Steep Slopes and Mercy

We should think ten times and speak once.

This saying is attributed to the Noble Luqman, upon him be peace:

When asked, ‘What is a being’s most valuable organ?’, people came up with different answers.

He said, ‘the tongue and heart’.

When asked, ‘What is the worst organ?’, he once again listed the same two organs.

Thus, these two organs are considered important in being good or bad.

The heart should beat in steadfastness; the tongue should strive to be its translator.

Humans should not speak of things which don’t come from the heart; they should always think of positive things, illustrate good things, so it may be reflected in their speech.

If a person does not live listening to their heart, and does not allow their heart to command their tongues, unknowingly, they may cause harm in instances where they say ‘I’m contributing’.

There’s a saying:

If your heart is like a rose, everywhere you walk will smell like a perfumery.

However, if the heart becomes like a Zaqqum tree, may God protect us from it, you will poke and prick people with your thorns wherever you go.

In this regard, the heart should firstly be subdued, the openings for Satan should be blocked, and one’s speech should then come under the command of the heart.

Otherwise, when hoping to contribute, one may destroy, may God protect us.

I believe it was recently referred to in an article:

The Ka’ba was built by Abraham, the son of Azar.
The heart is the house of the Almighty God.

Some say: ‘The heart is the focal point of the Almighty’s Gaze’ Therefore; the Ka’ba was built by the Noble Abraham, the son of Azar.

The heart is the house of God, the focal point of Divine glance; the place of Divine Self-Disclosure.

This self-disclosure is described as ‘descending’ or ‘setting up His marquee’; however these descriptions are allegorical; God Almighty is beyond and exempted of time, space and a definite position.

He is neither a body nor a substance, nor is He an spatial entity, nor of substance.
He does not eat or drink, nor is He contained by time; He is free of all imperfections.
He is absolutely free from changing and transformation, also from having colours or forms.
His is pure, free of negative attributes.

These are negative attributes.

They cannot be related to the Divine Essence.

From this perspective, it is more convenient to understand this allegory as Divine Self-Disclosure; ‘He unveils Himself in this way.’

However these self-disclosures, in one way, are not like the appearance of the sun; they are not even like the unveiling of creatures of Divine light such as Gabriel, Michael or Israfil, peace be upon them.

It is a self-disclosure proper to the grandeur of the Divine Essence.

It is such an unveiling that with that self-disclosure, it will be as if you are seeing Him; at its most basic, you attain a position of being seen by Him.

From this perspective, controlling the heart and turning it into a ‘humane heart’ is quite crucial.

In the forefront of all of these matters, I believe, comes compassion, harmony and mercy; besides knowing the Divine Essence, these are very important things.

This reminds me of another saying:

The share of belief granted to one is directly proportional to one’s compassion towards creation.

We always say this in parenthesis: ‘The share of belief granted to one is directly proportional to one’s compassion towards creation.’

How compassionate one is towards beings.

I suppose those who support ecosystem-based theories should derive lessons from this.

An ant’s right to live and a fly’s right to live is really important.

How long do they live?

Two months or three months?

Being respectful to their short lives, protecting them as they are a part of nature, not treading upon an ant.

It has a right to live and exist.

Yes, that one gets his or her share from belief is directly proportional, to one’s compassion towards creatures.

It has been narrated as a hadith:

Those who have no mercy will be shown none.

If one is committing wrongdoings, injustice and deceit,

If one is involved in oppression, assault and theft,

If one is seizing the possessions of others, intending to kill and trying to harm people...

Beyond that, if one is hurting others because of a certain person, his share of belief is dependent on this.

Because he didn’t show mercy, those from the inhabitants of the Heavens will not show mercy to him, and there is no chance of mercy from beyond the Heavens.

Another hadith has also been narrated:

Have mercy for those on earth, so that you will have mercy from beyond the Heavens.

This is an essential matter, extending from the angels’ sense of mercy to the Self-Disclosure of the Divine Mercifulness and Compassion of the Divine Essence; it should be considered in this broad circle.

This is one of the things we have lost nowadays.

Forget not stepping on an ant, a fly or bee, consider people are being killed.

We have not been able to comprehend the perspicuous religion of Islam.

Their hearts are beating with such brutality that they don’t mind oppressing, victimising and violating the rights of those people whom God created in the perfect pattern.

It is such that, when you look at those oppressors, you can’t even see a feeling of remorse.

They have done what they have done, involved in injustices up to their throats; but when you look at them in the eyes, their eyes say, ‘Is there any more?’

He cuts off one of your arms and says, ‘I have to take the other one too.’

After he is done with the other arm, he says, ‘I have to take your neck too’.

After that, ‘I took your neck and I shall take your friends’ and relatives’ necks’.

‘He talked to this guy in the phone, I have to take that guy’s neck too’.

Just as a believer says, ‘Is there any more?’ on the matter of belief and is not satisfied and says,

‘My Lord, more and more’; the people of hatred, grudges and anger, who are deprived of compassion, are not satiated with their hatred, grudges and anger.

Regardless of how much they oppress and victimise, they say, ‘Is there any more?’

Every now and then, they say, ‘After all of this oppression, these actions and behavior have still ended with failure.

What other scheme do we need to plan to deal with these people?’

Let’s amplify our persecution of them, oppress them twice as much,

three fold, four fold, eight fold; lets persecute them eight times more.

So much so that, when a person has even the slightest connection to someone who they think is at fault, they will discriminate against them too.

However, under modern law and under Islamic jurisdiction, every crime is particular and has its own distinctive punishment.

Even if it is one’s father, their mother, their children, their partner, or their sibling, someone cannot inflict punishment to their relatives based on someone’s wrongdoing.

These ‘humans’ that are constantly hungry for tyranny, that aren’t satisfied with the level of abuse they inflict on others, deprived of any compassion in their hearts, have set sail on a sea of oppression, may God protect us from it; they will end up in Satan’s ocean, and be with him.

Who knows, maybe Satan will even say, ‘I didn’t go as far as you’, and will try to keep his distance from such people, even Satan.

To be compassionate, merciful, and benevolent... These are the main prerequisites to be a human being, the ‘noble humane qualities’.

With these qualities a human being can truly call themselves ‘human’.

There are predators and monsters, forgive me, those that reveal their fangs, drool and growl, that instill fear within people.

God, has given these attributes to some of creation.

I assume that even those creatures aren’t always in that state.

On different occasions I’ve mentioned:

In a documentary about such animals, I’ve personally witnessed a panther or a tiger seize a monkey.

While doing so the predator aims for the prey’s throat, it kills it by attacking its airway.

How can the wild animal know where to attack its prey?

Today people call this ‘instinct’, but, in fact, it is a Divine urging.

This occurs as part of the natural food chain; which is approved, we also consume meat.

I mention this in parenthesis.

This particular animal that died as a result of the damage to its throat was bearing its young, and went into labour at this time.

I watched this myself.

It happened, as it was climbing a tree.

The tiger immediately left the monkey, and approached the newborn as if to lick it and care for it.

This incident still plays before my eyes.

The predator looks around; because they are of a different species, it is aware that it cannot do anything for this offspring.

It is aware that it cannot feed this young, it will not accept the predator’s nipple.

As though saying, ‘What will I do?’, it looks around helplessly.

Likewise, I have seen a ‘dubb’ save a bird that fell into water.

Forgive me, ‘dubb’, as you know, means ‘bear’.

He picks the bird up with his claws and then places it on his head, returns it to the shore in a heroic manner; lays down in joy, and sleeps.

Now, when you look at the world of animals...

Call it the food chain, say they are ‘feeding on them’, say ‘We do it too’.

However, the tyrants of our age, especially those with particular control over the fate of the Muslim world say:

‘You were associated with such-and-such.

You used the same mobile phone system as them, therefore, you are guilty’. Look at these made up charges.

Engaging in oppression, abduction, false indictments, perpetrating fear with false accusations, destroying peace... These are are all the things from which we should seek protection from God.

Moreover, in a way, preparing slanderous material concealed as ‘confessions’ and placing the accusations in front of the arrested and saying ‘sign it’, hence gathering more slanderers.

They call them confessors, rather, they are slanderers.

Due to fear of their life, or under effect of a drug which has made them lose their faculties...

These have become amongst the most common norms; the oppressors, betrayers and wrongdoers so comfortably can do this.

They do this very easily on account of themselves, their powers and splendor.

These arguments have been used since ancient times.

According to the era: Whatever was used in the time of Pharaohs, and whatever was used in the age of Amenophis, Ramesses and Ibn ash-Shams...

Caesar used the things from his time; so did Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler.

Fundamentally, if you take a look at the oppression and categorise or isolate them and assess objectively, you will see the influence of each period. You will also see that these atrocities are the exact things that Saddam and Gaddafi committed.

When these are all drawn out, you will see the same exact things.

Time will only create a slight change coupled with the specific arguments made at that time. However, you will be able to see that sequence very well.

This is the loss of compassion in a person; it means a person being animalistic, becoming far inferior than animals.

‘They are like livestock; rather, they are more astray’ (Al-A’raf, 7:179).

The Holy Qur’an mentions them in this manner. This description is suitable to its immaculate language.

As if to say, ‘This was the most appropriate term for the current situation.

If I don’t express myself in that way, I will not have explained it in accordance to the incident’, says the Qur’an.

Otherwise, the Qur’an recites everything with such an immaculate language that you will not see the same beauty in any other composition or lyrics.

But it says, ‘They are like cattle (following only their instincts)—rather, even more astray.’ ‘Is that of a donkey carrying a load of books (it transports what it does not understand)’ (Al-Jumu’ah, 62:5).

A donkey, a donkey carrying a load of books.

The Qur’an likens a person with knowledge that is condemned to perish due to absence of practice, to ‘a donkey that carries a load of books’.

In another place, it describes as follows:

‘So (in his being surrendered to greed), his likeness is that of a dog:

If you move to drive it away, it pants with its tongue lolling out (still hoping to be fed more), or if you leave it, it pants with its tongue lolling out’ (Al-A’raf, 7:176).

It does not matter whether you move to drive it away or you leave it, it will loll its tongue out and stand on its hind legs.

When the Qur’an refers to cruel people, it likens some of them, please forgive me, to a donkey, some of them to a dog and some of them to an animal in the absolute sense.

Whereas God honored mankind with the best form and nature.

Like the Pride of Humanity, who used his qualities in the most appropriate and effective way,

like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, may God be pleased with them...

It is more appropriate to say like the great Messengers, especially like the Prophets known as the Possessors of Constancy.

People who make the best of their qualities, who are rewarded with the honor of the best form and nature of all men, accordingly reach the excellence of the highest of the high; they always have company and breath with Divine intimacy.

This is always so, always, always, always.

This happens as a result of them being loyal to their humane essence.

You can either be like this or like that.

You know the expression of Rumi well:

Sometimes, angels envy our purity and elegancy; and sometimes devils become disgusted from our arrogance.

The noble Rumi was a master of speech; he is a master of speech on the path of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him.

It is very rare to find such excellent expressions for the best form and nature of mankind and the vilest of mankind.

Surpassing the Archangel Gabriel was also destined for the Pride of Humanity, peace and blessings be upon him.

Proceed. ‘Tonight is your night.’ says Archangel Gabriel, peace be upon him, to the Messenger of God. The narrations even report that Archangel Gabriel says, ‘If I take one more step towards God, I will burn. This movement is beyond my capabilities.

A physical being, a material creature, a creature that is composed of atoms (electrons, neutrons, and protons) surpasses a creature made of pure light.

That is to say, human nature is created in such a way that it is capable to reach that horizon.

But at the same time, mankind can also commit such bad acts that Satan takes the most pleasure and says, ‘To be honest, I have never been that insolent towards God,’ and rejoices.

They search to arrest the husband, when they can’t find him; they detain his wife at home who does not know anything, not even the dates on which events occurred.

That wife then remains in detention for a year or two.

Then the prosecution prepares an indictment, requesting an aggravated life sentence for her.

Why?

Because her husband has fled and she is not providing information as to his whereabouts.

I think the descriptions in the Holy Qur’an such as ‘animal’, ‘donkey’, or ‘dog’, seem too pleasant for these people.

I referred to panthers, tigers, and bears, in relation to their mercy towards living creatures.

This is one side of the matter.

The human who has lost all beneficence, compassion and mercy has lost their humanity.

Even if that person says, ‘I am a Muslim’, ‘I want to do the following’ or ‘I want to establish such a system’, I swear to God that person is lying.

Let’s get back to the topic of mercy.

In the Chapter Al-Balad in the Qur’an, wherein many oaths are contained, and wherein steep hills are mentioned, mention is also made of the ‘mutual counselling of each other in regards to mercy’.

There is oath after oath.

God’s oaths reflect the seriousness and solemnity of the issue. This is how we should read this.

‘I swear by this (sacred) city (Mecca) that you (O Messenger) are a dweller in this city—and by him (Abraham) who begets; and him (Muhammad) whom he begot—

We have assuredly created human in (a life of) trial and hardship.

Does human think that no one has power over him?

He says: ‘I have consumed abundant wealth!’

Does he, then, think that no one ever sees him?

Have We not made for him a pair of eyes, and a tongue and two lips, and shown him the two ways (one to follow, and one to avoid)?’ (Al-Balad 90:1-10).

After counting and referring to His blessings, God says, ‘He did not cross the ridge he needed to pass’ and refers to some of the steep hills awaiting humanity.

‘Yet he makes no effort to make the ascent.

What enables you to perceive what the ascent is?

It is the freeing of a bondsman (a slave or a captive) or feeding, on a day of privation,

an orphan near of kin, or a wretched one in misery,

and being, besides, of those who believe and exhort one another to patience, and exhort one another to pity and compassion’ (Al-Balad, 90:11-17).

The steep slopes mentioned here remind one of the advice the Messenger of God gave to his community in the person of Abu Dharr:

The Pride of Humanity says:

‘O Abu Dharr,

‘Check your boat one more time, because the sea is very deep.

Make sure you have enough food supply, because the journey is long.

Make sure your load is light for the hills you will be climbing are steep.

Be sincere in your actions, for God Almighty who sees everything and judges everything rightly is surely aware of your deeds.’

You seem to have embarked on a long journey; you should make sure your ship is functioning properly.

If there are parts that need to be repaired then you should repair it because you will be at sea for long and it is your responsibility.

Restore your ship all the time.

We can link this to the hadith, ‘Renew your faith by saying, There is no deity but God’.

‘Always renew your faith by saying, There is no deity but God‘.

Just as the Companions of our Prophet used to say to each other, ‘Come, let’s renew our faith in God one more time’.

So we should renew our faith.

The Qur’an says ‘O you who believe.

Review your faith and renew it...’ (An-Nisa, 4:136)

In other words, ‘Always talk about the Beloved’.

Now as our noble Prophet said to Abu Dharr, this ocean is deep, there is a possibility that we may drown, may God protect us.

You can’t complete the journey otherwise.

For this reason, you have to always make sure your ship is working fine and repair it when you need to.

Furthermore, ‘Take enough food with you.

Because the journey is really long’ he says.

A believer would need to first take with him on this long journey ‘belief in God’, then the religion of ‘Islam’.

Without Islam, or submitting to God, ‘belief in God’ lacks substance.

Then come ‘knowledge of God’, ‘love of God’ as a Divine favor, ‘spiritual pleasure’ and then ‘the ardent longing for reunion with God’.

Each stage is a prerequisite for the next.

When there is a fault in one of the stages, a vicious circle forms and prevents the person from progressing.

Belief that is not supported by action is incomplete.

Therefore a person cannot progress in terms of knowledge, love and ardent longing.

‘I want to meet God as soon as possible, so I can meet my Beloved.’

Yet, he does not see this ardent longing even in his dreams.

These stages are all linked to one other.

Yes, the food is belief in God, goodness and beauty.

Linking it to the previous point, embracing and respecting every human being simply because they are a human being.

According to their ranks...

Those who pray in the same line as you and prostrate while saying, ‘O God, I only prostrate to You, only believe in You and submit to You.

My face is prostrated to Him Who shaped it and gave it ears and eyes.

O my God, the sole Creator! How exalted You are!

My ears, eyes, blood, flesh, bones, each and every part of my body carried by these feet obey You, the Lord of the Worlds’.

These are the people in the first rank, you should feel affection from the heart and your rapport with them will be according to your rank.

Affection and rapport of the heart...

Those, who are not on the same level,

are content with the act of bowing down.

Saying, ‘O God, to You I have bowed, in You I believe, to You I have submitted, and in You I put my trust.

You are my Lord.

My eyes, ears, bones, flesh, each and every part of my body carried by these feet obey You, O Lord of the Worlds’.

And that’s all those persons know, and their affection and rapport will be accordingly.

And some are content with standing, standing in respect and admiration, girded for worship.

Some are at the back, seated on a couch and just watching the events unfold.

And some are watching from further back and saying, ‘These people are displaying a very good attitude.’

They say, ‘It is possible to go a long way with these people.’

And to them, the affection and rapport will be in proportion to where they stand.

In this regard, you should respect and value all of these differences in your relationships with people and say, ‘That is acceptable, that is acceptable and that is also acceptable.’

They haven’t used that phrase often:

‘That is acceptable, that is acceptable, that is also acceptable but there is someone who is the most acceptable’, and that is someone who shares your ideals properly.

Yes, a human who places their forehead on the ground and pours out their heart to God...

Yes, ‘Prepare your provisions perfectly, for the journey is truly long.’

And then, do not burden yourself with worldly loads.

‘I want to own a castle, a villa and have a high status. I want people to stand up out of respect when I enter a room or walk by them; I want them to applaud me’.

Let people say, ‘There isn’t anyone like you; it’s worth the sacrifice of a country for a strand of your hair’.

Some people spend their lives with these fancies, God forbid, that is such a burden, such a sin and just like I mentioned before, their situation can be described as the donkeys with books, dogs panting with tongues out as we mentioned. ‘That is a very steep hill; do not carry heavy loads with you’.

If you are climbing a mountain or a cliff you must not be carrying heavy loads.

You should not burden yourself with heavy loads relating to the world.

Your load in this world should consist of things that enable you to fly like a turtledove.

Belief, Islam, knowledge of God and the love of God will give you wings.

But things like love of worldly life, preference of the worldly life over the Hereafter, applause and status...

These are heavy loads that crush individuals who are burdened with them.

That is why the Pride of Humanity said, ‘A very steep hill, a cliff you need to climb over; do not carry heavy loads’.

The matter should be approached with this mindset.

Lastly, ‘Be sincere with your deeds; for He always observes you, He is the All-Seeing.’

He knows the state you are in and even what goes on in your mind.

God describes Himself to us with His declaration of ‘We are closer to him than his jugular vein’ (Qaf, 50:16), He knows, hears and sees our most secret thoughts, things that pass through our minds, things in our neurons, things that we do not say and even things that do not appear in our facial expressions.

If it is good, it is evaluated; if it is bad, it is thrown to your face either here or in the Hereafter, and you feel the darkness and tar on your face, may God protect us from it.

But you produced that tar, that darkness in this world.

I’m saying ‘you’; ‘I’, ‘I invented it.’

May God protect us from it.

Yes, he made no effort to overcome the pass. He did not strive to overcome this obstacle; by means of fulfilling all of these, he could not overcome the oceans of blood and pus.

Just like Yunus Emre says:

‘This road is long

It has many stations

With no gateways

It leads to deep waters.’

That is the obstacle.

‘This road is long

It has many stations

With no gateways

It leads to deep waters.’

I am saying, ‘There are oceans of blood and pus.’

You are walking on a path consisting of various routes full of snakes and venomous myriapods; you will adapt accordingly.

Steep and difficult pass...

‘He could not overcome the obstacle’ he says, ‘as a matter of fact; he got stuck and was stranded.’

May God protect us from getting stuck on the road as we are heading towards Him.

Then he says:

‘What enables you to perceive what the ascent is?’

You could say it like so, there are some who say so in the interpretations.

‘Do you know what the difficult pass is?’

There are those who say it like so in the interpretations as well.

First he says, ‘It is the freeing of a slave.’

During a period when slavery is in question.

At times, all of humanity strived to rule out slavery, evident slavery; but it still continued in a hidden way.

You can take this into consideration about the remarks made earlier; that ‘hidden enslavement’ continues.

The caste system proceeded in the form of female servants, like pariahs, people were treated as if they were ten steps below others and they were looked upon like door-servants.

It continued, and there was ‘evident slavery’, which was mostly related to people acquired from battles.

In the beginning, Muslims would take them along, instill and infuse them with Islam by their stance and representation.

I would like to add another note:

During the Umayyad period, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan says (to Ibn Shihab al-Zuhr who visited him), ‘Count me a few elders of these people, who are within these narrations of the hadith,’

Or depending on how he approaches the matter, he asks, ‘How is that person?’

He says, ‘He is a ‘mawali’.

In Islamic literature, the term ‘mawali’, refers to those people who gained their freedom later and were raised beside sincere believers as if a child of their own. When he asked, ‘and him?’, the response was, ‘He is also a mawali’.

When he asked, ‘and him?’ again, the response was ‘He is also a mawali’.

If he counted one hundred names, eighty of them were from the mawali people.

Those strong and wise men were all from the mawali.

At one stage he was a slave, then someone granted him his freedom; at the same time, he blew him his spiritual profundity, he reflected his own depth on to him.

As a result, they became pillars of knowledge and worship; they transferred our religion to us in a solid channel.

Mawali...

About this topic the Qur’an says ‘freeing a slave’.

In fact, giving someone their freedom which they had lost...

The additional principle after the five basic principles, the sixth one is freedom.

Some scholars put freedom alongside a person’s life, wealth, thought, and soul.

When Bediüzzaman approached this issue, he discussed it from a different perspective.

‘I can live without bread, but not without freedom’ he said; I can live without eating and drinking but not without freedom.

Freedom, in one regard, is humanity’s necessary differentiating quality.

People who are not free have their arms and hands tied up, in chains, around their feet, etc.

They hold them in houses like that.

They have put chains around these people’s freedom.

The matter of freeing all these people falls into the ‘freeing a slave’ category mentioned above, as part of overcoming the difficult pass.

Just as they fall into this category of needing to be freed, these ones fall into the same category.

In this regard, what is it to now surpass the difficult pass?

For most people that is the matter that they cannot surpass, ‘They couldn’t free a slave’.

Then ‘feeding someone during the time of poverty and famine’.

The matter of feeding someone in need, in poverty, during a time of starvation and drought.

They could not do that.

It says, ‘the orphan that is close’.

There may be an orphan that is far but one should begin with close ones.

This is emphasised; they should be started with.

This does not necessitate not looking after the other orphans.

However, they are in the second, third, fourth or fifth degrees of importance.

This is followed by ‘a wretched one in misery’.

The term ‘a wretched one in misery’, refers to one whose mattress is the sand and whose blanket is the air/atmosphere; that is how they explain it.

That is a worse position than a poor person.

A poor person gets through the day with the minimal sustenance, enough to stay alive.

Like Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, the lion of Daws.

He says:

‘Sometimes I would shake like I had epilepsy between the pulpit and our mother Aisha’s room and people would look at me as an epileptic, however I was like that because of hunger, I mean I hadn’t been able to find anything for days.’

For this reason, the Pride of Humanity gives whatever he can get his hands on to him and his friends; He used to instruct Abu Hurayra, saying, ‘Call all of your friends quickly, let them eat in the Suffah’, and care for them.

But sometimes there was no food.

Therefore, as we have seen in the narrations, Abu Hurayra says, ‘I would be overcome by hunger and starvation and faint from it; I would break down and those passing me by would say, “This man is having an epileptic fit” but this was from starvation.’

So he is a wretched one in misery; I mean his mattress is sand, his blanket is the atmosphere; if it rains or snows on him, although it didn’t snow much there, and so on.

His pillow was something made of sand.

Living below the poverty line, the bare minimum.

There is an idiom in Turkish:

They would say ‘May his side fall to the ground.’

This is in one way something of a curse; kind of like ‘May you fall into a state of poverty and need’ or an idiom meaning something like ‘May you enter the grave’.

‘And being, besides, of those who believe and exhort one another to patience, and exhort one another to pity and compassion’ (Al-Balad 90:17).

This is important, primarily related to the issue of ‘overcoming the difficult pass’.

The matter is not solely to ‘be patient.’

The Qur’an here could have for example used the term ‘the companions of patience.’

However it is referring to ‘enjoin each other to patience’ here.

There is the meaning of ‘at least two or more people mutually working together and sharing their ideas’ behind this; when discussing two people sharing something this term is used.

This was used in older Medical literature, known as a ‘malingering’, that is ‘exhibiting signs of illness’; that is, to show something to others when it is not the case.

A second thing; it also comes to mean to share a thing between two or more people.

For this reason, it is mentioned as ‘at least two or more people mutually working together and sharing their ideas’ in its Arabic expression and use.

So in the Chapter Al-Asr, as it is commanded, ‘those who believe and do good, righteous deeds, and exhort one another to truth, and exhort one another to steadfast patience’ (Al-Asr 103:3), a person even if he struggles to overcome those things which require patience and fortitude, can sometimes not be successful.

In reality, one must share the load.

So then let us emphasise the issue with another hadith:

‘Those who do not share the grievances of their fellow Muslims are not of them’, it must be said that that person is not sharing the same suffering and difficulty; since there is no empathising of emotions with those suffering, they do not share their burdens too.

Therefore, sometimes when faced with the troubles and worries that man faces, no matter how patient one can be, he or she if left alone with such a trial can be shaken and shattered.

There must be assistance given in regards to this matter; support must be given to each other, giving morale to one another, rehabilitation of each other should be put to practice.

Indeed as is mentioned in the Chapter Al-Asr, ‘enjoin each other to patience’, in this situation, when overcoming the difficult pass; it is also commanded to ‘enjoin each other to patience’.

They advise patience towards each other.

They say, ‘Patience...

Look, it has such and such benefits’.

And lastly they present ‘enjoining mercy’ to each other as a barrier.

And like always, if they were to come together and discuss issues, they should always advise mercy.

Look.

There are two other Divine Names that follow the unique Name ‘Allah’, ‘The All-Merciful’, ‘The All-Compassionate’.

Furthermore, there are Names such as ‘The All-Kind and Caring’, ‘The All-Bounteous and Favoring’, and ‘The All-Pitying’ amongst the Divine Names.

All of these express His beneficence, compassion, mercy, tolerance, and kindness.

And so, always advise each other to be merciful when discussing issues.

After having said all of this, it goes on to say:

‘Those who act in this way are those prosperous and blessed ones whom will receive their book of judgement on the right.’

These are the fortunate people.

Fortunate how?

‘Then, as for him who is given his Record in his right hand, he will say: "Here,

take and read my Record!

I surely knew that (one day) I would meet my account.’

And so he will be in a state of life pleasing to him, in a lofty Garden,

with clusters (of fruit) within easy reach.

And it will be said to them, “Eat and drink to your hearts’ content for all that you sent ahead in advance in days past (in anticipation of this Day)”’ (Al-Haqqah, 69:19-24).

‘My God, The All-Compassionate One, grant us such success.’

People will receive their Record from the right.

Those who lead their life in prosperity.

Those who always think of good, who act with the consideration of good, who see dreams of good, and those who extend the hand of good to humanity.

On the other hand, ‘But those who disbelieve in Our Revelations—they are the people of wretchedness (who will be given their Records in their left hands),

On them is Fire closed over’ (Al-Balad, 90:19-20).

These are the sinister people.

They are the ones who will receive their Records from the left.

They are those who wasted their life in misfortune, like the donkeys, like the dogs, like animals.

May God send His protection from this low rank.

May God Almighty distinguish us by attaining the highest of the high of the human perfection as a requirement of being honoured by the perfect pattern of creation.

Amin.