Universal Message

by Maulana Moulvi Abdul Qadeer Mohammed Siddiqui       

Original in Urdu Rendered in English by Khaja Nasrullah Qadeeri

Universal Message by Maulana Moulvi Abdul Qadeer Mohammed Siddiqui

Original in Urdu Rendered in English by Khaja Nasrullah Qadeeri

How wondrous does the world appear today! How marvelous its achievements are! The means of communication have greatly improved the amenities in traveling these days. Thousands of people perished in the past in famines, and due to the lack of such facilities one could not come to the rescue of others. Now, we have railways, automobiles and air services and above all, we learn, the amenities in transport will be further enhanced by the use of atomic power. What tremendous facilities are being provided to bring men closer to one another, nay, even nations closer to one another. We have heard of Flying Horses in stories. Today, do we not witness with our own eyes the whizzing aeroplanes moving in space as a tangible reality? Where were all these in the past? The telephone, the television and the radio? Look how wonderful are all these discoveries of our times!

What has been said so far pertains to one and only one aspect of this material world. What then is the other aspect or what is the other side of the picture? Every one is desirous of being worshipped by others? He wants to despoil others, and reduce them to penury. To destroy and annihilate them all is his main object. You have been considering the progress in communications as a matter of prime importance. Now the very same means of communication are being employed for the speedy destruction of mankind. Just now, we have touched upon the subject of Atomic Power. Take it from me, the same power will reduce all to dust. The Communists on one side and the capitalists on the other are awaiting their chance to deal a deathblow to each other. You contend there is restfulness on all sides but I discern a restlessness everywhere. Mankind shudders at the thought of the day when the Atomic and Hydrogen bombs will be released and the world would prove a sepulcher for its inhabitants. Comfort and contentment are absent. Trials and tribulations stare us in the face. Why all this? It is because we have strayed from God? Who cares for Him? Every one has carved out an image for himself - why go in for an external deity? Every one is out to worship himself and forces others to pay obeisance to him.

Having turned aside from God, where can you seek rest and peace of mind? Joy proceeds from unity and pain from diversity. Hold fast to God and do not cut yourself adrift from His mercy. God is one and one only. If you do not live under the shadow of His protection where will you gather peace of mind?

Now-a-days every one no doubt, talks of one God. Even those who practice image-worship claim that they worship none but God. He is the Lord of us all. To sustain all in His attribute. Life, knowledge, and sense of hearing, sense of sight and power, all are His attributes. Your prime duty is to put on His color. Whose color is the most pleasing? Life and the creation of other life is the attribute of God. On the other hand your endeavor is to take life or destroy it. God's attribute is to sustain, bring up and nurture. But you are concerned with the satisfaction of your own demands for hunger and you snatch the very means of sustenance from others. God's attribute is all kindness, but you are cruelty personified. If you had ever liked and loved Him, you would never have dared to destroy His handiwork, namely man. God makes things and you mar them. If you had understood Him, His attributes would have manifested themselves in you. You would have molded yourself after His image. But the image you represent is that of Satan and not of God, With us, peace is the sign of Oneness and disorder results from diversity. When there is a balance in inter-relationships unity is the result. It is this proportion that lends beauty to form, style to body, euphony to the musical strings, and melody to voice. What a melodious tune! What superb Unity! You look upon others as alien to you. This otherness, this differentiation is the curse. Establish contact with God and see him in every relationship. Follow His commandments. Refrain from other things that have been prohibited. There are certain things which when observed, naturally will better the material and spiritual aspects of your life.

PRIDE: To imagine oneself superior to others. This indeed is a satanic quality. Thank God for the favors bestowed and do not, on that account, despise others with a sense of superiority.

SELF-EXALTATION: An inward proud feeling of being superior to others. In pride you see at least others but in self-exaltation you do not see others. One imagines one is good, is a good scholar, or pious and handsome. If you go round the world you will come across men who are far wealthier, more handsome, more powerful and stronger. Wealth and beauty are but transient. You are molded out of clay, so you shall be humble.

BACK BITING: To speak ill of others. Some boldly assert that whatever they say it is all true. But I say, if the statement was not true, it would have amounted to false charges. Innumerable disputes originate from speaking ill of others. If you are careful and do not level charges against any person, do you think he is mad to pick up a quarrel with you or come to grips with you?

SPEAKING THE TRUTH: Speak the truth; that too only when wanted. The more you speak, the greater will be the chances of committing mistakes. Though the tongue is an insignificantly small organ, yet major disputes are wrought by it. The first sin committed on earth was jealousy. It is out of jealousy that Satan could not stand the sights of Adam's rise. Overpowered by false vanity, he decided to disobey God and decided to mislead mankind. Lo! What was the cause of this misery - JEALOUSY. Jealousy is like the fire which not only harms the person concerned but it consumes and turns him to ashes. In fact by entertaining jealousy, we accuse God Himself.

HYPOCRACY OR OUTWARD SHOW: Doing things for mere show. To do anything good for show is a kind of infidelity to God. If your aim had been God Himself, you would not have tried to please others. By offering your worship, you have already obtained your reward at the hands of others, whom you choose to please by being known as pious, or upright, What then do you expect from God? Repent, refrain from showy behavior. If you do a thing, do it for God alone. Sincerity of purpose is a great thing. All else is worthless, of no value. We will further stress some more important things to be borne in mind.

Remember one important thing: refrain from uttering a lie. It is something debasing and unworthy of you, To utter a lie for fear of others implies there is no fear of God. One who fears God, fears none. What power do others possess that they could do you good or harm you? To adopt cunning methods and dupe others, that too for a petty consideration, to acquire a false position or prestige is to live in a fool's paradise. You look upon evil as good. God's kindness is unlimited. God is so large-hearted that anything done against Him is expected to be pardoned. But man is very narrow-minded indeed. Man has no largeheartedness in him. If you wrong him, he will never forgive you.

You have certain obligations to fulfill in respect of everyone. Everything in its small sphere has a right over you. If you deny that right to its rightful owner, it is a clear wrong. Pay due respect to your state and other members of the government; all have claims over you. Not merely this, you owe certain obligations to your own self. You cannot commit suicide. Over-eating is as great a wrong as starvation. Thus do we wrong ourselves and none else. My friend, your own self is not yours. You are not your property. The property belongs to God. You are, therefore, under His bondage. If you cannot maintain yourself in peace and comfort, wherefore did you acquire this right to cause discomfort to His being, that is yourself?

Remember: the human temperature should ever remain at normal. If heat increases in the body it would mean fever and death. If it goes below the normal, it will likewise mean weakness and death. Remember another point. Do not commit any sin against your nation. If you commit a national wrong, it would mean that you have committed a wrong against every individual member of your nation. To misappropriate even a single pie of public money, gives to every member of the public the right to punish you. Remember one more point. Prefer smaller evil to a bigger one. But always speak the truth and die for it if necessary. This is gnosis indeed, the true wisdom and the true Dharma.

If ever you know God, obey him implicitly. His commandments are universal in application. So give up the thought of selfish interest. Prefer the general good of the people to your personal gain.

You are a senseless and an ignorant set of people. Walk in the footsteps of one whose destiny is God. Intellectual disquisitions and the fancies of the mind are chimerical, mere mirages. How good is one who derives everything from God and fulfills His commandments!

What we have said so far pertained to improvement of outer self of man.

But remember certain points also. In everything you do, in every breath you breathe think of God. Such constant attention to God will open new chapter of life.

PIETY: Refrain from such deeds whose end is bad. One who fears God, fears none. There cannot exist two fears at a time. If you do not fear God, fear the outcome of your own misdeeds.

PATIENCE: There are many kinds of suffering in this world. If one gets impatient over such suffering, they do not leave one. How does misery befall? It comes as a reaction to your deeds or to test you.

May my steadfastness in love dawn on my beloved Even his harshness to me is acceptable as deserving (Hasrat)

CONTENTMENT: To be satisfied with a little is contentment. Be content with whatever God has favored you with. Do not be covetous. Justify through your own efforts, your claims to the betterment of your chances and improvement of your position. What is the good of having a mere desire? Do something. Patience is bitter, yet its fruits are delicious.

What is to happen, happens, and that which we are to receive, We will receive, when His will has to prevail, whose will is to count. (Hasrat)

One should always accept whatever befalls one. If one puts up with all trials and tribulations, that itself is patience. In the moment of trial and endurance, one has to face many ordeals. When this pain is disregarded, pain and pleasure mean the same. Such a state is called resignation to the Divine Will. And when one delights in pain inflicted, one reaches the stage of Raza or Acquiescence.

There is a saying of a godly man, "I receive trials and tribulations with my right hand, and health and comfort with my left." That means he accepts comforts if they too came to him, willy nilly.

Yet another godly man says "May God bless him." meaning the first godly man in point, "But whatever God gives me, I accept with my right hand only." When anything is considered to proceed from God, it cannot but be good. His attention is focused on the Giver and not on what is given. Where such a state of mind is reached, human actions lose their value to him. He considers, that there is nothing under the sun which man has power over. He considers God alone as the fountain head of all activities. Then attributes of all things lose their significance to him. He now rightly begins to imagine that whatever qualities one may possess they have been the gifts of God alone. He now looks at everything and at once his mind is switched off to their Maker, that is the Creator of all things. All the attributes except those of God appear worthless to him.

At every stage, he observes the manifestation of His attributes only. That is why he says, "praise be to God, the Pure."

Already action other than God had list significance for him. At this stage, eve, His virtues also lose value to him. Now what remains is He and His thought only. He mediates upon God and experiences sublime bliss in it. If ever any alien thought enters his mind, he seeks refuge in God. He then is so absorbed in meditation, not to speak of avoiding any alien thought, that he does not even remember that he is engaged in contemplation. The word "I" carries no longer any weight with him. Since he sacrifices his self or Ego on the altar of Godhead, neither the meditator, nor the meditation, but the meditated alone remains. In earlier stages, he utters some incoherent words in a state of semi-unconsciousness. At one time he may mutter that he is Laila. At another, he may say that he is neither Majnun nor Laila. There exists something indeed.

Certain it is I am something indeed, I know not what exactly I am, Smile I sometimes and bewail at another, I am but a sport of my Lord. I lie at His feet, A mere shadow of my Beloved. (Hasrat)

What tremendous change is wrought over him. What then is the next change; neither he speaks nor mutters anything now. A lightning flashes and destroys everything that is not God. The self or Ego is gone and He alone remains; nay the Ego vanishes and there remains thereafter the cast expanse of nothingness. What state of mind is this! This state is akin to death. Neither is there Ego, nor the knowledge of it, nor annihilation itself. It is all annihilation in annihilation. Then the Grace of God revives him. He gets back what he has lost. The only difference between him and the average man is that he acquires the sense of God in him.

Everyone is entangled in the meshes of the Beloved's locks, Such is the special manner of love that every idolater and every Muslim possesses. (Hasrat)

He discharges his obligations towards everyone. But the sense of God comes within his consciousness; indeed it becomes consciousness itself. There is none worthy of worship except God and verily Mohammed is the messenger. This is the teaching of the prophet of God; this is the faith and this is Islam. God lives and I wish to know nothing else.