10 Eylül 2009 Perşembe

THE FORTY-SECOND DISCOURSE On the two conditions of the self

The spirit of man can be in two conditions and there is no third one: the state of happiness and the state of trouble. When it is in trouble, there is anxiety and complaint and displeasure and criticism and finding fault with God, the Mighty, the Exalted, lacking in patience and cheerful submission and reconcilement; on the contrary, there is the displaying of bad manners, the sin of associating the creation and worldly means with the Creator, and finally unbelief. When it is in comfort, it is a victim of greed and insolence and predominance of low desires and enjoyments. Whenever it gratifies a desire it wants another and belittles what it already possesses of blessing; then it finds fault and defect in these blessings and asks for one better than these and brighter as well, out of what is not in its lot, and turns away from what is allotted to it and thus involves the man in a long series of troubles; and it does not feel contented with what is in its hands and what is allotted to it and lands into distress and in places of destruction in the midst of a long series of trouble which has no end either in this world or in the hereafter, as it has been said: "Verily the most distressing of punishment is seeking what is not allotted." Thus when he is in trouble it does not desire anything except its removal, and forgets all pleasures and desires and delightful things and does not ask anything of these. Then when he is blessed with an easy and comfortable life, he returns to arrogance and greed and disobedience and recalcitrant turning away from obedience to his Lord and plunges in his sinful occupation. He forgets the misfortune in which he had lately been and the calamity to which he had been a victim. So he is hurried back to a state worse than that in which he was with various kinds of calamities and troubles as a punishment for what he had perpetrated and committed and for major sins, in order to keep him away from these and restrain him from sinful acts in future, after it was found that ease and comfort would not reform him but that his safety lay in calamities and difficulties. If he had observed good manners when the calamity was removed from him and had held fast to obedience and thankfulness and cheerful acceptance of his lot, it would have been better for him in this world and the hereafter. Then he would have obtained an increase in the comforts of life and the pleasure of God and a happy life and resourcefulness and pleasure. So whoever desires safety in this world's life and in the hereafter he should cultivate patience and cheerful submission and avoid complaining against people and obtain all his necessities from his Lord, the Mighty, the Glorious, and make it an obligation to obey Him, and should wait for ease and be exclusively devoted to Him, the Mighty, the Glorious. He, in any case, is better than those besides Him in the whole of His creation. More often than not, the deprivation caused by Him is a gift, His punishment a blessing, His calamity a remedy, His promise a cash, His credit is an existing state, His word is a deed. Undoubtedly, His word and His commandment, when He intends to do anything, is only saying to it "Be," and it comes into being. So all His actions are good and based on wisdom and expedience, except that He keeps the knowledge of His expedience hidden from His servants and He is alone in this. So it is better and proper for the servants to be in a state of cheerful submission and resignation and to be engaged in service to Him by carrying out His orders and observing His prohibitions and being resigned to His allottment and by discarding such occupations as pertain to the nourishment of the creation — because this privilege is the source of all allottments and the point of their coming into force and their basis; and to be silent on why, how, and when (of happenings) and to refrain from ascribing a fault to God in all His actions and inactions. This statement derives its validity from a hadith narrated by Abdullah Ibn Abbas who is quoted by Ata Ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas is reported to have said: "I was riding behind the Prophet of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he said to me, My boy, guard the obligations to God, God will look after you; guard the obligations to God, you will find Him in front of you." So when you ask from God, and when you seek assistance, seek it from Him. The pen is dried after writing down all that is to happen and if the servants of God strive to benefit you with anything which God has not decreed for you, they will not be able to do it and if all the servants of God strive to harm you with anything which God has not decreed for you, they will not be able to do so. So if you can act on the commandments of God with sincerity of faith, do it; and if you are unable to do so then surely it is better to be patient on what you dislike but there is much good in that. Know that the help of God comes through patience, and comfortable circumstances, with distress, and that difficulty is accompanied by ease. So it behoves every believer that hq should make this hadith a mirror for his heart and its internal and external garment and its motto, and should act on it in all his actions and moments of pause so that he may remain safe in this world and the hereafter and may receive honour in both of them by the mercy of God, the Exalted.