30. ALLAH TRANSCENDS PURPOSE AND WISDOM
I contemplated upon some people who claim to be intellectual and object to the wisdom of the Creator!
To this effect, it should be said to them, ‘Is not Allah the One who endowed you with the intelligence that you have used to object to His wisdom? Is it even coherent to think that He granted you perfection and accepted upon Himself shortcomings? Indeed, this is gross disbelief that is even beyond the vilest of disbelief!’
The leader of this group and the first one who submitted to his own intelligence and disbelieved in Allah’s wisdom was Iblis {Shaytan). He relied on his own reasoning and looked through the lenses of his intelligence upon which he thought that the essence of fire is worthier and higher in rank than the essence of clay, and hence he rejected the wisdom of the Creator.
This approach was adopted by many of those who rejected the wisdom of the Creator such as Ibn Al-Rawandl, and Al-Baqri, not to mention the vile Ma’arrf who said, ‘How could Ibn al-Hajjaj be accused of absurdity and heresy, while time is indeed worse than him?’
Do you think he meant the actual time? No because the passing of time does not do anything; rather it was his corrupted and false belief [i.e. he was referring to Allah who created time]! In fact, he eagerly waited for death thinking that after death he will rest and be eased. And he used to advise against marriage and worship as he did not believe there was any wisdom behind creadng mankind except to let them endure hardship and weariness. And hence bodies are desdned to perish!
If it was as he assumed, it means that the creadon was with no purpose and lacked wisdom, and Allah transcends over such defects and shortcomings. Allah said,
“And We did not create the heaven and the earth and that between them aimlessly.” [Sad (38): 27]
If Allah Mendoned that all what He has created for us was not without a purpose, does it make sense to claim that we, whom He has created to worship Him and whom has obligated us to adhere to His law, were created for no purpose?
The likes of this ignorance comes only from those who adopt mental rationality approach to judging matters based on their apparent aspects just like how a person finds a building being demolished and yet cannot identify the wisdom behind this action.
This is because the intellect on its own cannot notice the wisdom behind it, but if the wisdom of actions was disclosed to him, he will then realise that these actions are purposeful and correct. This is similar to the case of [Prophet] Musa (‘alayhi as-salam) and Al-Khidr when the latter disclosed to Musa the reasons for making a hole in the boat and killing the young boy.
It is common knowledge that slaughtering animals, the cutting of a loaf of bread and the chewing of food, appears to be of no benefit at all. However, after knowing that they serve as nutrition for the body, which is worthier than the slaughtered animal, such actions manifests their goodness.
I wonder at minds that cannot comprehend the wisdom behind the creation while ruling that it is obligatory to obey the Most Wise, how could they stand in objection against His Actions?
I seek refuge with Allah from failure.
(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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