Translation
Say, “O God, the Sovereign God, You give command and control to whomever You wish, and You take away such command and control from whomever You feel it is not deserved; You raise the honor of whom You wish and debase whomever so deserves. In Your hand is all that is good, and you possess power over all that exists.174 You make the night glide into the day and the day into the night, and You extract the living from the dead and the dead from the living, and you provide resources [physical, intellectual, and spiritual materials] to whomever You wish in abundant measures.”175
Interpretation
174. God, who is Supreme, confers such supremacy to various individuals and nations according to their efforts and capabilities but also to test their commitments to God and humanity. When we reflect on nations of the past, such as Egypt of the Pharaonic times, the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Chinese and Japanese empires, the Persians, the rise of Muslims, the ascent of the European Christians, the Mughals in India, the Ottoman Empire, the rise of colonial powers, the United States during the American Revolution, and so forth, they all reflect the ebb and tide of human civilization and the ascendency of one nation over another. These are not random events but are reflective of the aspiration of leaders and the people and their commitment to better themselves against competing powers and civilizations. Almost every nation on earth today can point to some time in history (from antiquity to the present) during which they could identify themselves as being a party to a larger civilization and power and have witnessed over time how those powers and civilizations lost their positions to other powers and civilizations.
The pace of growth and evolution of human knowledge in hunting, agriculture, industrial machineries, scientific discoveries, technological innovations, as well as social, political, and economic maturations, and so on continue to lead nations and people on a path to greater material prosperity and domination of world politics. The key question is, to what purpose are such efforts being made and to what extent are we being true to our purpose as creatures of God?
175. The cycle of day and night and the interplay of life and death profoundly affect the way we evolve and shape our priorities on a daily basis as well as over the span of our lifetimes. Paying attention to such natural rhythms and tuning ourselves to the inner rhythm of the soul is equally important. History, nature, and provision for our transient life all provide direct dialogue and knowledge and indirectly whisper clairvoyance to learn and listen, to plan and act, and to manage and excel in how we lead our lives and lead our nations. God aids in these continued marches and restless aspirations to grow, to evolve, and to achieve closer affinity to God, the Supreme, the Creator, the Cherisher, and the Nourisher of us all. Lacking such dynamism and purpose, life is an endless cycle of nights and days, entries from and exits into oblivion, and a timeless march to nowhere. Our soul bemoans such absurdity, and our intellect is stunted by such lack of potentiality, whereas God’s bounty is limitless and for us to be blessed with.
REFLECTION
Life, history, and nature are tools and narratives from which we all need to draw lessons, aspirations, and collective wisdom to better our lives and those around us. Preoccupation with the present but not learning from the past or not proactively shaping the future leads to our premature demise as individuals and as nations.
ACTION
Life is a precious gift from God, who stands ready to aid such life to flourish on its forward journey on this planet and to return to God. It is up to us how we shape our lives and our societies and thereby prove our worth to ourselves, to our fellow humans, and to God, the Maker of us all.