Chapter Sa’d – Part 7

38:26 “Oh David! We have made you a vicegerent on earth: judge, then, between people with justice, and do not follow vain desires, lest it leads you astray from the path of God.  Those who go astray from the path of God will have a severe punishment for having ignored the Day of Account.”

If I just look at the world in a general sense, without looking for guidance from my Creator (I need to make judgment according to the will of the Creator always), then I am just acting according to my own perception.  What does it mean to act on behalf of somebody? It means that the authority does not belong to me, for I am just the vicegerent.  Example: if the President does not authorize the Vice-President on a matter, then the Vice President has no authority to execute anything whatsoever. Furthermore, the Vice-President must always look up to the President because he is acting on behalf of the President. Similarly, when it comes to our lives, although one may be using their innocent feelings to solve some matter, that is not enough, because we must use the criterion of their Creator.  

A wish or want may be an innocent desire but if it is devoid of God, then it is in vain. This makes me feel serious about my life because my desires must have a base because empty (hawa) desires have no base.  Hence, I must look for a foundation for my judgment.  That is the main human responsibility to look for the foundations for his/her decisions/purposes in his/her life.

You must define this life in such a way that this life is not going to end with death. It must have a continuation, because a conscious decision maker brought it into existence.  You cannot live here as much as you like, and you find yourself in a ready set universe. Who sets this universe/order up for you?

Everything is functioning for you, not only in bodily sense, but feeling wise as well. Everything is perfectly fitting each other; it cannot be in vain. With the permission of whom am I acting in this world?  Who is operating on my life? We must ask this question frequently to ourselves.  We must take the words of the Quran seriously to have a general idea of the teachings of the Quran.  If I pay attention to these types of concerns, then I find my life to be meaningful and there is a deliberate purpose in my existence.  Hence, I can make the most of my life.

Vain desires lead us astray from the path of God, Owner of the universe, our Creator.  We are the vicegerent of our Creator, and He has given us to use the universe as we like, He left us free, but we may deviate: “here you are enjoying the house of the universe.”  The major issue presented in this verse is spoiling our purpose of being in this universe, not that I am meddling up with the act of creation.

If I do not do my job properly, take notice of my work and don’t realize that I am acting on behalf of the permission of my Creator, who brought me here and is treating me as an honorable free guest, then I am spoiling the purpose of my being here. Rather, I should pay attention to my purpose and listen to what my conscience says: “I trust you and give you enough capacity to use, I think you will do enough to fulfill your position as the vicegerent, so that you will fulfill the purpose of what your Creator wants.”

This universe is created for me, and I must use it in the way appropriate to my creation.  If we just live here generally and follow vain desires, we will have severe punishment for ignoring the day of account.  We are going to be considered for what we are doing here, although we are given equipment to use here in an honorable way.  We should not ignore Him and say that I am free to do anything I want, that is a dishonest choice.  You feel that this world is a transient realm, and you are set free here.  You can do anything, but for what?  Why am I given all these qualities?  That is why death is there.  If there was no death, I would say here I am and done.

I am thankful for the Creator to create death for me so that I can take care of my responsibility to know that there is something next. Why am I taken away from here?  For an account, “I gave you everything to be honest to the purpose of your existence, but you ignored it by denying that you will be taken into account”. 

When I am doing something here, don’t I have to remember why I am doing this?  Example: I am doing this job, so I will get paid, and take care of my life.  No one goes to the store without any purpose.  If someone comes to ask you to do something, you must ask for what?  It is human and innate with us that we cannot ignore it.  Why are we here in this world is an innate concern and question?  We suppress it because we do not want to acknowledge that we are vicegerent of the Creator here.  But we act as if I am the President of myself and own everything I have been given.

38:27 “We have not created the heaven and the earth and all that between them without meaning and purpose. That is the assumption of the unbelievers. How terrible the fire will be for the unbelievers?”

Suddenly, the subject changes from one point to another.  In College, you are free to attend or not attend the classes, and the Professor says nothing when he sees you. Ok, I can declare my independence and ignore the system of the university.  Think about the future of your life, first meaning and then the future.  

As if my parents put me in the education system to prepare me for life.  I know that I must attend classes.  Even if I am an unbeliever, I know that I must attend classes.  I am free to ignore it.  The Quran says that I gave you the example of David and reminded you to take account of your life. You may not still take your life seriously, let me remind you from the example of someone else. All the examples (David) are for a universal purpose.  That is why we cannot read the Prophetic stories as an individual story.

Is this universe created without meaning and purpose?  Is an insect for nothing?  Is there a room in a house for nothing?  We must investigate.  The example given on a person is the source of the universal message. That is why we must get universal messages in the story of David as well. It is an example for me to apply it to myself, just like all human beings apply to themselves within the requirements of their time.

We must pass judgment based on the will of the Creator, remembering the Creator, the end of our life. What is the point in it when I pass judgment?  Why does the owner put me in these conditions? What does He want me to do here, rather, I should say, “what I want to do here as it appears to me at first glance?” This is the universal message.

Only those people that are conscious of their human nature, are believers. Kafara means to cover up, farmers put seed under the soil, they are “kafir”. They know that because of putting seeds there, there will be more seeds. We may be covering up the reminder from within oneself as a result of freewill, we have the option to cover or suppress what is innate in us. That is why people who do not want to submit are “kafir,” they cover up their reality.  

• These (free will) are the tools that are given to me.  I must act in His name by using my free will.

Everything has wisdom in its existence.  What is “accident?” There is no accident in the universe. People can claim but cannot prove “accidents”.  There is no evidence for “accidents” in the universe, because the people who cover up say that the universe happens to be like this. It is so careless and irresponsible. Covering up one’s innate disposition, questioning and inquiring abilities/tools. The meaning of the universe is there.

We must see the signs of fire here, while we are ignoring the foundations of the existence of the universe here. This universe is a gift and we have been honored as guests here invited by someone, it is prepared for us.

“Fire”, means that as I suppress my feelings, within myself I start feeling stress, I may make it appear as justifiable for my reality.  As a result, I find an excuse to justify myself.

Everything is purposeful here, even the existence of a cup is purposeful. The wonderful structure of the universe, and subatomic world is there for a reason. The Quranic message is just a reminder for us, reminding what is within me. I am questioning what it can be, the Quran answers the human questions.

Comment: A molecule of air and drop of water has a signature of its Creator in it. 

Atheist interpretations contain a stress under their findings, saying that these people have conditioned themselves with the idea of God.  However, if you question the source of existence of anything then you come to a logical conclusion that this universe must have an Absolute Creator.

38:28 “Would we treat those who believe and do righteous deeds like those who spread corruption on earth!  Or would We treat those who are the God-conscious in the same manner as the wicked!”

“Muttaqee” (God conscious) and “Fujjar” (deniers), will we treat them equally?  At the end of a 4-year school, the students are given the diploma, which they put on the wall after graduation, saying that I am a certified professional aesthetician for example.  During the education system, every student is enjoying the pleasure of learning, developing their human capacities and becoming more aware of their capacity. The reward of doing the right thing is in school while you are taking the class, you enjoy the learning, when you attempt to learn, you concentrate on it. After learning, you are happy and know how to do it. Those students who do not learn do not enjoy their capacity and cannot practice what they were supposed to do. Similarly, the treatment of the righteous/God conscious and wicked people are not treated the same way here and the hereafter.

Unfortunately, a lot of believing people are struggling from stress, anger, not being well (illness), or something is wrong or unhappy. Why? Not because of belief. The reason for unhappiness is the lack of application of belief.  If someone believes in God and knows that everything is prepared by a merciful Creator who brought him here out of Mercy, what part of the universe deserves to be given existence then?  Everything is created out of Mercy and Love. Look into the creation of anything within yourself.  Example: the nervous system, the digestive system… The mechanism of any of your bodily systems is given existence for you freely.

Familiarity is our enemy. Just like parents are ready to sacrifice everything for the first baby, and when the second comes, they say why bother about little things?  Rather, we must keep the joy and amazement alive by connecting it to our Source of Existence.  Everything is a gift, nothing is what we deserve, but, unfortunately we do not learn from our mistakes.  As a child, you don’t have to force your parents to take care of your nourishment, they are employed by your Creator to provide it to you.  Similarly, who takes care of all your human expectations here?  Who makes nourishment for you?  Unfortunately, those who claim to believe in God may not act as belief in God requires. Failure comes from the ignorance of the content of the belief. 

38:29 “This is a blessed Book, which We have revealed to you so that they might reflect upon its verses and that those who are endowed with insight may take them to heart.”