RAIN AS A SIGN OF ALLAH
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء فَيُحْيِي بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
My dear brothers and sisters, one of the greatest challenges that believers have faced throughout time is whispers of doubt regarding either the existence of Allah or some or some of the qualities that Allah possesses or a denial of the Day of Judgment and the afterlife. In this age in particular some of these arguments have become more sophisticated with the use of scientific theories, such as the theory of evolution, which many atheists site in their defense of atheism.
As such, it is imperative for Muslims today to strengthen their sense of belief and certainty in the existence of Allah, and the qualities of our Sustainer, and in the reality that one day we will face accountability for our deeds in this world.
In fact, Imam Al-Haddad, who was a scholar and a mystic in 17th century Yemen, and is considered by many to have been the mujaddid, or renewer of the twelfth Islamic century, wrote a famous book by title of “The Book of Assistance.” In this book, Imam Al-Haddad begins with certainty [qaeen] as the first and foremost quality that a believer must possess in order to live a good and virtous life.
However, Allah does not expect us to have blind faith without any signs or proofs. And this is why Imam Al-Haddad in prescribing medicine to gain certainty, one of the things he mentions is that certainty is gained by “looking at the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and the wondrous and astounding creatures that God made them flourish with.” And the proof of this is in the words of Allah:
“We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that your Sustainer is a witness over all things?”
As such, the Qur’an is filled with signs of Allah and constantly encourages us to observe the creation in order to remove any doubts from our hearts. Interestingly, given the season of rain that we are in these days, one of the most often used signs for the existence of Allah, and metaphors for the qualities of Allah, can be found in rain and thunder.
Rain is such a powerful metaphor that Allah also uses it for reminding us of divine wrath and punishment that comes upon a people who reject Allah and persist in wrongdoings.
So, let’s use this sometimes difficult and frightening season of rain to remind ourselves of the proof of Allah’s existence, in His Mercy, in His punishment, and in the day of resurrection where will to answer how did we live our lives. And in doing this let us strengthen our inner certainty for in the words of Imam Al-Haddad, “certainty is the essential thing, and all other noble ranks, praiseworthy traits of character and good works are its branches and results.” And in the words of the Prophet (s), “Certainty is the whole of faith.”
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