Article appeared Friday, November 2nd, 2012 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (251)

yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

A mother devotes her life to her growing baby. She allows the baby to suckle milk from her body. She often stays up nights nursing the baby. As the baby grows older, she often buys toys and things for enjoyment for the child. In return, what should the appropriate attitude of the child be towards the mother? The child has options. He/she can love the things, i.e. sheltered environment and toys excessively and constantly ask for more toys and continued enjoyment of the sheltered life. He/she may approach the mother only when he/she personally needs or wants things. The child also has the option to love the mother in return and give her priority. How can the child give priority? The child may find quality time to spend with the mother; he/she may help in work that needs done. The child may ask, Ma, what can I do for you? Would the mother deprive the child of any benefit if given priority or would she want to give even more? It is important to realize that both kinds of children know that it is the mother that gives. However, in the first case the child is ungrateful and may be full of self-importance. In the second case the child is grateful and demonstrates humility by loving the mother in return. We may ask two relevant questions regarding the children. Which child would you say is smarter or a better human being? Which child would you say is bad or evil? In her old age, which type of child would the mother prefer to live with? The analogy can be taken a step further. Lets say that the first child is reminded by the second that it is better to be grateful, what could the possible responses by the first child be? The child may agree, however, the child may say, See everyone has more and better toys, I must have more only a fool would settle for less! The child may alternatively feel that it is the mothers job to give and that he/she deserves all the gifts given. Does it make a difference to the second child whether or not the first child follows the reminder? Does the second child need any special quality to qualify as one who reminds? So much for the mother and child analogy how different is the relationship between the Creator and His created human beings? Who is the Giver and Provider? To understand the relationship can we replace the role of the mother by the role of the Creator and consider the toys to be the conveniences of the world? If we believe, should we count our blessings and work out what the Creator has done for us? He has given us a personality, skills, an environment, successes and when young, the shelter of our mothers. Should we then consider our personal attitude towards Him? If we simply approach the Creator for more and more conveniences, i.e. only when we need Him, which type of child would we be similar to? The choice is entirely ours the Creator will not force us to be grateful. The purpose of our sojourn on earth is only to demonstrate our personal preferences towards the Creator. Should we give quality time to our Creator and find out what He wants from us individually or even tell others about Him? Do we need to be reminded about our personal duty towards the Creator? Would the reminder be a favor? Throughout history, our Creator has looked for people who wanted to be grateful for the life they were enjoying. He Guided some of them to be prophets and messengers to guide the rest of humanity. So what special quality does a prophet or messenger need to be qualified

to remind us of our own personal duty towards our Creator? The Creator therefore asks Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the most recent Revelation, the Quran, to say,

6.50 Say: "I tell you not that with me are the treasures of Allah nor do I know what is hidden nor do I tell you I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me." Say: "Can the blind be held equal to the seeing?" Will you then consider not?
The purpose of the Day of Judgment is to separate those who love Him as opposed to those who prefer the conveniences or the toys of the world. The job of a prophet or messenger is simply to remind us of our duties and personal accountability on the Day of Judgment.

6.51 Give the warning to those in whose (hearts) is the fear that they will be brought (to judgment) before their Lord: other than Him they will have no protector or intercessor: that they may guard themselves against evil.
If we manage to annoy our Creator, can anyone protect against Him? Our Creator asks us to sincerely listen and follow those who themselves are grateful and give priority to Him.

6.52 Send not away those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking His Face. Naught have they to gain from you and nothing have you to gain from them that you should turn them away and thus be (one) of the unjust.
Allah chooses as messengers from those who are grateful. Or should He choose from those who are ungrateful and full of self-importance?

6.53 Thus did We try some of them by comparison with others lest they should say: Is it these then that Allah has favored from amongst us?" Does not Allah know best those who are grateful?
It is actually very easy to please Allah and seek His Forgiveness. The smallest of acts that demonstrate priority do not escape Allah He is Most Merciful. Simply saying, I love You, my Lord and my Creator can do wonders. The website {1} succinctly asks: And what He is asking from you, O servants? He is only asking from you love -- He is giving you love and asking from you love. Among all religions, among all beliefs, that is important: that He granted us from His Divine Love and is asking from us love for His Divine Presence. Now we are giving our love to this life's lowest pleasures. That is the biggest curse on mankind now; that is the reason for violence and wildness and every problem, because people are not giving love to their Lord. And He is looking: "O My servant, just I granted to you from My Divine Love. What are you giving Me?" {1}

6.54 When those who believe in Our Signs come to you they say: "Peace be on you: your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy: verily if any of you did evil in ignorance and thereafter repented and amended (conduct towards Him) lo! He is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." 6.55 Thus do We explain the Signs in detail: that the way of the sinners may be shown up.
------{Notes}: {1} http://www.naqshbandi.org/suhba/ohmylord.htm