God's messengers and Man's free-will
'The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to
him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They believe in Allah, His angels,
His Books, and His messengers. (They proclaim) “We make no distinction between
any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. (We seek) Your
forgiveness, our Lord! And to You (alone) is the final return.” (Al-Baqara 2: 286)
Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue my sermon on the Messengers of Allah and
the struggle between good and evil.
From the Islamic perspective, all prophets and messengers of Allah deserve the respect and love of believers. When Allah established Adam (as) on earth, He granted him a wife from his own being, of his own quality and essence, to bring forth a new generation of humans. These humans have free will, with the choice to choose their path: either they choose the right path and gain divine love, or they become companions of the Satan and burn with him in Hell.
Allah’s love and affection granted man his companion,
and He placed love between them so that they may live in peace on earth. As I
have mentioned, the earth has known several “Adams,” but our Adam is of a
different essence than the past Adams. We have received the gift of Allah’s
spirit within us. This breath that Allah has blown into us is strong enough to
repel all Satans, but man must have the capacity, faith, and will to repel this
evil.
However, Allah’s mercy is immense. Even after man has
sinned, we always find that if we turn to Allah in sincere repentance, then
Allah forgives. His attribute of Ghaffoor or Ghaffar (the One Who
forgives with excellent forgiveness) ensures that man can always seek and
receive forgiveness from Allah.
But sometimes, greed, thirst for power and money, the
desire to feel superior, and jealousy lead a person to the lowest depths of
their nature. Just as one can achieve the pinnacle of spiritual excellence, one
can also fall very low in the eyes of Allah when committing such sins without
feeling any remorse, and consequently, not seeking Allah’s forgiveness.
In the story of Adam (as), we find a significant point
where Allah made him the father of many children. Among them, as the Quran
gives us a poignant example, is the story of Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain),
where Qabil, out of jealousy for his brother Habil, ended up shedding blood and
killing his brother. [Al-Maida 5: 28-32]
Why did Qabil kill Habil? Both believed in Allah and
were making sacrifices for Him. However, jealousy consumed Qabil because Habil
was of a good nature and full of mercy. Habil’s devotions to Allah were more
sincere than Qabil’s. There was a competition between them to gain Allah’s favour,
but Allah’s favour, pleasure, and love are not earned so easily. One must have
true faith and sincerity in acts of worship. Instead of being happy for his
brother, jealousy ate away at Qabil, reaching a level where he lost the
presence of mind to refrain from acting on his intention to kill Habil. This
satanic influence, this jealousy, drove him to harm his brother, reaching a
point where he did not consider the repercussions of his actions. When he saw
his brother fall before him, he felt remorse, but it was too late. His act led
to his brother’s death. A crime was committed in the competition to please
Allah. When Allah accepted Habil’s sacrifice and rejected Qabil’s, Allah knew
the depth of darkness that had reached Qabil’s heart, a darkness masked by a
semblance of piety. In this competition to please Allah, when Allah tested
them, Habil told Qabil that he would not raise his hand to harm his brother,
even if Qabil raised his hand to harm him. Here, we are not talking about
punches or kicks. We are talking about killing one’s brother, shedding blood
unjustly on the earth. But as we say, after death, there is no turning back. If
he had only injured his brother and then sincerely repented, it would have been
a different matter, but here, a murder was committed.
Here, we see that Satan and his army had already begun
their work. They succeeded in reaching the heart of one of Adam’s sons, causing
him to bear the sin of his brother’s death. Once a crime is committed without
any true repentance, Allah’s forgiveness does not extend to such individuals.
Allah mentions Qabil and Habil to warn humanity
against jealousy and its harmful repercussions. Yes, we know that Allah Himself
is the Forgiver, but this does not mean that a person can commit numerous
crimes and then expect Allah to forgive them upon turning to Him.
However, Qabil’s story is different. Here, he did not
expect that a single blow would cause his brother to fall lifeless before him.
The impulse to harm, fueled by his jealousy, prevented him from reflecting on
his actions. This jealousy, which had transformed into hatred, accumulated to
such an extent that he did not anticipate that when he struck his brother, the
blow would be so fatal that it would take his life. From this anecdote, we see
that Satan’s work did not stop there. He continued his efforts to mislead
humanity and draw them away from the divine presence, attracting divine wrath
upon them instead of His love.
This is a lesson for humanity that even if an evil
thought crosses your mind, you should never act upon it. Instead, you should
say: “A’udhu billahi minash Shaytan-ir-Rajeem”
(I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, as mentioned in the
Hadith and supported by the Quranic verse where Allah says: ‘... Seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan’
found in Surah An-Nahl, Chapter 16, Verse 99). Alternatively, you can say: “Rabbi ‘a’udhu bika min hamazaatish-shayaatiini, wa ‘a’udhu
bika Rabbi ‘an yahdhuruun.” (O my Lord! I seek refuge with You
from the whispers of the devils. And I seek refuge with You, O my Lord, lest
they should come near me [to harm me; in other words, ‘I seek refuge
with You, O Allah, so they do not approach me’]). This supplication can be
found in Surah Al-Mu'minun, Chapter 23, Verses 98-99.
Furthermore, Allah teaches us through the murder of Habil
that He gave Qabil a lesson on how not to act on his impulses, anger, and
jealousy. Jealousy and anger only bring chaos on earth. They do not bring any
good at all. Once a crime is committed, it is difficult to turn back. This
crime weighs heavily on a person’s conscience, and its consequences are severe
if not accompanied by sincere repentance and an amendment to rectify what has
been done. There is what we call “Diya” or “Diyat” (plural),
which means “financial compensation for murder” (Blood Money). There is also “Qisas”
(equal retribution, i.e., an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or a life for
a life). However, compared to all the ancient laws that Allah revealed before,
with the revelation of the Noble Quran, Allah has taught us, Muslims, the
middle path, that it is preferable to forgive rather than to plunge into
vengeance, where one act of vengeance leads to another, and so on.
Allah teaches us in the Holy Quran that human life is
sacred. Whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity.
(Al-Maida 5: 33) Those who possess the same generosity as Habil, who do not
raise their hands to cause harm, their reward is with Allah. However, as I have
said, the teachings of the Quran are laws of the Middle Way. In extreme
situations where the followers of Satan wreak havoc on earth and kill true
believers, especially during the time of a Messenger of Allah, with Allah’s
instructions, Allah has also given permission to defend oneself.
Today, Muslims are suffering around the world. The
situation in Palestine is critical, and the dominance of Israel has not ended.
In such cases, help comes from Allah, and Allah also gives permission to
Muslims to defend their lives, their property, families, honour, and their
country. Here, Allah is not saying that when the enemy continues to attack you,
you should not defend yourself, no! Allah also speaks of “Self-Defense” and
saving believers from the hands of non-believers.
Today, the Muslim world is suffering, but this should
not make Muslims despair. The time will soon come when this spiritual
revolution in the world will take place. In fact, it has already begun, and
now, be patient and continue to persevere in your Islam (submission to Allah).
Those who have the help and mercy of Allah with them are blessed, and those
deprived of Allah’s help and mercy are truly unfortunate. Those who choose to
follow evil instead of good will face severe consequences, because in the end: It is Allah and His Messengers who will ultimately be
victorious! (Al-Mujadila 58: 22)
May Allah guide us all to follow the path of righteousness, kindness, and compassion towards humanity. May He protect us from all forms of evil that exist on earth, in the sea, and in the skies (or heavens). May Allah surround us, His true believers, with His mercy and accept our sacrifices as He accepted the sacrifice of Habil, or even more, so that our souls may shine with divine light and not with the impurity of Satan. Ameen, Summa Ameen, Ya Rabbal Aalameen.
---Friday Sermon of 09 August 2024~04 Safar 1446 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Al Mahdi Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.