In the protection of Al-Hakeem

The four year old was throwing a terrible tantrum. All he wanted was to go out on his bike and ride on the busy street without being escorted by anyone. Amidst his crying and shouting, the poor mother tried to explain, “I love that you have fun, and I don’t wish to make you cry, but to go alone, you have to wait. When you are old enough I will ask you to go by yourself and bring me the groceries. The cars out there are so fast dear, you can hurt yourself…!”

And while I was saying this, I realized I had found an answer. I had stopped my son from something based on the  little knowledge and experience I had as a grownup. I had stopped him because I loved him and did not want him to get hurt.

When we are newbies to being practicing Muslims, we often wonder why Allah  has ordered us to keep away from certain things; and made certain things Haram. Moreover, many a times, things do not go the way we plan, we come across problems and our duas remain unanswered. We wonder why (even though we know that Allah is the All-Hearing and Ever-Beneficent.) 

Al-Hakeem: What Does it Mean?

Allah  is the All-Knowing, Most-Wise and loves us more than we ourselves do, because He is Al- Wadood. How can He  legislate anything that is harmful for us? Behind every command and every forbidden deed, there is a hidden wisdom that we may not understand. He has explained in the Quran:

“But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.” ¹

Scholars explain the meaning of Al- Hakeem as, ‘He is the one who is decisive, precise, and the one who perfects matters. It is taken from “hikmah” which is to put something in its proper place. Hence, He, the Sublime, is the Judge (Haakim) between His servants, who has hikmah in both his creation (i.e. His act of creation) and His command. He did not create anything with no purpose, out of mere play, and nor did He command anything except that which is of pure benefit, goodness.’ (Sharh Aqeedah Wasatiyyah) ²

It is thus in our best interest that we follow the guidance of Allah , whether we like it or not. How can we be so confident about our knowledge, find fault in the commands of Allah  and pick and choose from them, like a buffet?

The Wisdom in Allah’s Plans

Whatever Allah  has ordained: casualty, pain, relief or pleasure, has a reason behind it. We are similar to a child, we are a miniature creation residing in a ball smaller than the size of a pea in the whole wide universe, so how can we comprehend? Our sight does not even reach the room next to our wall. Our knowledge is limited; we know only what Allah wants us to know. 

Allah  says in the greatest ayah of Quran:

“He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.” ³

Once we accept being a slave to Allah , submit to Him, and start walking on the path of His pleasure, we begin to understand the wisdom behind certain commands. For e.g, the benefits of Hijab are well understood after adopting it and the benefits of not listening to music are uncovered when we stop listening to it.

In times of distress, if we put our trust in Allah , have faith in His knowledge and stay patient, with the passage of time, we gain perspective on how what we went through was beneficial for us, and what goodness came out from it.

After realizing the knowledge and wisdom of our Creator and His love for us, why not surrender willingly to His will like Ibrahim ? Let us put our trust in Allah , gain knowledge about what He likes and dislikes and tread the straight path with perseverance. For achieving success in both worlds, let us give ourselves into the protection of Al-Hakeem with our heart and soul; there is no protection better than His!

“Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.” ⁴

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