Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And in yourselves, will you not then see?)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And in yourselves, will you not then see?)
And in the verses that follow, [Al-Dhariyat: 21] likewise, in yourselves are signs [Al-Dhariyat: 21], and (signs) is omitted here.For this reason we say in the grammar: [Al-Dhariyat: 21] is a prepositional phrase serving as the predicate for an omitted subject, and the implied meaning is: (And in yourselves are signs). The wisdom—may Allah know best—and with our limited knowledge, we believe that Allah omitted these signs because they are closer to the human being than the earth, and more intimate to the human being than the earth; for they are within his own self (in yourselves are signs).
The signs of the self are not merely in the composition of the body, nor merely in the powers that Allah the Exalted has deposited in it, but also in the fluctuations of circumstances. You find the human being fluctuating from joy to sadness, from grief to happiness, with strange and great fluctuations, until the human being finds himself changed in an instant without a cause. He may be with an open chest, a broad mind, and happy, and then he becomes sad without a cause. Sometimes it is the opposite. This is with regard to psychological states.
Likewise, with regard to the human being in terms of states of faith, which are greater and more dangerous, you find the human being at times having such certainty that it is as if he is witnessing the matters of the unseen with sensory perception, as if he sees the Throne, or as if he sees the heavens, or sees the angels, or sees everything that Allah has informed us of regarding the matters of the unseen. And at times this certainty decreases for reasons that may be known or may be unknown. But among the known reasons is little obedience, for little obedience is among the causes of weak certainty.Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Ma'idah: 49].
And there are also reasons that the human being does not know what they are.And among them: Idleness and heedlessness. For this reason, the Companions said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): [Indeed, when we are with you and you mention Paradise and the Fire, it is as if we see them with our eyes. But when we go to our families and mix with the children and the family—or as they said—we forget]. And so, whenever the human being becomes absorbed in amusement, his certainty and his faith decrease. Therefore, the Shari'ah forbade games and vain amusement by which the human being increases his distance from the obedience of Allah and from reflecting on the signs of Allah.
Also, in the self there are signs in the souls of people. Some people you find to be easygoing, soft, with a pleasant face, happy; everyone who sees him is pleased with his face, and everyone who sits with him has his grief and worry removed. And some people are the opposite, frowning and scowling; merely by seeing them, if you were happy, sadness and ill would befall you. This is also among the signs of the self, and they are very many. And whoever wants more of this and to look into the power of Allah the Exalted in the signs within our selves, let him read the words of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in *Miftah Dar al-Sa'adah* (The Key to the Abode of Happiness); he will find wonders upon wonders. And likewise in his small book, which is great in meaning, *Al-Tabyan fi Aqsam al-Qur'an* (The Clarification of the Divisions of the Qur'an), he mentioned wonders upon wonders of that.
The interrogation here is for rebuke and denial.As if Allah Mighty and Majestic says: Look within yourselves, observe, reflect, think. If you do not know these signs, then you do not see. So the interrogation here is for rebuke and denial: Do we not observe? And it is a call from Allah Mighty and Majestic to His servants to observe the signs. If you do not observe the signs, know that you are deprived.Allah the Exalted said: [Yunus: 101].
So, if you do not take admonition from the signs, know that you are deprived and that your faith is deficient. [Yunus: 101] So, my brother, you must reflect on the cosmic signs of Allah and on the signs of Allah in this great universe that point to His greatness, His dominion, His mercy, and His wisdom. And likewise on the legislative signs of Allah. And whoever Allah opens up to regarding the legislative signs benefits from them more than he benefits from the cosmic signs. If he reflects on what Allah has informed us of regarding Himself in terms of names, attributes, actions, and rulings, his faith in Allah Mighty and Majestic increases, and he thereby knows the wisdom and mercy. If he reflects on what Allah has informed us of regarding the Last Day and what will be in it of reward, punishment, recompense, and reckoning—likewise—his faith in Allah increases. And whenever the human being reflects on the legislative signs of Allah, his faith increases. And some of the successful people have an increase in faith through the legislative signs that is greater than their increase in faith through the cosmic signs. As for the human being whom Allah opens up to in both this and that, how excellent that is.
And in the verses that follow,
And in yourselves
وَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْWill you not then see?
أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَAnd in yourselves
وَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْThe signs of the self are not merely in the composition of the body, nor merely in the powers that Allah the Exalted has deposited in it, but also in the fluctuations of circumstances. You find the human being fluctuating from joy to sadness, from grief to happiness, with strange and great fluctuations, until the human being finds himself changed in an instant without a cause. He may be with an open chest, a broad mind, and happy, and then he becomes sad without a cause. Sometimes it is the opposite. This is with regard to psychological states.
Likewise, with regard to the human being in terms of states of faith, which are greater and more dangerous, you find the human being at times having such certainty that it is as if he is witnessing the matters of the unseen with sensory perception, as if he sees the Throne, or as if he sees the heavens, or sees the angels, or sees everything that Allah has informed us of regarding the matters of the unseen. And at times this certainty decreases for reasons that may be known or may be unknown. But among the known reasons is little obedience, for little obedience is among the causes of weak certainty.Allah the Exalted said:
And if they turn away - then know that Allah only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins
فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْAnd there are also reasons that the human being does not know what they are.And among them: Idleness and heedlessness. For this reason, the Companions said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): [Indeed, when we are with you and you mention Paradise and the Fire, it is as if we see them with our eyes. But when we go to our families and mix with the children and the family—or as they said—we forget]. And so, whenever the human being becomes absorbed in amusement, his certainty and his faith decrease. Therefore, the Shari'ah forbade games and vain amusement by which the human being increases his distance from the obedience of Allah and from reflecting on the signs of Allah.
Also, in the self there are signs in the souls of people. Some people you find to be easygoing, soft, with a pleasant face, happy; everyone who sees him is pleased with his face, and everyone who sits with him has his grief and worry removed. And some people are the opposite, frowning and scowling; merely by seeing them, if you were happy, sadness and ill would befall you. This is also among the signs of the self, and they are very many. And whoever wants more of this and to look into the power of Allah the Exalted in the signs within our selves, let him read the words of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in *Miftah Dar al-Sa'adah* (The Key to the Abode of Happiness); he will find wonders upon wonders. And likewise in his small book, which is great in meaning, *Al-Tabyan fi Aqsam al-Qur'an* (The Clarification of the Divisions of the Qur'an), he mentioned wonders upon wonders of that.
Will you not then see?
أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَBut of no avail will be signs or warners to a people who do not believe
وَمَا تُغْنِي الْآياتُ وَالنُّذُرُ عَنْ قَوْمٍ لا يُؤْمِنُونَSo, if you do not take admonition from the signs, know that you are deprived and that your faith is deficient.