Man has been brought to this earth to be tested as part of...

Man has been brought to this earth to be tested as part of his tarbiya (upbringing). He is being brought up to recognize what is transient and what is not, what is permanent and what is not, what is meaningful and what is not. Whatever is of change is from his nafs (lower self). The reason man does not see the hand of Allah behind everything is that he interferes and interjects the projec­tions of his self. If he were to put himself aside, there would only be the one and only Reality.

The fall from the state of the garden came about because of the rise of consciousness - because Adam questioned. If man desires to be in the garden he should not question, but he should make use of his `aql. As a result, he will receive answers to his questions. When man enters the garden in this life he does not care for the garden of the next because he has tasted it already. The desire for the garden falls from his heart.

Then there is no desire except the desire to see the face of Allah in every direction towards which he turns. 12 And the grain with (its) husk and fragrance. 13 Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny? Big things come from little things. Habb is a seed. The literal meaning of habb is the seed that comes from grasses. There are many different types of vegetation and their meanings are linked to the nourishment which they provide.

The living, sentient creatures and the vegetable kingdom are interdependent. The highest creature, man, depends on those that are lower because he originates from dust. Yet, he loves the higher because of its subtlety. There is something in him that always makes him love subtler meaning. The Prophet, salla-llahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, loved prayer, perfume and women. He loved what is most subtle, the prayer, as well as what is more gross and phys­ical, the companionship of women.

Once man's physical needs are fulfilled, he seeks higher satisfaction in meanings. If man is fortunate, he reaches physical fulfillment, which then leads him to question mean­ings. Most people at the point of death have only achieved small, short-term, physical goals which are empty of meanings. Wherever man looks there is the sign of the Rahman, even in what man considers to be an affliction. All events occur according to the laws that govern existence which are from the Law-Giver.

Man may not like an event, but that is because of himself. What man wants will not necessarily happen, but what Allah wants will happen.