Let Us All Read the Story of Qaaroon in the Qur'an
(28: 76-82)
Dr. Pasha
(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time!
Taking the Qur'an to Every Home and Heart that Needs It --
And which One Does Not?)
This is a letter to a smart, achieving young man. But the message is common to everybody who cares.
As the Qur'an says:
Liman Alqas Sam'a Wa Huwa Shaheed!
Paraphrase:
"To all those who would really listen and pay attention."
This letter has been forever in coming. But here is the gist.
Mashallah, you grew up. You acquired an education and a university degree of the highest order.
And you acquired a wife -- please forgive the expression. And I suppose, also, a coveted job.
That is Paradise on Earth for you, and all those who love you -- every young man's dream. And no one is happier and prouder than me.
But your presence on the Internet-Email has fallen proportionately. Repeated reminders of the gentle and oblique variety have gone unheeded.
Much was, and is, expected from you, beyond some of the routine things you may find the time or the inclination to carry out.
The fact that you may quietly help out any of your distinguished relatives in their Islamic Work is neither here nor there. In the culture and the society of which you are a part, it is the norm. That is what everybody does. So, you are just being good "Family."
But Islam requires direct commitment to Allah and involvement in his work -- beyond family ties and obligations. Each according to his talent, training and potential.
And it makes sense too, your wariness I mean.
You worked hard. You amassed the goodies and perks of life through the dint of sheer hard work, commitment and dedication and excellence.
Now, your job is to protect all that you have acquired and enjoy it.
And, you would think, the best way to safeguard what you have accumulated is prudence. And circumspection. Lying low and stepping gingerly.
Because Shaitan is on constant lookout. And the enemies of Islam are everywhere. And it is Open Season on Muslims.
And how true all of it is!
But there is one detail you are missing. None of these great achievements of yours is your doing, really, even though it is.
It is, some would say, Allah's gift and blessing and bounty. And they would be right too.
If the sun had not risen, and if the water had not come down from heaven, and if the trees had not grown, and if your lungs had not ingested oxygen in the air, you would be nowhere today. You would not have survived for even a fraction of a second.
So, what you think you "acquired," it is really Allah who "conferred" all that upon you.
I can write a whole book along these lines. But you are a smart man. You can figure out the rest on your own.
And what you should give some thought to is this simple fact:
If The Great Giver, Allah Almighty, gave you everything you have, he can also turn The Great Taker and take away from you everything he has given you.
Don't forget, among his most glorious names is not just Baasit -- the one who opens up things -- but also Qaabiz -- the one who reaches and grabs and takes possession of things.
I recommend, you read, and we all read, Surah Al-Qasas, 28: Aayaat 76-82, and reflect on them deeply and often.
We do not need a commentary or Tafsir to navigate those passages of the Qur'an. They are as self-evident as they are clear and concise and contemporary and timeless.
Qur'an is light. But only those can see that light who have eyes.
END
