Sura 4

The Kingdom

Introduction

This Meccan sura illustrates and proves the comprehensive totality of lordship. Creation appears to be made of different systems, each moving towards the fulfillment of its potential, and these systems, seen or unseen, are interlinked.

The Controller of all these systems is one Creator Who is beyond time and encompasses all of creation. All bounties and mercies are for the purpose of recognizing His unbounded mercy, the mercy of this beneficent Creator to Whom all creation will return, and by Whose grace creation has come about.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

1 Blessed is He in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He has power over all things,

2 Who created death and life that He may try you-which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving,

The creation is based on the Creator's love for what He created. And what He created was from Him, sustained by Him, supported by Him, to Him. When that love is made manifest to the created, he tastes joy and blessedness. The source and transmission of that joy and blessedness exist at all times. It is only the created who inadver­tently block it. The entire creation is a result of the blessedness of He Whose creation is His kingdom. Everything in it is in His hand and comes from His power. Every creational entity, therefore, derives its power directly from the Creator.

Allah created the experiences of life and death. In this life, man is put into situations in order to be purified of any additions which are perversely taken on. The bala (affliction) is a necessary test which moves him, with knowledge, into higher degrees of purity. Affliction (balwa) is his means of eliminating the barrier of desires and expectations existing between himself and the Crea­tor. Affliction teaches the created being to live freely, acknowledg­ing the gift of life given to him. The best of actions are those which are done with no expectations. They are purely and simply fi sablli-llah (for the sake of Allah).

The first manifestation of creation is life. The experience of life is meaningful only if there exists its opposite, the experience of death. These experiences are such that everyone goes through them. Just as there is outer life and death, so is there inner life and death. When the heart is hardened it is as if dead. When it is flowing and turning, it is alive. Life and death exist in both the sensory and in the meaning.

"And He is the Mighty, the Forgiving." Whether or not man is content with his life does not change Allah's station with him. Through afflictions, growth of wisdom blossoms in him. Man learns to solicit forgiveness from the Ghafur (the Forgiving). The recogni­tion of one's transgressions and mistakes is in itself a door to for­giveness. If one knows one's faults, if one has seen them and experi­enced them, then one is on the way to being forgiven. It follows that if one is in awareness, one will be unlikely to repeat past mistakes.

3 Who created the seven heavens one above another; you see no 'incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent God; then look again, can you see any disorder?

4 Then turn back the eye again and again; your look shall come back to you confused while it is fatigued.

The kingdom of Allah is manifest in seven layers, seven different phases or modes of heaven. Each layer is placed upon another, in­ visibly connected yet retaining its own characteristics. It is also found amongst the ahadith (prophetic traditions) and the sayings of the Imams that the earth has seven layers. In fact, there is a common supplication in which it is said: Rabbu-s-samawati-s-sab`i wa rabbu-l­ aradini-s-sab'i, the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the seven earths.

"You see no incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent God." Futur is from fatara, to cleave, split open. Fitra is the original crack-the origin of man's rise to life. The Rahman (the Merciful) encompasses everything under His rahma (compassion). Allah's rahma is upon all creation, while His rahm is upon the mu'min (believer). Under the Rahman, the Merciful, there is nothing in creation that cannot be placed. There is no disjointedness within it. Everything makes sense to man if he develops the right sight and abandons clumsy judgement. Allah says "Then turn back the eye again and again," because though man looks often, he does so without insight. The Qur'an challenges man to look again in order to see if he can find any fault. The more one looks, the more one discovers the perfection of what appears to be layer upon layer of the laws and sensory connec­tions which hold the cosmos together.

Doubt arises in man when he begins to reflect. At first, his reflec­tions are unclear and do not connect with his core. But the more he reflects, the more likely it becomes that he will see the pure mercy that will bring him realization and understanding. Sight will come back to him and he will be unable to find fault.

"Your sight shall come back to you spurned while it is fatigued." Khasi' means spurned, base, vulgar, rejected. Hash means exhausted, desperate or fatigued. If he reflects, man will not be able to see fault. His sight will show nothing other than the Rahman Whose manifestation is in the complete perfection of His creation. There will be nothing out of place. Creational entities will interconnect in the most precise manner. It will confirm that the All-Pervading manifests His rahma. In other words, man's faculty of reason and insight will come to see the perfection of creation.

5 And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We have made these missiles for the Shaytans, and We have prepared for them the chastisement of burning.

6 And for those who disbelieve in their Lord is the punishment of hell, and evil is the 'resort.

7 When they shall be cast herein, they shall hear a loud moaning of it as it heaves,

8 Almost bursting for fury. Whenever a group is cast into it, its keeper shall ask them: Did there not come to you a warner?

9 They shall say: Yea! indeed there came to us a warner, but we rejected (him) and said: Allah has not revealed anything; you are only in a great error.

10 And they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered, we should not have been among the inmates of the blazing fire.

The lower heaven is that heaven which is perceivable by man. The other heavens, it is implied, are beyond visible recognition. They are based on energies or subtle forces that hold the cosmos together. The stars decorate the lower heaven, which displays myriads of dynamic exchanges, whether seen or inferred by observation.

"And certainly we have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and we have made these missiles for the shaytans. " Rajama the root of the word for missiles, is to stone, curse. There are several meanings that can be given to this phrase. One is that the evil unseen forces of shaytan (satan) cannot penetrate beyond the lower heaven. Another meaning is that it indicates that those people who use supernatural powers and magic are afflicted and are unable to penetrate beyond a limit.

All forms of shaytan or deviation lead one to the adhabu-s-sa`ir, the chastisement of the blazing fire. Those who are in the state of shaytan - denying the Lordship, covering up, dis­believing in the fact that there is a Sustainer by whom we are guided to our fullest possibilities - will earn the state of eternal fire, than which there is nothing worse. Masir, a place of arrival or final destiny, comes from sara, which means to become, im­plying `timeness.'

The sighing or moaning that is uttered when a being enters jahannam (hell) is a final expression called shahiq (sighing, sobbing). Shahaqa means to inhale, sigh deeply, gulp, moan. When in the final abode, beings emit the sound of mourning in an environment which is forever changing, never sustaining or stabilizing -the reverse of janna (paradise).

In the ever effulgent fire, churning and turning with its anger, increasing as it is fed, a voice reflects or a memory comes forth to ask: Were you not informed about this state? Were you not warned that you were preparing yourself for this dreadful end? The questioners are the keepers of the fire, its permanent angels or guardians.

Those who are questioned answer: We did not hear. We denied the existence of Reality. We denied Allah. We ascertained that there was no Reality and assumed those who were reflecting the voice of Truth to be in error.

There is nothing other than justice in this world and the next. If man does not hear the voice of wisdom which will guide him in this world and show him how to live in a manner that will keep him from harm - if he does not heed that wisdom, he will be afflicted in this life. But there is a higher state, one in which there is belief in and recogni­tion of Allah. If that state does not come about, the punishment will be both in this world and the next - when relative time stops and absolute timelessness begins.

This is not theatrical language. There is instantaneous, out-of­ time communication between entities. In this life the deniers put up a barrier between the faculty of hearing and that of understanding what can be heard. They block the exercise of the natural faculty of reason, that innate sense with which everyone is endowed. They misinterpret for the sake of convenience, sentimental attachment, or emotion­alism, or for the love of the dunya (world in a negative material sense).

11 So they shall acknowledge their sins, but far will be (forgiveness) from the inmates of the blazing fire.

"So they shall acknowledge their sins." L'tarafu, de­rives from `arafa, to know; i`tarafa is to admit, confess or acknowledge. At the time of the punishment, there is a nat­ural confession. Those who are to be punished will admit that they have hidden themselves from the messages brought to mankind by the prophets, their followers and the Imams (leaders). Everyone has the ability to discern the truth and is therefore able to acknowledge that he has original knowledge. But man hides and denies it through his igno­rance, which is built upon arrogance, fear, anxiety and attachment.

Bali-l- insanu ala nafsihi basira: "Nay, man is evidence against himself." (al-Qiyama:14) Everyone has within himself a higher aware­ness which can shed light on his consciousness. If his consciousness is impure, then his higher awareness is able to discern that his conscious­ness is dwelling upon something unbecoming. Even so, man can still deny the reflection of his higher awareness. At the point of death, when the ability to interfere with one's destiny stops, all instantaneously becomes clear because time stops.

"But far will be (forgiveness) from the inmates of the burning fire." Sahaqa means to crush, annihilate, pulverize. The people of the fire are those who are obliterated by not having acknowl­edged the one and only Entity - Allah. How can they remain whole? If one does not admit the power of an ordinary king, he will be crushed. How much more important is it then to accept the One and All-Power­ful, Whose kingdom is pervaded by Him. Because of His mercy He gives man countless chances throughout his life to help save him­self from the fire.

12 (As for) those who fear their Lord in secret, they shall surely have forgiveness and a great reward.

"(As for) those who fear their Lord in secret, they shall surely have forgiveness and a great reward." The ghayb is the Unseen. Those who have accepted the fact that there is a Creator, a Reality, without direct personalized evidence - without witnessing it - have taken it on by the inference that there cannot be an effect without a cause. They have directly experienced that there are laws that govern this existence and that the cosmos is not in chaos. They want to know the laws - they fear their Lord and they fear transgressing His laws, His bounds. It is for them that there is forgiveness and a great reward, a continuing reward that begins here in this world and continues unin­terruptedly into the next.

13 And conceal your word or manifest it; surely He is Cognizant of what is in the hearts.

Asirru is from asarra, meaning to keep secret, to conceal or disguise something. Whether one speaks of it or not, whether one hides it or not, whether one reveals what is inside oneself or not, Allah is aware of what goes on within the heart. Sadr means chest, heart or front. Reality knows what man has put in front of himself, what he has put foremost in his heart. Already, even in this life, there is no hiding place; man is exposed.

The creator of a thing knows its attributes. The creator of a house knows its strengths and weaknesses. He knows the materials he used to build it, what appears on the walls and what is behind the walls. The merciful Perfect-Builder has built with perfection. He has not placed poor quality material behind the walls. Behind the wall of the chest of man He has placed a heart. It is in the hearts of men that He dwells.

14 Does He not know, Who created? And He is the Knower of the subtleties, the Aware.

"And He is the Knower of the Subtleties, the Aware." Subtlety is all-pervading. All entities are plugged into life through the subtle forces of the Creator. The ordinary electrical machine must be plugged into a physical outlet, but Allah's outlet is the entirety of space on earth. As man moves he is spontaneously plugged into the Source. How can one deny the existence of the Creator and that everyone is under His mercy? Allah holds the knowledge and the power of deciding who will remain plugged into the life-support system and whose body is to go back to the worms.

This life is like a laboratory in which the Creator tests the fidelity of His creations. He experiments with them, allowing them to trans­gress, and gives them the chance to correct themselves. Having made a mess of their lives, they are allowed to wash themselves completely clear of their actions. Many ahadith (plural of hadith, tradition) refer to certain acts of worship, such as ,hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), which, if performed correctly, are like a rebirth. The prayers of the Muslim, if done correctly, make the worshipper emerge refreshed and renewed. None of the negativeness of his past affects him, and all his experiences, the wisdom of a lifetime, are at his disposal.

15 He it is Who made the earth smooth for you; therefore go about in the spacious sides thereof, and eat of His sustenance, and to Him is the return after death.

16 Are you secure of those in the heaven that He should not make the earth to swallow you up? Then lo! it shall be in a state of com­ motion.

17 Or are you secure of those in the heaven that He should not send down upon you a punishment? Then shall you know how was My warning.

18 And certainly those before them rejected (the truth), then how was My disapproval.

In order for man to have the opportunity to express and experi­ence his faith and sincerity, the earth has been made dhalul (smooth, gentle, easy); upon it he seeks wisdom and rizq (provision, sustenance, divine blessing).

"To Him is the return after death." Nushur (Resurrec­tion) comes from nashara, to announce, spread out, make known and to resurrect, return from the death. Nashur is a publisher. Allah is the supreme publisher, making known His creation. The earth, with its massive mountains, has been made low and submis­sive. Allah has made the earth smooth so as to be accessible for man to tread upon, indicating the ease that may come from what appears to be difficulty. Manakib are the shoulders, flanks or highlands; they are what are difficult to tread upon. But Allah has made man able to travel upon the earth's `shoulders.' It is an encouragement for man to seek the means to glorify Allah, seeking provision wherever it may easily come forth in this spacious and varied land.

How can one be secure from He Who is in the heavens and is the King of all? There is no certainty that the earth will remain still and not suffer an earthquake. Can one be certain of the earth's solidity? The mu'min is in perpetual awareness, knowing that if he allows himself to think that he is secure from change, he is lost. He trusts that Allah will guide him through the approaching changes and afflictions. Allah says elsewhere in the Qur'an: fa-la ya'manu makra-llahi illa-l-qawmu­l-khasirun: "But none of those feels secure from Allah's plan except the people who shall perish." (al- A raf::99).

The earth is Allah's laboratory, in which man's attainment is meas­ured according to his commitment to service. It would be unfair if man were suddenly exposed to knowledges that he was not ready to receive. It would be shattering and unnatural. Therefore, there is greater responsibility with additional knowledge.

The relationship of knowledge, responsibility, and Allah, the Giver of knowledge, may be likened to the relationship of the father to his son. The father out of love for his son, measures the degree of his willingness to take on responsibility by testing him. He does not wish to afflict the boy, but recognizes that the more one knows the more one is burdened. For example, being aware of the afflictions of others calls for one to help alleviate them. If, while being tested, one stands one's ground with faith and trust, one will be given additional faith, trust, and freedom. A bird tests its young to see whether or not it can fly from its nest. The mother does not immediately push the chick over the edge, but nudges it, encouraging it to use its wings until they grow in strength. The young bird realizes that it is free as it leaps out of the nest and into the air.

Man is, in reality, free of other than Allah. Allah is unlimited, so man is free beyond limit, but he does not know this because he has not used the wings of iman (faith, trust) and complete depend­ence upon Allah.

The uncertainty of events stimulates us to reflect in order to be in true abandonment - aware and alive in the now, second by second. In His love for man, Allah tightens His rope upon him for a moment. The rope reminds him of Allah at that instant, but Allah is present all the time. If man is a deserving slave, if he admits to the nobility of his Creator, then he is a noble creation. A noble horse does not have to constantly be pulled and hit on the head, it spontaneously knows that it has a master. Likewise, if man is jolted every now and then it is because he has gone off course - that is the proof of the love of the One Who holds the reins.

One can never be sure to which network of laws one is subjecting oneself. It is man, by his actions and intentions, who unifies himself with a certain set of laws. If his actions are honest and sincere, emanat­ing from a pure source, then he is in a river whose end product and destiny is quite clear. On the other hand, because of man's situation and the degree of his kufr (denial) and unconnected ness, he will be brought into a stream in which he will see an increasing amount of disjointedness and be subjected to an increasing amount of shattering.

The individual's journey in this life is like being in a hovercraft that is skimming across hundreds of different rivers, which are the laws of destiny. The passenger, according to his intention, puts his foot into one river or another. The choice is his. If out of ignorance he puts his foot into a river of filth and danger, then all that he can do is to pull it out, climb back into his vehicle, and move on to the next river. These laws, these rivers, govern destiny. It is up to the individual to end up in the river that gives him smooth passage and genuinely reflects the truth of the Merciful behind it.

19 Have they not seen the birds above them expanding (their wings) and contracting (them)? What is it that withholds them save the Beneficent God? Surely He sees everything.

20 Or who is it that will be a host for you to assist you besides the Beneficent God? The unbelievers are only in deception.

21 Or who is it that will give you sustenance if He should withhold His sustenance? Nay! they persist in disdain and aversion.

Reflect upon what is above us in the form of birds. Nothing holds them up. The explanations given for this natural phenomenon are simply that, explanations; they are not the truth. Man tries to explain the flight of bird and airplane with a narrow band of counter-balanced mathematical forces. Tons of steel are in the airplane - how does it fly? How does it hang in the air? A steel ship floats upon water - what do these phenomena mean? Allah manifests Reality in this existence in wondrous ways. Nothing holds the bird up except the mercy of Allah. The mercy of Allah allows us to see all these strange events.

All help comes from the one stream of Mercy. If man imagines that it comes from other than Him it is because he sees himself. It is ghurur (deception), arrogance which leads to deception, self-conceit and being cut off from tawhid (divine unity). The kafir (denier) who denies Allah's mercy is cut off from seeing the manifestation of tawhid in the perfection of the laws that govern existence.

From where does man's rizq, his provision, come? How is the recycling ecological continuum maintained? Because man is not in submission, his knowledge of creation is perverted. He only has limited knowledge which can only bring about momentary relief; this is arrogance. It cannot provide the fundamentally sound, inner understanding which can connect to the outer understanding. The knowledge of the One comes from within; it is the knowledge of the entire system.

22 What! is he who goes prone upon his face better guided or he who walks upright upon a straight path?

Mukibb (prostrated, dedicated) is from kabba, to prostrate. Imam. Rida, `alayhi-s-salam, upon him be peace, when asked who were the people who had fallen flat on their faces, replied that they were those who did not obey the Prophet's injuction to follow 'Ali, `alayhi-s-salam. Those who refused to follow 'Ali, `alayhi-s-saham, started to interpret for themselves. They assumed the belief that no wasiy (successor, deputy) had been nominated by the Prophet, salla-llahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. How could such a wise being as the Prophet, salla-llahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, leave his people without appointing an appropriate man, who would bring about the full fruition of the gifts of Qur'an? No Muslim denies what the Prophet, salla-llahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, said about the Ahl al-Bayt (family of the Prophet). Why do they not follow what is in the Qur'an and the sunny (sayings and doings of the Prophet)? Human beings wish to bring something of themselves into whatever they are given. When one is given a perfect recipe, there is the arrogance in one that desires to add some other ingredient. Unknowingly it may be poisonous to the liver.

There must be no interpretations; any interpretation will be a misinterpretation. The true slave is he who follows blindly and through his blindfold visualizes the light of his guidance. This is what gives yaqin, certainty. Otherwise, it is the fear of discovering that gives apparent strength.

The simple darkness of the blindfold makes some people ada­mant; that is not certainty. It may appear that they are very sure, but it is like the certainty of a despot compared to the certainty of the man

of true iman and abandonment. The despot is sure of himself, but there is a point at which he cracks. The mu'min (believer) never cracks; if the afflictions increase he is increased in strength. When people turn away from him, he turns to Allah - that is from where real strength is derived. He who has abandoned into the true message and follows it diligently is on the clear path. He who has not is like one who has fallen upon his face.

There are degrees of iman. The ultimate iman is abandonment into Reality with knowledge - that is perfect harmony. As for those who have fallen upon themselves, they are Muslims who are misguided, muininun whose iman is incomplete or kuffar (plural of kafir, denier) who are in utter denial. These constitute fodder for the fire.

23 Say: He it is Who brought you into being and made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts: little is it that you give thanks.

Qul, say, implies to witness, recognize and see the Creator. See how you have come about from the best of sources, the highest Source. See yourself, see how you hear and see. Reflect upon your heart, reflect upon your own situation. Then you will profess, confess and know that you have been created in the best form, in the highest form. It will bring gratitude, which will bring contentment, which in turn will bring greater sight and insight. Qul huwa-llahu ahad, "Say that Allah is One." (al- ikhlas:1). What is said often enough becomes what is meant and what is meant becomes what is said; then the created being sees only the One. By saying it he embraces tawhid.

"Little is it that you give thanks." Diving into the depths of the aya yields greater comprehension of its inner meanings. By increasing one's contentment and gratitude, one is able to gain insight into one's creation and therefore into the Creator, Whose attributes are contained in His creation.

24 Say: He it is Who scattered you on the earth and to Him you shall be gathered.

25 And they say: When shall this threat be (executed) if you are truthful?

26 Say: The knowledge (thereof) is only with Allah and 1 am only a plain warner.

27 But when they shall see it nigh, the faces of those who disbelieve shall be sorry, and it shall be said: This is that which you used to call for.

Dhara means to scatter, disperse. Its related root of Dharra yields the Arabic words for atom (the smallest unit of anything) and offspring. For every action there is a reaction, for every scattering there is a gathering. Man has been scattered here in order to see the meaning of his existence, his reality, and his Source, to Which he will be gathered again.

Those who are not in the state of submission - who are not in an inner state of contentment, gratitude and therefore tawhid, and who do not see themselves as inseparable from Reality - see nothing other than discord; they are in kufr. They ask when the promise of oneness will come to pass. If you are truthful, when will the promise of akhira (hereafter) be fulfilled? A man in doubt is constantly searching and asking for proof. The answer to the people of doubt emanates from the iman in one's heart - the heart has seen what is not and therefore dwells upon that which is.

The knowledge of the Unseen -the next world and the day of reckoning - is with Allah. Only a warning can be given to those who deny. The aya explains to those who ask about time that Allah is beyond time. Time exists so that man may take notice, pause, and reflect on what is behind it.

Warn them that to persist in questioning only increases doubt. It will sink them deeper into the quicksand which they believe to be the solid ground upon which they rely. The system of kufr perpetuates the illusion of its own firmness. In reality it has no foundation; it follows its wahm (fancy, delusion), causing the seeker to seek in the wrong direction. His search leads him away from answers towards false hopes and despair. Man takes refuge in the bubble of kufr. One strategic prick will burst it and cause both his own collapse and that of the system of kufr.

When the next life comes, those who formerly were in denial will wear an expression of contrition upon their faces. They will be in a dreadful state, having come face to face with that which they denied. They are told that this is what you were promised - you will be what you have earned. They have earned this state through their actions, which are backed by their intentions. In a tradition of the Ahl ul-Bayt, it is said that this aya refers to some of the companions of the Prophet, salla-llahu `alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, who, upon seeing that 'Ali, `alayhi­s-salam, was so close to the Prophet, were exceedingly jealous.

28 Say: Have you considered if Allah should destroy me and those with me - rather He will have mercy on us; yet who will protect the unbelievers from a painful punishment?

Reality will cause everyone to perish. One must see that Allah's mercy and protection fall over everyone, whether mu'min or kafir. "Who will protect the unbelievers?" Yujiru is from ajara , which means to protector to aid someone. Jar means neighbor; the word implies mercy and compassion. The rahma of Allah covers even he who denies at the moment of his denial. But whatever has a beginning has an end. A father's love for his son continues until he dies. The father has a contract with his son to be patient with him in every situation. But after the father dies, an uncle may take his place and treat the son roughly and impatiently. Everyone is given constant protection until he is woken up, whereupon there is regret for having left behind the remains of nothing but a misurable and misguided life. Allah has given everyone a respite, ila ajalan musamma, until an appointed time. The Rahmin covers all beings with His beneficence and mercy. Understanding the rahma of Allah is attained by experiencing it whilst depending upon it.

29 Say: He is the Beneficent God, we believe in Him and on Him do we rely, so you shall come to know who it is that is in clear error.

30 Say: have you considered if your water should go down, who is it then that will bring you flowing water?

"So you shall come to know who it is that is in clear error." A time comes to the Prophet, salla-llahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, and to men of knowledge when there is nothing left to say. Having used `aql and heart in every way possible to cause an awaken­ing to occur, he can only say: You shall come to know.

Ghawr is a depression in the ground, from ghara, to sink in, become hollow, seep away. If your water is lost, there can be no sustenance. All beings depend upon water for their lives. The Qur'an says that all life is based upon water and that the throne - the `arsh, the foundation of creation - is afloat upon water. If there were no rock under the soil, only sand descending for miles, water would enter the earth and disappear. If all water is lost who will bring the flowing water? From where will it come? One's inner life is such that whenever there is arrogance, knowledge enters the question­ing being like water and permeates down through an endlessly deep hole.

The state of being at a loss does not allow one to begin to reflect. Self-knowledge, the water that springs from the well of knowledge, does not stay; it passes on through and disappears into one's cave. The ghawr, the depression, is related in meaning to nafaq, under­ground tunnel. No matter how much knowledge you pour on the mun­afiq, the hypocrite, it will never take root because he always shakes it off, like a person who repeatedly escapes through tunnels. It is Allah's business to give water, to give sustenance, love, mercy; if there is reflection, then knowledge will remain.

The entire creation is the kingdom of the one and only King Whose attributes are known, Whose love is all-encompassing, Whose presence is beyond time, before time, in time and after time. One is able to initiate the growth of knowledge by momentarily stopping one's hypo­crisy and lack of confidence and by admitting that one has nothing. If you have anything, it is by permission of He Who has created you.

Allah has placed man on earth as a guardian, and that guardianship comes with responsibility, the responsibility of acknowledging his debt at all times to the merciful King of creation.