Chapter 3: The Death of the “I” consciousness, necessary for perfection and purity of the soul
My children, I greet you with all my love, you who are so precious to me, you who possess those truest qualities; in the name of Allah who is the Supreme and the Knower, Allah who is most worthy of worship; who embraces us with His incomparable Love, the Most Gracious, the Most Worthy of Praise; He who showers His Grace on us who are entitled to it; the Giver who gives to him who asks, who receives, who seeks and who strives, to those He grants His Mercy having "sighted" with His Eyes of Grace (Arul kan) to bless us with what is most deserving. Ameen.
My most precious children, it is so very necessary to contemplate, to reflect a little on our state, our life. Are we not part of earth? We have within us a portion of earth, a portion of fire, a portion of water, a portion of air and a portion of ether. It is these which we must understand, contemplate upon a little, meditate upon a little, think about a little, realise what it is that constitutes us. It is we who have to research into ourselves, to understand our composition, analyse them in our study of them, to have a knowledge of ourselves. This must be our niyath or intention to make a study with our Arivu (or our common sense and reason).
My precious children, consider the ether, so unimaginably far and wide. Is there not the sun, the moon, the stars and the galaxies outside in space? You see the uncounted billions of stars in the sky; how many are their colours and their variety, the types of lightening and their sounds, the colours there of the clouds, the skies, the atmosphere in their several colours – red, green, blue, white, black in their myriad shades, so many myriad kinds, are they not?
And there is the incessant, unceasing running of the clouds and sometimes they are motionless. And the sky appears to be motionless as His Rahumath, His Grace, which allows us to see these and more.
And the myriads stars in the sky appear and disappear, the clouds are in constant motion, and by their very nature, they embellish the sky, appearing to us as part of the sky itself. To us, the sky appears as a fixed phenomenon on which as on a screen, there appears the constant movement of the stars and sources of light, which appear and disappear, as well as the clouds which adores it, which also appear and disappear. These are made to appear to us in this way.
The earth too is similar in many ways to the sky. Is it not? Does the sky destroy anything upon it? The clouds and the stars are free to run anywhere and everywhere in the sky. Are you aware, that in that very sky, which we see, there is fire, water, matter, wind, magnetic forces, currents, whirlpools and so many other potent forces as well as all manner of thunder and lightening, all of which we can observe, and those which we cannot observe, or those which we can only feel?
In this same way and in this manner, we observe the potent forces in the earth, currents, magnetic forces, waves, whirlpools, turbulences, the strike of lightening, energies, forces of gravity, heat, wind and so on.
Therefore, potent forces like these are also manifest within our physical bodies. There is a need for the physical body to move, to run, to walk, to do good; so like the clouds, the thunder and lightening, each having our separate intentions, beliefs, likes and dislikes, motives, desires, attachments, thoughts and actions, religions and philosophies, attitudes, habits and thoughts – yes, all these and more adorn and swell forth from our physical body. Our intentions, our likes and dislikes, the doubts and distinctions, our differences and variations, our shortcomings and limitations – these are brought forth by the mind. This is how it happens and so in our body. These, we say are the potentialities of matter, which constitute of body.
But man possesses some power, the power of his Arivu (commonsense and reason) and he must use that Arivu to remain unmoved and unshaken by these forces generated by matter. I have a duty to remain unmoved, unshaken and unswayed and stand erect, unbending. If our Belief is firm and strong, then whatever currents of thoughts flit about hither and thither, it would be like the sky remaining firmly in the firmament, in spite of the passing of clouds and current of air moving about.
In this way we shall be able to withstand the grief, the troubles, the moving thoughts and sufferings, our base intentions, - all of which assail us. It is our certitude (Iman) and our Belief which our Arivu uses to help us stand unmoved and firm, so that the agitation of the mind and the turbulences and disturbances of the mind, its doubts and shortcomings, its divisiveness and discrimination, the arrogance of the mind, the envy, pride, its egoistic qualities, lying, thievery, its baseness, its selfishness – all these will be running and flitting about. But these have a bearing on Certitude (Iman), belief, the conviction in that Belief and that determination with which you hold that Belief. These shall be established most firmly. And Arivu (that sense of reason), is that power which flows from the Iman, thereby resisting these debilitating forces at every turn, and responds at the appropariate time and the appropriate place; it resists at the appropriate points. My beloved children, it is then that we shall have peace, the tranquillity of the mind, which we found so very difficult to achieve. Remember that if there is the slightest wavering of or slight instability in the mind, such as when there is a fluctuation up and down caused perhaps by some uncertainty, or sadness, or some suffering, sorrow or grief, or some other reason, the awareness breaks down.
My precious children, does this earth with which we are constituted reflect any differences in us, or from which distinctions can be drawn? No. No matter what the conditions may be, these never change.
The bad man and the murderer, the good man and the virtuous, do they reflect any differences arising from the composition of the earth and water? No they do not. These components of the physical body remain the same, for every living creature. The earth provides the home for every kind and for the sustenance of every kind. Does the earth deny itself to the bad and the murderer? No, the earth does not distinguish the bad man and the good man. It provides the grave to all men and species without distinction, and provides the abodes to any as would be needed.
Take the farmer, he ploughs the earth, and the earth provides the crops which he cultivates. Does not the earth provide its bounty without distinguishing the bad man and the good man? No it does not do so. Thus it provides its bounty to all without favour, without any distinction, equally. To whosoever who labours, the earth provide, in proportion to efforts put in by the farmer. Production from the earth depends on effort, no matter by whom – good or bad, and his reward is equal to his efforts. Therefore his profits and his success depends on his efforts and his exertions. And the earth never discriminates in the giving of its bounty. Never does it look into whether the farmer is a good man or a bad man, because its purpose is no to discriminate. And soon after the cultivation, the crop grows, matures and blooms and the resulting crop is the reward in proportion to his efforts.
The nature of the earth therefore is to promote Equality, Peace, Conciliation. So, the one who is capable of understanding and realising the good and the bad, having the capacity and the abilities to know that which is right and necessary, who realises, appreciates and makes judgments and decisions which he takes upon as his duty, is such a one who profits and prospers.
The earth and the water, they each have a role to play without any discrimination. The water in the pond, does it restrain itself, or hide itself if a bad man wishes to bathe in it? Or does it avail itself to a Tamil and deny itself to any other? Is there a pond of water which is restricted to a Tamil, or only to a Christian, or only to a Muslim? Does water deny itself to an ant, to a bull, or to a horse, or to anyone wanting it? It is used by each and every being, according to its needs and the requirements of each. How many a being apportion this water and carry it away in its own receptacle as suits its needs! And whatever receptacle is brought is bountifully filled up.
Then again, we have the air – does it discriminate as to who shall use it? Likewise, does the water discriminate or the earth discriminate the user? Or even the fire discriminate? Or even the ether discriminate? Or even the sun which pours out its energy and light, discriminate? Or even the moon and the stars above discriminate? Or even the bounteous rain which falls, does it discriminate one from the other?
Such then is God’s Nature, His Qualities, and it is in this way that God’s Bounty is showered with no discrimination whatsoever on the good and the bad of everything, on the sinner and the saint. Such is His Duty to shower His Bounty as a Mercy to suit the requirements of each as needed. It is this my children which is His Duty, His Kingdom, His rule over His creation, for the consoling of His creatures – the angelic beings, His Prophets, His Saints and the lives of men and beasts and every conceivable life form, in absolute full measure. The plenitude and the completeness and the fullness of His Bounty and His Grace, is itself the living proof to the recipient. He proves to the Soul, to the recipient in this way, and fills in full measure the receptacles of varying sizes as belongs to each.
But I have a duty unto myself to understand and know how His Duty is discharged. I shall know that in the discharge of His Duty, there shall be no evidence or proof of any discrimination of even the slightest, even an atom’s weight, in the provision of His Bounty. That Duty is impersonal and never discriminative: and the object of that Duty is to console, to conciliate, to satisfy most completely, to bring tranquillity, and promote peace and by such means give understanding, enable realisation and thought and perchance gratitude in the recipients of His Duty. Equally, he who receives and is blessed with His Bounty, but does not understand or realise what he has received, will not understand Allah, the Almighty, the Nourisher. Yet, those who are unaware of God’s Name wonder at the Bounties of Nature, not knowing who or what Nature really is. However, there are differences in language to describe that Primordial force, substance, power or nature which provides, sustains and nourishes, intelligently and consciously every conceivable object or life form. We call it, the Absolute and the Supreme. This is the meaning of it all.
But It is beyond the beyond of religion, beyond the beyond of philosophy, beyond theory, beyond intellectual thought and reasoning and idle conjecture, which can be experienced but incapable of being described, Omniscient, Omnipresent, All Pervading, Self Substituting, a Treasure, Alone, Unaided, in Infinity, existing as Consciousness within consciousness, Intelligence within intelligence, within every conceivable thing, substance or life form. However, it is only the wise, the knowledgeable, who can understand this Supreme Noumenon (a substance, or thing or entity, which is not only unknown to the six senses, but unknowable to the mind), experience that Power, know it, and have absolute certitude of It. That Factor which we call Magnificent, the Supreme and the Absolute, pervades every being and thing, those that fly, those that walk on four legs or two, those that swim, everything that one can conceive of, man, the bull, the sheep, the grass, the trees, the plants, every cell and atom, are all pervaded by it. That is why we call it, the Absolute, the Supreme, and the Immanent. That is It, which we call God, that One God who is formless and unseen, who is described in many languages by different peoples, in different ages, and praised in many ways, worshipped in many forms and understood differently in many places. And the entirety of this universal exercise has as its theme, the praise and worship in so many diverse forms, of God. And in every language, in every religion, in the philosophies, there is a striving towards a particular end – Perfection, Purity, Fulfilment, the attainment of Him, that Power, that Grace, that Beauty, that Love, when we say Allahu in the midst of all words we use in praise of Him.
What then is the purpose of the egoistic utterance and the thought, “I am the greatest”, “You are lesser than I?” Know then, that I am merely the embodiment of earth, water, fire, air and ether and when I am freed of the pull of these very elements then and only then that, that which I am destined to know will be known. It is I, then who shall determine how soon, or how long I should wait to know.
The attachment of the physical body to earth, its attachment to water, to fire, to air in their several aspects, are the cause of our darkness, our blindness, our own state of being, and the state we are in. We in our ignorance, embrace these attachments to our selves. Therefore, it is only at that point of time in your eternal destiny when you yourself will to override these attachments, it is at that point that, that enlightening knowledge, that understanding, that perception which you are poised and destined you shall have you shall arrive. Know well that that point of enlightening knowledge is innate within you. It is you alone who shall discover that Power.
Consider the components of your physical body – the association of that earthly element, matter, of the gaseous or the wind, of the energy or fire, of the liquid or water – these have to be replaced, and constantly renewed, and thus attachment to them is inevitable. But then such attachment is our own darkness, which as it were envelops and blankets our every effort.
Yet, every conceivable thing, every life form, is composed with these five elements and the effects of these elements on each remain unchanging and constant without distinction. Thus the attachments of earth relates to creation (growth, birth, evolvement, origination etc). Attachment to water relates to the sperm (sex, lust, semen, propensity to bring forth etc). Attachment to air (wind, gas) relates to our breathing, to the blood, sensation, feeling and the intake of gasses into out body. Attachment to fire relates to warmth and heat, to energy and hunger. And attachment to ether relates to stark illusion, the world of illusion with so many a colour reflected in our mind and body. These five, do they not exist as our physical body? Should we not reflect very deeply into this aspect of our physical body?
Ether and earth are components of our body. The portion earth and the portion ether are integral. Ether allows one to proceed from one point to whatever other point and it sustains us, and even if the others fail to sustain us, ether does not fail to sustain. It is only if one proceeds beyond it, that it begins to pull back. But the other four – earth, fire, water and air have a magnetic pulling power which prevents forcefully, any departure or movement away from them; but ether does not do so, it does not pull back and (esoterically speaking) allows the movement to that place called Allah: but it pulls back if the movement is to some other place.
Conversely, however far we proceed or whatever height we attain on the Path, these other four elements – earth, fire, water and air – pull us back and retard our movement, our growth, our proceeding. That is, if we give these four elements the capacity, the strength and the ability to pull us down however high we may attain, then that is death, that is the end, that is the failure of our quest. That is, we shall be extinguished here.
When the pull of these elements are so strong that even after the physical death, that is, the one who is born here, dies here, but comes back here becoming dog, jackal, mouse, snake, frog, the four legged beasts, worm, insect, elephant, crow or even disembodied ghosts, evil spirits, malignant spirits, devils and similar abominations, even as trees, flowers, fruits and so on.
Hence in this birth itself, we shall have to immunise ourselves against what may be inevitable after death. The hallmark of what you shall be after demise is there upon you now – namely that particular craving for that which you desire in this birth.
Thereafter I must contemplate and reflect upon my life, this very birth of mine, born as it were in my present and particular guise which will never ever be that same guise after its death. I must contemplate, investigate into myself whether I have the making of satan, the devil, or the beast, the animal, the insect, the venom of the snake in me, the many distinctive types of them - the snake, the insect, the bestial, yes the many different types of them all, the dog, the monkey, the lion, the tiger, the elephant, the buffalo.
I have in me, from the time of my conception, three sectors of consciousness which are so compelling and so domineering, that they are like some religion or cult which I practice. Firstly, there is the cult of the Ego, where I worship my “I”, myself (the religion of Anavam), pandering to its very whim, its unrepentant arrogance, its anger, envy and hatred. Secondly, there is the cult of sex, the religion of lust, where I pander to the sexual drives in me with a religious zeal. Thirdly, we have the cult of illusion the religion of maya, where I tend to worship the objects of illusion as projected by my monkey mind.
These then are the three motivators of my degeneration, my fall, a type of religion or cult, which I religiously adhere to. For our purpose then, we call them the cult of the ego, (the religion of Anavam), the cult of illusion (maya), where the eyes insist on believing and the cult of lust, the religion of sex and these come to rank as the dominant and domineering religions of ones life. The combination of these three sectors in varying strength is prevalent in every being, as the final determinants of the future state.
These three sectors are of immense weight, so much like the weight of a mountain, or an elephant, and if such heavy weights are loaded onto the self, then they submerge and blanket the arivu (common sense, reason, wisdom) and the intelligence.
The arrogance of the “I” causes the decay of wisdom, the destruction of the qualities of restraint, of that virtuous nature, of that innate modesty, of that inner peace, of that conciliation. Therefore, it is these three sectors which destroy our being. These are the seed the determinants of our suffering. These seeds we define as sin, evil, as suffering, and which are personalised in folklore as Tharahan, Singan and Suran.
When that force which we may call as Singan, proceeds within it, it takes myriad colours and shades, influencing our thoughts and actions. It submerges all the good qualities within us so as to colour them and pollute them. The qualities of the earth, the qualities of the fire, of the air, and of the water, the qualities of illusion, the qualities of the beasts and serpents, of the microscopic life forms, that of the toads and insects and foxes and dogs.
And all such qualities merge together and colour out thoughts and actions, so as to dictate to us as to what our destiny shall be. And those monkey like qualities, that of the rat and the snake, which relate to the colours, illusion or maya, which we may call Suran, is another evil progenitor. That is, it possesses that power to dazzle and rattle the mind, causing the inevitable wavering, the instability and the subverting of the mind.
But these potent forces, these motivators, have joined forces together in the egg, the foetus, - and while the foetus takes form, it can get angry, have emotions, have its own thinking and feeling, whilst still inside the womb. And these forces merge in the physical form of the foetus, and these ‘sins’ become imprinted in that seed their own qualities of the element fire, the element earth, air and water and had infused the powers of illusion, in that seed, and with myriad sins in the womb. These are the innate qualities, the innate traits which are imprinted as ‘sins’.
The father and mother are therefore the cause not only of the physical form, but also what is contained in that ‘form’, such as the qualities and traits derived from them. These transmitted qualities we call ‘sins’, and there are myriads of them which have merged within that living form.
Man in all his fullness, has therefore to contemplate as to how he can attain peace and tranquillity, as in what manner he can have conciliation, how he reflects that his life is akin to that of another life, his own feelings as that of another.
Yet whatever kind of flesh you dissect and analyse, that flesh shall always be like my own flesh. You may cut and dissect the flesh of the goat, the bull, the chicken, the stork, and you will know that what is in my own flesh, is found in them all. Whatever the form we analyse, the only distinction in that form is the face, the qualities the nature and the traits. And if we analyse them, we come to know that these too are reflected in us, the blood, the composition, the nature, the qualities, the traits. These are found in varying degrees, and they are never absent.
This we shall reflect on, contemplate upon what differences are there between the human and the beast. True, there may be differences in the physical form, but the substance is the same. The blood, the flesh, the bones, the organs, the processes in their minutest components – they are all the same. But differences and variations occur in their natures, their qualities, their traits, their conduct, their habits, their attitudes, their perceptions, their modesties, their virtues, their wisdom. Yes, it is these which are different
It is with this wisdom which I posses as human, that I shall reflect upon and understand those qualities of God and His Nature which are innate in me, having crossed over the chasm which is my ego (the “I" factor), having with conscience understood and learnt that my life if like unto another’s life, having learnt the virtues of conciliation, knowing that my hunger is like the hunger of another and so satiating the hunger of that other, ever aware that the pain I suffer is so like the pain of that other. Such then are the qualities of Mercy, of human love, towards fellow beings, of compassion, of humility, of kindness, of conciliation and of deep affection. Thus, he who shall invoke these qualities of the Divine within himself acquires them, and implants them and become humanised and transforms himself from man to the Human Archtype innate within him. And to such a Human only, we use the term, Insan, the Perfect Man, because the qualities of the Insan, the Perfect Man, are at once the Qualities of God Himself. The one who attains that state of perfection is called Manueesan, or the one devoid of any imperfection, and man transforms into The Perfect Man, the Insan Kamil.
We shall have to reflect deeply into this, and contemplate.
My beloved children, what then must we have to do to become Man, the Human? Those qualities generated by our earthly component, by our component of water, shall be subdued and replaced with compassion towards our fellow life forms and fellow beings and would it not be immensely good to treat all without distinction, treating all without bias or favour and looking up to all as a single entity? Perchance, if you reflect deeply, and appropriate that Will, the Will to achieve that object and that determination, then you shall generate peace, compassion, tranquillity and happiness to all lives. These essential qualities in me, I must identify. These qualities in me, I shall cherish. And I shall annihilate the evils of distinctiveness and discrimination: annihilate hatred in me; annihilate the idol of my egoism in me; in this way I must protect and preserve the innate purity and perfection. For this vital purpose, it is I who shall strive for with every effort.
Oh my beloved children, the petty gods whom I see around, I must reflect upon and scrutinise. For instance, there is satan. That is the killer snake which is bent on destroying me. It has such venomous qualities. Does not the Almighty see that venom in that snake? Does not that All Pervading Omniscience know that viciousness, that lurking potency to inflict death? That Omnipresent Effulgence which fills every conceivable thing, which merges every conceivable life, that Power which gives completeness and fullness to every conceivable things, without which no cell or atom can have life or movement? Surely such Element exists as the Essence of Perfection and Plenitude in every conceivable thing?
And the meaning of that Factor or Element? It is That which is called God. That is Rahman (The Most Merciful), that is Raheem (The Beneficient) ; that is the Primal Element (the Life Force); That is the Omnipresent Omniscience – “Il Allah Hu”. That is the One Element which remains Alone, Unaided, Unsupported, Absolutely Independent, Unassociated with anything, in infinity, as infinity.
It is that which is The King of all Kingsl the learned of all the learned, the Wealthy of all the wealthy, the Elevated of all the elevated, the Subdued of all who are subdued, the Slave of the salve, the Wise of the wise, the Humble of all the humble, Who imparts Knowledge to those seeking Knowledge – it is such Who is Allah.
And in each Qualb, whoever it may be, there is some perception of Allah. And His Mercy is undiminishing, inexhaustible. How so ever much I appropriate, you appropriate, everyone else appropriates that Mercy, outflowing to each in so many myriads ways, that bounty stands inexhaustible, undiminishing and plenteous. The hallmark of that Mercy is Perfection; it is Pure and Perfect, in extending His mark of that Mercy is Perfection; it is Pure and Perfect, in extending His Mercy, Perfection is His Trait; Perfection has no vestige of any imperfection, because He has absolutely no imperfection whatsoever. That is because in His Nature, there is no imperfection. In His Action, there is no imperfection whatsoever, because in casting His Mercy, there is no discrimination, bias or constraint or difference. For these reasons then, the quality of his Mercy is Perfect.
But on the other hand, if such discrimination, bias, constraint or differences exist in me, then it is these which are imperfections in me, and therefore I cannot reflect His Mercy. This marks my imperfection.
So my beloved children, these form part of my imperfection, my shortcomings, my failure. These are shown so very clearly to me. The perception – he is different, I am different – such perceptions arise therefore from our very own imperfections, out shortcomings. It is these which are our faults our sins, our own imperfections.
Therefore, I shall have to first identify that Perfection in me, and having done so, it is I who shall strive towards that Perfection: my thoughts, my actions, my conduct, my virtues, my values, my traits – these shall bear witness to that Perfection. My wisdom, my goodness, my Belief, my restraint, my certitude shall be made perfect. And when God’s qualities attain fullness in me, it is then that Perfection is attained, - that is the end of my evolution from the imperfect. Such is the object of my endeavours here.
Surely, such Bounty can never be destroyed, never diminish never be taken away, never perish? That Bounty has never a finite limit; that bounty is Grace itself.
And to appropriate, to acquire that Grace, Perfection must come unto me. That Perfection is Purity of the most high, a Purity which is so compete that every impurity is purged from it. Yet, if any imperfection should exist, then to that extent Purity and Perfection are diminished. That is if ever that imperfection called the ”I” exists, then so long as it persists at any one moment, Perfection is put away, Perfection is non-existent. If we keep or harbour any imperfection of thought, or intentions, we render ourselves imperfect. If we persist in allowing base desires or inhuman thoughts to muddy or pollute our Purity, then that I would say is imperfection. To possess that which is nor perfect is imperfection. To possess imperfect desires, lust and craving is imperfection. To possess intentions which are base and unworthy, is imperfection. To desire gold and money and sex, is imperfection. It is these which we must reflect and contemplate upon.
My beloved children, these base qualities, base natures, base desires which flow within us like rivers of mud, which cause us to be burdened with wordly attachments with which we chain ourselves to this world, and are enslaved by them, riding atop the steed of lust, rearing the dog of desire within us, and the wonder is that which such burdens we journey along. And we continue to play with our monkey mind, its pranks, its ploy and its stimuli. Then surely, do you not realise that if we carry these in us, suffering shall be our destiny? Can we not even now understand and know with certainty what shall be our destiny? And how many a million forms of suffering that we shall be heirs to!
Yes, my precious children, I do implore you, reflect and think for yourself. Let me learn of these mysteries of myself, and having learnt, let me reward myself with the finality of Perfection and Purity.
Yet, I must caution you, my precious children, that if you carry these imperfections which I have spoken of, and if you are burdened with them, you shall not see, or know or even identify, one who is Perfect and Pure, the Perfect Man. That is because your own imperfections blind you. For, how can the imperfect know the Perfect, or how can the one who does not know perfection, recognise one who is perfect? Yet, it is the one who knows inner peace and tranquillity who can know peace in another. It is the one who has that wealth, who can see that wealth in another. And so, it is one who has that Grace, who can see another with Grace. It is one with wisdom who can see wisdom, who can see another with Wisdom. It is one who is righteous who shall see righteousness in another.
Therefore, because we do not possess such capacity, such ability, such potential, these imperfections which we carry within us as idols, the idol of the serpent, for instance, in the form of venom in us, seeping through our consciousness to overpower our conscience, we tend to give that venom all our regards, give some allowance, give some portion in our being, and so allow them to become part of our thoughts and actions.
Or again another example; we resurrect the bull in us to walk unmindful upon the earth, unmindful of righteousness, of virtue, of goodness, grazing upon what the five element so lavishly offer.
Or we resurrect in us the dog of desire, of lust and carnal satisfaction, and pollute the purity of our consciousness, thus leaving upon it an indelible stain which we carry on our passing.
Or we carry the weighty elephant of religion in us and what I think is my religion – unmindful of whence it is taking me, to what purpose, for the achievement of what, or the attainment of what, in order to merely satisfy an urge to worship.
Or in this way bowing down to the bestial in us, the satanic in us, the illusive in us, how many of them are entrenched in us, and how many are the intentions, the objectives, the base desires, which we have established within us as idols to which we pay heed to, pander to, and subserve to, and so “worship” them all.
Or we condition our small monkey mind and blow it out of proportion to a massive monkey mind or even battalions of them, and these all lead us astray, and so “worship” that monkey mind, and thus fall into its vortex.
In this way, we condition our own baseness, our desires, our thoughts and our illusions, so reminiscent of every kind of anima, bird, fowl, crow, the satanic, the devilish, the vicious, the egoistic, and thus we shall become that which we in our lifetime imprint on our consciousness.
It is we, who shall have to seize each of these qualities, recognise it and then discard it, annihilating one by one, killing them one by one, and so grow in Purity. We shall have to reflect and contemplate with our reason, as to what that Treasure is, which is in us. That Treasure will take that Form which only I shall condition and nurture in my lifetime.
For example, whilst worshipping the venom of the snake in us, we earn for us and imprint upon that Treasure in us, the form, the traits and the nature of that snake. It is in this way that we imprint on that Treasure what is shall become. It is that which is born after the demise. Likewise by the worship of the elephant within us, we stamp it straits upon us, cumbersome, lethargic and burdened. And so will that traits of the bestial in many a hue, many a kind, with their corresponding perceptions, habits of mind, and their native attributes, these will be imprinted on that Treasure. And it is this burdened Treasure, which is born. Therefore the destiny of that Treasure is in my hands, my very own responsibility, my trust, my entrustment so much so that we shall never surrender our being to that course.
But then, in our lifetime, do we not surrender our beings to the dog in us, to its qualities, its nature, its traits, its sensory awareness, its habits of mind, its bestial intellect? Because then, we shall imprint what the future of that Treasure in us shall be. Similarly, if we carry the traits of a donkey in our human form, for example, it is that which shall be. And if we surrender to the bull in us, know well that it is that form that the consciences will take.
Therefore we come to understand the criterion of birth, which is simply that element to which we have surrendered unto, and retained in our lifetime, that trait, that attachment, that quality or nature in us which we have surrendered, succumbed to. Such then is the Criterion of the future state.
But it is God who determines that birth, its form its intensity, its progression, while it is we who lay the foundation by our surrender, for example, to the snake or the beast in us, because we have consciously accepted that form in our lifetime, and desired that form. If we desired the snake, then the snake it shall be; if we desired the dog, the dog it shall be; if we desired the donkey, the donkey it shall be; if we desired the cow, the cow it shall be. So that whatsoever quality or trait or nature we shall appropriate and cultivate, surrender to, or cherish, know well and true, that it is that which shall be born, but never ever your present guise.
Is it conceivable then to blame the Almighty (for this law of the soul?) No, never. The Almighty shall not be blamed, or accused for my state. Because, it is I who has willed, I who has determined, who has desired, who has intended my present and my future. How many an intention, how many a desire we fashioned and brought forth freely and willingly! And whatever we retain and cherish from moment to moment determine the future state (birth). It is such a future state (birth) that shall be manifested as a dog, a jackal, the cat, the rat, the evil spirits, the demonic forms, the ghosts, the serpents, the donkey, the horse, the worm, the insect, the tree, the shrub, the weed – and whatsoever myriad forms the eyes can behold.
It is we then who have conditioned ourselves, none but we. This we contemplate upon, think, reflect.
Is the Almighty then to blame for our own state of our future state? Have we not ourselves taken the form of our birth? And every other type of possible births ourselves? How then can we, having taken upon ourselves the form of birth (or life), understand, strive for, acquire and merge with that Incomparable Effulgence, that All Pervading Power, “Il Allah Hu”? Can we hope for and pray for this attainment, whilst we are in this abysmal state?
If a stone changes its form and composition, it becomes a priceless gem. It has great value because it has changed into a gem. That stone must change its form, no matter how many aeons it takes to acquire the requirements of a gem. It has to shed the qualities of sand (earth). It has to be purified to acquire its unique lustre, its sparkle and clarity. It is then that it acquires its particular value, its worth. It is then that it is established a gem. Is it not so?
It is in this way that I shall change my earthly form, alter the composition of all that is earthly in me, my qualities, my thoughts, my nature, my traits, my earthly personality, habits and traits – it is these that I shall change. These all are entrenched in me. These I have come to look upon as mine and part of me, and it is these that I shall determine to change.
Thus man shall never enter the Kingdom of God until he changes himself in this way, in this life. There has to be a metamorphosis in this birth and this birth alone, and in none other. It is not that man changes in the next birth. This is not what I mean. For, I have been born to condition the future state of that which is not mine.And whatever intentions I have in this life shall be that this birth shall be changed in this birth itself, born again in this very birth itself.
And thus in this manner, I shall identify in me, that which is the Original, the archtype of my Purity, my origin, the Pure, the Essence of Purity, that Incomparable Effulgence in me.
The exercise would be to change these emanations within me, and then to proceed into the Soul. God is Light, the innate Effulgence, a Ray so magnificent, the Unseen Power which shall never diminish or depart. The Form of that Ray, is sheer Light, and that Effulgent Form proceeds from Him. That Effulgent Form is Allah’s miraculous Power. Surely that is the Effulgent Form of Grace!
Therefore it is so very necessary that this base form which we carry be substituted and be replaced by that Effulgent Form in this birth, in this life.
We are aware of the lust, the greed, the envy, the hatred, the anger, the viciousness, the backbiting, the love of gold and sex, the cravings, the illusions, the thievery, the lying, the love of food, wine and song, the desires, the hurt and the vengeance, the arrogance of the “I”, the love of separatism of “you” and “me” and its discrimination, the hostility arising from the thought, “your religion” and “my religion” or “my kind” and “your kind” or “my language” and “your language”, - it is these habits and qualities of mind, these baseness which have to be forcefully changed and substituted. These shall have to replaced with your own Effulgent Form, your own Beauteous Form, your own Pure Form, your own pure form of light, your own worth, your own Perfect form. Such are the Qualities of God, which are the qualities of Love, of Mercy, of Grace, of Benevolence, of Virtue, of beauty, of innate modesty. There must be a complete change (a revolution perhaps, a metamorphosis) in this very birth. Our conduct, our actions, our natures, our traits, must change. The will and the determination must reinforce that intention at the outset, to change. If therefore one should proceed on these lines, one attains the Kingdom of God. It is then that the Path is cleared and strengthened to achieve the Finality of the Perfect Man. The perception of the Almighty is the result. And in all the period of time you have distanced yourself from your own Perfection, - never will you attain God. In that period of time when Perfection is absent, you remain (spiritually) bereft of sight.
If I do not have that inner Peace. I shall not have that sight. If I do not have the perfection of my Arivu, then I shall suffer in the absence of that perfect arivu.
Every one of you my children, shall reflect upon that Power, God, that Omnipotent Factor. That Power is manifest in every conceivable thing. Then, how can one see Him? He is manifest in every thing. Every one can see Him, anywhere everywhere. He it is Who is Consciousness in every conceivable thing. He protects and preserves and nourishes everything. He it the Universal Incomparable Treasure. He is the Infinite Omniscience. He is everything. He is therefore everything.
Then can you conceive of anything which is bereft of Him? Can any element exist separate form Him? Man must think, reflect and understand. Is there anything whatsoever which He does not see? And what thing there is of which he is not aware? And what is there which He cannot do? And what manner of things is there which is hidden from His gaze? God is in the minute cell, the foetus in the womb; God then is the All Seeing, All Knowing, All Pervading, Infinite Power, so Absolute and Supreme in the illimitable infinity of the Past, the illimitable Present and the illimitable infinity of the Future. He is in every atom. And to see Him, we have to see Him from within Him. To every form, He gives awareness, gives protection, gives succour, gives care, gives attention, provides and satisfies all its requirements. Yet, He oversees and watches over all things with His Eyes. And because it is I who do not possess the eyes to see Him, I can never see Him. Since we do not possess the eyes to see Him, never can we see Him.
If we shall want to see Him, then we must have that Eye, that Light – those qualities of the Light, those traits, that Perfection of that Light, that Purity of that Light. If these are with us, then we shall see Him everywhere. And that grace which is Him, is undiminishing.
Consider the hen; does it not have the commonsense to escape when you try to catch it? Does it anticipate any thing when it is about to lay its eggs? No. It gathers its food from the ground, where it scratches. It lays it eggs at any place it likes. It conducts its life whatever manner it chooses. But where does it live, and involves itself? It is on the sands of the earth on which it loves to live, bathe itself in, and seek its food. It lives on the sand, the shrubs, the trees, the perches, wherever it is convenient to it.
My beloved children, if you should see Perfection, know Perfection – then you must utter Praise to the Almighty, Alhamdulillah! for every happening – Alhamdulillah! Then when we see Perfection (within), realise Perfection, then that place, that position is ours, as of right. That Perfection, merits the Praise of the Almighty, Alhamdulillah – it merits utter thankfulness, Shakoor. It merits the total entrustment in Him, Thawakkalalallah. Then surely this bounty which is ours as of right will never diminish.
And that Perfection will be received at the appropriate time, at the appropriate day. That Perfection will be received at the appropriate Zikr. You shall get that Perfection at the appropriate time. You shall get that Perfection when that appropriate awareness comes to you. At that point, you have conditioned yourself for Perfection.
But this Perfection, your own, it is you who shall originate, nurture and grow in you. Saboor (inner Peace), Shokoor (inner Gratitude), Thawakkalallah (inner total entrustment), Alhamdulillah (inner Thankful Praise) - are the basic material, the ingredients of that Perfection. And if Perfection should come, then I attain Peace.
My beloved children, if ever this Perfection is attained, then you shall see all things which you shall want to see. Perfection comes as the Grace of the Almighty. But we are not aware of the precise time that Perfection shall come. And when Perfection comes, even the delicious fruit from the mountain fastness shall come. And so shall the fish from the sea come to you. And the sustenance from the west shall also come. And that which is in east shall also come to you. And the Lustre shall seek your face and that which your stomach needs shall come soon. And surely these will all seek you and come to you. These are the rewards of your being Perfect.
Conversely, if you should harbour imperfection, wants shall seek you out, and shall be with you. And if you harbour the thought that you are exclusive and separate from another, then that exclusion and separation will remain in you and that will be your lot. If you are possessed of doubt (of your life, of your destiny), then you shall live out that doubt yourself. And if you are possessed of anger, of hostility, you shall live that anger and hostility. And if you should harbour jealousy, you shall have jealousy to guide your life. And if you have the consciousness of the arrogant “I”, it will be the “I” of the ego that you will be left with. And if the proud and vain mind is implanted with an intention, then it is that intention which is remainder, colouring and staining your every other intention and your life. And yet, do these simply occur to you? No. It is the “I” in you which seek these, invites and appropriates these.
My beloved children, it is this way that you shall reflect upon and contemplate on your very own Rabb, that Power, your very own Almighty God. And it is your duty to realise and understand your own Rabb. And to worship Him in your Qualb, Therefore, you shall first purify and clear that Qualb.
And let me tell you most emphatically that your worship in your uncleared, unpurified Qualb (Heart)l, will be like pouring sand upon sand, earth upon earth. And prior to my prayer, I shall have completed that prayer in my Qualb. And prior to my every worship, I shall have worshipped. And before I have set out, I shall have to see into the qualities and the natures of any other, and so correct our own qualities and nature. And whatever we see outside, it is that we shall have to clear before we can sight them.
It is at the achievement of this point of maturity in your spiritual growth that you shall realise your Rabb and the Qualities of God. Because, the arrival of that point of attainment in you is the miracle of the Almighty Rabb. And Allah shows us the way in every Qualb, stamped with Certitude (Iman). The abode of Allah is the Qualb. And can you imagine that Allah’s abode of the Qualb in you remaining uncleared and tarnished? If the Qualb is not cleared, is that not a fault, an imperfection? Is that not due to a lack of belief, a lack of will, a lack of determination, a lack of faith?
My beloved children, there are four religions, six types of knowledge, sixty four arts, eighteen puranas (ancient religious lore), ninety six factors. With all these what have we attained? And in every religion, there is an attire, there is a garb, a label; if any person grows a beard, or shaves his head and wears a religious garb and keeps an ancient religious book under his arm, he becomes a swamy. If he puts a little fire before him, or someone sets it before him, and wears a robe and reads a book, then he becomes a Hindu holy man. And in the Christian religion, if he wears a flowing robe over his heavy underwear, wears a cross hanging from his neck, a sash round his waist, wears a flowing beard and head dress and garbs himself with piety, he becomes a dispenser of religion, who forgives your sins and grants you heaven. And in Islam, if he wears a cap, grows a beard, wears a long robe and carries a kitab and some beads, he is sought after as a holy man. Such is the mark of religion, its outward display.
But what is the “mask” of Allah Himself? What is the “mask” by which you identify Allah?
(Answer) “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merficul”
It is He who creates, who nourishes what He created in every conceivable form, and who sustains those forms, none but He. He fixes His attention upon every such form from the minutest to the massive. His concern and Hiz Gaze upon them all is unceasing, eternal, infinite, for which He is ascribed the name Allah. Such is His “colour” of His state of Being. And He does not wear the many kinds of robes or habits or the garbs of ordinary religion. It is we who wear these masks of religion, these habits and the garbs of our own choosing, for our own manners of worship, of our own creation.
In such circumstances, can we attain something, can we attain maturity within the confines of any religion which we profess? Can we believe that we can attain the heaven which we have conceived in our minds as professed in our religions. Surely you should know that when you are laid upon the grave in your shroud, every garb of your religion shall be stripped from your bones? Surely when we go to your grave, there is nothing you can carry of your religion? What manner of life or existence do you dream of as will happen beyond the grave? Is there any such indications that are writ on the dead corpse? Is this rotting corpse the result of your life’s endeavours then?
But there is only one sign which indicates your state of being after the demise - that is whether you had the implant of Certitude (Iman) or whether you had forgotten, ignored or was unmindful of that Power – Allah, before your demise, or rejected that Power, not believed in that Power, not submitted, surrendered to that Power. It is this alone which shall remain the criterion (the mark) upon your demise.
That is because, one who has accepted, believed in, and who is certain of that Power – Allah is a Moomin. Equally, one who does not know, or believe in, or does not worship that Power – Allah, or does not realise that Power, or understand that Power is Kafir. This is the only distinction (after the demise) that will persist – the Moomin and the Kafir. This is the end result of ones journey through life, that imprint of conviction or rejection of that Power – Allah.
Remember well, that you shall never attain with all that your mind throws up on you, and with all what it sees. The world sees you in a different light. But the place where He directs His Gaze is the Qualb (Heart) of man. He sees only the Qualb , nothing else. But the world looks only at the outward form – the actions, the habits, the traits and the garb. The mind arrives at its conclusions quickly and finally – Oh no, this is this, that must be that, and then no manner of reasoning can change it afterwards. “I must worship this and nothing else”, says the mind, or “that must be praised and sought”. At the very next moment, the mind can switch its worship and praise something else; it can change or unchange at its will and pleasure, or it can switch to self praise, or shower lavish praise on another. At any moment the habit of mind gives way to self praise and soon after switches to self pity.
But all praise must be to that One Incomparable Power, who is the fount of Grace, of Mercy. Never shall you be the victim of self praise, because Allah alone is entitled to all Praise; you must know that which is Him. Is it you who is great, or is it He who is great?
Then, it is man who is the end result. Every breath you breathe shall be an act of gratitude, Alhamdulillah (Praise be to thee, Oh Allah). These must reverberate in silence in your every breath, in your speech, in your actions, in your thoughts, in your every way of life, so as to attain yourself to that Power, Allah. Emplace your every intention and your thoughts as an entrustment in Him. And whilst so practising this habit of worship, you shall come to possess and identify that Reverberation, called Allah, and so know the significance of your physical demise at that stage.
I see and I believe that some of you, my children are capable of uplifting yourselves to this position, because this potentiality is within you; and within you, you have the capacity, you have the will and the determination; within you that Perfection is lying dormant. I have shown you your own path way within Truth. And that Truth will lead you; carry you along the Straight Path. If you shall direct yourself to this end, then and only then will He direct Himself towards you. If you shall seek Him, He shall seek you. If you shall converse with Him, He shall converse with you. If you shall love Him, it is then that He shall love you. If you should intend Him, it is then that He intends you. If you take one step towards Him, He takes ten steps towards you. If you shall open wide your Qualb to Him alone, He shall be manifest widely in your Qualb. And if you worship Him in your Qualb, He shall reciprocate in His worship in your Qualb. That is because He is Perfection itself, He is Plenitude. He is Purity.
It is this most intimate relationship which is most precious, most sacred. It is this beneficence, this Grace which the Qualb (Heart) is capable of, and which you realise and experience. You then become Insan or Man, Perfect and Perfected.
To worship that One who is bereft of any material attachment, bereft of any representation, I myself shall remain bereft of any material attachment, bereft of any representation, I myself shall remain bereft of any such awareness or thought. That One who is so bereft and is Alone, make me bereft of all others, unassisted and alone, to worship Him Alone.
One day when Jesus was going along a mountain path, he was weary. So he took a stone lying by the side and kept it down and used it to lay his weary head upon it. Quite soon, satan visited him. So Jesus asked him “why have you come here?” “Oh, I have come here because you are keeping something some property of mine”. “Your property? Why should I keep your property?” asked Jesus, in amazement. “Why not? That stone you picked up to rest your head on, that is my property”. “Oh, get out of my sight”, said Jesus, “and take your property away”, said Jesus, flinging the stone at satan. What is the significance of this episode which I relate.
Your comfort is the comfort in the Hereafter, your Bliss, your happiness is with Allah. But the comfort which you seek in this world belongs to me”, said satan. “This is mine, and all that which gives you comfort, which you seek in this world belongs to me”, said satan. “This is mine, and all that which gives you comfort in this world is mine”. Why then must you seek the comfort of this world, and in this word? You know well that it is I who shall proceed to hell which is made for me and my cohorts. So if you seek the comfort and happiness in this world, then it is I who will have to give them because all that is mine. Allah has gifted them to me. It is I and my children who are in this world, wherein it is we who sustain ourselves with all its worldly comforts. And we are for that reason, the inheritors of the hell called Jahannam and its sufferings. All these, God has given unto me.
“But you, you don’t inherit what I have inherited? Yours is the Hereafter. That is not for me. That is your inheritance, that is your property, that is your abode; that is your bliss, that is your comfort, that is your happiness. The bliss and happiness in the Hereafter are never ever like those of this world. You shall not therefore seek my possessions whilst inheriting the Hereafter. So without realising this, what you are doing is seeking the comfort of this world, from out of my possession. True, it is just a mere stone which you kept, which is mine. And how many base desires that plague those of me in the world, and how many are the devils and evil spirits cast on my hand and placed in my domain over which I rule! How many are the desires and blood attachments which are stamped upon them, and how many are the attachments and the cravings which are heaped upon their heads!”
So when all these burden you, how then and when then, will satan let go of you or liberate you? He continues to throw this comfort or that comfort, all other comforts to tie you down well. He will never move one jot away from you, no never. He will never depart from you because it was you who wanted him to abide in you. This is why, like Jesus, the stone must be cast away. Thus, every one of these circumstances you must pick up and throw away, one by one. I must throw out all those desires and cravings. And our comforts and our happiness shall be of the permissible. That is because the Beneficence and the Grace is Allah’s. It is that Grace, which I must acquire, inherit. And remember that whatever that seems to give me worldly pleasure and worldly comfort, I must learn to abhor and shun.
My beloved children, you realise, each one of you, that the Almighty God is the Fount of Grace, the Most Compassionate, the Omnipresent Effulgence, the Il Allahu, the lone Master of the Universe, the Most Merciful, surely? This I must realise and know, because it is my responsibility. I must be aware of understand and realise, which is a duty unto me. Do not ever think that God is unaware of what you think or what you do.
My beloved children you are aware of the thunder in the sky. You are also aware of the sudden streak of lightening – coming as from no where. You do not see the thundering or the lightening or the thunder now, but suddenly it can occur. It comes as a sudden flash, lights up, and then vanishes. And with what force does it occur? And your eyes cannot bear to see it sometimes. And that is of the miraculous created at the will of the Angelic, any where, wherever. But then at this very moment can we see it? No. Do we see it at any time of our choosing? No. There is a particular time, a particular place, a particular situation for its occurrence. And we cannot predict it.
Can we say, we cannot see it, and so it will not occur now or never, nor hear the reverberations of the thunder to say that it will never occur? And like this say, we have not seen Allah?
Like looking into and examining the places in the earth where lightening is likely to strike, you shall look into your Qualb (Heart) for the flicker and the imperceptible reverberations which becomes noticeable, and which you “see” and feel. But you shall not “see” Allah now nor feel the reverberations now, because that occurrence will be so sudden like the lightening. And when that occurrence takes place at that appropriate point of time, it is then that you shall feel the reverberations within, and see the significance of that Power, Allah. For this, the Qualb must be rendered the purest, the precondition for that reverberation for that “sight” for that “Word”, for that Nature, for those Qualities, for that Insight of Him. This is His Mercy, gifted unto us.
It is this one Point in my Qualb that I shall focus my gaze within with utmost concentration and fervour. It is within this one Point, that I shall “sight” Him as that Wisdom within Wisdom, that Reason within Reason. That understanding that shall come to me shall be from that Essence of Purity within Purity, at that point. Such is the Grace, that gift of Mercy of that Almighty Power, Allah unto me.
My beloved children, every one of you must know this. That is, if I should want to know myself, then I must have that will, that determination to realise, to unravel this knowledge, to understand this one point. To analyse and know myself with my reason, to analyse and know that which is within me, my very being, from day to day, to identify that which is not mine or of me as being that which is of the world in me, belonging to the world; scrutinising them, thoroughly, meticulously from day to day, in order to cast away that which my conscience and my reason reject. Then at that moment when I have cast away and thrown out those which I have secreted in my ‘world’, my attachments, my sins, my possessions, things which are bent on destroying me, those which I have captured me and grasped me, those which destroy the goodness in me, these must be cast away. Then what shall remain behind is the Abd (the subservient) of Allah, which is Thee, which is Grace, which is Thee, Thee Alone Allah. This must be my own understanding.
I must see Allah and the Abd; I must see Allah and the Rahmath (Grace) see Allah as the Truth, Outwardly I must see the world as Allah manifest: this world, the universe, their occurrence, their changes, their growth, their evolution, their movement, their life, their transformation, the entirety, the Whole, must be seen as Allah manifest. And where Allah is, the Abd (servant) is.
So that, if you search for that Power, Allah, when you are ignorance of all this, if this knowledge remains unknown to you, how then can you see this Power, Allah? Perchance, if you clear all these in His abode within and if you are successful in this quest, then you shall see Allah as Insan, the Perfect, the Pure. You then come to know that relationship between Allah and Insan, the Perfect.
I must know that which is mine, which is of me; I must forcefully thrust away that which is not mine, that which comes to destroy me, that which pollutes my being. I must thrust away that which debases me. I must thrust away that which injures my innate nature; I must thrust away that which causes pain to my being. I must thrust away that which blinds my sight and blunts my perceptions in my Heart. The least which I can do is to control them. Thus, that which comes to destroy me, I must learn to control.
My beloved children, if you then succeed in this quest within, in this manner, what more shall you ever want?
The Almighty will be seen as the Finale, the reality which is the Ultimate. In Him is seen the Bounty of Grace, the Bounty of Wealth, the Bounty of the Hereafter, the Bounty of the Past, the Present and the Hereafter, which are innate in me, I shall realise and know. At that Point, all things you shall find; whatever that you intend, you will be granted to your satisfaction. At that moment of intent, you will be granted to your satisfaction. At that moment of time, however, before you intend, it is the Reason which conditions what you intend and what you wish for; whatever that you will should happen, shall come to pass. Even before you open your eyes, what you wish for appears before you. Even before you open your eyes, what you wish for, appears before you. Even before you need anything, it is before you. Should you want to give, it is given. If water is needed, it is available forthwith. Everything that is needed appears forthwith. This is the Plenitude. There is no want. Plenitude now takes the place of want. And it reveals itself in many ways, in everything and in all manner of things.
But this I must reflect on, deeply investigate and understand, my beloved children. Before calling forth such Bounty, I must consider the Wisdom, the Purpose and the consequences. There is the injunction to go even unto China to acquire knowledge or Ilm. That is, you shall have had experience from applying that knowledge. It is with that knowledge that you can know Certitude. It is with that knowledge that I come to understand that Power called Allah, the mystery, the Miracle of Allah. I must have Faith in that knowledge, belief in that knowledge, conviction in that knowledge. That Miracle of Power called Allah, is made known to me by that knowledge, how magnificent is His Bounty unto us, how Supreme He is, How magnificent is His Bounty unto us, how overfilling and overpowering is His Miracle in every conceivable thing, yes, it is these which I have to reflect on, think, understand and know. It is that Knowledge, that Ilm, which shall be my only pride. It is that Knowledge, which shall be my only pride. It is that knowledge which is the ocean in which I shall swim in, and my Certitude shall be my guide. That is because I know that if I swim in that ocean of Knowledge, that I can realise Allah’s Grace. Such then is this Ilm ul Bahar (the ocean of Enlightening Knowledge). Then like the fish swimming in the ocean, I must swim in that ocean of knowledge to know the Original, the Pure, the Perfect. And that mould of Perfection, hidden in me, dormant in me, that archtype of Perfection in me, becomes the “Muhammad” in me. If therefore I swim in that mighty ocean of Knowledge (Ilm ul Bahar) and discover that archtype in me, then I open myself directly to Allah’s Grace, and there is then no weakness, no shortcoming, no fault, at that point.
Allah’s Miracle of Power, is at that point. Allah’s threefold Grace is at that point. Allah’s spirit is at that Point. Allah’s Mercy is at that point. Allah’s worship is at that Point. Allah’s most glorious Names (Asma Ul Husna) are at that Point. Allah’s Effulgence is at that Point. These all can be seen, perceived and recognised.
My children, most beloved, consider then, as to how I must achieve Perfection.
Certitude and belief are the most elementary, the most fundamental. Then the conviction that Allah is the owner of all the Praise, which I as a human and all others can lavish. It is Him, none but Him, that I shall put my Trust in, in Truth. I shall await upon Him for that Power which is Him, that Grace flowing from Him. It is Him that I shall worship, none whatsoever else shall I worship, Him alone with a conviction so absolute and total; to worship Him in Absolute Truth without the aid of any symbol or representation or support, to surrender unto Him, my Qualb, my body, my soul, the entirety of my being, in order that I shall be His Abd (the subservient); That Qualb which I have made pure as the precondition, is the place I shall receive Him my every worship to Him Who is Pure, Who is unblemished and untainted; I then shall direct my every worship to Him Who is the Only One who is worthy of worship. And so I establish my most intimate relationship with none but Him. This most intimate bond between Him and me, is most essential to receive His Qualities. His Qualities I must perceive; His conduct, I must be aware of; His Love, I must reciprocate and cherish. His Justice, I must attune myself to. His judgment, His Decree I must accept without question. My Qualb shall melt in humility and love for Him. And in this way, I shall humble myself in His Love and so pray the way for the merging.
I exhort you my children, beloved of me, every single one of you – we must be subdued for the extinction of the self. I must establish the conviction that –“I AM NOT”, (as depicted in the words “La ilaha”. There is nothing called “I”, “I” do not exist. We have to convince ourselves in our prayers, in our worship, in our meditations, and contemplations that, “I am not”; “I do not exist”.
Allah’s Qualities, His Conduct, His Actions, which I trust, His Creations, His provision of sustenance for all His Creations, the care and protection of the created, His Love, His Mercy, believing in the universality of suffering, everywhere in the same manner as I too undergo suffering, believing that every other life goes through the despair, the turmoil and the hardships which I too experience. Such life forms have their own characteristics of turmoil and hardship which it tries to overcome by itself, protect by itself, and survive. To provide peace and tranquillity and to promote happiness and well being to the afflicted and the suffering shall be my duty. And whilst performing each such duty, I must do so with great care and responsibility. When we should perform our task, we shall have to consider how we should do it without abandoning it, using our Arivu (reason), and without faulting ourselves.
For instance, one must have the knowledge that if one goes to the assistance of a donkey, it might kick with its hind leg if one is behind it; or it might bite if one went in front of it. Thus there is always a correct and appropriate way to do a certain thing. It is not necessary then that we can do something. One must know the most correct and appropriate way to give, for instance, so that it will be received in like manner. And if one went to assist a dog, one must understand how to approach it and attend to its injuries and its needs. Therefore, for every such action, what is most necessary is Arivu (reason. commonsense, wisdom), knowing fully well the nature of that particular situation, drawing forth from the knowledge gathered, the features of that situation, so that one may complete one’s duty in this light. Therefore if these matters are ignored in the performance of one’s duty, then that duty is done in ignorance of these matters, and it is wrong and faulty. Therefore, perform that duty with understanding and knowledge. And God does His Duty, conscious of all aspects.
And in whatever duty you perform – if the thought of your self occurs ever so slightly, then at that point, there is an infirmity, a lapse. Because, at that point of lapse, you have placed a substitute and sought the assistance of something other than God. If you should go to the assistance of a snake, you will get in return its venom. This you must know.
And whatever thing you render in assistance, do not ever think of a return or reward, let it go, because in truth, that does not belong to you, and it will be inconsistent with your mercy. And whatever you do, never seek gratitude or praise, or thanks, but continue to do what you have to do. That trait in you to expect something must depart.
In this manner, I shall perform my duty, my action and my service, because these I shall have to perform on the path I traverse. But I cannot hold tight to them, because I have not come here to gather rewards and thanks.
It is for this reason that I beseech every one of my precious children to reflect, think, and to contemplate on the duty which you shall perform, act according to the needs of such duty, and so acquire the merit for its performance for which we have come here.
And in all that period of time that I have performed, or have neglected to perform my duty, in the most correct manner, I shall never attain Fulfilment, Perfection. In all that period of time, in which I have not understood nor realised what my duty shall be, I shall not attain Peace. It is when I realise myself, my very own Truth, the self that is me, perhaps at the feet of one who has the experience and knowledge, who is wise and knowledgeable of the path I must tread, it is then that I shall know the reality of my state and of my being. I shall in all humility, have to appropriate the qualities of that wise man, his knowledge and his experience, to guide myself to my own Truth. This I shall have to do, exercising my own Arivu (reason, wisdom). With his guidance, I shall realise Truth, and Certitude. And my most precious duty shall be to know these two – Truth and Certitude. If I shall have found and appropriated these, then my quest to realise God becomes so short and so very easy. Then realising God and worshipping God is easy and meaningful.
On the other hand, if I am wanting in these, surely, the object, the end I desire is not there, is absent?
But the one who has realised, if we give the entire world to such a one, and heap all the gems and the gold on him, he will sniff at all of them and then depart. He may be in dire need, with intense difficulties and suffering, he may live in fear or live in abject poverty, and if he is scolded he just goes away. To all these things, he has built up a resistance, and they are of no consequence to him.
It is when this Ilm (Knowledge) of this Patience, this Gratitude, this Resignation or Entrustment, this Certitude is strengthened to the highest point in your being, as will be shown by your own Arivu (wisdom), then, it is at that Point, that “That” takes over, and “That” oversees, “That” then is the reward of your Ilm (Knowledge), which you had chosen to follow. If therefore you have sought for and achieved that strength and that will then, Allah’s Kingdom, His Mystery and His Pride becomes intelligible to you, which you shall preserve and protect. And when you do so preserve and protect, you will come to extend your assistance and service to all others. That is what you need to consider.
Each one of you, my beloved children, it is these traits, these principles, these virtues, which I have to strive for and ever seek, rather than wander far and wide seeking God. At that very first instance, so search and seek these, because this is what the Rasool meant when he said “go even unto China, and seek knowledge”. Therefore, it is these which I must seek and strive to know first. For God, that Almighty Power is present everywhere, in everything as the “Thing”, Omnipresent, but I cannot see Him outside of me. But it is only if I acquire this state, this quality, this nature, this trait, that I shall be able to see Him. He is present in every conceivable thing. So if I seek “This” (state), then I shall see “That” so that if you “go” near that “Point”, near God, then “This” will fall off. Thus when “This” falls off, and when you proceed further near Him, “That” will grasp you with recognition and love.
But if you do not possess this state, then whatever other you seek, it is not that other which you shall receive. What you shall then have is the illusion, the desires, the lust and the attachments.
Therefore, you must learn of your state and your form, and implant in it, that Will, that Knowledge, that Conviction, that determination, with which you render that particular worship and that obeisance. It is these then which will result in your attainment. It is these which you must know, understand.
My beloved, every one of you, make your determination and will, to die the death before death. And what is this death before death? It is simply the cessation of my base desires, which shake me down to the core of my being. It is fundamental that this death of my base desires shall take place before my physical death. That veil of baseness within me, must die before my physical death. There must be a death of what is in me, what is within me, that taint and stain which is in me. It is for this death, that the Angel of Death, Israeel, makes the inevitable visitation, which to the ignorant, will be at the physical death.
You see, when the death before death occurs, when the base desires are no more, what remain is sheer light, and Israeel cannot seize that Light. Never will he touch that effulgent Light. He is incapable of touching that Light, because that is Allah’s Light (vide: Suran an Noor: “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the earth). Israeel cannot seize Allah.
It is this Effulgent Light, that One Point, which is most sacred as having no death, the Eternal life. That is why I say, if “this” imperfection and the baseness of the self dies, that “That” shall not die.
Understand and realise this basic position well, and know what it is that you must know, to make your own decision for your destiny. Do so, having fully learnt and studied and reflected, because it is you who shall have to decide, as to what is the Truth and what is the False. You yourself shall have to ponder.
How much more must I beseech every one of you, my beloved children to reflect deeply on your own, and use your common sense to decide your hereafter? Reason, commonsense, understanding, Certitude, conviction, belief and trust, - in that All Pervading Power – Allah, and the Rasool, these are the most basic. In the manner of Abraham, let us strengthen ever more that belief, that comes from our own Knowledge, let us embellish and glorify that belief in the Name of Allah, and receive unto us His guidance, His bounteous Grace, His Beneficence, and His Mercy’s Absolute Conviction and Certitude. May each one of you strive to discover your very own down pathway. Seek then His guidance, because He is your most Intimate and the Best Friend whom you can ever have.
I trust you everyone, to contemplate, reflect, think, understand and know of the pathway open to you with Allah’s Grace. He shall shower His Mercy on you.
May Allah, the Almighty and the One, Bless you and pour forth His Mercy and His Grace upon you; may He enrich you with Knowledge and with His Qualities, His Nature, His Traits, His Grace, His Conduct, His Virtues, and show you your very own Straight Path. And may Allah join you in the gathering of the wise, the illumined, and the best of men. May Allah lead us all to that abode called Grace, and merge us in Him, you and I. Ameen.