Among the Indications of Certainty – Abdur Rahman’s Corner
Peace, one and all…
In Attar’s Tazkerat al-Owliya, beloved Dhu al-Nun al-Misri makes the following profound remark:
‘Three things are among the indications of certainty: first, looking to the Real in all things; second, resorting to the Real in all actions; and third, seeking his aid in all situations’
Quoted in Attar, Memorials of the Friends of God
I wanted to share a few things that came to heart.
Looking to the Real in all things
It is, perhaps, easy to look to the Real in times of trouble. When we are in trouble, and others cannot help us, we naturally turn to Allah, as Surah Yasin makes clear:
‘Another sign for them is that We carried their seed in the laden Ark, and We have made similar things for them to ride in. If We wished, We could drown them, and there would be no one to help them: they could not be saved. Only by Our mercy could they be reprieved to enjoy life for a while’ (Quran 36:41-44)
As someone who really hates flying, I can understand this fear! This underlines another salient point: how often do we look to Allah only after every other option has been exhausted? In reality, there are no other secondary causes. Allah is the real doer, in every moment and circumstance. Perhaps this is why Dhu al-Nun uses the word Haqq here (translated as ‘the Real’). In reality, there is no other.
In other words, our ability to perceive the Real as the Doer of All Things, is an indication of the level of our certainty, of our clarity of vision. We must look to the Real from within the context of our lives, of our lived experience, or else it remains merely intellectual, merely partial. We must look towards God from within our own imperfections: the realisation of our incomplete nature should drive us towards Reality and not keep us from it. If our faultiness keeps us from God, we are looking at our imperfection and not the Real!
Neither our strength nor our weakness should get in the way. Our inward vision must remain fixed on God. Allah is the lens through which we should see the world. It is by God’s light that we should see. Or else, we can end up focusing solely on ourselves, as and by ourselves. Self-obsession is both problematic and difficult to remove.
Looking to the Real in all actions
Allah is the Real Doer. Allah is the Real Author. Although we are morally responsible for the things we do, it is important that we don’t take our ownership of them so seriously. That is, Allah is the True Owner, and so we need to ask for Divine aid in each new moment and circumstance. We have no certain knowledge of the results of our actions. This is why consecrating each action at its beginning is so critical. When we say bismillah, we are effectively offering a prayer for divine blessing and aid. In other words, this is also an injunction to constant remembrance, to continual dhikr, to an ever-present du’a.
We are also reminded of adab, of appropriate behaviour. To be with God in each action is to seek the halal and to avoid the haram, and to resist our innate attempts to rationalise our wrong doings.
To be with the Real within each action is therefore to empty ourselves of our obsessive need for control.
Seeking His aid in all situations
In all our wayfaring, our first port of call should be the Real. Each new moment, each new circumstance, can this become a new vantage point from which to witness Divine action, and thus Divine grace.
If Allah is our aim, Allah is also our origin and Allah is the means by which we travel.
From Him, to Him, in Him…
