How A Person May Forget His Own Self?

                         “O you who have attained to faith, be mindful

                          of God, and let everyone consider carefully to  

                          what he sends ahead for the morrow. And

                          (once again): be mindful of God, for God is

                          fully aware of all what you do; and be not

                          like those who forgot God, so God causes

                          them to forget their own selves, they are

                          indeed the rebellious ones”.

                                          (Qur’an, 59:18-19).

The Qur’an often reminds the believers to always be mindful of God. And even in chapter 59 God reminds them with emphasis to be mindful of Him and warns them not to be like those who forgot Him and, whom He therefore caused to forget their own selves.

Now the question is: how may a person forget his own self, and what does it mean?

The Qur’an in its ayat (= verses), in many chapters has given plenty of explanation. A person who is aware of his own self must know his own position in this worldly life. Whenever he ignores it, then he goes astray.

God says in the Qur’an: “Have you ever considered (the kind of man) who makes his own desires his deity, and whom God has (thereupon) let go astray, knowing (that his mind is closed to all guidance), and whose hearing and heart He has sealed, and upon whose sight He has placed a veil? Who, then, could guide him after God (has abandoned him)? Will you not, then, bethink yourselves?

And yet they say: ‘There is nothing beyond our life in this world. We die as we come to life, and nothing but time destroys us’. But of this they have no knowledge whatever, they do nothing but guess” (45:23-24).

God explains in the Qur’an that the creation of Mankind is not aimless: “Does Man thinks that he is to be left aimless?” (75:36).

The Qur’an teaches that mankind has been created by God for a certain purpose. His duty is to accomplish ‘ibadah, which means devotional service: “And I have not created Jinn and Mankind except that they may pay Me devotion” (51:56). This devotion obliges the devotees to undertake all God’s ordinances in the best way possible, which practically have two ultimate goals:

 1) accustoming the self to obey God and controlling it so that it does not go beyond the limits given by Him; and

2) harmonizing human social life vis-à-vis the environment.

God has sent guidance to all nations, generation after generation, through His messengers, to teach them the purpose of God creating them: “And, indeed, We sent Noah and Abraham, and established prophethood and the scripture among their descendants; and some of them were on the right way, but many were iniquitous. Then We sent to follow in their footsteps Our messengers, and We sent to follow, Jesus the son of Mary, and We gave him the Gospel, and We placed in the hearts of those who followed him kindness and mercy. But (as for) monasticism, they invented it – We had not prescribed it for them – only seeking God’s goodly acceptance, yet they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave those of them who had attained to faith their recompense, whereas many of them became iniquitous” (57:26-27).

From previous quotations from the Qur’an, we understand that the main problem for most human being is the uncontrollability in their temper: “Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he thinks to be self-sufficient” (96:6-7).

As God has willed that all creation submits to His order and His natural law, He did also will to give human beings certain freedom of choice: to submit or to defy His ordinances to try each of them throughout all their worldly life:

“Do you not realize that everything in the heavens and earth submits (literally: prostrates) to God: the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, and the animals? So do many human beings, though for many others punishment is well deserved (having defied Him); and he whom God disgraced there is none to give him honor. Indeed God does whatever He will” (22:18).

That certain freedom given to man, was given by God to try him, but in many cases man misuses it excessively, because he forgets his own self: “So when some affliction befalls man, he cries out to Us (for help), but when we favor him with a grace from Us, he says: All this has been given to me because of my knowledge. No, but this is a trial, yet most of them do not know it” (39:49).

And the best way for a person to always be aware of his/her own self, and to know his/her position in this life, is to remember God, the Creator, the Lord, the Sustainer.