The power of Allah

The prophets of Allah, peace be upon them, and those who possess religious knowledge keep away from things which cloud their judgment in any situation. First and foremost, they know that there are no Asbab (means or ways) to anything except by the expressed Will of Allah. It is following the commands and prohibitions that Allah Almighty has prescribed for us that enables us recognize and see the truth for truth and adhere to it, and to see falsehood as such and avert it. Deception is the only other alternative. There is a striking example of this in the Quran. When Talout, or Saul, set out to defeat Goliath, he tested his men by prohibiting them during their force march from drinking in a nearby river, saying: "He who drinks of it is not of me" [2:249]. Nearly all the men, perhaps thinking of the long march ahead, and how they were going to need water for physical strength, drank from the river—disobeying him! They calculated strength and ability by physical means, instead of understanding that God has power over all things and gives success to whom He wills.

By the time Saul crossed the river, those who had drunk from the water said: "No strength have we today against Goliath and his forces," ' and they gave up! By disobeying God's messenger, they lost the true power of faith in Allah!

But those who realized they would certainly meet Allah Almighty said: How many a small company has prevailed over a more numerous company by Allah's permission. And Allah is with those who are patient!" Those of Saul's men who obeyed him, and knew that all might and power is with Allah, were given deeper understanding and ability from Allah to defeat the enemy. “And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers, they said, ‘Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.’ 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.” [Quran 2:250-51]

The choice is ours

The believers know that Allah's supreme power is obvious in every single thing that they see in this world, and that their own capabilities are given to them only by Allah—and may be taken away from them By Him Almighty at anytime. Sometimes the Companions of Prophet Muhammad would shake out of fear of not living from one moment to the next. Living with such awareness is living with full knowledge of Allah's absolute Lordship over His creation.

The Prophet referred to Allah Almighty as "the One in Whose Hands is my soul." This underscores the incredible sense of awe he felt toward his Creator, the Giver of Life, and the Bringer of Death. Allah Almighty gave the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, ultimate strength and victory in this life. But why do most of our peers have such a drastically different sense?

It contrasts so markedly with our own because the state of the Companions came from a conscious effort and deliberate choice. Believers constantly remind themselves of Allah's absolute power over existence. Disbelievers, on the other hand, do not see signs of Allah Almighty at all—anywhere. The reason for this is quite simple: The Prophet Muhammad said Allah Says: "I am at the contemplation of My servants: I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself.”

Imagine that. The intimacy between Allah Almighty and the individual human is dependant in the sense of spiritual favor on how often we ourselves actually choose to open our hearts and turn to our Creator in gratefulness and repentance, and for signs of guidance. If we do not turn to Allah Almighty, we have no guarantee that He Almighty will turn to us. But if we turn to Him, then Allah Almighty is the Ever-Returning. He will turn to us, give us knowledge of Him, strengthen our hearts, and open up doors for our advancement in the real life to come.

He Almighty is the one who purifies His servants' intellect and gives them a criterion for understanding the values of things in the life of this world, till they meet Him in the next. Allah Almighty gives His obedient servants a criterion for recognizing the true nature of power and might, and the ultimate value of the things around them and the actions they choose to do. There is a connection between these three things—the Divine criterion, the true nature of power, and the ultimate value of things and actions—which the human being instinctively relies upon even in his daily interactions with others. We must look to utilize this part of our human nature in our daily interactions with Allah Almighty.

For there is no power nor might nor value to anything except through Him.

In Allah’s Hands alone - I