[Chapter 29] Allah’s Slaves - Whether You Like it or Not

Published By Categorised as STILL WORKING FOR ALLAH in the West: Theory and Methodology (Book)

Chapter 29
Still Working for Allah in the West: Theory and Methodology

Allah’s Slaves – Whether You Like it or Not

Humans are God Almighty’s fully owned and operated slaves.

They have been created and placed by Allah in his universe to work for him. It goes without saying that the entire universe works for him – it functions according to the laws laid down by him to regulate precisely its functioning.

It took thousands of years for humans to discover some of the laws of Allah that govern and direct the working of Allah’s design and creation in the universe. This included the alleged incident, right here in Britain, of an apple hitting one of the brighter ones among humans on the head to start our brain moving in the right direction – towards the inference of some of the divine laws and principles that govern the universe.

Humans, whether they like it or not, and whether they know it or not, also work for Allah. Their bodies, minds and souls do. They operate exactly in the manner they have been formed and shaped to do and they perform precisely the functions that they are designed to perform. To that extent, human beings – every single one of them – work for Allah, just like the rest of Allah’s creation.

But then there is an element of human life, in which as part of the grand scheme of giving humans a loftier place in creation, God Almighty made humans the masters of their own decisions – and thus, to that extent, masters of their own destiny, right here in this world as well as in the next world.

Humans are thus born with a will of their own that enables them to make choices in thought, speech and action – what thoughts (up to a point) to think; what words to utter in what particular way; and what actions to undertake in what particular set of circumstances.

And to guide their decision-making, humans have been equipped with a set of senses as well as a mind. These together enable them to make observations, perform analysis and form conclusions. Humans also have been given the abilities, skills and tools to read and write that further aid this process. If only the Muslims knew and appreciated the full meaning of the very first revelation that Allah gave to Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, they would have taken some giant steps toward solving many of the problems that confront them in this world.

However, some people, their observation and analysis of what they see in this world lead them to a declaration of abiding allegiance to their creator. Such people make a conscious and rational – in many cases with an overlay of emotion – decision to work for Allah in their voluntary life even as they realize that they must and do work for him in the involuntary aspects of their life.

These people thus accept this reality about their lives and about their situation on earth. They submit to it consciously and rationally and they agree to become the total slaves of Allah, to the extent they can, in every detail of their lives. They thus commit themselves to live their lives in accordance with the laws given to them by God for the purpose of regulating and uplifting their lives.

By doing this they become Muslims – those who submit to God, the master. They become those who submit to God’s laws and directives in the conscious, voluntary and rational part of their lives, even as the skeletal, nervous, digestive, excretory, muscular and other systems in their bodies – as well as the entire universe around them – submit to God’s laws by their very design, purpose, existence and functioning.

This is something people have done throughout history.

This is what is called Islam. This is also what working for Allah means. Other things are details that remain to be worked out in every age and place by those who occupy those specific space-time intersections – people everywhere in every time period.

If people – at a given place and time – work out these details in a smart manner, and if Allah’s hand is with them, and if it is Allah’s will, their efforts will be fruitful in a worldly sense. If not, no.

Let me end this section by quoting some Aayaat from the Qur’an. They should soothe our feelings, smooth our ruffled feathers, address our sensitivities and anxieties on being called a slave and forever put us at our ease on the question of our utter and abject slavery to Allah. Let us just tell ourselves that there is no escaping it and that the English language does not have a nicer-sounding equivalent to the Arabic word 'Abd; nor should we look for one. These Aayaat are from Surah Maryam (19:93-95).

In Kullu Man Fis-Samawati wal Ardi Illa Aatir-

Rahmani 'Abda. Laqad Ahsahum wa 'Addahum

'Adda. Wa Kulluhum Aateehi Yaumal Qiyamati

Farda .

Paraphrase:

Whoever is in heavens and earth will come to

God as a slave. He has surveyed them all

and counted them one by one. All of them will

come to him on the Day of Judgment alone.

END OF CHAPTER 29
Still Working for Allah in the West: Theory and Methodology

© 2003 Syed Husain Pasha

Dr. Pasha is an educator and scholar of exceptional 
talent, training and experience. He can be reached at DrSyedPasha [at] 
AOL [dot] com or www.IslamicSolutions.com.

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  2. [Chapter 2] Preparation
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