وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ
And these are days [of varying conditions] that We alternate among the people……(Quran 3:140)
Among the naïve traits of human beings is that of assuming that the status quo, whether good or bad, will always remain. When experiencing times of prosperity, for example, an individual is experiencing a period in life with no debt, three meals daily, no anxiety of danger, most do not even entertain the idea of an opposite situation occurring. On the other hand, an individual experiencing turbulent times, perhaps drowning in debt, sometimes hungry, afraid of being a victim of daily crime, may start to wonder if there will ever be an end to his or her circumstance. In general, we as human beings live life assuming that the status quo, whether good or bad will always remain the same.
However, the Quran, Sunnah, as well as history, beg to differ with our assumption. Allah tells us in the Quran that the conditions, both negative and positive, continue to alternate for all types of people.
The Battle of Uhud And A Timeless Lesson
When the Muslims suffered an apparent defeat, Allah Almighty revealed the following verse:
إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ ۚ وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
If a wound should touch you – there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs – and Allah does not like the wrongdoers (Quran;, 3: 140).
While the defeat was due to specific reasons, the lesson which Allah has taught us through the Ayah is absolutely timeless. Allah is telling us that victories and setbacks rotate between people, and no single person, group, or entity ever remains dominant forever. Today’s victor may very well be tomorrow’s loser. Therefore, as Muslims, we are taught that true dominion belongs to Allah alone. Secondly, success or victory does not depend on material success alone. Rather, success for Muslims depends solely upon what is to come in the life after death. Any success in this world is only seen as success if it will benefit one in the hereafter. And to the contrary, any setbacks in the world, may be a blessing in disguise as it may secure us a reward in the hereafter. Therefore, the Muslims who were martyred during the battle of Uhud were defeated in the worldly sense but were still victorious in the truer sense. They will be honored for their martyrdom with the highest of stages in the hereafter.
A Continuous Rotating Cycle
As the proverb says:
Tough times create strong men. Strong men create great times. Great times create weak men. And weak men create tough times.
Such is the story of all mighty empires. They arise by the work of powerful men created through struggle and hardships.They are destroyed through weak and incompetent men who were brought up in luxury. In sports were the same teams which were dominant ten to fifteen years ago still the same today? Are the same champions of Boxing and MMA still holding any titles as we speak? The answer to all of this is to the negative. Every single sports team experiences the cycle of victory and defeat . Every MMA or Boxing champion eventually either faces defeat at the hands of younger fighter, or atleast retires after realizing the true extent of their success. Volumes of books and numerous motion pictures have gone into detail describing the might of the Roman Empire. An empire which had ruled much of the world for a millennium and a half (1500 years). At its height, it had spanned 3 continents. Today it is only remembered in architectural ruins scattered across the Middle East and Europe. Even the language of the Roman Empire, Latin, remains spoken in only the smallest country on the planet, The Vatican City. Alongside the Roman Empire existed its rival, even more ancient, the Persian Empire. The Persian Empire, like its rival, the Roman Empire had similarly lasted close to a millennium. At its height, it also spanned 3 continents (parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, and Northern Egypt). Till this day, people marvel at its previous might and glory, when reading about it in books of history. However, today, it remains as nothing else but a memory, survived by a few monuments and ruins in modern-day Iran. Every single empire which had ever existed had its rise, followed by a period of prosperity, thereafter, followed by a period of decline and collapse. This repetitive cycle is a summarized history of all the mightiest empires of the past, be it the Greek, Roman, Persian, as well as the Islamic Empires.
Allah tells us in the Quran about previous mighty civilizations such as ‘Ad, Thamud, and the people of Saba’. From the materialistic point of view, they had reached such heights that any kind of weakness or vulnerability had become unfathomable by them. Just as Rome and Persia became arrogant after reaching these heights, so too did the previous nations of Aad, and Thamud. How mighty were the people of Aad? Allah describes them as such:
الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ
The likes of whom had never been created in the land (Quran, 89:8).
Narrations mention that the people of Aad were naturally powerful to the extent that the average Aadite had the ability to rip off a palm tree with their bare hands! They had the capability of building palaces in the mountains for the sake of recreation alone. And they were feared by the other nations surrounding them. Despite all of these bounties, rather than expressing gratitude to Allah, they had proclaimed:
مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً
Who is more powerful than us (Quran, 41:15)?
Allah answers them:
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً
Did they not consider that Allah who created them(and gifted them with ALL of the blessings they enjoy) is in fact more powerful than them (Quran, 41: 16)?
As a result of their arrogance, Allah had first brought upon them a drought. Thereafter a cloud came above them which they initially mistook to be a cloud of rain. In reality, it was a cloud containing a windstorm.
“فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًا مُّسْتَقْبِلَ أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ قَالُوا هَٰذَا عَارِضٌ مُّمْطِرُنَا ۚ بَلْ هُوَ مَا اسْتَعْجَلْتُم بِهِ ۖ رِيحٌ فِيهَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ”
And when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said, “This is a cloud bringing us rain!” Rather, it is that for which you were impatient: a wind, within it a painful punishment(Quran, 46: 24)!
What is it that remains of a once powerful nation which was known to carve magnificent architecture within mountains? A nation of people who where feared for their intimidating appearance? Allah thereafter says:
“فَأَصْبَحُوا لَا يُرَىٰ إِلَّا مَسَاكِنُهُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْقَوْمَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ”
“And they became such that nothing was seen [of them] except their dwellings. Thus, do We recompense the criminal people.”
Similarly, in recent times people have witnessed the height of superpowers such as the Soviet Union, the British empire, and the United States. The might of the Soviet Union, a superpower that ruled around a quarter of the world is now survived by a middle world nation struggling with a severe economic crisis, with 12% of its population living below the poverty line. The British empire, once known as the empire for which the sun never sets, now remains as nothing but a shadow of its former self.
In a similar manner, we see a rise and fall within ourselves. Our life begins in a state of absolute vulnerability. We slowly and slowly grow stronger and independent. After reaching one’s peak, the process of aging gradually kicks in. All physical abilities begin to slowly dwindle until one is brought back to a state of utter dependence.
Lessons to be Learnt
In summary, nothing remains the same. Undefeated champions are eventually dethroned. World superpowers slowly decay and fall. Beauty is short-lived and eventually forgotten. All human beings experience the involuntary cycle of dependence followed by independence once again followed by utter dependence and thereafter death. What lessons can we derive from this inevitable reality? Allah says:
ومالحياة الدنيا إلا متاع الغرور
And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion (Quran 57; 24)?
Surely, it is a delusion . People see the climax, the peak, the absolute prime of empires and champions, the temporary beauty of youth and forget the inevitability of the disappearance of each of these things. We marvel at these as if they will last forever. We should not be fooled by the temporary glory of individuals or empires as all glory belongs to Allah alone. Rather we as human beings need to ask ourselves how we can earn the pleasure of Allah with all the gifts he has bestowed on us for free, especially that of our youth.
لاَ تَزُولُ قَدَمَا ابْنِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّهِ حَتَّى يُسْأَلَ عَنْ خَمْسٍ عَنْ عُمْرِهِ فِيمَا أَفْنَاهُ وَعَنْ شَبَابِهِ فِيمَا أَبْلاَهُ وَمَالِهِ مِنْ أَيْنَ اكْتَسَبَهُ وَفِيمَ أَنْفَقَهُ وَمَاذَا عَمِلَ فِيمَا عَلِمَ
The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: about his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it and spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew (Bukhari & Muslim).
From the above hadith, we learn that the very things which people use to boast over one another in this world (wealth, knowledge, physical ability) will be the same things that Allah will question each person in regard to. The purpose of power, wealth, and knowledge is to use each in earning the pleasure of Allah; nothing else; not for boasting over one another, and not for others to see in awe. Rather our own perceived glory in and of itself is a manifestation let’s humble ourselves before Allah. Understand that we are absolutely nothing without His help. Let’s use our wealth, physical abilities, and talents in the path towards good. At the end of the day, Allah is not in need of our actions. We are in need of presenting our actions to Allah.
Sheikh Mohammed Mamun serves as a Khatib within the South Atlanta area, and delivers lectures across Masajid in the United States. He is currently studying Psychology and Computer Information Systems at Georgia State University and conducts online classes for Lubab Academy’s Arabic Language program.