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According to the
laws of nature, everything has an identity and a personality even if it is a
thing that we consider intangible or invisible and deem it insignificant.
In this world, it is
man's wishes and desires around which his actions revolve, and generally these
desires are limited to his body of flesh and blood. According to [nature's] law
these desires and wishes also, possess an identity. The yearning for wealth,
honour and prestige also constitutes an identity. The desire for popularity,
distinction and exaltation also has an identity. The want of compensation and
reward is also not without an identity. It should be made clear though that
there is a big difference between the fulfilment of needs and the attainment of
desires and wishes.
When man makes it a
purpose of his life to fulfil a desire, he In fact takes upon the identity of
that desire. If man's goal is that of [selfish] personal gain, he as a
consequence becomes a prisoner of the mortal body, where it is claustrophobic,
suffocating and dark. He remains confined within the limits of this personality
and cannot escape. Like a prisoner locked inside a dark jail cell, he loses
contact with the vast and expansive world filled with beauty and colour.
The shell that is
formed when precedence is given to one's own self in one's actions breaks one's
relationship with the timeless realm that is unconfined by space. 'Such a
person' thinks, comprehends and feels with a limited scope. He can be likened
to a silkworm whose circle remains confined to the silk cocoon and oblivious of
the outside world it remains busy in strengthening strands of silk until his
weak and frail body gives out.
The prophets(as) of
Allah understood that this universe is established upon a limitless and
transcendental Identity. They made that Being the centre of their actions and
surrendered their own selves, and handed themselves over to that limitless
Being. They saw and recognized everything in reference to that Great Being and
removed themselves from the middle.
As a result, their
own selves and their desires were nullified and they became the manifestation
of the wishes of the Greatest Creator. When the mortal body and the shell of
desires no longer remained the focus, divine spirit within the mortal body
became manifest and became a beautiful and glorious sight to behold. What was
hidden became prominent, and the unseen became all present. Confinement was
overtaken by limitlessness, and fear and despair were replaced by happiness,
joy and contentment of heart and mind.
Even after the Holy
Prophets(saw)—who was the last and the greatest prophet of the ages, and the
recipient of Muqaam-e-Mahmood ['the desired/lofty status' of nearness to Allah]
— such holy personalities have been present in all ages who nullified their own
selves in the love of the Holy Prophet(saw) and who brought a complete death
upon their egos in the obedience the Holy Prophet(saw) and who brought a
complete death upon their egos in the obedience of the Holy Prophet(saw).
When these
personalities showed up among the masses, people were drawn to them like moths
to flame, despite the fact that they possessed neither wealth nor any other
[worldly] means of enticement. These personalities served God’s creation in any
way they deemed fit, without consideration of compensation personal of personal
gain, and stood before the people as beacons of truth.
How strange it is
that those who spent their entire lives in the pursuit of their desires and in
the accumulation of worldly comforts and pleasures around them could only keep
company with their life's possessions but for a few days, leaving it all as inheritance
for others. After their death, even their names were forgotten.
On the other hand,
there are those pure souls whose names are remembered [with such honour] even
today that heads bow in their love and reverence. As long as those
personalities were present among the masses, the anxious of heart and desirous
of peace paid homage to them, and when those souls departed this world, their
identity continued to live among the people. This is because they had put aside
all personal needs and selfish interests and vanity. The sticky web of wealth
had not been able to entangle them in its clutches. Those blessed souls had
realized that it is not possible to attain God before casting death upon
oneself.
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%?
