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An observation of the way of thinking of those around us would
make one conclusion certain: that each person is distressed about one thing or
another. Each is engulfed in feeling of worry and self dismay. Life has become
so hectic that the passing of months and years has become secondary. The desire
for comfort and luxury has destroyed the identity of man.
Two hundred billion cells in the human mind, with all their and
at each step of the way, bring our attention to the fact that this concocted
life is a deadly poison, not just for the individual but for the entire human
race. But man, the third aspect of the existence of Adam and Eve, does not heed
the cries of his mind. It seems as if a seal has been set on the hearts and
over the ears, and over the eyes is a covering. Why is this so? And why has
mankind taken upon itself such torments? There is but answer to this question:
We have established the
accumulation of
material wealth as the highest purpose
of life.
We know that, like man, birds and mammals are also God's
creature. They also have needs. They also get hungry and thirsty O mankind,
have you ever wondered how the Provider arranges sustenance for such a large
creation?
When a farmer collects his harvest, he tries to gather each
morsel of grain. His intention is that not a single piece of grain remain on
the ground, yet billions of God's creatures eat to their full and all their
nutritional needs are met.
It is Allah's grace that, when a flock of birds dives towards
the ground in search of seeds and grain, holding their necks and claws aligned
with the force of gravity, before the birds actually reach the ground, their
nutritional requirements have been created. Billions upon billions of birds are
thus not dependent on resources like man.
How are the nutritional requirements of birds created before
they even reach the ground? It is a secret, yet it is a fact which can always
be observed by mankind. Beholder of insights into secrets and symbols, Allah's
friend, Hadhrat Baba Taj-ud-Deen Nagpuri (rth) captures this fact so
beautifully in a couplet! Baba Taj-ud-Deen(rth) " used 'Daas Maloka' as
his pen name:
Baba Sahib(R.A) says that four-legged animals do not work for
wages, nor do birds conduct commerce, yet it is Allah the Exalted who provides
a living for all.
When a seal is set on hearts and ears, no advice is effective,
yet what can one do,
["I have been commanded to
announce, there is no
god, but Allah."]
It is madness that, by sabotaging all values of society, man has
considered material wealth the be-all and end-all of his existence. It is
equally insane that,
Even though no one heeds our advice, we keep on
admonishing.
Once, Prophet Jesus(a.s) was traveling for missionary work when a
cleric (‘mullah’) approached him and said; “I would like to join you in your
journey.”
Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) accepted his request. While on their way as
the sun turned hotter and the ground began to scorch their feet. The two
travellers stopped and sat under a tree and decided It was a good time to have
their meal. The cleric had three pieces of bread before him, while Hadhrat
Jesus(a.s)had only two. When the cleric saw that Hadhrat Jesus'" had only
two pieces lit bread he at once hid his own meal, and said: "O Prophet, I
am older in years than you; in comparison I am much weaker. We will need water
with our meals. Would you inconvenience yourself and bring some please?"
When Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) went to fetch water, the cleric ate up
one piece of bread. When both sat down to eat, Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) inquired,
"Did you not have three pieces of bread?" The cleric replied,
"No, you are mistaken." Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) remained quiet. After the
meal, both lied down to rest. Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) so gathered three piles of
sand and blew on them. All three turned into gold. When the cleric woke up, he
saw the three piles of gold. With amazement, curiosity, and joyous excitement
he asked, "O Prophet, to whom belong these piles of gold?"
Hadhrat Jesus(a.s)
replied, "One is mine, one belongs to you, and the third is for the
one who ate that third piece of bread."
The cleric responded at once that it was he who had eaten that
third piece of bread. Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) remarked that, "If you ate that
piece of bread then two parts of gold are yours, while one part is mine."
The cleric went on to say, "You are an honoured servant of Allah—a
prophet. What use do you have of gold! Why not give that to me as well."
Hadhrat Jesus(a.s)
replied, "If you end your journey with me here, then you may have
the third portion as well." And so Hadhrat Jesus(a.s) got up and started
to walk away. Jesus(a.s) was still
within the view of the cleric when three men appeared and started to beat the
cleric. The cleric lamented and complained all he could but the three men paid
no heed. All three of them were robbers who were hiding from the law.
After much discussion and argument, it was decided that the
three men would take two piles of gold, while the cleric will keep one.
Additionally, the robbers set the condition that the cleric would fetch them
food from the market, as they were sure he would not betray them because of the
greed to collect his gold. Long story short, the cleric started towards the
town to fetch food. Boiling with rage, the cleric kept thinking of how the
three men had assumed their right on his wealth. He reasoned that they were
cruel and ruthless and that it would be a travesty of justice to forgive them.
So, after he had bought the food from the market, the cleric poisoned it. While
on the other side, the three men conspired to kill the cleric upon his return.
They reasoned that there were three piles of gold, so the three of them would
make good and rightful owners without the cleric in the middle to spoil the
distribution. Without the cleric, they could easily carry on the distribution
in equal parts.
As soon as the cleric returned with the poisoned food, one of
them killed him, and then the three sat down to eat. They had only taken a few
bites when all three of them passed away.
The point under consideration is that the word
"cleric" does not apply to any one individual. The Bible has
mentioned this to point out a way of thinking of a worldly and greedy man,
regardless of the society he belongs to.
Adoration of wealth is stamped on us so prominently that we have
become living examples of the cleric. Each person is caught in the greed of
this world. The outcome of this avarice has been presented in the story just
narrated, and revealed to us like a motion picture. Is there anyone who will
heed the warning!
["So lake a lesson, 0 ye who
have eyes."]
(The Holy chiral) chapter 59: verse
2]
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%?