 |
Since we have been discussing the obstacles and
the factors of the ascension of deeds, it would be appropriate as well to talk
about the means that we must employ when supplicating Allah, the Exalted. Allah Himself has invited us to take recourse
to Him. He says: “They
{themselves} are the ones who supplicate, seeking a recourse to their Lord…”[300] He also says:
“O you who
have faith! Be wary of Allah, and seek the means of recourse to Him…”[301]
In fact,
these means have been ordained by Allah , out of His mercy, for those of His
creatures whose deeds and prayers are not strong enough to ascend to Him; as He
is the Most Merciful of all merciful. He, the
Exalted, says: “To Him
ascends the good word and He elevates righteous conduct.”[302]
‘A good
word’ and ‘righteous conduct’ are part of human life. The ‘good word’ is one’s
belief in Allah, his sincerity to Him, his confidence and hope in Him, and his
entreating Him. While the ‘righteous conduct’ is the deed which one performs
out of belief, sincerity, confidence, and hope in Allah. The ‘good
word’ ascends to Allah as per the assertion of the Qur’an, but it is the
‘righteous deed’ which elevates the ‘good word’ to Allah, as affirmed also by
the Qur’an itself. The ‘good word’ cannot ascend to Allah without the
‘righteous deed’. Nevertheless, sometimes the ‘righteous deed’ is weak and
ineffective, and so it is unable to elevate the ‘good word’ to Allah.
Subsequently, the prayer of a person would fail to ascend to Allah, and
therefore it would not be answered. For this
reason, Allah, out of His mercy for his creatures, has decreed in human life
and kept at his disposal ‘means’ (wasa’il) through which he may seek
recourse to Allah and which may assist him to ascend to Him. Were it not for
these means, a person would not have been able to raise his prayer and
imploration to Allah. The Qur’an
has pointed to these means. Among such means is the prayer of the Holy Prophet (S)
and his pleading for forgiveness for his
nation (ummah). He, the Exalted, says: “… Had
they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and pleaded Allah for
forgiveness, and the Apostle had pleaded for forgiveness for them, they would
have surely found Allah all-clement, all-merciful.”[303] This verse
is clear in that the pleading for forgiveness by the Prophet (S) on behalf of the believers is among the
‘means’ which Allah has encouraged His servants to seek recourse to when
supplicating Him and seeking His forgiveness. What has
been reported in history of the coming of the believers to the Holy Prophet (S)
during his lifetime and his seeking
forgiveness for them, applies after his demise also; for the Prophet of Allah (S)
is living even after his death and
provided for near Allah, the Exalted. Pleading with the Holy Prophet (S) and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) The Islamic narrations are replete with great
emphasis on asking for help from the Holy Prophet (S) and his Progeny (‘a). Dawud al-Barqi says: “I used to listen to Abu ‘Abdillah
as-Sadiq (‘a), he mostly used to implore Allah for the sake of the Five, that
is the Prophet of Allah, Amir al-Mu’minin, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn
(peace be upon all of them).”[304] Sama’ah is reported to have said, “Abu al-Hasan
al-Kazim (‘a) said to me, ‘O Sama’ah! If you sought a need from Allah, then
say, ‘O Allah, {I beseech You} for the sake of Muhammad and ‘Ali, for they
enjoy status and rank with You, and {I implore You} for the sake of that status
to bless Muhammad and his Progeny, and do with me such and such.’”[305] Means of Recourse to Allah in the Supplication
of Kumayl In the supplication of kumayl, we find a
set of means by which Imam ‘Ali (‘a) has sought recourse to Allah, the Exalted.
Actually, these means which have appeared in this supplication constitute the
second part of it. But in order for us to
discuss the means which the Imam (‘a) employs in this supplication and through
which he seeks his needs, it is necessary to give a brief explanation about the
structure of this supplication, the key concepts it entails, and the
methodology based on which the key ideas presented in this supplication have
been arranged. In actual fact, each of the famous supplications that has
reached us from the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) entails specific concepts and a particular
methodology based on which those concepts are organized. Each of these
supplications has a specific way to commence it and to bring it to close. Similarly, each of these supplications has a
structure and a layout peculiar to it. It contains one primary concept embraced
by a number of other secondary concepts. In other words, every prayer has a
fundamental point to convey, and there are other subsidiary points surrounding
the main one. It involves a style of beseeching Allah, the Exalted, and a way
of commencing it and bringing it to close. Had the scholars devoted
enough academic importance to this issue, they would have come up with positive
and remarkable achievements. Anyway, I do not intend to present here the
structure of the supplication of kumayl, nor the primary concepts it
entails. Rather, I just intend to briefly give an explanation about the general
framework of this supplication and the main ideas which have appeared in it, in
order for us to consider -through this general frame- the ‘means’ employed by
Imam ‘Ali (‘a) in this prayer for seeking his needs from Allah. General Frame of the Supplication of Kumayl The
supplication of kumayl is among the famous and important prayers among
the believers. It is recited on Thursday nights, collectively and individually.
This
supplication belongs to Imam ‘Ali (‘a) which he taught to Kumayl bin Ziyad an-nakha’i.
Thereafter, the believers received it through this channel and passed it on
generation after generation. This prayer is rich with such concepts as
servanthood (‘ubudiyyah), repentance and submission; and filled with
vivid illustrations of petition, call for help and returning to Allah. However, I do not intend, by these
considerations, to give a commentary of this supplication and the ideas it
entails, as this would take long. Perhaps Allah will grant me the tawfiq
to undertake such a work in future. This prayer has been particularly arranged
in three stages, such that each stage prepares the ground for the next stage.
Comprehending this structure and the foundations on which it is based helps us
a lot in reading this supplication and in pondering over the concepts and ideas
that have appeared in it, and also in interacting with them. I hope Allah, the Exalted, will make this
endeavour beneficial and useful for those of the believers who are consistent
in reciting this supplication. Structure of the Supplication of Kumayl As mentioned above, this prayer consists of
three stages. The First Stage is like a preamble to the supplication. It
prepares the supplicant for praying and imploring Allah, the Exalted, and to
stand before Him. The wrongdoings veil a person from Allah and withhold prayer.
In order for one to stand before his Lord entreating Him, he needs first to put
behind him this impediment. In this introduction, ‘Ali (‘a) begins with two
requests from Allah. The first one is forgiveness from Allah, “O Allah, forgive
me those sins which tear apart protection. O Allah, forgive me those sins which
bring down calamities…” The second request is His remembrance,
thankfulness to Him, and proximity to Him, “And I beseech You by Your generosity
to bring me closer to Your proximity, and grant me with thankfulness to You,
and to inspire me with Your remembrance.” Both of the above things are necessary for one
who intends to stand before Allah imploring Him. He has no choice but that
Allah should, first, forgive his sins and remove the veils from his heart, and,
secondly, allow him to get closer to Him, be grateful to Him, and inspire him
with His remembrance. The second section of the preamble involves the
presentation of poverty, need, and desire (raghbah) toward Allah, “O
Allah, I ask You with the asking of one whose indigence is extreme, and who has
stated to You in difficulties his need, and whose yearning for what is with You
has become great…” Here, we come across two realities. Firstly,
there is no escape from Allah, “O Allah, Your power is great, Your position is
high, Your deception is hidden, Your command is manifest, Your domination is
overwhelming, Your power is prevalent.” Secondly, there is no refuge with other than
Him, “O Allah, I find no one to forgive my sins, no one to conceal my
wrongdoings, and no one to change my bad deeds into good except You, there is
no god but You.” In the third section of the preamble, Imam ‘Ali
(‘a) mentions the wretchedness and misfortune of man, “O Allah, my tribulation
is tremendous, my bad state is excessive, my acts are inadequate, my fetters
have tied me down, my far-fetched hopes have held me back from my gain, and
this world with its delusions, my own soul with its offences, and my delaying
{to act} have deceived me, O my Master.” This wretchedness and misfortune is undoubtedly
the outcome of man’s own deeds. This is why ‘Ali (‘a) beseeches Allah, the
Exalted, to forgive him his sins and not to let them impede his prayer from
Him, “So I ask You, by Your might, not to let my evil deeds and acts veil my
supplication from You, not to disgrace me because of the hidden things You have
come to know from my innermost secret, not to hasten in punishing me for what I
have done in privacy of my evil acts, wrongdoings, continuous negligence, my
ignorance, my manifold passions, and my forgetfulness.” In the fourth section, he emphasizes on a noble
concept which we have just mentioned, and that is, man cannot find shelter
during hardships and misfortune with other than his Master, “O Allah, who do I
Have other than You, so that I may implore him to remove my affliction and to
have regard for my affairs?” The fifth section of the preamble involves two
confessions; confession of wrongdoings, and the confession that man has no
argument against Allah in transgressing His boundaries, violating His commands,
and in following his lowly desires. In the sixth and the last section of the
preamble, after one has confessed his disobedience, sins and wretchedness, and
after one has declared that there is no refuge from Allah but with Him, and
after one has sought Allah not to punish him on account of his wrongdoings and
offences, and, in one word, after displaying his humility and indigence before
Allah, the Exalted, the servant declares that he has turned to his master in
confession of his sins, regretting them, broken and apologizing, out of
knowledge that there is no refuge from his misfortune and hardships except with
Allah. He (‘a) says: “Now I have come to You, O Allah,
after my shortcoming and my immoderation toward myself, proffering my excuse,
regretful, broken, apologizing, pleading for forgiveness, repenting,
acknowledging, submissive and confessing. I find no place to flee from what I
have done, nor any place of escape to which I may turn in my affairs, other
than Your acceptance of my excuse and Your entering me into the compass of Your
mercy.” With the above phrase, the preamble comes to an
end. A servant is now prepared to stand before Allah, to supplicate and entreat
Him. He has affirmed all this by the statement ‘Now I have come to You, O
Allah.’ The Second Stage is the one in which the Imam (‘a) mentions the
means (wasa’il) by which he seeks recourse to Allah. To my knowledge,
there are four ‘means’. The first means is the previous grace and mercy of Allah
toward His creatures, and His love for them, “O You who gave rise to my
creation, to the remembrance of me, to the nurture of me, to goodness toward
me, and to my nourishment, bestow upon me for the sake of Your having given
rise {to me} with generosity and Your previous goodness to me.” The second means is our love for Him and our confession of His
Oneness, “Can You see Yourself tormenting me with Your fire after I have
professed Your Unity, and after Your cognition my heart has embraced, Your
remembrance my tongue has constantly mentioned, and Your love to which my mind
has clung, after the sincerity of my confession and my supplication, humble
before Your Lordship?” The third means is our weakness in resisting the punishment,
the thinness of our skins and the frailty of our bones, “You know my weakness
before a little of this world’s tribulations and punishments, and before those
ordeals which befall its inhabitants, even though it is a tribulation whose
stay is short, whose subsistence is but little, and whose period is but
fleeting. So how can I endure the tribulations of the next world and the great
ordeals that occur within it?... O Allah, my Lord, my Master, my Protector, for
which things would I complain to You, and for which of them would I lament and
weep; for the pain and severity of the chastisement, or for the length and
period of tribulation?” The fourth means is the seeking of refuge by a slave who
has fled from his Master and disobeyed Him, and his asking and calling upon Him
for help when he has no way out and does not find any refuge except with his
Master. The Imam (‘a) illustrates this means remarkably
with the following words, “So by Your might, my Master and my Protector, I
swear sincerely, if You leave me with speech, I will lament to You from the
midst of the Fire’s inhabitants with the lamentation of the hopeful; I will cry
to You with the cry of those crying for help; I will weep to You with the
weeping of the bereft; and I will call upon You, where are You, O Helper of the
believers, O Goal of the hopes of {Your} knowers, O Succor of those who seek
assistance, O Beloved of the hearts of the sincere, and O Lord of the worlds.” By putting forth these four means, the second
stage of this prayer comes to the end. The supplicant sought recourse to Allah
with these means in order for him to be able to stand before Allah,
supplicating and beseeching Him. Now, let us enter together with ‘Ali (‘a) in
the third stage of the prayer. In this final stage, the Imam (‘a) presents his
needs to Allah one after another. The needs begin from the low point related to
the petitioner and his actions, and end at the climax where the supplicant
aspires and craves the infinite mercy of his Master. At the lowest point, we say, “O Allah, my
Master, I beseech You… to forgive me on this night and at this hour every
offence I have committed, every sin I have perpetrated, every ugly thing I have
concealed…” At the culmination of the needs, we say, “And
make me among the most excellent of Your slaves in share with You, the nearest
of them in station to You, and the most elected of them in proximity to You…” It is worthy of note here that the wishes which
the Imam (‘a) presents before Allah through the above phrases can be classified
into four kinds: The first kind is that He may forgive us our sins, not punish
us, overlook the offences we have committed, and what we have perpetrated of
evil, “…to forgive me on this night and at this hour every offence I have
committed, every sin I have perpetrated, every ugly thing I have concealed,
every folly I have enacted -whether I have hidden or announced it, whether I
have concealed it or manifested it, every evil act which You have commanded the
Noble Writers to record, those whom You have appointed to watch over what
appears from me, and whom You have made, along with my bodily organs, witness
against me.” In the second kind, the Imam (‘a)
invokes Allah’s mercy in all affairs and in every provision {from Him}. He
prays to Allah to increase his share of every good that He sends down, “{And I
beseech You} to bestow upon Me an abundant share of every good You send down,
goodness You unfold, provision You spread out…” This prayer is all embracing such that it does
not leave out anything of Allah’s mercy. The third kind which is the longest part of this supplication
is the one which attracts the attention of the Imam (‘a) most; that is, his
relation with Allah. Imam ‘Ali (‘a) prays to Allah to make his time
filled with His remembrance and connected to His service, and to grant him
seriousness in his fear of Him, and to take him closer to Himself and give him
a place in His neighbourhood, “I beseech You… to make my times in the night and
the day inhabited by Your remembrance, and joined to Your service… Strengthen my bodily parts in Your service,
fortify the instruments of my soul in determination, and bestow upon me
earnestness in my fear of You and continuity in my being joined to Your
service, so that I may move easily toward You in the battlefields of the
foremost, hurry to You among the prominent, desire fervently Your proximity
among the fervently desirous, move nearer to You with the nearness of the
sincere, fear You with the fear of those who have certitude, and gather with
the believers in Your neighbourhood.” However, it should not go unsaid here that both
of the first and the third types of wishes are peculiar to the relation of a
servant with Allah. The difference is in that the first type of wishes are
negative in nature, that is, a person pleads with Allah to forgive his sins and
overlook them; while the third type of wishes are positive, that is, his only
concern is to establish his relation with Allah on a firm ground of sincerity,
fear, love and yearning for Him. In the fourth kind of wishes, the Imam (‘a)
asks Allah to keep him away from the deception of the tyrants, their trickery
and mischief, to return their trickery to themselves, and to protect him from
their oppression and harm, “O Allah, whosoever intends evil for me, desire {it}
for him, and whoever deceives me, deceive him... and spare me the evil of my
enemies from among the jinn and men.” This was a quick summary of the structure of
this holy supplication. However, there is need for further explanantion and
elaboration. Four Means of Recourse in the Supplication of
Kumayl We will now talk in detail about the four means
of recourse which have appeared in this supplication, and which actually
constitute the second part of it, as mentioned earlier. The first means is Allah’s previous goodness (birr),
kindness (karam), and grace (fadl) toward His servants. Should
there be any shortcoming and flaw in the action and endeavour of a person which
keeps him away from Allah, then Allah’s previous grace and mercy toward him
would intercede with Him on his behalf. His previous grace and mercy toward His
servants affirms His love (hubb) for them. This ‘Divine love’ is a means
of recourse that one sends forth before seeking his needs from Allah, the
Exalted. In case a servant does not deserve Allah’s mercy, then His love toward
him would qualify him to attain His mercy and grace, and would place the
servant in the position of being answered. The Imam (‘a) says in this regard,
“O You who gave rise to my creation, to the remembrance of me, to the nurture
of me, to goodness toward me… Bestow upon me for the sake of Your having given
rise {to me} with generosity, and Your previous goodness to me.” He, the Exalted, began first with our creation
(khalq), remembrance (dhikr), nourishment (tarbiyah), and
showed goodness (birr) toward us before we even asked Him for that, and
without we deserving this goodness and remembrance from Him. If this is the
case, then He is more entitled to do good to us and honour us if we are to pray
to Him and ask from Him for all this. And if our wrongdoings and sins obstruct
His goodness and mercy, then His love for us would indeed mediate between Him
and us, and make us subject to His kindness and mercy. The second means is our love for Him. In the first means, the Imam (‘a) sought recourse
to Allah with His love for us, and thereafter seeks recourse to Him with our
love for Him. And this is as effective a means as His love for us. This is
because the element of love has a great value that nothing can equal it in the
eyes of the beloved. However much we may doubt in our love for something, we
cannot doubt in our love for Allah and His friends (awliya’). Love is a
commodity which Allah, the Exalted, never rejects. Parallel to
this means is our profession of His Oneness, our humility before Him, our
prayers, our prostrations, our remembrance of Him, and our testimony that He is
our Lord (rabb) and we are His servants. However, all these can be
summarized in two things, our love for Him and our profession of His Oneness (tawhid).
And we are confident that ‘love’ and ‘Oneness’ are two commodities that would
never be rejected by Allah; the two things we can never doubt even for a
moment. Seeking recourse to Allah with this means, Imam
‘Ali (‘a) says: “Can You see Yourself tormenting me with Your fire after I have
professed Your Unity, and after Your knowledge my heart has embraced, Your
remembrance my tongue has constantly mentioned, Your love to which my mind has
clung? And after the sincerity of my confession and my supplication, humble
before Your Lordship?” As a comment on these phrases, I recall a
story. It is said that after Allah granted him kingdom and power over That suckling infant who bore witness in the
cradle in favour of you has {now} grown up to become a young man; here he is.” So Prophet Yusuf (‘a) called him and seated him
beside him. He acclaimed him and bestowed a robe of honour upon him, whilst the
pious servant looked in amazement at what Prophet Yusuf (‘a) was doing. “Are you astonished at what I have done with
this young man?” asked Prophet Yusuf (‘a). The pious man said, “No. But this
young man did not do anything except that he testified to your innocence. And
it was Allah who made him to speak, so he does not deserve any credit for it.
But in spite of this, you gave him such respect and bestowed a robe of honour
upon him.” The moral of the story is that if Prophet Yusuf
(‘a) held that young man in great esteem just because he testified to his
innocence, then how can Allah burn the face of a servant who used to prolong
his prostrations before Him, or burn the heart of a servant after it is filled
with His love, or burn a tongue which frequently remembered Him, testified to
His Oneness, and denied partners to Him. In this regard, the Imam (‘a) says: “Would that
I knew, my Master, my Lord and my Protector, are You going to inflict Fire over
faces that fell down in prostration before Your greatness, or over tongues
voicing sincerely the profession of Your Oneness and thanking You in praise,
hearts acknowledging Your Divinity through verification, or over minds
encompassing knowledge of You until they have become humble, and upon the
bodily members speeding to the places of Your worship in obedience and
beckoning for Your forgiveness in submission. Such opinion is not held of You!
Nor has such been reported about You, thanks to Your grace, O All-generous.” The third means is our weakness to bear the torment, the
delicacy of our skin, the frailty of our bones, and our little endurance and
patience; for weakness (da’f) is an effective means to seek recourse
with to the Strong (qawiyy), as in every weakness there is something
which attracts the Strong, His affection and mercy. There is some secret in ‘weakness’ that it
always seeks the strong, as there is something in ‘power’ that it always
searches for the weak. Each of them is in pursuit of the other. In its
weakness, a suckling infant searches for the affection of the mother, just as
the the sympathy of the mother seeks the weakness and feebleness of the baby. In fact, there is no weapon more effective on
the Strong than weeping and {entertaining} hope in His mercy. This is the means
and weapon of the weak. ‘Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) says in this
supplication, “O He whose name is a remedy {for all illnesses}, and whose
remembrance is a cure… have mercy upon him whose only capital is hope, and
whose only weapon is lamentation.” The hope that a needy entertains of the rich is
his asset. The tears of the weak before the strong are his weapon. Whoever does
not understand the norms (sunan) of Allah, the Exalted, in the universe
with regard to the relation of a weak to the strong and vice versa, cannot
comprehend the touching phrases in the speech of the Imam (‘a). In another whispered prayer (munajat) of
his, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) says: “You are the Strong and I the weak! Has
anyone mercy on the weak but the Strong?” Now, in the
supplication of kumayl, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is seeking recourse to Allah with
the weakness (da’f) of the servant, lack of his means, quick fading of
his patience and forebearance, thinness of his skin, and the frailty of his bones. He says: “O my Lord, have
mercy on the weakness of my body, the thinness of my skin, and the frailty of
my bones…” Our state in this world is such that if a thorn
pricks us, or a burning coal touches us, or a little illness befalls us, then
it strips us of sleep, comfort and tranquility. This is bearing in mind that
these afflictions are insignificant and their period is normally short, they
are meant for testing the mankind, and, above all, they are a mercy from Allah.
So what shall be our condition if we are to be driven to the severe torment
when it will be said to the angels of punishment, “Seize him, and fetter him.
Then put him into hell. Then, in a chain whose length is seventy cubits, bind
him.”[307] The Imam (‘a) says: “You know my weakness
before a little of this world’s tribulations and punishments, and before those
ordeals which befall its inhabitants, even though it is a tribulation and
ordeal whose stay is short, whose subsistence is but little, and whose period
is but fleeting. So how can I endure the tribulations of the next world and the
great ordeals that occur within it? For it is a tribulation whose period is
long, whose station endures, and whose sufferers are given no respite, since it
only occurs as a result of Your wrath, Your vengeance and Your anger, and these
cannot be withstood by the heavens and the earth. O my Master, so what about
me?! For I am Your weak, lowly, base, wretched, and miserable slave. O Allah,
my Lord, my Master, and my Protector.” The fourth means with which the Imam (‘a) seeks recourse to
Allah in this supplication is the desperate need (idtirar) of the
servant to Allah. This is an effective means to someone before whom one
presents his neediness, and does not find any other person to fulfill his wish
but him. By ‘desperate need’, I mean a state in which a
servant does not find anyone else to fulfill his need apart from Allah, the
Exalted, and does not have any place of refuge except with Allah; the situation
in which one takes flight from Allah, but does not find any shelter to seek
protection with except Him, the Exalted. Such a scene is among the most
effective in attracting Allah’s mercy and clemency. In her little world, a baby does not see any
protector, supporter, or one who can fulfill her needs other than her father
and mother. Thus, she develops intimacy with them, and finds with them -within
her little horizon- all her wishes, and what she needs of mercy, benevolence and
sympathy. Subsequently, whenever something befalls her,
or she becomes afflicted by a calamity, or she becomes afraid of something, she
immediately takes refuge with her parents and finds security and mercy with
them. Moreover, if she has done something because of
which she deserves to be punished by her parents, and she fears them for
herself, then she would turn to her right and left looking for refuge. But when
she finds no one to give her protection, then she turns to her parents throwing
herself into their arms, asking for their help, at a time when they are
intending to punish her. This scene is among those which, most of the
time, brings about the sympathy of her parents, and earns her their love and
affection. Now, in this prayer, the Imam (‘a) points to
such a concept. Indeed he had learned to take refuge with Allah in everything
such that if any affliction or calamity were to befall him, he would turn to
Allah and would not find anyone to fulfill his need but Him. In such a situation, he also sees a servant of
Allah to be subject to the wrath of Allah and his punishment, the very One
whose mercy and protection he hopes for. Here, he finds no refuge but with Him,
no where to escape but to Him, and no protector other than Him. So, while the angels of punishment drive him to
the hell fire, he screams to Him, the Exalted, seeking security from Him,
taking refuge from His anger with His mercy, asking and crying for His help,
just like a child who has been subject to the wrath of her parents and does not
flee from them except to them and finds no one to protect her except them. Now, let us listen to the Imam’s lucid and
sensitive words which express the spirit of tawhid and prayer, “So by
Your Might, my Master and my Protector, I swear sincerely, if You leave me with
speech, I will lament to You from the midst of the Fire’s inhabitants with the
lamentation of the hopeful, I will cry to You with the cry of those crying for
help, I will weep to You with the weeping of the bereft, and I will call on You:
where are You, O Sponsor of the believers, O Goal of the hopes of Your knowers,
O Aid of those who seek assistance, O Friend of the hearts of the sincere, and
O Lord of the worlds.” This was the first aspect of the issue. The
second aspect is similar to the first one in being clear and evident with
regard to the relation of Allah with His servant. The first aspect can be
summed up in the relation of a servant with Allah, by his being in need of Him
and taking refuge with Him, whilst the other aspect of the issue is denoted by
the relation of a servant with Allah in that he seeks protection in His
security, asks for His help and cries for His mercy and grace whilst he is
exposed to the punishment of Allah. Is it then possible that Allah, the Most Merciful
of all merciful, hears the cry for help of a servant whose ignorance and
heedlessness has driven him to the fire of hell, whilst he asks and laments for
His help, calls on Him with the tongue of those who profess His Unity and
beseeches Him for delivery from the Fire… but He leaves Him in the torment to
be burnt by its flames, encompassed by its groaning, convulsed among its
levels, and to be tortured by its keepers, while He, the Exalted, is aware of
the sincerity of his love for Him, his profession of His Oneness, his taking
refuge with Him, and his neediness to Him? Listen to these words, “Can You see Yourself
-glory be to You O Allah, and Your’s is the praise- hearing from within the
Fire the voice of a slave surrendered to You, imprisoned there because of his
violations, suffering the pangs of its torment because of his disobedience, and
confined within its levels because of his sin and crime, while he laments
before You with the lament of one hopeful of Your mercy, calls upon You with
the tongue of those who profess Your Oneness, and entreats You by Your
Lordship? O my Protector, so how should he remain in the
chastisement while he has hope for Your previous clemency? Or how should the
Fire cause him pain while he expects Your bounty and mercy? Or how should its
flames burn him while You hear his voice and see his place? Or how should its
groaning encompass him while You know his weakness? Or how should he be
convulsed among its levels while You know his sincerity? Or how should its keepers torture him while he
calls out to You, “O Lord”? Or how should he have hope of Your bounty in
freeing him from it while You abandon him within it? Far be it from You! That
is not what is expected of You, nor what is well-known of Your bounty, nor is
it similar to the goodness and kindness You have shown to those who professed
Your Oneness.” Notes: |
