For the spiritual enlightenment of
one and all, we reproduced below the inspired commentary provided by the
Muhyi-ud-Din (atba) on certain aspects of the subtle and profound verities of Divine wisdom encompassed in Surah Ar Rahman:
The Jinns and the Humans
Surah Ar-Rahman deals with the absolute power of Allah in spreading His
mercy and benevolence to not only mankind but to the realm of the Jinns also who cohabit in the world of humans, invisible to the naked eyes – yet
there is an invisible veil which separates the two and thus the two creations
co-exist and both types of creatures of Allah are mortal.
The mortality of human is revealed when his soul leaves the
body of clay and water whereas the Jinns
get access to a body of felicity after inhabiting a body made of fire. Therefore,
the Almighty has granted knowledge to both species so that they may accede to
God.
Rewards
of Compliance with the Divine Commandments
One of the examples which the Quran mentions is the power of
Prophet Suleiman over the Jinns. As a
prophet, Allah gave him the ability not only to see them but also to command
them. Moreover, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) also encountered some Jinns but he did not know about them
listening to his preaching until Allah revealed a Surah to shed light on the
existence and even enthusiasm of the Jinns
to submit to and obey Allah and His prophets.
Therefore, we have been informed that along with humans,
the Jinns also have the power to
combat the evil selves and enter the realm of “souls” at peace. The Jinns shall have another body of light
upon their deaths, just like humans shall be vouchsafed a new body upon their
deaths, and provided of course that they are to the expectations of Allah,
always submissive to Him.
Surah Ar-Rahman therefore comes to reinforce the security
of the divine promise, showing that at each step of the way, with each effort
that humans shall make towards Allah, then the Almighty has reserved good for
them; and the more efforts they make, the better the rewards.
Gardens
and the stages of Divine Bliss
For example, Allah reveals the existence of two gardens and
two more to tell both men and Jinns
that there is always the scope for improvement of spirituality even in the last
resting place. The greater efforts they shall make towards Him, then, Allah has
the capacity to elevate them in complete peaceful places where all their
worries would be non-existent.
The two gardens also signify the glory of Allah’s love for
the both creatures. The garden represents the stability of the nature of the
divine promise. Like trees with firm roots and with a whole garden to meet the
hope of both creatures, then two gardens come as a comfort, a metaphor to make
known that the fruit of Allah’s love is found in those two hearts. Therefore,
those gardens are the resulting rewards of what the hearts of men and Jinns have called upon themselves.
Adam
and Iblis in every era
After all, Iblis was a Jinn,
made of fire, yet he got to suffer the torment of hell. Therefore, the Iblises of each era shall manifest again
and again to try to deviate the Adams of every era, but when the army of
believers from among the humans and Jinns shall fight in the ranks of the
Messenger of Allah, then their statuses escalate higher and they enter the
realm of pure divine satisfaction whereby their will is divine will and
vice-versa.
It is also to be noted that man (human) shall always hold a
greater status in the eyes of Allah than the Jinns and that is why messengers
of Allah shall always be raised from among humans and not Jinns.
When Allah tried Iblis, the head-chief from among the Jinns
of his time, then when he showed his arrogance, and disgust for man and his
existence as possessor of the divine spirit, therefore he fell into the agony
of jealousy, arrogance and hatred.
The
Jinns are also on Trial
If, Adam was responsible for the banishment of humans from
the absolute divine bliss to taste hardships for a temporary time
period, then bear in mind also that the Jinns also were banished alongside man,
but as man is possessor of the divine spirit, the “breath” of Allah, then we
must also note that no matter what, whenever Allah sees the need to try the
Jinns, then He shall try them with men themselves. This is because of the
initial display of the satan in Iblis, the Jinn, creature made of mere fire –
whereas man become into being because of the spirit, essence of Allah into him.
Thus, Allah tries Jinns with humans to see if they shall hold onto the same
hatred which Iblis manifested or shall they submit to the divine will?
That is why the community of Jinns also is divided into
two: the good Jinns and the evil Jinns.
The good ones are those who prefer to combat the initial rebellion manifested by
Iblis so that they may not repeat
history, and become condemned by Allah in the harshest of torments.
That is why, whenever they hear about a messenger of Allah
has come from among men themselves, therefore they submit their selves
completely to Allah. Those are the Jinns who gain access to a multitude of
divine favours, and they get access to a purified “soul”, the same “soul” which
shall see to their entrance in Paradise, the garden of eternal life.
And the garden represents an access for them to better
themselves, gaining promotion over promotion till they accede to a perfect
state resembling those of angels and they partake of the divine bliss along
with men also in the afterlife with the satisfaction of Allah upon them.
Strive hard in the path of Imaan: One can slip away at any time
Recall in the Quran it is said that:
And (remember) when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam.” And they prostrated except Iblis, he refused and was
proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah). (2: 35)
This shows that despite the creation of Iblis, a Jinn made
of fire was different from that of the angels, made of light, but when the
divine command was pronounced, then the Quran testifies that all angels
submitted except Iblis. This means that at that time the status of Iblis the
Jinn was so high that he was also considered as having angelic qualities. But when
Allah created man, more specifically His Khalifa (Representative) and thus
tried His existing creatures, the angels and the Jinns, therefore all of them
submitted except Ibliss. This denotes also the presence of Jinns also among the
ranks of the angels, who did not follow Iblis in rebelling against Allah.
And Allah is
All-Knowing. He gives part of His knowledge to His Chosen One so that this
knowledge may benefit the believers in their faith and will to strive to
perfect themselves. This is also a lesson for one and all to guard his or her
faith, because at any time, he can slip and let go of the treasures of faith vouchsafed
to him/her from Allah.
All
praise belongs to Allah, the Rab of the worlds.