Serenity and Contentment at Dawn

 This is a draft for my sermon this week:

‏روى مسلم عَنْ ‏ ‏الْعَبَّاسِ قال‏ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏(ص) ‏‏ذَاقَ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا ‏ ‏وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏رَسُولًا 

[Muslim narrated on the authority of Al-`Abbas; the Prophet (p) said: "One has tasted faith who is content with God as lord, Submission as religion, and Muhammad as messenger."]

"Tasted faith," the Prophet (p) said, and taste is a temporary state = حال. This is the starting point of faith, but it guides us to the permanent station of Contentment = مقام الرضا, which is the final objective of faith.

The 89th chapter of the Qur'an brings glad tidings to those who achieve this station: "O soul at peace, return to your Lord, content and satisfied. Join with My worshipers into My heaven." (27--30)

It is often challenging to find serenity and contentment. So, the beginning of the chapter points to special times for solitary restoration, starting with the most hopeful time of all -- dawn, when darkness yields to light (1--5):

و الفجر
By the dawn
و ليال عشر
;and ten nights
و الشفع و الوتر
by the even and the odd
و الليل إذا يسر
.and by the passing of the night
هل في ذلك قسم لذي حجر
?Are these not significant for the mindful

This is consistent with the Prophetic tradition:

‏روى البخاري عَنْ ‏ ‏أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏ ‏عَنْ النَّبِيِّ ‏ ‏(ص) ‏ ‏قَالَ ‏... وَاسْتَعِينُوا ‏ ‏بِالْغَدْوَةِ ‏ ‏وَالرَّوْحَةِ ‏ ‏وَشَيْءٍ مِنْ ‏ ‏الدُّلْجَةِ 

[Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (p) said: "... and seek support at the beginning and end of each day, and part of the night.]

Corruption, oppression and injustice disturb our peace. But the chapter goes on to teach that we should adopt different timeframes when thinking about these civilization-scale issues. The only constant is change, but it happens at its own pace — over centuries, not lifetimes or years. We are thus reminded in this chapter how major changes have evolved over centuries (6--14): 

ألم تر كيف فعل ربك بعاد
,Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with `Ad
إرم ذات العماد
,Iram of the great pillars
التي لم يخلق مثلها في البلاد
;the like of which had not been created
و ثمود الذين جابوا الصخر بالواد
,and Thamood, who carved rocks in the valley
و فرعون ذي الأوتاد
;and Pharaoh, with the massive tents
الذين طغوا في البلاد
those who transgressed in their nations
فأكثروا فيها الفساد
,and multiplied corruption therein
فصب عليهم ربك سوط عذاب
;and thus your Lord poured severe punishment upon them
إن ربك لبالمرصاد
!for your Lord is ever watchful

Of course, we should not confuse contentment with inaction. On the contrary, being content with God's decree is conducive to good action, even as we acknowledge that only God can change the world. In one narration of the long Hadith of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, the Prophet (p) teaches him:

فإنِ استطعتَ أن تعملَ للهِ بالرضا مع اليقينِ فافعل ، فإن لم تستطع فإنَّ في الصبرِ على ما تكرهُ خيرًا كثيرًا 

[If you can work with contentment and certainty, then that is better; but if you cannot, then there is much good in perseverance through what you dislike.]

In the holy tradition (حديث قدسي) narrated by Bukhari on the authority of Abu Hurayra:

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏ ‏يُؤْذِينِي ابْنُ ‏ ‏آدَمَ ‏ ‏يَسُبُّ الدَّهْرَ وَأَنَا الدَّهْرُ بِيَدِي الْأَمْرُ أُقَلِّبُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ 

[Allah (s) said: The son of Adam insults Me by cursing time. But I Am Time, I control all, and alternate nights and days.]

The chapter then turns to the individual human time scale, the most relevant for us (15--20):

فأما الإنسان إذا ما ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه و نعمه

فيقول ربي أكرمن
As for man, whenever his Lord tries him
,with honors and blessings
;then he says: My Lord has honored me
و أما إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه
فيقول ربي أهانن
,but when He tries him with restricted provisions
.then he says: My Lord has humiliated me
كلا بل لا تكرمون اليتيم
,No! You honor not the orphan
و لا تحاضون على طعام المسكين
,and you enjoin not feeding the needy
و تأكلون التراث أكلاً لما
and you devour inheritance voraciously
و تحبون المال حباً جما
.and you love wealth unreasonably

This juxtaposition is reminiscent of the admonition of Ibn `Ata'-Illah:

اجتهادك فيما ضمن لك و تقصيرك فيما طلب منك دليل على انطماس البصيرة منك

[Your striving for what He has guaranteed for you and falling short on what He has required of you is a proof that your inner sight is blind.]

The chapter concludes by describing opposite destinations for the faithless and the faithful (21--26): 

كلا إذا دكت الأرض دكاً دكا
No! When the earth is pounded into dust
و جاء ربك و الملك صفاً صفا
,and your Lord comes amidst ranks of angels
و جيء يومئذ بجهنم، يومئذ يتذكر الإنسان و أنى له الذكرى
;and hell is brought forth
!then man will remember -- and what a remembrance
يقول يا ليتني قدمت لحياتي
.He will say: I wish I had forwarded for my true life
فيومئذ لا يعذب عذابه أحد
On that day, none other shall punish him
و لا يوثق وثاقه أحد
.and none other shall bind him

Abdul-Qader Al-Jailani mentioned in his exegesis of this verse that self punishment through regret is the worst. This is the fate of souls that do not find serenity and contentment.

As for those who do, may we be among them (27--30): 

يأيتها النفس المطمئنة
,O soul at peace
ارجعي إلى ربك راضية مرضية
;return to your Lord, content and satisfied
فادخلي في عبادي
Join with My worshippers
و ادخلي جنتي
.into My Heaven