Zilqad 1444   ||   June 2023

Who is the one who responds to the desperate?

Mawlana Fazluddin Miqdad

In Sura Naml, Allah Ta'ala said:

 

اَمَّنْ يُّجِيْبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ اِذَا دَعَاهُ وَ يَكْشِفُ السُّوْْءَ وَ يَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ الْاْرضِ ءَاِلٰهٌ مَّعَ اللهِ قَلِيْلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُوْنَ.

Who is He who responds to the desperate one when he calls him and removes his evil and makes you the inheritors of the earth? (Yet do you say) there is another Lord with Allah? You take very little advice. — Surah Namal (27): 62

This is one of the verses from the fifth ruku’ of Surah Naml. Throughout the fifth ruku of Surah Naml, Allah told about his power and oneness. Also, He ordered the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to ask them- who created the world and who controls and manages everything in the earth so competently? They will say, Allah. Yet they turn away from my worship.

He who alone created all things, by whose sole power all things are governed, does he need any partner and helper? Obviously, He does not need any partner. Yet some are so disobedient that they do shirk with him. Such people are called the greatest wrongdoers in the Quran.

In fact, in times of danger, everyone cries to Allah from heart. However, when Allah rescued them from danger, some of them forget Him. Allah Ta'ala has mentioned this in several verses in the Qur'an.

Allah says-

وَ مَا بِكُمْ مِّنْ نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللهِ ثُمَّ اِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَاِلَيْهِ تَجـَرُوْنَ, إُمَّ اِذَا كَشَفَ الضُّرَّ عَنْكُمْ مْ بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُوْنَ.

Whatever blessing you have, belongs to Allah. And when any sorrow touches you, you seek help from Him. Then when He removes your distress, a group from you starts associating partners with their Lord. — Surah Nahl (16): 53-54

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught the helpless person to recite this dua— O Allah! I hope for your mercy. So don't give up me to myself for a moment. Repair all of my affairs. There is no god but You. —Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 20430

Ibn Kathir r.a., in his Tafsir, mentioned a story-

In Damascus, a man had a donkey. He earned his living by renting it. One day, he was going somewhere with his goods. A stranger came and said, take me to a certain place. The donkey owner took him as a passenger in the hope of more profit. After crossing the city, the stranger said, "take that rout, it is faster.” The donkey owner said, I am not familiar with that road.

The passenger said, I will guide you. So, the donkey owner took that road.

After covering some distance, they came in a wasteland, where there is no sign of human being. Then the stranger said, stop, I will get off.

Perplexed, the donkey owner questioned, why do you want to get off here? There is nothing.

The stranger said again, stop, I will get off. 

The owner of the donkey halted his donkey. The man dismounted the donkey and drew a dagger from his waist.

Terrified, the owner of the donkey pleaded, "For Allah's sake, let me go, take this donkey and all my goods, but please, don't kill me." But he did not agree. He said, I will take them, and I will kill you as well. The owner of the donkey begged for his life. But it didn't work. Then he said- let me pray at least two rakats.

He said, well, hurry up.

The owner of the donkey stood in prayer. But he could not remember any verse because of fear. Meanwhile, the robber was chasing him with a dagger. At that time suddenly this verse came to his mind and he recited -

اَمَّنْ يُّجِيْبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ اِذَا دَعَاهُ وَ يَكْشِفُ السُّوْٓءَ.

Who is He who responds to the desperate one when he calls him and removes his evil and makes you the inheritors of the earth?

At that very moment, something extraordinary happened. A horseman appeared in that uninhabited valley and killed the robber with a spear.

Upon completing the task, the horseman started to leave. The owner of the donkey quickly asked him, "Who are you? Who proteced me?"

He said, I am the servant of the one, who responds to the desperate and  removes danger. ( Tafsir Ibn Qathir 3/383)

Allah Ta'ala tests his servants with different situations. He wants to see whether they are patient in troubles and gratitude in happiness. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each servant to exhibit patience during times of danger and express gratitude to Allah during moments of joy. Every believer must believe that only Allah answers the call of the distress and only He removes dangers.

 

 

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