What is the matter with the world today? Why all the chaos? Why all
the evil? Some people say there is no God; others say God created man
then left him alone to do as he pleases; yet others say that they just
do not know. What is the reality?
The Islamic view of human nature is that, left to its own devices,
humankind has an instinct of what is right and wrong. This comes from
an inner consciousness, a part of us right down deep inside that
senses truth from falsehood and morality from immorality--even if we do
not necessarily act according to that innate knowledge. It is this
consciousness that separates man from the animals--the sense of
responsibility of what is right and true, and what is not. However, it
does not stop there--not only does man have the sense of what is right,
he also has the means to do it.
Why should man do what is right? Has man received some kind of
responsibility on his shoulders? In Islam, the answer is simply "yes."
Allah tells Muslims in the Qur'an what means:
{Lo! We offered the trust unto the heavens and the earth and the
hills, but they shrank from bearing it and were afraid of it. And man
assumed it. Lo! he hath proved a tyrant and a fool.} (Al-Ahzab 33:72)
Why did the heavens and earth refuse to take on this huge
responsibility? The answer is that they just could not imagine having
the choice to disobey the Creator and Cherisher of all the worlds, the
Owner of the Day of Judgment. That they could put themselves in the
position of possibly entering Hellfire and denied the mercy of Allah
was simply unthinkable. However, before we were born, all of humankind
was made witness to the reality of the Creator and mankind's role on
earth, and we accepted the responsibility of free will and thus, it is
now a part of our souls--our consciousness. We cannot escape it.
Therefore, man has the responsibility to facilitate order in this
world, and his own soul bears witness to it, as do all the elements of
nature surrounding him. Humans feel calm and at peace besides elements
of nature like rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and the sea, because
nature submits to its Lord and achieves a state of islam (submission
and peace), and we feel that peace.
Why does man then ignore this responsibility despite all the obvious
proofs of its existence and his ability to fulfill it? The answer is
simple--he is living under an illusion: the illusion that he is free in
the sense that he will not be held accountable for his deeds and days
on earth. The truth is that man has misunderstood his mission in life
and forgotten that there are always consequences to every word and
action. How can man be completely free when there are always
consequences to what we say and do?
There are two kinds of people in the world: If there is an oil spill
and a vast amount of nature is spoiled, one kind of person shrugs his
shoulders and says, "So what! It doesn't bother me." Such a person
shows his ignorance and will live with the consequences of his apathy
as the world's resources become less and less. However, another kind
of person begins clean-up campaigns, joins environmental
organizations, or at least talks about that crime against nature.
These people are universally respected. Therefore, human
responsibility does exist, but some people just choose to ignore it.
Allah gave man eyes, ears, and all his faculties--everything he needs
to be well equipped to fulfill his responsibilities in life. Because
He is Just, Allah also gave man instructions (through the prophets and
divine books) of what he should do with all these wonderful faculties.
Our eyes enable us to see the beauty that surrounds us and to see when
danger is approaching, but if we look directly at the sun we will be
blinded. Are we free? Is there a right way and a wrong way to use our
eyes? Our ears? Ours limbs? Our minds?
We tell our children many things because of our love for them and our
desire to protect them from harm. We want them to fulfill their
potential. When we are present at home, they are much more likely to
obey us. But what about when we are not home? They can choose to obey
or to disobey--that is the extent of their freedom. If they choose to
obey us, even though we are not present, this is a sure sign that the
message we gave them has entered their hearts and that their obedience
is not due to fear. Such obedience means that they understand the
meaning of the message and they recognize that it is for their own
benefit. Do we acknowledge the benefit in Allah's instructions to us?
How far has the divine message penetrated our hearts?
This is like the message Allah gave to Adam (peace be upon him). Allah
told Adam and Hawwa' (Eve) to enjoy everything in the garden, but He
the Most Merciful warned them not to go near a certain tree or there
would be consequences. This is where the role of Satan comes in. Satan
uses man's dislike for restrictions to enter his heart and confuse
him. He works on man's human desire to be free and he feeds it. It is
an inherent part of man's nature to resist restrictions, but just
because it is a part of his nature, it does not mean he can leave it
to fester within him. We could also say that anger is a part of man's
nature, but we are all aware of the negative consequences of anger--
likewise, man must struggle against his resistance to commands and
orders. Adam and Hawwa' (peace be upon them) chose to disobey. They
were free to choose and there were consequences.
Man's lack of conscience spreads chaos throughout the universe because
of the illusion that he is free and will have no consequences for his
words and actions. How true is this idea? It is widely acknowledged
that all citizens have the responsibility to contribute to the growth
and development of their country. What about our responsibility to
ourselves, our responsibility to our family, our responsibility to the
earth, and our responsibility to our Creator? How can we say we are
free? How can we say we have no responsibility?
The concept of the Day of Judgment, a day on which everyone will be
given what he or she deserves is described in the Qur'an:
{And in like manner We disclosed them (to the people of the city) that
they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that, as for
the Hour, there is no doubt concerning it. } (Al-Kahf 18:21)
We want to enter that final examination (Day of Judgment) as
believers. What is the state of the believer? The believer is the
person who obeys Allah even if he does not necessarily understand or
perceive. For example, the believer believes in the existence of the
angels even though he cannot see them. Why? Because he has respect for
the Lawgiver. The source of this respect is deep within his own soul
if he only cares to see it. Nevertheless, he has the choice to take up
this responsibility or to leave it. He can either submit with a
knowing, gentle heart that sees the marvels of creation, the worth of
his own self, the majesty of the Creator, and bow his head in
gratitude and obedience. The other option is that he can twist his
head in haughty pride, clinging to his illusion of being free,
although recognizing the truth of matters and the need for reform, and
say "why should I?"
************************
"??? ??????" <muslmh777@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0766d7f2-1a4e-4a7f-9bbc-2bbe0e5328f9@v67g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> Why Should I?
>
>
>
> What is the matter with the world today? Why all the chaos? Why all
> the evil? Some people say there is no God; others say God created man
> then left him alone to do as he pleases; yet others say that they just
> do not know. What is the reality?
>
<<<Much Horsesh_t snipped away>>>
Get a clue ??? ?????? ,and quit posting this off topic crap to this
newsgroup. As you have been told before go way and don't return.
Why Should I? 
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