05-15-2014, 10:48 PM
The bodyguards went through the front door first, but Hasan turned to the stranger and let the doors swing shut. Was God the source of miracles? What kind of question was that? The answer was obvious: a probing one. Or perhaps an entrance to testing Hasan's own conviction. Either way, this stranger stranger wasn't as curious about learning the truth as he made out to be. The man seemed suddenly distracted. Still, it did no harm to properly educate him. In fact it was the right thing to do.
What else did one do when confronted with a demon? The truth could wound a demon no matter how deeply hidden he was in a man's soul.
"Of course miracles come from God. He is limitless, infinite and all powerful, and miracles remind the faithful that if He so chooses He can make it so, for nothing is impossible with him. The work that he chooses to accomplish through me or anyone else is only as limited as He desires it to be, which He limits through the fragility of my mortal, physical body.”
Wherein lay his own conviction, arrived at years and years ago, that this power was not some new trick of the Adversary. It took much discernment and study to determine it in and of itself did not break any precept or word revealed to the prophets. He did, indeed, have to question everything. The nature of allowing the gift of the Keramat to use him as Allah's vessel was a tremendous test of faith, for when it moved through him it was almost like he had to take control and wrestle it to his own will. That did not seem right. It was only when Hasan accepted that he would follow the physical rules that he realized it was him submitting to the way Allah willed things in order for it to work properly, and that Allah likely intended for it to be a supreme test of faith to ensure Hasan would use the gift wisely.
“Seek and you shall find that God has been there all along. It is he who, all knowing and all wise, set the physical and moral laws in place for this temporary world. Suffering happens when a physical or a moral law is violated. The ability to perform miracles is a gift from him, and it is recorded in scripture. Allah for his reasons places limits on how much he allows me to do, and if I try to do too much I will surely be punished, same as if I were to attempt to break the law of gravity.”
While the Keramat did appear to break some of God's physical laws, upon closer examination it did not in fact do so, but existed within the same framework. Or had its own set of physical laws that complemented what science had thus far revealed of the laws of the physical, perceptible world. And there were other laws as well.
“The power to perform these things cannot come from me. God has worked through me to heal the sick and draw water from the sky to make it rain. Lighting and fire to defend the innocent from the wicked. The power does not come from me. All would do well to remember that our own wills are nothing beside God's. I cannot so much as light a pipe by my own will. So it does not come from me.”
He took a breath. This was where language typically failed him. The concepts to follow naturally flowed from Arabic. He would have to do his best. If the adversary was tricking him by trying to get a mysterious and apparently harmless man to sow doubt within him, Shaytan would have to do better than that. And if he was trying to distract him, that would not work either, for nothing was screaming for his attention either. It had been some time since anyone had attempted to engage him in theological debate from the perspective of an unbeliever. If the Mahdi let himself become so undisciplined and soft of mind that he could not reasonably and rationally profess his faith, he'd be a poor Mahdi indeed. So what did one do when confronted by a demon?
“It comes from He Who Has No Greater Power. Allah, he who has created all, who created this temporary world to test us and mold us. He who made the physical and moral laws and revealed these through his prophets. This world is imperfect because of suffering, which is tolerated by Allah for reasons known to Him who is all good and all knowing. Suffering happens when a physical law or a moral law is broken. Those who break either cause suffering in others, and are themselves made to suffer. Where there is the absence of light, there is darkness. Where there is the absence of heat, there is cold. There are, necessarily, two sides to all of God's creation. It is he who created the angels and the jinn.
Whatever game this man was playing was still unclear. Either he would be drawn by the truth and feel new stirrings of God within his soul, or he was ignoring the truth to play his own game. Hasan mulled what he should do about it.
"All things have that power to choose. Iblis the Jinn chose to disobey the will of God, and fell and became Shaytan. He and the other fallen continue to roam the earth seeking to twist men's hearts and ruin their souls with false promises. I could turn away and cause untold suffering for my own selfish desires, but I would no longer be serving God. Instead, I would become like the fallen angels, serving a lie and believing that this power is mine to do with as I wish."
Perhaps that was it – knowledge of a jinn or dark force as he put it. This man might have been known of a jinn like the one that attacked him, or perhaps seen an angel before. Maybe his heart had been twisted and he'd come to doubt. Or he was under the thrall of the deceiver. God would resolve things one way or the other with this man. What does one do when met with a demon?
"Your life is not yours. Your body is not yours. Your brain is not yours because your perception can be fooled. This world is not ours. And it is coming to an end. The only power we have is the power to choose. Where people choose to turn away from God, there is suffering. I choose to not break the moral laws. I choose to help the world come back to God.
"I submit to the will of Allah. I choose Islam."
He leaned in and lowered his voice, fixing his eyes on the stranger. A respectful distance for a personal conversation between new acquaintences in the Arab world was usually about eighteen inches, about half what Westerners were comfortable with; Hasan skirted against his own comfort level. What did one do when face to face with a demon? Why, you called him out, of course.
“I hope you will use your choice wisely....adversary?”
What else did one do when confronted with a demon? The truth could wound a demon no matter how deeply hidden he was in a man's soul.
"Of course miracles come from God. He is limitless, infinite and all powerful, and miracles remind the faithful that if He so chooses He can make it so, for nothing is impossible with him. The work that he chooses to accomplish through me or anyone else is only as limited as He desires it to be, which He limits through the fragility of my mortal, physical body.”
Wherein lay his own conviction, arrived at years and years ago, that this power was not some new trick of the Adversary. It took much discernment and study to determine it in and of itself did not break any precept or word revealed to the prophets. He did, indeed, have to question everything. The nature of allowing the gift of the Keramat to use him as Allah's vessel was a tremendous test of faith, for when it moved through him it was almost like he had to take control and wrestle it to his own will. That did not seem right. It was only when Hasan accepted that he would follow the physical rules that he realized it was him submitting to the way Allah willed things in order for it to work properly, and that Allah likely intended for it to be a supreme test of faith to ensure Hasan would use the gift wisely.
“Seek and you shall find that God has been there all along. It is he who, all knowing and all wise, set the physical and moral laws in place for this temporary world. Suffering happens when a physical or a moral law is violated. The ability to perform miracles is a gift from him, and it is recorded in scripture. Allah for his reasons places limits on how much he allows me to do, and if I try to do too much I will surely be punished, same as if I were to attempt to break the law of gravity.”
While the Keramat did appear to break some of God's physical laws, upon closer examination it did not in fact do so, but existed within the same framework. Or had its own set of physical laws that complemented what science had thus far revealed of the laws of the physical, perceptible world. And there were other laws as well.
“The power to perform these things cannot come from me. God has worked through me to heal the sick and draw water from the sky to make it rain. Lighting and fire to defend the innocent from the wicked. The power does not come from me. All would do well to remember that our own wills are nothing beside God's. I cannot so much as light a pipe by my own will. So it does not come from me.”
He took a breath. This was where language typically failed him. The concepts to follow naturally flowed from Arabic. He would have to do his best. If the adversary was tricking him by trying to get a mysterious and apparently harmless man to sow doubt within him, Shaytan would have to do better than that. And if he was trying to distract him, that would not work either, for nothing was screaming for his attention either. It had been some time since anyone had attempted to engage him in theological debate from the perspective of an unbeliever. If the Mahdi let himself become so undisciplined and soft of mind that he could not reasonably and rationally profess his faith, he'd be a poor Mahdi indeed. So what did one do when confronted by a demon?
“It comes from He Who Has No Greater Power. Allah, he who has created all, who created this temporary world to test us and mold us. He who made the physical and moral laws and revealed these through his prophets. This world is imperfect because of suffering, which is tolerated by Allah for reasons known to Him who is all good and all knowing. Suffering happens when a physical law or a moral law is broken. Those who break either cause suffering in others, and are themselves made to suffer. Where there is the absence of light, there is darkness. Where there is the absence of heat, there is cold. There are, necessarily, two sides to all of God's creation. It is he who created the angels and the jinn.
Whatever game this man was playing was still unclear. Either he would be drawn by the truth and feel new stirrings of God within his soul, or he was ignoring the truth to play his own game. Hasan mulled what he should do about it.
"All things have that power to choose. Iblis the Jinn chose to disobey the will of God, and fell and became Shaytan. He and the other fallen continue to roam the earth seeking to twist men's hearts and ruin their souls with false promises. I could turn away and cause untold suffering for my own selfish desires, but I would no longer be serving God. Instead, I would become like the fallen angels, serving a lie and believing that this power is mine to do with as I wish."
Perhaps that was it – knowledge of a jinn or dark force as he put it. This man might have been known of a jinn like the one that attacked him, or perhaps seen an angel before. Maybe his heart had been twisted and he'd come to doubt. Or he was under the thrall of the deceiver. God would resolve things one way or the other with this man. What does one do when met with a demon?
"Your life is not yours. Your body is not yours. Your brain is not yours because your perception can be fooled. This world is not ours. And it is coming to an end. The only power we have is the power to choose. Where people choose to turn away from God, there is suffering. I choose to not break the moral laws. I choose to help the world come back to God.
"I submit to the will of Allah. I choose Islam."
He leaned in and lowered his voice, fixing his eyes on the stranger. A respectful distance for a personal conversation between new acquaintences in the Arab world was usually about eighteen inches, about half what Westerners were comfortable with; Hasan skirted against his own comfort level. What did one do when face to face with a demon? Why, you called him out, of course.
“I hope you will use your choice wisely....adversary?”