As-Sayhah (1)
The Swan continued her story, "At that time, the young wayfarer was sitting, resting in a large enough, public hut. While he was resting, it appeared in the distance, there were four black spots approaching. Apparently, it was four horses, of which three were ridden by three men, and another horse tied to another horse's saddle.
After approaching, one of the riders greeted, "Assalamu 'alaykum o young man, may we joint you in this hut?" The young wayfarer replied, "Wa 'alaykumussalaam wa rahmatullah, of course my brothers, after all, this hut is provided to the public." The three horsemen bind their horses, then enter the hut. They didn't talk much because they looked very tired. Some time later, they were lying down, sleeping. The traveler also fell asleep, exhausted.
Whether how long the traveler fell asleep, when he woke up, one of them was sitting, from the aroma, he was making a coffee. The man smiled, then offered a cup of coffee and said, "O young man, from your headband, it seems like you come from the land of the sailors?" The young wayfarer replied, "Yes, I am! Then you, my brother, where are you from, and where are you heading to?" The man said, "We are all from the Northland. We are volunteers in charge of guarding the South border. When we left for the checkpoint, we actually were four, but in the middle of our task, one of our friends, who served as a spy, was missing. "The young wayfarer said," I'm sorry, brother!" The wayfarer paused, and asked, "So, all of you are soldiers? "The man said," No! Not all of us, only this one friend, a soldier. I'm a tinker, and another, a tailor." The young wayfarer said, "I'm eager to see the border. O my brother, will you tell me what happen in the border?" The Tinker said, "O young man, there was nothing much happen in the border, but during my duty, I paid attention to the nature around the border." The young wayfarer said, "So, tell me, please!"
The tinker paused and said, "O young man, many things we do not know, especially this natural phenomenon. There exists in fact, some kind of a special language through which the human heart communicates with the universe. This language is part of human nature. It is a language which does not use sounds and articulation. It is a communication to hearts and an inspiration to souls which come alive whenever man looks up to the universe for an inspiring or cheerful sight. Hence, the Qur’ān frequently urges man to reflect upon his surroundings. It does this in various ways, sometimes directly and sometimes with hints, incidental touches and stimuli. In this case, for example, some phenomena of the universe are made the subject of Allah’s oath in His Book, in order to serve as a framework for what follows in the surah. These explicit directives and indirect hints are very frequent in the sūrahs of the present volume. There is hardly any sūrah which does not encourage man, in one way or another, to communicate with the universe, in secret language, so that he may appreciate its signs and understand its address.
Starts with several aesthetic touches which seem to spring out from the surrounding universe and its phenomena, in His Book, in Surah Al-Shams [91], verses 1-10, Allah's solemn oath, "By the sun and his morning brightness, by the moon as she follows him, by the day, which reveals his splendour, by the night, which veils him. By the heaven and its construction, by the earth and its spreading, by the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it."
Allah swears by these objects and universal phenomena as He swears by the human soul, how it is fashioned and the inspiration it receives. The oath gives these creatures an added significance and draws man’s attention to them. Man ought to contemplate these phenomena and try to appreciate their value and the purpose of their creation. These phenomena form the framework which encompasses the great truth, namely, the nature of man, his inherent abilities, choice of action, and responsibility in determining his own fate.
Look at the sun when he rises above the horizon, it is indeed at its most beautiful. In mid-morning winter, a time of refreshing warmth. In summer, it is a time when the atmosphere is just mild and fresh before the blazing heat of midday sets in, and the sun is at its clearest.
Consider also the moon, as she follows the sun and spreads her beautiful and clear light. Between the moon and the human heart there is an age-long fascination that is well established in men’s inmost souls. It is a fascination that is born anew every time the two meet. The moon issues her own special whispers and inspirations to the human heart, and she sings her songs of praise of Allah, the Creator. On a clear night, you can almost feel yourself sailing through the moonlight, clearing your worries and enjoying perfect bliss as you feel the hand of the Maker beyond this perfect creation.
Consider the earth as it is lit by the sun, you will find a discreet allusion to the fact that sunlight reveals the earth and has a great effect on human life. Our familiarity with the sun and its light makes us tend to overlook its beauty and function. This Qur’ānic hint alerts us anew to this magnificent daily spectacle.
And as well, night time is the opposite of what happens during the day. It is like a screen that covers and hides everything. It also leaves its own impressions on everyone, and its impact on human life is no less important than that of the day time.
Then look up to the sky and notice, when heaven is mentioned, our immediate thoughts go to the huge dome-like sky above us in which we see the stars and the planets moving, each in its orbit. But we are in fact uncertain of the exact nature of heaven. However, what we see above us does bear the idea of building and construction because it looks to us a firm and solid whole. As to how it is built and what keeps it together as it floats in infinite space, we have no answer. All that has been advanced in this field is only theory that is liable to be invalidated or modified. We are certain, however, that Allah’s hand is the one which holds this structure together, as emphasized elsewhere in the Qur’ān, Surah Fatir [35]:41, “It is God who upholds the heavens and the earth lest they collapse. Should they collapse none could uphold them after He will have ceased to do so.” This is the only definite and absolute truth about the matter.
After looking up to the sky, then look back to your surounding, to the earth. The earth and its spreading as preparatory to the emergence of life. Indeed, human and animal life would not have been possible had the earth not been spread out. It is indeed the special characteristics and the natural laws which Allah has incorporated in the making of this earth that make life on it possible, according to His will and plan. It appears that if any of these laws were violated or upset, life on earth would become impossible or change its course. The most important of these is perhaps the spreading out of the earth which is also mentioned in Sūrah An-Nazi'at [79]:30-31, After that He spread out the earth. He brought out water from it, and brought forth its pastures.” Indeed, the spreading out of the earth, actually reminds us of Allah’s hand which brought this about.
Allah has created man with a duality of nature and ability. The duality is the two ingredients in his make-up, earth’s clay and Allah’ spirit, form within him two equal tendencies to good or evil, to either follow divine guidance or go astray. Man is just as capable of recognizing the good as he is of recognizing the evil in everything he encounters, and he is equally capable of directing himself one way or the other. This dual ability is deeply ingrained within him. All external factors, like divine messages, only serve to awaken his ability and help it take its chosen way. In other words, these factors do not create this innate ability; they only help it to develop.
In addition to his innate ability, man is equipped with a conscious faculty which determines his line of action. Hence, he is responsible for his actions and decisions. He who uses this faculty to strengthen his inclinations to what is good and to purify himself and to weaken his evil drive will be prosperous and successful. By contrast, a person who uses this faculty to suppress the good in him will ruin himself.
No doubt, those who obey Allah and fulfill His Orders with regards to this life, will enjoy great goodness; giving charity, spending on his rightful needs, helping spread Islamic knowledge, building mosques, and so forth. For this type, this life's possessions become a lessing from Allah, Who directs the to spend their wealth in a way that benefits them in the Last Life.
However, it is a fact that mankind spends this life in heedless play and commit sins and errors again and again. Although they have been reminded, yet they sometimes forget or even ignore it, bringing their own destruction, as the people of Thamud did."
The wayfarer asked, "Tell me
about the People of Thamud, O man of knowledge!"
[Part 2]
