OUR RIGHTS AND ALLAH'S RIGHTS: The Creation And The Creator.

 

The Creation And The Creator

Our Rights And

Allah's Rights

(M. Javed Naseem)

Allah’s help and guidance is there for us but it comes to those only who ask for it; and strive for it. A mother does not feed her baby unless the baby cries. We are helpless and powerless in front of Allah, the Almighty. He is able to do anything; all things are possible with Him. We need Him (or His mercy) in every situation and on every step of the way. He tells us how to seek Allah’s help:

“O you who believe! Seek help with patient

perseverance and prayer; for Allah is

with those who patiently persevere.”

(al-Quran 2:153)

Patient perseverance means steadfastness (Isteqamah or Isteqamat in Urdu). It is the basic requisite of Islam. You believe in Allah, obey His commands, follow His Messenger, and keep doing the right things; then ask for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. He will surely bless you; but He will also test your faith, your honesty, your sincerity, i.e., your steadfastness. If you stay the course, of course with His help, you will be blessed. It is hard but worth trying!

We human beings are the subjects (or slaves) of the Most Merciful, the Almighty, known as Rahman and Raheem. Allah, being the Supreme Creator and Owner of the heavens and the earth, has rights over His Creation. And we, as creation, depend on Him for sustenance and survival on this earth. We have obligations towards Him and responsibilities or duties towards our fellow human beings. We live in this world as one community regardless of race, color, language, family, culture or social status. We are like one family, therefore, we should feel the pains of others and try to help those of us who need help. This way, as a matter of fact, we are helping our own cause towards the Hereafter. Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful

According to a narration from Al-Aswad ibn Hilal, the famous companion of the Prophet (s.a.w.) Muadh ibn Jabal recounted that the Prophet (s.a.w.) asked him:

“Muadh, do you know what is Allah’s right on His slaves?

He answered: Allah and His Messenger know best.

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Allah’s right on His slaves is that they should worship Him and not associate anything with Him.

He then asked: Do you know what is the right of the slaves on Allah?

Muadh replied: Allah and His Messenger know best.

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: That Allah will not punish them.

Subhan-Allah! That’s the mercy of the Most Gracious 'Rahman and Raheem' which is going to protect us from the Hellfire on the Day of Judgment, Insha-Allah. But there is one condition; and that condition is that we obey Allah's commands and live on this earth as per the rules prescribed for us by Him. That's the only way to please Him and win His favors or blessings.

Everybody is responsible for his/her own actions and will be held accountable for that. His/her fate depends on his/her actions in this world. Since we depend on the Merciful Allah for our survival and prosperity, it is only logical and reasonable that we pay our gratitude to Him for all the bounties and blessings we enjoy due to His mercy. We cannot count the blessings or bounties of Allah – the blessings and bounties that we take for granted and don't even bother to acknowledge. We humans have been ungrateful most of the time and Allah is aware of that. Still He feeds us and forgives our mistakes, sins and transgressions.

“And He gives you of all that you ask for.

But if you count the favors of Allah,

never will you be able to number them.

Verily, man is given up to injustice

and ingratitude.”

(al-Quran 14:34)

We don't appreciate what Allah, the Most Merciful, does for us. The Almighty keeps showering His bounties and blessing upon us despite the fact that we lack gratitude and appreciation on our part. We want Him to give us all the things we demand; the way we want; in the amount we want; and right away without delay. A little change or variation makes us unhappy. On the other hand, we don't even realize how unhappy we make Allah with our disobedience, sins, mistakes and transgressions. We go to the extremes without fearing Him. We break the rules and laws set by Him but the Most Merciful does not punish us immediately. He gives us enough time to repent and come back to Him seeking forgiveness. We are the worst wrong-doers but we don't perceive it. With our corruption, ungratefulness and disobedience, we force Allah to punish us or deprive us of bounties and blessings. We keep ignoring Allah and keep following the Devil to fulfill our desires/lusts. That's like worshiping Satan, denying Allah and disregarding the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). And we still claim to be Muslims!

I have a very serious question for all humans: Do we really understand Who Allah is and what His dominion is? Simply put, we are helpless beggars in front of him. Here's how Prophet Jesus describes Allah (God) in the Gospel of Barnabas:

Jesus Defines God

“… God is a good without which there is naught good; God is a being without which there is naught that is; God is a life without which there is naught that liveth; so great that he filleth all and is everywhere. He alone hath no equal. He hath had no beginning, nor will he ever have an end, but to everything hath he given a beginning, and to everything shall he give an end. He hath no father nor mother; he hath no sons, nor brethren, nor companions. And because God hath no body, therefore he eateth not, sleepeth not, dieth not, walketh not, moveth not, but abideth eternally without human similitude, for that he is incorporeal, uncompounded, immaterial, of the most simple substance. He is so good that he loveth goodness only; he is so just that when he punisheth or pardoneth it cannot be gainsaid.” -- (From the Gospel of Barnabas, Chapter 17)

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