The
External Prompter of Good and Evil
As explained above from the Qur’anic point of view, the inner denizen of man’s self is an arena of ceaseless struggle between good and evil tendencies. It is this deep-seated moral fact that constitutes the eternal challenge for man and renders his life an unceasing moral struggle. Man is squarely charged with his efforts to overcome evil because he is unique in the order of creation, and has been endowed with the highest faculties of intellect and intuition in order to fulfill his mission as God’s vicegerent on earth.
In
addition to the inner impulses mentioned above, man also encounters some
external agents and prompters, both on the side of good and of evil. However,
the truth that must be appreciated deeply here is that, ultimately, the
decisive role in this respect is played by man’s own inner preference and
choice. That is to say, the real nucleus of initiation and volition is the
subjective-self itself. External forces can only partly instigate and encourage
either in the direction of virtue and moral probity or in the direction of sin
and immorality. Even Iblees (or Satan), the greatest instigator of evil, has no
power to force a man to perform an evil deed. Although Satan waylays man from
all sides, his machinations fail against really virtuous persons. To be sure,
no man is immune from the Devil’s temptations — not even the prophets — yet it
is within the reach of any man of true faith and will to resist and overcome
these enticements. Thus the Qur’an states:
Verily,
you shall have no power over My servants — unless it be such as are (already)
lost in grievous error and follow you of their own will.
(Al-Hijr
15:42)
Behold,
he (Satan, the accursed) has no power over those who attained to faith and who
put their trust in their Lord.
(Al-Nahl
16:99)
These and
some other verses of the Holy Qur’an clearly assert that Satan cannot force men
to commit sin, and will address his erstwhile followers on the Day of Judgement
thus:
I had no power at all over you; but I called you, and you responded unto me.
(Ibrahim
14:22)
This
shows that the real evil emanates from man’s own complex of desires, for Satan
makes it clear that it is only by means of suggestions and insinuations
(wasawis) that he was able to reach the sinner’s self; and had it not been for
an already-existing evil disposition due to lust, anger, superstition or
fanciful ideas, these temptations would have had no effect whatsoever. This, in
effect, means that Satan never forces, nor can force, anyone to do evil but he
only tries to entice or allure his potential victim. His enticement consists in
presenting the immediate and superficial gains or pleasures of this worldly
life, so that many people fall victim to these temptations, most of them
temporarily but many permanently. The latter are termed by the Holy Qur’an the
“friends” or the “party” of the Devil. Thus, Iblees is far more cunning and
artful than strong, more sly and contriving than forthrightly challenging.
Similarly,
on the other side, no preacher or instigator of faith and virtue — not even
Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) — could ever convert any person to the right path.
And, surely, we cannot possibly imagine a better and more sincere preacher than
our beloved Holy Prophet (SAWS). Therefore, we read in the Qur’an:
(O
Prophet!) you cannot give guidance to whom you please, but it is Allah who guides
whomever He wills; and He is fully aware of all those who would let themselves
be guided.
(Al-Qassas
28:56)
According
to several authentic traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet’s
inability to induce his dying uncle Abu Talib — whom he loved dearly and who
had loved and protected his nephew from the leaders of Quraysh — to renounce
the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God’s unity. The
Qur’anic statement” you cannot give guidance to whom you please” has
undoubtedly a timeless import as well; it stresses the inadequacy and inability
of all human endeavours to “convert” any other person, however loving and
loved, to one’s own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one
regards as error and sin, unless that person wills to be so guided.
With
regard to external tempters and motivators of evil, we all know that they are
the friends and progeny of Iblees, from amongst both men and jinns. The Qur’an
explicitly states:
Indeed,
he (Satan) and his tribe (ilk) see you from where you cannot see them.
(Al-Aaraf
7:27)
A
tradition of the Holy Prophet (SAW), reported by Imam Bukhari (RA), also tells
us that Satan so vigorously influences a man that he, as it were, penetrates
his entire inner being just like blood that circulates in the whole body. In
contrast with the all too common knowledge of external agents and motivators of
evil, however, what is generally less appreciated is the truth that angels help
and provide strength, tenacity and moral firmness to the true believers in this
worldly life. Just like the hordes of Satan who, through their beguiling
activity, tempt a man towards evil, the pure and holy angels provide inner
peace and perseverance to believers in following the straight path of Islam and
in the arduous task of establishing the sovereignty of Allah (SWT), i.e., in
establishing the socio-political order of Islam. Both Almighty Allah (SWT) and
His angels bless and give glad tidings to them, as is borne out by the
following verses:
And
remember when your Lord commanded the angels: I am with you; so give firmness
unto those who have attained to faith (with these words from Me) I shall cast
terror into the hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth …
(Al-Anfal
8:12)
(But)
behold, as for those who say, “Our Sustainer is Allah” and then stand firm,
upon them angels descend (saying): “Fear not and grieve not, but receive the
good news of that Paradise which has been promised to you. We are your
companions in the life of this world and (will be so) in the life to come.
(Haa Meem
Al-Sajda 41:30, 31)
To Be Continued ....
No comments:
Post a Comment