Session 365 Chapter 3
Verse 27 a continuation
"You merge night into day and day into night; You bring the living out of the dead and the
dead out of the living; You give provision to whom You will without account."
(Chapter 3: Verse 27) In a single verse, Allah gave us two examples
of His power: one about changing night into day, and one about life and death.
The phenomenon of morphing day into night is clear for all to see.
It is one of the wonders of the universe.
On the other hand, Allah expressed the matter of life and death in a way that can be understood
differently by the public and the scientists, each according to his or her level of knowledge.
Allah gave you examples of His capabilities because He wants you to have peace of mind
that He can give power and take it away from whom He wills.
The One who can move the sun and create life can easily grant rule and remove it from kings
and dictators.
The cosmic signs are a small piece of evidence of God's capability.
But why do unjust rulers exist?
This is best explained with an example.
If your child fell ill, you would rush her to the doctor and do everything necessary
to cure her illness, even if surgery is required.
You would approve the procedure for the benefit of your child, knowing that she may suffer
from pain for a week or two.
Isn't this how we care for our loved ones?
What would you expect of our generous Creator, who loves His creation?
Allah chooses what is good and necessary for us, even if it involves temporary pain.
The verse continues with "You give provision to whom You will without account."
This phrase is specifically addressing the people who ignore God's cosmic signs and matters
of life and death.
They may be busy, preoccupied with their daily problems, or chasing after life's pleasures.
Even if a person never takes time to contemplate God's creation, he or she is surely paying
close attention to earning money and putting food on the table.
Isn't provision the common preoccupation of all human beings, rich or poor?
Thus, Allah mentioned it clearly in the verse.
He says, "You give provision to whom You will without account."
The word "account" distinguishes between what is for you and what is against you.
Keeping account requires three elements: the first is the one who takes account, the second
is the one who is being accounted, and the last is the item being counted.
Let's apply that to the phrase "You give provision to whom You will without account."
Provision is the item being counted; it comes from Allah, the accountant who grants it to
whomever He wills.
In human terms, we use accounting to calculate value and plan for future outcomes.
For example, farmers estimate how much it will cost to plant each acre of land and how
much crop it would yield.
Manufacturers keep track of expenses and expected returns of each production run.
However, when you hear the phrase "without account," you understand that God is not constrained
by cost or material.
He does not only provide people based on their work, but He also gives far more than that.
Allah may bless you with something you did not even think of, or He may reduce your income
unexpectedly.
For example, over the decades, many countries have bragged how they planted enough wheat
to feed an entire continent, only to see their crop hit by drought or vermin.
By the end of the year, they end up importing wheat to feed their own people.
Take the opposite example of oil-producing countries that God provided with vast wealth.
Oil gushes from under their feet with hardly any effort.
Many advanced economies accuse them of laziness, yet they scramble to do business deals with
them.
Allah wants you to realize that all provision is within His hands, and He gives and takes
without account.
He created the means by which we earn our daily provisions, but He did not abandon us
to these means.
Sometimes He provides for us exactly according to our efforts, and at times He gives us without
any means or effort.
And every now and then, all our time and effort seem to go to waste.
Anyone who ponders over these matters will conclude that God grants without account.
He has the absolute ability because there is no higher authority to question, "Why did
you do it?" or "What did you give so and so?"
Here is the most critical lesson from verses 26 and 27 of Al-Imran.
If our Lord is the One who "merges night into day and day into night," and the One who "brings
the living out of the dead and the dead out of the living," and "gives provision" "without
account;" if our Lord is the One who gives dominion and extracts it, honors and abases
whom He wills, then isn't it stupid of you to seek help from anyone else?
Isn't it foolish to abandon God, who has power over everything, for someone who has zero
power?
God says: O you who believe!
Do not hold other people as confidants of your secrets to the exclusion of your own
honest folk.
Such people spare no effort to corrupt you; they love all that gets you into trouble.
Vile hatred has already spewed out of their mouths and what their hearts conceal is far
worse.
We have made Our revelations clear for you; will you not use your reason?
(3:118) Allah warns us against putting our trust in
anyone but Him.
A believer should never rely on the enemies of God in the hope of protection or prosperity
because there is no power above the power of the Almighty.
God says in the very next verse of Al-Imran: Let not the believers take the disbelievers
as allies rather than the believers.
And whoever does that would isolate himself entirely from God, except when taking ample
precaution against them in prudence.
God warns you of Himself, and to God is the final destination.
(3:28)