Topics
For centuries, the
changes taking place on earth bear witness to that the different periods of
life, the ups and downs of time and scientific inventions are all being
safeguarded in the depths of the earth. The earth is also aware of how many
civilizations arose from its womb and that later went extinct.
Peering into the
vastness of heavens beyond space, we see nothing but disappointment, failure
and mental destitution. It seems as though, looking at the self-evasiveness and
the negative behaviour of the inhabitants of the earth, the flame of hope that
was once alight in the stars and their twinkling in the blue skies, have
gradually dimmed. Mentally, humans, who claim to be ashraf-ul-makhloqat ['best
of the creatures'], living a life worse than that of the beasts. They do not
possess even an iota of the peace enjoyed by a cat or a goat.
The Creator best
among all the creators, has made this earth means of agriculture and has
entrusted it to man so that may rest upon it and attain peaceful sleep. For
this reason, the apparent body of [man's] creation has been made from the
earth, and everything that he utilizes has been made of earth. Nature has not
made the earth so hard that man may not be able to walk upon it, and it has not
made the earth so soft that man would sink in it. [Man] has been given the
authority to utilize the earth and to make use of the blood (rays) running
within the earth, however he may wish. Just like the Adam of millions of years
ago, the progeny of Adam today are also occupied with cultivating the land.
Just like man himself, every part of this cultivation is of the earth. Each
seed that he sows is of the earth. Plants are also a form of the earth. Trees
are also composed of parts of the earth. These grand buildings that we see are
also of the earth. The raw material of even the largest of inventions is also
of the earth.
Just as man grows
bountiful trees and beautiful fields of crops, in the same way, buildings,
other constructions and other articles are also a product of his cultivation.
Man sows the earth
and reaps the earth. This process of sowing and harvesting has been going on
continuously because man is an active member of this cultivation and he has
been given the authority to intend [or will]. Thus the crop grows accordingly.
This law of action and reaction, of movement and consequences, has been
described by the Holy Prophet(saw) in these words: "This world is the land
of cultivation for the Hereafter."
So great is the
discrepancy between words and deeds that, although each person knows and says
that the time lived on this earth is brief and limited, his actions are not
consistent with this everyday observation. He spends his entire life in a
manner that goes against the unshakeable laws of nature. He has given the name
of progress to acts of violence, and he breeds unpleasantness of the future in
the name of human welfare. What he does in the name of broad-mindedness is
nothing but the worst kind of short-sightedness. What an illusion he has
created-giving the atom bomb the name or progress, he sings the praises of the
superior abilities of man. No one ponders the fact that these claimants of
human welfare have assigned superiority to the atom bomb above hundreds of
thousands of human lives. Man is the trustee of the abilities bestowed by
nature, but as a result of keeping these abilities confined to himself in order
to satiate emotions like selfishness, boastfulness and vanity, his entire focus
remains upon this mortal world. The base of his actions becomes mortal like the
mortal world. Thus, when he sows this world, he reaps this world. Since this
world is mortal, he only secures for himself a share of immortality, and
remains deprived of that eternal life that is filled with peace and joy.
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%?
