He asked me: "Why did Abu Jahl die in disbelief while Abu Sufyan embraced Islam, despite both having been equal partners in hostility and leaders in faithlessness? And why does one person persevere on the path of guidance until death, while his friend—who may have exceeded him in knowledge and possessed far greater talents—relapses?"
I replied: "As for the decrees of God, He is not questioned about what He does. But as Islam has taught me to understand it, the answer lies in that faint ray of light and remaining kernel of goodness within the heart. God knows it in His servant and rewards him for it, no matter how small it may be.
This is the essence of His saying: 'If God knows any good in your hearts, He will give you better,' and His words: 'Had God known any good in them, He would have made them hear.' This remaining spark of goodness often becomes a person’s salvation. You see God's mercy reach him precisely when he needs it most, even if he stands at the very threshold of the afterlife—leaving people to wonder in astonishment: 'Can God's mercy truly overtake him after all he has done?!'
For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) relied heavily on that spot of light he sensed in the hearts of certain men, even before their conversion. He said of Khalid: 'A man like Khalid cannot remain ignorant of Islam.' And he said to Umar regarding Suhayl ibn 'Amr: 'Perhaps he will stand in a position you will not criticize.'
Thus, I often sit with those who disobey God, and beneath their harsh exterior, I touch a hidden gentleness. I feel their guidance is near and that leading them to God will be simple, despite what appears on the surface. Our battle against those who mislead the youth and spread corruption is fought precisely over this remaining luminous spot: either they finish extinguishing it, or we rush toward it to draw them back to God through it.
Zadhan recounted: 'I was a young man with a beautiful voice and skilled at playing the lute. I was with a companion, drinking non-intoxicating wine while I sang for them, when Ibn Mas'ud passed by. He entered and said, "If the beauty of your voice were used for the Qur'an, O young man, what a person you would be!" Then he walked away. I asked my companions, "Who was that?" They replied, "That was Ibn Mas'ud." Repentance settled into my heart; I ran after him weeping, grabbing his garment. He turned to me, embraced me, wept, and said: "Welcome to the one whom God loves!"'
In contrast, there are others whose demeanors are soft and outward appearances seem guided, yet their hearts harbor impurities that all the oceans of the world cannot cleanse. Or they possess a small remnant of good that they actively strive to bury and extinguish. I sometimes feel pity for one of them and resolve to advise him, only to be turned away by his pride or his persistent clinging to evil—which the poor soul, blinded in insight, mistake for good. By my life, the state of the second person is far graver than that of the first!
Guard your inner hearts, my brethren. Your salvation is tied to them, even if you were as resistant and averse as the people of Mecca before their conversion. And in them lies your destruction, even if you appeared to be the most devoted worshiper on earth in the eyes of men."
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