In the Qur’an, Allah regularly reminds us that we are the slaves of Allah and He is the King. He is the Supreme Being who has power over everything. Nothing happens except by His will. Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “And if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don’t say ‘If I had not done that, it would not have happened’, but say ‘Allah did that which He had ordained, and (saying) ‘if’ opens the (gate) for Shaytaan’” (Muslim). Anything oft-repeated is important. Allah’s supreme control is oft-repeated as it is oft-forgotten by us.
We see this globally amongst the elite. When Allah blesses them with wealth, technology and fame, they rise in power. They falsely assume they can never be overpowered. In the time of Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم, if we were to say that by raising an alarm at home the police can be alerted, they would say this is not possible. It is magic. Today we call it technology. It is a blessing from Allah provided we use it correctly in His obedience, not His disobedience.
For the elite, their obsession with power causes them to colonise, steal and destroy the lands of others. Their desire to live longer causes them to introduce anti-aging creams and a variety of treatments and surgeries, yet nothing can extend their limited lifespans. They attempt to transcend their human limitations, but nothing can defy the decree of the Almighty. Their progress is nothing more than a trick from the many tricks of Shaytaan. Allah gives them respite and when He wishes to destroy them, no amount of wealth will help or avail them. For it is Allah alone, who holds all power.
Shaytaan approached our father Adam عليه السلام with this very same deceptive trick. In Jannah he tempted him to eat from the tree. He said that if you do so, you will become a celestial, powerful being. Death will never overcome you. But our father Adam عليه السلام was quick to realise this trick. He repented immediately. The question we must ask ourselves is how quick are we to realise this trick? We can blame the elite for all that they do to corrupt this world. For the manner in which they misuse Allah’s blessings and incur His anger, rather than use Allah’s blessings to earn His pleasure. But ultimately, we too are in this rat race on a micro scale.
For we too have been blessed with wealth, health, power and intelligence. How do we utilize it? Unfortunately, some of us naively assume we have authority. We assume superiority. We misuse it, indoctrinating our children into following our footsteps, chasing this worldly life for all that it is worth – which is not much at all.
To forget our servitude to Allah due to temporary blessings, is one of the biggest mistakes we can make in life. Because that is our purpose, and to forget our purpose is to forget what matters most. Fortunate are those who are not deceived by worldly luxuires. Few in number, are those who truly recognise their slavehood. A slave follows the desire of his Master Allah. His function is to please his Master. If he makes a mistake, he reflects, regrets, repents and changes. That is a true slave of Allah, honoured with wisdom in this worldly life where many have lost it. May we be amongst them.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه اللّٰه
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s talk on 28/1/19 in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg. To listen to the full talk, please click here.