In this second article on deception called ‘April fool we look further into deception.
With the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful,
Hazrath Essa (AS) (Jesus) had great power by which he healed the sick, brought the dead back to life and made clay pigeons to come to life. One day he was spotted running away from some foolish people. A person asked him, if he could perform so many miracles, then why couldn’t he use that power to cure the foolish people.
Jesus (Essa PBUH) said: I pronounced (this prayer) lovingly over the heart of the fool hundreds of thousands of time but it was no cure (for his folly)….Said the other “what was the reason that the Names of God availed there, while it had no advantage here.”…. Jesus (PBUH) said: “the disease of folly (is the result) of God’s wrath; physical diseases and blindness are not (the result of Devine) wrath: they are a means of probation (test). Probation is a disease that brings (Divine) mercy (in its train), folly is a deed that brings divine rejection. That which is branded on him (the fool) He (God) had sealed: no hand can apply a remedy to it.” Flee from the foolish, seeing that even Jesus fled from them: how much blood has been shed by the companionship with fools.” Mathnawi 3:2585.
By this we can gage that it is a serious offense to be duped and to be a fool.
A fool is someone that is easily tricked and misled. The opposite of a fool is a sage who is wise. The Holy Prophet SAW) has very strongly said:
“Love for people is half of wisdom…” Al Hadis 1:4:42:194w,
So if we want to be wise we have to learn to love the people around us. Gone are the days when people only fooled us on the 1st of April.
These days, every day is April’s fool day with the exception that it is no joke. Everyone is trying to take us for a “ride” and if we ‘fall for it’ then we are fools. Around every corner there is someone waiting to play their tricks on us.
With today’s advanced knowledge of human psychology, ruthless marketing and glitzy presentation it is becoming increasingly more difficult not to be fooled. It is not so serious if we are tricked for our money and possessions because these are material things that we would have to leave behind anyway.
However to be fooled when it comes to our religion, faith and way of life, is another matter. This is serious because we could end up in bad books with our Creator.
If you think that it’s not possible for someone to trick you to believe in the wrong then read the Holy Quran and you will find plenty of examples. In Surah Fatiha, which we read about 30 times a day, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala teaches us to pray to be saved from those who mislead and are astray.
It is something we should worry about. I will give just one more example. While the Holy Prophet (SAW) was still living, a man built a mosque and asked the Holy Prophet (SAW) to come to the mosque to commission it. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala instructed the Holy Prophet (SAW):
“Never stand thou forth therein (this mosque)…… The foundation of those who so build, is never free from suspicion and shakiness in their hearts, until their hearts are cut to pieces. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise.” Al Quran 9:108.
This person realized that Islam was gaining strength and he wanted to take advantage of this and by building a mosque he was seeking a leadership position.
There were three other people that also claimed to be prophets at that time. Basically these people are trying to fool everyone to become their leaders.
Some movements in Islam today take some parts of our religion that are undisputable and they really stress on this to make themselves look good so as to attract followers, some pick fault with others to make themselves look good, while others adorn pious garb to attract fellowship.
All sects cannot be true so there are many people being fooled when it comes to beliefs.
Therefore who we listen to, who we take our guidance from is extremely important. There is the adage ‘birds of a feather flock together.’
PWhat we desire will determine where we will end up. If we are seeking name and fame then we would be attracted to upmarket mosques, events and people that seek name and fame.
When we do this then we are setting ourselves up to be fooled. It is important therefore to sincerely seek out the Truth and truly strive for it. This is what our daily prayer is all about, asking Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to guide us.
If we place our Trust sincerely in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala then He would surely guide us right.
Now, Allah’s words are not found in fancy organizations, plush mosques, glossy books or with the rich and noble; Allah’s people are not dressed in fancy robes, nor are they the elite in society, nor do they have titles.
The angels of light, the jinn of fire, all thought little of the puny man of clay. The stuttering Moosa (AS) pitted against the elite Pherone, the weak Dawood (AS) against the huge Goliath, the ill equipped army of Muhammad (SAW) amidst the mighty Meccan army and the empires of Rome and Persia.
Truth needs no marketing, no fancy brochure, no elaborate words, no elaborate buildings, no elaborate titles and no elaborate armies.
It will always be with those that are simple, those that appear weak and those that are rejected. Abu Huraira (RA) reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace he upon him) as saying:
“Many a person with dishevelled hair and covered with dust is turned away from the doors (whereas he is held in such a high esteem by Allah) that if he were to adjure in the name of Allah (about anything) Allah would fulfil that. Muslim Bk 32, Number 6351
Apart from true people not using superficial means to influence people, they do not want anything in return for their service when it comes to religion. They do not want wealth, they do not seek recognition, they do not seek leadership and they do not want any favors.
The following kind of verse quite often appears in the Holy Quran where prophets made this kind of statement to their people.
`And O my people! I ask you in return for this (- my teaching) no wealth. My reward is due only from Allah….’ Al Quran 11:29.
Muhammad (SAW)’s people will always appear to be the poor, weak and downtrodden. If we are searching for God then we must be humble. We must associate ourselves with the humble, the meek, the low and if possible ‘the nothing.’
We must not allow fancy words, titles, dress etc. to influence us but instead we must be on guard when we detect people using such effects to influence others.
There are plenty of studies that prove that the media and movies especially, have a profound effect on the viewer.
A boy once really jumped off the first story after seeing the movie Tarzan. Most of us might not do something so silly but we can be fooled to want to be like the hero or heroine.
Most of us may not consciously realize it but our attitude and our behaviour is being shaped by the media. They use this glitz and glamour to glorify certain behaviour and most of the time these are bad ones.
As Muslims we may not be influenced so easily to consume alcohol but we may be influenced in other ways such as having a wedding in a certain style or dressing in a certain way, or wanting to have wealth, or wanting to be a joker, or having a body like the hero or heroine etc.
If we think about this carefully then we would be amazed at just how much the media influences us and we are being fools to follow these trends.
The reality of this is that most of these trends bring misery to people in the long term. They instil in us pre conceived false notions of an ideal life but in reality, life just does not pan out like it is in the movies and we end up being sad and miserable.
If left to our own devices, no matter how wealthy or how educated we are, we really do not have a chance of escaping from this web of deceit.
However, if we place our trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and depend on Him to guide us, then there is absolutely no way that we would be fooled. We pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala guides us all on the True path. Ameen.
Peace and salutations be upon Allah’s Messengers who are responsible for guiding humanity throughout time. Ameen.
Published by Anjuman e Waris e Mohammedi.
Anjuman e Waris e Mohammedi was founded by Dr Hakim Hazrath Khwaja Sayed Shareef Ahmed Ali Shah RA (lovingly known as Hazrath Poona Wale Shah Saab RA)
Author: Mohamed Hassan Gaffoor WhatsApp: +27849101486