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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%?
This age is an age of knowledge. The constant generation sit ever-improving and ever-changing inventions make it abundantly clear that knowledge, creativity, and research are the engines of modern progress. The history of the rise and fall of nations clearly shows that the nations that dedicated the highest degree of energy and resources to the pursuit id knowledge were the ones able to advance the frontiers of pi ogress, while those nations that scorned such activity were left behind by history.
Yet with all of the undeniable progress of the human
race, So many individual men and women have tumultuous inner lives. Having lost
his peace of mind, beset by financial worries, tortured by emotional conflict,
imprisoned by addiction, vulnerable to new fatal diseases of affluence, human
beings in the twenty first century seem no less fearful today than their
forbears were many centuries ago. An avalanche of fear and
insecurity has been loosed upon humankind, crushing so many men and women
beneath its oppressive weight.
There are those among scientists and intellectuals who
retain a strong measure of compassion for Allah's creatures. Those among them
who wish to follow this tender calling of their heart and save God's creatures
from misery and insecurity can only do so by attaining and applying spiritual knowledge.
But in order to do this, they must demonstrate a sincerity and purity of
intention that is untainted by material desire.
My
purpose of writing Journey Towards Insight is to shed light on those obstacles
that prevent man from encountering and embracing his true-self (i.e., his
spirit)—obstacles that have deprived him of his peace of mind, obstacles that
have imprisoned him in the shackles of his emotional burdens, obstacles that
have turned his life into a living hell. This book attempts to explain how we,
as individuals and as a nation, can attain peace, for it is peace that the
greatest of all blessings.
Those who establish a relationship with Allah are endowed
with His attributes, the chief among which is service to humankind. No prophet
of Allah has yet lived who did not devote his life to serving His creatures.
One who serves humankind is, in fact, following the practice of Allah. The more
passionate one becomes in serving Allah's creatures, the closer one becomes to
Allah—He and Allah become friends. It is this friendship which releases him
from the bonds of all fear and grief. It is this friendship that enables him to
attain a peace of mind and heart that has value beyond measure.
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%?
