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My life revolves around spirituality.
This faqir has reiterated the same thing over the years, and the subject of my
discourse has not changed either. So much has been said in the past 23,725 days
and 23,725 nights that now when I wish to say something, the same impressions
that I have already communicated to you before, appear on my mind. Hence, when
I now feel like writing on any subject or making a speech, it occurs to me that
the topic has already been covered.
With the help of God, I have tried every
method as per my capabilities to explain spiritual knowledge. I am grateful
that you have all appreciated my efforts but I am also well aware that when
experience and realisation become a part of students' life, they begin to
expect more from their master.
Dear friends, everyone desires to lead a
happy, healthy, and a troublefree life and receives the same advice from
everyone they encounter - "Be happy". We all come empty handed into
this world and bid farewell to it with nothing in our hands. No one is born
wearing clothes, and likewise, when one dies, the clothing on their corpses is
cut with scissors to perform final rituals. People have no power over life, yet
they consider themselves independent. They believe that one cannot be happy
unless they become rulers of their own lives. But if they were independent,
then why are they unhappy? In truth, the person who asks others to be happy, is
also sad themselves.
Nothing in life attains finality unless
two units merge. A person who desires happiness will gravitate towards
unhappiness too, and vice versa. Therefore, defining something as being happy
or unhappy is merely word play. The truth is, an individual is neither aware of
happiness nor unhappiness.
The basic need of life is water which is
present everywhere. Similarly, to shelter oneself from heat and cold, it is a
pre-requisite to have land for a house to be built upon, and we are all witness
to the fact that the creation of the land exists beforehand.
As the fundamental needs of life exist
post death and prior to one's birth, this proves that the resources that are
present now, will continue to exist even after one's demise. We become
apprehensive in our search for the acquisition of resources, which leads to
unhappiness. Unhappiness is equivalent to an injustice that we inflict upon ourselves,
as the necessities to sustain life are provided by God to every individual, no
matter whether they wish for it or not.
My friends, it is worth musing that the
crop of wheat would not grow, and a grain of rice would not tum into a seed if
God had not spread out the earth. Would it be possible to meet food
requirements without sunlight? Had there not been birds and animals, we would
have no meat and milk.
An aadmi (man) should also reflect upon
the machinery within them. Do they play any part in keeping it functional? They
want supremacy over others. This desire, however, only comes up when the
internal mechanisms of their bodies are effective - that is, their hearts continue
to throb, their intestines and kidneys remain active, their brains receive signals
to fuel their nervous systems, their eyes see and their eyeballs remain in
motion, and images reflect onto their minds in the blink of an eye. This
reflection of images on the mind is a process for the dissemination of
information.
One should also muse that we would not
be able to see if we had insight but no eyes. In the same way, without a heart,
movement will vanish from our sight.
The process of creatures arriving on
Earth has not yet discontinued. The caravan has begun its journey from
Aalam-e-Arwah (the realm of spirits) and it has to travel through this world.
Therefore, resources have been arranged here for the caravan's stay. The
purpose of this journey is the realisation of God but on the contrary, people
have confined themselves to the resources, and this is nothing but ignorance.
One can only live happily if resources are considered as mere mediums to fulfil
one's needs. In contrast, if people overvalue resources to the extent that they
devalue their own worth, they become overwhelmed by unhappiness. Similarly, the
alternation between happiness and sadness is due to our expectations from those
who are helpless and in need of resources themselves. What can such a person
give to others?
Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) was a reputable
cloth merchant. His personal secretary once informed him, "Sir, your ship
has sunk in the sea and we have suffered a huge loss".
Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) paused for a few
seconds and then said, "O' God! Thank you".
After a few days, news arrived that the
ship that had sunk was not his.
"Your ship reached its destination,
and has earned a huge profit," the secretary informed happily.
Imam Sahib (RA) replied, "O' God!
Thank you!"
The secretary asked curiously,
"Sir, may I know why it is you thanked God when you were informed that your
ship had sunk?"
Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) replied, "When
you brought me news of the sunken ship, I looked into my heart and found not a
trace of happiness or sadness. Rather it said, 'It all belonged to God.' Later,
when you informed me that the ship had not sunk, my heart reaffirmed the same.
The profit I have received is by the Will of God. I thanked God because He is
the One who gives, and He is the One who takes back. When I found myself in
harmony with the will of God, I thanked Him."
It is unwise for a man of 50 years to be
upset over turning 51, as he does not contemplate his past, how he was born and
nourished, and how God took care of all his needs from his birth till then. He
had never been left hungry or deprived of clothing, he got married, had kids
and then grandkids, and reached 50. He has a livelihood and his kids enjoy all
the resources to have a good life. Why do such thoughts not occur to him? It is
because aadmi is entrapped in the shell of their ego. They think about future,
but never ponder upon the days gone by.
From a spiritual perspective, life -
whether it is of human beings, planets, the Sun, Moon, trees, or of anything
else, is nothing but a record of the Past. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says,
"Do not inveigh against time, for
Time is God."
The above saying of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) gives us insight into the fact that the whole universe is in relation
with God. For God is the Creator, the Owner, and the Provider who has made it
mandatory upon Himself to grant provisions to all beings.
What is life? Is it present, past, or
future?
While contemplating this question, one
does not find the existence of the present or future time, because every moment
is being recorded, and scenes that are recorded are called the past. Then what
is the present and future? It is the division of the recorded time which we refer
to as the past.
One is apprehensive about how tomorrow
will unfold. But the truth is, tomorrow does not exist. We attribute to the
coming day as tomorrow, but do not pay attention to the fact that every day
after the sunset becomes the past.
Life is based on movement that has been
taking place since time immemorial. The system of the universe would come to a
halt if movement ceased to exist. Those who are aware of the knowledge of
movement know that what is deemed as present and future, are the impressions of
the past. One with this knowledge is appointed vicegerent, and as a result,
everything in the universe submits to them through the Will of God. Since
vicegerents are aware of their role in the universe, fear and grief disappear
from their lives.
Example: We formulate a plan for 30
years. To materialise this plan, the span of 30 years is divided into six
stages. In other words, the plan which was devised 30 years ago, is finally
implemented in six steps. So, the efforts aimed at materialising the plan are
in fact the act of rejuvenating or breathing life into the images of the past.
When nations sever ties with their past,
and do not attempt to fix themselves by following in the footsteps of their
ancestors, they are erased from the surface of the earth. On the other hand,
the nations who remain in touch with their past, and adapt to the great acts of
their forefathers, attain zenith. Therefore, a person who wants to be happy,
should revert to their past on a daily basis and count the blessings of God in
their lives. If they let go of expectations from people and make efforts by
reposing trust in God, they will manage to break free from the grip of
limitations. Such people are sheltered into a limitless expanse of life where
there is neither fear nor grief.
Happiness is a natural phenomenon
whereas unhappiness is contrary to it. An unhappy man moves away from their
intrinsic nature, while a happy person is a world within themselves. This is why
people are fond of them.
Dear readers, profound thinking over the
course of life makes it evident that life traverses on the belt of ghaib and
zahir (disappearance and appearance). When an individual appears in this realm,
they disappear from the realm they have come from i.e. their birth in one realm
is their death in the previous one. Every manifestation goes through the same
Divine law.
When the sun sets, every new day (though
it is not new) goes back into the ghaib and with the rising of sun, another day
dawns. In short, the course of life and death indicates that the person appears
once, and disappears twice to manifest from one moment or place to another.
This is how 50 years of a man alternates between the process of ghaib (disappearance)
and zahir (appearance).
"Lo! we are God's and Lo! unto Him
we are returning." (Quran, 2:156)
If transition between two moments does
not take place after birth, it would not be possible to determine one's age.
Therefore, to answer what life is, people of wisdom give us insight into the mechanism
of birth, how it is simply a manifestation of ghaib and zahir, and how God has
blessed Insan (humans) with the knowledge of it.
Dear readers, please muse over the
formulae of birth.
Where were individual prior to their
birth? We call that place ghaib.
All creatures were in the realm of ghaib
before coming into this realm,
i.e. they appeared from ghaib, and will
eventually disappear into it. God, the most Beneficent and Merciful says,
"Thereof We created you, and
thereunto we return you and thence We bring you forth a second time."
(Quran, 20:55)
May God protect you,
Every one drinks water on a daily basis, but does not contemplate
what water is; what is in it that quenches thirst? How is water obtained? Is it
from a well, stream or a river?
A common person does not think about such things. They
simply drink water when they are thirsty. But the one who is blessed with
Nisbat-e-Ishq (association with love) looks for signs of God within water and
ponders over the fact that water is created by God. As they delve deeper into
contemplating water, all the resources involved in it, such as the sea, clouds,
and snow melting from the mountains appear before their eyes.
- Book:
Sharah Loh-o-Qalam
OCT 2019-QSM
