By Haroon Balogun

LAST week we discussed about the power of dua. We cannot exhaust the importance of dua. The recently concluded general elections was a pointer to the fact that dua changed the expectation or otherwise prediction of abysmal failure and break up of Nigeria as a nation. We have not only recorded an enviable success, we have raised the bar in the quest for democracy among the comity of nation. As it were, prayer is a catalyst for change. It is the only thing that can change an impending and imminent catastrophe and in fact alter the destiny of man.

Today, looking at the lessons of the whole episode in the country today, I consider Quran Chapter 18, Suratul Khaf relevant to this moment.

The Surah is always a light that illuminates the soul of every Muslim especially when dealing with how people can fit in into the vicissitude of life in the face of challenges. This particular chapter of the Glorious Quran always come to my mind not only as a prayer but also as a lesson we must learn in life. It’s parables refer to the brevity, uncertainty and vanity of life.

Life as ajourney

Life as a journey is full of many paradoxes which can only be subdued with clear knowledge, patience and fortifying the soul with untainted spiritual powers that can halt the incursion of evils. As a tip, if you want to achieve that recite Suratul Khaf a lot. How has the mighty fallen? The major has become the minor. For a party which had boasted brazenly that it will rule for 60years controlling 75 to 80 percent of the controllables in Nigeria has become minor. Power has become powerless.

The tantrums of war and hate have become watershed for peace and love. These paradoxes and vicissitudes of life are everyday lessons for those who are wise. In this chapter, the parable of a man who is puffed with the good things of life such as power and money is brought to naught (verses 23-44)

Apart from the stories of the mysterious teacher who showed Moses how life itself was a parable and that of Dhul-Qarnain, the powerful ruler who made an iron wall to protect the weak against the strong in this chapter, the story of the Companions of the Cave who slept therein for a very long time and yet thought it was for a day or less is very relevant and interesting.

Like the unbelievers had asked: Who were “the Companions of’ the Cave”? The same question was asked the Prophet (s.a.w) among others by the Makkan pagans to test whether the Prophet possessed any knowledge of the hidden and unseen things. Allah, however, not only gave a complete answer to their questions but also employed the three stories to illustrate the vanities of life and supremacy of the will of Allah.

“The Companions of the Cave” believed in the same doctrine of Tauhid which was being put forward in the Quran and that their condition was similar to the condition of the persecuted Muslims of Makkah.

Companionsof the cave

On the other hand, the persecutors of the Companions of the Cave had behaved in the same way towards them as the unbelievers of the Quraish were behaving towards the Muslims. Besides this, the Muslims have been taught that even if a Believer is persecuted by a cruel society, he should not bow down before falsehood but emigrate from the place all alone, if need be, with trust in God.

Incidentally the unbelievers of Makkah were told that the story of the Companions of the Cave was a clear proof of the creed of the Hereafter, for this showed that Allah has the power to resurrect anyone He wills even after a long sleep of death. The story of the Companions of the Cave has also been used to warn the chiefs of Makkah who were persecuting the small newly formed Muslim Community.

At the same time, the Holy Prophet w instructed that he should in no case make a compromise with their persecutors nor should he consider them to be more important than his poor followers. On the other hand, those chiefs have been admonished that they should not be puffed up with the transitory life of pleasure they were then enjoying but should seek after those excellences which are permanent and eternal.

In the story of Khidr and Moses, the lesson contained is: “You should have unflinching faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah. As the reality is hidden from you, you are at a loss to understand the wisdom of what is happening, and sometimes if it appears that things are going against you, you cry out, ‘How and why has this happened’.

The fact is that if the curtain be removed from the “unseen”, you would yourselves come to know that what is happening here is for the best. Even if some times it appears that something is going against you, you will see that in the end it also produces some good results for you. The same with the story of Zul-Qarnain, for it also admonishes the unbelievers: “0 you vain chiefs of Makkah you should learn a lesson from Zul-Qarnain.

Though he was a great ruler, a great conqueror and the owner of great resources, yet he always surrendered to his Creator, whereas you are rebelling against Him even though you are insignificant chieftains in comparison with him. Besides this, though Zul-Qarnain built one of the strongest walls for protection, yet his real trust was in Allah and not in the “wall”.

He believed that the wall could protect him against his enemies as long as it was the will of Allah and that there would be crack and holes in it, when it would be His will : whereas you who possess only insignificant fortified abodes and dwellings in comparison with him, consider yourselves to be permanently safe and secure against all sorts of calamities.”

While the Quran turned the tables on the pagans of Makkah who had tried to “expose” the Holy Prophet, in the end of the Surah the same things have been reiterated that were stated at its beginning: “Tauhid and the Hereafter are absolutely true and real and for your own good, mend your ways in accordance with them and live in this world with the conviction that you are accountable Last week we discussed about the power of dua. We cannot exhaust the importance of dua.

The manifestation of dua in the recently concluded general elections was that it changed the expectation or otherwise prediction of abysmal failure and break up of Nigeria as a nation. We have not only recorded an enviable success, we have raised the bar and lifted our democratic experiment to a higher pedestal. Nigerians including the non Muslims appreciate the power of prayers.

Quran Chapter 18, Suratul Khaf, is always a light that illuminates the soul of every Muslim especially when dealing with how people can fit in into the vicissitude of life in the face of challenges. This particular chapter of the Glorious Quran always come to my mind not only during dua, but also, as a pedagogical material when ruminating about life. It’s parables refer to the brevity, uncertainty and vanities of life.

Life as a journey is full of many paradoxes which can only be subdued with prayer, clear knowledge, patience and fortifying the soul with untainted spiritual powers that can halt the incursion of evils. As a tip, a regular recitation of this Surah will lift the spiritual position of the reciter, just as the Prophet (s.a.w) recommended it every Friday.

This Surah was sent down  in response to the three questions which the pagans of Makkah, in consultation with the people of the Book, had put to the Holy Prophet in order to test him. These were: (1) Who were “the Sleepers of’ the Cave”? (2) What is the real story of Khidr? and (3) What do you know about Zul-Qarnain? These questions, no doubt were surreptiously asked by the unbelievers to test whether the Holy Prophet possessed the knowledge of the hidden and unseen things.

Allah, however, not only gave a complete answer to their questions but also employed the three stories to the disadvantage of the opponents of Islam.

Opponentsof Islam

In response, he told them that: “the Companions of the Cave” believed in the same doctrine of Tauhid which was being put forward in the Quran and that their condition was similar to the condition of the persecuted Muslims of Makkah. On the other hand, the persecutors of the Companions of the Cave had behaved in the same way towards them as the disbelieveds of the Quraish were behaving towards the Muslims.

Besides this, the Muslims have been taught that even if a Believer is persecuted by a cruel society, he should not sucumb to falsehood but emigrate from the place, if need be. Incidentally the unbelievers of Makkah were told that the story of the Companions of the Cave was a clear proof of the creed of the Hereafter, for this showed that Allah has the power to resurrect anyone He wills even after a long sleep of death as He did in case of the Companions of the Cave.

The story of the Companions of the Cave has also been used to warn the chiefs of Makkah who were persecuting the small newly formed Muslim Community. At the same time, the Holy Prophet has been instructed that he should in no case make a compromise with their persecutors nor should he consider them to be more important than his poor followers.

On the other hand, those chiefs have been admonished that they should not be arrogant with the transitory life of pleasure they were then enjoying but should seek after those excellences which are permanent and eternal.

The story of Khidr and Moses has also been related in such a way as to supply the answer to the question of the disbelievers and to give comfort to the believers as well. One of the lessons contained in this story is this “You should have full faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah.