The Atheist in a Shipwreck

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

There was once an atheist who told Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad asw-Swadiq (q.s.) that he did not believe in Allah (s.w.t.).  So, Imam Ja’far (q.s.) asked him if he had ever been out at sea.  The man replied that he was once in a shipwreck, and all the sailors had drowned, the boat was ripped to pieces, and he was left clinging to a board.  The ocean then took the board, and he was flung by the ocean to the shore, and survived. 

Imam Ja’far (q.s.) said to the atheist, “When you got on the boat, you put your trust in the boat and sailors, and when Allah (s.w.t.) Took those away from you, you put your trust in that little piece of wood that you were holding on to.  When you lost that piece of wood, where did you put your trust then?  Did you hope that you would survive?” 

He replied, “Yes.” 

Imam Ja’far (q.s.) reminded him, “If you were hoping for something, you had to have something for you to hope in.  O servant of Allah, the One Who Took Away all your means, then Saved you, in spite of all the means being taken, that was Allah (s.w.t.).”


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