives for a noble, substantial and great purpose which can be summarized in two things: knowing Allah and offering good deeds for this Ummah. This purpose and the deed that matter, because they exalt man till he feels that he is special in the Sight of Allah and close to Him. Unlike this man, whoever lives to fulfill his desires should know that desires have no future (they do not last), and all the pleasures, the tasty food, the picnics and other tangible pleasant matters will not bring him any position, value or future. Will anyone who fills the bathtub with warm water, sits in it and enjoys being in it learn anything? Will he become a doctor by doing so? Will he become a successful merchant?
Hence, enjoying life does not last, unlike offering good deeds which has beneficial effects in the future. Man again will become miserable upon living to fulfill his desires only, and the most miserable man in the worldly life is the one who loves it most, whereas the happiest man is the one who is detached from it. A reported Hadith goes as follows: Narrated by Mu'ath Ibn Jabal that the Prophet PBUH said to him upon sending him to Yemen:
((Beware of luxury. Verily the servants of Allah do not live luxuriously.))
Leading an easy life makes man miserable, and this is why the highest rates of suicides take place among the rich people. I can say that the mother of disasters is living an aimless life. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is he who walks without seeing on his face, more rightly guided, or he who (sees and) walks on a Straight Way (i.e. Islamic Monotheism). ﴿
Define your goals in life:
I hope that each one of you defines his purpose in life, and the best purpose is longing to know Allah, as it is mentioned in this supplication, "O Allah getting closer to you is my purpose and pleasing you is what I long for". Choosing to achieve a purpose that is lesser than your abilities will bring you misery, boredom and emptiness after achieving it. Be aware that choosing a worldly oriented purpose will make you dream of achieving it as long as it is far from reach, but the minute you fulfill it, enjoy it and get done with it, its effect will fade away and misery starts from that point. Hence, the one who chooses pleasing Allah the Almighty to be his purpose in life is actually choosing the everlasting eternal Haqq (truth).
The scientific inimitability in the Quran: Water:
1- From water every living thing is made:
Let us move to the scientific topic. Actually there are three different topics; one of these topics is something has to do with life on earth and without which there will be no life, and I am talking about water.
﴾ And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? ﴿
2- Shrinking and expanding are properties in water:
The water has a property that does not exist in any other substance in the universe. Water, like any other element, expands by heating and shrinks by freezing, and this property is applicable to all substances like metals, gases, liquids or even stones as heat accelerates the movement of atoms which sets them apart. As a result, the solid becomes liquid and the liquid becomes gas where atoms are very far from one another and their movement is very fast, and this is why gases have no shape or volume unlike liquids which have a specific volume but an unspecific shape. Unlike them, solid materials have specific shape and volume. Hence, shape and volume are specific in solids, the shape is unspecific but the volume is specific in liquids, while both shape and volume are unspecific in gases.
Solids turn into liquids then into gases because of heating, and by freezing liquids become solid, just like water when it is frozen it turns into ice. Also upon freezing gases, they turn into liquids, and this is observed in the gas cylinders in which methane/argon mixture is frozen (and a high pressure is applied), so it turns into liquid. Freezing equals applying pressure, whereas heating equals removing pressure. Thus, every element on earth will expand upon heating and removing pressure, while it will shrink upon freezing and applying pressure, except for one element which is water. Water has exceptional property, for upon freezing, it shrinks like any other substance till it reaches 4 degrees centigrade and at this temperature the frozen water starts expanding.
Life continues on earth because of this property, but how? If water of seas and oceans shrinks in chilly weather and its density increases accordingly (density increases according to weight not volume so if you take an iron nail and piece of cork the former will sink deep in water due to its high density and weight, whereas the latter will float on surface of water due to its light weight), the iced layer will sink in the deep sea (due to its high weight) then another layer will freeze and sink till the entire sea or ocean turns into a frozen water (This happened in some stages of earth and the entire seas were frozen from bottom to top). If this happened, the process of evaporation of seawater would have stopped, rain would have stopped accordingly and all plants, animals and mankind would have died, but because of this property water will shrink in freezing weather like any other substance till it reaches 4 degrees centigrade, then the whole process is remarkably reversed and it starts to expand lessening its density in the process and floating on the surface of water as a result.
By the way, when water expands (because of freezing) no power on earth can stop it. Freezing water is used to remove rocks from a road, for they dig 4 holes in the rock, they put water in the holes and they freeze the water, and by this technique a marble big square rock can be uprooted from the base of a mountain. Also, though the best metal qualities are used in the engine of cars, when water gets frozen in it, it is able to bring the engine apart and crack it.
3- Water is one of the greatest Divine graces:
Hence dear brother, water is one of the greatest graces of Allah. Water is transparent, tasteless and odorless. Had water had a taste, all food, stews and drinks would have been tanned with that taste, and it could have even been smelled of your skin. Water is tasteless, odorless and colorless and if it had a pink color everything would have turned into pink. Water evaporates at 14 degrees centigrade, it is penetrable through pores regardless how tiny they are, it evaporates at low temperature and it boils at a moderate temperature. Water with all its properties is considered one of the Greatest Signs of Allah the Almighty, because without it there will be no life, and if it had not expanded upon freezing, there would have been no life either. Allah says:
﴾ And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? ﴿
70% of the weight of the human being consists of water.
4- Man's body consists of 70 % of water:
The following is a funny thought: if we compress man, he will lose the 70% of his weight of water, and we can make of the rest a bar of soap (from his fat), one iron nail and one match stick and if we sell this stuff, man will not worth more than 20 Liras because these stuff are cheap. Allah swears by the life of the Prophet PBUH, He says:
﴾ Verily, by your life (O Muhammad PBUH), in their wild intoxication, they were wandering blindly. ﴿
Conclusion:
Man can be great because of his heart so that you cannot see how great he is due to his loftiness, but when he acts cheap, he will be lower than any despicable person. Listen to the following: When man gets acquainted with Allah, he will become greater than any crucial matter in life, but when he does not know Allah, he will be weaker than any insignificant hardship befell his life.
I hope you will sweeten in a bitter life
and I hope you are satisfied even if people are not
and I wish that the relationship between us has solid ground
even if my relationship with the people is nothing but ruin
If your intimacy is fulfilled then everything is less import
and everything above this ground is nothing but dust
