“But this thought of yours which you did entertain concerning your Lord, has brought you to destruction, and (now) have you become of those utterly lost!” 41:23 Al Fussilat
Many people do not evaluate their feelings about God. We all have been through times when we felt comfort, hope, and gratitude towards God. We also have had episodes when we were angry, confused, or fearful of God.
This ayah reminds us that the thoughts we have about God play a crucial role in the outcome of our lives. Thus, it is vital to be aware of what we think of God. Is the feeling you have about God one you are comfortable with? It is very important to ponder this question.
Although it may feel as if God is punishing us when misfortune strikes, it is worth reminding ourselves that the Quran is not a fatalistic scripture nor is Islam based on an image of humankind as being without agency. In this respect, the Quran reminds us of the value of confronting what role we have in the making of our lives with clear eyes. As is stated in Sura An-Nisa “Whatever good befalls you, it is from God; and whatever ill befalls you is from yourself.” (4:79).
This is not to say that “we reap what we sow” is the dominant perspective we should be left with. Quite the opposite, for God’s dominant attributes are love, compassion and mercy. We are reminded of these attributes every time we recite al-Fateha in which He describes Himself as Rahman (compassionate) and Raheem (merciful). Compassion is the sympathetic consciousness of our distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Mercy is leniency or forbearance towards us. How fortunate we are that God chooses to be these ways with us.
Relatedly, it is important to know that God’s nature does not change. The Quran states, “Such is God’s way with those who have passed away before, and you will not find any change in God’s way.” (48:23) However, our reactions to life events do change. Many people transfer these reactions into their feelings about God. When things are going well, we think God is good, benevolent, and kind towards us. When things are going badly in life, we think God is punishing us or is angry with us. In reality, the opposite phenomenon is occurring. It is what we believe about God that determines how life will turn out for us.
Consider the hadith Qudsi in which God says, “I am as My servant thinks I am.” The wisdom of this hadith is to remind us that it is imperative to think well of God so He can do well by us. This is also why the first sentence of this divine saying is followed by some very important statements where God goes on to explain His nature further:
Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
We learn that when we reach for God, He reaches for us much more. This is compassionate support and Godly love. Let us feel it, believe it, and remember it. Let it be the dominant thought we have when we think of God.
Of course, there will be times when this is easier said than done. What if we are having difficulty maintaining positive thoughts of God? What if we believe He is punishing us or will never help us? As the ayah states, persisting in such thoughts can be disastrous to our lives. Thinking this way can create mental anguish and lead one down the wrong path. For example, if I were to think God will never forgive me for my sins, or help me get into a good school, or beat my addictions, or get myself out of debt, or meet the right person to marry, then I would likely make major mistakes in life.
Each of the aforementioned problems require us to take action and our actions are deeply dependent on our thoughts. A vision of God as retributive, uncaring, or unhelpful, would at best paralyze me with fear and at worst lead me to make self-destructive decisions or actions, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Let us have faith, believe in God’s compassion, and expect the best outcome for ourselves.
If you are having trouble with your thoughts about God, do not be dismayed. A hadith tells of some companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who came to him disturbed about their thoughts of God. They said to him, ‘We find in ourselves thoughts that are too terrible to speak of.’ He said, ‘Are you really having such thoughts?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That is a clear sign of faith.’ (Narrated by Muslim, 132 from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah).
This hadith teaches us that even some of the companions did not have perfect faith and struggled with their thoughts about God. The Prophet’s reply shows that this condition is no irremediable disaster but, in fact, a step towards a more mature faith. It is therefore understandable that we can have such trying thoughts also. Like most thoughts, we can learn to control them or replace them with better and more productive thoughts. We can grow from this realization and work to strengthen our belief in God’s love, thereby maintaining a compassionate vision of our Creator that will make us all better human beings.