THE TWENTHY-FIFTH DISCOURSE On the tree of faith

Do not say, O penniless man! from whom the world and its people have turned their face. 0 man, who is without any fame, who is hungry and thirsty, whose body is bare of clothes, whose liver is parched, who wanders about in every corner of the world in every mosque and in every desolate place, and is turned away from every door and deprived of every object and is broken down, and who is fed up and disappointed with all the desires and longings of his heart; do not say that God has made you powerless and taken away the world from you and brought about your fall and forsaken you, and has become your enemy and made you distracted and has not given you any composure of mind and abased you, and has not given you enough in this world and has reduced you to obscurity and has not made your name exalted among people and among your brothers while He has given others plenty of His blessings so that they are passing their nights and days in comfort and made them superior to you and to the people of your house, whereas both of you are Muslims and believers and have your common mother in Eve and common father in Adam, the best of mankind. Well, God has dealt with you in this manner because your nature is pure and the moisture of the mercy of God is to come to you incessantly in the form of patience and cheerful surrender, and certainty and reconcilement and knowledge. The light of faith and of monotheism is to be heaped on you. Then the tree of your faith and its root and its seed will be established and it will become firm and full of foliage and will bear fruit and will be growing and spreading out branches and causing shade and shooting forth twigs. Thus everyday it will be on the increase and will grow and will not need any manure to help its growth and development. The thing which God has allotted to you will come to you in due time whether you welcome it or are averse to it. So you should not be greedy for what will presently be yours and do not be anxious for it. And do not feel sorry for what is meant for another person and not you. . What is not in your possession must be either of the two; (1) either it will be yours or (2) it will be another person's. Now if it is yours it will come to you and you will be drawn towards it and the meeting will take place very soon. And if it is not yours, you will be turned away from it and it will turn away from you, and so there will be no meeting between you and the thing. So be occupied in the best manner with what you are after in the time present before you in obeying your Lord and do not raise your head and do not pay any heed towards what is besides Him. God says: And strain not your eyes towards that with which We have provided different classes of them (of) the splendour of this world's life, that We may thereby try them. And the sustenance of thy Lord is better and more abiding (20:131). So, certainly, God has forbidden you to pay attention to anything else but that on which He has maintained you and has given you your provision of obedience and has bestowed on you out of His allottment and provisions and favour. He has warned you that whatever is besides these is a trial with which He has been trying them (others) and that your cheerful acceptance of your portion is better for you and purer and preferable. So let this be your way and resort and stay, and your inner and outer characteristics, and your objective and your desire and longing through which you will attain every object and reach every station and attain every good and blessing, freshness and joy and everything nice. God has said: No soul knows what refreshment of the eyes is hidden for them: a reward for what they did. (32:17). So there is no deed beyond the five prescribed ways of service and eschewing of all the sins, and there is nothing great and more honourable and more liked by and pleasing to God than what we have mentioned for you already. May God give you and us the power to do what is liked by Him and is pleasing to Him, by His favour.