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I want to tell you
the formula by use of which an insignificant person assumes the status of Ashraf-ul-makhlooqat
['best of the creation’] and steps into the kingship of Allah the Exalted, and
with the continual practice of which he attains the position of a member in
Allah's kingship.
Have
you ever wondered what Allah the Exalted does?
Allah,
as a Creator, is at all times and at each moment busy in the service of His
creation. As we span life from birth till death, it can be seen that, in the
mother's womb, in infancy and childhood, in youth and adulthood, and in old
age, Allah the Exalted provides all the means which are necessary for a person.
May it be air, or light of the sun, or light from the moon, or the earth's
ability to produce resources, each based on a centre and according to a law, is
responsible for the service of mankind. This continual service is established
and maintained according to a specific system and law of Allah Almighty—a law
which Allah the Exalted has set up Himself, and which He continues Himself.
It
in an observed fact that when we want nearness to someone, we adopt their
habits and behaviour. If you want to befriend someone who is punctual in
offering salaat ['Muslim form of prayer'], you start
offering salaat with him, whereas, if
you want to befriend someone who likes to play cards, you start playing cards
with him. The point is that if we want the company
of Satan, we start liking the traits of `Satan, whereas, if we want the
nearness of Rahmaan [‘Allah the
gracious’] we take on the habits and traits of Rahmaan. And the habit of Rahman
is that He is at all times engaged in the service of His creation.
Hence,
if you wish to gain familiarity with Allah, your Creator, and if you wish to
rule the universe by virtue of your nearness to Him, then make the service of
Allah's creatures your way of life. Indeed, those who have love for Allah's
creatures are friends of Allah, and a friend always showers his friend with
favours and graciousness.
"That
is Allah's grace; He bestows it upon whomsoever He
pleases;
and Allah is the Lord of immense grace."
[The
Holy Quran]
In
relation to history, an important aspect of all the cultural progress that
humanity has made up until now is the assessment of the present and the
identification of the future. All fields of knowledge that are in practice
today, in one way or the other, are doing their part in the struggle to improve
the present and to guarantee a secure future, for mankind. It is said that the
study of history is the most significant area of knowledge.
Today,
we know that many civilizations, much more advanced than ours, lived on this
earth and then became extinct, and only their traces remain. It is not just the
research on prehistoric times that mentions these destroyed nations; rather,
the consistent and continuous history of humanity is full of countless such
examples.
When
we investigate the factors responsible for the complete destruction of these
nations, it becomes apparent that the nations whose relationship grew strong
with the world and weak with their Spirit were eventually overpowered by greed.
Worldly want becomes the purpose of life for such nations,
and the entire society in such nations is trapped in an unending race of greed
from which there can be no escape. Decency and nobility, righteousness and
purity, all lose their significance; and the one who has the greatest
accumulation of wealth, and the one who has the most items of comfort and
luxury, whether necessary or not, is seen with respect and esteem in the
society, whereas, not a single individual can deny that this is all temporary
and imaginary and, in the end all such material goods must be left behind. None
of the things goes along with the person, and the one thing that does go along which he can use to
live with peace and the comfort in the next world he goes without. Those people
who have no inheritance to take along to the next world are surrounded by
trials and tribulations in this world in such a way that life becomes
difficult. Sorrow and misery attacks them in horrible forms and turns them into the walking dead. When this
situation moves from the individual level to the society as a whole, nation are
either destroyed or the faces of their citizens appear damaged beyond
recognition.
Love
this world turns them into cowards. They become afraid of the real life that is
death. Narcissistic, aimless, disorderly, mischief-making, cruel and unjust
behavior becomes common. Other nations entangle them in many kinds of
conspiracies, trapping them with enticements of wealth, and eventually driving
these weak-hearted nations to extinction.
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%?
