EARTH’S KEEPERS
‘[Prophet], when your Lord told the angels, ‘I am putting a successor on earth,’ they said, ‘How can You put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed when we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your holiness?’ but He said, ‘I know things you do not’ [2:30].
The angels, although in absolute submission to Allah, still doubted and questioned.
To doubt and to query something is not wrong or sinful but essential for faith.
The entire account in Surah Baqarah teaches us that doubt leads to questioning, which leads to knowledge and understanding, followed by certitude.
Allah is Al-Alim, The Absolute Knower, and His rebuttal teaches another vital lesson: Intellectual humility is a characteristic of the believer.
Furthermore, Allah’s trust in humanity’s ability to rise above its human proclivities and be worthy stewards of the Earth should instill within a deep sense of worth. Many before us have lived up to the billing, and many still do. But, unfortunately, most don’t. The scientific evidence proves this point. No one can deny that climate catastrophe and ecological degradation is unprecedented and has become an existential threat to the planet.
This sobering point leaves us with a critical question: Am I living up to the promise of being Earth’s caretaker, or am I defiling her and spreading corruption as was feared by the angels?
GUARDING FROM EGO
Striving for justice is the closest expression of piety.
One of the grave enemies of equitableness is self-will. When our passions are unbridled, they run amok, often leading us to transgress the rights of others.
To safeguard against this inherent threat, we can supplicate as the Prophet Muhammad (s) did:
يَا حَيُّ يَا قَـيُّومُ
بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ
أَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ
وَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ
“O Ever-Living One, O Eternal One, by Your mercy, I call on You to set right all my affairs. And do not leave me to myself even for the blinking of an eye” [al-Hakim 1/545].
The things we try to give meaning to are often meaningless.
When we endeavour to animate the trivial, we can lose ourselves.
Here, the parasitic relationship metaphor exists, and in our lost state, we unwittingly become the host.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
p.s. Red Kufi Courses are now available, Alhamdulillah. Click to learn more.
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