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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
hint& 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. Ile rim be likened to a silkworm whose circle remains confined
to t 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 d desires no longer remained the focus, divine
spirit within did mortal body became manifest and became a beautiful and
glorious sight to behold. What was hidden became prominent the unseen became
all present. Confinement was overtaken by limitlessness, and fear and despair
were replaced 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 we 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 till their life's possessions but
for a few days, leaving it all 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%?
