Topics
Allah the Exalted is an existence; a being—an indivisible
existence: a transcendental being. This indivisible existence and
transcendental being wanted to be recognized. For recognition, it was necessary
that, besides this indivisible 6111g, there should be numerous other beings.
The indivisible being, and the transcendental being gave form to the plan in
his mind, and said kun ['be'], and all that is present was rated as a family.
In [spiritual] observation, the eye of fatah ['opening'] sees
that this entire family of Allah is confined within a point [nuqta]. Just as
when one looks into still water, one sees one's own image in the water, in the
same way, looking within this point one sees that all individuals of the
universe are linked, joined, and attached to each other. Within this point are
humans, as well as and jinn ['hidden beings living among humans']. [Also
present within this point] are inorganic matter [minerals etc.], plants, and
animals. Their present form is such that within each individual of each
species, there is present a bright point, and within this bright point reflects
the entire universe. That is there is goat within man, minerals and plants
within goats, angles within minerals and plants, and the jinn, the heaven and
the earth, all are present in a combined form.
After, the second glance of shuhood ['spiritual observation of
the omnipotence of God’] is sair [walk/stroll’] The eye of sair sees that this
entire, combined, program is imprinted upon loh-e-inalifooz ['divine tablet of
recorded information'', and with the power of manifestation of the Creator of
the universe, this program, imprinted upon loh-e-mahfooz, is being displayed
upon many earths (screens). Almost 11,500 species and their individuals, in
numbers beyond human enumeration, are the mechanical parts of the universe.
This universal machine moving in a circle. Its movement initiates from the invisible
existence, and terminates at the transcendental being. If you wish, you can
find a corresponding example of this within any machine of the world.
Now have a look at the watch tied on your wrist. It is a machine
made only of a few parts but it hides within it secrets of nature. Within the
watch a lever, a spring, and gears can be seen clearly. But it is with their
mutual action and cooperation that a never-ending process of motion continues.
One [part of the machine] is moving back and forth, another in a circle and
still another continually increases in size. The life of the watch depends upon
the many different movements occurring simultaneously. On the surface it is not
clear as to why these strange movements are taking place. After concentrating
on this process of movement for a little while, the eye is able see the secret
that lies beneath. The [forward] motion and the [subsequent] return of all the
parts, repeatedly and in a cycle is in fact a singular motion.
The dial [or 'face' of the watch] contains the hour, minute, and
second hands. The second hand moves fast, fast enough than our eyes are able to
detect this movement. The minute and hour hands are also in motion, but
limitations of our vision do not allow our eyes to perceive this speed or
movement. After some time of looking at these hands, we realize that the
process of motion continues. Within this system, if even a single part's
performance is affected, or for some reason its movement stops, the process of
motion [of the entire watch] will come to a halt.
The factory of nature is also composed of mechanical parts. The
sky, the earth, the trees, the mountains, the land-dwelling animals and the
birds, the insects, the angels, the jinn, and humans are all parts of this
grand system, and it is with their cooperation that the organized system of
movement runs its course. The principle of nature is the same for each species,
each individual, and each particle. However, man is such a part of this machine
that he is aware of the machine's mechanism. The other creatures have no choice
but to move within this machine merely as mechanical parts. It is this
knowledge of the mechanism which Allah the Exalted has declared as trust.
This topic has been written in light of four verses of the Holy Quran,
and a hadith-e-qudsi ['saying of the Holy Prophet(saw), narrating Allah's
direct words']:
v His work is that when He intends something to happen, He says
be, and it is. (The Holy Quran [chapter 3: verses47])
v That great and exalted being is Allah who has created you from a
single soul. (Holy Quran [chapter 7: verses189])
v Everything is from Allah, and towards Him will it return. (Holy
Quran)
v I offered my trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the
mountains. They all refused saying, 'We cannot bear the burden of it. If we
take on this trust, we will be destroyed into little particles (our conscious
will be scattered).' And man took on this trust. (The Holy Quran [ch33:v72])
v I was a hidden treasure, thus I created with love, so that I may
be recognized. (Hadith-e-qudsi)
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%?