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The Messiah will never disdain to be Allah’s servant, nor will the favored angels. Those who disdain to worship Him and feel too proud (for it) will He gather all together before Himself; then, to those who believe and do good deeds, He will grant their reward in full, and will give them yet more out of His bounty; while those who are disdainful and proud He will cause to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from Allah and none to bring them any help.
(Women “An-Nisaa”: 4: 172-173)
Islam takes great care to establish the principle of the Oneness of Allah in the minds of its followers, so that no traces of polytheism is allowed to creep in. The implications which this principle has on human life, the various relationships among people and the principle of the Oneness of Allah represents a new birth for man which liberates human beings from the tyrannical authority exercised by the church and represented in the allegation that Allah has a son, far be it from Him to have one.
Indeed, this passage provides a final and decisive statement concerning the claims on the divine nature of Jesus Christ, his alleged sonship and the divinity claimed for the Holy Spirit. It provides a final and decisive word about every legend which claims that Allah has any son whosoever, or that anyone other than Allah has any element of divinity in any shape or form. This the Qur’an does by stating that Jesus, son of Mary, is only a servant of Allah who will not disdain to be one. Similarly, the angels who are favoured are also servants of Allah and they will not disdain to be so. It also states that all creatures shall be gathered together in front of Allah and that those who disdain to be described as servants of Allah will have grievous suffering awaiting them. As for those who acknowledge their servitude to Allah, these shall have great reward.
Jesus, son of Mary, will never be too proud to accept his position as a servant of Allah. Being a prophet and a messenger of Allah, he (Pbuh) was the best one to recognise the true nature of divinity. He knew very well that he was only a creature of Allah and that Allah’s creatures cannot be like Allah or part of Him. He also knew that it is not merely that servitude to Allah is the only established fact, but also it does not lower his position in any way. Indeed, no one rejects such servitude to Allah except a disbeliever who does not recognise the grace involved in the very process of being created. It is also the rank Allah assigns to His messengers, when they occupy their highest positions. The same applies to favoured angels, including Gabriel, the Holy Spirit. As has already been said, this is a rank which applies to Jesus as well as all prophets. It is certainly strange that a section of the followers of Jesus do not accept for him what he himself accepts and knows fully well.
“Those who disdain to worship Him and feel too proud (for it) will He gather all together before Himself.” Their pride will not stop them being gathered by Allah who has the total authority of the godhead over His servants. His power over them is the same as His power over those who acknowledge their servitude and surrender themselves to Him. Those who acknowledge the truth and submit themselves to Allah and do good work which is the natural result of such knowledge and admission, will be granted their reward in full and will be given an increase on top of that.
“While those who are disdainful and proud, He will cause to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from Allah and none to bring them any help.”
Allah, limitless He is in His glory, does not want His servants to acknowledge their servitude and to serve Him alone because He needs their service or their worship. Nor does that acknowledgement and submission increase His kingdom in any way. He only wants them to realize the true nature of divinity and servitude in order to have clear concepts, feelings and systems. Human life with all its systems and concepts cannot be established on sound basis without this knowledge, acknowledgement and submission.
Allah wants this principle with all its aspects to be well established in people’s minds and lives, so that they free themselves from the worship of creatures to worship Allah alone. They will then know who has the final authority in the universe and they submit to Him alone, implement His law and system which governs their existence anyway. He wants them to realise that all His creatures are His servants, so that they can face up to anyone other than Him. and prostrate themselves to Him alone. They then stand proud, confident in front of tyrants and despots, while at the same time they bow and prostrate themselves to Him, glorifying Him alone. He wants them to know that winning favour with Him does not come through family relations, but through good work. They will then do well and build the earth in order to win favor with Allah. Moreover, when they appreciate the true nature of divinity and servitude, they will rise to defend Allah’s authority on earth when others try to usurp it to themselves, either in His name or otherwise. They will accept nothing of this but they will defer to His authority alone, and their life will become nobler and more honorable when it is conducted on this basis.
When this great principle is fully appreciated, when people’s hearts and minds look up to Allah alone, seeking His pleasure and watching Him before every step or action and establishing their systems on the basis of His guidance, it will add a great credit of goodness, dignity, freedom, justice and honesty to human life. This is the sort of elevation which life on earth experiences. As for Allah’s reward to those who acknowledge His divinity and Lordship and do well, that comes when they meet Him in the life to come whatever He gives them is an aspect of His grace which He bestows on whom He will.
It is in this light that we should look on the issue of faith as it is explained clearly and lucidly by Islam. We should remember that this is the true basis of all divine messages and it is the same principle which was central to all messengers before they were distorted by those who claim to be their followers. As we have already said, it represents a new birth of man which guarantees for him dignity, freedom, justice, and liberation from all sorts of servitude to creatures, so that man serves Allah alone. That servitude is reflected in his worship as well as in his system of life.
Those who disdain to acknowledge their servitude to Allah are indeed humiliated by other forms of servitude which knows no end. They submit to their desires and succumb to superstition and to human beings as well. They recognize that they are men like them, but they nevertheless bow their heads to them and accept their authority over their lives, systems, laws, values and standards. Both groups of people, the ones who are worshipped and the ones who worship them are alike in Allah’s view. The one group humiliate themselves so as to serve the other in this life, but in the life to come, “He will cause them to suffer a grievous punishment. They will find none to protect them from Allah and none to bring them any help.”
It is the greatest issue of faith which is presented in the above passage so as to provide the final1 judgment on the distortion perpetrated by Christians at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. It continues to be the final word against all distortions which may be perpetrated until the end of time.
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