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As we analyze the
months and years of life, we see that life is a machine made up of billions
upon billions of mechanical parts. Just as any man-made machine depends upon
energy and fuel [in order to function], in the same way the machine within the
human skeleton also depends upon energy and lubricants [for its function]. Just
as a machine made of wood, Iron, or some [other] metal is useless without fuel,
similarly, if the human machine is not fed, each one of its parts becomes
Inoperative and useless.
What an interesting
spectacle! Man says, 'my heart' "my brain” kidneys.' An unseen energy is
operating the heart, the brain, and the kidneys, and along with these basic
parts, billions and billions of other parts (cells) are automatically in
motion. But man is so short-sighted that he is neither able to see, nor hear,
the machine that operates within him whether it operates loudly, or
convulsively, or at a fast or a slow speed. If the invisible process of energy
that operates the machine breaks, man is unable to restore it.
The work of energy
is to burn itself and keep the machine in motion. If the expenditure of energy
is moderate, life is prolonged; if energy is wasted, the flame of life starts
to dim, and after flaring up once, it is extinguished.
Flames of fire are
of two types. One type of flame causes everything to burn down to ashes, while
the other type of flame causes life to run within everything. When man
nourishes himself with the lights of khair ['goodness], these blazing flames
become for him like flowers and orchid, whereas, when man chooses for his
consumption that which comes from shar ['evil'], these flames push him into the
of hell.
What are goodness
and evil? These are two styles of thought. If one's way of thinking consists of
servitude to Allah and love of Allah, then this is goodness [' /chair]; if
one's way of thinking consists of loving another instead of Allah, then this
evil, ['shar]. Goodness is self-sustaining ([through] the glorious God),
whereas, evil is established upon Satan. The definition of goodness is that, it
is what Allah likes, and evil is that which Allah does not like.
In today's sitting,
come let us study, not the universe, but a mechanical part of the universe—the
human being.
Before entering into
consciousness, a person is not aware the kindness of the father or the maternal
love of the mother. As soon as he enters the school of thought of consciousness
a new zeal and a new passion is awakened within him. He pays attention to the
creative abilities within him. And these creative abilities, eventually, bring
him towards a point —a point which itself initiated from new creations. When a
person enter this point, within him bursts the fountain of the father's
kindness and the mother's maternal love. As a result, he constructs a living
image just like himself. This image is also a mechanical part of the human
machine and to feed this part, an automatic system operates continuously. Man
searches for resources to keep this image alive and in motion, and in that
search for resources, he goes so far away that consciousness itself revolts
against him.
Allah the Exalted
has called this image, children, and the resources, wealth. According to the
saying wealth and children fitnah['mischeif/trial']
for a person. How strange is it that Allah the Exalted has called wealth and
children fitnah,
yet man with all his energies and all his abilities and all his intelligence is
moving closer and closer to this fitnah.
Keep in mind,
everything that is temporary, is not real, and what is not real cannot attain
nearness to Huq ['the Truth']. Whether it is wealth or children, these are
temporary and unreal images. When man turns these temporary and unreal images
into the purpose of his life, they all becomes for him a hardship and fitnah.
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%?
