The Example of a Tree

The tree is a divine enterprise. The tree begins with a small seed within which all the potential exists for it to produce a trunk, roots, branches, twigs and leaves. It just has to find a favourable environment in which to start growing. If you sow the seed under a stone, you cannot expect the desired result. But when the seed is sown in soil, it is as if, the soil becomes soft and helps in letting it take root, and all of a sudden, the seed is linked with the entire universe. In a way, it is as if the whole universe had been created for its nurture.

Many factors come together to provide the seed with food. The layers of soil contain minerals and salts which, when dissolved by rainwater, are assimilated by the roots, which in turn supply them to the rest of the plant and then the tree starts growing. Right from the earth to the sun, the entire mechanism of the universe becomes activated to produce the different weather conditions which will bring the heat and cold and rain necessary for the plant to grow into a full grown tree.

This tree so harmoniously becomes a part of the entire universe that it does not clash with anything else in its environment. If it takes water from the ground, it also gives out moisture through its leaves and contributes to the formation of rain clouds. If the tree takes food from the ground, it produces leaves and flowers, then it

The Voice of the Universe

yesterday is still giving us succour today, all the usual activities of life are going on in our world, and so on.

In the morning, when you see the sun’s rays entering in your room, it is not unusual that you get out of bed and call out aloud—another golden morning! This is true not only for the sunrises, it is rather true for every event of nature, for even those events which appear small are intrinsically as great as other more spectacular events.

Discovering this extraordinary aspect of an ordinary event is, in a sense, the learning of a lesson ( 15:75 ) and it is this learning of lessons from the signs of nature that is the biggest source of the realization of God.

Such realization is a living experience. It is another name for continuous discovery. It means finding spiritual food in the material world. There is nothing mysterious about it. Realization of God is the equivalent of intellectual development.

The Voice of the Universe

A radio set is placed on your table. Apparently, it is not working for there is no sound coming from it. But when you switch it on, all of a sudden you hear sounds or voices, meaningful voices uttering words which are understandable. Afterwards, when you switched off the radio set, all of a sudden all broadcasting ceased.

The Tendency to Complain

On hearing an acquaintance complain about others, I pointed out that complaint is the killer of spirituality. Making complaints is such an evil that you must totally avoid doing so. He asked that how you could avoid complaining when there are so many reasons for complaint everyday in this world. I said this was how he was being put to the test and that in spite of complaints you yourself have to remain complaint-free in this world, in spite of negative experiences, you have to learn to live positively. This is a form of test paper for a person in this world. Everyone has to pass this test. One who passes this test is a successful person, and one who fails in this test has nothing left to hope for in this life. Furthermore this failure is eternal in nature, success is also everlasting.

The making of complaints is no simple matter. Complaints are always accompanied by ungratefulness. A heart full of complaints will have no feelings of gratitude. Furthermore, a complaint is like dirt. Even one speck of dirt defiles all of the water in the tub. In the same way, even a minor complaint deprives one of the feeling of gratefulness. A person ought to be so sensitive in this matter that he should never tolerate the erosion of gratitude. He should keep ignoring complaints, and

The Spirit of Allahu Akbar

The same is true of the creation plan. The creation plan is perfect. We cannot think of a better one.

God created a human being in the most superior form, then He placed him temporarily on our present earth and it was destined that in the eternal world after death, everyone would be punished or rewarded according to the deed he had performed in this world. This is the creation plan. For a creature like man, this is undoubtedly the best possible creation plan. No better creation plan can ever be conceived of.

For instance, every person has great desires. These desires are etched in his mind in the form of a beautiful concept of Paradise. Every man and woman wants to find a world where all desires are fulfilled without any obstacles. Every plan of life made by philosophers or thinkers, falls short of the fulfilment of human desires. The creation plan that comes before us in the form of the Hereafter is in its final form and has all the resources for or means of the fulfilment of desires. This aspect of the concept of the Hereafter is the final proof that it is the real concept of life. All other ideologies are mere suppositions.

The Spirit of Allahu Akbar

The spirit of Islam in one phrase may be called the Allahu Akbar spirit. The greatest prayer of Islam is namaz, which is performed five times a day. There are, supererogatory (nafil) prayers besides the regular prayers.

Modest Man

Self-centredness or a superiority complex is a natural syndrome which exists in everyone. This feeling brings about courage and confidence in a person. If a person has no ego, he will be deprived of self-confidence and in the absence of self-confidence no one can perform any great task. But it is necessary that one’s feelings of self-confidence or superiority complex should be bound by limitations, that is, it should be reined in by the feeling of modesty. In the absence of such pressure, a person will lose his utility and his viability in social life. He will suffer from excessive pride (ahankar). And without doubt there is nothing more destructive than excessive pride in this world.

There are two things in this world which make a person modest. One is a scientific bent of mind, the other, is his being God-fearing. A scientific bent of mind results from the realization of knowledge. And a God-fearing mind is the result of the realization of God.

When excessive pride builds up in a person, the reason is that he sees himself in relation to man, and since, there are many people he finds less excellent than himself, the feeling of ego or his own greatness begins to grow. But one who has a scientific bent of mind in the real sense, sees himself or his issues in relation to

Towards the Truth

The truth is that, just as a person uses his reason in worldly matters so also shall he have to use his reason in matters of religion. He shall have to be entirely logical, without which no one can be a religious person in the real sense or be held deserving of Paradise.

The process of becoming a religious person in the full sense is a conscious act. For every man and woman, it is necessary to discover religion at a conscious level. A person should make his religiosity a conscious matter rather than just ritual obeisance. He should make his religion a fundamental part of his mind and heart. He should make his religious life a life of awareness just as he has made his worldly life a conscious experience. There is absolutely no exception to this rule. The greatest things that God has given a human being are his reason and his awareness. Those who do not find religion at this level and do not adopt religion in this sense will be held to be irreligious in the eyes of God, whether or not they are religious at the ritual level, that is whether or not they perform all the necessary rituals. Religiosity is a conscious act rather than the observance of a set of rituals.

Towards the Truth

Khalid ibn al-Walid who was born in Makkah was initially an opponent of the Prophet of Islam and participated in several wars against him. Shortly before the conquest of Makkah (8 A.H), he came to Madinah and accepted Islam. While narrating the story of his

What is Islam?

levels of knowledge in this matter: rational knowledge and divine knowledge. Rational knowledge is based on data, in comparison to which divine knowledge is that level of truth on which a person himself tries to reach this level of confidence on the basis of inner perception, where he does not need any data. His own inner feelings are the source of his conviction. It is that level of knowledge on which every individual has the conviction that a certain woman is his mother.

What is Islam?

The literal meaning of Islam is submission, that is, submission to God’s will. Submission, in fact, is the name of that natural response from a person to God, the response that is expressed by human beings after their realization of God. It is with this submission that that life has developed which is called a religious life.

What is realization of God? The realization of God is the realization of that Being who has created man, who has granted man with a personality which is unique throughout the vast universe, Who has created the planet earth for man and who has established a unique arrangement for man’s survival which is called the life support system.

A person’s quest does not stop here but rather becomes a part of his life in the form of a process of discovery. Now, he discovers his relationship with God. He grasps the reality that he is not free but is under

wants more and more. No one is satisfied with what he has. Psychology of this nature is destructive. The greatest loss it inflicts is that one is deprived of the blessings of special prayer to God. If an individual lives in a state of gratitude, that is, if he feels that whatever is required for leading his life in this world has been given to him by God, this will become a great point of reference for prayer.

These words will be uttered from the depths of his heart: “O God, You have given me everything in the world.” ( 14:34 ). Now I want the same in the world Hereafter as, You have promised in Your Book: “Therein you shall have all that your souls desire, and therein you shall have all that you ask for.” ( 41 . 31 )

A prayer said in gratitude is a high form of prayer. Such a prayer comes from one’s heart with deep feelings. Such a prayer is the result of a prepared mind. Such a prayer represents one’s entire existence.

In such prayer the choice of words is secondary. What is of prime importance is the internal feelings which stir up one’s heart and mind. Such a prayer comes out of one’s lips only when one comes so close to God that no distance remains between him and his Creator. In such a prayer words are just symbolic. The real, or actual dua is that, which is heard only by the angels who then without delay deliver it to God.

Increased Faith

God is the Creator and Lord of this world. But it is strange that right throughout history, man has not given the importance to God which was His due. A person’s very existence is a bounty conferred by God in the complete sense. Whatever he has in the form of wealth and children have all been bestowed upon him by God. Innumerable things like light, oxygen, food and water never cease to be available for man. The only one to give these things is God. But this greatest reality has been the least recognized in the whole of history. Man had only one thing to give to God and that was to acknowledge Him. But he has failed to do so.

Increased Faith

The Sun is 93,000,000 miles away from our earth and is 1,30,000 times bigger than it. The sun is not as solid as the earth, but is rather a big blaze of fire. Its temperature is 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit and is so hot that even the hardest of matter would melt on its surface. If the earth were to come closer to it, it would melt in less than one minute.

How does the sun shine and how does it give out such large amounts of heat and light? Since ancient times, until quite recently, it was believed that the sun was continuously burning like a wood or coal furnace. But when astronomical research revealed that it had

believer first of all faces the stage of finding out how to lead his life as a believer in his own environment. According to the law of nature, one finds unfavourable situations at every moment, which makes one intolerant. On all such occasions, a person has to remain patient, so that he may remain on the straight path without any deviation.

The second thing is introspection. In this testing ground, one makes mistakes again and again. It is essential that a person should hold himself accountable for these mistakes by subjecting himself to unbiased introspection. Without instant introspection the tendency to make mistakes will become an ineradicable part of one’s personality. The third thing is the learning of lessons (tawassum). This means observing the phenomena of the universe in order to learn lessons from them, thus receiving spiritual nourishment from physical events. This is spiritual food for the seeker of truth, without which no one can become an aspirant to spiritual development. Religious life begins from faith. But it is only the starting point of spiritual life; it is not the final destination. After that man has to go through a course uninterruptedly, without completion of which no one can reach the stage of a true believer in the real sense. Basically, the components of this course are only three: patience, introspection and learning lessons. This course cannot be performed by any kind of formal rituals. This is entirely a conscious intellectual journey. Just by awakening one’s consciousness, one can achieve success in this test.

Discovery! Discovery! Discovery!

of the creation. Those who discover God in this introduction and shape their lives accordingly, are not blind. But those who do not realize the presence of God are blind. They are like blind people in this world. That is why, in the end, they shall also be raised up in the state of blindness. Such people appear to be human but in reality they are like animals. This reality has remained hidden in this world, but in the end it will be revealed.

Discovery! Discovery! Discovery!

There is a maxim in Japan that you should discover new things everyday even if it be a method of putting thread in the needle. This saying is about material discoveries.

But this same principle applies equally in the case of realization and spirituality, although on a more elevated level. Spirituality is not something stagnant. It is a continuously growing entity like trees.

The fact is that the human mind is unlimited in its potential. The universe of facts external to the human mind are also boundless.

This being so, one who keeps his mind in a state of continual awareness and reflects deeply upon things with full concentration at every moment, will continue to discover new realities everyday. For him the treasure trove of the discoveries will never come to an end.

then writes on the windshield “A Gift from Dad”. This, in fact, is a case of ungratefulness. A blessing which is in actuality given by God, is thus attributed not to God but to a person. This is a case of a failure to acknowledge God’s magnanimity and that is the greatest sin in this world.

The Quran states that, when Prophet Solomon received a blessing he immediately said: Haza min fazli rabbi which means, “This is by the grace of my Lord.” ( 27:40 ) This is the only correct way to express true faith. That is, the Prophet described an apparently material blessing as “God’s gift”. True believers consider that everything belongs to God alone and acknowledge God by attributing everything to Him.

Whatever people get in this world is apparently by their own efforts. But this only appears to be so. The fact is that every single thing is a blessing from God. It is required of a person that he remove the veils in which reality is shrouded and by discovering the truth may say on receiving every blessing that this is God’s gift given directly to me by God. Gratitude is the religious term for this acknowledgement. Only those who acknowledge God and are grateful to Him have a legitimate right to live in this world. On the contrary, those who fail to do so have no right to live in this world, for they are no better than sinners and intruders.

The Existence of God

expected from him, for what has already been provided on the planet earth for him?

There are so many amazing phenomena in the universe. For instance the stars, the planets, the oceans, the mountains, etc. All these things are the creation of God. They all acknowledge God, but this is compulsory acknowledgement; it is not by choice.

Exceptionally, God has created man as a free creature. Man is required to acknowledge his God by his own choice. He should stand on the planet earth and say: “O God! I believe in Your existence without seeing You, and O God! I surrender myself before You without any compulsion. O God! I admit my helplessness in the face of Your power.” That is the acknowledgement expected from a human being, on the basis of which all blessings have been bestowed in advance. Those who measure up to this acknowledgement will find that these blessings will continue to increase for them, but those who failed to acknowledge these blessings, will be deprived of them forever.

The Existence of God

Scientific studies of the universe have been regularly undertaken for almost five hundred years. Great minds have been engaged in this study. But how far has this scientific study taken us? This universe is so

Greenery Returned

In Delhi, there is a tree near my house. I call it a spiritual tree. I sit under it for hours on end for it gives me spiritual peace.

Before the rainy season this tree was completely dried up. I thought that it had probably come to the end of its life. It was not going to be green and lush again, but after the rainy season, it started to become green again. Leaves began to appear on its branches and by the end of August, it had become completely green. Its freshness had returned completely.

This story is symbolic for human beings. It is necessary for a person’s spiritual life to receive “water”. One who lives without “water”, will have a personality like a dried up tree.

For human life, divine inspiration is like life-giving water. Through it, one ought to establish an eternal spiritual bond with God. A bond of this kind will give one renewed freshness. If this bond is broken for any reason, he will become like a dried up tree.

Remembrance (zikr) of God is the link to God Almighty. What does ‘to remember God’ mean? It is not just the repetition of certain words. It means to remember Him again and again in different situations. For example if you see a tree, you will see the miracle of

What is Taqwa?

Islamic doctrine or belief, at all times the angels of God are near to every person. They are constantly noting down records of man’s words and deeds. In such a situation, it is absolutely natural that a true believer will be extremely serious about the angels recording him as a humble person and not as a rebellious one.

This feeling is natural. It arises consciously or unconsciously, in everyone. Therefore, a believer does not like to appear as an arrogant person in the eyes of the angels. Even in the case where apparently he has not made a mistake, because of his humility, he often utters these words: “I was at fault”, (I was in the wrong). By not admitting the mistake, rebellious emotions get the better of one. On the contrary, by admitting mistakes, one demonstrates his humility. Refusal to accept one’s wrongdoings shows arrogance, whereas admitting one’s mistakes is a sign of the true believer who has surrendered himself before the Lord.

What is Taqwa?

It is recorded in a tradition that Umar Faruq once asked Ubayy ibn Kaab what taqwa was. He replied, “Have you ever passed by thorny bushes?” He said he had. Ubayy ibn Kaab then asked, “What did you do then?” Umar Faruq said that he had gathered up his clothes and cautiously kept away from the thorns, so as

The Veil of Satan

The following is a part of a long tradition: “Satans keep hovering over the eyes of human beings, so that they may not reflect upon the divine signs scattered all over the earth and the heavens. Had it not been so, they would certainly see divine marvels.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 8625)

The universe around us is called nature in scientific terminology. Man comes across numerous events or phenomena in this vast world of nature. He sees and experiences them without learning any lesson from them. This verse of the Quran applies to the unheeding: “And there are many signs in the heavens and the earth that they pass by and give no heed to.” ( 12:105 )

These events scattered in the universe are in fact divine signs: they serve as an introduction to the Creator in the form of His creation. If a person were to see with open eyes, he would observe the marvels of nature in these signs. But Satan puts such thoughts in man’s mind as prevent him from seeing those events of nature from the right perspective. It is Satan who puts the thought in a person’s mind that all those signs of nature are the result of the laws of cause and effect, happening automatically, rather than the result of divine power. Satan tries to stop man from looking at these events

potential and live his life accordingly. During any struggle, if he faces problems he should understand that there may also be positive advantages in negative experiences. A person should learn positive lessons from his negative experiences. He should not lose hope in any situation to the point of feeling victimized. He must rather learn to think positively.

In this way, he will continue to develop his personality. By introspection, he can reverse wrong conditioning. By awakening his consciousness, he will develop his personality in such a way that he has the capacity to accept the truth. He must follow this prayer said by the Prophet Muhammad: “O God! Show me the truth as it is and give me the strength to follow it. And Show me falsity as it is, and protect me from it.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 1, p. 427 ) And “O God! Show me things as they are.” (Tafsir al-Razi, vol. 1, p. 119 )

One who thinks positively may be described as having a developed personality. Wise is one who builds up such a personality. As far as everyday experience is concerned, God gives natural gifts to all of us equally. But, subsequently it is the duty of the human being to turn himself into a developed personality. It is like using machinery to convert the ore found in nature into steel.

The next development is based on this process of selfpreparation. The self-taught introspect continuously and analyze their mistakes in order to de-condition themselves. They are the ones who have at all costs converted ore into steel. They are the ones who avoid such things as create obstacles to their personality

Three Levels of Development

A tradition is recorded in different books of Hadith. In the words of Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet of Islam said: “Man is like metal—like silver and gold. One who was better in the days of ignorance (that is, prior to Islam) is also better in Islam, if he can develop a deeper understanding in Islam.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2638 b)

In this tradition, the stages of a person’s intellectual development are explained. The first intellectual level is the one on which human beings are born. The second intellectual level is that which one attains by one’s own efforts. The third level is that of realization of God. By reaching the level of realization, the individual can achieve the final destination of his intellectual development. That is, the level the other name of which is Islam.

In this sense, an individual’s example is like the metal. Iron is mined from the ground in the form of ores i.e., in its original state. After that, it is melted and purified. Then it takes the form of iron. Next, it passes through the industrial process of combining it with carbon to form the alloy steel. After that it can be made into machines, tools, etc. That is, in the first step it is an

Man: An Exceptional Creature

which powerlessness can never have on a parallel with strength vis-à-vis helplessness.

However, it depends upon a man’s awareness whether he can savour faith in different situations. The ability to savour faith is not an unconditional bestowal. It comes with the condition that one fully understands what is meant by living faith.

Just as it is only one with fully sensitive taste buds who will be able to discriminate between the tastes of different fruits, it is only one who is alive in his sense of faith, and also continually revivifies it, who will be able to appreciate the taste of faith in different sets of circumstances. On the contrary one who allows his sense of faith to become blunted, may experience different types of situations, but he will never be able to savour the sacred taste immanent in them. Even if living in the garden of faith, he will never know the divine aroma of faith.

Man: An Exceptional Creature

A tradition of the Prophet of Islam reported in books of Hadith reads: “God created Adam in His own image.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6227) This does not mean that man is like God in physical appearance. It means that God has in a limited way

Why should there be Trials?

feelings of faith in one. While without making use of reason, one arrives at a form of religion which is superficial. It is only by making use of reason that the seeker can find the true kernel of religion.

Why should there be Trials?

When God’s servant calls to his Lord, and if he is dear to God, He says, “O Gabriel, do not hurry to fulfil his desire. I like to listen to his voice.” (Al-Mojam al-Awsat, al-Tabrani, Hadith No. 8442) In this tradition, the word ‘voice’ is not only a matter of utterance, but has a wider connotation. This voice is of one who has experienced trial according to the law of nature. His heart has been deeply affected by this experience, which has brought to him a storm of divine ideas. Through it he has discovered humility and the greatness of God. As a result, a new storm emerges in his spirit.

On such occasions, the words that come out of the mouth of a believer are unique, special words expressive of the glory of God. A believer becomes the envy of the whole universe at that particular moment. He remembers God in such a way that the earth and heaven also failed to do so. This is the highest form of divine remembrance of a creative nature.

Trial is a divine experience for a believer, leading to an increase in his sensitivity. At that time, the words

The law of the present world is so designed that man must inevitably undergo hardships. No one is exempt from this general law. This fact shows how helpless a human being is. In this world, it is only the Creator who is Almighty, All-Powerful. This contradistinction is final. No one is exempted from it (that is, God is AllPowerful and man is totally powerless).

The Quran states: Every human being is bound to taste death ( 3:185 ). It is a historical fact that whoever is born into this world has to die after a limited period of time.

The incidence of death bespeaks one’s helplessness. This event proves that helplessness is man’s lot in life. So far as power is concerned, none but the Creator has power. Both these experiences, for men and women alike, are of a proven finality. In this way, everyone can discover, in the light of his or her personal experiences, that he or she is in a position of total helplessness and, as compared to man, the Creator is Omnipotent.

This discovery is the beginning of realization. For one who makes this discovery, the journey towards the path of realization has been well and truly initiated. Subsequently, all other things, which are desirable in the divine way will become part of his or her life. This realization is like an intellectual revolution in that it colours one’s entire life in the hue of God. ( 2:138 )

Control Over the Universe

attributes all greatness to himself—as a matter of personal achievement. As a result, everyone lives in and for his own self. Everyone takes the high ground of pride. Everyone, consciously or unconsciously, thinks that he is all in all. There are other types of people who are given to the cult of personalities. When they see greatness in their saints or gurus, they attribute it to those human beings and then start worshipping or revering them. The greatness that they should have attributed to the Creator they have attributed instead to the creature. As a result, they have stooped to the worship of the creation rather than the Creator.

Control Over the Universe

The words of the 2nd verse of the Quran: “Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe” ( 1:2 ) are in actual fact, a person’s spontaneous utterance when he observes the universe. Telescopic observation tells us that the universe is, to an unimaginable extent, vast and majestic. Moreover, microscopic studies tell us that the unobservable universe is as majestic as the observable universe. In spite of all progress made by humanity, man has not yet succeeded in apprehending either the vastness or the grandeur of the universe.

This vast and unfathomable universe is continuously in motion. At every moment, extremely meaningful

Two Arrangements

God has created man with special blessings, which are basically of two kinds. One of them is called the “best of mould” in the Quran ( 95:4 ). The other blessing has been thus referred to in the Quran: “He has given you all that you asked of Him.” ( 14:34 ) The “best of mould” has also been referred to in the Quran as “best form” ( 40:64 ). This means that man has been granted a perfect physique.

The human body is regulated, moreover, by a number of organs, which enable sight, hearing, breathing, speech, digestion, blood circulation and movement. All of these are essential for the survival of human life and, if these systems were ever disturbed or deteriorated and became non-functional, human life would come to an end. Other blessings which have been provided in the outside world, external to human existence, make up the life support system. They include the system of light and heat, the supply of oxygen, rains, agriculture, etc. Human life depends for its continuance upon both the internal organ support system and the external life support system.

A deeper knowledge of these natural processes opens the door to the realization of God. As a result, profound feelings of thankfulness are engendered, which give

Foreword

The literal meaning of Islam is submission, that is, submission to God’s will. Submission, in fact, is the name of that natural response from a person to God, the response that is expressed by human beings after their realization of God. It is with this submission that that life has developed which is called a religious life. A person’s quest does not stop here but rather becomes a part of his life in the form of a process of discovery. Now, he discovers his relationship with God. In the process, he realizes that he is not free but has to act at God’s behest and be accountable to Him. This makes him live a God-oriented life.

He discovers that death is not the end of his life, for, another life begins after death, where he will stand before God, so that God may declare His final decision about his eternal future. This process of discovery continues until he realizes that the end of his life is going to culminate in the form of either eternal Paradise or eternal Hell. This quest makes him extremely serious about the course his life should take. Now he plans his life anew. Now he redefines everything. If at first all his activities were self-oriented, now they are God-oriented. It is this very lifestyle which is called Islam.

Wahiduddin Khan

January 20, 2021

New Delhi