In the name of
Allah the Beneficent the Merciful
ZIKR LESSON
HUMBLE SUBMISSION
All creatures belong to the Creator. He has power over all
things, and is the Being Who is responsible for bringing things into existence
from nothing. The life span of each creature is fixed, and, except for man,
none will be resurrected.
Islam teaches that Allah gave man some special blessings, and
made his personality different, in that it comprises a physical as well as a
non physical dimension. Allah gave to man a special mission that is to reflect
His light on the earth, just as the moon reflects the light of the sun.
In addition to that non physical blessing, man has been given
the responsibility of manifesting the Divine Attributes of the Lord here on the
earth. Perhaps this is one reason why He says in His Holy Words the following:
The nature of Allah is the nature He has put in man.
Even though man has been specially blessed, he is required to
submit humbly to the Lord’s directives; whether he is able to understand the
wisdom in upholding the permissible and avoiding the prohibited or not. Muslims
are taught to say:
We hear and we obey, our Lord; to You is our returning.
Every single human being is equal in the sight of the Lord;
and each person has the capacity and capability of representing Him here on the
earth. The best representation will be the one that lives the most honorable
life according to the Islamic definition of what true honor is. That person
will also be able to ascend high up on the way back to the Lord.
Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was able to tech his companions to
live a life of humility and submission. They were taught to give preference to
Allah and His Rasool in all matters. It was common among them to reply to any
question or other forms of inquiries posed before them to say:
Allah and His Rasool know best.
Muslims willingness to humbly submit to Allah and to accept
with full conviction the Traditions of the Messenger was in direct contrast to
the attitude of people of the times of the other Messengers that were sent to
them. Take for example the Israelites in the time of Moses never benefitted
from the Message he gave to them; neither did they, later on listened to the
Message from Jesus. They were too arrogant to humbly submit to the Lord. As a
result they suffered and are still suffering.
In contrast to willing and humble submission to Allah’s
guidance a person can display arrogance. Satan was the first one to disobey the
Lord due to the fact that his arrogance did not allow him to humble himself
before Adam. He taught that if he was physically superior to Adam, there was no
need to prostrate before him. As a result he became cursed eternally.
So a person can choose to be humble and obedient to the
Commands of the Lord; or display arrogance and rebellion. But each person will
be responsible for the choice that he or she makes.
Islamic way of life clearly displays one important thing, and
that is to utilize our limited time, resources and potentials to earn for us
the best of both worlds. Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (pboh) to demonstrate to
us how this is possible, and now it is left to the individual to fulfill the
missions for which he is sent; and benefit from what the Lord has provided for
the righteous in the next life.
