We hear but do we obey?

﷽

We hear constantly. Reminders, lectures, āyāt, advice, warnings. All easily accessible even within the comfort of our own rooms. Our hearing is indeed abundant. But what about our obedience?

Somehow, our obedience has become conditional. We act when it is convenient, when it aligns with our comfort or desires, and hesitate when it does not. But the worst is that some even argue and ask justifications. “I hear it, but why so?” "why?" becomes the default response. we speak, as though our limited reasoning is the scale upon which the commands must be weighed first before acceptance. (أستغفرُ اللهَ)

Though there's no harm in trying to learn more about a specific ruling by asking about it questions in order to understand it better or trying to know about it's wisdom as it may cause us to become more grateful to Him and increase our imaan however it becomes problematic when someone starts to argue against the laws of الله just because it does not fit their own flawed mindset and limited understanding. Then they start to twist the rulings as per their desires or completely turn away from obedience at all because it doesn't "make sense" to them, they feel it's unjust. (And الله Is Free from Doing any injustice!)

When any commandment or prohibition from Allāh and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) reached the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) they would accept with complete submission without any questioning. They would rarely even ask about details like whether it was obligatory or recommended, whether the prohibition was impermissible or disliked, rather they would carry out the commandment instantly not demanding any further explanation.

وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا

(And they say, "We hear, and we obey")

The believers responded with obedience, their hearing immediately led to action. They understood, implemented, and adhered to what they heard. Their trust, their faith in the Law Giver (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) outweighed their need to any further interrogation. Their obedience was whole, not selective.

Such complete submission requires strong faith and trust.

You have to say "I trust the Wisdom of الله even when it remains veiled from me." That I accept it before this wisdom is unveiled to me or if it is never unveiled to me. That I accept -my understanding is not a prerequisite for my compliance and الله Does What He Wills, He Does not oppress anyone.

This is deep humility-

To hear and obey without arguing is to acknowledge one’s place. It is to admit that my perspective is partial, my knowledge and understanding limited, my desires unreliable. It is to surrender out of certainty that the One Commanding is more Merciful to me than I am to myself.

Maybe something Decreed or Commanded for us is not easy initially, but it is right. Maybe we do not know the wisdom behind it yet or maybe we won't know it ever but we trust the One Who Decreed it, the One Who Commands and Controls.

Hearing is the easy part but to accept it and obey wholeheartedly is the struggle because it requires the burial of pride, the abandonment of desires, the disciplining of soul. And true faith is measured by how quick we are to submit to and obey what our رب Says.

و الله اعلم

Image Source: Came across this via troid.org

[Cover picture: pexels]