THE REJECTION BY A PHILOSOPHER

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A certain Qari recited a verse from the Holy Quran:
"If the water of your fountain should disappear deep into the ground who has the power to bring it up?"

Allah Taala informs us that He alone has the power to bring back that water after it has sunk to the underground.

"I cause water to become hidden in the depths of the earth.
And cause fountains to dry up, causing water scarcity.
Who else, except Me, can bring back water to the fountains?"

Hearing this verse being recited, a philosopher and logician said: "I am able to bring back the water". That night he saw in a dream a strong man give him a heavy blow in his eyes, as a result of which both eyes were struck with blindness. In the dream,
the man said to him:
"O wretched one, bring back the light into the fountains of your eyes If you are truthful in your claim ".

When he awoke from his dream, he found that he was really blind in both eyes.
"If this man sought Allah's pardon and cried before Him,
Then Allah's Mercy would have returned the light to his eyes.
However, the ability to seek pardon and repent does not lie in his hands
And the taste of repentance is not food for every drunken one".

From this story we learn the following lessons:

1. Casting doubt in the words of Allah and His Rasoolcan besides punishment in the hereafter, sometimes be the cause of worldly punishment. This is something that one should greatly fear.

2. One should never commit sins with this idea in mind that afterwards one is going to repent, because the ability to repent does not lie in our hands. It is possible that because
of our boldness and audacity and our insulting attitude, the ability and guidance towards repentance can be taken away from us. That could mean that without repentance for sins committed, one can become and remain rejected.

The example of towbah (repentance) is like a person saying: "This ointment is very beneficial and good for burns." Relying on this ointment, will a person place his hand in fire? No. The ointment is to be used for accidents. Not that one should purposely burn his hand in fire and then test the ointment. Similarly, for sins and their darkness and the fire which causes damage to the heart, distances one from Allah and causes His displeasure, towbah makes amends. Towbah is the ointment and antidote for the wounds caused by the fire of sins. But to reckon that I am purposely going to commit sin, is just like putting your hand in the fire to test the beneficial nature of the ointment. This is foolish indeed.

One should avoid all sins, even at the cost of his life. To retain this resolute intention, one should make contact with the saints of Allah, choose a good environment and inculcate within oneself the habit of performing Zikr profusely. If in spite of all these efforts to avoid sin, due to human weakness, a sin does occur, then in such a case crying in grief and sorrow and repentance are two very beneficial ointments.

Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says in one place:
"The vehicle of repentance is a wonderful means of conveyance.
Within a moment it moves us from the lowliness of sin
And takes us for a tour of the celestial bodies.
And he who repents to Allah becomes Allah's beloved,
Reaching Him, cleansed and forgiven".

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