Creation of Man for Friendship with God
Creation of Man for Friendship with God
Creation of Man for Friendship with God: Imam Zainul Abideen in the first Dua (supplication) of Sahifa requests: My God! You have created this man in the path of Your friendship. So that this man may see and taste His mercies, bounties and favors in this world and may turn towards him.
وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ عِنْدَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلاَّ بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ
“And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasures of it, and We do not send it down but in a known measure.”
Whatever happiness is there in this world, like delights, pleasures and beauties are but a minute sample of the original happiness and bounties, which are treasured for the Faithful in the grave and in the other world. Whatever nicety and beauty you see in this world is like a drop in the ocean as compared to what is in Paradise.
Elegance of Yusuf and the Houries of Paradise
This world is too narrow to make the eternal beauty manifest.
An example of slight beauty is found in the case of Yusuf. Women of Egypt could not withstand it and cut their fingers instead of the fruits in their hands (when they looked at Yusuf).
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً، وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا، وَقَالَتْ: اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ
. فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ، وَقُلْنَ: حَاشَ لِلَّهِ! مَا هَذَا بَشَراً؛ إِنْ هَذَا إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ
“So; when she heard of their sly talk, she sent for them and prepared for them a repast, and gave each of them a knife, and said (to Yusuf): Come forth to them. So; when they saw him, they deemed him great, and cut their hands (in amazement), and said: Remote is Allah (from imperfection); this is not a mortal; this is but a noble angel.”
The event is that when their eyes fell on the handsomeness of Yusuf they lost control over their emotions and cut their fingers while they were to cut apples. Therefore, the Messenger of God said: If a houri from the Houries of Paradise comes to this world all men will die being unable to observe the heavenly beauty of the Houries.
What then will they do on seeing the real and original beauty of Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad? After death the power of the souls of the Faithful becomes hundred fold. So long as they are in the world of matter with this physical body their power or strength is very less. When they are distanced from this worldly body, especially when they have acquired bodily diligence also, they reach the original beauty. In short, each and every sign which God has created in this world is a specimen to attract man to the origin so that the wise one looks meaningfully at all these bounties and says: May I be sacrificed for God Whose favors and bounties are so vast. How true is the poet when he says: O God! This material world which also is very narrow and insufficient (for the purpose of showing Your beauty) makes us see so much of Your unending beauty then how will be the other world of Hereafter? We become extremely astonished on observing your beauty created by You in this world. What will be the extent of Your Beauty in that world?
The fragrance of flowers in this world and the heavenly smells
The fragrance of jasmine and rose flowers reaches us from a distance of ten steps. If you move about, say fifty steps from them you no more smell their fragrance. Then how will be the flowers the smell of which reaches you from a distance of two thousand years’ journey? I want that you should turn your attention towards its origin. Whatever you see here is minute as this world is not spacious enough to make the manifestation of the original fragrance fully. What will happen at the moment of death?
It has been said that the fragrance of messengers is a fragrance from Paradise, the smell of angels, the smell of the heavenly red rose and the smell of heavenly Houries, the fragrance of the jasmine flower of Heaven. The fragrance of my daughter Fatima Zahra too has the fragrance of the heavenly red roses and jasmines.[103] It is the smell of the Muhammad flower. (The final Prophet has the virtues, which all the past prophets had). So, if the friends and Shias of Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad, even if they are at a distance of four thousands of years journey, they will, after all, be able to benefit by that fragrance.
Divine mercy is found everywhere
The very first verse of Qur’an is “In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (Bismillahir rahmanir raheem). What does ‘Rahman’ mean? The Owner of Rahmat or Mercy for all. He built the universe on the foundation of Mercy. The base of creation is for the manifestation of Mercy and bestowals.
إِلاَّ مَنْ رَحِمَ رَبُّكَ، وَلِذَلِكَ خَلَقَهُمْ
“Except those on whom your Lord has mercy; and for this did He create them…”
What does Mercy mean? It means He has granted to every creation what it needs. His creation is the layout of kindness (Lutf), favor (Ehsaan), honoring (Ikraam) for the manifestation of the excellent attributes of God, viz forbearance (Hilm), pardon (Afw), magnanimity (Karam), knowledge (Ilm), wisdom (Hikmat), Might (Qudrat) etc. The believer who has recognized God with His virtues full of mercy must always be pleased with His mechanism of working so that he may also be happy to reach its origin. Through his worship and obedience he should make himself nearer to God and attain Divine bounties in the Hereafter and so that he may be able to get a drop from the Real Divine Kingdom:
فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُقْتَدِرٍ
“In the seat of honor with a most Powerful King.