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Just like that millions of bulbs are
attached to a single source of electricity, similarly, the soul is one, and
connected to it are innumerable bodies that are a collection of uncountable
layers. While the status of these layers is that of a garment, each of these garments
is an attribute, and every attribute is an entire world of its own. While the
attributes (current) of Noor work in the world of Noor, the
attributes of light work in the world of light, water in the world of water,
fire in the world of fire, and clay in the world of clay. Each layer (garment)
is a medium through which the soul manifests its movements, which means that
the soul has infinite attributes. When the soul chooses a certain garment, the
attributes associated with it become apparent. This is not something that
mankind is unaware of. They have
experienced this in both their dream and wakeful states, however —?
1. Mankind sleeps after they wake up and wake up after
they have slept. Refreshed upon waking, they spend their time with family and
community, which includes getting an education, eating and drinking, being
employed, getting married, having children, engaging in travel and leisure,
shouldering social responsibilities, and performing religious duties. When one
expends their energy to a level that it becomes impossible for them to stay
awake, the (body of) clay succumbs to sleep.
2. When the body of clay sleeps, another person who is
inside this person wakes up and fulfils the demands of life – that is, they
walk, eat, drink, move around, read and write, work in offices, remain happy,
cry, go through fear, get married, birth children, travel long distances, and
as per their individual capacities, become acquainted with society.
The urges of life are the
same, both in the state of wakefulness and dream, and the way they are
fulfilled is also the same. The only difference lies in the time it takes for
these urges to manifest. One experiences that every step in the world of clay
is confined to space, whereas space is irrelevant in the world of dreams, and
one travels through thoughts. For instance, during one’s stay in the world of
dreams, when the urge to drink water arises, it is immediately quenched. In
other words, the moment one feels thirsty, the water is arranged and consumed
at the very same moment. One does not have to exert effort to drink water; the
thirst is quenched in a negligible unit of time. Contrary to this, in the world
of clay, when one feels thirsty, water does not come to them. Instead, one
takes a step at a time towards the water, drinks it one sip after another, and
only then is their thirst quenched.
Every individual has a desire
to witness the House of God and also visit the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque to pay
their respects at the tomb of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH). To achieve this, they put in efforts to attain the resources that can
make this possible. Resources such as money and time are needed to cover the
expenses of travelling long distances and also for their stay. However, in the
world of dreams, this wish is fulfilled in an insignificant duration of time,
and one witnesses such blessed
dreams
not just once, but several times. They wake up elated with joy and share
details with their family about where they had seen themselves in their dream.
In other words, they admit that the person who was present in all those sacred
places in the dream was them, and the person who woke up in the world of clay
and recounted the experiences of their dream is also them.
It is
worth noting that, when one sleeps, their body of clay remains on their bed.
Upon entering the world of dreams, the body (garment) that adheres to the time
and space of that world becomes the garment of their soul. This is because the
garment is created out of the elements that exist in the world of dreams. When
they come back into the world of clay, the body in the dream goes off to sleep,
and the body of clay wakes up.
***
What is a garment? Be it a
garment of silk, wool, or embroidered satin, they are all made of threads, and
the elements that make threads are made of clay. Therefore, threads themselves
are clay. The bodies of a one-year-old child, a ten-year-old boy, or a
forty-year-old mature individual, are all nothing but garments. These garments,
from the point of birth to one’s exit from this world, undergo change. The
garment shrinks and grows, and so does every creation. At every stage, the
phenomenon of shrinking and growing has been assigned a different name – a
suckling infant, a child that runs and plays, a child that is fair, dark, or
red-skinned, that is, a child with a changing complexion.
The garment of clay is created
through a single sperm. If the sperm did not have the ability to shrink and
grow, a child that is roughly 1.5 feet tall would never grow to become a
sixty-year-old individual. All the garments that the child wore over the sixty
years have worn out and are tearing. If we contemplate this, then just like any
cloth, the garment of clay which we assume to be the body, is also
deteriorating. In the end, the process of shrinking and growing comes to a
stage where the child, after about 60-100 years, disappears and the garment
made of clay transforms into particles of dust.
***
A garment, be it made of clay,
gas, or light, is a depiction of change. No matter in which world we see
ourselves, we notice that we eat and drink. The act of eating and drinking is
associated with growth and development (change). However, amongst all the
worlds in the universe, the maximum changes happen in the garment of clay. Due
to the presence of decay in the clay, the process of wear and tear is greater.
The existence of the uncountable creatures on earth is founded upon clay. Clay
consists of colours, and these colours can be observed in all creatures, for
example, flowers, fruits, and birds.
The Most Perfect of all
Creators God, states,
“Verily We created man from a product1
of wet earth; then placed him as a drop2 (of seed) in a
safe lodging; then fashioned We the drop a clot3, then
fashioned We the clot a little lump4, then fashioned We the
little lump bones5, then clothed the bones with flesh6,
and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be God, the Best of
creators!” (Quran, 12:14)
The garment that is made out
of threads of clay goes through six stages of wear and tear, and each of these
stages is a depiction of colours. When the clay opens up, an essence comes out
of it, and from this essence, a drop is manifested. When the cells of the drop
break down, a clot is formed, and from this clot, a lump is fashioned. When the
lump expands, bones are manifested from it and then hide inside the flesh. This
is to say that the capabilities of a body that is founded upon wear and tear do
not remain in one state, whereas, to conquer space, it is important for one to
remain centred at one point.
***
We consider these garments of
clay as mankind, while in fact, a garment is nothing but something that we use
by wearing it. Our ‘Life’, which we assume to be our identity, is nothing but a
process of wearing these garments and then disrobing them.
God Almighty has made mankind
the Vicegerent on earth. The earth, however, is not one, rather, there are
countless earths. It is noteworthy that the capabilities of the garment of each
earth are different. While some of these garments have more density, others
have more subtlety in them. In the garments in which subtlety is higher, one
covers greater distances between their two steps, as space shrinks. By being a
Vicegerent on earth it is implied that the garments (capabilities) of every
earth are present inside an individual, and that they have the ability to wear
and disrobe themselves whenever they want. To benefit from this capability, it
is important for one to be aware of the knowledge of being a Vicegerent on
earth. The Creator of the universe, God states,
“They are asking thee (PBUH)
concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and of
knowledge ye (PBUH) have been vouchsafed but little.” (Quran, 17:85)
May God protect you.
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DIN AZEEMI
Articles of 'MESSAGE OF THE DAY' from Qalandar Shaoor Monthly
