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Lesson: 31 Contentment, Submission and Authorisation
Now after we
have discussed the issue of reliance, we briefly refer to three things which
have been mentioned in books relating to reliance: contentedness, submission
and Authorisation.
Here also,
with a view to, making it clear we mention some related ayats and traditions
and hereafter we shall pay attention to the meaning of these terms and the philosophy
underlying them:
1 - Fighting
is enjoined on you, and is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you
dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing
while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know.
Great commentators
write on this subject under discussion of this verse that this ayat points to
a root principles in the laws related to creation and religion of Allah and
which nourishes the spirit of discipline and submissiveness in the souls of
people. It is that people should not, in the face of the Divine laws, make their
own inquiry and research on the basis of their judgement, because, doubtlessly,
their knowledge, from every aspect, is limited and insignificant and, in the
matter of the unknown things like a drop of water in comparison with an ocean.
Therefore the laws based on the Divine knowledge, is knowledge that is, from
every aspect, limitless, in no circumstance it should be confronted. Rather
it is must that it should be realised that all of them are for their own benefit,
be they the laws related to Shariat like jihad and Zakat or to creation pertaining
to nature and the accidents taking place without man's will in his life and
which, for any reason, not escapable, like death and calamities befalling friends
and relatives or about things which are hidden and would take place in future
etc
2 - Those
to whom the people said: Surely men have gathered against you, therefore fear
them, but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for
us and most excellent is the Protector. So they returned with favour from Allah.
3 - And
of them there are those who blame you with respect to the alms; so if they are
given from it they are pleased, and if they are not given from it, lo! They
are full of rage. And if they were content with what Allah and His Apostle gave
them, and had said: Allah is sufficient for us; Allah will soon give us more
out of His grace and His Apostle too; surely to Allah do we make our petition.
4 - And
I entrust my affair to Allah, Surely Allah sees the servants. So Allah protected
him from the evil consequences of what they planned, and the most evil punishment
overtook Firon's people.
And now some
narrations in this connection:
1 - Imam Sadiq
(a.s.) said: The most sublime worship of Allah is patience and steadfastness
and submission before His commandment, be it to ones like or dislike2 - Also Imam Sadiq
(a.s.) says: The wisest man in the eyes of Allah is most contented and pleased
with Him. 3 - It is recorded
from Imam Baqir (a.s.): Among the creations of Allah, the one who is most contented
with Allah is the one who knows the Almighty Allah. Whoever rests content with
the will of Allah meets with the Divine decision and Allah enhances his reward
and everyone who dislikes Allah's decision, Allah's will subjects him and Allah
destroys his reward. 4 - Someone asked
Imam Sadiq (a.s.): From what signs it can be known that a man is faithful? He
replied: Submission to Allah and to rest content with whatever befalls him from
Allah happiness or unhappiness. 5 - Amirul Mo-mineen
(a.s.) said: One who remains pleased with whatever Allah destines for him remains
in a peaceful state of mind.6 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.)
said: One who leaves his affair with Allah is in permanent peace and rest and
abundance and such entruster is really the possessor of the highest will and
courage as is mentioned in a Hadith of Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.): I am happy with
what Allah has destined for me and I have entrusted my affairs to my creator.
He was good for me in the past and so will He be henceforth. 7 - Imam Baqir (a.s.)
said: I have no fear about getting up next morning in a condition of being poor
or ill or rich from my viewpoint it makes no difference because Almighty Allah
says: I do not decide anything for him except what is good for him. 8 - The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) asked a group of his companions: Who are you?
They said:
We are Mo-mineen. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: What is the sign of your
faith? They replied: We remain patient in trial and are thankful in times of
happiness and ease and we are content at Divine decisions. He said: These are
really faithful.
What is
Razaa (concurrence)?
Razaa is the
opposite of Sakht. Reza means non-opposition and both from within and outwardly,
with words and with deeds and Reza is a fruit of love and its demand. From this
aspect everything which reaches from a friend and a beloved is welcome. The
one who reaches this state feels that both poverty and wealth, rest and unrest,
life and death, honour and insult, health and illness, existence and destruction
are equal for him because he thinks them all only from Allah. It is mentioned
in narrations that one of such contented person reached the age of seventy years
and never said that: I wish it should be like this or like that.
Now pay attention
to a question and its answer:Question: Is it possible that a man remains in the same state of mind in all
the aforesaid conditions or is it possible that while in a state of illness
and poverty, he remains happy instead of becoming restless?
Answer: Yes.
In some states of mind man does not fell pain or unrest. It happens so when
he is extremely angry or in a condition of extraordinary love, because, when
the heart attends to an important issue he does not feel anything about other
things. It was so when an arrow had pierced the leg bone of Hazrat Ali (a.s.)
and it was unbearable to pull it out with force, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
said: Be patient and wait until Ali (a.s.) gets up for offering his prayer.
When he is engrossed in prayer, pull out the arrow and so did they and pulled
out the arrow without any feeling being experienced by Ali (a.s.).
It should be
understood that wounds and hits in battlefield are not felt by some people and
we read in the events of Imam Husain (a.s.) that the more the noon of Aashoora
was drawing near the more his face was getting brighter and happier because
love of the beloved solves all the problems of man.
Question: does
not Dua contradict the spirit of submission and contentedness?
Answer: Dua
or supplication or asking from God is a thing that Allah has Himself desired
for His slaves: Ask from me I will answer your prayer or I answer when one calls
me.
And secondly,
prayer or supplication itself cleans the soul and makes heart mild.
And thirdly,
just as the lord Almighty has created apparent causes and taking shelter of
one by the other is not against contentedness so also a flight from Qazaa to
Qadr or trying to prevent some calamities with the help of spending in the path
of Allah and Dua and supplication does not go against Rezaa as all these causes
and effects return to Him.
The Philosophy
of Rezaa and Tasleem
By analysing
that ayats and traditions of Islam on this law as above, it is proved that at
no place the meaning of it is to submit to oppressors, imperialists and colonialists
or to give up oneself to disgrace as is imagined by some ignorants. Rather Rezaa
and Tasleem, in reality, ask for some things:
A - Establishment
of Islamic laws and constitution even if such rules, apparently are not to the
liking or profit of man and one who does not have strong spirit or soul objects
to such laws according to the depth of his thinking and this is not in conformity
with faith and therefore we read in the above quoted traditions Knowledge of
and about and acquaintance with Allah demands submission to Him and to be pleased
with His laws.
B - Submission
to truth and justice is a must even if it is unpalatable to man and we know
that unless and until this spirit of Tasleem and Rezaa does not exist in a society
and unless individuals do not rest content with their rights social justice
is never established; rather everyone will object to justice and will go against
it by disobeying rule of law 1- Another bright example of such submission is
that in Surah Nisas verse 65, about the men who were displeased with the decision
of the Holy Prophet, says:
Is this kind
of submission and contentedness not a condition of establishment of social justice?
C - Steadfastness
against the difficulties and hardships coming in the way of duty to exist and
some people, seeing such troubles, become so discouraged that they return from
half way. But nourishment of the spirit of Tasleem and Reza give such opportunity
to man that he can bear such hardships without turning from his path and to
pursue his efforts till the realisation of the aim. The verse that describes
the condition of the companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in the battlefield
of Uhud points to such Rezaa and Tasleem and Tafweez, that is, contentedness,
submission and authorization or entrust in ones affairs to the Almighty.
D - Firmness
removes all those difficulties and painful incidents which come in the life
of everybody willy nilly and sometimes it revolutionises man in such a way that
the connection of life is totally snapped.
Rezaa and Tasleem
against such calamities, provide to man the spirit of patience and firmness
and a determination to endeavor for a favourable future and helps wipe out the
dust of disappointment and hopelessness from the tablet of his mind.
