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 being, 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 angels 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-mahfooz ['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 that 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']:
His work is that
when He intends something to happen, He says be, and it is. (The Holy Quran
[chapter 3: verses47])
That great and
exalted being is Allah who has created you from a single soul. (Holy Quran
[chapter 7: verses189])
Everything is from
Allah, and towards Him will it return. (Holy Quran)
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])
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%?
