Introduction
Man gets what he strives for is a Quranic concept whereby Allah tells the man that his toils would not be wasted, and that man would attain the fruit he struggled for.
Here, it may be realized that the moral truth of this verse is not only confined to the spheres of Islamic teachings but that the entire humanity, in general, would be inclined towards the virtue of this Revelation.
Allah told man in the Quran that when He created man, He instilled in him values of virtue, so that man would realise what would be truthful and right. Accordingly, as the moral truth of the verse attracts man’s conscience, throughout the various cultures of the world, man struggles for what he wants to achieve. To illustrate, consider the glaring and awe-inspiring example of the early Muslims. Were they not pushed out from their homes and left in poverty and destitution? [the_ad id=”17141″]Afterward, did they not spend many nights with empty stomachs and hard labor throughout the day from early dawn till dusk? One who has studied their history cannot deny their toils, and correspondingly, one could not overlook their accomplishments. Because did not those Muslims win back their lands and ushered into an era of unrivaled conquests along with religious and economic progress?
Universal Appeal Islamic and Western Idea
Similarly, the Muslims scholars during the Golden Age of Islam would be opened days and nights studying and acquiring knowledge, As a result, did Allah not bestow upon them knowledge which was previously hidden from man? To understand further the promised fruits for man’s hard work and perseverance, perhaps one of the greatest examples could be found in our own history.
Examples Proving Its Authenticity
The example is that of the Quaid, whose motto was ‘work, work, work’. Did the dream and the incessant hard work coupled with the rear-divine determination of Jinnah not almost single-handedly allow him to grant the Muslims of the sub-continent freedom? How can one day that man gets what he strives for? Aside from the Islamic perspective, one way also view the strict adherence to this concept in European nations as well. It is a famous & Latin proverb, ‘Arte at Lahore’, which translates as, ‘In Art, there is labour”.
If a proverb can be seen as an expression of a cultures ideals, one could assert that the west also believes that man achieves what he struggles for. One may examine the history of the European culture and recognise that it was the Renaissance which lifted them above from the clutches of the Dark Ages. What was so special about this Renaissance Period? It was that the Europeans followed the example of the Islamic Golden Age and committed themselves to hard work. could one day the toils of Leonardo Pa Vinci and Michel angles who, along, with their likes, achieved greatness and succeeded in setting their culture in a direction towards relentless successes. At a more individual level, one may assess the life of Karl Marx, the revolutionary who wished to change the economic system of the world.
Throughout Time and Various Cultures
For thirty years, he became the first person to enter the Berlin Library and the last to leave it. Did he not inspire the greatest revolution in Russian history? Even people in our daily lives, the successful sportsmen, the acclaimed writers and the respected leaders, do they not all have in common accomplishment stemming from unmatched perseverance and dedicated labour? One may kind enough instances of people accomplishing due to hard work, and be convinced that man does get what he strives for. However, one ought also not turn a blind eye to the immense variety of instances where it would appear that man may not achieve what he strived for, or that man may achieve that which he did not have to struggle for. To begin with, let us assess instances where one may believe that man may have not achieved what he strived for.[the_ad id=”17142″]
For instance, a martyr who fights in a battle for a cause he would believe in, and instead of a victory, he suffers the pain and apparent dejection of death. Does this imply that all of his training and tough labours were condemned to the gutters? In addition, while we discussed cases of scientists and scholars who accomplished what they struggled for. But what about those who never achieved their sought-after goal? Take Einstein, for example. He was perhaps last century’s and hard-working scientist, and his desk, which was found to be hidden under a thick layer of books, may serve as a testament to his determination. However, it also depicted his ultimate failure in the quest he was following of finding the ultimate universal equation for everything.
Contrary Viewpoint Where a Man May Not Attain Reward (With Examples)
Perhaps could it be said that he never achieved what he drained all of his energies for? All Better to quite here Iqbal’s “Shikwa” What about the hard-working laborer who spends almost his entire life in vast fields of crops under a baking sun. Or the individual who works in a brick factory sweating buckets next to a burning furnace? All such labourers may ever long for would be the health and welfare of his family. Tragically, too more often than not, it may appear that he does not achieve what he so wished. Then, there are those who achieve more than what they ever earn. Take the example of the Wall Street Banker who, perhaps through fraud as their reputation which precedes them, gain fortunes and live the most luxurious of the liver.
Likewise, the tyrants and the gambler who exploit the honest tools of labourers to gather fortunes, do indeed succeed n many scenarios. From our perceived judgment, could this not be considered unjust? Could it not be said that on no many occasions when man works tirelessly, with the hope that he may attain the due payments for his toils, often fails to reach the promise of his longings? Does this imply that man does not get what he strives for? It is true that he does indeed achieve in many instances, that but what about the cases where we may believe or be convinced that he does not attain the rightful pay.[the_ad id=”17150″]
Perhaps even worse so, we may witness in many cases that man may attain without even struggling for his aims While such questions may lead one to prematurely doubt the rule taught by Quran, it is also important to understand the true essential meaning of the Quranic verse. It could be possible that our assessment of the Quranic verse be misled. Perhaps it could be that to be sure that one would achieve what he strived for, one may also need to be firm in his belief about the one who said this verse. Would it be reasonable for man to expect rewards for his work without even believing in Allah, the One who guarantees the fruit for one’s tolls? This could be why so many who worked so hard, such as, Einstein, ‘never accomplished what they most longed for because it diverted from Allah’s path. In addition, what about the martyr who received death instead of his desired objective?
To answer this, one may first comprehend what the Prophet Muhammad once said. ‘Actions will be judged according to intentions’. It could be that despite the soldier’s relentless training, he never intended to achieve what would be frightful, but what would be considered immoral, such as, the desire for power or the greed of spoils of war. Perhaps it is also important that the purpose of one’s exhausting labours be aimed for good, and not evil, to be sure of a just reward. Nevertheless, this still may not fully answer the cases of the honest and rightful soldier-the martyr, or the honest farmer.
Goodness of Intent
In these regards, it could be possible that the reason for our suspicions · may be due to a lack of belief in the Hereafter. Allah has also revealed in the Quran that this life is a test whose results will be produced in the Judgement Day. Perhaps it could be that when Allah says that man gets what he strives for, He implies that man would attain his reward when Allah Himself would be the judge. And there, the promise of Heaven and Hell would make sure that no injustice would prevail. As Allah said, He would reward everyone with respect to their toils, regardless of the race or gender.
Perhaps seeking reward for one’s work in this life is akin to expecting a reward during the very time one is giving the examination in the examination hall. One will only achieve after the exam would be over, and for life, it would be after death on Judgement Day. Allah further says in the Quran that the martyr never dies, while the Prophet says that Allah loves most the honest shepherd who toils in solitude and worships Allah. Once could be assured that ultimately, the honest farmer and the martyr would eventually accomplish what they struggled for. Here, through the promise of the Afterlife, one may also be assured that those who wrongfully get what they never struggled for would also get justice on the Judgement Day.
Belief in Judgement Day
In fact, even before the Judgement Day, how many tyrants, have suffered great wraths of the arch of justice? Is not the accomplishment of the corrupt lasting only till their prosecution? Perhaps we ought to not confuse transient fluctuations of welfare or success with everlasting success or punishments. One may also bind it pertinent to mention here the concept of Allah’s Mercy as well. It implicates that through His Benediction, Aliah may embellish someone with more than what he even struggled for. This notion is fundamental to the belief in Islam and it suggests further that man would attain at the least what he strived for. But if God may as well please being the Ar-Raheem and Most merciful one, the may give us even more than what we even longed for.[the_ad id=”17144″]
As the wise and the saints have often said that do not despair if one encounters failure, for it could be that Allah has in store for him Favours beyond his dreams and longings. Accordingly, when Allah says man gets what he strives for, He may have asserted that in His minimum promise. But there is no upper limit to what Ile may ultimately grant us. Yet, while each of one’s contentions or doubts may have been answered, there is still one notion within the teachings of Islam which may puzzle in person. That concept is of Predestination. It means that Allah has knowledge of all that man will ever do and all that he will be rewarded for and with. In light of this concept, would it not be reasonable to question that if in these regards, it could be possible that the reason for our suspicions · may be due to a lack of belief in the Hereafter. Allah has also revealed in the Quran that this life is a test whose results will be produced in the Judgement Day.
The Concept of Predestination
Perhaps it could be that when Allah says that man gets what he strives for, He implies that man would attain his reward when Allah Himself would be the judge. And there, the promise of Heaven and Hell would make sure that no injustice would prevail. As Allah said, He would reward everyone with respect to their toils, regardless of the race or gender. Perhaps seeking reward for one’s work in this life is akin to expecting a reward during the very time one is giving the examination in the examination hall. One will only achieve after the exam would be over, and for life, it would be after death on Judgement Day. Allah further says in the Quran that the martyr never dies, while the Prophet says that Allah loves most the honest shepherd who toils in solitude and worships Allah.
Once could be assured that ultimately, the honest farmer and the martyr would eventually accomplish what they struggled for. Here, through the promise of the Afterlife, one may also be assured that those who wrongfully get what they never struggled for would also get justice on the Judgement Day. In fact, even before the Judgement Day, how many tyrants, have suffered great wraths of the arch of justice? Is not the accomplishment of the corrupt lasting only till their prosecution? Perhaps we ought to not confuse transient fluctuations of welfare or success with everlasting success or punishments. One may also bind it pertinent to mention here the concept of Allah’s Mercy as well. It implicates that through His Benediction, Aliah may embellish someone with more than what he even struggled for. This notion is fundamental to the belief in Islam and it suggests further that man would attain at the least what he strived for.
But if God may as well please being the Ar-Raheem and Most merciful one, the may give us even more than what we even longed for. As the wise and the saints have often said that do not despair if one encounters failure, for it could be that Allah has in store for him Favours beyond his dreams and longings. Accordingly, when Allah says a man gets what he strives for, He may have asserted that in His minimum promise. But there is no upper limit to what Ile may ultimately grant us. Yet, while each of one’s contentions or doubts may have been answered, there is still one notion within the teachings of Islam which may puzzle in person. That concept is of Predestination. It means that Allah has knowledge of all that man will ever do and all that he will be rewarded for and with.[the_ad id=”17151″]
In light of this concept, would it not be reasonable to question that if everything is pre-determined than what is the value of our toils. But without delving too deeply into this idea, one should contemplate over what the Prophet told us about this notion, The Prophet taught us never to think about this idea because nations have been destroyed over-thinking this concept. Perhaps the idea of Pre-destination is not for us to ponder over and use as an excuse to not labour. Perhaps it is only revealed to us to give us an idea about the Supremacy and infallibility of Allah’s knowledge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Quranic concept that man gets what he strives for elicits a certain moral appeal in the hearts and minds of all people, whether Muslims or non-Muslim. This may be due to the fact that we may differ in beliefs, but Allah made us all in good nature, and such truths as the one afore-mentioned inspire a universal appeal. Thus from early Muslim cultures of Arabia and the Gold n Age to Western customs, we generally tend to believe that man indeed does attain what he toils for. The veracity of this idea may be asserted and exemplified by the rise of various cultures, societies, and eminent individuals throughout the world. However, on occasions it may also occur that man may not achieve the objectives he sought and his toils may be considered fruitless. Numerous instances, such as the fallen soldiers and martyrs certain hard-working scholars and idealists, as well as honest labourers who seem to never be able to attain their longed-for goals, could all serve to raise questions on the truth of the Quranic verse.
But perhaps it could be that we consider and judge one’s toils from our own perspectives and conceptualise ideas of success from our own premature notions Perhaps it could be essential that one believes in the One who guarantees the rewards for one’s efforts to be able to accomplish what he aims for, Perhaps the concept of intent is also necessary and one must pursue well to be able to attain just fruits. Then there are also those who may attain without even working while the laborers never appear to do so. Perhaps we fail to take into account the fact that this life is only a test and real justice would be brought on the Judgement Day. So it could be possible that we become guilty of viewing temporary successes as ultimate everlasting fate.
Here one may also understand the concept of Mercy and that it is Allah’s minimum promise that man gets what he strives for. It could be that man gets at least what he strives for, while the rest depends on Allah’s Mercy Despite these aforementioned arguments, one may be puzzled by the idea of predestination and may be led into believing that his tools have no true value. However, as Prophet taught, this idea is not for man to ponder over, but is only to reveal the Supremacy of Allah’s knowledge. Consequently, it could be asserted that outside our misled judgments of one’s toils and our misguided conceptions about time, ultimately, in the grandest scheme of events, man will get at least what he strived for, which is Allah’s promise. Beyond that, there are no limits to His Mercy.