Monday, August 26, 2024

Adam's Sons: Habil and Qabil

 

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.