Man resembles a
delicate and petted child in the universe. There is a great strength in his
weakness and great power in his impotence. For it is through the strength of
his weakness and power of his impotence that beings have been subjected to him.
If man understands his weakness and offers supplications verbally and by state
and conduct, and recognizes his impotence and seeks help, since he has offered
thanks by exhibiting them, he achieves his aims and his desires are subjugated
to him in a way far exceeding what he could achieve with his own power. Only,
he sometimes wrongly attributes to his own power the attainment of a wish that
has been obtained for him through the supplications offered by the tongue of
his disposition. For example, the strength in the weakness of a chick causes
the mother hen to attack a lion. And its newly-born lion cub subjugates to
itself the savage and hungry lioness, leaving the mother hungry and the cub
full. See this strength in weakness and manifestation of Divine mercy, which
are worthy of notice!
Just as through crying or asking or looking unhappy, a child
subjugates the strong to himself, and is so successful in getting what he wants
that he could not obtain one thousandth of it
with a thousand times his own strength. That is to say, since weakness and
impotence excite compassion and a sense of protection towards him, the child
can subjugate heroes to himself with his tiny finger. Now, should such a child
with foolish conceit deny the compassion and accuse the protection saying: “I
subjugate these with my own strength”, of course he will receive a slap.
In the same way,
if, like Qarun, man says:
اِنَّمَۤا اُوتِيتُهُ عَلٰى عِلْمٍ
that is, “I gained this through my own knowledge and my own
power” in a way that demonstrates ingratitude and denies his Creator’s mercy
and accuses His wisdom, he will of course deserve a punishing blow. This means
that man’s domination and human advances and the attainments of civilization,
which are to be observed, have been made subject to him not through his
attracting them or conquering them or through combat, but due to his weakness.
He has been assisted because of his impotence. They have been bestowed on him
due to his indigence. He has been inspired with them due to his ignorance. They
have been given him due to his need. And the reason for his domination is not
strength and the power of knowledge, but the compassion and clemency of the
Sustainer and Divine mercy and wisdom: they have subjugated things to him. Yes,
what clothes man, who is defeated by vermin like eyeless scorpions and legless
snakes, in silk from a tiny worm and feeds him honey from a poisonous insect is
not his own power, but the subjugation of the Sustainer and the bestowal of the
Most Merciful, which are the fruits of his weakness.
O man! Since the reality of the matter is thus, give up egotism
and arrogance. With the tongue of seeking help proclaim your impotence and
weakness at the Divine Court, and with the tongue of entreaty and supplication,
your poverty and need. Show that you are His slave. Say:
حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
Allah is enough for us, for He is the Best Disposer of Affairs,
and rise in degree.
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