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Tabattul
and Tawakkul (Total Devotion to Allah and Complete Reliance
on Him):
by Imam Kalamazad
Mohammed
Today we live in a world in which
scant regard is paid to serious devotion to the Almighty. In
the West, belief in God is openly ridiculed and in some
social, political or intellectual circles, to invoke the
name of God in an argument or discussion is to run the risk
of immediate ostracism as a "nut" or "softhead" or even
"traitor". In Muslim countries, the intelligentsia,
including the political elite, has been educated in the West
or are Western influenced, and while they may retain some of
the "colouring" or visible formal practices of Islam, most
of them in their hearts are nothing more than pawns of
Gog and Magog and consequently they view this
life as vastly superior to the Hereafter. As people assume
the characteristics of their leaders, the Muslim masses,
bereft of spiritual guidance for centuries, are in the main
mere formal practitioners of the religion and are attached
to it emotionally rather than intellectually and
spiritually.
Sadly, wherever in these countries
there is an attempt to return to Islamic roots, to the Holy
Quran and the Hadith, this effort is attended by
violence – violence against them from the authorities
who, being servants of the West, are not allowed to have a
ruling Islamic government – or violence from these
resurgent groups against foreigners or against those who
oppose their concept of a bloody jihad, that is, of
seizing power through the gun. So their good works are
stifled under the derogatory epithet of "fundamentalism", a
Western-coined term that connotes intolerance, fanaticism,
hatred and violence against non-Muslims. So, while there may
a little of tabattul (devotion to Allah),
tawakkul (complete reliance) on Allah is
missing.
The following is a very brief
introduction to these important subjects which, one hopes
and prays, will awaken us to the reality of living under the
eyes of Allah. Firstly, the dictionary meanings of
tabattul and tawakkul are given from the Holy
Quran and the Hadith and these are followed by
excerpts from the writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Imam
Ghazali and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, Mujaddids
(Reformers) of the fourteenth, the fifth and the sixth
centuries Hijrah [Islamic Era], respectively.
And finally, four episodes from Tadhkiratul Auliya
are presented.
- Batala – he cut off or
severed or separated something.
- Inbatala – it was or
became cut off or severed.
- Inbatala fi sairihi –
he strove, laboured or exerted himself and made much
progress in his journeying or in his pace.
- Tabattala – he was, or
became alone.
- Tabattala ilal-Lahi (inf.
noun tabtilun) – he detached himself from
worldly things, and devoted himself to God; or he devoted
himself to God exclusively, and was sincere or without
hypocrisy towards Him; he forsook every other thing and
applied himself to the service of God; he devoted himself
exclusively to the service of God; or he separated
himself from women and abstained from sexual intercourse;
(and hence metaphorically employed himself to exclusive
devotion to God).
- Wakala – to entrust
(something to someone); to assign (something to someone);
to put someone in charge.
- Wakil – an authorised
representative, attorney, manager, agent, trustee,
guardian of one’s interest, witness to a bargain,
patron.
- Tawakkala – to rely
on, confide in, trust in, depend on, to become a
wakil in an affair, to entrust every affair into
the hands of God.
- Tawakkul – trust,
confidence; trust in God and complete reliance on
Him.
- Mutawakkil – one who
puts trust in another, especially God.
Some Quranic Verses
on Tabattul:
O thou covering thyself
up! Rise to pray by night except a little, half of it, or
lessen it a little, or add to it, and recite the Quran in
a leisurely manner. Surely We shall charge thee with a
weighty word. The rising by night is surely the firmest
way to tread and most effective in speech. Truly thou has
by day prolonged occupation. And remember the name of thy
Lord and devote thyself to Him with (complete)
devotion (73:1-8).
Say: My prayer and my sacrifice
and my life and my death are surely for Allah, the Lord
of the worlds (6:163)
Is it not to God that sincere
devotion is due? But those who take for protectors others
than God (say): We only serve them in order that they may
bring us nearer to God. Truly God will judge between them
in that wherein they differ. But God guides not such as
are false and ungrateful (39:3)
Say: Verily, I am commanded to
serve God with sincere devotion (39:11).
Say: It is God I serve, with my
sincere (and exclusive) devotion (39:14).
Call ye, then, upon God with
sincere devotion to Him, even though the unbelievers may
detest it (40:14).
And away from it (the
hell-fire) shall be kept the most faithful to duty,
who gives his wealth, purifying himself, and none has
with him any boon for a reward, except the seeking of the
pleasure of his Lord, the Most High. And he will soon be
well-pleased (92:17-21).
So when thou art free (from
anxiety), work hard, and make thy Lord thy exclusive
object (94: 7-8).
And they are enjoined naught but
to serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience,
upright, and to keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and
that is the right religion (98:5).
Some Quranic Verses
on Tawakkul:
Behold! You are they who
disputed about that of which you had knowledge; why then
do you dispute about that of which you have no knowledge?
And Allah knows while you know not (3:65).
If Allah helps you, there is
none that can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who
is there that can help you after Him? And in Allah should
the believers put their trust (3:159).
Two men of those who feared, on
whom Allah had bestowed a favour, said: Enter upon them
by the gate, for when you enter it you will surely be
victorious; and put your trust in Allah, if you are
believers (5:23).
And obey not the disbelievers
and the hypocrites, and disregard their annoying talk,
and rely on Allah. And Allah is enough as having charge
(of affairs) (33:48).
Allah, there is no God but He.
And on Allah let the believers rely
(64:13).
Say: He is the Beneficent –
we believe in Him and on Him do we rely. So you will come
to know who it is that is in clear error
(67:29).
Our Lord, on Thee do we rely,
and to Thee do we turn, and to Thee is the eventual
coming. Our Lord, make us not a trial for those who
disbelieve, and forgive us, our Lord. Surely Thou art the
Mighty, the Wise (60:4-5).
Some Hadith
Quotations:
Abu Huraira reported
God’s Messenger as stating that God has said: I
am present when my servant thinks of Me, and I am with
him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me inwardly, I
shall remember him inwardly, and if he remembers Me among
people, I shall remember him among people who are better
than they. (Bukhari and Muslim. Robson, Mishkat al
Masabih, vol. 1, p. 475.)
Abu Dharr reported God’s
Messenger as stating that God has said: He who does a
good deed will have ten times that amount of blessing,
and I shall give more; but he who does an evil deed will
have an equivalent reward of evil, or I shall grant
forgiveness. If anyone draws the length of a span near Me
I shall draw the length of a cubit near him, and if
anyone meets Me with sins tantamount to the size of the
earth, but has not associated anything with Me, I shall
meet him with a similar amount of forgiveness.
(Muslim. Ibid. p. 476.)
Abu Huraira reported God’s
Messenger as stating that God has said: If anyone is
hostile to a friend of Mine, I have declared war against
him. No one draws near to Me with anything dearer to Me
than what I have made obligatory for him. If My servant
keeps drawing nearer to Me with supererogatory acts I
shall love him, and when I love him I shall be his
hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he
sees, his hand with which he grasps and his foot with
which he walks. If he asks from me I shall certainly give
him and if he seeks refuge in Me I shall certainly give
him refuge. I have not hesitated about anything I do as I
hesitate about taking the soul of a believer who dislikes
death, for I dislike grieving him, but he cannot escape
it. (Bukhari. Ibid. p. 477.)
Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s
Messenger as saying: "Seventy thousand of my people will
enter paradise without being taken to account. They are
those who do not use spells or take omens, but put their
trust in their Lord." (Bukhari and Muslim. Ibid. vol. 11,
p. 1098.)
Suhaib reported God’s
Messenger as saying: "It is remarkable that everything
turns out well for a believer while that applies only to
a believer. If happiness befalls him he gives thanks and
it turns out well for him, and if misfortune befalls him
he shows endurance and it turns out well for him."
(Muslim. Ibid. p. 1098.)
Abu Huraira reported God’s
Messenger as saying: "The strong believer is better and
dearer to God than the weak believer. In all that is
good, be eager for what benefits you, seek help in God,
and do not be too weak to do so. If any affliction comes
to you do not say, ‘If I had done such and such,
such and such would have happened,’ but say,
‘God decrees, and what He wishes He does,’ for
‘if I had’ provides an opening for the deeds of
the devil." (Muslim. Ibid. p. 1099.)
Umar bin al-Khattab reported that
he heard God’s Messenger say: "If you were to trust
in God genuinely He would give you provision as He does
for the birds which go out hungry in the morning and come
back full in the evening." (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. Ibid.
p. 1099.)
Sa’d reported God’s
Messenger as saying: "Part of the happiness of a son of
Adam consists in his pleasure with what God has decreed
for him, part of the misery of a son of Adam consists in
his abandonment of asking God’s blessing, and part
of the misery of a son of Adam consists in his
displeasure with what God has decreed for him." (Ahmad
and Tirmidhi, with Tirmidhi saying this is a
gharib tradition. Ibid. p. 1100.)
Abu Dharr reported God’s
Messenger as saying he knew a verse which would suffice
men if they would but apply it: For him who fears God
He will appoint a way out and He will give him provision
from an unimagined source (65:2-3). (Ibn Majah. Ibid.
p. 1101.)
Amr b. al-As reported God’s
messenger as saying, "This heart of the son of Adam has a
piece in every wadi (valley) and if anyone lets his heart
follow all the pieces God will not care in which wadi
(valley) He destroys him; but to anyone who trusts in
God, He ill supply enough for all the pieces." (Ibn
Majah. Ibid. p. 1101.)
From the Fonder of
the Ahmadiyya Movement:
What is
Tabattul?
A companion had been commanded in a
dream to seek information from Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Founder
of the Ahmadiyya Movement, on the question of
tabattul (complete devotion to Allah). The following
is the Founder’s reply:
"In my opinion, the
significance of your being told in a vision to inquire of
me the meaning of tabattul is that my view in this
matter should be followed. To give the logical or
syntactical meanings is not of benefit here. What is
needed is a clear description of the condition that
prevails in tabattul. In my view, a person can be
called a mutabattil (one completed devoted to
Allah) only when he places Allah, Most High, His laws and
His pleasure above worldly attractions and shun all acts
which are detestable to Him. No custom or practice or
national law should be a hindrance nor should his base
passions or his blood relations such as his brother,
wife, son and father be an impediment or an obstacle in
his way to attaining tabattul. In short, nothing,
whether animate or inanimate, should be able to influence
him to disobey the laws of Allah and prompt him to act
against His pleasure. In order to win Allah’s
pleasure he should annihilate his entire self to such an
extent that he totally submits to the will of Allah. On
many occasions worldly relations can dissuade a person
badly, as Mother Eve had caused the downfall of Prophet
Adam. So, in order to achieve perfect tabattul, it
is necessary that a man should intoxicate his entire self
to the point of extinction with the love of Allah but in
a manner that he does not become oblivious of Allah but
be lost in His love.
The reality of tabattul in a
practical way becomes evident only when all obstacles
have been banished forever and all kinds of barriers are
smashed and the bond of man with Allah reaches a stage of
intrinsic love. This is how complete effacement (of
one’s ego) can be obtained. Everything can be
lucidly said in verbal discussion and one’s words
and explanations can shed light on many matters. But the
difficulty arises only when one tries to put into
practice what one professes in words. There are many who
profess to believe in God and even to love Him, and also
strongly affirm that they wish to place Him above
everything and may even claim to have done so already.
But a difficulty arises when we try to search for those
changes and signs which are the fruits and blessings of
having given Allah priority over all things. At every
step one is likely to stumble while discussing these
transcendental subjects. That is why when the necessity
to give their wealth and life in the way of Allah arises
and He wishes the lip-professors to sacrifice their
wealth and their lives and their most prized possessions
which do not really belong to them but to Allah alone,
they find it hard to do so.
In the early days of Islam, there
were some companions who faced this kind of trial. The
Holy Prophet (pbuh) wanted a piece of land on which to
erect a mosque. A certain person was asked to give his
land but he made all kinds of excuses and said that he
could not give his land. Now, that person professed
belief in the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and he had taken a
covenant to put Allah and His Apostle above everything in
the world. But when the time of trial came he threw this
covenant behind his back although eventually he did offer
the piece of land. So the truth of the matter is that
nothing can be achieved by mere words unless the words
are put into practice, and practice is not truly
established if there is no test.
Bai’at (pledge of
allegiance) is taken at my hands with the express
undertaking that you will put religion above the world
and that you will acknowledge as your Imam a person whom
Allah has commissioned and sent to this world as a
representative of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), and who has
been appointed as a judge and an arbiter. That is,
that you will accept his decisions happily and will
accept them with a calm mind and an open heart. If in
spite of this covenant and acceptance a person does not
cheerfully submit to the ruling of mine and instead there
is a reluctance in his heart, then it will surely have to
be said that he has not attained true tabattul and
he has not ascended to that high station which is called
the state of tabattul. Instead, the chains and
shackles of low passions and earthly attachments are
still blocking his way to spiritual progress and he has
not yet emerged from behind those veils which man has to
tear apart before he reaches the state of
tabattul. If he is not cut off from the true love
of this world and has not been grafted onto the branch of
the divine tree, it is impossible for him to possess
luxuriant verdure. Behold! If a branch is cut off from a
tree, it cannot blossom and bear fruit. Even if you put
it in water or provide all the ingredients that sustained
its life before, it still can ever become fruitful. In
like manner, if man does not develop a powerful union
with a sadiq (truthful person), that power to
attract spiritually cannot be procured just as a severed
and isolated branch cannot become green even if it is
watered. Thus, severed and alone, it cannot bear fruit.
So in order to become a mutabattil a person needs
to have two prerequisites: cutting off all worldly
connections followed by a sustained love for
Allah.
A person who binds himself with
Allah in a state of complete submission and reliance will
have to sever all connections and enticements of this
world. This does not mean that a man will achieve this
union by totally abandoning the world and living a life
of a recluse. Certainly not! But he has to live in this
world and yet not be a part of it. That is true courage
and bravery. And severing all worldly connections or
being separate from the world means withstanding the
power of its beguiling seductions and temptations and not
giving them precedence over Allah, Most High, but putting
Him first in all matters. Further, no temptation of this
world or hindrance should stand in his way, nor should
they inveigle him. I have said before that in this world
there are many obstacles in the spiritual journey of a
person. A wife, too, may become a great stumbling block.
Allah, Most High, has given us an example of this. He has
forbidden us specifically from one thing: And We said:
O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in the garden, and eat
from it a plenteous food wherever you wish, and approach
not this tree, lest you be of the unjust (2:35). The
consequences of ignoring this prohibition affected first
the wife and then her husband, Adam (pbuh).
The question arises as to what
tabattul really means. It is severing oneself
completely from everything and turning completely to
Allah, and considering all other worldly interests and
desires as dead. There are many people who regard my
teachings as valid and even admit that they are sound and
correct. But if they are asked why they do not accept
them openly, they will reply that people will abuse them.
This is the main hurdle that prevents a person from
earning Allah’s love and proximity. For if the fear
of Allah should exist in the heart of man and he lives
under the power and glory of His sovereignty, then what
concern would he have with what others say or do not say?
Otherwise it would mean that their hearts are still under
the dominion of other people and not under Allah’s
command. When this polytheistic thought is expunged from
the heart of a man, then everything is seen to be less
than corpses and worms and weaker than them. If the whole
world should unite in opposition against such a person,
even then it will be impossible to prevent him from
accepting the truth.
A manifest testimony of such a
perfect tabattul should be sought from the lives
of the prophets of Allah and from His commissioned ones -
how, in spite of their utter helplessness and weakness,
they showed not the least concern for the opposition of
their worldly-minded antagonists. A lesson should be
learnt from their conduct and the varied circumstances of
their lives.
Some persons repeatedly ask whether
it is permissible to perform salah
[prayer] behind such people who, although they do
not revile me, yet do not openly accept me, because they
fear the abuses of others. I say, Never, ever! Why?
Because there is a big stumbling block on the path of
their acceptance of truth and they are still a branch of
that tree whose fruit is poisonous and destructive. If
they had not considered the worldly-minded people as
their gods or adopted them as their qiblah or as
objects of veneration, they, having destroyed all those
veils, would have freed themselves. They would also not
have shown the least concern for anyone’s taunts or
reproaches and they would not have lived under the fear
of censure from anyone. Instead, they would have fled
towards Allah. So, remember that in everything you do,
you should reflect on whether it is for the pleasure of
Allah or for that of people. Unless you achieve that
state (of spirituality) where Allah’s pleasure is
paramount in your heart, and no satan or evil suggestion
can dissuade or infiltrate it, the fear of stumbling will
always cast its shadow over your mind. But when neither
the evils nor the benefits of the world exert any
influence on you, but only the pleasure or displeasure of
Allah prevails, it is then that you attain that blissful
state in which man is released from the eventualities of
all kinds of fear and grief. If there is someone who is
within the fold of my jama’at
[Movement] and then withdraws from it, then the
reason is that his satan still exists in his heart to
dissuade him from following the righteous path. But if he
should build a strong resolve that in future he will pay
no heed to any evil whisperings then God will come to his
rescue.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was a
perfect example of tabattul - he disregarded both
praise and blame from others. How many a difficulty
befell him, yet he paid no attention to them. Neither
greed nor covetousness could deflect him from his mission
which he had brought from Allah. Unless man has impressed
this condition within his self and has passed the test of
trial, he can never be free from anxiety.
It is important to remember that
whoever becomes a mutabattil will also become a
mutawakkil (one who relies totally on God), for
tabattul is an indispensable precondition for
achieving the status of a mutawakkil, for, as long
as a man considers his worldly relationships the means of
his support and relies implicitly on them, how can he
become totally dependent on Allah?
When a man turns to Allah after
ridding himself of all crutches, he then makes a clean
break with this world and he effects a union or bond with
Allah, Most High, and that can happen only if there is
total and unconditional reliance on Allah just as the
Holy Prophet (pbuh) was the perfect mutabattil as
well as the consummate mutawakkil. It was for this
reason that he paid no regard to the advances of all the
aristocrats and leaders of tribes and peoples, and
neither did their opposition faze him in any way. Such
was the extraordinary faith he possessed in the existence
of Allah, Most High, that he was able to bear the
stupendous burden (of his mission), and the desires of
worldly opposition he considered as non-existent. The
like of such a noble example of God-reliance is not met
with in this world, so that having chosen Allah, he
gradually converted the whole world into an enemy. But
this condition cannot be attained until one has, as it
were, seen Allah, and until an unshakeable trust exists
that after doors of worldly support are closed there is
the Divine support which will definitely come to his
rescue. When this trust and certainty are firmly
established, then in the path of Allah one makes enemies
of those erstwhile beloved friends and that is because
the true believer knows that Allah will create other
friends. If his worldly estate is lost then he has the
invincible faith that he will receive something better in
return here or in the Hereafter.
In short, to put Allah’s
pleasure first is tabattul and further,
tabattul and tawakkul are twins. The secret
of tabattul lies in tawakkul and the
prerequisite of tawakkul is tabattul. And
that is my teaching in this regard" (Malfuzat,
vol. 11, new edition, pp. 357-363).
We shall now turn our attention to
Imam
Ghazali’s explanation of
tawakkul:
"Meaning of
God-reliance. The meaning of tawakkul or
reliance is to entrust an affair to another and to
believe him fully in that respect. He who is entrusted
upon is called wakil or pleader and he who
entrusts is called moakkil or client. So sure
faith in wakil is called reliance.
I shall cite an example of a
wakil in case of litigation. A wakil shall
have four qualities:
1. Sufficient power to
understand
2. Ability
3. Power of speech
4. Sympathy and kindness for
client
With regard to the first quality,
he must have power to understand the places of deception,
false claim and even the minutest details. With regard to
the second quality, nobody engages a wakil having
no ability. He shall not flatter, shall not fear to
disclose truth or feel shame or show cowardice. With
regard to the third quality of power of speech, he must
have it, otherwise many good reasons cannot be shown for
want of clear expression. With regard to the fourth
quality, he must try to help an oppressed
client
Similar is God-reliance. When so
much reliance is placed on a wakil with such
characteristics, how much more reliance should be placed
in God? When you believe that there is no master of an
action besides God, that He is All-powerful and
all-knowing, that He bestows His kindness, favour, help
on all the people and some special people, that there is
no power and might except through God, there is no
knowledge but in Him, he must rely on Him and must not
look to his own power and strength as there is no power
except God. If you do not find in you this reliance, it
is for two reasons – weakness in you in any one of
the four qualities and weakness of faith in your mind. So
without the united strength of mind and faith,
God-reliance does not become perfect. With these two
things peace can be attained. Peace of mind is one thing
and certainty of faith is another thing. There are many
men with certainty of faith who have no peace of mind, as
Hazrat Ibrahim said: "O my Lord, show me how You give
life to a dead thing." God said: Have you no
faith? He said: "Yes, I have, but in order to console
my mind." Hazrat Ibrahim had full faith, but he was eager
to see it to bring him peace of mind. There are many men
having peace of mind but with no sure faith.
Three classes of God-reliant
man. There are three classes of God-reliant men
according to the measure of their reliance on God. The
first class of God-reliant man is like one who entrusts
all his affairs in a case to his wakil who is
appointed by him from a consideration of his ability,
eloquence and kindness. The second class of God-reliant
man is more developed than the first. His condition is
like that of an infant who knows nobody except his
mother. When any danger comes, he takes refuge in his
mother and believes nobody except his mother. In every
condition, he catches hold of her clothes. When any
danger comes to him in the absence of his mother, the
first expression he utters is: "O mother." Such a
God-reliant man relies on God as a child relies on his
mother. The difference between the first and the second
class is that in the latter, one annihilates himself in
God-reliance, while it is not so in the first
case.
The third class is the highest for
a God-reliant man. Such a man lives before God in such a
way as a dead man is kept before one who washes him. He
thinks that he moves similarly at the hand of his
original fate. He is firm and steady. He thinks that the
flow of his movements, strength, will, knowledge and
other attributes run through Him compulsorily. He is not
like a child who takes refuge in his mother, cries to her
and runs after her. He is like that child who knows that
wherever he stays, his mother will find him out. If he
does not like to suckle his mother’s breast, his
mother will suckle him. Such a person gives up invocation
as he trusts in God’s mercy and help and thinks that
he will get more if he does not want than if he wants"
(Imam Ghazali, Ihya Ulum-ud-Din, p.
253-255).
The following is a very
short selection from the saint, Abdul Qadir
Jilani, whose concise
discourse here is most illuminating.
"An old man asked me in my
dream: ‘What makes a servant of God near to
God?’ I said: ‘This process has a beginning and
an end, so the beginning of it is piety and Godliness and
its end is to be pleased with God and to surrender
oneself to His way and to rely on Him entirely" (Maulana
Aftab-ud-Din Ahmad’s translation of Futuh
Al-Ghaib, p. 139).
The following are a
few excerpts
from Tadhkiratul-Auliya
that will serve as practical illustrations of
tabattul and tawakkul given from the vantage
point of some of the famous saints of Islam.
"Once Hasan, accompanied by
several people, was on the way to the Kabah. On the way
they came across a well. They were all thirsty but had no
rope with them with which to draw water. Hasan said:
‘I am going to perform salah (prayer). As I
pray, you will notice the water shall rise. You will then
drink it and quench your thirst.’ And so it
happened. But when a person, after drinking his full
filled a tumbler to keep by his side for future use, the
water sank to its original low level. When asked the
reason for the strange occurrence, Hasan replied:
‘It was due to your lack of faith to depend solely
on God.’" (p. 12).
"Once a guest was partaking of the
meagre meal that poor Ajmi had offered to him when a
beggar knocked at the door. Ajmi took the food and handed
it over to the beggar. Surprised at this unmannerly
behaviour of Ajmi, the guest (who was no other than Hasan
Basri) said: ‘You must know little of manners.’
Ajmi was silent for a moment, when, to the surprise of
Hasan, there appeared a lady with a delicious dish. Both
sat down and partook of it. Then Ajmi said: ‘Hasan,
you are a good man. You should develop a little more
faith in God (that is, know that a thing given in
God’s name returns several-fold).’" (p.
17).
"For forty successive years Junaid
kept awake the whole night in his devotional practices.
Thereupon the pride was born in him that he had reached
the spiritual pinnacle. The Divine Voice reprimanded
Junaid saying: The time has arrived when you should be
declared a heretic. He cried: ‘Lord! What is my
fault?’ The reply came: Could there be a greater
sin than that you in you still survives (that
is, your ego is not yet dead)? He sighed and bowed his
head in submission saying: ‘He who attains not to
the union of the Lord, all his virtues are sins.’"
(p. 107).
"Khafif went out on a pilgrimage to
the Kabah. He carried only a jug and a rope to draw
water. As he passed through the wilderness he saw many
deer standing on the top of the well and drinking water.
As he approached, they ran away and the level of the
water went down. In spite of his efforts, he could not
draw water from that low level. He prayed to the Lord to
raise the level of the water as He had done for the deer.
The Divine Voice was heard in reply: We cannot do so, as
you depend upon the rope and the jug besides Us.
Immediately he threw both of them away and lo! the water
level rose and he quenched his thirst. When he related
the incident Hazrat Junaid in Makkah, Junaid said:
‘The Lord was testing your dependence on Him. Had
you waited patiently for a longer time, it would have
overflowed the top.’" (p. 138).
We pray that the living belief in a
living God may return to or sink deeper into the hearts of
all peoples, especially Muslims – to feel ourselves
always in the presence of God and to be submissively
obedient to Him, having annihilated our own will and ego to
the point where we calmly and cheerfully accept the
inevitable decrees of God, yet striving with self and
property in His way without fear or grief despoiling our
lives.
May Allah bless us all in our daily
pilgrimage to His threshold.
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