Then Allah mentions His blessings to His servants in that He brought them
from their mothers' wombs not knowing a thing, then He gives them hearing to
recognize voices, sight to see visible things and hearts - meaning reason -
whose seat, according to the correct view, is the heart, although it was also
said that its seat is the brain. With his reason, a person can distinguish
between what is harmful and what is beneficial. These abilities and senses
develop gradually in man. The more he grows, the more his hearing, vision and
reason increase, until they reach their peak. Allah has created these faculties
in man to enable him to worship his Lord, so he uses all these organs, abilities
and strengths to obey his Master. Al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih from Abu
Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said:
«يَقُولُ تَعَالَى:
مَنْ عَادَىىِلي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ بَارَزَنِي بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ
عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَدَاءِ مَا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا يَزَالُ
عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا
أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ
بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا،
وَلَئِنْ سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنْ دَعَانِي لَأُجِيبَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنِ
اسْتَعَاذَ بِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ، وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ فِي شَيْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ
تَرَدُّدِي فِي قَبْضِ نَفْسِ عَبْدِي الْمُؤْمِنِ يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَأَكْرَهُ
مَسَاءَتَهُ وَلَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْه»
(Allah says: "Whoever takes My friend as an enemy, has declared war on Me. My
servant does not draw near to Me with anything better than his doing that which
I have enjoined upon him, and My servant keeps drawing near to Me by doing
Nawafil (supererogatory) deeds until I love him. And when I love him, I am his
hearing with which he hears, his vision with which he sees, his hand with which
he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask Me for anything, I
would give it to him, if he were to call on Me, I would respond, if he were to
seek Me for refuge I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate to do anything
as I hesitate to take the soul of My believing servant, because he hates death
and I hate to upset him, but it is inevitable.'') The meaning of the Hadith is
that when a person is sincere in his obedience towards Allah, all his deeds are
done for the sake of Allah, so he only hears for the sake of Allah, he only sees
for the sake of Allah - meaning he only listens to or looks at what has been
allowed by Allah. He does not strike or walk except in obedience to Allah,
seeking Allah's help in all of these things. Thus in some versions of the
Hadith, narrated outside the Sahih, after the phrase "his foot with which he
walks'', there is added:
«فَبِي يَسْمَعُ،
وَبِي يُبْصِرُ، وَبِي يَبْطِشُ، وَبِي يَمْشِي»
(So through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he strikes and
through Me he walks.) Thus Allah says:
[وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ
الْسَّمْعَ وَالاٌّبْصَـرَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ]
(And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks.)
Elsewhere, He says:
[قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِى
أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالاٌّبْصَـرَ وَالاٌّفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلاً
مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ - قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِى ذَرَأَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ
تُحْشَرُونَ ]
(Say it is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing and seeing,
and hearts. Little thanks you give. Say: "It is He Who has created you on the
earth, and to Him shall you be gathered (in the Hereafter).'') (67:23-24)