The 37th Syarah of Wisdom – Syarah al-Hikam

Only Allah is the Focus of Our Lives (Hikam-37) 

الْعَجَبُ كُلُّ الْعَجَبِ مِمَّنْ يَهْرَبُ مِمَّا لَا انْفِكَاكَ لَهُ عَنْهُ وَ يَطْلُبُ مَا لَا بَقَاءَ لَهُ مَعَهُ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ

“ What a wonder, one who runs from what he can't escape from. And instead seeks the impermanent for him: "Indeed the eye of the head is not blind". ”

The usn-uzh-zhann of the Khash people can foster a sense of love for Allah, trust in Allah - trust in Him. As for the usn-uzh-zhann , the common people can grow gratitude for the favors given by Allah and long to meet the fadhal and mercy of Allah. Therefore Shaykh Ibn 'Atha'illah said:

الْعَجَبُ كُلُّ الْعَجَبِ مِمَّنْ يَهْرَبُ مِمَّا لَا انْفِكَاكَ لَهُ عَنْهُ

“ What a wonder, one who runs from what he can't escape from. ”

The most surprising thing that is surprising is the person who runs from what he cannot escape from (Allah).

It is very surprising for a servant who runs from Allah, away from deeds that can draw closer to Allah and busy himself with lust, indulge in the pleasures of this world, and turn away from the hereafter.

And instead seek the impermanent for him: "Indeed the eye of the head is not blind". ”

And instead look for something that is not eternal for Him, in fact it is not due to blindness of the zhāhir eye or the eye of the head, but due to the death of the eye of the heart.

If you experience it, O murīd , look for something that is eternal. Yes, you do 'charity that can bring you closer to Allah sincerely, not with riyā' .

There are two parts that want to be emphasized in this wisdom,

a) "God exists, and nothing is with Him.

b) "He now remains as he is".

Part [a] is a quote from the Prophet's Hadith in synergy with 2 other Hadiths, namely:

So if the mindset of "God exists and there is nothing but Him" ​​has been engraved in our hearts, it means that there is nothing before God exists. Then the part [a] of this wisdom is nothing but an extension of the meaning of QS (Ar-Ro'du):16 and (Az-Zumar):62 "Allah created all things".

Say: "Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?" The answer: "God". Say: "Then should you take your protectors from other than Allah, even though they have no control over benefit and no harm for themselves?" Say: "Are the blind and the sight the same, or are the darkness and the light the same; do they make partners with Allah who can create like His creation so that the two creations are alike in their eyes?" Say: "Allah is the Creator of all things and He is the One God, the Mighty". QS Ar-Ra'd :16

Allah created all things and He maintains all things. Surah Az-Zumar: 62

Islamic theologians have provided scientific evidence that everything other than Allah is new and there must be a creator. So it can be ascertained that part [a] of this wisdom is an affirmation as well as a refresher for the main points of the Islamic creed that we all know. So, it seems that there is no need to explain this at length, because Al-Buthi has recorded it in another work entitled اليقينيات.  While in part [b] "He is now what he is", is the preface of part [a]. That is, just as from time immemorial there has been nothing with God, so also today and tomorrow there is nothing but Him.

How can something other than Allah be said to not exist, when we see with the naked eye the earth, the sky and all the panoramas? So we should never get caught up in such shallow questions, because this is a real part of ignorance in religion. However, responding to these questions should not be done by fooling the people who ask, especially to the point of being infidels. No! Because what is expected is an integral understanding without the aim of othering other groups who do not agree. That the sky etc. it can be said to be with God, if to a toddler who needs to stand up to hold his father's hand tightly, you say: "The child is in the same standing character as his father's standing nature.", even though he still needs the father's firm grip.

Thus this needs to be rethought before we draw a conclusion; "The existence of the universe accompanies the form of God."  That is the universe (read: other than Allah), its form cannot be separated from the authority of Allah, which when manifested, can be destroyed at any time. Allah gave nature to exist and is always with this gift, throughout its existence. If this gift is lost, nature is lost. It is this nature of need (dependence) on grace that causes nature and its contents to not be considered parallel and accompanying God. This is in accordance with the Prophet's appreciation of the composition of Labid's poetry, a Muslim poet in the early period of Islam, that everything other than Allah is considered and does not exist. This can be real when Allah releases the grip (not hold) the universe according to the QS. Al-Fathir: 41. Verily Allah restrains the heavens and the earth so that they do not disappear; "       If Allah releases them, will they not disappear?

Then are there any tarbiyah values ​​that Al-Buthi wants to include in this 37 wisdom? The spirit of education that wants to be breathed into every Muslim is to put the divine nature in a personal space that belongs only to Allah. So that we do not hope for any good but only from Allah, and do not worry about any danger other than coming from Allah. The next value of tarbiyah is so that we do not make the universe a barrier and that takes our busy life to be intimate with Him.

So the oneness of Allah does not melt into the recesses of every Muslim's heart, unless he understands what Al-Buthi means in this wisdom. That no one is with Allah in the form of either today, yesterday or tomorrow. Then he practiced the values ​​of tarbiyah in this wisdom. Of course, there is a difference between being with God as an impossibility and being because God is in accordance with the nature of the universe. This is Wisdom 37, hopefully it will strengthen the walls of faith in uniting God.

Peace be upon you, and Allah mercy and blessings