THE HIGHEST GOOD
A heart, caked with soot and sunken under its weight, may still be leavened by the Highest Good.
So, what will make you know what the Highest Good is and where can one find it?
A sublime passage in the Quran directs to it and reveals that it lies in the emancipatory Hand of the King of Kings, the One Exalted in Might, the Most-Wise: ‘Say: “O Allah! Lord of Power (And Rule), Thou givest power to whom Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest power from whom Thou pleasest: Thou enduest with honour whom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest: In Thy hand is all good. Verily, over all things, Thou hast power. Thou causest the night to gain on the day, and thou causest the day to gain on the night; Thou bringest the Living out of the dead, and Thou bringest the dead out of the Living; and givest sustenance to whom Thou pleasest, without measure.” [3:26-27].
Now that we know its location, what is the good in God’s Hand?
Firstly, know that God does not have a literal hand. The hand, a symbol of power and might, is used metaphorically in this verse. Muslims do not believe that God has anthropomorphic qualities. This verse speaks directly to the nations of the previous prophetic dispensations and their denial of Muhammad’s prophethood and his message from God. Thus, using exquisite artistry to emphasise that He is the Giver, Taker and Shaper in the ebb and flow of life, God instructs the Prophet (s) to declare that the vesting of sovereignty is His and confers it upon whom He Wills. The context of the verse and its implicit meaning further allude to the transference of the prophetic legacy from the Children of Israel to the Children of Ishmael and, with it, the highest honour.
The meaning of the passage is not confined to these specifics only. The graf is perfectly general, too: if you think you hold power and dominance, know that Absolute Power is God’s alone.
God is directing our minds to what we may believe is the highest earthly power, that of nations and revealing that it all but crumbles under His Will. His power and Will, even to nations, is irresistible. He uses His creation as soldiers, and time is one of Allah’s mightiest, and has banished many past superpowers to the annals.
When we grasp God’s Hand and animate ourselves with the Highest Good, His Will, we can turn off evil1 and erect austere and secure fortresses against it.
The message—al-Quran, delivered by the Prophet (s), is God’s Will made manifest. It is the Highest Good and the most excellent source of power available to us: ‘If there were a recitation that could cause mountains to move, the earth to split, or the dead to speak, (it would have been this Quran) [13:31].
STOP WHILE THE GOING IS GOOD
Everything has a so-called sweet spot, ‘The Goldilocks Zone’.
The principle proposes that everything has a point where flourishing is optimal and sustainable.
This formula is present everywhere in nature. When nature struggles, it is an indication the balance is upset.
When we extend ourselves beyond this point, we are in excess and become increasingly volatile.
Allah knew this and made the Ummah—The Community of the Prophet (s)—a Middle People, a balanced people: ‘Thus We have appointed you a middle nation, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves’ [2:143].
The designation comes with responsibility: standing witness against those who exceed the balance, even ourselves.
The importance of keeping the balance is again stressed later in the chapter when Allah says: ‘Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer’ [2:238].
To cease something when the going is good is the practice of not exceeding the Goldilocks Zone and is a Prophetic (s) instruction. The Prophet (s) guided his ummah to stop eating while still having an appetite. To do little but consistently. He (s) taught that to pray, sleep, fast, break the fast, and marry is to have balance.
Many have lived successful lives practising this habit. Even Ernest Hemingway, the great American novelist, lived by this maxim, and said: ‘The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.’
Stopping while still having the energy to continue will conserve your strength and maintain your zeal, allowing you to continue far into the future.
When I stopped speeding, I noticed that most people don’t obey the speed limit.
Slipstreams are dandy when they pull us in the right direction.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
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