Ask yourself – “Exactly what am I?” (II)

Continued from last week In the glorious Quran, the Almighty mentions humans’ sense of “hearing” before that of seeing. This is true of, for example, Quran 76:2. The only exception to these trends in the Last Testament (the Quran)  occurs where the Almighty discusses the day of resurrection: “If only you could see when the […]

Continued from last week

In the glorious Quran, the Almighty mentions humans’ sense of “hearing” before that of seeing. This is true of, for example, Quran 76:2. The only exception to these trends in the Last Testament (the Quran)  occurs where the Almighty discusses the day of resurrection: “If only you could see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Lord! ‘Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard; now return us, that we may do righteousness, for we do have sure faith.’” (32: 12). Further, humans’ ability to hear enjoys primordial priority over and above that of its capability to see. Medical practice and human experience even attest to this: that in the embryonic stage, the organ of hearing usually develops first before that of seeing; that, at birth, the organ of hearing usually begins functioning first before that of seeing.

Now when eventually the eye begins to function, its ability to see is contingent on the availability of light; the eye needs light to see. Rays of light have to be reflected on entities in the phenomena, before the latter is reflected or refracted to the eye before the latter can contemplate them. While the eyes become useless under darkness, the organ of the ear, though resident inside the human head, functions day and night. It does not go on break!

In other words, dear Brethren, if the above is not instructive enough you need to ponder the fact that unlike the human eyes, the ear does not stop functioning each time we go to sleep. This is because the cessation of the functioning of the human ear is usually a testimony to the occurrence of death. This is what happened to the men of the cave whose story the Almighty relates to us in Chapter 18 of the Quran. The Almighty says: “Then We smote their ears many years in the Cave.” (18:11) By smiting their sense of hearing, the people of the cave were able to sleep hundreds of years without any disturbance. Noisy daylight movements, contrary to night quietness, usually prevent humans from sleeping deeply. Yet the ears never sleep or lose attention. The ear is always under constant watch.

Put differently, we all know that our sense of sight can be willingly controlled by us; we usually decide what to see or not to see. But while this is true, while we can close our eyes against entities we do not want to see, it is however true that the same cannot be said of our sense of hearing. For example, when someone is in a room where ten people are talking, their voices will reach his ear whether he is willing or not. Again, whereas it is true that people see different things differently sometimes due, partly, to a different variation of sight, it is often the case that we partake in hearing the same sound particularly when we are assembled in one place. Thus the sense of sight is multiple; that of hearing is often unitary. This is evidenced in the Quran where the Almighty mentions the sense of seeing in the plural while He refers to the sense of hearing in the singular. It is for a divine purpose and wisdom! – Listen only to the call of the Almighty. Your refusal to listen to Him would lead to insecurity; it would lead to calamity. The people of ‘Ad did not listen to the Almighty then they became insecure. The Almighty says: As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the thunderbolt.(Q 69:3-4).

Thus Dear Brethren, while we strive to listen to the Almighty during the day, let us be aware that each time we lock our doors at night, each time we close the windows to our homes at dusk, each time we switch off the light, each time we turn on or off the security alarm, there is a constant security watching over that which we cannot by and of ourselves secure. It is the Almighty, the Omnipresent, the Omniscient; He is the REAL SECURITY. It is He who protects our ears, while its “gate” is constantly open ajar from being invaded by “hoodlums” we can neither see nor confront; it is the Almighty who never sleeps but grants us the opportunity to sleep and rest at night who can only guard and protect that which we assume, of and by ourselves, we can protect. Endeavour to perform ablution each time you retire to bed; recite ayah al-Qursiy and seek blessings on the Prophet. May The Almighty’s protection become a garment and a canopy that will constantly accompany us all (aamin).