Topics
O human being tear
apart the layers that veil the screen of your memory and look inside. Do you
not remember the blissful time when you used to breathe in freedom! You
suffered from neither hunger nor thirst; nor were you bothered by the heat of
sun. You had no fears and did not worry. You did not know what sorrow meant.
You happily ate whatever you wished. Distances of time and space did not
constrain you. Angels talked of your blissful flight into the realm beyond
space.
O my brother, try
and search within your mind! Do you not member anything? Why have you forgotten
the memory those golden days! Do not these memories buried in the recesses of
the past make you restless? You always remember the few days you spend at beautiful
resorts or the few pleasant moments you spend in the company of someone you
desire, why then does your conscious not recall such great and sublime moments!
If you do not recall
anything, then listen! You have been very ungrateful. You have intentionally
surrendered to pain and sorrow. Rejecting the blessing of freedom, you have
taken upon yourself the shackles of slavery. You have allowed yourself to bee
enslaved. Instead of unity and focus, you have given way to doubt and discord.
You were a bird free to fly, yet you yourself invited the captors to come and
imprison. You pushed your unending abilities into the dark caves of material
constraints. Your base conduct made the heavens cry and caused the angels to
lower their heads in shame.
O progeny of Adam
and Eve! Take heed, analyze and consider your condition. You are so tangled in
the web of constraints that it seems impossible for you to escape. You are
under such fierce attack of trials and tribulations that you find it hard even
to breathe. You wander to and fro for a piece of bread to fill your bellies.
Fear of the future forever terrifies you. You want a guarantee of joy and
happiness, but find it nowhere.
And look at the
horrific result of the false values you have embraced. Instead of realizing the
true values of freedom and happiness-for a few pieces of bread you do not
hesitate to cut open the throats of your own brother! Under the colourful guise
of progress you have painted the beloved earth red with blood. Clouds of
misfortune are darkening. Rays of light are dimming. You are in such a state of
self-denial that you have tarnished your own greatness. You are Allah's viceroy
but materialism and filth have left you without refinement and purity.
O son of Adam,
although you have hidden your eternal and unending life behind layers upon
layers of curtains and have even buried it inside you, I will not forsake you-I
will keep on trying to awaken you, whether you heed my words or not.
God's benevolence
stands witness that it has sent many messengers your way, shaped into material
form, and they advised you, time and again, to return to your native land, yet
you always showed ingratitude.
O human being, pay
heed to my words-I, who am your conscience, your inner voice-the cry within
your soul! Pay attention; do not strangle my voice, or you will continue to
wander helplessly in the dark abyss of misfortune, and will keep on stumbling
like a blind man.
O child of Adam!
Remove the chains of slavery hanging around your neck. Cut asunder the web of
imaginary constraints of space and time. Don the robe of joy and happiness
instead of sorrow and misfortune. You have set around you thousands of idols
and are busy in their worship-the gods of wealth, of fame and fortune, and the
gods of your false desires. Step forward and destroy these to pieces with the
staff of Abraham and see what freedom tastes like- the freedom that you have
lost by your own mistakes. Take your eyes off this world of darkness and look
toward the world of light where freedom awaits you. The Holy Quran openly
declares:
O Adam! You and your
wife [both] stay peacefully in heaven, and eat happily from wherever you wish.
["Holy Quran Ch2: v35]
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI
Science has made immense progress, yet many believe that, even with all of the modern tools at our disposal, human beings function at no more than 10% of their mental capacity. This leads to the question of what exactly it is that comprises the remaining 90%. Yet another question that arises is this: If it has taken man four and a half billion years to be able to apply only 10% of his ability, how long will it take for him to make use of the remaining 90%?
