CaMaR : A Journey to be better muslims
::Reflections on the Tsunami: By Imam Zaid Shakir ::
Wa'l 'Asr Innal Insana lafi Khusr…[1]
By the testimony of time, surely humankind is in a state of loss…
The exegetes mention that the testimony of time, mentioned in this
verse, refers to the testimony of each era's extraordinary events,
events that indicate the incomparable power of God.[2] In our time we
have seen many such events. The recent tsunami, which devastated
regions in and around the Indian Ocean, is only the latest. Only God
could have ushered the awesome power unleashed by the earthquake that
moved the island of Sumatra 100 feet, yet left it intact. Only God
could have ushered the awesome power to send a wave of water, whose
depth reached from the surface of the water to the ocean floor,
hundreds of miles across the sea at speeds exceeding five hundred
miles an hour. Only God could devise an "early warning system" which
told myriad species of animals to flee to the safety of high ground.
Only God.
Yet many, even some professing faith in Islam, having seen such an
awesome display of God's power, question His Wisdom. Why must our
faith be constantly tested? Why did so many unsuspecting people have
to perish? Why were children swept from their mothers' arms? Why such
widespread and apparently wanton destruction? Why, once again, are
Muslims the majority of those suffering from such calamities? Why?
In many instances, for Muslims, such questions may arise from
ignorance of basic religious teachings, and an insufficient knowledge
of Islamic eschatology. Let us endeavor to answer some of the above
questions. Perhaps, by so doing we can see the Wisdom of God as it
manifests itself in events such as the recent tsunami.
This world, as God repeatedly informs us in the Qur'an, is the abode
of trials and tribulations. God says, "He who has created death and
life in order to test which of you is best in deed. He is
overwhelmingly mighty, oft-forgiving."[3] He also says, "We will
surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth,
lives, and the fruit [of your fields and labor]. Give glad tidings to
those who patiently persevere."[4] Similarly, "Do people think that
they will be left alone merely saying, 'We believe!' and not be
tested?"[5] All of these verses emphasize that this world is an abode
of tests. The object of life is not to avoid or deny its tests and
trials, rather to successfully pass them.
Another verse forthrightly presents a fact alluded to in the
above-citations. Namely, the tests in this world will involve what we
refer to as good, and what we refer to as evil. God says in that
regard, "Every soul will experience death, and we will test you with
evil and good, as a trial; and unto us you will return."[6] This verse
makes it clear that God has never promised us a rose garden in this
worldly life. Muslims were never promised that we would win every
battle.[7] We were never promised that our "Ummah" would march
triumphantly through history, in Hegelian or Darwinian fashion,
leaving inferior systems of belief, and societal organization strewn
in our wake. And we were certainly never promised that we, contrary to
the view of some Islamic thinkers, especially those influenced
positivist philosophy,[8] would be able through science to conquer the
forces of nature which have always hung menacingly over the head of
humanity, threatening to forever trap us in the "misery of the human
condition."
The great sage, Ibn 'Ata Allah Sakandari, beautifully captured the
reality of this world, and what our expectations in it should be, when
he said:
Do not find the occurrence of tribulations strange as long as you are
in this worldly abode, for it [the world] has only manifested what it
is fittingly described by, its intrinsic characteristic.[9]
Our living in this world will inevitably bring us tests. Those tests
are subtle and open, they occur in great and small things. Through
these tests, God shows which of us truly believe, and which of us are
empty claimants.[10]
Many think that tests from God are always signs of His wrath. As
Muslims, we believe that the trials afflicting us can be signs of His
Love. God's Messenger informed us:
The magnitude of otherworldly reward is proportionate to the magnitude
of worldly tribulation. When God loves a people, He tries them.
Whoever is content [with God's Decree], will have divine pleasure.
Whoever is displeased [with God's Decree] will have divine wrath.[11]
As the Prophets are the most beloved of humanity with God, it follows
that their tribulations should be greater than those of ordinary
folks. This is indeed the case. The Prophet, Peace and Blessing of God
upon him, was asked, "Which group of people are most severely tested?"
He replied, "The Prophets, then people according to their spiritual
rank. People are tested according to their faith."[12] 'Aisha, God be
pleased with her reported, "I never saw anyone more stricken with pain
than the Messenger of God, Peace and Blessings of God upon him."[13]
Just as God has informed us that tests and tribulations are the nature
of this world, his Messenger, Peace and Blessings of God upon him, has
informed us that those tests will include earthquakes and other
natural disasters. He said, for example:
The hour will not come until knowledge is taken away, earthquakes
become numerous, time passes quickly, tribulations appear, chaos
reigns – that is to say widespread killing; [it will not occur] until
wealth becomes abundant among you, to a point where it is
superfluous.[14]
This particular tradition aptly describes our times. That being the
case, we should view the oftentimes unsettling events transpiring
contemporarily as a fulfillment of what our Prophet, Peace and
Blessings of God upon him, has foretold. The occurrence of these
events should only strengthen our faith, deepen our conviction to
avoid participating in the strife that he predicted, and inspire us to
work to alleviate the suffering of those immediately affected.
Human suffering is real. However, human perseverance, and human
dignity are just as real. They allow us to nobly endure the trials of
this world. As Muslims we are assisted towards this end by our
knowledge that any suffering we experience in this world expiates our
sins. Our Prophet, Peace and blessings of God upon him said, "There is
no calamity that afflicts the Muslim except that for that God expiates
his sins, even [something as slight] as a thorn that pricks him."[15]
He similarly declared, "Nothing afflicts the Muslim, neither fatigue,
pain, anxiety, sadness, injury, nor grief; even the pricking of a
thorn except that for that God expiates some of his sins."[16]
These narrations call our attention to the fact that the believer's
brief stint in this world is a preparation for eternal life. Our
understanding of suffering, justice, the trials of this world, and
many other issues integral to any meaningful assessment of the human
condition, are incomplete and inevitably misleading when they are
divorced from consideration of the next, eternal life. If one's view
of human life is limited to this world, one might easily be led to
view the suffering and travails of this world as manifestations of
injustice or cruelty. However, when one relates those hardships to the
life hereafter, one must confront the question, "How bad can any
suffering in this world be if it opens the door to unimaginable,
eternal good in the life hereafter?"
In conclusion, those who drowned in the tsunami are martyrs. Those who
were crushed by demolished structures are martyrs. Those who will die
of dysentery or cholera will be martyrs. They have all gone on or will
go on to the good God had prepared for them. Our Prophet mentioned in
that regard:
The martyrs are five: One who dies during the plague; one who dies of
dysentery; one who dies by drowning; one who dies in a demolished
structure; and one who dies struggling in the way of God."[17]
Paradise will be theirs. Their cases are closed.
As for us, what will be our case? Will we humble ourselves before the
awesome power of God, or will we continue to display our destructive
hubris? Will we continue to take the blessings of food, clean drinking
water, and shelter for granted, or will we fall unto our knees,
raising our hands to the sky, our eyes flowing over with tears,
thanking God for these blessings from the depth of our hearts? Will we
forget about the suffering victims of the tsunami as soon as the
gatekeepers decide that other stories are more newsworthy and the
images disappear from our televisions, or will we continue our relief
and fundraising efforts? And perhaps most importantly, will we watch
scores of people bury their dead, and continue to neglect preparation
for our own inevitable demise?
Your Brother in Islam,
Imam Zaid Shakir
Zaytuna Institute
Prayer Times
Ingat-Mengingat
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