Beyond the Mirror

(Raast)

The Qur’an repeatedly tells us to seek and follow Hidayah (guidance), and it even teaches us to ask for it in 

Surah Al-Fatihah: Qur’an 1:6

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

“Guide us to the Straight Path.”

But what actually is Hidayah?

Hidayah begins with acceptance.

First, a person is shown his real image. Sometimes this happens through a wound; sometimes, while trying to achieve a desire through the wrong means, he suddenly realizes:

“I do this too.”

At first, he denies it. He creates some logic for himself to justify what he has done. But when that logic cannot truly be executed or sustained, he begins to feel that something is wrong within him.

Instead of correcting himself, he conceals it.

It is like hiding garbage underneath a carpet and then pretending the room is clean. Or putting makeup over acne-prone skin and thinking that because the blemishes are no longer visible, the skin has actually become healthy.

Of course not.

For real correction, he has to treat everything from zero—just as a piece of rustic, rusted iron cannot be fixed simply by painting over it.

First, the iron has to be treated.

Its rust has to be removed. It has to be washed, scrubbed, and worked on. Throughout this process, the iron undergoes a great deal of discomfort.

But this entire process is what Hidayah does.

It tells the person:

“This is not right. This needs to be corrected.”

And although this process can be painful, that pain eventually leads to peace, because the guilt within you begins to disappear.

Allah says: Qur’an 5:15–16

قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ 

يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ

“There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book, by which Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace.”

Perhaps this is one way to understand Hidayah:

  it does not merely show you where to go; it first makes you willing to see what needs to change within you.

This process can also be described as Tazkiyah al-Nafs (purification of the self) or Jihad al-Nafs (striving against the self). But the point from which this process is triggered is what we call Hidayah (guidance), and it is Hidayah that leads this entire process.

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The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“Whoever said, ‘Lā ilāha illā Allāh,’ and had even an atom’s weight of goodness (faith) in his heart will come out of Hellfire.”

Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 44

To understand how the possible meaning of this Hadith may actually unfold, let me present a personal reflection before you.

From this Hadith, we learn about Allah being Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, but how will that tiny amount of faith—an atom’s weight—be exposed? 

Surah Al-Humazah gives us a striking description that invites us to reflect on this.

Surah Al-Humazah 

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

وَيۡلٌ لِّـكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةِ ۙ‏ ١

Woe to every scorner and mocker,

اۨلَّذِىۡ جَمَعَ مَالًا وَّعَدَّدَهٗ ۙ‏ ٢

Who amasses wealth and keeps counting it,

يَحۡسَبُ اَنَّ مَالَهٗۤ اَخۡلَدَهٗ​ ۚ‏ ٣

Thinking that his wealth will make him immortal.

  كَلَّاۖ لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ فِي ٱلۡحُطَمَةِ ٤

No! He will surely be thrown into the Crusher.

وَمَاۤ اَدۡرٰٮكَ مَا الۡحُطَمَةُ ؕ‏ ٥

And what will make you realize what the Crusher is?

نَارُ اللّٰهِ الۡمُوۡقَدَةُ ۙ‏ ٦

It is the fire of Allah, fully kindled,

الَّتِىۡ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الۡاَفۡـــِٕدَةِ ؕ‏ ٧

Which will rise over the hearts.

اِنَّهَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ مُّؤۡصَدَةٌ ۙ‏ ٨

Indeed, it will be sealed over them,

فِي عَمَدٖ مُّمَدَّدَةِۭ٩ 

In extended columns.

At first glance, this Surah describes people whose ego makes them believe that their wealth will keep them alive forever

Allah has described their fate in this Surah. 

But what if a person has even a little faith in their heart?

So, when the fire reaches the heart, what will it do? Will it burn it, and will every part keep burning until it is crushed?

And if someone has only a small portion of faith in their heart, then what will happen? Will the fire burn that as well? Will that portion of faith also come to an end?

So, let us look at this through the following incident.

The Boycott of Shi‘b Abi Talib

The polytheist leaders of Quraysh imposed a severe three-year social and economic boycott against Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his clan, Banu Hashim. They hung a formal pact inside the Kaaba that strictly banned all trade, marriage, and communication with the clan until they handed over the Prophet.

To stay safe, the Muslims and their relatives retreated to a narrow valley called Shi'b Abi Talib. They faced extreme starvation and hardship during these three years, often surviving only on tree leaves and scarce smuggled food.

The blockade finally ended when a miracle occurred and termites ate the entire unjust document, leaving only Allah’s name untouched. Upon discovering this, a few sympathetic tribal leaders formally tore down the pact and allowed everyone to return home safely.

This incident gives us a way to reflect on the Hadith: just as the termites consumed the document while Allah’s name remained, perhaps the description of the Fire reaching the heart invites us to contemplate how, despite punishment, the faith Allah placed within a believer’s heart is not ultimately lost.”

Because Allah says in the Qur’an:

Surah At-Taghabun 64:17

إِن تُقْرِضُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَـٰعِفْهُ لَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ شَكُورٌ حَلِيمٌ

So, if you do not want that fire to touch you, then from today itself, start cleansing your heart.

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We have already learned in the previous article that sabr (صبر) works in different ways according to different situations. Now, according to these different situations, let us try to understand what صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا (Ṣabran Jamīlan) actually is.

The Qur’an repeatedly tells us to have patience, but alongside the command to have ṣabr, the Qur’an also speaks about ṣabran jamīlan—beautiful patience.

In some contexts, its meaning can be understood as patience itself being beautiful in that particular situation.

 But in Surah Al-Ma‘ārij, Allah says:

Qur’an 70:5

فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا

“So be patient with gracious patience.

”The word “gracious” can convey the sense of being beautiful, dignified, and without complaint.

So, in the context of this verse, the translation can be understood as:

“So endure this denial, O Prophet, with beautiful patience.”

The Arabic word:

جَمِيلًا (jamīlan)

literally means “beautiful.”

But in this verse, it points toward a graceful and dignified form of patience, free from complaint or despair.

So, how can we identify this beautiful patience?

Let us temporarily leave the word ṣabr aside and focus only on the word “beautiful.”

Or, if we use the word “graceful” while keeping its other possible meanings in view, these words point us toward the concept of beauty.

But what is beauty?

Beauty has a direct relationship with a person's aesthetic sense, because beauty is subjective to people.

And here, Allah has addressed this verse to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would exercise patience according to the standard appropriate to his own rank and strength, and that patience would be described as beautiful.

We can also look at Surah Yusuf, where Prophet Ya‘qub (عليه السلام) exercised his own form of beautiful patience. He continued to grieve and weep until the light of his eyes was lost.

Allah says in Quran 12:84

وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَٰٓأَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَٱبْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ ٱلْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ

“And he turned away from them and said, ‘Oh, my sorrow over Joseph!’ And his eyes became white from grief, for he was a suppressor of grief.”

So, his patience was not necessarily identical to another person's patience. His situation, his strength, his relationship with Allah, and his own human experience were different.

Let us understand this through an example.

Imagine there are three children sitting in front of you, and there are three chocolates in front of them.

You tell them:

“Whoever sits quietly for 30 minutes will receive the chocolate in front of them, along with another reward.”

Now, imagine what happens.

The first child takes the chocolate that is already in front of him after only five minutes and eats it.

The second child, after ten minutes, asks:

“Can I have this?”

He asks from his own side. He requests it. He is trying his best.

And then there is a third child who exercises patience for the entire 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, he receives the chocolate as well as the additional reward.

But there is an important question here:

All three children tried to resist in their own way. So which one demonstrated Ṣabran Jamīlan?

Can we identify it?

Absolutely not.

Because the knowledge belongs only to Allah, and the final judgment of what was truly beautiful patience will be made on the Day of Judgment.

Notice that the Qur’an says:

صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا — Ṣabran Jamīlan

It does not say the perfect patience.

It does not say the complete patience.

It says beautiful patience.

So, you need to try your best according to your strength.

And if you believe that you have the strength to exercise what, according to your own capacity, is a more complete or perfect form of patience, then that may be your Ṣabran Jamīlan.

The beauty of patience is therefore not something we can simply measure from the outside.

What appears small to one person may have required enormous strength from another.

What appears like complete patience in one person may not be the same standard for another.

Ultimately, Allah alone knows the strength, struggle, intention, and inner state of every person.

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Have you ever wondered how Allah will remove غِلّ (ghill) from the hearts of people in Paradise?

Have you ever thought about why you feel uncomfortable around a certain person, even though you have no enmity toward them and you are secure in yourself? Yet, you still feel uncomfortable talking to them, or you simply do not feel comfortable around them.

What is it that does not allow you to come close to them?

Let’s go into detail about this.

You may have seen someone doing something bad, and because of that, you no longer like that person. So, you choose to keep your distance from them.

Someone may have bullied you. They may even apologize to you, and you may forgive them. But then you still tell them, “It’s okay, but stay away from me.”

You may also feel hasad toward someone. Perhaps you feel that you are more deserving than they are.

All of these things are forms of غِلّ (ghill).

It can mean:

Rancour, malice, deep-seated grudge, or resentment.

The reason behind it can be anything. But what is interesting is: why does it not completely disappear in this world, and why will Allah remove it from your heart only in the Hereafter?

Allah says in the Qur’an:

Surah Al-A‘raf 7:43

وَنَزَعۡنَا مَا فِىۡ صُدُوۡرِهِمۡ مِّنۡ غِلٍّ

«“And We will remove whatever is within their breasts of rancor [or resentment].”»

Now, if you observe it carefully, this غِلّ is not simply a feeling that makes you uncomfortable.

Sometimes, you try very hard to let go. You become tired from resisting this feeling, but you still cannot help it.

Why?

Because you are forcing yourself to forget the memory.

And the more you force that memory away, the more it keeps hurting you—like a thorn stuck inside your heart.

This is why you may feel that your heart is heavy whenever you think about a particular person.

Why?

Because there is some kind of memory between you and that person that has hurt you.

You may even forgive that person, but the memory is still there in your mind.

And that memory remains like a thorn stuck inside your heart.

Now imagine someone removes that thorn from your heart.

What would happen?

You would forget the pain and the suffering.

And whatever feeling you had against that person would disappear, because the memory has been restored.

This is so beautiful: Allah explains it in this way because He is

 ٱلْجَبَّارُ — Al-Jabbār.

 The Compeller, The Restorer.

Your heart becomes new again, just as you were when you were born: pure, beautiful, innocent, and free from hatred, bitterness, and every harsh feeling that life may have placed within you.

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