Allah Does Not Change a People's Condition Unless They Change Their Inner Selves
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
30 March
2024
The
Quran's Teachings on Inner Self-Change
Main
Points:
1. The current
world is filled with social issues such as lying, stealing, backbiting, murder,
corruption, hatred, and extremism.
2. The majority
of people who have achieved academic success and high positions do not invest
in educating future generations.
3. Persistently
expecting divine rewards without exerting the necessary effort is
self-deception.
4. It is up to
us, not others, to begin the process of putting an end to evil.
5. We often
openly accuse others of the wrongdoings we have committed ourselves, but we
rarely reflect on ourselves.
6. We talk
about justice and peace, but we do not act justly or peacefully towards one
another.
------
Almighty
Allah possesses the power to keep a nation in its current state if its citizens
choose not to change their conditions. Within the Quran, He says:
"Verily,
Allah does not change a nation's condition unless they change their inner
selves."
(Al-Ra'd: 11)
This verse
implies that until people transform their own behaviours and methods into evil
and disorder, Allah Almighty will not turn their condition of peace and
security into one of hardship and instability. Furthermore, Allah Ta'ala
modifies His relationship with a people group when they decide to turn their
surroundings and themselves into a state of utter contumacy and disobedience.
The preceding portion of the verse, which says the following, may help us
understand this verse:
“For
him, there are angels replacing each other, before him and behind him, who
guard him under the command of Allah." (Al-Ra'd: 11)
According
to this verse, there are groups of angels that Allah has appointed to watch
over humans and provide a security cordon for them from both in front of them
and behind them. This applies to all people, regardless of whether they choose
to hide their movements under the cover of darkness or to reveal them. As their
responsibilities and service hours fluctuate, they gradually replace one
another. They have been tasked by Allah with the responsibility of defending
humankind.
Two sets of
angels—one for daytime and another for night-time—have been assigned to watch
over humans, according to a Hadith from the Sahih Bukhari. These groups come
together for the Fajr and Asr prayers. Following the Salah of Fajr, the
daylight guards assume control, while the night guards depart. After the Salah
of Asr, they depart, and the night guards go back to work.
We learn
from the narration of Hazrat Uthman Ghani, found in a Hadith by Ibn Jarir that
the guardian angels' responsibility extends beyond only shielding people from
earthly discomforts and adversities; they also make an effort to discourage
people from committing crimes and keep them safe. They would continue to instil
in their hearts a fear of Allah and a desire to do good deeds to prevent them
from sinning. Even if the sinner keeps on sinning by losing sight of the
angelic inspiration, they still pray for him in the hopes that they will
discover a way to swiftly confess their fault and receive forgiveness. Then, if
they disobey the admonition and do not make apologies, they record a
transgression in the sinner's Book of Deeds.
In summary,
whether people are awake or asleep, these guardian angels never stop shielding
people from the unwanted events that occur in both the here and now and the future
world. Kab Al-Ahbar, the renowned Tabi'i, states: If the divine barrier
surrounding humans were to be lifted, the Jinns would cause hardship in their
lives. However, none of these safeguards are effective unless and until the
Divine will allow them to continue functioning. Now this protection plan is
void if Allah Himself chooses to allow a servant of His to suffer.
This has
been explained in the following way in the verse:
“Surely,
Allah does not change what is in a people until they change what is in
themselves. And when Allah intends evil for a people, there is no way to turn
it back, and for them, there is no patron other than Him." (Al-Ra'd: 11)
The result
is that, at Allah's order, angels continue to actively safeguard humans.
However, if people lose their gratitude for His favours and stop obeying Him,
only to turn to wrongdoing and eventually turn rebellious, then the protection
that Allah has provided is deemed to have been rendered ineffective. At that
point, they are subjected to Allah's anger and punishment, from which they can
never escape.
This
interpretation holds that the alteration described in the referenced Quran
means that Allah changes His ways of providing protection and mercy when people
stop being obedient and grateful and begin to accept evil things around them.
This poem
is often understood to mean that until people take action to improve the
circumstances surrounding them, no constructive revolution will occur among
them. There is a well-known Urdu couplet that expresses this exact idea:
Allah ne Aaj Tak Us Qaum ki Haalat Nahi Badli
Na Ho Jisko Khayal Aap Apni Haalat ke Badalne
ka
“To this day, God has never changed the
condition of a nation that has no plan of changing their condition themselves.”
The couplet
acknowledges some truth in the passage, but it should be understood in the
context of a broader concept: Allah Almighty does not guarantee assistance or
support to those who do not intend to make corrections themselves. This promise
is only enforceable if someone takes the initiative to consider it and act on
it.
Allah says,
“As for those who struggle in Our cause, We will surely guide them along Our
Way. And Allah is certainly with the good-doers." (29:69)
Earning the
right to merit blessings and being among the deserving recipients of divine
promises requires effort and deed. Persistently expecting divine rewards
without exerting the necessary effort is self-deception.
Looking at
who we are now, we can see that we do not desire to change, which is why
nothing has changed in our circumstances. In the present world, if someone
cheats, other people will probably catch on and begin performing similarly very
quickly. Lying, stealing, backbiting, murder, corruption, hatred, and extremism
have become commonplace in our society. People also deny others their
fundamental rights, commit injustice, use coercion to obtain money, oppress
minorities and the downtrodden, denigrate others, disrespect parents, and
disregard the needs of children for a healthy upbringing and education.
The majority
of people who have achieved academic success, high positions, and affluent
lifestyles don't bother about investing their wealth and energy in educating
future generations; instead, they merely find ways to make fun of others and
treat them as lower-class individuals. Many terrible things happen in our
society, but we don't concentrate on making them right.
It is up to
us, not others, to begin the process of putting an end to evil. Our society has
become so hypocritical that we openly accuse others of the wrongdoings we have
committed ourselves. We enjoy criticising and judging others, but we rarely
reflect on ourselves. It has become common practice to hold people accountable
for their misdeeds, but we rarely consider the possibility that we are the ones
who are doing the blaming and are unable to hold ourselves accountable as well.
We talk about justice and peace, but we don't act justly or peacefully towards
one another.
Many
illnesses have emerged in our culture nowadays. We are now the victims of moral
decay. We read books merely to learn the lessons that Allah and His Messenger
have imparted to us. We've never considered using it. The lessons and examples
of a decent life serve as a lighthouse for us, but instead of becoming a part
of our daily lives, we preserve them as part of history and books. We only hold
others accountable when our community fails, even though it is our fault in the
first place.
All that's
left in life is the pursuit of financial gain and reputation enhancement in
whatever manner possible. As it turns out, our purpose for being on this earth
was to pass the test for which we were created. But we no longer know why we
are here, and we think life will go on forever. If we want to change this
culture, we have to start with ourselves. We cannot change our circumstances
unless we decide to. If we don't change first, altering the situation will only
ever remain a fantasy. To eradicate all evil, we must first change ourselves.
The divine
statement, "Truly Allah does not change a people's condition unless
they change their inner selves," is accurate. (Al-Ra'd: 11)
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Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/allah-people-condition-inner-selves/d/132035
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