Aboard Noah's Ark - 5

If an act is persistently done by a person even if it costs them badly, and if that person is unable to give up the act and unable to see the harms, it is called an addiction. Today, various forms of substance abuse are under the broad umbrella of addiction. However, there are behavioral addictions, as well. I don't want to use the term obsessive-compulsive for the behavioral addictions, because that term has its own frame of reference, which is not relevant to our discussion about what to do after the Great Flood. Our real question is how can you treat the imitation addiction that pervades the psychology of herd, which was the case of the people of Noah? What can you do to prevent the blind faith suppressing the critical thinking?

In fact, by introducing the subject through the use of the term addiction carries with it several components of the solution. Think of what you would do to heal an addict. The same procedures can be employed to hinder a replay of the evils that took place before the flood. So, what are they?

Broadly speaking, first, one has to admit the fact that they have a problem. Without this, nothing can be accomplished, because the situation would be not the addict's but your problem. In other words, the addict must embrace themselves, which necessitates a look from outside to themselves. That is, they must be able to objectively evaluate their situation and realize that they are in trouble.

Unfortunately, before the Great Flood, this did not happen. The people did not listen to the warnings and lessons from Noah. They did not assess their actions when obeying the evil leaders and when following the crowd. In short, they did not accept the fact that they had a problem. So, they missed the ship, both figuratively and literally. They could not even realize things when the destruction was unfolding around them. So, after the ark lands, you must take such actions to establish emergency routes for people's minds to escape the psychological avalanche of a herd.

Second, formation and continuation of an addiction requires an environment that not fosters it. This environment is not necessarily physical but also social. Circle of the like-minded people is a dangerous object in society, if they grow impenetrable. That is, it is inevitable and very natural that people hang around with those who are like themselves. This fact of nature, however, becomes prone to evil as it becomes isolated from other circles or individuals. "Us and them" duality has always been an exquisite tool for evil.

Before the Great Flood, we understand from the descriptions of Noah pbuh that the disbelievers had formed a kind of cult that avoided any intrusion and had achieved a state of continuity over generations. If a person is unable to step aside from the cult, they are not able to think independently and critically. And, in the Quran, we are repeatedly told that God does not guide the disbelieving communities.

Say, "I only advise you of one [thing] - that you stand for Allah , [seeking truth] in pairs and individually, and then give thought." (34/46)

... and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (2/258)

... and Allah does not guide the unbelieving people. (2/264)

Bottom line is you have to make sure that every individual is going to be, at least sometimes, forced to step outside their cocoon and join the circles of others and live with them.

Third, a crucial component of recovering from an addiction is to avoid its triggers. That is, whatever the preceding or surrounding conditions are for the re-occurrence of the addiction, those must be completely abolished. This is exactly what was done by prophet Muhammad pbuh, when he unconditionally prohibited the making of statues, because at the time, presence of a statue anywhere was not acceptable due to its triggering effect on the addiction of idol worshiping. Again the same was his rigid stand against musical instruments and performances, because he was trying to recover people from alcohol addiction, and music was a trigger for its re-occurrence. Triggers start craving, and craving leads to gratification, i.e. relapse.

Similarly, after the Pharaoh and his army was destroyed in the Red Sea, God did not return the Israelites back to Egypt. In fact, by closing the sea behind them after the passage, He made sure that they will not be able to return. This precaution was there to make sure that they are not going to find themselves in an environment that is full of memories of the old days and, by which, is going to trigger the notions of submission (i.e. slavery) to human beings instead of God. This teaches us that changing the outside does not warrant a change in the spirit. A reform is not well-established unless and until it is engraved into the characters, and so, until that time, triggers must be avoided to ensure a clean cut between the old and the new.

In this regard, people of Noah had developed a habit of closing their ears and minds whenever he tried to tell them something. This did not change even when the messenger of God approached them individually or collectively. This tells that their situation is not just about herd mentality, but a personal addiction as well. Remember that an addiction persists because of its pleasure to the person, no matter how deceptive and short-lived it may be. So, the people of Noah must be enjoying the way they treated him, and this process was triggered by Noah's address to them. That is they had an addiction of making fun of him.  The drought and shortage of  produces from the fields did not change their status. This meant that they were not able to see the harms of their addiction, even when shown explicitly. When God instructed Noah to make the ark, the only thing they did was continue with their addiction and mock at him.

Now, as you are about the step on the land after the cleansing of the land, you must ensure that people are not going to be allowed to grow deep enough in their daily routines and evade empathy with others. The instinct to self protection is one of the strongest ones, and avoiding the strangers, in this regard, means the gratification of this instinct, hence a pleasure. However, in this age, the same attitude leads to the formation of enemies in the long run. This situation is not readily visible to those who cannot think critically, i.e. mental myopics. So, again to avoid the trigger, that is meeting the stranger, you must make sure that people are going to meet each other at all levels and corners of the society.

The gratification of the self protection instinct also gives the impression of power, hence an addiction to power. We know that power is not just about muscular ability. There are variations of it, social, economical... Having and keeping power also is linked to self isolation, which is alarming as we discussed before. So, acquisition of power, in this regard, is also an addictive trigger, and must be managed so that it is not going to lead to an evil addiction.

The list of things to be done can be extended, but this is a short list of essentials in my humble opinion. To guide these and other actions you may come up with before you step again on the land, the following is a list of five principles that can be observed, which I call IDEAL principles:

Innovation
Diversification
Education
Authenticity
Labor

If something is weakening the prevalence of these principles in life, it must be re-assessed. For more details on these, you can read this blog specifically on them.

Have We not comforted your heart, And removed from you your burden, Which weighed heavily upon your back, And granted you an exalted reputation? Surely with difficulty is ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up, And strive to please your Lord. (94/1-8)

Aboard Noah's Ark - 4

You are on the ark with Noah. What can be more fortunate? Well, God has more for you in His plan:

And certainly We wrote in the Book after the reminder that (as for) the land, My righteous servants shall inherit it. (21/105)

Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient. (24/55)

Although these Quranic verses were revealed not in context of the Great Flood, they certainly point at the same fact. Those who were rescued from that colossal destruction are promoted to a much higher level: being the inheritors of the land who are responsible for the amelioration of things after corruption. With responsibility comes authority, and vice-versa. Remember that the believers with Noah pbuh were the low level people in their society, but now, they became the highest and most powerful. This sharp intervention of God, which turns out a blessing for the believers and for the future generations to come, is surely another trial for the survivors, as the examination in this life goes on until death.

Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned. (21/35)

Pondering over how to fulfill your responsibility, taking lessons from God's practice is a reasonable approach. Looking back, you see that God has been extremely patient with the disbelievers, and always instructed His messenger to call them to commonsense and critical thought. He warned them with afflictions before the final action. And in the end, He did not tell his messenger and the believers to fight against them, but to simply withdraw from them and busy themselves with the construction of the ark. During this period, the disbelievers started making fun of Noah, and he had simply replied with ironical threats. 

They said, "O Noah, you have disputed us and been frequent in dispute of us. So bring us what you threaten us, if you should be of the truthful." (11/32)

And he constructed the ship, and whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said, "If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule. (11/38)

Finally, we know what happened. In fact, the same situation was also present during the time of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh.

They say, "If what you say is true, when will the final triumph come?" Say, "On the day of the final triumph, the faith of the disbelievers will be of no avail to them, nor will they be given any respite". (32/28-29)

So, a clear lesson from these is that to bring a decisive end to evil and to have a fresh start in good necessitates establishing a noteworthy and timeless lesson to the survivors through punishing the perpetrators of evil. If necessary, you have to amputate a limb in order to save the body. God willing, the stem cells are going to complete the missing part in time. 

This does not mean to eradicate evil from the face of the planet for good, though; because the rule of the game is that you can only curtail evil, but not annihilate it. For example, your anger may spur you to execute punishments in ways surpassing the limits of justice, when you were supposed to act in the name of God and justice. So, lesson two, beware of not becoming the seed of evil yourself.

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well­-Acquainted with what you do. (5/8)

A third lesson in context of the anger against evil can be drawn from the definition of anger. It is the behavioral response of our immune system to repel evil (for further reading on anger, you can see the Anger Engine series in this blog: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7). Anger has the ability to muster all powers in our being to engender the desired safety and security. That is, when you are determined to get rid of something for good, you take irreversible action. You take a step that ensures that you will not return to the same conditions. Take differently, you do things such that they preclude the replay of the same events. In fact, if you are a wise person, you employ your anger to avoid the evil in the first place, instead of curtailing it after its establishment. Now let's see some examples of both cases.

If you compare dating and marriage, the former is a rather reversible act while the latter is relatively irreversible. That means if you want to step back from marriage after it is done, your return is going to have an irreversible toll on you. To highlight and commemorate this irreversibility, the two essential things that make a marriage licit in Islam are its announcement and the mahr (goods or money) given to the bride. These are there to avoid evil in the long run, which can occur when people take marriage as a game, i.e. a reversible step.

Other cases of irreversible, giant steps include the Israelites' story with Moses pbuh. In order to avoid a return to the pharaoh's regime, they were required to escape the city, by which they risked their lives. Once they escaped, there was no return, or else they would be killed. After this, when they fell to worshiping a cow statue, they were required by God to slaughter a real cow by their very hands so that they can see the absurdity of their practice, i.e. they had to slaughter their god!

Similarly, the first Muslims in Mecca had to migrate to Medina, by which they abandoned all their belongings and their loved ones. The first believers in Medina, on the other hand, gave up their internal deadly fights and forwent any revenge against each other. On top of forgiving each other, they undertook hosting their fellow migrant believers, and had to establish a mutual fraternity by which they shared not only their houses but also their wealth. Above all, these two communities, i.e. migrants and helpers, took all of the powers of the world then against themselves by proclaiming their faith and by embracing the messenger of God.

With these in mind, if you look at the recent history of the Middle East, you see that the nations that underwent a revolutionary transformation and cut their ties with their past achieved a real transformation, whereas the nations that assumed minimal modifications only went through a change of garment, without evolving really. I am not going to defend all of the events that took place during these periods in the twentieth century, but it is clear that decisive changes need and prerequisite irreversible and giant actions.

In the Noah's ark, as you and humanity are about to begin life anew, keep in mind that if you want future generations to embrace something and not give it up, they are going to have to make great sacrifices and work hard for them, just like you made when you took the faith introduced by Noah.

Aboard Noah's Ark - 3

Just like the elements of the creation, be them small or big, are messages from God, natural events, too, are signs and messages of God, be them ordinary or out of the ordinary.

Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this as an example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient, (2/26)

Unfortunately, those who have molded their minds so that they will not see those messages even if posed explicitly cannot find true guidance. Instead, they seek alternative explanations and cover up the eyes of their hearts.

I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right; and if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it. And if they see the way of consciousness, they will not adopt it as a way; but if they see the way of error, they will adopt it as a way. That is because they have denied Our signs and they were heedless of them. (7/146)

We then replaced their misfortune with well-being until they were relieved and began saying, "Our fathers had also experienced good and bad days." Suddenly, We struck them (with torment) while they were all unaware (of what was happening). (7/95)

This is, perhaps, what had happened with the son of Noah, when he said that he could escape the flood by climbing a high mountain. In their view, this rain was the long awaited water after a drought that struck them hard, which in fact was a warning from God but which was missed by the people of Noah for the reason stated above.

Then I said, Ask forgiveness of your Lord, surely He is the most Forgiving: He will send rain to you in abundance (71/10-11)

And it sailed with them through waves like mountains, and Noah called to his son who was apart [from them], "O my son, come aboard with us and be not with the disbelievers." His son replied, "I shall climb up a mountain and this will save me from the flood." Noah said, "No one can escape on this day from God's command except those on whom He has mercy." The waves separated Noah from his son who was then drowned with the rest (of the unbelievers). (11/42-43)

Then, it is clear that the events that happen to us personally or as a society are communications from God in different languages. These languages can be in the civilized manner as in the admonitions of the holy books, or they can be in more physical forms such as economical crises, natural disasters, pandemics, wars... All in all, the message is clear. The will of God is established sooner or later, but whether we are going to benefit from it or lose badly depends on our choice of actions.

And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for what they have earned, He would not leave upon the earth any creature. But He defers them for a specified term. And when their time comes, then indeed Allah has ever been, of His servants, Seeing. (35/45)

Till, when the messengers despaired and thought that they were denied, then came unto them Our help, and whom We would was saved. And Our wrath cannot be warded from the guilty. (12/110)

It is also noteworthy that being in a society that is committed to evil, in and of itself, is a potential risk. If you are there and working to spread the message of God through your actions and communications, then you personally may be safe. However, extended duration of "no result", that is no change for the better, may be a sign that you shouldn't stay there anymore. Being in a decisively sinner community is also a risk in the sense that you yourself can shift towards them. After all, you are an individual in the face of a society. Even if you don't commit those sins yourself, you may start supporting their evils through various make-ups in your mind. So, one must separate from a sinning society at some point or at some depth. If you have to stay in there, you must detach your heart and/or your personal life from them to stay properly guided. Otherwise, you may find yourself at the same dreadful end.

And fear an affliction which may not smite those of you in particular who are unjust; and know that Allah is severe in requiting (evil). (8/25)

To sum up, an economic or political crisis or a war or a pandemic affects everybody. These events are for sure messages or afflictions from God, but those who have blinded their hearts won't be able to see this. Furthermore, joining the party of such blind hearted people, even if you don't actively do evil, is a fault in itself. In such cases, when the time comes, God establishes the order by force. These forces may be incomprehensible or invisible. The incomprehensibility, we talked about it. But what about invisibility? Angels? Yes, angels are part of the answer, but not the whole of it.

And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. (48/7)

When the angels are in action, this may be invisible to us, like a miraculous intervention, or it can be visible to us behind certain veils. For example, when the people of Lot were destroyed, it was the angels at work but in the appearance, a natural disaster of some sort was taking place. Similarly, during the Event of the Elephant (105/1-5) when the army that was about to destroy the Kaaba was itself destroyed by the birds, it was angels at work behind the veil. Again, during the Battle of the Trench (Handaq) in the Islamic history, the wind that made it impossible to stay outside, let alone fighting, was a clear, but invisible, help from God. It was fulfilled by the angels, but the manifestation of this help was an unyielding and endless storm.

O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allah , of what you do, Seeing. (33/9)

After this journey to the future in time, if we snap back to our time on the ark, obviously those who have been blind towards the messages of God have been eradicated, and we are in an explicit coverage by God. Still, the same question bothers us, what to do to avoid a massive relapse to the heart blindness?

Aboard Noah's Ark - 2

It is interesting that in the Quran, there is almost no mentioning of the situation of the people aboard the ark during the flood. The two exceptions to this are the communication between Noah (pbuh) and his son and the prayer taught by God to the believers, both of which are linked to the beginning of the voyage. Following these, we are only told that the ark was cruising under the supervision of God Almighty. Then we are provided with a conversation between Noah and God after the flood, in which a message of blessing is given.

And when you have boarded the ship, you and those with you, then say, 'Praise to Allah who has saved us form the wrongdoing people.' Say, "Lord, grant us a blessed landing from the Ark; You are the One who provides the safest landing". (23/28-29)

Sailing under Our observation as reward for he who had been denied. (54/14)

It was said, "O Noah, disembark in security from Us and blessings upon you and upon nations [descending] from those with you... (11/48)

A rather plausible idea about what happened while on the ark during the flood is that the passengers all slept. If you read through the Quran, you see that sleep is a blessing that has been given to the servants of God on special occasions. The first of these cases is that of prophet Joshua pbuh. We are told that God made him sleep for hundred years, and then woke him to show a sign about how He is going to resurrect the dead (2/259). The second case of sleep is that of the Seven Sleepers, who were among the believers to the message of Jesus pbuh and who were made by God sleep for three centuries (18/25). Their sleep was a protection from the oppression of their people who were pushing them to revert to idolatry. Their awakening generations later was a sign of resurrection both for themselves and for the people living at the time.

The third example of sleep as a blessing is that before the battle of Badr between the first Muslims and the Meccan disbelievers. It was a situation where the intention of the believers was nothing more than retrieving their belongings and goods that were plundered by the disbelievers and were being sent to the markets of Damascus. So, the believers were not really there for a war, but God's plan was different. All-Seeing God descended upon them serenity and they couldn't help sleeping, whereas the opponents were overstressed. When the war broke out, with the help of angels sent by God, it didn't take too long for the believers to defeat the disbelievers.

When He made the slumber fall upon you as a reassurance from him and sent down water from the sky upon you, that thereby He might purify you, and remove from you the fear of Satan, and make strong your hearts and firm (your) feet thereby. (8/11)

When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike above their necks and strike every fingertip of them. (8/12)

With all these in mind, if we return to the believers on the ark during the flood, the fact that nothing mentioned about them on the ark could be a sign that there actually was nothing to be mentioned after all, because they were sleeping all along the journey, which was overseen and guided by God. Furthermore, when they woke up with all the serenity from the sleep, which probably happened shortly before they came out, they were mentally and bodily ready to tackle with everything else. 

At this point, it is noteworthy to remember that sleep is an essential part of brain operations. During the sleep, unlike what we suppose, brain is very active; especially during the deep sleep that is referred to as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It has been scientifically proven that sleeping is an integral part of memory consolidation and the ability to perceive. In other words, thinking critically and deeply and making thoughtful decisions require a brain that has had its proper sleep.

Having had their deep sleep and a good rest, what were they thinking before they fell asleep: Why did all this happen and how to prevent a replay? Now, they can analyze things better and arrive at more objective conclusions thereof. Thanks to the events they have witnessed within their own lifetime, they can more wisely establish whys, what fors and hows. And in fact, this is a must on them, because they have the duty of starting a new line on a clean page that is going to trace a picture pleasing to their beloved Lord.

Aboard Noah's Ark - 1

To be or not to be in the ark... That was the stark line that separated life and death. But it also revealed for many the result of an exam on an eternal bliss vs eternal loss... Still, the life on the ark was that of this world and the passengers were confined to human conditions. That meant all of the worries, fears, hopes, angers, desires and question marks composing the human nature.

Are we going to survive these mountain-like waves? Even if we survived, how are we going to start life again, given the destruction of the flood? We've got limited food and water supply... 

These and many more uncertainties would face a strong answer, though.

We could have been among the crowd that has already drowned. God saved us by our faith and He is the guarantor of everything else during our voyage on this ark. His messenger is with us, too.

Yes, outside, the monstrous waves are smashing the hull of the ship, the wind is roaring wildly, which are scary, but at the same time, you are protected inside despite all that turmoil. You just need to learn to trust your Lord, the Sustainer. And with that trust, comes calmness that penetrates your body, and you fall asleep...

When you wake up, you see that you are still alive. Yes the waves are still smashing the hull, the wind is still roaring, and you are still protected. Although you are in a confined space, from another perspective, it is the events outside that are in a cage. They can't and don't penetrate the ark. So, you get used to this situation. Then, you start thinking more subtle and serious issues. Why and how did all this happen?

Yes, why did all this happen? Simple answer, because the others not only did not believe but also created a social system in which nobody could dare to approach Noah, let alone become a believer. They made sure that not only themselves but also future generations, too, are not going to fall to the calls of Noah. So, when all was done on both sides and when every attempt has failed, Noah prayed for the destruction of the disbelievers, for their society is going to bear none but those who violate and manipulate the freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and who create conflict on earth.

He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day. But my call has only made them flee the more. And verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride. (71/5-7)

Noah said, "My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss. And they have devised a tremendous plot. (71/21-22)

And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant. If You leave them, they will mislead Your servants, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers. (71/26-27)

So he invoked his Lord, "I am defeated; so, help!" (54/10)

Seeing the before and after of the events, you would definitely be engulfed in a mix of feelings. Relieved of the constant pressure and mockery of the disbelievers, but grieved at the loss of loved ones. Angry at the stubbornness of the wicked people in their despicable lives, but fearing your own existence and future... But an eventual thought would hit you. If you and other believers are saved along with the messenger of God, that means there is a continuation to this story. If there is a continuation, that means there is life, prosperity, family and a community of believers who are committed to each other. But would this dramatic end repeat itself somehow?

First of all, whether there is a possibility of a replay or not, you are responsible of teaching the faith to the new generations. For that, you sure are going to tell them what happened in the past, and the ark is going to be the ideal school building for that purpose. A school, a worship place, a sign for all future generations to come... This is all good but, what else can you do to ensure that people are not going to revert to the same atrocities against each other, even if they are personally in disbelief?