Abilities and talents are buried under two things

Excerpt from Ibrahim Dewla’s speeches and notes.

A Prophet’s objective is to ensure people use their abilities and talents for the truth.  

Prophet (saw) said, “People are like mines of silver and gold…”
(Muslim 2638b)

Each individual is like a mine of silver and gold. Muslims are especially blessed with abilities because they have the responsibility to do the work of the prophets: calling people to Allah.

The analogy of mines in the narration is used because gold, silver, and other minerals are valuable, but they are buried beneath the earth. If something is buried and unexposed beneath the earth, that area has no value. In fact, people urinate on uninhabited land.

Just as silver, gold and minerals are buried beneath the earth, people’s abilities are buried or latent due to two things:  

(1) Desires
(2) Environment

Scholars have written that within a human being is an ocean of desires.

If you eat something savoury, you now want something sweet. If you eat something sweet, you now want something savoury.

This system of desires has been placed within the human being.

In addition, a system for discerning and obeying virtue has been placed within the human being. If the human being doesn’t have that, how will it follow Allah’s commandments?

For example, a madman lacks the capacity to understand the reason for his existence or to know who he is; his emotions and abilities are lost.

Such is the state of a person influenced by desires and environment. They are oblivious to the reason for their existence.

This is why prophets are sent to counter the influence of desires and environment.