In the Kingdom of the Ar-Rahmaan

As children we all probably went through the narrations of the stories in which Allah (SWT)'s presence was clarified using different means and approaches.  Recall, for instance, the story of the children being asked by their teacher to locate a place where they could bite their apples away from any gaze.  And then the moral of the story where one child does not do this saying that there was no way he could eat the apple as "Allah is Everywhere".  Such stories during childhood purport to acquaint us with the reality of this life, but unfortunately as we grow up and mature into adolescence and adulthood, sometimes the temptations and at others, the circumstances, draw us nearer towards the performance of acts and deeds that are disliked by Him (SWT) as though we feel momentarily that He did not exist.

On the two extremes of this thought, are the Hindu/Asian/Oriental schools that put tremendous emphasis on social acceptability of actions.  As long as society can accept it, most people under this school of thought are happy doing it.  On the other extreme, we have the Western school of thought that puts negative connotation on public acceptance of their actions.  Their firm belief is in individualistic lifestyle with little regard for what others may have to say or think.

Islamic teachings are based on the Oneness, Omnipresence, Justice and Mercy of Allah (SWT).  From the time of our creation to the end of our time in these lives, we depend, whether we acknowledge it or not, solely and exclusively on the mercy of the Ar-Rahmaan.  No wonder, therefore, that Allah (SWT) makes self references to this name on many occasions perhaps as a lucid reminder of the enveloping and encompassing mercy that He has for His creatures in general, over and above the wrath that might befall on us on account of our negligence or disobedience.

Nowadays, wherever you are in the world, the Hadlines news are slightly subtle.  Subtle because wars and killings - the choice of man's domination tool against fellow humans, are lined up second in the broadcast.  First things first - the global food crises, and in case you also ready the small headlines in the inside pages of your local daily, water shortage, droughts and diseases.  For many pessimists (or can we now rename them realists?), the doom scenario towards a steady end has commenced.  The depletion of the ozone layer is likened to the preparation of the nearness of the sun prophesied under the Judgment Day scenario, while the end-of-time man-eat-man scenario is portrayed on the foundation of lessening food supplies in the face of a growing population.  There are other continuous calamities such as the end of oil supplies, the extremely hard expense conditions, disbelief in Allah (SWT), open sinning, the interchanging of what is right with what is wrong and a leadership that is actually a discussed looter (refer to Ahadith about the signs of the end of time by our Aimmah (AS)).

And whereas each one of us, in one way or another, may have been part of some degree of atrocities against fellow human beings - whether in our families, businesses, societies or places of employment, or even by our verbal acceptance of bad actions by others, or by silence, our faith in the mercy of Allah (SWT) must always remain intact if we are to claim thereafter that our faith in Allah (SWT) is upright, for mercy is an emphasised, towering quality of the Creator that, as previously stated, has been boldfaced in many verses of the Holy Qur'an and also in the narratives of Ahadith that remind us of imploring for His mercy rather than His justice, for example.

Now naturally, with age we seldom expect to be thrilled with stories that we were told of in our childhood.  Fro elders, it is paramount to continuously draw from real lessons of life and the realities that surround us in creation that can help us attain a level of nearness to Him.  And what makes our task much easier is that we already adhere to a set of beliefs that has got nothing questionable about it.  And the fact that the entire religion revolves around the Holy Book Al-Qur'an - a book full of scientific evidences about life and creation, about death and destruction, about good and bad, in fact about all black and white about the Universe.

When Allah (SWT) states: "Does man think that We cannot assemble his bones? Yes, We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers" [Surat al-Qiyama 75: 3-4], alluding to the finger print technology that is unique to every single person who has ever inhabited the earth, or when it is stated: “Those who reject our signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire; as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the Penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.” [Al-Qur’an 4:56] bringing to light the new scientific knowledge that it is not the brain alone that controls pain but pain receptors in the skin as well.  And there are so many other known examples such as the celebrated findings of Canadian emryologis Dr Keith Moore in the early 1980s, who discovered a complete description of embryology and birth in the Holy Qur'an.  Maulana Muhammad Sadiq, addressing a packed Imambada in Dar es Salaam in mid 1980s informed mu'mineen how a verse in the Holy Qur'an provided answers for scientists who were trying to understand how two bodies of water were kept apart while still being together by a divine engineering of the Almighty that had remained a mystery to many for years - "He has let loose the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together" [Surat ar-Rahmaan 55: 19].

When we think about it, how many times in a day do we implore for His mercy? Each time we pray and recite Sura Al Fateha, we seek His mercy, and each time we say "Bismillah..." for whatever action we are to perform, we seek His mercy, and for however many times we do the Masaah of the Head, we ask for Him to cover us with His mercy and grace.  The question is not how many times we can repeat the word mercy, rather if we consciously understand what we are saying and internalising that feeling within our hearts.  For that it would be pragmatic to expect our characters change for the better, there would be a deeper understanding of the philosophy of bounties such as wealth, beauty, knowledge, power and physical health, and what would have happened if just a small percentage of these bounties were deficient.  There is bounty and mercy in everything that He endows us with, including death, poverty, sickness and other means of frailty if only we could understand.  Recently in response to a letter of condolences to a bereaved family, an elderly person responded, while thanking the writer for their concern and support, that they had accepted death as a mercy.  Absolutely, courageous words bathed in a crowning glory of the acceptance that in every Will of Allah (SWT), lies a blessing.  Such reminders to all of us are needful in a society where mercy and blessings are counted in dollar and euro terms, on how many acres of land and how many buildings one owns, on which school our children go to, on what level of income you belong to, what locality we live in, what cars we drive, what brands of clothing we wear and what type of socialites are our soul mates.  If we can succeed to remember and to remind that if not for His mercy, we could not possibly own or inherit any of the good things of life, then in return we would exchange goodness to all around us because Hal jazaaul ihsaani illal ihsaan..."Should the recompense of goodness be anything else but goodness?" [Surat ar-Rahmaan 55: 60].