TRIAL OF TALUT S ARMY
Talut (Saul) whom the Holy Quran admires as worthy king had a strong physique and great knowledge. The Holy Quran says: قَالَ إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَیْکُمْ وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فی العِلْمِ والجِسْمِ ( 68 ) �He said: Surely, Allah has chosen hi
Talut (Saul) whom the Holy Quran admires as worthy king had a strong physique and great knowledge. The Holy Quran says: قَالَ إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً في العِلْمِ والجِسْمِ
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�He said: Surely, Allah has chosen him in preference to you, and He has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique. (2:247)�
This strong man was appointed by the prophet of that time to be the leader of the Israelis to fight their enemies. Talut mobilized a great army to fight Jalut (Goliath) the tyrant, who oppressed the Israelis. He (Saul) said to his soldiers: Be careful, for God will test you through a river on your way; he who will not drink from it though he might be very thirsty will be (considered as) obeying God and will be among my helpers and entitled to God's grace. But anyone who will drink from it is not my follower and will be deprived of God's assistance.
It was hot, the land was dry, and thirst prevailed. Suddenly, the river came into sight and the thirsty soldiers saw a river flowing with limped water before them. It requires great patience and strong faith to resist desire to pass by a river and not quench one's thirst for the sake of God. The river was a great test for the army of Talut. Satan began to tempt them as what the philosophy of suffering from thirst is while being near to a river. Why water, a source of life, should be banned. No, one must drink from it, feel fresh, and fight the enemies; not knowing that man's number one enemy is his concupiscence which disobeys God's orders. First of all, one must fight this inner enemy and then be sure that after suppressing it, God's help will come. Finally, the pleasant sight of the river and Satan's temptations weakened their will. Except for 313 soldiers, the entire army whose number was 80,000 drank from the river and revealed their weak faith against physical desires. فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالجُنُودِ قَاَل إِنَّ اللهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي ِإلاّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ، فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ ِإلاّ قَلِيلاً مِنْهُمْ.
�So, when Talut departed with the forces, he said: Surely, Allah will try you with a river; whoever then drinks from it, he is not of me, and whoever does not taste of it, he is surely of me, except he who takes with his hand as much of it as fills the hand; but with the exception of a few of them, they drank from it. (The Holy Quran; 2:249)�
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�And when We said: Enter this city, and then eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and enter the gate making obeisance; and say, forgiveness. We will forgive you your wrongs and give more to those who do good. But those who were unjust changed it for a saying other than that which had been spoken to them, so We sent upon those who were unjust a pestilence from heaven, because thy transgressed. (The Holy Quran; 2: 58-9)�
The unyielding tribe of the Israelis, due to the dignity of Prophet Moses (a.s) was entitled to God's grace. So, they had the impression that they became really honorable in the sight of God and became God's favorites and the most devoted servants. To test them and to make them subject to curse and punishment, God appointed certain duties for them. The prosperous land of Damascus was envisaged for their settlement provided that they, first, would enter the city through a specific gate, they, second, would enter the city while bowing as sign of humbleness to God, and, third, they would say, 'forgive us,' so that God would pardon their wrongdoings. But they said to themselves, 'why should we enter the city through a narrow gate while there were wider ones?' They entered the city not only without bowing but also with their backs forward; and instead of saying, 'forgive us,' they said indecent words. The result was a pestilence from heaven.
�And when he attained to working with him, he said: O my son, surely I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you; consider then what you see. He said: O my father, do what you are commanded; if Allah please, you will find me of the patient ones. So when they both submitted and he threw him down upon his forehead, and
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We called out to him, saying: O Ibrahim, you have indeed shown the truth of the vision; surely thus do We reward the doers of good. Most surely, this is a manifestation trial. (The Holy Quran; 37:102-6)�
This is a strange scene and a strange duty! A handsome youth, much loved by an elder father has to be sacrificed for God. What a strange order and what a difficult duty! How can a kind father throw down his son and put a sharp knife on his throat with his own hands? This act is approved neither by temperament nor common sense. But here neither man's intellect nor does does his common sense have any saying, for it is the realm of love of God Who is the Only Beloved in the world. The love for others is subject to His permission and pleasure. Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) then prepared himself for carrying out God's order without any delay. He told the story to his son to know both his duty and to test the devotion of his son. The son, too, asked his father to do what he had been commanded and asked God to make him patient. What devotion it is! May God bless this stage of submission forever. Both father and son submitted. The father threw him down ready to cut his throat. A shocking scene amazed the whole world against the power of faith and love for God. Therefore, God praised the devotion of these two devoted monotheists. This is sufficient to indicate their greatness: وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
�And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. (The Holy Quran; 37:107�
To acknowledge this devotion, God said: سَلامٌ عَلَى إِبْراهِيمَ. إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا المُؤْمِنِينَ.
�Peace be upon Ibrahim. Surely, he was one of Our believing servants. (The Holy Quran; 37:109, 111.�
To sum it up, if we look at the acts commanded in God's trial, we will not see any benefit or advisability. In certain cases, there is harm, too, like the ban on catching fish on the Sabbath, which entailed economic loss, or the ban on drinking water from the river in the story of Talut, Ibrahim's dream to sacrifice his son, and the Israelis' entering into Damascus. In none of these cases, logical and tangible benefits could be seen. The best advantage of the said acts lies in God's commandments and the inhibitions themselves to be followed by obedience and submission, the result of which is affinity with God and attaining His pleasure.
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Since certain religious duties are based on devotion to God without having social, economic, political, or hygienic benefits, certain acts related to the Hajj rites are aimed for revealing man's devotion and submission to God.
One of the advantages of Hajj is that its aspect of devotion is more evident than other religious duties. Throwing pebbles at Satan is extremely effective, for he is attempting to prevent man from obeying God by skepticism and raising questions in man's mind. For example, Satan through temptations makes man ask himself if Prophet Ibrahim's wife; Hagar, shuttled seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa in search for water, why should be do the same and in search of water? Or when Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) was in Mina for completing his mission and Satan appeared on his way trying to prevent him from obeying God's order, Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) drove him away by throwing stones at him, what is he doing in Mina now? Has he, too, seen Satan on his way to throw stones at him? A devoted servant of God finds out that Satan is always on the way to steal faith. Hence, he gets ready to expel the satanic temptations from his heart. The Holy Quran says: إِنَّ الّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْصِرُونَ.
�Surely, those who guard against evil, when a visitation from the Satan afflicts them, they become mindful, then lo! They see. (7:201)�
I, too, as I have learnt lessons of devotion in the school of the prophets, take God as my Guardian and consider myself devoted servant of Him. I do not care whether certain act is beneficial or not. What I do is for obtaining God's pleasure. If I am told to shuttle between Safa and Marwa all my life for the pleasure of God, I will do it whole-heartedly.
�And they were not enjoining anything except that they should serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience. (The Holy Quran; 98:5)�
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Many whys and for what reasons are answered correctly or incorrectly and on many occasions the answers increase the asker's amazement.
Evidently, it is waste of time to discuss the secondary precepts of Islam with an unbeliever or someone whose belief is imperfect. How absurd it is to speak about the Ascension of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the moon's split for him or the life span and occultation of Imam Mahdi (a.s) with a materialist who does not believe in the absolute power of God. To debate with a Twelver 1 who does not firmly believe in the sinlessness of the prophets and Imams is also useless, for he needs to perfect his ideology first. Incidentally, most of the individuals who are skeptic of the practical laws of Islam are those who are weak in their beliefs.
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1 Twelvers are the Shiites acknowledging twelve Imams beginning with Imam Ali and ending with Imam Mahdi (as).
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1. To understand the philosophy of the divine laws, and
2. To get more interested in doing religious duties, this is the result of getting to know the philosophy of the divine laws.
As for someone who wishes to understand the logic of the divine laws, we should say that he is in error. Such a person needs to perfect his knowledge of the religion, get to know the prophet and the revelation as well as come to realize that the position of a prophet is above that of ordinary human beings.
He should, also, realize that what the prophets say do not come from themselves, but they are inspired by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. So, we come to the conclusion that the Holy Book and the religious laws are of the same Source. In other words, it is the All-knowing and All-wise God Who has prescribed what is lawful and what is unlawful and revealed it to the heart of His Messenger.
We have no option but to submit to the religious instructions. To practice the religious duties is to practice what the prophets and God have said. That is to say that I, considering myself as Muslim, obey God and His Messenger not because I have come to know about the philosophy of the religious laws, but I obey Him and His Messenger regardless of the harms and benefits that accompany certain religious acts.
�Whoever has such impression of the religious precepts is in gross error, for we realize that what Allah has forbidden
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is not only unnecessary for human life but also it is a source of corruption pushing man to perdition.�
Sheikh Saduq, may his soul rest in peace, relates that a person went to Imam Baqir (a.s) asking, 'Why has God forbidden drinking wine and eating carrion and pork as well as blood?' The Imam (a.s) answered: إنّ اللهَ تبارَكَ وتعَالى لم يُحَرّمْ ذلكَ على عِبادِهِ وأَحلَّ لهُم ما سِوى ذلكَ مِن رَغبَةٍ في مَا أَحَلَّ لهُم ولا زُهدٍ في مَا حَرّمَهُ عليهِم. ولكِنّه عزّ وجلّ خَلَقَ الخَلقَ فَعلِم ما يَقومُ بهِ أَبدانُهُم وما يُصلِحُهُم فَأَحَلَّهُ لهُم وأَباحَهُ وعَلِمَ ما يَضُرُّهُم فَنَههاهُم عنهُ وحَرّمَهُ عليهِم.
�Allah has not made certain things lawful or unlawful because He Himself likes or dislikes them, for neither the lawful nor do the unlawful benefit or harm Him. Since Allah has created man and known what is good or bad for him, He has enjoined or forbidden certain things.�1
From these sayings of the Imams (a.s) it is inferred that devotion is not strict adherence like an inferior's obedience to the orders of a superior. Obedience in religion is that when a human being realizes that his intellectual power is limited and that the religious precepts with all their benefits have their source in God's infinite knowledge, he will naturally feel duty-bound to submit to God's commandments.
The Holy Prophet of Islam (saw) says: يا عِبادَ اللهِ أنتُم كالمَرضَى ورَبُّ العَالمِينَ كالطّبِيبِ، فَصَلاحُ المَرضَى في ما يَعمَلُهُ الطّبِيبُ وتَدبِيرِهِ بِه لا في ما يَشتَهِيهِ المَريضُ ويَقتَرِحُهُ، ألا فَسَلِّموا للهِ أَمرَهُ تَكُونوا مِن الفَائزِينَ.
�O servants of Allah, you are like patients and the Lord of the worlds being like a physician. Therefore, the interest of the patient is in what the physician prescribes for him, not in what he �the patient- likes. Therefore, submit to Allah so as to be delivered.�2
It is true that the prophets are like us, human being, but they receive divine revelation. Addressing the Holy Prophet (saw), God says:
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1 See Ilal ush-Shara'ie; vol. 2 p.169
2 See Collection of Waram, Vol 2 p.117
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قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَناْ بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ. �Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me. (The Holy Quran; 18:110)�
To sum it up, religious obedience is not a blind following devoid of logic, rather it is submission of a human being with limited knowledge to the All-encompassing Authority.
As for the second question about the philosophy of the practical laws of Islam, if it is aimed at getting more familiarity with the benefits of God's commandments, to purify one's self and society, to ensure a sound economy, to see their compatibility with the scientific researches, to highlight the value of the religious precepts, the sayings of the Imams, the scientific miracles of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Holy Quran, to add to one's tranquility and peace of mind, it is welcome! In the Holy Quran, most of the verses express the philosophy of the commandments: يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيامُ... لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
�O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you� so that you many guard (yourselves) against evil. (2:183)� وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ لِذِكْرِي.
�� Keep up prayer for My remembrance. (20:14)� فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ذَلِكَ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ.
�� And ask of them (women) from behind a curtain; this is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. (33:53)� وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ... لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ.
�And proclaim among men the pilgrimage� that they may witness advantages for them. (22:28)� To sum it up, the necessity to act according to the religious precepts is to follow the divine revelation and not necessarily to understand their philosophy. The value of the acts of worship lies in devotion and man can have devotion when he has no motivation other than pleasing God. Then, he will become a true servant of God: رِجَالٌ لا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللهِ.
�Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah� (The Holy Quran; 24:37)�
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The aim of the religion is to make the earthly man ascend to heaven. Being the most perfect religion, Islam has a double vision, that is, it sees both this world and the Hereafter; it cares for the welfare of man and his moral education as well as spiritual perfection. اَلّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ طُوبَى لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَآبٍ.
�As for those who believe and do good, a good final state shall be theirs and a goodly return. (The Holy Quran; 13:29)�
Now, instead of this discussion and instead of trying to justify all the heavenly laws with scientific theories, we should consolidate the spirit of getting to know God, the prophet, and the Imams in the hearts of the youths. It is only then that the young generation will naturally feel duty-bound to follow the Messenger of God and to obey Him with contentment and will never look for benefits in serving God. فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الحَقِّ ِإلاّ الضَّلالُ
�� What is there after the truth but error? (The Holy Quran; 10:32)� Imam Sajjad (a.s) has said: إِنّ دِينَ اللهِ لا يُصابُ بِالعُقولِ النّاقِصةِ والآراءِ الباطِلَةِ والمَقاييسِ الفاسِدةِ، ولا يُصابُ إلا بالتّسليمِ فَمَنْ سَلَّمَ لنا سَلِمَ ومَن اهتَدى بنا هُدِيَ ومَن دانَ بالقِياسِ والرّأْيِ هَلَكَ ومَن وَجَدَ في نفْسِهِ شَيئاً ممّا نَقولُهُ أو نَقضي به حَرَجاً كَفَرَ بالذي أَنزَلَ السّبْعَ المَثانِي والقُرآنَ العَظيمَ وهُو لا يَعلَمُ.
�Surely, the religion of Allah cannot be comprehended with imperfect intellects, wrong opinions, or immoral criteria. Hence, there is no way to get to know the truth of the religion other than submission. Whoever submits to us will be safe from deviation, and whoever is guided in our path will be truly guided. Whoever makes religion with his own conjecture will find perdition and one who is heavy-hearted with our orders has disbelieved in the One Who revealed the Holy Quran.�1
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1 See Bihar ul-Anwar; Vol. 2 p.303
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�Now then, Allah, the Glorified the Sublime, created (the things of) the creation; He created them without any need for their obedience or being safe from their sinning, because the sin of anyone who sins does not harm him nor does the obedience of anyone who obeys Him benefit Him.�1 The fate of those who disobeyed God is mentioned in the Holy Quran: أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الّذِينَ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ، كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَآثَاراً فِي الأَرْضِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللهِ مِنْ وَاقٍ. ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالبَيِّنَاتِ فَكَفَرُوا فَأَخَذَهمُ اللهُ إِنَّهُ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ العِقَابِ.
�Have they not traveled in the earth and seen how was the end of those who were before them? Mightier than these were they in strength and in fortifications in the land, but Allah destroyed them for their sins; and there was not for them any defender against Allah. That was because they came to them their apostles with clear arguments, but they rejected them; therefore, Allah destroyed them; Surely He is Strong, Severe in retribution. (40:21-2)�
Jesus Christ (a.s) is quoted as saying: أَلم تَعلَموا أنّه مَن شَمَخَ بِرأسِه الى السّقفِ شَجَّهُ ومَن خفَضَ بِرأسِه عَنه استَظلَّ تحتَهُ وأكَنَّهُ، وكَذلكَ مَن لم يَتواضعْ للهِ خَفَضَهُ ومَن تواضعَ للهِ رَفَعَه.
�Do you not know that anyone who raises his head so high that it touches the ceiling, the ceiling will break his head? But one who lowers his head, the same ceiling will serve as
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1 See Nahjul Balagha; sermon No. 184
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a canopy to give him shelter and comfort under its shade. Likewise, one who is not humble before Allah will be degraded, whereas one who is humble before Allah will be promoted.�1
As long as the human society obeys the divine laws under the heavenly canopy, it will enjoy welfare and receive God's mercy, but if it disobeys God and becomes arrogant, God will say: إِنّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ.
�Surely, We have revealed the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardian. (The Holy Quran; 21:32)�
The devils can never infiltrate into this guarded canopy and any time the followers of Satan have attempted to transgress, they have been badly defeated and become examples for others. فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ.
�So, We made them stories and scattered them with an utter scattering. (The Holy Quran; 34:19)�
Have a look at history and see what God has done to those who fought against the heavenly canopy: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرّحْمنِ الرّحِيمِ. أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الفِيلِ. أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ. وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْراً أَبَابِيلَ. تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ. فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍ.
�In the Name of Allah the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful. Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the possessors of the elephant? Did He not cause their war to end in confusion, and send down to prey upon them birds in flocks casting against them stones of baked clay; so, He rendered them like straw eaten up? (The Holy Quran; 105:1-5)� أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ. إِرَمَ ذَاتِ العِمَادِ. الّتِي لَمْ يَخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي البِلادِ. وَثَمُودَ الّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالوَادِ. وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الأوْتَادِ. الّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِي البِلادِ. فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا الفَسَادَ. فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمُ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ.
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1 See Tuhaf ul-Uqoul; sermons of Jesus Christ
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�Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with Ad; the people of Ihram and the possessors of lofty buildings, the like of which were not created in the other cities; and with (the people of) Thamud who hewed out the rocks in the valley, and with Pharaoh, the lord of hosts; who committed inordinacy in the cities; so, they made great mischief therein? Therefore, your Lord let down upon them a portion of the chastisement. Most surely, your Lord is watching. (The Holy Quran; 89:7-15)�
In the Holy Quran; Sura of al-Ankabut �the spider-, after speaking about the painful fate of the former nations afflicted with heavenly and earthly tribulations, God says: فَكُلاًّ أَخَذْنَا بِذَنْبِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِباً وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَغْرَقْنَا، وَمَا كَانَ اللهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ. �So, each We punished for his sin; of them was he on whom We went down a violent storm, and of them was he whom the rumbling overtook, and of them was he who We made to be swallowed up by the earth, and of them was he who We drowned; and it did not beseem Allah that he should be unjust to them, but they were unjust to their own souls. (29:40)�
For thousands of years, those who disobeyed God have tried to transgress the bounds of decency with their lusts and arrogance but they have been defeated with humiliation. Nevertheless, the prophets' laws have survived and the pleasant call of 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah,' is heard at dawn, noon, and in the evening forever: وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ.
�And We exalted for you (Prophet Mohammad) your esteem. (The Holy Quran; 94:4)�
Speaking about what earns people and what is worthless, God says: فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً وَأَمَّا مَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الأَرْضِ.
�Then as for the scum, it passes away as a worthless thing; and as for that which profits people, it tarries in the earth. (The Holy Quran; 13:17)�
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In the same way that the sun shines upon the decayed bodies of the unjust tribes of Ad and Thamud whom were chastised by God, it will shine upon our dead bodies. The earth keeps on going round the sun forever. قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ المُلْكِ تُؤْتِي المُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ المُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ. تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الحَيَّ مِنَ المَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ المَيِّتَ مِنَ الحَيِّ
�Say: O Allah; Master of the Kingdom, Thou givest the kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and take away the kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest; in Thine hand is the good. Surely, Thou hast power over all things. Thou makest the night pass into the day and Thou makest the day pass into the night, and Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living. (The Holy Quran; 3:26-7)�
To sum it up, the divine laws are invincible and unchangeable: فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللهِ تَبْدِيلاً وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللهِ تَحْوِيلاً
�For you shall not find any alteration in the course of Allah; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allah. (The Holy Quran; 35:43)�
It is the disobeying man who will come to perdition. وَمَنْ يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ
�� Whoever goes beyond the limits of Allah indeed does injustice to his own soul. (The Holy Quran; 65:1)�
For what we have said we come to the conclusion that God neither needs our obedience to Him nor does He fear our disobedience to Him, and that neither our obedience to Him benefit Him nor does our disobedience to Him harm Him. Rather it is we, human beings, who are strongly in need for God. We, human beings, are obliged to be humble for Him. If God has accepted our servitude and submission, it is a favor on His part, for if we thank Him all the time, we have done little of what we should do.
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�He said: Surely, Allah has chosen him in preference to you, and He has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique. (2:247)�
This strong man was appointed by the prophet of that time to be the leader of the Israelis to fight their enemies. Talut mobilized a great army to fight Jalut (Goliath) the tyrant, who oppressed the Israelis. He (Saul) said to his soldiers: Be careful, for God will test you through a river on your way; he who will not drink from it though he might be very thirsty will be (considered as) obeying God and will be among my helpers and entitled to God's grace. But anyone who will drink from it is not my follower and will be deprived of God's assistance.
It was hot, the land was dry, and thirst prevailed. Suddenly, the river came into sight and the thirsty soldiers saw a river flowing with limped water before them. It requires great patience and strong faith to resist desire to pass by a river and not quench one's thirst for the sake of God. The river was a great test for the army of Talut. Satan began to tempt them as what the philosophy of suffering from thirst is while being near to a river. Why water, a source of life, should be banned. No, one must drink from it, feel fresh, and fight the enemies; not knowing that man's number one enemy is his concupiscence which disobeys God's orders. First of all, one must fight this inner enemy and then be sure that after suppressing it, God's help will come. Finally, the pleasant sight of the river and Satan's temptations weakened their will. Except for 313 soldiers, the entire army whose number was 80,000 drank from the river and revealed their weak faith against physical desires. فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالجُنُودِ قَاَل إِنَّ اللهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي ِإلاّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ، فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ ِإلاّ قَلِيلاً مِنْهُمْ.
�So, when Talut departed with the forces, he said: Surely, Allah will try you with a river; whoever then drinks from it, he is not of me, and whoever does not taste of it, he is surely of me, except he who takes with his hand as much of it as fills the hand; but with the exception of a few of them, they drank from it. (The Holy Quran; 2:249)�
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ANOTHER TRIAL OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُوا هَذِهِ القَـرْيَةِ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَداً وَادْخُلُوا البَابَ سُجَّداً وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ نَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَـزِيدُ المحُسْنِينَ. فَبَدَّلَ الّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلاً غَيْرَ الّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى الّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزاً مِنَ السّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانوُا يَفْسُقُونَ.�And when We said: Enter this city, and then eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and enter the gate making obeisance; and say, forgiveness. We will forgive you your wrongs and give more to those who do good. But those who were unjust changed it for a saying other than that which had been spoken to them, so We sent upon those who were unjust a pestilence from heaven, because thy transgressed. (The Holy Quran; 2: 58-9)�
The unyielding tribe of the Israelis, due to the dignity of Prophet Moses (a.s) was entitled to God's grace. So, they had the impression that they became really honorable in the sight of God and became God's favorites and the most devoted servants. To test them and to make them subject to curse and punishment, God appointed certain duties for them. The prosperous land of Damascus was envisaged for their settlement provided that they, first, would enter the city through a specific gate, they, second, would enter the city while bowing as sign of humbleness to God, and, third, they would say, 'forgive us,' so that God would pardon their wrongdoings. But they said to themselves, 'why should we enter the city through a narrow gate while there were wider ones?' They entered the city not only without bowing but also with their backs forward; and instead of saying, 'forgive us,' they said indecent words. The result was a pestilence from heaven.
PROPHET IBRAHIM AND GOD'S STRANGE TRIAL
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى في المَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى، قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدَنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ. فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ. وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ. قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي المُحْسِنِينَ. إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ البَلاَءُ المُِبينُ.�And when he attained to working with him, he said: O my son, surely I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you; consider then what you see. He said: O my father, do what you are commanded; if Allah please, you will find me of the patient ones. So when they both submitted and he threw him down upon his forehead, and
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We called out to him, saying: O Ibrahim, you have indeed shown the truth of the vision; surely thus do We reward the doers of good. Most surely, this is a manifestation trial. (The Holy Quran; 37:102-6)�
This is a strange scene and a strange duty! A handsome youth, much loved by an elder father has to be sacrificed for God. What a strange order and what a difficult duty! How can a kind father throw down his son and put a sharp knife on his throat with his own hands? This act is approved neither by temperament nor common sense. But here neither man's intellect nor does does his common sense have any saying, for it is the realm of love of God Who is the Only Beloved in the world. The love for others is subject to His permission and pleasure. Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) then prepared himself for carrying out God's order without any delay. He told the story to his son to know both his duty and to test the devotion of his son. The son, too, asked his father to do what he had been commanded and asked God to make him patient. What devotion it is! May God bless this stage of submission forever. Both father and son submitted. The father threw him down ready to cut his throat. A shocking scene amazed the whole world against the power of faith and love for God. Therefore, God praised the devotion of these two devoted monotheists. This is sufficient to indicate their greatness: وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
�And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. (The Holy Quran; 37:107�
To acknowledge this devotion, God said: سَلامٌ عَلَى إِبْراهِيمَ. إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا المُؤْمِنِينَ.
�Peace be upon Ibrahim. Surely, he was one of Our believing servants. (The Holy Quran; 37:109, 111.�
To sum it up, if we look at the acts commanded in God's trial, we will not see any benefit or advisability. In certain cases, there is harm, too, like the ban on catching fish on the Sabbath, which entailed economic loss, or the ban on drinking water from the river in the story of Talut, Ibrahim's dream to sacrifice his son, and the Israelis' entering into Damascus. In none of these cases, logical and tangible benefits could be seen. The best advantage of the said acts lies in God's commandments and the inhibitions themselves to be followed by obedience and submission, the result of which is affinity with God and attaining His pleasure.
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Since certain religious duties are based on devotion to God without having social, economic, political, or hygienic benefits, certain acts related to the Hajj rites are aimed for revealing man's devotion and submission to God.
One of the advantages of Hajj is that its aspect of devotion is more evident than other religious duties. Throwing pebbles at Satan is extremely effective, for he is attempting to prevent man from obeying God by skepticism and raising questions in man's mind. For example, Satan through temptations makes man ask himself if Prophet Ibrahim's wife; Hagar, shuttled seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa in search for water, why should be do the same and in search of water? Or when Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) was in Mina for completing his mission and Satan appeared on his way trying to prevent him from obeying God's order, Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) drove him away by throwing stones at him, what is he doing in Mina now? Has he, too, seen Satan on his way to throw stones at him? A devoted servant of God finds out that Satan is always on the way to steal faith. Hence, he gets ready to expel the satanic temptations from his heart. The Holy Quran says: إِنَّ الّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْصِرُونَ.
�Surely, those who guard against evil, when a visitation from the Satan afflicts them, they become mindful, then lo! They see. (7:201)�
I, too, as I have learnt lessons of devotion in the school of the prophets, take God as my Guardian and consider myself devoted servant of Him. I do not care whether certain act is beneficial or not. What I do is for obtaining God's pleasure. If I am told to shuttle between Safa and Marwa all my life for the pleasure of God, I will do it whole-heartedly.
SUMMARY
The Hajj rites, consisting of apparently unjustifiable acts, are means of trial of men's devotion to God. Hajj makes those who follow 'self' and superficial intellect distinct from those following God. وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلاّ لِيَعْبُدُوا اللهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ.�And they were not enjoining anything except that they should serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience. (The Holy Quran; 98:5)�
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QUESTIONS OF PRACTICAL LAWS OF ISLAM
Perhaps it would not be out of place to discuss the practical laws of Islam here, for questions have been raised in this relation. For example, it is asked why Sura of al-Fatihah and Sura of at-Tawhid must be recited in undertone in the Dhuhr (Noon) and Asr (Afternoon) �obligatory- Prayers and recited aloud in the Maghrib (Evening) and Eshaa (Night) Prayers. Why are men banned to wear gold rings? Why is it banned to use golden and silver vessels? Why is it religiously unlawful to have the meat of pork? What is the philosophy of Hajj? When does it become necessary to perform the Tayammum (Dry Ablution)? Why is it forbidden for a Muslim to marry two sisters at the same time?Many whys and for what reasons are answered correctly or incorrectly and on many occasions the answers increase the asker's amazement.
NOTE
The first and most important requirement of one who asks such questions is his belief in the acknowledged principles of Islam, that is, belief in One God, prophethood, God's justice, Day of Judgment, and Imamate. In the meantime, the degree of his belief in the aforesaid principles has to be taken into consideration so as to discuss with him the ideology of Islam in case of his imperfect knowledge about it.Evidently, it is waste of time to discuss the secondary precepts of Islam with an unbeliever or someone whose belief is imperfect. How absurd it is to speak about the Ascension of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the moon's split for him or the life span and occultation of Imam Mahdi (a.s) with a materialist who does not believe in the absolute power of God. To debate with a Twelver 1 who does not firmly believe in the sinlessness of the prophets and Imams is also useless, for he needs to perfect his ideology first. Incidentally, most of the individuals who are skeptic of the practical laws of Islam are those who are weak in their beliefs.
THE AIM OF QUESTIONING THE PHILOSOPHY OF
THE PRACTICAL LAWS OF ISLAM
Generally speaking, questions about the philosophy of the practical laws of Islam are raised for two reasons:THE PRACTICAL LAWS OF ISLAM
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1 Twelvers are the Shiites acknowledging twelve Imams beginning with Imam Ali and ending with Imam Mahdi (as).
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1. To understand the philosophy of the divine laws, and
2. To get more interested in doing religious duties, this is the result of getting to know the philosophy of the divine laws.
As for someone who wishes to understand the logic of the divine laws, we should say that he is in error. Such a person needs to perfect his knowledge of the religion, get to know the prophet and the revelation as well as come to realize that the position of a prophet is above that of ordinary human beings.
He should, also, realize that what the prophets say do not come from themselves, but they are inspired by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. So, we come to the conclusion that the Holy Book and the religious laws are of the same Source. In other words, it is the All-knowing and All-wise God Who has prescribed what is lawful and what is unlawful and revealed it to the heart of His Messenger.
WHY ARE WE IN NEED FOR A DIVINE REVELATION?
Since we, human beings, do not have comprehensive knowledge about life and the Afterlife, and since the only One being aware of all the details of the universe is God, we are in need for guidance and religious laws, which is the same as revelation received by the prophets.We have no option but to submit to the religious instructions. To practice the religious duties is to practice what the prophets and God have said. That is to say that I, considering myself as Muslim, obey God and His Messenger not because I have come to know about the philosophy of the religious laws, but I obey Him and His Messenger regardless of the harms and benefits that accompany certain religious acts.
WHAT IS RELIGIOUS OBEDIENCE?
Mohammad ibn Sinan wrote a letter to Imam Reza (a.s) saying, 'Some Muslims have the impression that the dos and don'ts in Islam are not based on people's interest or disadvantages and that there is no reason for them save obedience and devotion to God.' Responding to this letter, Imam Reza (a.s) wrote: قَد ضَلَّ مِن قال ذلكَ ضَلالاً بَعيداً. وَوجَدْنا المحُرّمَ مِن الأشْياءِ لا حاجَةَ لِلعبادِ إليهِ ووجدناهُ مُفسِداً داعِياً إلى الفَناءِ والهَلاكِ.�Whoever has such impression of the religious precepts is in gross error, for we realize that what Allah has forbidden
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is not only unnecessary for human life but also it is a source of corruption pushing man to perdition.�
Sheikh Saduq, may his soul rest in peace, relates that a person went to Imam Baqir (a.s) asking, 'Why has God forbidden drinking wine and eating carrion and pork as well as blood?' The Imam (a.s) answered: إنّ اللهَ تبارَكَ وتعَالى لم يُحَرّمْ ذلكَ على عِبادِهِ وأَحلَّ لهُم ما سِوى ذلكَ مِن رَغبَةٍ في مَا أَحَلَّ لهُم ولا زُهدٍ في مَا حَرّمَهُ عليهِم. ولكِنّه عزّ وجلّ خَلَقَ الخَلقَ فَعلِم ما يَقومُ بهِ أَبدانُهُم وما يُصلِحُهُم فَأَحَلَّهُ لهُم وأَباحَهُ وعَلِمَ ما يَضُرُّهُم فَنَههاهُم عنهُ وحَرّمَهُ عليهِم.
�Allah has not made certain things lawful or unlawful because He Himself likes or dislikes them, for neither the lawful nor do the unlawful benefit or harm Him. Since Allah has created man and known what is good or bad for him, He has enjoined or forbidden certain things.�1
From these sayings of the Imams (a.s) it is inferred that devotion is not strict adherence like an inferior's obedience to the orders of a superior. Obedience in religion is that when a human being realizes that his intellectual power is limited and that the religious precepts with all their benefits have their source in God's infinite knowledge, he will naturally feel duty-bound to submit to God's commandments.
The Holy Prophet of Islam (saw) says: يا عِبادَ اللهِ أنتُم كالمَرضَى ورَبُّ العَالمِينَ كالطّبِيبِ، فَصَلاحُ المَرضَى في ما يَعمَلُهُ الطّبِيبُ وتَدبِيرِهِ بِه لا في ما يَشتَهِيهِ المَريضُ ويَقتَرِحُهُ، ألا فَسَلِّموا للهِ أَمرَهُ تَكُونوا مِن الفَائزِينَ.
�O servants of Allah, you are like patients and the Lord of the worlds being like a physician. Therefore, the interest of the patient is in what the physician prescribes for him, not in what he �the patient- likes. Therefore, submit to Allah so as to be delivered.�2
It is true that the prophets are like us, human being, but they receive divine revelation. Addressing the Holy Prophet (saw), God says:
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1 See Ilal ush-Shara'ie; vol. 2 p.169
2 See Collection of Waram, Vol 2 p.117
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قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَناْ بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ. �Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me. (The Holy Quran; 18:110)�
To sum it up, religious obedience is not a blind following devoid of logic, rather it is submission of a human being with limited knowledge to the All-encompassing Authority.
As for the second question about the philosophy of the practical laws of Islam, if it is aimed at getting more familiarity with the benefits of God's commandments, to purify one's self and society, to ensure a sound economy, to see their compatibility with the scientific researches, to highlight the value of the religious precepts, the sayings of the Imams, the scientific miracles of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Holy Quran, to add to one's tranquility and peace of mind, it is welcome! In the Holy Quran, most of the verses express the philosophy of the commandments: يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيامُ... لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
�O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you� so that you many guard (yourselves) against evil. (2:183)� وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ لِذِكْرِي.
�� Keep up prayer for My remembrance. (20:14)� فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ذَلِكَ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ.
�� And ask of them (women) from behind a curtain; this is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. (33:53)� وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ... لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ.
�And proclaim among men the pilgrimage� that they may witness advantages for them. (22:28)� To sum it up, the necessity to act according to the religious precepts is to follow the divine revelation and not necessarily to understand their philosophy. The value of the acts of worship lies in devotion and man can have devotion when he has no motivation other than pleasing God. Then, he will become a true servant of God: رِجَالٌ لا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللهِ.
�Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah� (The Holy Quran; 24:37)�
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The aim of the religion is to make the earthly man ascend to heaven. Being the most perfect religion, Islam has a double vision, that is, it sees both this world and the Hereafter; it cares for the welfare of man and his moral education as well as spiritual perfection. اَلّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ طُوبَى لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَآبٍ.
�As for those who believe and do good, a good final state shall be theirs and a goodly return. (The Holy Quran; 13:29)�
Now, instead of this discussion and instead of trying to justify all the heavenly laws with scientific theories, we should consolidate the spirit of getting to know God, the prophet, and the Imams in the hearts of the youths. It is only then that the young generation will naturally feel duty-bound to follow the Messenger of God and to obey Him with contentment and will never look for benefits in serving God. فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الحَقِّ ِإلاّ الضَّلالُ
�� What is there after the truth but error? (The Holy Quran; 10:32)� Imam Sajjad (a.s) has said: إِنّ دِينَ اللهِ لا يُصابُ بِالعُقولِ النّاقِصةِ والآراءِ الباطِلَةِ والمَقاييسِ الفاسِدةِ، ولا يُصابُ إلا بالتّسليمِ فَمَنْ سَلَّمَ لنا سَلِمَ ومَن اهتَدى بنا هُدِيَ ومَن دانَ بالقِياسِ والرّأْيِ هَلَكَ ومَن وَجَدَ في نفْسِهِ شَيئاً ممّا نَقولُهُ أو نَقضي به حَرَجاً كَفَرَ بالذي أَنزَلَ السّبْعَ المَثانِي والقُرآنَ العَظيمَ وهُو لا يَعلَمُ.
�Surely, the religion of Allah cannot be comprehended with imperfect intellects, wrong opinions, or immoral criteria. Hence, there is no way to get to know the truth of the religion other than submission. Whoever submits to us will be safe from deviation, and whoever is guided in our path will be truly guided. Whoever makes religion with his own conjecture will find perdition and one who is heavy-hearted with our orders has disbelieved in the One Who revealed the Holy Quran.�1
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1 See Bihar ul-Anwar; Vol. 2 p.303
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GOD IS IN NO NEED FOR OUR OBEDIENCE
It is worth mentioning that obedience to God's commandments and performance of the divine laws do not add to God's glory and greatness, and man's disobedience to God does not reduce from His authority. In this relation, Imam Ali (a.s) says: فإِنّ اللهَ سُبحانهُ وتَعالى خَلَقَ الخَلْقَ حِينَ خَلَقَهُمْ غَنِيّاً عَن طَاعَتِهِمْ آمِناً مِن مَعْصِيَتِهِم لأنّه لا تَضُرّهُ مَعصِيَةُ مَن عَصاهُ ولا تَنفَعُهُ طاعَةُ مَن أَطاعَهُ.�Now then, Allah, the Glorified the Sublime, created (the things of) the creation; He created them without any need for their obedience or being safe from their sinning, because the sin of anyone who sins does not harm him nor does the obedience of anyone who obeys Him benefit Him.�1 The fate of those who disobeyed God is mentioned in the Holy Quran: أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الّذِينَ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ، كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَآثَاراً فِي الأَرْضِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللهِ مِنْ وَاقٍ. ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالبَيِّنَاتِ فَكَفَرُوا فَأَخَذَهمُ اللهُ إِنَّهُ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ العِقَابِ.
�Have they not traveled in the earth and seen how was the end of those who were before them? Mightier than these were they in strength and in fortifications in the land, but Allah destroyed them for their sins; and there was not for them any defender against Allah. That was because they came to them their apostles with clear arguments, but they rejected them; therefore, Allah destroyed them; Surely He is Strong, Severe in retribution. (40:21-2)�
Jesus Christ (a.s) is quoted as saying: أَلم تَعلَموا أنّه مَن شَمَخَ بِرأسِه الى السّقفِ شَجَّهُ ومَن خفَضَ بِرأسِه عَنه استَظلَّ تحتَهُ وأكَنَّهُ، وكَذلكَ مَن لم يَتواضعْ للهِ خَفَضَهُ ومَن تواضعَ للهِ رَفَعَه.
�Do you not know that anyone who raises his head so high that it touches the ceiling, the ceiling will break his head? But one who lowers his head, the same ceiling will serve as
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1 See Nahjul Balagha; sermon No. 184
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a canopy to give him shelter and comfort under its shade. Likewise, one who is not humble before Allah will be degraded, whereas one who is humble before Allah will be promoted.�1
As long as the human society obeys the divine laws under the heavenly canopy, it will enjoy welfare and receive God's mercy, but if it disobeys God and becomes arrogant, God will say: إِنّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ.
�Surely, We have revealed the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardian. (The Holy Quran; 21:32)�
The devils can never infiltrate into this guarded canopy and any time the followers of Satan have attempted to transgress, they have been badly defeated and become examples for others. فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ.
�So, We made them stories and scattered them with an utter scattering. (The Holy Quran; 34:19)�
Have a look at history and see what God has done to those who fought against the heavenly canopy: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرّحْمنِ الرّحِيمِ. أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الفِيلِ. أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ. وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْراً أَبَابِيلَ. تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ. فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍ.
�In the Name of Allah the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful. Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the possessors of the elephant? Did He not cause their war to end in confusion, and send down to prey upon them birds in flocks casting against them stones of baked clay; so, He rendered them like straw eaten up? (The Holy Quran; 105:1-5)� أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ. إِرَمَ ذَاتِ العِمَادِ. الّتِي لَمْ يَخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي البِلادِ. وَثَمُودَ الّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالوَادِ. وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الأوْتَادِ. الّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِي البِلادِ. فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا الفَسَادَ. فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمُ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ.
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1 See Tuhaf ul-Uqoul; sermons of Jesus Christ
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�Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with Ad; the people of Ihram and the possessors of lofty buildings, the like of which were not created in the other cities; and with (the people of) Thamud who hewed out the rocks in the valley, and with Pharaoh, the lord of hosts; who committed inordinacy in the cities; so, they made great mischief therein? Therefore, your Lord let down upon them a portion of the chastisement. Most surely, your Lord is watching. (The Holy Quran; 89:7-15)�
In the Holy Quran; Sura of al-Ankabut �the spider-, after speaking about the painful fate of the former nations afflicted with heavenly and earthly tribulations, God says: فَكُلاًّ أَخَذْنَا بِذَنْبِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِباً وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَغْرَقْنَا، وَمَا كَانَ اللهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ. �So, each We punished for his sin; of them was he on whom We went down a violent storm, and of them was he whom the rumbling overtook, and of them was he who We made to be swallowed up by the earth, and of them was he who We drowned; and it did not beseem Allah that he should be unjust to them, but they were unjust to their own souls. (29:40)�
For thousands of years, those who disobeyed God have tried to transgress the bounds of decency with their lusts and arrogance but they have been defeated with humiliation. Nevertheless, the prophets' laws have survived and the pleasant call of 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah,' is heard at dawn, noon, and in the evening forever: وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ.
�And We exalted for you (Prophet Mohammad) your esteem. (The Holy Quran; 94:4)�
Speaking about what earns people and what is worthless, God says: فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً وَأَمَّا مَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الأَرْضِ.
�Then as for the scum, it passes away as a worthless thing; and as for that which profits people, it tarries in the earth. (The Holy Quran; 13:17)�
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In the same way that the sun shines upon the decayed bodies of the unjust tribes of Ad and Thamud whom were chastised by God, it will shine upon our dead bodies. The earth keeps on going round the sun forever. قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ المُلْكِ تُؤْتِي المُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ المُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ. تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الحَيَّ مِنَ المَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ المَيِّتَ مِنَ الحَيِّ
�Say: O Allah; Master of the Kingdom, Thou givest the kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and take away the kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest; in Thine hand is the good. Surely, Thou hast power over all things. Thou makest the night pass into the day and Thou makest the day pass into the night, and Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living. (The Holy Quran; 3:26-7)�
To sum it up, the divine laws are invincible and unchangeable: فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللهِ تَبْدِيلاً وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللهِ تَحْوِيلاً
�For you shall not find any alteration in the course of Allah; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allah. (The Holy Quran; 35:43)�
It is the disobeying man who will come to perdition. وَمَنْ يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ
�� Whoever goes beyond the limits of Allah indeed does injustice to his own soul. (The Holy Quran; 65:1)�
For what we have said we come to the conclusion that God neither needs our obedience to Him nor does He fear our disobedience to Him, and that neither our obedience to Him benefit Him nor does our disobedience to Him harm Him. Rather it is we, human beings, who are strongly in need for God. We, human beings, are obliged to be humble for Him. If God has accepted our servitude and submission, it is a favor on His part, for if we thank Him all the time, we have done little of what we should do.