Topics
Misery
and helplessness has trapped humanity in its monstrous clutches even though,
among Allah's creatures, humans have been bestowed blessings so great and
powerful that the earth, the skies, and the mountains humbly refused to I AI
their weight. According to the laws of Allah the Exalted, when a nation strays
from the right path, it must endure heavy In order to protect itself from such
trials, tribulations and insecurity, it will search for those paths which lead
towards peace And prosperity.
This world is an examination room. Here, intentionally or
unintentionally, every person is involved in some kind of a test, for each
person, the objective is to succeed in his test and I determine a direction for
his life. One person may be wealthy, another poor, helpless and sick. Yet
another may be lacking in respect for his parents or elders. All these
circumstances constitute tests for these individuals.
The universe has been created along a bipolar continuum;
going from one end of the continuum to the other means progressing through one
stage. And stepping from one stage to the next stage is a test. Try to picture
that child in your mind who, when presented his test sheet in the examination
room, starts to cry and wail instead of writing, protesting bitterly as to why
he is being tested.
The growth, progress, and prosperity of humanity, is not
possible without achieving the strength that comes only after going through
hardships. Gold becomes purified only after passing though blazing fires. Had
humanity not passed through the fires of hardship, people would still be
dwelling in caves.
A person cannot solve his problems without being willing
to do so. All prayers, incantations, and medicines serve only one purpose: to
strengthen the will power of the supplicant, whether he is physically ill or
mentally troubled. He may in fact be strengthened so much so that he can escape
from the maze of his problems and issues, as he gains the mental clarity
required to become truly free.
All the great people who have lived in this world were
faced with one issue or another, but they were well aware of the fact that
problems only remain problems until a person achieves mental focus and a life
of peace. Trials and tribulations lose their hold on such people who make the
service of God's creatures their primary mission. Serve someone who is needy
and helpless, and you will see how much peace you achieve as a result. Helping
others and being of service to them is the height of humanity, and it is to
spread this mission that Allah the Exalted has sent one hundred and twenty four
thousand prophets, whose message it is that,
'Allah
the exalted has created human beings in His likeness, and service towards
humanity is service towards Allah.'
Do not be fooled by the mirage of existence, Asad
The universe, entirely, is a confinement created by the enticements
of the imagination
[Couplet by Mirza Asad-ullah Ghalib]
An
examination of life leads us to only one conclusion: that the image of a person
is composed of colours derived from a wide variety of thoughts. It is thought
that brings us close to a joyous life; and it
is thought that makes us familiar with a sorrowful life. It is said that
science has reached the pinnacle a progress, but today's scientists are saying
the same thing which the bearers of spirituality had declared thousands of
years ago, and the propagation of which is the mission of their followers even
today—that matter has no significance. Life is established on the basis of
waves, and these waves, dressed in thoughts, take on the form of things. What
we see in these images made of matter is imaginary—a mere trick of the eye. The
saviour of humanity, the benefactor of mankind, Holy prophet Muhammad, peace
and blessings of Allah be upon unlocked this mystery 1400 years ago when
he recited I these words of Allah's revelation:
Allah is the light (wave) of
the heavens and the earth.
The Holy Quran, chapter 24:
verse 35]
Man, who
considers himself Ashraf-ul-Makhlooqat ['best of the creation'], would, were he
to ponder over his beginning rind his end, soon realize that the first building
block of his Existence was laid in decay and putridity, and the culmination 41
his existence is that his beautiful body becomes the feed of insects. In spite
of this open and clear reality, how many from among the people contemplate over
their beginning and their end? If one studies the depth of imagination of
people, one can see that each person is lost in the imaginary world of selfish
gain. Most people have only one desire, only one focus in their lives: Wealth,
wealth, and only wealth. This wealth is in fact a pit of quicksand, and if any
man should fall into it, he will not emerge from it with his higher senses
intact.
Those
people, who accumulate silver and gold and do not spend it in the way of Allah,
are eventually tormented with punishment. There is nothing wrong with acquiring
wealth. The tragedy is that we now regard wealth as everything and the poison
created by the ills of this perception is coursing like blood through the veins
of society. This is the reason that today we crave even a fleeting moment of peace,
and feelings of insecurity have surrounded us from all sides. Wealth has
violated the sanctity of human relationships. It is a mad race in which, riding
the imaginary horse that glorifies lust and greed, we are being driven towards
fire.
In every
age, the wise have spoken against the greed for wealth. Quran has called it
hatamah ["crushing torment, hellfire;" chapter 104], the flames of
which rise like pillars that overpower the heart and incinerate the man. The
wealth that is not "hatamah," like the bright sun, or a star-lit
night, or the coolness of the moon, or like the scented breeze, is that
peaceful heart that has no greed or avarice, that stays away from lies, that
has the yearning to help others as well, and that wishes to live for God's creatures.
It is these kind hearted people who are blessed with peace of heart and mind,
and their constructive thought is the thought of Allah. In their view, all
people are their kin. They see Allah's noor ['pure light'] in everyone. Their
life is a compilation of such bright and pure thoughts that have no impurity in
them. Hell created by greed and sin finds no room for them. Their life has the
kind of serenity that is felt by an infant in his mother's arms. Try to break
free of these chains of greed, and avarice, and love of wealth, and see how
much peace you find. No person in the world is bad; only thoughts are good or
bad. If you have wealth, spend it in the way of Allah on suffering, weeping,
and ailing humanity. Be thankful for whatever you have. Do not dwell over what
you don't have. Rise above against feelings of inferiority. The standard for
worthiness, nobility, and purity is not wealth, but each person's pure and
living thoughts.
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%?