Anger Engine - 7

When you have the power and when you are angry, you are within a dangerous context. The same context, however, is necessary for the realization of utterly needed transformations that are later going to be named as "historic revolution". Eliminating the problems that have been ailing the society for too long needs such a dangerous juxtaposition as anger and power. Keeping that anger and power under control, however, is essential in order for this historic transformation to be for the good of everybody. Speaking of control, there are two extremes that must be avoided. One, you must make sure that you are not going beyond the limits and committing oppression while conducting your rightful mission. A proper target does not justify the unjust means to it. Two, you must avoid falling into the misuse of mercy when delivering justice related to the past events. Forgiveness must be exercised in a way not to encourage those committed to evil.

It is not fitting for a prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he has thoroughly subdued the land. You look for the temporal goods of this world; but Allah looks to the Hereafter: And Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. (8/67)

The above verse was revealed after the battle of Badr, when the Muslims had given the Meccan oppressors an unexpected and a dire blow. The details of this event can be read from the relevant sources. My intention here is to focus on the two points I raised above. Here, the Ruler of the universe tells His messenger that a lesson of mercy cannot be taught to the minds that have learned to exercise their own will through killing the innocent and stealing from the weak. A lesson of tolerance cannot be learned by the minds that have uprooted freedom of thought and expression through ways including, but not limited to, torture and pressure.

Such was the case with the Meccan opponents against the first Muslims. A permanent lesson had to be given to the evildoers so that the people in the aftermath will not dare to repeat the same. At this conjunction, forgiving even the most evil act sends the message that "you can get away with whatever you do". Plus, a temporary loss on the side of those evil people will seed a revenge. All of these must be blocked. Besides, those who were not as evil but were siding with the evil group for whatever reason must understand that they are given a free will in order to choose to counteract the evil pushes from people and from devil. Lack of good will and simply joining the crowds is not a valid excuse to support evil will.

If these sound to harsh for you, remember that it is the similar behavior on your side that led to the conditions in which you felt the anger towards God, because He was keeping you under heavy loads with no "apparent" reason. It took a long time and grave losses in order for you to realize things. The same is true of the other side. Psychology of herd and the psychology surrounding the status-quo are the same, no matter under what banner they are present, be them religious or otherwise.

So, let's delve into the first topic: not committing injustice when exercising power. It is very easy to misguide a person who is angry and who holds power. With unsubstantiated news and rumors, one can lead another person to give undeserved or excessive punishments. It is crucial at this point to cling to the basic principles of justice:

• a person is innocent unless proven otherwise
• benefit of doubt goes to the suspect
• crime is individual; hence no crime by affiliation
• crime and punishment must be proportional
• penalty is the same regardless of the identity of the criminal

Although these principles of justice have been established and known for long, they are violated many times due to pressure from outside or prejudice from inside. Both are not fitting to a believer: 

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah , witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (5/8)

Believers, if one who publicly commits sins brings you any news, ascertain its truthfulness carefully, lest you harm people through ignorance and then regret what you have done. (49/6)

Second topic is not exercising unlimited forgiveness. As explained above, forgiving everything, no matter what, gives the message that individuals can commit anything without having to face any punishments or sanctions. It is important, however, to distinguish between the rights of God and the rights of people. A person not believing in God, i.e. atheists, are committing a crime against God, and it is due to Him to judge the situation. The same is not true of crimes against people, however. If, for example, the freedom of thought, expression and religion or another basic freedom and right of a person is violated by whoever, this violation is deserving of punishment.

Of course similar limitations can be put in place due to authentic reasons supported by proven, concrete crimes. Nevertheless, evil actors who use the public power to abolish the basic freedoms always come up with pretexts to do so, too. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between the limitations taken due to concrete actions and those built on prejudices and evil will. If a person or group has banned the basic individual freedoms and rights without relying on concrete crimes, then that person or group must be punished not only as a recompense to their acts but also as a lesson to the rest of the people.

The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter. (5/33)

And those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce four witnesses - lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient, (4/24)

After these two important lessons, remember that anger is not a state that is intended to last forever. It is there for a reason, and once that reason is fulfilled, the lead must be handed to wisdom and mercy. Never-quenching anger is a sign of going astray and itself an invitation for future troubles.

Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people. And remove the rage of their hearts; and Allah turns (mercifully) to whom He pleases, and Allah is Knowing, Wise. (9/14-15)

So they defeated them by permission of Allah , and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds. (2/251)

Relevant Quranic verses to the topic: 

And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, "Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?" (4/75)

Have you not seen those who were told, "Restrain your hands [from fighting] and establish prayer and give zakah"? But then when fighting was ordained for them, at once a party of them feared men as they fear Allah or with [even] greater fear. They said, "Our Lord, why have You decreed upon us fighting? If only You had postponed [it for] us for a short time." Say, The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who fears Allah. And injustice will not be done to you, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed]." (4/77)

And the thief, male and female: cut off the hands of both, as a recompense for what they have earned, and a punishment exemplary from God; God is All-mighty, All-wise. (5/38)

O you who believe! Whoever of you reverts from his religion, (know that in his stead) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who loves Him, humble toward believers, stern toward disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer. Such is the grace of Allah which He gives unto whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. (5/54)

O believers, look after your own souls. He who is astray cannot hurt you, if you are rightly guided. Unto God shall you return, all together, and He will tell you what you were doing. (5/105)

And thus have We made in every town its guilty ones become the greatest ones, that they may plan therein; and they do not plan but against their own souls, and they do not perceive. (6/123)

So We make the evildoers friends of each other for what they have earned. (6/129)

Is not Allah sufficient for His servant? And they seek to frighten you with those apart from Him; And whoever Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide. (39/36)

Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad SAW) a manifest victory. That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path And that Allah might help you with a mighty help. It is He who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith along with their [present] faith. And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth, and ever is Allah Knowing and Wise. (48/1-4)

O believers, take not My enemy and your enemy for friends, offering them love, though they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you, expelling the Messenger and you because you believe in God your Lord. If you go forth to struggle in My way and seek My good pleasure, secretly loving them, yet I know very well what you conceal and what you publish; and whosoever of you does that, has gone astray from the right way. (60/1)

Anger Engine - 6

The connotation of anger is heat. Indeed, when angry, our body temperature increases and it becomes manifest on our faces. This state of ours, when explosively relieves itself, causes destructive results. Breaking things apart as such does not have to be the case, however. The same energy and power can be channeled to make permanent changes for the better.

In our study of anger towards God, we came to the point where we voluntarily decided to change things in ourselves. We started to work on a more direct and unmediated relationship with him. We were hoping to find, at last, peace with God and peace in our soul through such efforts. To our surprise, however, we realized that our All-Wise Guide wants us to do more and risk more! Why is it not enough for Him that we want to change ourselves?

There are several rays of wisdom shining from this enigma. First, God has different names and attributes, each having a different manifestation. Our state of anger towards Him, although forgivable through His mercy, requires a payment or a sacrifice as atonement. That is why we are pushed towards our limits, which may seem exacerbating the situation; but in fact, that state is a precursor to the peaceful days, as required by His compassion, mercy and generosity (2/214).

Second, the final word of God, Quran, is sent not as a library classic (25/30, 62/5) but as a genetic code to be brought alive through our deliberate and thoughtful actions (13/31, 59/21). Failing to do so is against the will of God. Therefore, He wants us to embrace the Quran wholly, and practice it even if it means going against the status quo, prejudices, social pressure or even if it means material loss (5/54). By pushing us to our limits in different aspects of life, several of them at the same time, the All-Wise Educator is ensuring that we are going to be obliged to explore the entire universe of the Quran. After all, it was us who had invited the tribulations by acting conservatively and risk-free by orbiting around the same, old planet (2/85).

Third, when we make a decision to change things in our selves, while crushed under the pressure of the unfortunate events, this is a reactionary state that is destined to fade by time. It does not warrant a permanent change (44/15). That is, even if we do things for a little while in the way pleasing to God, in the long run, as our feelings and anger sooth, we are likely to return to a robotic and conservative state, devoid of life and change. Quran is there to bring life to our relationship with God through His different names. So, our Lord pushes us to make irreversible changes both in ourselves and around us to cast a permanent improvement. He wants to ensure that we are not going to go back. Of course, He could do this using His infinite will and power, but that is against the notion of free will. So, our tolerant Lord prepares the grounds upon which we are going to take actions willfully. What those actions are depends on who we are and the circumstances we are in. We must read the Quran through the lens of the conditions surrounding us, which are likely to help us see the points that were previously invisible (50/22).

Fourth, if we are amidst unjust and unfair treatments, on one side it is us who must change, but on the other side, our environment must change, too. If God is telling us the signs of change through the tongue of misfortunes, He is also telling us by the same token to change things around ourselves as well. After all, justice and solidarity among people can not be established without healing the existing injustices. After all, the same mistakes are inevitable without changing the minds and paradigms. Ok but, how can you accomplish this daunting task, given that it is your failure thereof that has led to the tribulations and oppression crushing you?

This is where your faith goes into a challenge. If you do what is due to you and change yourself for the better, than on the other side of this contract is your Lord (2/40). He is the one to change what you are unable to. How He makes that happen is a matter of wonder. One thing is for sure, though. When He gives the reins to your hand in order for you to steer things towards the good, you must be ready for it. Realize that you cannot get ready for such mission if you don't get rid of the psychology of herd, if you cannot break free of slave mentality. You cannot prepare grand projects for the future, if your greatest ambitions are about recreating the past, which has been devastated by the Almighty. Looking into prosperous days requires you to trust in the power and will of your Merciful and Wise Lord, who is the cause of all causes.

So, the best time to make changes to ourselves is when we are angry and under pressure. It is also the best time to draft comprehensive plans to be  realized in the future. The readiness of those plans and your commitment thereof are not going to be wasted by the Exquisite Designer of the universe, who dislikes waste (6/95, 7/31). He is going to prepare not only the conditions but also the people so that you can achieve in short time what would be impossible for you otherwise.

GET READY.

Relevant Quranic verses to the topic: 

Children of Israel, recall My favors which you enjoyed. Fulfill your covenant with Me and I shall fulfill Mine. Revere only Me. (2/40)

... So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do. (2/85)

Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said,"When is the help of Allah ?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. (2/214)

And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, "Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?" (4/75)

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah , witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (5/8)

O you who believe! Whoever of you reverts from his religion, (know that in his stead) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who loves Him, humble toward believers, stern toward disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer. Such is the grace of Allah which He gives unto whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. (5/54)

O believers, look after your own souls. He who is astray cannot hurt you, if you are rightly guided. Unto God shall you return, all together, and He will tell you what you were doing. (5/105)

Indeed We sent to nations before thee, and We seized them with misery and hardship that they might be humble; Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing. Then, when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded. (6/42-44)

Surely Allah causes the grain and the stone to germinate; He brings forth the living from the dead and He is the bringer forth of the dead from the living; that is Allah! how are you then turned away. (6/95)

O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters. (7/31)

And if there was any qur'an by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur'an], ... (13/31)

And the Messenger cried out: O my Lord! surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing. (25/30)

And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. (29/69)

We shall remove the torment for a while but you will revert to your old ways. (44/15)

Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp. (50/22)

Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect . (59/21)

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (62/5)

Trustee of the Revelation

Have you ever witnessed violence against people or heard about it? What about a violence by the rich and powerful on the poor and weak? What about a violence by a famous one on an ordinary one? As you know, it is very easy and rewarding to fight against violence committed by the weak, poor and ordinary people. The same is not true for the opposite, though. If you are trying to stop an evil committed by the rich, powerful and famous, long before you suffer "correctional" sanctions, you face the public that admonishes you against what you are doing, either because they think you are going to get hurt or because they believe there is no way your accusations could be true of "such a nice person". Given all, you may feel divided between heeding your conscience and prioritizing your own safety. In such a case, what if the Creator of everything orders you to go forward with your cause?

"O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message..." (5/67)

Throughout the 23 years during which Muhammad pbuh performed his duty as a messenger of God, he had to go through similar situations several times. Sometimes, it was due to stopping evil, yet at other times, it was about changing the traditions, and at other times, it was going against the status-quo. So, you can say that the last 23 years of his life were very much stressful; a state not favorable for the core of his mission: preserving the Quran.

Aisha, one of the wives of the prophet Muhammad, when asked about the character of the prophet, had told that his morals were those of the Quran,  (Muslim, 746). This was so, indeed, because the divine book is not fully established in humans' perception, until and unless it is practiced. So, you could call the prophet, in this respect, the living Quran. Nevertheless, as time goes by, conditions change, and for example today, the events and traditions of the 7th century sometimes look irrelevant to us. So, the living example of prophet is not necessarily 100% applicable to us today. The good news is we have the book of God in its original form. And for that, we owe a lot to the messenger of God, since it was him who established the tradition of memorizing and preserving the text of the revelation. 

Today's science tells us that stress is detrimental for the memory. In the above paragraphs, I had mentioned that the period of Quran's revelation was also the same time frame that harbored countless stressful events. So, on top of those, keeping the Quran in your mind, a book that amounted to 600 pages over the span of 23 years, definitely brings another factor of stress. All together, the stress that Muhammad pbuh was going through could undermine his core mission. So, the Creator regularly sent relieving verses:

Then High above all be Allah, the True King. And be not in haste (O Muhammad SAW) with the Quran before its revelation is completed to you, and say: "My Lord! Increase me in knowledge." (20/114)

O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. (5/67)

Then maybe you will kill yourself with grief, sorrowing after them, if they do not believe in this announcement. Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an embellishment for it, so that We may try them (as to) which of them is best in works. (18/6-7)

Do you not see that We have sent the devils upon the disbelievers, inciting them to [evil] with [constant] incitement? So be not impatient over them. We only count out to them a [limited] number. (19/83-84)

Indeed, We will cast upon you a heavy word. Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the Word (of Prayer and Praise). (73/5)

So, on one side, the messenger was facing extreme challenges, but on the other side, his courage was refueled by God. One of the challenges, and actually the very first one, was to proclaim that God is one and only one. In a society, where people believe in multiple gods, introducing the idea that there is one and only one God is a great challenge. Here, I am not going to talk about the aspect looking towards the people; rather, I want to focus on the messenger. 

As witnessed by the historical records, after he made this claim, people starting shifted from "being surprised" to "being insulted", and then they grew in animosity to the point of waging war against him. Before we go that far though, in the beginning times of his mission, the Meccan pagans made an offer to him, which he rejected saying "even if they put the sun in my one hand, and the moon in the other, I am not going to give up. Either I die on this way or God makes me succeed in my cause." When this event happened, Muhammad was not in excellent conditions. Yes, he had a good reputation of being honest and truthful, he was the best in morals in the society, but those did not necessarily translate into power. Not at first sight, at least. So, this meant, he had to rely on God's help for power. 

At this point, you can feel that such experiences were actually the surgical operations of God on His messenger to hone his belief. After all, if the messenger is not fully convinced of his own mission, how else could he stand against the entire world? Trusting in your Lord who set you out on your cause means that, in reciprocity, your Lord has put His trust on you. And the first thing that follows this trust is the clearing of the fake powers and wrong information from your heart.

Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant. (33/72)

Luqman advised his son telling him, "My son, do not consider anything equal to God, for it is the greatest injustice." (31/13)

Read in the name of your Lord Who created. He created man from a clot. Read and your Lord is Most Honorable, who, by the pen, taught the human being: Taught man what he knew not. (96/1-5)

Islam, when it was first established in the Arabian peninsula, accepted Jerusalem as its qibla; meaning, the holy temple in Jerusalem was the target direction for prayers, and it was held most holy. This, in the beginning, gave the believers a confirmation and mental comfort that Islam is in the same line of Judeochristian tradition. The same fact also gave a hint to the Jews and Christians about the veracity of the message brought by Muhammad pbuh. However, there was a subtle point in all this. Jerusalem was holy, not because it was holy on its own but, because God had appointed it as such. 

This meant that if God chooses another location as holy, things change accordingly. In other words, it is not that "you are on the right path because you are turning to the right direction", but that "you are on the right direction because you are on the right path". This distinction became clear when the qibla was shifted from Jerusalem to Mecca. Even some of the believers were challenged by this shift, because the mentality was not properly set before. In a society where the confirmation of things come from their roots in the tradition, establishing something that has no roots in the tradition, be it cultural or religious, is both radical and outrageous. So, as the person who started all this, Muhammad had to stand tall and strong in the face of any backlash from his followers and from the members of the other two religions.

But if they turn away, [O Muhammad], say, "Sufficient for me is Allah ; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne." (9/129)

So, with knowledge comes power and freedom. And with freedom comes responsibility. A distinctive property of prophet Muhammad is that, unlike many other significant figures in history, throughout his mission during which he continuously rose to greater power, he always sided with truth, and did not become a tyrant that crushes the weak. A prime example of this was witnessed when a Christian group came to Medina and had a discussion with the messenger about the status of Jesus. This discussion later grew into a heated debate. My intention here is not to talk about the content of the talks but to describe the frame of events. This discussion is taking place in Medina, where the Christians had no power at all. They are discussing the topic not with an ordinary person but with the person at the top of the political and military power. And the venue for the discussion is not any public place or home but the mosque. Yet, the Christian group is not afraid of going forward with their arguments, which is a sign that they have not been treated badly nor had they been threatened in any way. Looking at such details of the frame of these events, it is obvious that such self-control on the side of prophet Muhammad is a sign of being trustworthy with the trust given by the Lord of the Worlds.

After all these, what is our take home message? The messenger of God was sent not only to the people of the 7th century Arabs but also to everyone until the end of time. So, looking at his example on being trustworthy with "introducing revolutionary elements", we can conclude that if we are convinced of the truth of an idea or an action, if we are sure that it does not contradict with the fundamental borders drawn by God, then we can trust the One who inspired us that idea or action.

God further enlightens those who seek guidance. To those who do charitable deeds which produce continuing benefits, your Lord will give a better reward and a better place in Paradise. (19/76)