“It is Allah who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a ceiling and moulded you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord; then blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.” [40:64]
Allah mentions multiple times in the Qur’an that He created us. What’s different about this ayah is that He uses the word “sawarakoum” which translates to “moulded”, meaning He designed us in a beautiful manner. For us to hate the way we look is an insult to Allah and is even worse when we do it to others.
We see Muslims out there going too far to look a certain way, a way that was formed by Western society to define what is “attractive” when this is not from Islam. Allah moulded everything and everyone in their own beautiful way.
The other side of the spectrum is extreme vanity. There is no doubt we as Muslims must take pride of our appearance, in a way which pleases Allah as He is beautiful and He loves beauty. However, reaching the point of looking down on others or being arrogant because of how we look is not the right path.
“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” [2:186]
When Allah mentions here that He will without doubt answer our calls to Him this does not necessarily mean that it will be answered how we want. Many of us make the link between Allah’s love for His creation and His answering of Dua – we assume that when He does not answer how we want that we must have done something wrong or are lacking in our worship somehow. This is especially the case when we are in hardship. Let us look at some of the examples that Allah portrays in the Qur’an.
Nuh (Noah), one of Allah’s beloved prophets made Dua for his nation day and night for 950 years.
“He said, “My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.” [71:5]
Yet they departed from him every single day.
“..But my invitation increased them not except in flight.
And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance.” [71:6-7]
This included his family whom he constantly made Dua for guidance and they still ended up with the disbelievers. Nuh was an honoured prophet of Allah and yet he did not have his wish fulfilled. This was a very similar story to our prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who made Dua for his father figure Uncle who also did not end up as a Muslim.
Look at our beloved mother Maryam who in the hardest of situations – pregnant with a miracle baby with nobody around to help, waiting to give birth and having to face her people while not being married – she called out for death and for nobody to look for her after she was gone.
“And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, “Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.” [19:23]
Allah acknowledges that we go through hardships and suffering, all in our own ways. However, Dua is not to be answered how we wish – we must remember that Allah has the bigger picture, He knows what is best. Even through hardship there is benefit, one way or another. Take our mother Maryam, her giving birth and taking care of her baby brought a prophet of Allah to the people who guided many people to the path of Islam.
Our prophet Yusuf also suffered a great deal; thrown down a well and taken a slave as a child, imprisoned for years. After years of suffering he was approached by a king who asked Yusuf to decipher a dream that he had which was one of the miracles that Allah gave to His prophet.
“[Joseph] said, “You will plant for seven years consecutively; and what you harvest leave in its spikes, except a little from which you will eat.” [12:47]
He then carried on with the dream explaining to them a threat that was coming:
“Then will come after that seven difficult [years] which will consume what you saved for them, except a little from which you will store.” [12:48]
This information saved the nation with thousands of babies and children from starvation. If Yusuf was not imprisoned where he was, the king would not have received this warning – one man’s hardship saved thousands from suffering.
The point Allah makes is that we as Muslims must acknowledge Allah’s wisdom and knowledge, just as these honoured people before did. We put our faith in Him when we make Dua, hoping that it will be answered how we wish but knowing that even if it does not, Allah will ease our hardship in another way, and never forget that Allah loves His people. Through one person’s hardship there will be many doors of ease that will open up just as He says:
“Have they devised [some] affair? But indeed, We are devising.” [43:79]
Here Allah is talking to the prophet about Quraish and therefore, the disbelievers. He asks a question (in the basic translation of the meaning: have they devised their affairs? Allah here uses the word “abramou” which is derived from the word “ibram” which in Arabic is used in construction to describe a knot that holds beams together.
In early times people used very strong knots to hold beams together for a house; the main thing to take away from this figure of speech is that these kind of knots are intended to never come loose as it holds the main form of the building together. Thus Allah here is asking “have they tied their knots?”. What kind of knots? Before this ayah Allah depicted hellfire thus talking about the disbelievers, He then essentially asks “have they permanently tied their knots of disbelief?”, meaning are they certain with their disbelief of Allah? He then says that He also has tied the knot, the knot on their hearts that leads them to what He previously described – hellfire.
Extra treasure: when talking about the disbelievers Allah uses a past verb “abrama” and when talking about Himself, He says “mubrimoon” which is a name; in Arabic a past verb (“f’il madhi”) is generally used to describe a temporary action while a name (“ism”) is used for something permanent. Allah uses this differentiation here because even though these types of people are sure of their disbelief, there will go back on their decision on judgement day, the day they see hellfire, they day all hearts will turn to Allah, the day when it will be too late as Allah’s knot is truly final.
What is interesting is that this Ayah is an “if then” statement – if they are sure of their disbelief then Allah is sure of where they are headed. This tells us that He does not seal the hearts of His creation without the creation making a decision, thus it is up to us as human beings to make the choice and is not therefore based on specific people’s influence or surroundings.
We are all born with the “fitra” which is a predisposition to believe in the oneness of Allah, it is only as we live on that people bury that belief, just as a farmer buries a seed in the ground (which is another meaning of “kafir”) and it could then reach a point that their hearts are certain of their disbelief which will lead to a permanent knot from Allah.
May Allah keep all our hearts turned towards Him and not make us of those who choose to have their hearts sealed from Islam.
Allah teaches us through the story of Iblees that arrogance is a blameworthy characteristic and it is what lead him to be cursed. There are various levels of arrogance; the worst of which is arrogance towards Allah’s commands such as prostration which Iblees himself refused to do.
“And We have certainly created you, [O Mankind], and given you [human] form. Then We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam”; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was not of those who prostrated.
[ Allah ] said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” [Satan] said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” [7:11-12]
His arrogance was towards Allah’s commands but it was lead by his arrogance and pride towards Allah’s creation – Adam. We see today many Muslims look down on others, whether it’s due to their race, the Islamic teachings they follow, their wealth or status, their physical appearance etc. We must realise that this act is one of the features of the Shaytan and that it will lead away from the path of Allah.
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No one who has an atom’s-weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if a man likes his clothes and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” [Muslim]
This will be the end of the those who pass away in an arrogant state, but what about the dunya? We see around us that pride and arrogance pushes people away, cuts ties, causes tension between family and friends and the worst of all: pushes people away from Islam. This could be arrogance in worldly matters or deen matters, such as those who believe they are better than others due to their perceived religious stature. Allah says:
“…He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were foetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.” [53:32]
Allah knows those who are truly pure – we cannot label that ourselves thus we cannot look down on others because of how righteous we may think we are.
The opposite also applies, as many people especially in the current generations look down on others merely due to the fact that they are trying to follow Allah’s commands, forbidding that which is haram and holding on to the prophet’s teachings. At the end of the day we are all Allah’s creations and are all honoured by Allah Himself, as He says:
“And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.” [17:70]
May Allah make us of those who do not look down on others, are free from arrogance/pride and stick together as one loving Ummah.
“O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.” [22:73]
This ayah paints a real picture of what everything in this world is worth. As humans we deem ourselves as intelligent creatures, capable of building skyscrapers and machinery. Yet nothing even comes close to the complexity of what seemingly is a simple fly, which if humanity were to gather all the intelligence and funding in the world would still not be able to create anything like it.
Allah begins by mentioning that an example has been set. We see all around us the creations of Allah and the miracle of the Qur’an and yet people still deny. He tells these people to listen.
What’s interesting here is that He didn’t say “I have made an example”, He says “an example has been made” – there is a difference. Think about it from this perspective: when people do not value someone or respect them, they wouldn’t listen to anything that has to be said whether or not it may be valid.
This ayah is addressing everyone but this wording is specifically for those who if they hear the word “Allah” immediately put a barrier upon their hearts; so Allah says an example has been made, meaning concentrate on what is being said not on who’s saying it.
The picture being portraying here is the fact that we are not only incapable of creating a fly but if it were to steal a little of our food (as in land on it and take a portion before being waved away) it will be impossible to retrieve it. Now imagine someone of the highest status – take the Pharaoh from history as an example – all the money and power in the world, yet if a fly steals his food he can’t get it back.
Science has recently discovered that a fly does not eat as many other creations do; they would dissolve their food before ingesting it. So even if we try to be smart and say modern technology may be able to extract the food, it’s literally impossible – this is our status as compared to Allah, humbling.
Then Allah ends with something powerful, “weak are the pursuer and the pursued”. For the word weak Allah uses “da’ofa” which is derived from the word “da’eef” – interestingly here this specific connotation translates more accurately to “originally weak”, as in weakness is the natural state.
So the pursuer (“talib”) and that which is being pursued (“matloob”) are both weak in themselves.
To put things in perspective, think about psychological disorders – most of them are caused by a deprivation of something that the person really wanted or was obsessed with over everything else in life and as a result they just simply cannot get over it – whether it was a person or a materialistic item.
The message here is that what we pursue makes us even weaker than our natural state. The more wanting we are of stuff, the weaker we become as a person. The more we overly attach ourselves to other people, the less strength we have as individuals, the more easily we break down if something or someone were to be taken away because everything will inevitably fade.
So how do we become stronger people?
Allah adds:
“They have not appreciated Allah with true appreciation. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” [22:74]
Appreciating Allah is what makes us strong. Putting Allah above all that which we desire – attaching our hearts to Him, to His book, to His teachings. This is where true strength is harnessed, with the one being that is infinite, that will never disappear.
May Allah make us of those who put Him above everything else in our lives.
“Indeed, Qarun was from the people of Moses, but he tyrannized them. And We gave him of treasures whose keys would burden a band of strong men; thereupon his people said to him, “Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant.” [28:76]
A bit of a back story: Qarun was from the nation of Musa at the time of Pharaoh. Pharaoh having taken Musa’s nation into slavery spread poverty amongst his people. In fear of an uprising of Musa’s nation, Pharaoh decided he needed surveillance amongst them and thus was willing to pay certain people to spy on the Muslims at the time. One of the people who took this opportunity was Qarun. To show us the extent of Qarun’s wealth after working with Pharaoh, Allah describes the key to one of his treasure vaults as needing a group of men just to lift the latch in order to open the door.
Now imagine such a wealthy man living amongst the poor slaves of Egypt, walking around with an entourage and boasting his wealth, wearing clothes the people around him can never afford, riding a horse, as Allah says later on in the surah:
“So he came out before his people in his adornment. Those who desired the worldly life said, “Oh, would that we had like what was given to Qarun. Indeed, he is one of great fortune.” [28:79]
The people did not know what Qarun was up to behind the scenes but they can see they he was exultant in what he has achieved from how he acted. Let us put aside how he obtained his wealth and focus on a different lesson here and that is being overly exultant.
Allah uses the word “farhan” which in Arabic translates to being overly excited or overly exultant. An example could be someone who jumps from event to another, one materialistic matter to another, indulging merely in entertainment and nothing else. Their life becomes an everyday celebration, one high after another. The advice the people gave Qarun – those who did not desire the worldly life – told him that Allah does not like those who are overly exultant; which is essentially telling him that life is not just about these highs.
Look around us in our time now on social media. People live to post pictures and videos of themselves boasting to others living on likes and follows, constantly trying to portray that their lives are one big happy lane, continuously chasing this fake life, just as Qarun continuously chased more wealth.
Why do people do this?
We find that these people chase these things to fill a void in their hearts but instead the hole is widened through this materialism. Not only is this affecting themselves but also the people who see this fake life and are intrigued by it, wanting the same thing which will simply never satisfy as it is a fairy tale.
So the first advice Allah gives is that we should not reduce our lives to this kind of constant over exultancy. He then continues:
“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” [28:77]
Allah is essentially telling us here that we should pursue what Allah has made halal for us, things that will benefit us now and in the hereafter. When we go after that which is permissible, it is a form of worship; whether this may be spending of income or time. This piece of advice also tells us that Allah wants happiness for us in this world.
Western society has deluded many people into thinking that the more religious a certain group is, the more miserable they are when this is simply not the case at all. Whatever desire we may have, there is always a halal path to it; but just as the shaytan deluded our parents Adam and Hawa’ with the tree – when Allah offered them an entire jannah of trees with one being haram and they still went for it – we are being deluded in the same way. We see a field of halal in front of us, yet the haram is made enticing by the shaytan.
When Allah describes that which is halal, He says:
“O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and pure and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” [2:168]
He pairs the word halal with pure, therefore letting us know that whatever is made haram will bring impurity, some kind of corruption into our lives. It will not solve any problems it will only make them worse and this is proven through what we see around us today.
May Allah protect us from the delusion of the shaytan and allow us all to seek the pleasures in what is made halal and pure.
