Quran Journey Series: Quranic Reflections- VIII
Jul 29th, 2013 | By Maryam Sakeenah | Category: Quran Journey Series
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
‘Whoever should hope for the meeting with Allah – indeed, the term decreed by Allah is coming. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.’ (29:5)
The concept of the Hereafter ought not to arouse fear alone, but also, as said in this verse, a promise and a hope in the ‘Meeting’ with the Lord of the Universe; a hope to attain the object of all your love, adoration, worship, devotion, obedience through the Pleasure of Allah; to reach the Sought, and to witness the coming true of the Greatest Promise. The Hereafter is a comforting promise of hope for the sinned against, the oppressed, the victimized_ a promise of Perfect, Absolute Justice:
“So whosoever does an atom’s weight of good shall behold it.” (Surah Zilzal)
No good deed shall go unrewarded, no iota of pain suffered shall go unhealed but that Allah shall recompense it with the Best Recompense.
Narrated ‘Aisha: Allah’s Apostle (SAW) said, “No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn.” (Sahih Bukhari, 544).
Were it not for the Promise of His Mercy and the redressing of all wrong, the establishment of the Balance that men transgressed, where would we be?
The word ‘Meeting’ implies intimacy, love, closeness, personal confidential exchange, sharing, pouring forth in a special and private one-on-one with Allah. Allah privileges and honours His slaves with the promise of a meeting with Him, the Majestic, Glorified Lord of all existence. It beckons us with hope- the hope of coming to rest and satiety in the ‘Home of Peace.’
The concept of the establishment of perfect justice in the after-life is immensely hope-giving to those who strive to do good. In a world where acts of kindness often goes unrewarded, where rights are trampled upon, where true sincerity and goodness goes unrecognized, where the innocent suffer unjustly and the oppressors rule the roost, the hope of Divine Justice comes as glad tidings, as a healing for the wounded heart, as a promise of deliverance. Allah also tells us that with Divine Justice also comes Mercy, without which we stand no chance. It is by His Mercy alone that our tainted souls are salvaged. His reward is never deserved, it is bestowed out of His Benevolence to the unworthy slaves who in their humanness always fall short. But Allah forgives, loves, blesses the sincere ones, even as they fumble. This makes the believers take heart, hoping in the Meeting with the Lord. It gives enormous strength and patience in bearing the calamities of this world_ a privilege of the Faithful ones:
“How wonderful is the situation of the believer, for all his affairs are good. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him; if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not apply to anyone but the believer.” (Sahih Muslim #2999)
The tone of the verse is reassuring, solicitous, uplifting. It lifts one above the mire of the injustices of this world, on the wings of Hope in Allah’s Justice and Mercy, and most of all, in the Meeting with the Eternal Beloved, Who rewards more than what human imagination is capable of, Who is the True Valuer, the Subtle and All-Aware.
