Man, who was created to be Allah’s vicegerent on earth, is tested in many different ways in his worldly life. People are challenged according to the severity of the test, subject to the whispers of his soul and Satan, his strength and patience are exhausted, and doubts about the reality of Allah’s promise of help may arise in his heart, as Allah Almighty, who is the guardian of the believers and promises to help and protect his servants in such difficult situations, helps the believers in different ways.
THE SEKINE DOWN TO THE HEART
The tranquility that Allah has sent down to the hearts of His servants, mentioned in the Quran, is also one of the divine aids. Tranquility means the heart finding peace in times of fear, hopelessness and exhaustion, the heart’s relaxation, reaching certainty and certain faith, and the disappearance of anxiety and excitement. In this context, tranquility is a state related to the heart, which is the center of faith and denial, correction and corruption, and the place of descent of revelation and inspiration.
In addition to the examples in the Holy Quran, Allah also helped and supported the Prophet and his companions in the difficult conditions of Mecca, during the times of migration and jihad when they risked sacrificing their lives and property, and in difficult situations when they were in trouble, when their strength was at its limit and when there was confusion in their hearts.
GOD DOES NOT LEAVE HIS SERVANT ALONE AND WITHOUT HELP
These examples show that Allah comes to the aid of His servants in difficult times, that no person, regardless of his rank in His sight, is exempt from the testing processes, that everyone has difficult situations, and that they can only be overcome with the help of Allah.
In this context, it is seen in examples such as the Companions of the Cave and Prophet Moses that the difficulties experienced were overcome only with the help of Allah. Allah intervened when His servants faced hopelessness and strengthened their hearts with His help. These examples clearly show that Allah does not leave His servant alone and without help.
THE HEART’S CONCEPT AND BASE
In the moments of testing when tranquility and strengthening of hearts are experienced, the state in which the heart is constricted and clouded by Satan’s whispers is called the state of qabz, and the state in which divine help comes, the heart is illuminated and expanded is called the state of bast.
The experiences of the prophets and their followers regarding divine help and support, both individually and collectively, are not limited to these. They are examples for every believer who will live until the Day of Judgment.
NEVER GIVE UP HOPE FOR GOD’S HELP AND SUPPORT
This shows us that Allah’s help and support is available to every Muslim individual and society. This issue encourages Muslims to be more determined, patient, and trusting in Allah’s help and support in the face of tests.
The mother of Prophet Musa was one of those who moved with peace of mind by sending down the help of Allah. When she ran away from the enemies who wanted to kill her child, she left her child in the Nile River with a deep surrender, with the inspiration that came to her heart, when her strength was gone and her strength was exhausted. The help came at the exact moment of complete surrender to Allah. This again clearly proves to us that Allah’s help to His servant is true. However, when the time for divine help comes, wisdoms are experienced.
“THE POWER AND STRENGTH ARE OF NO USE TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT WITH GOD”
Moses (pbuh), who was left in the river, did not drown in the water even though he was an extremely weak baby, but Pharaoh was destroyed at the height of his power. This means that weakness, helplessness and helplessness do not harm those who are completely connected to Allah. When looked at from another perspective, strength and power do not benefit those who are not with Allah.
Many examples can be given from the lives of the prophets, but we can say that Hz. Musa is a symbolic name in terms of the rightfulness of Allah’s help to His servant. Because there are many examples of divine help in his life from infancy to adulthood.
Another one of these is that when Prophet Moses got away from the cruelty of the enemy, he walked to the end of the road, hit the ground with his staff and asked for help from Allah, and as a result, the sea became a path for him and those who followed him, clearly showing that Allah fulfilled His true promise.
THE EXAMPLE OF ASHAB-I KAHF
With the help of Allah, a cave became a shelter for the young people who escaped from the oppressors of their time in order to preserve their faith and became famous as the “Ashab-ı Kahf” and went down in history as the place where the great miracle of resurrection took place on these young people.
Almighty Allah (swt) mentions the guidance of these young people in the Holy Quran as follows:
“We relate to you their story in truth: They were young men who believed in their Lord. We increased their guidance and strengthened their hearts. When they stood still, they said, ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will not call upon any other god besides Him, for indeed we would be speaking falsehood. Our people have taken gods other than Allah. Should they not bring clear proof of their truth? And who is more unjust than he who invents lies against Allah?’” (Surat al-Kahf, 18:13-15)
Their people complain about these young people to their rulers. Their rulers call them and question them about their situation and their actions. Thereupon, the young people choose determination and reveal their faith. They do not hold back from shouting out the truth against their rulers, who are notorious for their tyranny and cruelty. Moreover, they invite their rulers to the straight path of Allah.
THEY FALL ASLEEP IN THE CAVE FOR YEARS
The fate of many previous believersCompanions of the CaveIt also repeats itself. The wicked ruler threatens the young people who believe in Allah and orders them to give up their faith. He assigns a short period of time for the young people to fulfill his orders, that is, to return to their old and false traditions, which will be an opportunity for them to make the migration of no return. The young people take advantage of this opportunity and with the help of their Lord, they are able to escape the fire of tribulation. The cave they choose for migration becomes a home in which they find peace for years.
THE GREAT MIGRATION
With this noble action and behavior, they have made the great migration, which is the first step from misguidance to guidance, from misery to happiness, from hardship to mercy, and they have left their tribes, who had wealth, status, fame and reputation, which were obstacles to their reaching lofty positions. Almighty Allah describes the luxurious life they lived in before as hardship and narrowness, and the cave they later settled in as mercy and spaciousness.
ALLAH (CC) PROTECTED THE MEN OF THE CAVE BY PUTTING THEM TO SLEEP
The young people who managed to escape with the help and guidance of their Lord and came to the cave, closed their eyes for a sleep that would last for years, due to the tiredness of the escape process and the weight given by Allah. The sleep of the Companions of the Cave had an effect of “waking up, becoming conscious” for every eye that looked at it with a warning for centuries.
In this context, the Companions of the Cave are clear evidence of the unity of Allah, the truth of Allah’s help, the truth of resurrection after death, and the necessity of fighting against oppression in these difficult times.
