THE FLASHES

The Thirteenth Flash

For imagination, desire, and emotion do not see the future; indeed, they deny it. And if the nafs also supports them, then the heart and reason, which are the seat of īmān, fall silent and are overcome. In this state, committing major sins does not arise from unbelief, but from the defeat of reason and heart through the dominance of emotion, desire, and whim.

Furthermore, as was understood in the preceding Signs, the path of evil and desires is extremely easy because it is destructive. Human and jinn-like devils can quickly drive people onto that path. It is truly astonishing that, according to the explicit text of a hadith, a light from the eternal world as small as a fly’s wing, because it is eternal, equals all the pleasure and bounty a person receives from the world throughout his lifetime; yet some poor people prefer a pleasure of this transient world no greater than a fly’s wing to the pleasures of that everlasting world, and follow after Satan.

It is because of these mysteries that the Wise Qur’an, through much repetition and insistence, through threat and encouragement, restrains believers from sin and urges them toward good.

At one time, these repeated and forceful admonitions of the Wise Qur’an gave me this thought: such continuous warnings and admonitions seem to present believing people as unstable and insincere. They seem to place them in a position unfitting for human honour. For if a servant receives a single command from his superior, that is sufficient for obedience; but if the same command is repeated ten times, the servant would surely be offended and say, “You are accusing me; I am not a traitor!” Yet the Wise Qur’an persistently and repeatedly commands even the most sincere believers.

At a time when this thought was troubling my mind, I had two or three loyal friends. I would repeatedly warn and admonish them so that they would not be taken in by the deceptions of human devils. They did not take offence by saying, “You are accusing us.” Yet inwardly I would say: “By these continual warnings, I am offending them and accusing them of disloyalty and instability.”

Then, all at once, the truth explained and proven in the preceding Signs became clear. Through that truth, I understood that the Wise Qur’an makes its insistence and repetitions in a manner perfectly suited to the demands of the situation, entirely in place, without waste, with wisdom, and without accusation; and that they are pure wisdom and sheer eloquence. I also understood the reason why my loyal friends were not offended.

The summary of that truth is this: since devils drive people toward destruction, they can cause much evil with little action. Therefore, those who follow the path of truth and guidance are in great need of much caution, strong vigilance, repeated warnings, and abundant assistance. For this reason, through those repetitions, Allah presents His assistance to the believers by means of His thousand and one Names, and extends thousands of hands of mercy to their aid. He does not wound their honour; rather, He protects it. He does not lower the value of the human being; rather, He shows the greatness of Satan’s evil.

So, O people of truth and guidance! The way to be saved from these deceptions of devils from among mankind and jinn is this: make the school of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ah, the people of truth, your headquarters; enter the strong fortress of the firm teachings of the Qur’an; take the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) as your guide, and find safety.