Vision

The unbelievers do not recognize the believers today. They will fail to recognize them tomorrow when we stand in eighty, mighty rows, on a mighty Day, writes SYED IQBAL ZAHEER.

There is a huge change of heart between that of a believer and an unbeliever. With belief in Allah (swt) entering into a man’s heart, he acquires – or rather, is bestowed upon as an immediate reward – a new outlook, new opinions, new criteria of judgment, new values and all else of the heart and mind that matter spiritually and intellectually, giving him a completely new personality.

A most important element is a change of his relationship with God. God for him is a new finding, and the discovery that he is now near Him. He who was lonely, unprotected and unloved, discovers that he is no more alone, is in protection, and is loved.

This explains – a commonly observed spectacle – the tears in the eyes of a new Muslim, the moment he, or she, declare their new faith in God. Some keep crying every now and then, especially when in prostration. Some others cry out at the lightest touch of religious sentiments.

It was noticed of Dr. Iqbal that with the very mention of the Prophet’s name before him, brought tears into his eyes. When, in response to the request of the Prophet’s grandson, Bilal broke his vow that he will never say the Adhan again after the death of the Prophet, and when he started to say the Adhan, Madinah erupted. There was none but in tears. A few men and women were uncontrollable.

So, our hearts and minds are different. An unbeliever – be he a brother, a friend or anyone else – will never understand a believer, our hearts, our sentiments, our personalities. Our hearts are united in love – in a way unbelievers will never come to appreciate. Two unbelievers have disunited hearts. The Qur’an has said about them: “You reckon them united, but their hearts are split.” (59: 14)

In contrast, a believer is in love with an unbeliever, even if the two are living seas apart.

We wrote at the start of a book we authored on Bilal:

“Once… long back… at a point in our history… Hold on!

“The answer is, yes, ours is the history of the human race. But, even though part and parcel of the great sea of humanity, we stand out very clearly as a distinct people.

“We, the Muslims, have our own history, our own past and present, our own rise and fall, and our own starting and ending points.

“Even if we are very much a part of the humanity in general, our mental, moral, and spiritual make‑up and hence the paths dictated by them, the way of life suggested by them, are different.

“Hence, we, the torch‑bearers of morality, of order, of justice for all, of responsibility towards Man and nature, and, above all, of acknowledgement of the Oneness of God, have a history of our own that has followed a different path altogether.”

The unbelievers do not recognize the believers today. They will fail to recognize them tomorrow when we stand in eighty, mighty rows, on a mighty Day. They will say about us when fates would have been decided:

“How is it with us that we do not see men here whom we counted among the evil ones? We took them for a laughing-stock! Or, do the eyes swerve away from them (now)?” (The Qur’an, 38: 62-63).

A reminder: “Surely there is a lesson in this for those who have the vision.” (The Qur’an, 24: 44)

A believer therefore, is in close contact with his Lord all the time.

It is reported that Salih al-Murri said to Rabi`ah Basriyyah: “Whoever is persistent in knocking at the door, is on the verge of having it opened for him.”

Râb`ia asked him, “How long are you going to say this? When was the door closed so that one had to ask to have it opened?”