← Quranic WisdomQuranic Wisdom
Only Givers Remain
English · 3 min read
He sends down water from the sky that fills riverbeds to overflowing, each according to its measure. The torrent carries along swelling foam, akin to what rises from smelted ore from which man makes ornaments and tools. God thus depicts truth and falsehood. The scum is cast away, but whatever is of use to man remains behind. God thus speaks in parables. (13:17)
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In our world, material events symbolize moral realities. Whatever is required of man, according to the law of nature, is being demonstrated in the rest of the world at the material level, as in the two events of nature which have been described in the Quran. One symbol used is that of rainfall, with its water flowing and reaching rivers and streams. At that time a great deal of foam surfaces on it. Another symbol is that of silver and other minerals being heated in order to clean them, their impurities appearing in the shape of foam which, being useless for man, immediately thereafter evaporates into space. The main point which emerges is that the water and minerals which are useful to man remain intact.
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The individual who has lost his capacity to benefit others has no place in this world.
These are the natural events through which Nature shows symbolically what principles it has laid down for the success or failure of life. One principle is that, in this world, only those who prove useful to others will find a place in society. The individual who has lost his capacity to benefit others has no place in this world. The same is true of communities and groups.
The survival of the fittest, as a principle of organic evolution, is controversial but, as a principle of social life, it is quite tenable. Competition and challenge being integral features of every human society there are inevitably the ongoing processes of acceptance and rejection. It does not matter what you think about yourself. In social terms, you have to prove your ability to be a giver, otherwise you will be rejected by society. Society accepts only those persons or groups who prove to be a healthy part of it. This is an unchangeable law of nature, as described in the above verses of the Quran.
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The Advice of a Wise Man
The thirty-first chapter of the Quran is named after Luqman. Luqman was not a Prophet, but he was a wise man. He lived before the advent of Islam, having been born possibly in ancient Sudan. He gave some advice to his son, a part of which is as follows:
‘O my son! Though it be but the weight of a grain of mustard seed and though it be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens or on the earth, God will bring it forth…Say your prayers, and enjoin good, and forbid evil, and endure patiently whatever may befall you. Surely, this is something which requires firm resolve. Do not avert your face from people out of haughtiness and do not walk with pride on the earth: for, behold, God does not love arrogant and boastful people. Walk modestly and lower your voice, for the ugliest of all voices is the braying of the ass.’ (31:16-19)
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This advice can be summarized thus:
1. God is all-knowing; He knows everything, both hidden and open. This belief inculcates a strong sense of accountability in every man and woman. It motivates everyone to adopt a disciplined life and to follow the guidance of the Creator, because he believes that, if he fails, he will be punished by God.