Personal Ups & Downs Holy Qur'an 89/15 to 20   Dear audience, may the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe shower HIS bounties on all HIS creatures on this earth! We pray to Lord to shower HIS mercy, peace and prosperity for all the human beings and covey it into Arabic. Assalamo-alaikum wa-rahmatullahi wa-Barakatohu.   ALLAH alone is worthy of all praises, for HE is the lone Master of the entire Universe, HE is the only Creator, HE is the sole Sustainer, HE is the Originator. It is HE Who has designed the smallest particle found in the Universe; it is HE Who has created the Biggest matter found anywhere in the Space. With HIS command begins every natural process and every natural cycle. The Universe moves as HE wills. HE alone deserves all our admiration and adoration. HE is the Alfa; HE is the Omega. HE is the beginning; HE is the end. HE is the Apparent; HE is the Inherent. HE is the Most Compassionate God Almighty, Who revealed the Holy Qur’an on HIS last Prophet Hazrat Mohammed (s.a.w.s) that continues to radiate guidance for the mankind till the Doomsday. The Holy Qur’an is the Mother of all books, complete in itself, in all respects. It is the fountainhead of all virtues, the beacon of righteousness, the guiding light for the entire humanity, and the last of ALMIGHTY God’s scriptures. It contains no confusion, nor any contradiction. No doubt, no puzzle, but as clear as crystal. It is self-explanatory with highest standard of clarity and eloquence.   We need to have a day-to-day contact and a direct approach to this book, a live connection. Let us be receptive to its signals and allow our brain a neutral and unbiased reflection over the points it raises for every thinking mind. The divine light will enlighten our heart and soul; it will change the course of our life, our day and night, our private and social life. It will shape our Present and lead to a bright Future. It guarantees success for all those who believe and remain steadfast, not by oral announcement but by noble deeds as commanded by the One and Only God.   Let us start this process with the recitation of verses 89/15 to 20 of the Holy Qur’an.         We have no reservation in accepting that it is not possible for any human to translate the glorious verses in all its underlying spirit, revealed in the heavenly Arabic from the Great Throne. We can only make a humble effort to be close to its original meanings and connotations. May God ALMIGHTY help us in our endeavor, Amen!   “As for mankind, whenever his Lord tries him by HIS generosity and by letting him enjoy a life of ease, he feels, My Lord has been very generous towards me; whereas, whenever his Lord tries him by straitening his means of livelihood, he feels, My Sustainer has disgraced me!   But nay, nay, (O men, consider all that you do and fail to do:) you are not generous towards the orphan, and you do not urge one another to feed the needy, and you devour the inheritance (of others) with devouring greed, and you love wealth with boundless love!”   In these verses ALMIGHTY God makes a direct reference to human tendencies and his psychology in respect of the worldly goods. By the use of word ‘human’ we can justly conclude that Almighty God here speaks of the entire humanity, of all ranks and of all ages. How can we exclude our self from HIS remarks?   It is a fact that every human being in his commercial ventures or professional career passes through various ups and downs at every stage. He then makes use of his faculties - his understanding, his experience and his brilliance, to wriggle out of the pressing situations. But in these brief verses God Almighty tells us that all such ups and downs are in fact the tests from The God Himself.   In light of these verses we can improve on our attitude as to how we should react while passing through favorable conditions and abnormal situations. Let us ponder over the verses once again.     “As for mankind, whenever his Lord tries him by HIS generosity and by letting him enjoy a life of ease, he says, My Lord has been very generous towards me;” (Verse 89/15)   More often than not, a man, instead of considering any situation with all its co-relatives, concentrates only on one aspect of it. For instance, when God ALMIGHTY grants what he has asked for, he feels that God is pleased with him and so HE has blessed him. But the verse categorically states that a man is put to test by such favors of God Almighty.   So if we are conscious of the inherent risks, we will be cautious enough to pass through the situation successfully, adopting a positive approach. We will realize that with limited resources we had little responsibilities. As our LORD has stated in his Book     That means “God does not overburden any person, but what he can endure……” (Verse 2/286)   But with an increase in the resources, the liabilities also increase. And this is the test! How faithfully and scrupulously we discharge our duties. Whether we utilize these resources according to the will of our Lord or follow the evil impulses that keep provoking us!   In the next verse God ALMIGHTY gives us an idea about a person who is placed in an adverse situation. How does he react to the test?     “Whereas, whenever The Lord tries him by straitening his means of livelihood, he says, "My Sustainer has disgraced me!” (Verse 89/16)   But Allah declares “no, certainly not” Man is wrong on both counts! Both the conclusions are incorrect and baseless! The affairs of the world are not random or accidental occurrences. Nothing moves unless God ALMIGHTY wills so.   In the following verses Allah gives good reasons for this divergent treatment to different persons. These verses also give us an insight into the human nature.     “But nay, nay, (O men, consider all that you do and fail to do:) you are not generous towards the orphan, and you do not urge one another to feed the needy, and you devour the inheritance (of others) with devouring greed, and you love wealth with boundless love!” (Verses 89/17 to 20)   Now we can very well understand the reason for this deprivation. These are the sins if committed willfully that bring our downfall. When Allah showered HIS blessings, he took is as a special favor, thought himself to be a chosen one. Then enjoyed his status, behaved arrogantly not realizing that it was nothing but an examination, a trail of his faithfulness, his integrity, his devotion. The Lord has illustrated this phenomenon with a fine example of Prophet Suleiman. He was endowed with such a vast kingdom that no one on this earth has ever been granted before or after him. But how did Hazrat Suleiman respond to those favors of Allah? With his control over land and sea, over humans, jinn and animals, did he behave irresponsibly, or arrogantly? No, not at all, He said,     “…..This is (an outcome) of my Sustainer's bounty, to test me as to whether I am grateful or ungrateful! However, he who is grateful (to ALLAH) is but grateful for his own good; and he who is ungrateful (should know that), verily, my Sustainer is not in need of thanks! HE is self- sufficient, most generous!” (Verse27/40)   It certainly carries a lesson for us. If we evaluate our self, according to the Sunnah of the Prophet Suleiman, we will enjoy the bounties of our Lord not only in this earthly sojourn, but also in the hereafter.   As our Rabb informs us, the economical crises in the life of any individual are caused by the following four reasons. While playing in plenty, he must have forgotten these obligations.   1 He must not cared the orphans, or the deprived ones. 2 He must have neglected his duty to feed the poor, needy and helpless. 3 He must have misappropriated the unclaimed property or the property of orphans. 4 He must have a strong urge for worldly wealth.   The first reason specifically mentions the word ‘orphan’. Broadly speaking, an orphan is a member of the society, but he is deprived of a natural patronage. Now Allah has entrusted the entire society with the responsibly of providing him or her basic needs and also to treat him with respect and honor. Many verses in the Qur’an specially deal with the matters pertaining to the ‘Orphans’. Addressing the Benefactor of Humanity Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w.s) in verses 93/9 to 11 Allah States:     “Therefore, the orphan shall you never wrong, and him that seeks (your) help shall you never chide, and of your Sustainer's blessings shall you (ever) recollect.”   ALMIGHTY God spells out the second reason that he must have felt no urge to provide basic needs or to feed the needy or the deprived ones. Although Our Lord HIMself is Razzaqu Zul-quwatil matin, the Chief Provider of all the sustinance, HE feeds all HIS creatures, be they human or animals, birds or insects. (Verse 11/6)     “And there is no living creature on earth but depends for its sustenance on ALLAH…..”   If The Lord has provided any one of us in abundance, it is to test whether he takes these provisions as the blessings of The Lord or his personal gains. A truly faithful servant of Allah will always remember that all these resources are not his personal belongings, nor of any other person in the world. In fact all the treasures in the Universe invariably belong to ALLAH alone. So he shall remember that The Lord has made him a custodian of these provisions, to test whether I provide from it to those who are needy and helpless! The Almighty says in verses 70/24 & 25.     “And the people should know that in their possessions, there is a due share for such as ask (for help) and such as are deprived (of what is good in life);”   The third reason for economic downfall deals with the wicked desire of a man to misappropriate the unclaimed property. Those who embezzle the property of others do not realize that, on the Day of Final Judgment they will be accounted for their misadventures. He will have to clear all dues that he has brazenly evaded in this world. But Alas! There he will have no currency, no credit card, and no overdraft facility to clear his liabilities. The payment will only be made by forfeiting his good deeds. Then, just think, what a great loss it would be! A catastrophe, a permanent damnation. May Allah save us all from this terrible loss! May He enable us to pay all our dues in this world itself!   According to our Rabb the fourth reason for a poor economical state of a person is the deep adoration of worldly wealth. He must have been tightfisted when asked to spend in the way of ALLAH. With a fear of losing his wealth, he must not have used it for charitable deeds.   Those who spent their wealth in order to please ALLAH; they lose nothing. It undoubtedly gets credited to their account for the Hereafter.   We therefore pray to our Lord to enable every one of us to assess ourselves. Help us to pay all dues, financial or moral! May God bless us to make ourselves beneficial to the orphans, the poor, the needy and the have-nots! May God accept our humble efforts! May HE forgive us and grant us a place in the gardens of Paradise. That would be the real fortune, unimaginable in this world. That would be the real asset; that would the real richness that would the real prosperity, permanent, ever lasting.