How revelation from Allah SWT is comparable to the life given to the earth by the water.
Allah SWT speaks of the blessing of revelation and His guidance in numerous places in the glorious Quran. Not only is the guidance of Allah SWT a requirement for us as Muslims, but it is also something which our hearts crave.
The imam reminded us of the 16th and 17th ayat of Sura Al-Hadid which is translated to say:
Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.
Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand.
Dear brothers and sisters, there are so many lessons to learn from the Glorious Quran. Often, they are clear and require little explanation. On other occasions, we have the benefit of the best of teachers, Prophet Muhammad SAWS, educating us on the ayats.
The imam reminded us of the following hadith in which the Prophet SAWS taught us the meaning of revelation to us. It is translated to say:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil that absorbed rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then that land gave no benefits). The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah’s religion and gets benefit (from the knowledge) which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophets and learns and then teaches others. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allah’s guidance revealed through me (He is like that barren land.)”
Dear brothers and sisters, if we ponder over these lessons, we can see that it is not enough to simply declare oneself a Muslim and give it no further thoughts. As Muslims, we cannot be heedless or thoughtless in our living. Every day we have an opportunity to ponder over the creation, blessings and wonders of Allah SWT.
In actual fact, the root cause can often be attributed to the heart not being connected to Allah SWT. This is a disease of the heart which we need to identify and fix if we are worried that our actions and thoughts are of those who are heedless and not taking the guidance of Allah SWT.
And so, this reminder concludes with 3 tips that can be implemented to increase ones chances of being rightly guided:
- Sincerity in actions. If we are to achieve guidance from Allah SWT then we need to have the right intention. And this is dependent upon the sincerity with which we carry out prayers and other acts of worship
- Increase remembrance and worship of Allah SWT. This is an obvious point but worth emphasising how important our supplication/dua is for receiving guidance. Our prayers are a two way communication and we should use the opportunity at least 5 times each day to ask for guidance.
- And lastly, humble yourself. Arrogance about our lives, our possessions, our talents etc. can be a barrier to receiving guidance. We need to be careful that we don’t think that we deserve more than others – even if we appear more steadfast in our worship than them. We need to always be mindful of the fact that everything is through the divine will of Allah SWT and so be grateful for all that we do have.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are living in times where misguidance and misinformation is the key weapon of those against the path of Islam. Therefore we need all the help and guidance we can get from Allah SWT to carry us through these times and back to Him in victory. We can do this by focusing on pondering over Allah SWT’s revelation in the Quran, and guidance from the Prophet SAWS.
