Quran Garden

Session 7

أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

I seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed

A continuation

God Almighty says:

Satan is certainly your enemy, so hold him as a foe.  He only calls his faction to be the residents of Hell. (35:6)

Despite God's repeated warnings, we are often careless in taking precautions.  Here is an important fact to keep in mind: Satan does not possess the authority to compel you to do what you do not want, and neither does he have the power to make you feel comfortable with sin.  In fact, Satan does not have any power or authority over any human beings.  Authority is of two types: the first, known as the power of compulsion, consists of forcing one to do an act he or she does not want to do.  The second, known as the power of persuasion, consists of convincing a person to voluntarily do an act while he or she is content.  Satan does not have the power of compulsion nor persuasion, but sadly, his whispers often find an inclination and a desire within us.  This is why we frequently lend them an attentive ear and pursue them.  However, remember the end result of this struggle.  Listen to the following verse as it details Satan's address to his followers on the Day of Resurrection:

When everything has been decided, Satan will say, "God gave you a true promise; I, too, made promises, but they were false ones.  I had no power over you except to call you, and you responded to my call.  So do not blame me; blame yourselves.  I cannot help you, nor can you help me.  I reject the way you associated me with God before." A bitter torment awaits such wrongdoers.  (14:22)

Here, you may wonder, why did God create Satan and gave him the ability to entice humans?  We answer that if obedience existed without obstacles or temptations, one's true faith and commitment would not be clear.  Can you judge the honesty of an employee if he or she is never tempted by a bribe or unattended cash register?  Without temptation, the employee's values will not be known.  On the other hand, when the employee is confronted by temptation and decides to hold to duty and principle, this person can certainly be regarded as honest and trustworthy.

Similarly, God allows us to decide between the principles of truth and corruption, so those who truly believe and follow His path do so despite having the freedom to choose otherwise.  Most of God's creations –such as animals and plants- are compelled to follow instinct and unconsciously perform their duty in this world.  This compulsion highlights God's power and ability, clearly demonstrating that if He wanted all humans to believe, He could have easily made it happen.  Allah, however, wants you to turn to Him out of love, not compulsion, and such love can only come from free will.  You may turn to the Lord out of desire to attain Paradise, and Allah will grant you what you desire.  At yet at a higher level, your love may be pure for God alone, and not for the desire of any rewards.  This is how some scholars interpret the following verse:

Say: "I am only a human being, like you, who has received revelation.  Your god is One God.  So let him who hopes to meet his Lord act rightly and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord." (18:110)

The phrase "him who hopes to meet his Lord" refers to those who do good deeds purely for the pleasure of God's company on the Day of Resurrection.  If you do good deeds to attain Paradise, you will get Paradise, but why not aim far higher?  You will get what you aim for as well.  Had God not created Paradise and Hell, wouldn't He be worthy of being worshiped?! 

Rabi'a al-Adawiyya  رَابِعة العَدَويّة -a pious Muslim woman from the second century after the Prophet- said: "O Allah, if You know that I am worshiping You out of greed for Paradise, then deprive me of it, and if You know that I am worshiping You out of fear of Hellfire, then admit me into it, for I am only worshiping You because You deserve to be worshiped."

Allah wants you to purify yourself for Him and seek refuge in His company when you recite the Quran.  He knows that Satan whispers to distract you and prevent you from reaping the benefits of the Quran.  If you want to attain the full virtues of God's book, seek refuge in Him and be in His company.

Listen to what Ja'far al-Sadiq جَعْفَر الصادِق, the great-grandson of Prophet Muhammad and one of the most knowledgeable scholars of the virtues of the Quran, said:

"Indeed, the horrors of life for man are fear, adversity, distress, and being conspired against.  I am astonished by a person who is in fear but does not resort to the words of God in this verse:  "God is sufficient for us, and the best of protectors" (3:173),  for I heard Allah say in the very next Aya "Hence they returned with a mighty blessing from God and a great bounty.  They suffered no harm whatsoever, and they followed God's good pleasure.  Indeed, God is the Possessor of great bounty" (3:174). And I am amazed at a person inflicted by adversity.  Yet, he does not resort to the following words of God: "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of all who show mercy" (21:83), for I heard God Almighty has said in reply, "We responded to him and removed from him the harm which was afflicting him" (21:84). Furthermore, I am astonished at a person stricken by distress, and yet he does not say the following words from the Quran: "There is no God but You!  Glory be to You!  Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers" (21:87), for I heard God say in response, "So we heard his prayer and delivered him from his distress.  And thus do we deliver true believers" (21:88). And I am amazed at a person who is conspired against and does not resort to the following words: "I entrust my affairs to God.  Indeed God is All-Seeing of His servants" (40:44), for I have heard Allah say in the very next verse, "So God safeguarded him from the evil things they plotted" (40:45).

As long as you remain in God's company, Satan does not dare approach you.  On the day of migration to Medina, the Prophet, peace be upon him, retreated to the cave of Thawr ثَورْ with his companion Abu Bakr.  The disbelievers were on the hunt for them, closely following their traces.  Later that day, the armed men reached the cave and stood at its entrance.  At that moment, Abu Bakr told the Prophet, "If any of them just looks down, he will spot us!" The Prophet replied, "O Abu Bakr, what do you think about two people when God is the third of them?"  This incident is summarized in the following Aya,

Even if you do not help the Prophet, God helped him when the disbelievers drove him out: when the two of them were in the cave, he said to his companion, "Do not worry, God is with us," and God sent His calm down to him, aided him with forces invisible to you, and brought down the disbelievers' plan.  God's plan is higher: God is almighty and wise.  (9:40)

Human eyes cannot comprehend Allah, and since the Prophet and his companion were in Allah's company, the eyes of the disbelievers could not comprehend them either.  Looking at the Prophet and Abu Bakr at that moment would have been just like looking into thin air.

Lastly, and before we move to the first chapter and verse of the Quran, let's take a moment to examine where God chose to put His message.  God's message for humanity came from an illiterate nation.  Moreover, Allah selected an illiterate man from this nation to deliver it.  Prophet Muhammad did not acquire any formal education or schooling in Mecca; neither was he educated at the hands of people of the great powers of the East or the West.  While illiteracy may bring shame on a person, it was an honor for Muhammad because it confirmed that whatever he brought us of religion was exclusively from Allah.  Everything that he, peace be upon him, delivered is a miracle because it is great knowledge and wisdom from an unlearned man.  If the Quran had descended upon a civilized nation of the time, such as the Persians or the Romans, or a literate, highly-educated person, it would have been said that the Quran is the outcome of the rise of civilizations and a renaissance of reason.  However, by His wisdom, God made His message descend upon an illiterate nation and an illiterate Prophet, confirming its unique and direct connection to the heavens, free of any claims to human or cultural influence.  Through God's bounty, Prophet Muhammad, an illiterate person, became a teacher for the entire humankind.

Amazing achievement!  You've completed the 3-part miniseries, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment to the Quran.  Are you ready for the next level?  Tune in to the next session as we dive into the wisdom of Surah Al-Fatiha and let's embark on this transformative journey together!