You grant him life and he complains of death. You assure him of an eternity – he says he’d rather enjoy the moment. You give him death, he whines about folly of life. You tell him how it is and how its supposed to – but he’s far more concerned with what he wants it to be. You warn him of himself – he warns you. It’s for your own good you say, but he’s more convinced of his supposedly far-reaching foresight. You tell him there is a time and season for everything, a time for perfection and peace but sadly none is hastier then him, determined to find it here and now. He struggles, sweats and bleeds. He cannot find it and the emptiness begins to consume him. He feels hopeless and dejected, raises his fist to the heavens and scorns you!
Why have you forsaken me he says!
You assure him of your unwavering love, of the nature of this world – that man’s quasi-divinity comes at hefty price! “You are a traveller” you tell him, but he says he’d like to stay and reside. “Plant your seeds” you tell him, but he says he is happier consuming. You remind him that you and you alone gave him life, but sadly he takes it for granted, as if he inherently has the right to live. In his most dire frustration, he demands knowing why you’ve brought him into existence—that he’d be better off in naught. He wonders why you didn’t ask ‘him’ first? Lest he enjoys non-existence and finds it far more comfortable and promising… You remind him of his dependence, of his ‘borrowed’ volition, of his pseudo-identity—but alas he just won’t listen, so intoxicated in the wine of life, the cup he was forbidden from drinking; the vinous fruit he should have never ate.
How do you teach a man what he does not wish to learn?
5 comments:
“How do you teach a man what he does not wish to learn?”… The problem is he was already taught but does not wish to put what he learnt into practice. I was wondering once why the Quran always mentions “afala yatathakaroon?”(Translation:“Don’t they remember?”) , it is interesting how those words informs us that we were somehow -previously- taught however we tend to ignore it out of delinquency or because we “forget” about it…. I was also wondering if conscience alone enough to keep humans on the right path??.. or does it has to be accompanied with an immediate punishment? It’s sad indeed that the latter is the one that may work better with us…..*sigh*
H.H
as salaam u alaikum,
mashallah. thats a nice thoughtful piece....
Salams, glady u enjoyed the piece
Yeah, I've thought about it – and its seemingly paradoxical for Allah to continually insist we 'remember' something that was 'taught' to use aforetime but of which we have absolutely no recollection of. It begs the question doesn't it? Remembering something you don’t even recall occurring or learning or however you'd like to put it... that and the Qur'an continually interchanges the word 'remember' for 'ponder', 'reflect', and that those who fail to do so are sensorially inept, failing to appreciate the radiant guidance before them. I'm sure there is a plethora of varying interpretations – one shade of meaning could be that 'remembering' is a form of reflection and pondering, and that would reconcile the fluid usage of these terms and how they are interchangeably used. To remember among many things that we have been created, for we often forget or take for granted our miraculous existence – forgetting that we are in fact CREATures, pieces of 'clay' molded by our Maker – moldering in an ever fleeting world. To remember our frailty in our moments of self-professed glory, to remember our true purpose when the world, or rather we, pursue a purpose of our own whimsy. Hummm...there is also a lot of Quranic overtone on being 'grateful' 'afla yashkurun' again closely interchanged with the words, yatafakkurn (think, reflect, ponder), ya'quloun (reason, reflect)… and even juxtaposed with the state of rejection/denial (kufr)--- the verses are many... and for me its as if its being said that to 'remember' is to truly think and reflect about our existence, remembering reality as opposed to forgetting it (as we do, day to day, …)
I think the sons of Adam are truly wonderful, dynamic creature (and not just because I'm one of em haha)—seriously, we are incredibly dynamic and fluid – you will never find two children of Adam entirely the same and equal in all aspects. We are bred for difference in a world that can't help but generate it. Lol, without digressing tooo much…It’s a wonder if one thing would ever be enough to guide us, much less our conscience, which we can easily grow inured to ignoring. All the while, our conscience is instrumental to our guidance—could God have made it any easier? And inborn litmus test, that tests positive for good and negative for bad? And if we're to suppose our conscience is not enough, and not absolutely inerrant, God has given, our intellect, another indispensable tool to work by its side and verify and consider the integrity of its pleadings… all that and more, but unfortunately or fortunately man is faaaaaaaaar to dynamic and malleable for his own good – he deafens his conscience in no time, and spoils the neutrality of his intellect with SELFish desires, base aspirations and egotistical visions. For the SIX BILLION current manifestations of the Adamic prototype, a frighteningly very small handful (at any given era) might have actually understood their purpose and had the will to pursue it. Either God has really messed up, far be it, or that man has.
If you are anything like me or the rest of the six billion adamics, then you've let that pristine soul of yours rot and wither in mundane hopes and forsook the truth for a passing comfort…plundering the gift of life right out of the hands of the one who gifted it to you…following the herd of six billion bandits as they wander from their shepherded.
As for Hell? This topic really puzzles me, but what can I say, it does have its place. And for many of the seemingly incomprehensible things of this world—they are because the MUST be. That is, it has to be this way, for the world to fulfill its particular purpose and shape. Take away free-will in man, and you have an entirely different 'arena of existence', he can no longer be held accountable…but give him free-will and a dynamic self, he easily drifts toward wrong, you give him a conscience but he corrupts it, an intellect but he manipulates its, you send him Prophets and he slaughters them, you give him guidance but even after recognizing it, he feels comfortable and has no problem rejecting it, sooo what do you do? Maybe you threaten to take away the one thing he loves to treat himself to …comfort…so you threaten him with something sooo horridly terrible and uncomfortable (definite understatement!) that if he has any remaining sense in him, he would fear and come to his senses…. But alas, even the fright of Hell isn't enough to keep some of these adamics from loosing their grip.
Alas the odds are really against man, and yet at the same time they are all for him! There is a hadith where one of the Imams was rebuking a scholar who was astonished at the ease of going to Hell, with man sooo easily led astray! (Which is certainly true, but seemingly false at the same time :P) But the Imam said something like how astonishing is it that a man would not go to Heaven, given all the means to which he is guided!
oooo, yap yap yap eh… lol I'll leave it at that,…such pivotal topics…
those are my two dinars for ya :P
Peace :)
salaam alaikum Ailaaan!!
omg.. I just realized how much I miss you!! :( *tear*
i'm just stopping by real quick to leave this message.. I have a lot on my plate right now.. mom and dad went for Hajj mashallah :) so i had to be a full time mommy/student for the past 3 weeks and again, school tmrw morning.
take care of yourself okay? and PLEASE come see us in ottawa... ? we have good sheesha here too? philosophical convos filled with metaphors while smoking grape sheesha.. sounds tempting no? COME BACK!!
Heya Massseeey! Salams
Looooong time eh… umm, but its good to hear from you – missed my rambling or the poetry (sometimes the two are one in the same haha)! Cool, mashallah, I've got a lot of friends who went this year – inshallah your parent's hajj is accepted and they return safely. lol busy busy student and a fulltime soccer mom too? lol the sacred sheesha will take care of all your toubles and ailments :P
I'll be back (Arnold won't mind, he's a governor you know :P ) – inshallah this summer, lol, my family will crucify me if I don't since I have the opportunity to go this year…
Awesome, though I don't really fancy the grape flavour that much, its tooo light – double-apple does it haha I'll definitely take you up on the philosophical convos though
Its really good to hear from you,
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