24. SUBMIT TO WHAT IS BEYOND YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Whoever thinks of the greatness of Allah, Most High, will have his mind baffled because it will try to prove an existence whose existence has no beginning, nor something that can be proved by one’s senses but rather by one’s intellect admitting to it forcefully.
Even after such recognition, a person stands confused as he sees signs proving His existence and witnessing some of His decrees that would cause a person to deny His existence was not the proof on which His existence was established.
He split the sea for Bani Isra’eel and that is a matter only the Creator can be capable of; He turned the stick into a snake then turned it back to a stick again devouring all that the magicians made without having any addition in it. So what more evidence does one need than that?
When the sorcerers believe [in Him], He leaves Pharaoh to punish and crucify them, and He let His Prophets be inflicted with hunger and be murdered; [Prophet] Zakariyyah (‘alayhi as-salam) was sawn in half, [Prophet] Yahya (‘alayhi as-salam) murdered by a fornicator, and our Prophet would say for many years, “Who shall support me? Who shall shelter me?”
To the extent that those ignorant about the existence of the Creator said, ‘If He existed; He would have supported His supporters.’
The intelligent one who affirms with certainty the existence of the Creator with evident obvious proofs, must neither permit nor empower his intellectuality to object to any of His actions or even demand a justification for what He does.
It is evident for him that He is the Most Wise (al-Hakim) and the All-Sovereign (al-Malik); hence if we fail to notice the wisdom (hikmah) of His Actions, we should attribute this shortcoming to our own understanding.
How do we not do so when even [Prophet] Musa {‘alayhi as-salam) could not realise the wisdom behind tearing apart of the ship or the murdering of the young child, but when he realised the wisdom of what appeared as corrupted, he admitted and accepted them.
Truly, if the wisdom of His actions manifested to mankind, the intellect of [Prophet] Musa (‘alayhias-salam) would not have objected to the actions of Al-Khidr when he performed those actions.
Whenever you find your intellect question any of His Actions, shut it up with saving, “O incompetent incapable creature! If you cannot even realise the truth of your own essence, how dare you object to the actions of the All-Sovereign!”
The intellect may also ask, ‘What benefit is there in putting people to trials? Why does He not reward people without inflicting them with calamities? What is the purpose of punishing people in Hell, is that not a form of retaliation?’
In such a case, you should respond with, ‘His Wisdom is far beyond your level, therefore you should submit to what is beyond your knowledge, because the first one who objected to what he has no knowledge of was Shaytan who thought fire is more superior than clay and hence he refused to prostrate.’
I saw plenty of people and heard of many people who question the divine wisdom because they let their judgments be based on the level of their minds (i.e. human intellectuality) while they seem to forget that the wisdom of the Creator {al-Khaliq) is beyond the imagination of their minds.
Beware of giving your mind the space to request a justification or to quest for a counterargument to what it may introduce. Rather, you should say to it, “submit and you shall be saved because you do not know the depth of the sea and if you swim in it, you shall drown before you come to know it.”
This is indeed one great principle (asl ‘azim) whoever overlooks it, his objections and questioning will lead him to disbelief (kufr).
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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