………continue from ‘The inverted life (1) 2:2-16’
We had seen in <Quran> Surah 2: 2-16 that human are divided into three categories, which are believers, unbelievers and hypocrites. Let us first take a look at how Allah treats them.
The first type of people is the believers. From Surah 2: 5, we know that they are guided by Allah. [Note 1]
Surah 2: 5 These depend on guidance from their Lord…………………
The second type is the unbelievers. Surah 2:7 points out that their hearts are sealed by Allah.
Surah 2: 6-7 As for the Disbelievers, ……………… Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering……………….
What is the meaning of ‘sealing man’s heart’? In fact, ‘heart’ as mentioned in the Quran is used to observe the spiritual world [Note 2]. We use our eyes to see the material world; we also have hearts to see the spiritual world. Surah 45: 23 and 7: 186 mention that if men insist on doing things according to their selfish desires, Allah will seal their hearts, and they will not receive guidance from Allah and are among the misled, later Allah will let them wander in sins.
Surah 45: 23 ……………….him who maketh his desire his god, and Allah sendeth him astray purposely, and sealeth up his hearing and his heart, and setteth on his sight a covering? Then who will lead him after Allah (hath condemned him)?………………
Surah 7: 186 Those whom Allah sendeth astray, there is no guide for them. He leaveth them to wander blindly on in their contumacy.
You will find that Surah 7: 186 and 2: 15 describe the same thing: ‘leave them to wander blindly on in their contumacy’ [Note 3]. Previously, we studied Surah 2: 15 -16 which is the ending for the hypocrites. Here it can be seen that Allah’s treatment for the hypocrites and the unbelievers are the same; their hearts are sealed. As a result, Allah let them wander in sin.
Surah 2: 15…….. leaving them to wander blindly on in their contumacy.
Why does Allah ‘leave’ them wander in sin?
In the Philippines, there is a giant garbage dump in the outskirts of Manila; it covers a large area, piling up a large amount of garbage. Garbage is burnt from time to time daily, emitting huge amount of smoke. People name it Smokey Mountain, and it is also called Garbage Mountain.
In those days, the Government of the Philippines could not afford the cost of construction of an incinerator, thus just announced a ban on incinerators, and all waste materials were landfilled; in order to save transportation cost, garbage landfills were set in nearby urban areas.
Despite the stench and unhygienic condition of the Garbage Mountain, it still attracted a large number of poor residents. There was a time when the mountain was inhabited by more than 25,000 inhabitants. In the year 2000, due to heavy rainfall, garbage that piled up on the Garbage Mountain suddenly collapsed and submerged the adjacent slum area resulting in at least 9 deaths, 36 were missing, another 20 were injured.
The place had not only become well-known internationally, it also became a national humiliation to the Philippines. The government put effort to manage the slums, repeatedly warned the residents who stayed nearby to leave that area because the garbage dump posed a threat to the health and safety of the slum dwellers. The government planned to spend 650 million US dollars to move the garbage to a place farther from the capital city of Manila. The government also promised to build residential buildings to resettle the residents of that area. In the residential area, there will be library, training center, child-care centre etc.
Do you know how those residents responded when President Fidel Ramos announced this plan? Many of them opposed this together. The mobilization of the residents to relocate actually met with great resistance. The riot police was deployed. There was a great clash, causing one death and twenty injuries.
Perhaps you may think that they are unusual. The environment of the garbage mountain is filthy and smelly, maggots are everywhere, anytime can collapse and anytime can catch fire, yet these poor people are not willing to leave. Actually, the reason is very simple. Every day, the garbage mountain provides them with an endless supply of waste papers, scrap iron, glass bottles that they can gather and sell at will. Some even think that this is a ‘treasure mountain’. No matter how the government envisaged for them, they were not thankful. Regardless of what was planned for them, they were not willing to move out. At last, the government has to let them stay at the garbage mountain so that they continue to live their lives there.
This is similar to the situation mentioned in Surah 2: 6, no matter how Allah admonishes the unbelievers, they are not willing to leave their inherent lifestyle. This is because their hearts have been sealed; spiritual things become impractical to them. The present life is only what they possess. Allah can only ‘leave’ them in this present life.
Surah 2:6 ………Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not.
Of course, as mentioned in Surah 11:15-16 that if they strive to pursue material enjoyment, they will gain some in this present life. However, just as described in Surah 3:178 they cannot escape from the consequences of others’ or of their own sins.
Surah 11: 15 -16 Whoso desireth the life of the world and its pomp, We shall repay them their deeds herein, and therein they will not be wronged. Those are they for whom is naught in the Hereafter save the Fire. (All) that they contrive here is vain and (all) that they are wont to do is fruitless.
Surah 3: 178 ………………We only give them rein that they may grow in sinfulness …………………
Let us compare the difference between believe and disbelieve. Surah 2:16 describes that the hypocrites ‘have bartered Guidance for error’. When we check the Quran, we can find two types of ‘barter’. The first type is the present life ‘barter’ and the other type is the spiritual ‘barter’.
Surah 2: 16 These are they who have bartered Guidance for error:…………………………… (English Translation of Al-Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali)
The present life ‘barter’ means exchange hereafter for the life of this world (Surah 2: 86), exchange guidance for error (Surah 2: 16, 2: 175, 4: 44), exchange Allah’s revelations for a small price (Surah 2: 41, 2: 79, 2: 174, 3: 77, 3: 187, 5: 44, 9: 9) and exchange faith for unbelief (Surah 3: 177).
However, spiritual ‘barter’ means exchange life and property for Paradise (Surah 9:111), exchange worldly life for the hereafter (Surah 4: 74), exchange life for the pleasure of Allah (Surah 2: 207), and will not exchange Allah’s revelations for a small price (Surah 3: 199). Spiritual ‘barter’ is intensely in contrast to the worldly ‘barter’.
Atually, when a man’s heart is sealed, he will lose spiritual satisfaction thereafter; his heart becomes empty. In order to fill this emptiness, man will try to find all sorts of things in the material world to compensate. At the same time, man’s heart, mind and values will turn upside-down. It is described in Surah 3: 181 and 5: 64, the unbelievers think they are rich and the Creator is poor and stingy. No wonder nowadays many people like to complain against heaven and blame others; they think that God is unfair to them.
Surah 3: 181 Verily Allah heard the saying of those who said, (when asked for contributions to the war): “Allah, forsooth, is poor, and we are rich!”……..
Surah 5: 64 ……………..Allah’s hand is fettered. Their hands are fettered and they are accursed for saying so. Nay, but both His hands are spread out wide in bounty.……………………..
Thus, believe in Allah is that through the guidance of Allah, our hearts and minds are turned around 180-degree opposite to the common practice of the world; from the pursuit of worldly life to the pursuit of the hereafter; from self-centered to Allah centered; turn from satisfying oneself to pleasing Allah.
[Note 1]Surah 2:5 ………….. depend on guidance from their Lord………… ‘guidance’ in the Arabic original text is هدي , which means ‘to guide’.
[Note 2]In Islam, ‘heart’ (spiritual, not physical) is a sensory organ for spirituality and knowledge of metaphysics. The Quran says, “The heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw.” (The Star 53: 11), this refers to the revelation received by prophet through heart. In fact, Allah said this in different parts of the Quran: “Have they not travelled in the land, and have they hearts wherewith to feel and ears wherewith to hear? For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind.” (The Pilgrimage 22: 46); (2: 9-10; 2: 74; 8: 24; 26: 88-89; 48: 4; 83: 14 and etc.), the word ‘heart’ and its synonyms appeared in the Quran for more than a hundred times.
[Note 3]In the Quran, there are three words used to describe Allah handing man over to sins:
- ‘prolong’ , in Arabic original text is مدد ，the related surah in the Quran are 2: 15, 19: 75, 7:202
- ‘respite’ in Arabic original text is ملي , it also means ‘postpone’, related surah in the Quran are 3: 178, 7: 182-183, 13: 32, 22: 44, 22: 48, 68: 44-45
- ‘leave’, in Arabic original text is وذر , related surah in the Quran are 6: 70, 6: 91, 6: 110, 7: 186, 10: 11, 15: 3, 21: 89, 23: 54, 43: 83, 52: 45, 70: 42.
All Al-Quran verses are sourced from English Translation of Al-Quran by Muhd M.W. Pickthall (unless otherwise stated), with thanks.