Ma’rifat Na Phool

(The blossoms of Ma’rifat)

Translated & Edited by: Alwaez R. D. Shariff.

We have great pleasure in commencing with this issue of “Ismaili Cresent” the series of work based on lectures in
Gujerati by late Hon. Missionary Nasser A. Kassmani that was edited and published as a book “MA’RIFAT NA
PHOOL” by Hon. Alwaez Rai Shamshudin Bandali Hajee.
First Run: 22nd August 1971.

Based on the lectures in Gujrati by the late Hon. Missionary Nasser A. Kassmani,
which were edited and translated by Hon. Alwaez Rai Shamshudin Bandali Hajee.
Table of Contents
1 - The development of self-consciousness...............................................................................................................................4
2 - The Power Of The Mind .........................................................................................................................................................8
3 - The Creative Power Of Thinking .......................................................................................................................................12
When Do Thoughts become Fruitless?...............................................................................................................................12
The Return To The Over-self................................................................................................................................................13
How To Return To The Over-self? .......................................................................................................................................13
Meditation (Ibadat)...................................................................................................................................................................14
4 - The Meaning Of Hell............................................................................................................................................................15
The Conception of Hell...........................................................................................................................................................15
The Mystery of Mentalism: ...................................................................................................................................................15
The Karmic Doctrine:............................................................................................................................................................15
The Heaven and The Hell:......................................................................................................................................................16
The First Period: The Scorpion of Death: ..........................................................................................................................16
The Second Phase or Period: ................................................................................................................................................18
The Third Phase or Period:...................................................................................................................................................20
5- The Meaning Of Heaven.......................................................................................................................................................21
6 - The Creation Of The Universe ............................................................................................................................................24
Illusions:...................................................................................................................................................................................24
Explanation:..............................................................................................................................................................................25
7 - Is there life in matter? ..........................................................................................................................................................27
8 –Fate And Individual Energy (Daiva and Purushakara). ..............................................................................................30
The Path Of Success:.............................................................................................................................................................31
9 - Who is the creator of unhappiness? ..................................................................................................................................33
“Wish for the thing that happens” ......................................................................................................................................33
The Shining Stars...................................................................................................................................................................34
10 - “Love” ...................................................................................................................................................................................36
11 - The Shari’a (The Divine Law) & The Tariqah (The Spritual Path)..........................................................................43
The four paths leading to God. ..............................................................................................................................................44
Shari’ah................................................................................................................................................................................. 44
Tariqah.................................................................................................................................................................................. 44
12 - The Haqiqah (Truth) And The Ma’raifah (The Illuminative Knowledge)..............................................................48
Prayer of our holy Prophet Muhammad. .............................................................................................................................52
13 - The Barriers In The Path Of Shariah And Tariqah.....................................................................................................53
The observation of the prayers:............................................................................................................................................53
Alms and charity:....................................................................................................................................................................53
 Service to humanity:...............................................................................................................................................................53
The necessity of submitting “malle-vajibat”:....................................................................................................................54
The causes delaying the process on Tariqah:....................................................................................................................54
14 - The Barriers In The Path Of Haqiqah............................................................................................................................58
How to achieve success in Ibadat? ........................................................................................................................................59
15 - Ibadat— Meditation ..........................................................................................................................................................61
The Power of Speech (Sound, Words and Music): ............................................................................................................67
The Sense of Touch: ...............................................................................................................................................................67
The Sense Of Beauty:.............................................................................................................................................................67
The Sense Of Taste:...............................................................................................................................................................68
The Sense Of Smell:...............................................................................................................................................................68
16 - The Evolution Of Humanity..............................................................................................................................................75
 1 - The development of self-consciousness
The fundamental principle underlying the manifestations of great souls upon this planet is the
development of self-consciousness in Man. The advent of Pirs, Prophets, Apostles and Great Teachers
upon earth is to create self-consciousness in humanity. The basic motive underlying all religions and
spiritual practises is to uplift the limited human mind with a superior consciousness. Now, self-
consciousness is a living part of all pervading world mind, often called the cosmic consciousness, and in
the context of Ismaili Religion, the noor. The birth of an individual creates a deception that the individual
mind is a separate, isolated entity. The significance of life therefore, is to achieve self-consciousness of
man’s creative personality and ultimately a Re-Union with Divine Light – of this we shall have something
more to say.

Now, the development of self-consciousness, as Dr. Iqbal says, comes from “that special type of inner
experience on which religious faith ultimately rests.” Religious faith in its ultimate essence is beyond
definitions, but finds an expression through such general truths as meditation, prayers, charity,
generosity, mercy and Love. If religion is to be embraced truly, than one’s submission to these truths is
absolutely essential. It is this surrender that uplifts the soul to supreme pinnacles where man’s inner
awareness intensifies to be fused as a single power. That moment of deep contemplation is the moment
of revelation of noor (Divine-Light), the moment of self-realisation.

Human selfishness is primarily due to weakness in one’s self-consciousness. It is this retrogressive state
of human self-consciousness that breeds the negative emotions of jealousy and envy, which imprison the
spirit. And until such time that self-consciousness does not get rid of these barriers and achieves its
original status, the spirit shall continue to remain in the bondage baser instincts.

Self-consciousness is a sharpening, focusing, deepening, and intensifying of the dull, scattered, and
vague consciousness that precedes it. Consciousness in its absolute form is like a brilliant star, which
sends forth its glittering rays in all directions. It has in it the ‘seed’ to evolve into self-consciousness, and
ultimately into the superior form of Cosmic Consciousness. Yet the vast humanity has never had the
glimpse of this limitless World Mind. It is very much like a brightly illuminated bulb, hidden within a
shade. The dimmed rays of the bulb are characteristic of the colour of the shade. Similarly our self-
consciousness, buried within the strata of world’s temptations and deceptions, finds its light restrained
and whatever little tainted light is projected is powerless to unite us with the World Mind.

Many of the basic human functions: nourishment, sleep, procreation and man’s instinctive response to
the emotions of fear and sorrow are biologically animal, and if a human being tends to exist on the same
level as that of an animal, then surely, the animal has a much happier lot than the Man. The animal has
few or no attachments. Man, on the other hand is intensely sensitive to his attachments and feels acutely
bound to his intimate relations in his moment of death.

It is one’s power of understanding and ingenuity that evaluate a human being. A commander-in-chief
draws a higher pay and is furnished with men and material for his campaigns, whilst an infantry soldier
under him although physically strong and engaged in actual fighting, is on an inferior status. Why is there
such a vast distinction between their ranks? The qualities which have placed the commander-in-chief on
to such a high position are his knowledge of strategy, heroism and tactical understanding; in other
words, it is his sense of leadership and self-consciousness which have promoted him to such a high post,
whilst the self-consciousness of the soldier is limited to his ability to handle the weapons only. The only
criterion in this case is clearly the superior consciousness of one having preponderance over the other.

Now let us see how self-consciousness can be developed. Education is essential to material progress
and achievements. Education also depends upon one’s worldly wisdom and intelligence, resulting in
man’s social advancement. But these attainments are not said to be the ultimate goals of life, because
this is not the final destiny of man on earth as they simply fulfil the needs of this life only, and when man
dies, he departs, his heart broken, his desires unfulfilled and dreams shattered, leaving behind all his
material possessions. This however, is a natural law as the world is transient and all the things are
destined to be lost either during one’s life-time or after death, but self-consciousness, which is a great
power, cannot be regenerated unless it is liberated from the world’s illusions.

The power of concentration is tremendous. Let us observe some practical applications of the law of
concentration. Hydroelectric power is produced by damming a turbulent river and by channelling this
uncontrolled water through pipes to drive the turbines that generate electricity. With the help of this
power, telegraphic messages can be transmitted over long distances or gigantic machines are operated.
Similarly, steam concentrated within a mechanical device is capable of driving large ocean liners,
locomotives and steam engines. A bullet or shell can be projected over a much greater distance if fired
from a machine gun. These all are examples of applications of law of concentration. This law operates in
the development of mental power that is achieved by concentration of thoughts. But when they are
dispersed, our Will Power does not function successfully and we fail to reach the fulfilment of our
desires. If these scattered thoughts are fused and trained to pursue a definite trend, then everything is
within the easy grasp or reaches of human beings and the desired tasks are completed. This
concentration of thoughts creates a wonderful power in human consciousness, enabling it to divine
knowledge of the past, the present and the future, and break barriers of time and space. Beyond this
consciousness can unravel the mysteries of this material world and can understand God’s creation and
its secrets, ultimately progressing in this course to the climax in the acquisition of Universal Wisdom.
This is evidenced by the following Holy Farmans:

Hazrat Imam Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah in His Holy Farmans quoting Mowlana Rumi says:
‘Mowlana Rumi writes in his Mathnavi’ that:
 ‘Low in the earth,
I lived in realms of ore and stone;
And then I smiled in many tinted flowers;
Then roving with the wild and wondering hours,
O’er earth and air and ocean’s zone,
In a new birth,
I dived and flew,
And crept and ran,

And all the secret of my presence drew,

Within a form that brought them all to view-

And lo, a Man!

And then my goal,
Beyond the clouds, beyond the sky,

In realms where none may change or die-

In angel form; and then away,
Beyond the bounds of night and day,
And Life and Death, unseen and seen,
Where all that is hath ever been,

As one and Whole.

(Rumi: Thadani’s Translation)

Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah, in these Holy Farmans, through Rumi’s famous verses
explains the Creative Law of Evolution; whereby the Spirit or Life-energy nascent in Matter, gradually
through millions of mutations appeared in Man. The laws of evolution explain the reason of this gradual
ascent. The life-energy, inherent in matter is dormant and is incapable of negative or positive deeds. The
vast Cosmic Energy of Nature uplifts this life-energy through the plant-life and then it is manifested in the
animal-life. An animal has very limited consciousness and is not endowed with the power to judge
between sin and purity. Its actions within the laws of nature are all guiltless, and therefore, finally, the
animal life too is evolved into human life.

Thus, Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Muhammad Shah through this quotation emphasises the operation of Law
of Evolution, whereby the Spirit reaches the status of the Creative Personality of Man. With the
manifestation of the spirit in human form, there came a power to discern between Sin and Purity, Evil
and Goodness, Falsehood and Truth.

Further man has been endowed with Free-will, which he can exercise practically to a limitless degree,
but eternally and equally bound by the law that He alone is responsible for all the acts and is prepared to
receive their fruits. This fact is vividly emphasised by Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah.
“Whether Man shall, after his death change into a plant or an animal or whether He shall be
born a human being again or even uplift himself into the state of an Angel, or even into a
position higher than that; all these destinies are in the hands of Man. A horse is guided by the
reigns. Man has two paths; one leads to Earth, the second to Heaven. To go into the earth or to
climb the Heaven is in the hands of Man.”

A question may arise in the readers mind, as how Rumi, the mystic, so faithfully recalls his births and
evolutions? It was through the shear power of meditation that Mowlana Rumi reached the stage of
annihilation (fanah fillahi) in zikr and his consciousness was fused into his self-hood or ego recollecting all
the cycles of his previous births.

A human being striving to everlasting happiness has to learn to control his thoughts, that is develop
contemplation, during Ibadat and as he becomes truly attuned to God and is gradually uplifted, so his
mental power are vitalised, satisfying his honest, pure desires, in proportion to the power of his
Concentration. In this phase an eternal, sweet stream of ecstasy starts flowing in his heart and then he
comes to a realisation that even in his unhappy world, it is possible to acquire the true joy of life which is
every man’s natural right and heritage and to reach that phase is man’s sacred Duty.

Footnote 1:
Inevitably, I am afraid, (as the translator), there must be some confusion in our use of the word
‘Consciousness.’ I would like, therefore, to make plain at this point how this word fits into our
experience. What we may call ‘Consciousness’ and associate with ‘thought is really better called ‘self-
consciousness’ or human consciousness. Hence, I have preferred in this translation, the use of the word
‘self-consciousness.’ It was at this point that human race had stepped off this animal level and acquired
something essentially human, something singularly superior to the animals. What was that something
singularly human? It was coming of self-recognition, that is, ‘We can get outside ourselves, and see
ourselves objectively. Man saw himself as his own self. In that moment of the dawn of self –
consciousness, he said, ‘This is me.’ Which no animal had ever said, not even a monkey looking at
himself in a mirror.

Footnote 2:
In the opening paragraph of this chapter, we had discussed something about the self-consciousness
being deceived by this material world, and now we are ready to say something further about this. We
have been using three different expressions: Consciousness, Self-consciousness and Cosmic
consciousness. Fundamentally, it is the single consciousness of spirit: Consciousness by which the human
personality works and acts is essentially spiritual; only it is coming through the intermediaries of the
Mind, the intellect and the body and it cannot be detected as the true inner Light. This projection of
consciousness through five senses is exteriorisation. The return path to its origin is by the process of
interiorisation, which is through meditation. The process of meditation is the in-drawing of consciousness
by liberating itself from the five senses, which bind it to the external world, and sinking deeper and
deeper in itself through silent contemplation, and then passing through the layers of the body and the
mind, still in-drawing, still sinking and finally reaching its home and coming face to face with itself, its
own Pure Light (Nur) and even in this state it is still the same consciousness that it ever was.
 2 - The Power Of The Mind
The creation of the corporeal and invisible worlds is because of our thoughts, which are the effects of
our Personal ego, born of the “Over-self” 1. Our world is our mind. Without the mind to behold it, the
Universe would not exist. Mind is the only human reality. In reality, the Universe is an idea, and yet its
existence is based on the Truth or foundation of some fundamental power, and whose Laws control the
functioning of the Universe. This power is invisibly connected to the “Over-self,” although we have no
awareness of this link.

Our thoughts have potential of tremendous powers. If the thoughts could be utilised according to the
Laws of Nature, then desired results could be obtained. But many of our thoughts go fruitless, because
of our ignorance as to how to transform our thoughts into their equivalent effects. Before we come to
the study of how to generate thoughts and how to make them triumphant, let us observe some of the
Natural Laws, underlying the structure of the Universe.

A material object or Matter is inert. Its own constructive or productive power is nil. For instance,
machinery or engines give a tremendous amount of work, but this capacity to do work is on account of
the motive power of the steam. Machinery is heavy and powerful, but in itself, it does not have the
essential power to operate, until some invisible, finer energy (in this case, the steam) helps to drive it.
Electricity is still a finer form of energy than the steam, and possesses a much greater power. Similar
descending grades of power are visible in the natural gas, petroleum and the paraffin. Here, in these
instances, we see a natural law at work; finer an object becomes, greater its energy.

Matter is controlled by the Law of Gravitation, whilst the finer, invisible elements of Nature rise
upwards. In ultimate analysis, however, everything has been created from the “Invisible.” Let us take
some instances. The water vapour on condensation turns into water, which on freezing changes into ice.
A little reflection here will show that water is essential in the birth and support of all forms of life, plant-
life, animal-life and human-life, but water itself is composed of two invisible gases. In the yolk and the

1
“It is essential, above all, to grasp the idea of its (OVERSELF’S) unitary nature. It is not composed of various layers
or sections of our being, but is indeed the central point, the inner-most living core of man himself, the Over-self is
primarily man’s essential being, the all important residue which is left when he (man) succeeds in vanishing the
thought of identification with The physical body and the intellect, The Over-self is the creative force that gives birth
to the “personal ego,” sustains it for a cosmic period, and then draws it back into itself again. It is the invisible,
intangible, and life-dispenser, supporting the existence of its creatures. Life distilled to the last drop – that is the
Over-self – just as a single sunray cannot really be separated from the sun itself, so the Over-self-atom in the body
cannot be separated from its parent – God in the universe. That which exists within the human being as the Over-self
– centre, exists also outside him in the Universal Spirit, of which it is a fragment.”

Explaining the close relationship of these two elements of human life, Dr. Paul Brunton says: “If one pictures the
Over-self-atom as a bubbling spring whose waters are fed for ever by the Supreme Creator, then the triune stream of
water which is sprayed upwards to the head is life – current, the intelligence and the individuality. The last three
appear in personal ego, and they are to be found as elements running right through the great structure of the
Universe, as they are to be found in its microscopic replica-man.
(Dr. Paul Brunton in “The Quest of the Over-self”)
white of an egg, there are “inherent” all the parts of a chick’s body, although apparently the egg looks
like an ordinary fluid to us. The human body, similarly and all the visible elements of the animal and plant
kingdoms have taken shapes and forms from the “roots” which in reality are invisible. Thus in a
descending order, we see the evolution of “Matter from Mind,” i.e. Thought transformed into Ether,
Ether (i.e. The Pranic Energy) into Electricity, Electricity into Fire, Fire into Air, Air into Water and
finally, water into Matter. Thus we see that ultimately, all matter has its “root” or “source” in “Thought,”
which in turn, as we have seen earlier, is from the Divine Over-self.

We have seen that not only the objects are the creation of Mind, but all objects, with their variety of
colours and forms are fundamentally “rooted” in human thinking. For instance, an architect in the first
instance, prepares a blue-print of a building, that is, he initially creates the building as a “thought” in his
mind, and only then it is constructed in form of concrete and steel and comes into existence. Thus, every
object before becoming visible exists as an invisible, intangible thought and must undergo a thought-
process2.

The prosperity and depression of a man’s fortunes are also dependent on thinking. Whatever good and
evil thoughts a man has generated, these invisibly and mysteriously take certain definite patterns in the
Ether. Further, all positive thoughts, in proportion to their emotional force, will project with equal speed
into the Ether, and according to the Natural Law of Attraction, will embrace identical positive thoughts.
This synthesis causes the original vibrations of thoughts to be highly amplified and then they reflect onto
the thinker with a reaction of positive fruits. The same law operates in the case of evil thoughts. When
we think of “Destiny,” it is no more than the consequence of actions and re-actions of this Law. This
proves that the consequences of life are directly dependent upon one’s “Thoughts,” and that ultimately it
is the Man, who is the architect of his Destiny3.

These ideas or principles should not bring a feeling of deep frustration to all those who have suffered
from destructive thinking. In fact, we believe that there should be a message of hope. To all those, who
have endured tragedies and tears, darkness and despair from their past thoughts and deeds, to those
unfortunate souls, there is a definite hope of salvation from this human bondage. Their salvation is
through constructive thinking, the generation of pure, noble thoughts, which would inspire them to
creative achievements.

2
Burgess has somewhere said, “Every thing and every institution we see around us, created by human agency, had
to first to exist as a thought in some human mind. Thought, therefore, is constructive. Human thought is the spiritual
power of the cosmos operating through its creative man………the things and conditions we desire to become
realities we must first create in thought”

3
“Thoughts which are mixed with any of the feelings or emotions constitute a “magnetic” force which attracts from
the vibrations of the ether, other similar, or related thoughts”. (Emphasis through out by the Author Napoleon Hill.)

We have also said earlier, something about the ether, and in support of this, we will again quote Napoleon Hill:

“The ether is great cosmic mass of eternal forces of vibration. It is made up of both destructive vibrations and
constructive vibrations. It carries at all times, vibrations of fear, poverty, disease, failure, misery; and vibrations of
prosperity, health, success, and happiness.
Let us now study the velocity and strength of the thought-waves. Professor Elishe Grey has to say in his
book, “The Miracle of Nature.”

It is extremely difficult for any one to know, realise or observe the potency, the vibrations or the radiant
spectrum of the thought power. The thought-power vibrates at the rate of 40,000 to 400 trillion per
second and can travel up-to 700 trillion miles per second. Neither steel nor any other material or barrier
can check its speed; only the sunlight can disperse its vibrations, causing its rate of velocity and distance
to be retarded. In darkness, the rate of velocity of thought-vibrations is highly accelerated, and under
these conditions, its magnetism is so powerful that it is capable of transforming not only other persons’
thoughts, material things, domestic situations, and destiny, but also the Karmic Law and Death. India,
Europe and other distant countries, which we have never visited, can be visualised within a split second
with the power of our thought; whilst, how long does the fastest vehicle take to reach there? This shows
that the power and speed of thought are obviously greater than anything else. Superior thinking can
bestow a man’s life with physical, economic, mental and spiritual upliftment.

We have spoken something about the wonderful power of thoughts. Man has control over that power,
but before we come to the study of the utilisation of that power to achieve success in life, let us see what
“thought” really is?

Our present existence is on account of our thinking. For instance, we can only go to sleep when our
thought-process ceases. In our state of sleep, other people are aware of our existence, but to our own
self, there is no such consciousness, and there is also no awareness on our part of anything going around
us. Thus inspite of our existence, it is reckoned, as if, we do not exist. Similar states of non-existence
one seems to undergo during the periods of insensibility due to an anaesthetic or a fall from a great
height or a severe blow on the head, and one loses consciousness because the thought-process has
stopped. Thus it becomes evident that our present life (spirit) is on account of “Thought.” Let us make
another instance. A person attending a place of worship is obviously not there, if his mind, during the
prayers is absorbed in domestic worries. It can be said that the person is in reality at his home.

Thoughts are the emanations of the “Over-self,” and they are related to the process of breathing. Let us
see what communication or attachment is there between these emanations and our breathing. Breathing
supplies oxygen to the blood and supports its circulation through the body. Man is able to maintain his
consciousness until blood continues to dash against the brain, but as soon as the circulation slows down
with the relaxed breathing, man begins to sleep. This is but a temporary separation of breathing from the
emanations of the soul, and Death is nothing but a permanent detachment between these two 4. This can
best be understood by the analogy of a dream.

A dream world to a dreamer is a reality, but it vanishes on awakening. Similarly, when the spirit is
detached from the body, the physical world loses its existence for the dead man.
4
The reader should especially note this relationship between Thoughts and the breathing process. When the cycle
of breathing-in and breathing-out is reduced from between the normal 15 and 20 to say about seven per minute, The
relaxation of breathing cycle is very important in the management of our thoughts during our daily meditation or
Ibadat
Thus ends the physical existence of man, but the emanations of the soul (i.e. his thoughts or the personal
ego) do not die. They continue to live on. Now the good and evil thoughts generated during one’s
physical existence on earth have remained as astral “Thought-forms” in the Ether. After the end of one’s
corporal existence, the vibrations of the departed spirit attach to these thought-forms to create a
synthesis, which is the beginning of the next birth of man. It is the beginning of a next life of man taking
its shape in basic outlines on the astral plane, but which is gradually evolved and finally concretised in
human personality at birth in flesh and blood. This is called the re-incarnation.

The thoughts of union between a man and woman produce the generative fluid in the human body
responsible for the child’s conception. Hence, in ultimate analysis, we can trace the childbirth to the
emotional thoughts of attraction between the opposite sexes. Thus, because of the attraction of the
thought-power of the parents, a child is born into a certain family, controlled by the relationships
between the parents and the child in their previous births.5

The emanations of the “Over-self” are one’s thoughts that have found an abode in the brain, the thinking
mind, forming a Personal Ego. The Personal Ego, in its present existence, has the conceptions of both
the spiritual and material and until that time, that it continues to partake the nature of both it shall have to
incarnate and re-incarnate, i.e. bound by the laws of birth and death of this earth, according to the good
and evil deeds (i.e. according to the Karma). But if the ego-thought or the personal mind could be
awakened from its “exteriorisation,” detaching itself from the material thoughts and induced to turn
“inwards” (i.e. interiorisation), then it would naturally move towards the Over-self, and with this Self-
Realisation would terminate all births and deaths. Our Great Guru-Saint Pir Shamsh Saheb has
expressed this idea in the Ginan-e-Shariff:

“Nij man nij padma samawe

To-o yoni sankat bahuri nahin awae
Nij padme dekhe nij roopa,
So jan jiwant mukht awarupa.”

Translation:
“When the Momin attains the ultimate Bliss of Oneness with the creator (Beloved), he suffers no
more rebirths, and when he thus beholds his real self, although incarnate (in flesh), is free from
all attachments.”

This talk concludes our study of the power of the Mind. Our next topic will be on “how to make our
thoughts yield successful results.”

5
This is known as the Karmic Doctrine.
 3 - The Creative Power Of Thinking
When Do Thoughts become Fruitless?
We have seen in the previous discussion that the thoughts are the emanations of the Divine “OVER-
SELF,” and that our thinking Mind, the Personal Ego is the synthesis of the fires, spiritual “atom” of the
Over-self and the material elements of the brain. Thus, in the brain, this fragment of pure “Over-self”
becomes narrowed down to personal thinking consciousness and may be termed as our present life
force. In this new home, remote from its divine origin, the Ego comes to imagine that it is absolutely self-
sufficient, complete and independent. It will continue to suffer defeats working alone without the
assistance from the “Over-self”; and to the degree that the Ego submits its desires and deeds to the
“Over-self,” to that degree it will achieve success in life.

Thus, the Ego loses itself utterly in the mental-physical life, and the more it loses itself in the sea of
external impressions (Illusions-Maya), farther it is from the Divine Origin – the Over-self. Further, as
Mind, attracted to a worldly thing, begins to yearn for it, farther the thing drifts away from it. But, if the
Ego could go nearer and nearer to the Over-self (God’s atom in Heart) then, by the natural laws, the
desired object will be attracted back to the Ego. The Ego, pursuing a worldly object shows that Mind
believes itself to be of an inferior status. Thus the desired object drifts still farther away, making the
Mind it’s (object’s) slave and dependent upon the object.

When one feels an intense yearning (in heart) for a thing, then, instead of thinking very deeply or
seriously for the thing, the best course is to submit or surrender one’s desire to God. In this respect,
Hazrat Imam Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans: “Let all your desires be
delivered to God.” This Holy Farman means that as a son politely asks his beloved father, and no one
else, to fulfil his all necessities, and as his father, in natural love, satisfies the son’s wants, similarly, let
man cherish hopes in no one else, but patiently yielding all his noble Hopes to God, who as our
Omnipotent Spiritual Father shall definitely bring their fulfilment.

If a thing can be achieved through struggles, then let us embark upon hard work, surrendering all our
ceaseless thinking (The Ego) to the Over-self. “Work No Words,” the principle shown by Hazrat Imam
Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah, is adequate to lead one’s efforts onto the path of success. 1

We have seen earlier that the causes, underlying the gratification of one’s desires or their frustration
depend on one fact: “It is only to the extent that one lets go of all that one has here-to-fore considered
as ones-self,” and returns inwardly to the Over-self that one really reaches the state of true satisfaction.
And opposite is also true: that as long as one allows the ego to remain dominant, one shall go on fruitless
striving to another.

1
“Struggle is the meaning of life. Defeat or Victory is in the hands of God. But Struggle itself is man’s duty and
should be his joy.”
The Return To The Over-self
Now, within every human being, this phenomenon of returning to or drifting away from the Over-self is
something which is going constantly to a small or large degree; and the reaction of these phenomena are
The resultant victories or defeats of life, which man goes on receiving, but remains unaware of the truth.
Let us discuss some instances or principles under which our personal self approaches the Over-self.

A person naturally lets out “Ah” when hurt critically in any part of the body. In this state, the ego-
thought recedes to take the support of the Over-self, bringing a slight relief from physical pain.

During unexpected moments of sudden shock, resulting from the confrontation with a situation of
immense danger, as the collapse of a roof or falling of a heavy object, one experiences an immediate
feeling of shrinking and becoming still in mind and body. In these moments too the personal mind has
sought to withdraw inwards.

An innocent, poor man suffering injustice and insults at the hands of a proud, rich person, in his helpless
condition forgets all about retaliation, but humbly craves justice from the Over-self. Under these
circumstances, the wealthy person may suffer adverse reactions. In this case too, the ego had withdrawn
under deep, emotional stress.

An innocent person undergoing sudden danger, in addition to his public efforts, may submit his problem
to the Over-self for guidance. In that moment of surrender, he will find that his struggles reach fulfilment.

A man placed in straitened circumstances and under extreme state of worry may not open his heart to
other persons, but he will find his livelihood again and overcome sufferings, if he would unfold his heart
and yield his ego to the Over-self. God will respond to his call for help, as he had placed his hopes in
Divine assistance only.

How To Return To The Over-self?

There is a special inter-relationship between breath and thought, and as a result of this close inter-
relationship, changes in breathing produces changes in mind, and vice versa. We may say therefore that
breath is thought and thoughts compose Mind. We have seen earlier that when and under what
conditions Mind returns inwardly to the Over-self. We shall now see some of the methods that help us
to achieve this state.

At the end of inhalation (during Meditation – Ibadat) one should gently check the entire breath-activity,
retain the air for two or three seconds, and then exhale the air again. During the brief period, the breath
is under control, it will be noticed that concentration becomes steadier, and is intensified.

By developing infinite patience in heart.

At the commencement of a good deed, has un-shakeable faith.
By generating pure, selfless Love in the heart.
By remaining loyal in one’s sacred promises taken in the path of good deeds of kindness and generosity.
All these will lead the Ego closer to the Over-self, and as one begins to get experience in this direction,
he will have further understanding of the truth.

Meditation (Ibadat)
We have discussed some of the rules essential to achieve nearness to God, but the fulfilment of these
principles can bring us nearer God to within certain limits only. The special phenomenon to reach this
status in Meditation.

We have seen earlier that mind is a synthesis of the higher divine “atom” of the “Over-self” and the
lower substances of the brain, that is, there is a web of thoughts and feelings spun around the Ego,
creating the forgetfulness, of its divine origin, and until the time that Ego is not freed from this spider-like
web of false selves, pure Consciousness shall not prevail. But when one “lets go” everything, all that one
has considered as part of one-self – the illusions and attachments of the world. Only then the real self-
consciousness can possibly manifest, and one’s heart becomes absorbed in perpetual ecstasy of Love’s
Mystery, for which Pir Saddardin Saheb has expressed the following words.

“Jab Kamal Illahi Aawae, Kadawa Meetha Sum Ho Jaawae” – which means that when one sees the
manifestation of the Over-self, as the ray of God in man, then good – evil, bitterness – sweetness, a
criticism – praise do not touch the heart of such a man and he sees the same All-Pervading God behind
this ever-folding exterior scene called Creation and Whose light has illuminated his heart. We shall take
some instances to understand this point.

Some short-sighted people are not able to read the printed letters from a distance and see them as dark
spots only, and similarly to such people, the fine yarn in a piece of cloth will not be visible.

The world of the matter which we behold is in reality composed of Atoms, and a person who is
fortunate to have been graced with the inner vision will not only be able to see these atoms, but also the
essential Energy (Light – Nur) within the heart of the Atoms. Hazrat Imam Mowlana Sultan Mohammed
Shah has said in His Holy Farman: “Whenever I see, I behold the (companion) soul (because soul is
the eternal companion of man); but when you observe a man, you see his hands, feet, face and
eyes, but cannot perceive the soul. Try to take the cognition of the soul.”

In Meditation, (Ibadat), there comes a stage during which Consciousness begins to free itself from the
Ego (i.e. the material influences), and with the destruction of the Ego, the mental existence (Mentalism)
disappears, and there now dawns the unfoundment of man’s spiritual life, When climax is known as
Fanah Fillah (i.e. Reunion with God). Pure Consciousness, although possessing a tremendous power,
becomes powerless and weak when it is imprisoned within the gab of physical nature (i.e. incarnate in
the fleshy tenement and thoughts), but gradually as it emerges out of this cloak of exterior nature
(PRAK-RUTI), consciousness begins to manifest as Light (Noor) and return (interiorises) to its origin
(i.e. the Over-self) and merges into the Cosmic Consciousness. This station may be termed as the
Realisation of the Divine Over-self.
 4 - The Meaning Of Hell
The Conception of Hell
We shall now discuss about Hell. Some people believe that good or bad deeds (Karma) one has
committed in a previous birth would receive a reward or retribution in the next birth. Thus, one’s
happiness or unhappiness of the present life are the consequences of the aggregate Karma’s (Sanchit
Karma – good and evil deeds) of the previous lives, and (they believe that) there is neither hell nor
heaven after death, except whatever a soul has to undergo during its Sojourn on earth. Whilst other
believe that a sinner will go to a purgatory, and the sinless and innocent shall go to heavenly Bliss.

The Scriptures (of different Religions) too have stressed the similar ideas that the soul shall receive
heaven or hell according to its Deeds and Conduct (the Karmic Doctrine), and have actually given the
graphic description of the tortures of Hell and Beatitude of Heaven. The details are quite reasonable for
our normal power of understanding, that is, the Holy Prophets and the Imams knowing the limits of our
rationale understanding have given us the inter pretensions of the Heaven and Hell.

In to-days intellectual age, however, many people, not realising the mysteries hidden in the Scriptures,
have had their suspicious about interpretations, and hence the necessity of clarifying further this subject
matter.

The Mystery of Mentalism:

The present life and the life in the here-after that is what is happening and what is to happen are in this
world and the world beyond, are from the spiritual point of view, an illusion, a dream. The happiness
and un-happiness experienced during a dream, a dream in reality are only, illusions, and yet in our
dream-state, the dream visions seem real, and further, they stir within our hearts the emotions of joy and
sadness according to their conditions and we react in the manner they influence us. Similarly, the
existence of the Creation is a dream of the Ego.

The difference between the ordinary Dreams of the Ego (i.e. this Existence) is that the deeds committed
in an ordinary dream-state have no reward or retribution. For instance, a person is not responsible for a
murder committed in a state of dream, and hence, is not liable to punishment. But thought-forms
imprinted on the Invisible, during one’s existence, create the blueprint of the after-death World (another
dream) and the Karma (thoughts and deeds) of the previous birth creates the need for re-adjustments
and inevitably leads to rebirth.

The Karmic Doctrine:

Under natural law, a man receives punishment after death for the sins committed during one’s lifetime,
but (it must be emphasised here that) this is not in fact a retributory consequence of the evil deeds.
There is a definite purpose of Nature in it for the upliftment of the Spirit. For instance, a surgeon
removing an ulcer causes infinite pain to a patient, but the surgeon’s motives are obviously kind.
Similarly, the authorities punishing or confining a lunatic do so only with the purpose of bringing
recovery. Nature’s retibutory consequences are too for the deliverance of the Ego from its sins – the
sins in the sense that it has forgotten its divine origins. Without these Reactions, Rebirths and
Retributions, there is no possibility of Ego’s redemption from its state of forgetfulness.

The world as we have seen is like a dream, and yet the miseries and joys springing from its existence
feel so real. Similarly, the tortures and ecstasies of the next world will also seem real to us.

(Translator’s Note: The theory that one’s dream-actions have no retribution effect on one’s life seems
spiritually not plausible. I feel that from spiritual point of view, Ego is morally responsible for all its
actions and thoughts. For after all in the three phases of sleep, dream and wakefulness, the mind (Ego)
continues to work, and hence the Karmic Doctrine must operate at all the levels of Consciousness, and
at all levels of its workings.)

The Heaven and The Hell:

The beginnings or foundations of Heaven and Hell, whose descriptions are given so graphically in the
Scriptures, are laid during our present existence. Heaven and Hell are not visible to a man when he is
alive, but their effect is felt invisibly with-in the heart of man. A large log of wood; floating in water is
quite easy to pull, but will require tremendous force to drag on a dry land. Similarly, one is unconscious
of one’s sins during the passage through life, but with the coming of death, the burdens of evil deeds
become intolerably difficult to bear.

We have heard many men complaining that if God is Merciful, why then did He create Hell? Yet, we do
not realise that Man Himself is the maker of hell. Whatever evil forces man generates during his life on
earth, in the form of sins of jealousy, revenge, and anger – these negative characteristics of life after
man’s death are transformed into an internal hell, whose fire envelopes the Ego into its flames. God does
not wish the Ego to be tortured in the hell-fire, but it is the inexorable law of Nature that man shall be
responsible for all the evil behaviours of life-passion, anger, greed, lust, jealousy, the degenerate
tendencies and above all, he shall be liable to answer for Demonic deeds. And the spirit shall undergo
the experience of these sufferings, resulting as retributive consequences, equal in proportion to the
Karma’s committed by the conscious self or the Ego.

The operation of these laws is within the control of Nature, and (hence in context of these facts and
laws) the descriptions of the Hell given in the scriptures are quite truthful.

A man surrendering to his evil tendencies goes against the natural laws and his spirit suffers from varying
degrees of misery according to the retributive reactions and consequences of these negative
characteristics. These are three distinct periods during which man suffers tortures, resulting from the evil
nature nourished during one’s lifetime.

The First Period: The Scorpion of Death:

The moment of death is Doomsday or Kayamat. The people around the deathbed feel the time of death
to be brief, but to the person, it seems terribly prolonged in-duration. Hazrat Imam Mowlana Sultan
Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans in this connection: “That to a dying person, one hour
would seem like a thousand years.”

Our Guru Pir Saddardin Saheb has said in his Holy Ginan-e-Shariff:

‘Ananadhleteh varashno ek dadlo,

aakhar jamana ma thaye,
Tis deen pade pastayso,
Bhai so deen Mahadan mahe.’

Pir Saddardin Saheb, describing the doomsday, says that in the ultimate age, a day will seem to be
50,000 years long, and that will occur in Mahadan (Doomsday) and with its advent all shall feel the
sorrow (of repentance for having committed the sins). And again Pir Saddardin Saheb has further
clarified:

‘Boj kayamat dahado aweshe,

ane avatare avtar,
Saheb lekha mangshe,
Tame nischay jano girdhar.’

Pir Saddardin Saheb emphasising this fact, again says that the Doomsday, the Day of Kayamat shall
come from birth to birth, when god shall demand all counts (the Day of Reckoning). Oh Momins Have
no doubts for this, it is a definite certainty.

The moment of death is the initial phase for receiving the retribution (for one’s deeds). It is that time
when the spirit is judged for its moral behaviour and is given a verdict and its destiny is decided. During
this process of judgement and finalisation, the spirit has been given an additional chance by Mowlana
Hazer Imam’s grace. Though the establishment of Chandraat Mandali, whose members, in a special
majalis (on the night of Ziyarat) specially beseeches the forgiveness of the sins of the departed soul and
pray for the salvation. According to the Nature laws, prayers these congregational entreatments are
accepted by God. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans in this respect:
‘I have established the Mandali (institution) of the Chandraat (New Moon) Punjebhai (Brothers).
God forbid, but if a member of this Mandali leaves this world, then a majalis should be
performed on the Night of the Ziyarat, and all the brethren should as a congregation, pray for
the forgiveness of the sins of the departed soul. His soul may therefore receive forgiveness and
be blessed with salvation.’

All the Momins who have complete faith in Imam-e-Zaman, will in this manner, be forgiven of their sins,
and achieve salvation. Pir Saheb has clarified this in Holy Ginan-e-Shariff:
 ‘Ashaji til dharam ane hasti pap,
gat mali chhadavejee,
Gatma kahaya parji maane,
Tene mahadanma nahin poochay.’

This means that God Himself may forgive any one, who has committed sins and transgressions against
the Divine Law, but all his sins against humanity can only be forgiven by that particular person (the
aggrieved party). If a person dies whilst having been indebted to someone, then the soul of the deceased
within the Cosmic Law, as debtor who has to compensate the creditor from his good acts and deeds
(positive Karma) in proportion to his commitments.

In that moment, the virtuous soul would feel intensely, because his positive Karma’s (achieved during his
earthly-life) are the only moral and wealth supports, but there is no other alternative, but to surrender a
part of his aggregate positive Karma’s. There is an exception to the operation of this Cosmic Law. If a
Momin has achieved salvation during his lifetime and has reached the stage of Fanah Fillah (the Re-
union with and into Eternity) then God (in His infinite Mercy) settles his debts. But any debt remains
unsettled within the meaning of this Divine Law, then the Soul, to settle these debts that remain unsettled,
will have to take a rebirth either in form of an animal or re-manifest in a human form. This process of
rebirth within the meaning of this Karmic Doctrine may be termed as a compensatory relationship.

It would please God infinitely if a creditor, finding a helpless debtor unable to settle his debt, forgives
him of his financial responsibility. In this respect, Allah commands us in the Holy Qur’an: ‘If a debtor is
helpless to be able to settle his commitments made to creditor and if in this condition, the
Creditor relinquishes his dues and forgives the debtor then this act of mercy is considered as a
great moral deed.’

The Second Phase or Period:

If the soul of the deceased does not achieve salvation during his lifetime or soon after death, gets
enmeshed into a web of evil ‘thought-forms’ that had been lying as unseen imprints in the spiritual world.
When the soul enters this invisible realm, then thoughts manifest themselves and the soul begins to
behold the form resulting from the thoughts and acts, performed (during the soul’s earthly incarnation).
These thought-forms will be of the quality and the intensity of the original thoughts and acts, and will
torture the spirit for the duration dependent upon the type of existence the soul had on the earth. Thus
after the soul has undergone these (retribution) it takes earthly re-incarnation into a form or on that scale
of creation, which is the consequence of the verdict on that scale of creation, which is the consequence
of the verdict passed on the soul in accordance with its Karmic Record. This scale of creation may be
geological, vegetative, animal or human.

When a human being becomes absorbed or engrossed in Divine Contemplation (Ibadat), his spirit,
which is diffused into his total personality or being, begins to be concentrated and focuses on to God.
Thus, by intense meditation or contemplative practises, any one, who has during his lifetime, had
achieved self-realisation or nearness to God, and shall also have attained the state. Where the spirit
pervading his body been collected (like essence) forms a Centre in communication with God, that is,
such a person, although physically alive, has detached his spirit from the fleshy tenement. Death cannot
capture the spirit of such a person who has reached this level. The spirit of such a supreme level has the
foreknowledge of death, and before the actual moment of death, there is a spontaneous detachment of
the spirit, which then climbs on the stage of an angel.

The Spirits that have attained such supreme pinnacles, for them there is neither hell, nor is there a
reckoning, for they merge directly in God’s Eternal Bliss.

We have seen earlier that if a spirit of a person, during its earthly incarnation has not been able to reach
the sacred state of self realisation, but being enslaved by the material passions and illusions has become
imprisoned in evils to such a person death shall come as a ‘Scorpion’s Sting’ and the man will be
frightened and refuse to surrender to death. But the destructive negative force that are planted in all of
us, present within that man, the negative force that we term as the Angel Israel, or the Angel of Death
will manifest itself. In a most terrifying form, and will forcibly detach the spirit from the flesh. This is the
moment of intense suffering. Giving a glimpse into this most terrifying condition of spirit, Pir Saddardin
Saheb, explains as follows:

‘Outh crore rom rai lohoko layse,

So fir kir dehima khuchenga jee….re’

Explanation: In the moment of death, a dying person will feel such an intense pain, as if his flesh is
being pricked with 8 ½ crore tiny, hair-like needles (1 crore = 10,000,000).

Every person does not undergo the same degree of suffering or pain. At the time of death, these are
varying degrees of pain and various forms of sufferings, dependent upon the sins and transgressions
committed by a person. These tragic experiences during the time of death are not God-sent. These are
the reactions of one’s aggregate Karma of evil behaviours (acts & thoughts) maintained during one’s
lifetime. After duration of this suffering, the spirit of this state is freed from the body and enters the spirit-
world for a reckoning, under God’s Eternal Laws of Justice, and there it undergoes a further period of
punishment (as a retribution of his evil deeds). Now, let us suppose, for instance, that this retributive
period has been ordained to be of 10,000 years, but when the spirit after having ‘paid the prices’
returns on to the earth in a flesh incarnation, very little (earthly time) has elapsed between the death of
the Person and his rebirth. This is one of the mysteries and secrets of nature. This is the concept of time,
and time varies at different levels of consciousness. The Holy Qur'an makes a reference to this fact in
the following words: ‘In the moment of death, the dying person shall say that his stay on earth was
just like a dream or probably it was shorter than the dream.’

Thus to a dying person, his total life is presented like a dream of a very short duration.
The Third Phase or Period:
The first phase of undergoing the punishment for the spirit is during the actual process of dying i.e. during
the moments when the spirit is being detached from the fleshy tenement. The next period of punishment
for the spirit is soon after the process of detachment is complete and the spirit enters the Invisible
Realm, where the second phase of suffering develops for the spirit. And then after one’s spiritual destiny
is determined in accordance with one’s Karmic experiences, the next step is spirit’s earthly incarnation.
Achieving this earthly re-incarnation, it is essential for the spirit to remain in a mother’s womb for a
certain period of time. This period of pregnancy of the spirit’s earthly mother is defined as the third
phase of suffering.

These three phases of Karmic reckoning and compensation are not the same for all man. To a sacred
soul, the periods of nine months in the mother’s womb seem blissful slumber and there is no sense pain.
To a soul of a lower degree there are varying periods of torture lasting between one to three months. To
some this period of nine months may seem prolonged to even nine years, whilst to others it may seem to
be a duration of 900 years, or even longer. (Note our previous reference to Time Concept.) The child’s
body in the mother’s womb is entwined within snake-like blood vessels that torture the spirit with
burning pain. Thus, for the sinful spirits, the mother’s womb is also a hell, but for the sacred spirits,
which do not feel the fiery effect of the womb.

We have seen the three retributive phases through which the spirit has to evolve from its detachment
from the fleshy tenement, until its re-incarnation on earth. In all these periods of suffering, it is essential to
remember that the spirit’s happiness or unhappiness depends primarily on its own psychic state i.e.
whether it is guilty or sinless. In the similar manner that a rich person, harbouring a guilty secret feels the
pangs of conscience and is nervous, disturbed and worried, whilst an innocent person of similar wealth
feels peaceful, happy and calm, so also, in ultimate analysis, one’s unhappiness depends, not on external
things, but on the state of the spirit. This means that in all these three phases, the sinner suffers pain in
proportion to the degree of the sinful state of the spirit, whilst, sinless evolves happily through these
stages, depending upon the degree of moral achievements of Mercy and Holiness.
 5- The Meaning Of Heaven
In the previous chapter, we discussed about the significance of Hell. Now, we shall discuss something
about Heaven.

We know that fundamentally Hell signifies suffering and unhappiness, whilst Heaven means Happiness.
Spiritual creations are more lasting and lustrous than the material objects. The material world has been
created out of five elements and the existence of the higher Realm of Spirit is also from the fine essences
of the Material Elements1. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans on this
subject: “How will you recognise your brothers in religion in the World Beyond, if you do not see
(identify) them in this world.”

This testifies to the fact that after death, we shall meet our brothers and sisters-in-religion in the higher,
spiritual sphere, and that we shall have the same identities, although in ethereal tenements. Thus, the
lower material objects are transformations of the higher creations, and in this way, we may understand
that as one climbs up to the loftier levels of creations, finer the creations become, and still higher up, one
meets still finer and subtler levels

Thus, there are countless invisible worlds of ascending degree of refinement (of darkness and light)—,
whose exact number or measure is known only to the Creator. The joys of those spiritual realms are
more lasting and deeper than the loftiest happiness of this material world, and as one climbs to still rarer
pinnacles of the spiritual realm, he experiences such supreme ecstasies, which are still more luminous.
Thus finer and rarer the realm (of existence) equally more permanent and greater are its sources of joy.

A person, who has formed a habit of doing moral good deeds of philanthropy and generosity and who
in all sincerity adheres to the higher ethics of life – such a person would obviously feel less attracted to
the glitter of the material world. Thus, such a person’s heart, during its existence on earth, achieves
happiness and is free from all burdens. Further, his heart, liberated from the overpowering pressures of
the worldly attractions, begins gradually to be transformed into a spiritual form of identity, and he begins
to deserve the bestowal of heavenly Grace. Thus, by this process of purification and by the ennobling of
the heart, the man begins to achieve Heaven during his own lifetime on the earth. (This is a positive
achievement.)

(Now let us take an instance of a person of an altogether different nature.) This man too practises
philanthropy and maintains a good, moral behaviour, but being ignorant of the true meaning of Heaven,
yearns (erroneously) for the next World’s Joys as rewards for his positive Karma’s. Unlike a sinner’s

1
The reader may be slightly confused to read this statement. There are two approaches to the comprehension of this
fact :
(a) Higher we go, finer an object becomes i.e. the superior, spiritual creations are but the transformations of the
same matter.
(b) Our sensitiveness to the objective world and our power to identify the exterior world depend upon the level
of self-consciousness and subjectivism, which precedes from within i.e. the deeper power of knowledge or
Intuition.
death, his is not a painful death, but his soul will have to be reckoned under the Divine Law, and after
receiving his just retribution of some of his sins and transgressions, the soul is rewarded a place in the
Paradise, in lieu of his virtues. As soon as these virtues are exhausted, he has to reincarnate onto this
earth, and that too into a baser form: because now having absorbed himself into the sensual delights, his
spirit is engrossed with carnal passions and immediately he leaves the Paradise, he “falls” into the baser
forms of existence. Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah’s Holy Farmans to this effect: “The paradise
too is like the Earth. You enter into it and when you come out, you are in a base form.”

It is true to say that the Paradise is a “Heaven of Happiness,” but there are many kinds of paradise.
Arsh-e-Bari is also a paradise, so also Arsh-e-Azzim is another paradise, which is absolutely unique
from any aspects of the material or spiritual spheres; because Arsh-e-Azzim is the Abode of Divine
Light (Nur), and it is also the origin of our souls. If a Momin purifies his heart and becomes the Beloved
of God during his earthly incarnation, then he is privileged to enter the Arsh-e-Azzim. Mowlana Sultan
Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans to this effect: “The world (body) has no power to reach
them (achieve this status), but the heart can enter it... (A Momin) whose heart is pure, for him
Arsh-e-Azzim, is even here, on this Earth.”

The Qur’an and our Holy Ginans give details of the Huras (Fairies), and some people do not understand
the true significance of this; they are confused. We shall therefore try to clarify this.

Many persons feel that these “Huras” are like the women of this Earth, but this belief is erroneous. Their
perspective and power of knowledge are materialistically oriented, because they live on the earthly,
material world. The heavenly bliss alluded to in the Qur'an and the Holy Ginans has no reference to the
physical delights of the sexual love. This supreme fount of Heavenly Bliss erupts from the Cosmic Love,
which is neither female nor male in its origin – it is sexless, neutral. Momins absorbed in meditation
(Ibadat) may be of either sex, but Heavenly Bliss enlightening their hearts, being above sex and neutral,
gives ecstasy to all men and women and it is their equal privilege to achieve this ecstatic state.

Now what is the meaning of “Hura”? Hura means the spiritual emanations. These emanations, during the
morning’s Ibadat (the flow of Light-Nur), are directly diffused into the heart and one feels ecstatic effect
pervading one’s being. These emanations are the “Huras” referred to in the Qur'an and the Holy
Ginans. A Momin sitting in Ibadat during this hour of nur feels his heart flowing with Love and Light.

The detailed descriptions of the earthly joys of paradise given in the scriptures have only one purpose: to
attract humanity to the practise of religion. A child going to school for the first time is treated in a similar
manner by its parents. To create in the child’s mind the love for school, the parents give him a variety of
toys and novelties. Thus the child forms the habit of going to school. Subsequently, as the child
advances in his studies, his intelligence intensifies and he begins to understand the value of knowledge as
a power, and he derives greater pleasure in acquiring more knowledge. And, he arrives at a true
understanding of the fact that his parents’ gifts of toys and novelties were merely to inspire him to go to
school. Similarly, a person of limited wisdom is like a child, and if he is inspired and encouraged onto
God’s path and to practise religious deeds with the attractions of an “Earthly Paradise,” these, for the
man of limited spiritual insight (i.e. one who has no true understanding of Reality) are quite legitimate. In
the similar manner, that the advanced child in his subsequent education career begins to disregard the
toys, the man, becoming conscious of the Truth, and enlightened by divine Love, feels the Paradise and
its attractions to be meaningless and dull. This is because to (we have discussed this earlier) yearn for
the happiness of an earthly paradise is to enslave the spirit still further. Mowlana Sultan Mohammed
Shah has put this clearly in His Holy Farmans: “The sins of your present and previous lives have
placed your Over-self in prisons. Your desires: (1) for an earthly paradise2 Hura (beautiful
women) – and delicious food and fruit – all these hopes have imprisoned your true self; but the
soul is never really happy in this prison (the prison of the fleshy Tenement).”

Except for the Deedar of the Beloved (the Illumination of Divinity – God – Eternity) all the happiness or
unhappiness of the visible and invisible worlds is the mere products of human imagination. They are
rooted in imagination and subside into imagination. They have no Reality, except in human imagination.
And until such time that the Over-self continues to remain a prisoner of the Ego and its senses, it will
continue to believe that all pains and pleasures (the pits and pinnacles) of life as Realties and the Over-
self will remain under their influences. But when the Over-self begins to re-orient inwards, interiorise its
diffused power of imagination. And offers itself, sacrifices itself (its Ego Individuality) to God and then
achieves the Life Divine. Then, in that moment of absolute surrender, the Over-self reaches a supreme
self-realisation that this Total Earthly Existence and its lights and shadows (sighs and smiles, joys and
tears) are like the dream, merely the creations of imagination.

2
Hadith: “Inna Lillahi La-Sa’bina Alfa Hijabin Min Nurin Wa Zulmatin.”
“God has seventy thousand Veils of Light and Darkness.”
 6 - The Creation Of The Universe
The world we are beholding at present, is in reality, within the Consciousness of the Ego (i.e. within our
Thoughts). Its existence is situated within our thoughts. On pressing the switch of a torch, a beam of light
is projected and on switching off, it is withdrawn, similarly, the creation of the universe should be taken
as illusion. In the Holy Qur'an, Allah commands:

“In the moment of death, a dying person feels that his existence on earth was as brief as a dream, or
probably even shorter than a dream.”

Illusions:
Illusion is a transformation of an existence of a real object, not onto its equivalent idea, but by the power
of imagination, the identity of a real object is converted in to varied imaginary things and to believe these
to be true and as the Realities. For instance, a piece of rope, to some may represent a snake and its
effect on the observer may be quite frightening. The illusions of mirages in the deserts are quite well
known to need elaboration. All these are examples of illusions, although, under certain circumstances,
they look so real to the observers. Let us study some more instances.

A traveller recollecting the scenes of activity of his visit to distant lands, often becomes so absorbed in
these memories, that he seems to be transported to these distant lands, completely forgetting his present
physical environment, which seems to vanish from his experience and senses.

Let us study some more instances of mental illusions. An artist (a goldsmith) creates a variety of
ornaments like a bangle, a ring, a necklace etc, from gold bullion. When the goldsmith creates these
ornaments with aid of his artistry, and places before our eyes, our initial idea of the existence of bullion
“gold” has vanished, and is replaced with an entirely new perspective, i.e. the conception of a solid
gold-block has been transformed into our thoughts of the beauty of individual ornaments. Now if these
ornaments are subsequently melted and turned again into the gold bullion, our idea reshapes itself
according to the existing form of gold. Now it is quite obvious that in all these three forms of states, gold
was the same precious metal; but the conceptions of its existence change with its different shapes and
forms. Basically, it is gold-metal, but to believe that its resultant ornaments are the realties and not the
gold itself is to delude us. Similarly, this cosmos is fundamentally All-Pervading Universal Spirit, but
Avidya (Ignorance) blinding the consciousness springing from the Personal Ego makes us behold (as an
illusion) this creation in different form, colour and patterns (characteristics) and we call the same Reality
under different names. The consequence of this process is: That the underlying Reality of the Spirit is
manifest to our senses as the Material world i.e. the reality of the All-Pervading Universal Spirit because
of the illusionary errors of our vision and thought-process, seems transformed into a material world.
Mowlana Murtaza Ali has expressed this idea:

“Zabar batun jo kuchh dista,

jo kuchh sunate hain,
Haq vina koi khali nahin,
 eh nukta khub paichan.”

“Whatever you see – the visible and the invisible, and whatever (sounds) you hear – in all
(underlying this) there is Truth. This point (principle) should be comprehended thoroughly.”

We behold a variety of objects in varied forms and colours. The creation power of these visions is our
consciousness – the thought-process. A planner creates a blue-print of a structure initially in his own
consciousness i.e. in his own mind, and when it is completed within the thoughts of its architect, only
then does the planner does the planner begin to utilise physio-material forces to transform his “idea” into
a concrete form i.e. to concretise and crystallise his idea onto its material, physical equivalent: the result.
A building in a physical form comes into existence. Similarly, the creation of each object in the world
takes place in the consciousness of its creator, and it then becomes manifest in its concrete form.

The world has been described as an “Illusion,” and this is indeed the truth, but to realise this truth is
dependent upon self-knowledge and whether a person deserves this realisation. The person who has
reached self-knowledge (hence he deserves this revelation) will behold the All-Pervading Truth-Like
Spirit (Divine Illumination – Nur) underlying this material world. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed
Shah has made Holy Farmans to this effect: “Whenever I see I behold the Spirit, but whenever you
try to see you behold a man’s face, his hands, feet and mouth, but cannot see his soul. Hence try
to search for the soul.”

“Saatan pura so naynsu andha,

Ishe dilme punam chanda.” (Ginan-e-Shariff)

Explanation:
A human being achieving self-realisation through the salvation during his lifetime, will ignore (will be
blind) to this unhappy world; but instead his heart will be illuminated by the brilliance like that of a full
moon, and everywhere his (inner) eyes will behold the all-pervading Divine Light. This experience is
based on one fact: the enlightened person’s self-consciousness of the Heart is radiant with the God’s
Sacred Light; hence, his inner vision sees nothing but Holiness and Divine Light everywhere.

The human birth is an effect of the cause of the previous life’s actions and thoughts lying in the spirit-
world as invisible imprints, and it is from the (limited) consciousness of the child’s Ego that this world is
born. A child does not begin to behold instantly this material world in its the then existent form, or as it is
visible to a mature mind. In the beginning, the child sees everywhere, nothing but the Divine Light, and
gradually, it begins to see the faint and vague images of the natural world appearing as projected on this
(screen of) Divine Light. (The Reader should note that this is because of the ancestral Ego.) The pictures
continue to become more distinct and more crystallised as the child grows older, until finally, in his
consciousness, they take a firm root of a material world, (which he now comes to believe as Reality).

Thus the grand illusion of the Universe, which is untrue, unreal and baseless, become a manifest reality,
because of our Ego having lost its link with the Over-self; but if the universe could be subjected to a
searching analysis with the aid of one’s inner Vision, then one would Perceive that the Spirit is Omni-
present and all pervading. Similarly, with the help of intuitive power, one would understand that within
the core of all molecules and atoms, the essential energy is the Spiritual Light, and it is this Spirit that is
manifest to our senses as the material world. But one who has taken his Ego to the Over-self of Light
and has experienced its deep, mysterious origin – only he knows and sees that Truth – and only he can
reach self-realisation that his inner world and the outer material world are single entities (and not
duality’s). Because when the molecule and atoms of his body (his inner world) are transformed into
Light, the components of the outer, concrete world too are transformed into Light, and the entire
Universe will manifest itself as the limitless, fathomless Ocean of Light. In this state, a man attains a
realisation that this concrete, rigid-looking world was only his imagination and illusion.
 7 - Is there life in matter?
The Universe is a dream of the Ego. In a dream, we may see many of the objects of this earth, the
moon, the sun, the sky and the mountains. These are all imaginary, but during our dream experience, we
perceive them as realities. Beyond this, we even feel or experience fear or sadness if we behold
frightening or tragic scenes, and we are so shocked that we suddenly come to a state of awakening to
find that our heart is throbbing with fear. On re-awakening, a sexual experience of the dream world too
leaves a vivid memory. There is no woman present in such a dream, but the illusion created during the
dream-state remains with us in its vivid form after re-awakening and affects the body. As the dream
visions of the mountains, the sky, the sea, the sun and the moon are illusions, as well as that of sexual
experience, so too is this Universe. It is unreal, imaginary and a form of illusion. The unreality of the
dream visions and experiences is realised or revealed on re-awakening, similarly, in the moment of
death, it shall be evident that the experience of this world was also a form of a dream.

Now let us study briefly the birth of the Universe. What is the reason underlying the manifestation of this
material world as a reality, although we now know it as a truth that it is only one’s mental perception of
it. The radiant emanations from the Divine Over-self-Centre manifest as Cosmic Consciousness, and on
rising upwards and on communicating with the brain, they are trapped in the head and are transformed
into a Personal Ego. This synthesis created the whole Nature, including Man. We know that Science
has reduced the whole Universe to being composed of millions of molecules but at the core of all the
molecules, there is the all pervading Divine Over-self, which on account of the imperfection of the Ego
(Maya) is presented to our senses as a material world with its manifold forms. In clarification of this
principle, we shall study some instances.

The Universal Spirit that pervades all the molecules of the Cosmos is the self-same creative force of life,
i.e. the central point, the innermost core of man’s being. It permeates in each and every object of the
Universe. The Scientists agree that at the core of all molecules and atoms, there is an imperceptible
nucleus of some invisible force, but what that force is they cannot tell us. That is the next step ahead of
them, for searching analysis and persistent enquiry will one day resolve this force into the Over-self that
is at the root of all existence and life. Life in its manifest form is just an extra gab of the Creative Over-
self.

Now, all the created life forms, including the material objects, are divisible into two groups – the active
and the passive (latent). The active life forms posse’s consciousness, whilst the passives do not. But
even those material objects, which we consider to be lifeless, are rooted in the creative force. Let us see
how this Creative Energy is rooted in all matter, and how when does it manifest itself.

If a person does some physical exercise, his strength increases, and his “life force” is intensified.
Similarly, identical process also can also transform the states of material objects. Iron in concrete
(lifeless) matter, but within it there is hidden in a passive state the life of its own (what now modern
Science as its own nuclear energy), although this is neither felt nor is it visible to our senses. But when
iron is brought in contact with fire, it begins to get hot, and a certain process causes some form of
(molecular) movement resulting in iron to become red-hot. This is the manifestation of its power. The
red-hot fire of the iron, its heat, and its radiance are all the expressions of the hidden power of the metal,
which has now been transformed from an inert, passive state into an active energy. Heat is its quality,
fire is its power, and its radiance is its characteristics – all these being the manifestations of the life
energy of the metal.

Here a question may arise in the reader’s mind. A contact with fire turns a cold iron-rod into a red-hot
metal is a natural phenomenon, and there is no question of the manifestation of the hidden life-energy.
The answer is that we observe similar existences in the world of nature: the friction between two iron
pieces produces heat and sometimes the sparks are visible.

A similar phenomenon is visible in case of a friction between two stones. These are all indications of the
hidden life-energy being manifested. And, similarly, all matter has its “core” this hidden and latent centre
nucleus of life being passive is not visible to us.

Fire and heat are the manifest aspects of the Spirit – i.e. they are the visible forms. When the palms of
the hand are rubbed together, this friction produces some amount of heat (and magnetism). Thus, the
manifestation of the spirit hidden within the molecules is the sign of activity – in fact, it is a state of
molecular activity.

Similarly, we can quote many instances in cases of different chemicals or spices where their hidden life-
energy is revealed in different matters. Foodstuff cooked or uncooked lying open for sometime, stagnant
water produces microorganisms and other visible forms of life.1 Thus proving that even the apparently
lifeless, dry foodstuffs do have some form of life at the core.
1
This is termed as “the spontaneous – generation theory” or “a biogenesis” i.e. the spontaneous generation of life
from matter. There is no scientific validity to this theory as all experiments to prove this have resulted in failure; and
unless, biochemistry can produce under controlled conditions the original a biogenesis or spontaneous generation of
life from matter, we cannot attach the due importance to this statement.

It is with this Qura’nic concept, that a Muslim is exhorted not to make his worldly life, a success, of course never at
the cost of his spiritual obligations, but he is also supposed to work for all his Muslim brethren, rather the mankind at
large. We, Ismailies, on our part are happy to do whatever little we can, to abide by this principle on the guidelines
given by our beloved Imam H. R. H. Prince Aga Shah Karim Al-Hussayni, whose multifarious activities for the uplift
of humanity are well known to the world.

Brethren, permit me to add that our horizons of understanding the Holy Message can only be widened through
realisation of this concept of “Oneness of Reality” and Holy Qur'an enlightens us further. I quote the following verse:
“Sanoorithim ayaatina fil afqal wa fi,“anfusthim, hatta yatbayyana lahum annah-ul-Haqq.”

That is, we shall show them our signs in the external world of physical horizon and also in their own souls, until it
is quite clear to them it is ONE reality. (41:53)

Unless Muslim realises this, through the development of the Divine spark within him, the real meaning will remain far
away from him. Assuredly there are signs within this Book, but for the ‘muttawassimin’(15:75). They are those people
who look stead fastedly at the outward to perceive the inward.

Let us pray to Almighty Allah to keep us on the ‘True Path’ so as to make the spirit of the Holy Qur’an, the spirit of
our worldly as well as spiritual life.
This life-energy can be distinguished at four levels or in four stages. A simple experiment will prove this
idea: Let us expose four objects with a varying degree of reflecting surfaces to the sunlight: a mirror, a
new sheet of tin, a marble slab and a piece of clay. The mirror will show the maximum amount of
reflection, whilst the rest of the objects will reflect in varying amount the sun’s rays, in proportion to their
degree of reflective surfaces. Thus, the state of the piece of clay is the state of “inactive” life force; the
marble slab indicates a slightly higher form of life and may be compared to the vegetative life. The new
tin-sheet is analogous to the realm of animal and bird-life, whilst the mirror is the state of human-life,
although its reflective power may be impaired because of an unclear surface. Similarly, the Divine
Overself (in man) will reflect a respond to God and become conscious in proportion to the purity of the
heart.

(The final statement in the paragraph above needs elaboration.) The wireless, utilising electricity, can
transmit or receive massages. Static electricity is everywhere, but its power can be generated and felt
only through certain specific apparatuses, including the wireless. Similarly, the Over-self centre that is
the fragment of the Universal Spirit (the Divine Nur) is un-divisible, unified Creative Force and it is all
pervading. It is one universal divine self resting in all hearts and yet it is not visible in its manifest aspect
or form in all the objects, until there is the “living apparatus” of heart (to create the Consciousness of the
Over-self, which resides there) and the achievements of this privileged State or Grace (i.e. intensifying
this inner consciousness) depends upon the degree of heart’s purity. This (in final analysis) means that all
creations at different levels of existences -- vegetative, animal or human become the recipients of self-
consciousness in accordance with the Divine Grace they have achieved (i.e. become aware of the Over-
self only through the Divine Grace).

In conclusion, therefore, we shall recognise the fact that the underlying principle of all creation is the
Universal Spirit, that is, as if the Cosmos is the ocean of countless Over-selves, which are the fragments
of the Divine Over-self, but the entire, visible Universe, which becomes manifest to our physical senses
in a variety of colours and forms is in reality One Eternal Over-self.
 8 –Fate And Individual Energy (Daiva and
Purushakara).
In context of facing the struggle of human life, there exist two different schools of thought: the first
believes in Human Destiny, the second, in free will and human energy. Both the schools of thought are
right in their own beliefs. The believers in human destiny argue that one child is born into poor family,
whilst the other takes its birth in a king’s palace. Neither had been a direct contributory to its birth, nor
yet why is there such a tremendous gulf in their stations? Further, they add that highly intellectual and
educated people, inspite of their greater endeavour, are forced to serve with and are enslaved to a class
of wealthy people of lesser intelligence, the uneducated people who have had amassed money with very
limited efforts.

Those who postulate the principles of free-will and human energy argue that a child born of poor
parents, could in his maturity, by endeavour and persistence, achieves a high degree of intelligence and
there are instances of many people who have obtained high qualifications and have shown tremendous
achievements. In support of these arguments we are confronted with the life-stories of dictators,
scientists and other great people who have inspite of their poverty, reached eminence and success by
sheer power of hard work. The believers in the power of human endeavour also point out to us the
immutable law of nature. A farmer sows the seeds into the soil, gives it all the care and nourishment and
only then does he reap the harvest. Similarly, they point out that all things are produced as a result of
human labour, that is, they conclude, nothing in the world is produced by itself as a result of Destiny.

We have thus seen the postulates in favour of human destiny and also those supporting the human
endeavour. Now let us see (from psychic points of view) what these two terms really mean?

What we call “fate” or “destiny” (of this life) is really the result of the efforts and endeavour of previous
lives, whilst the present achievements are the effects of the labour of one’s current life. What has been
destined by the endeavour of the previous birth has to be suffered in this life, and no further hopes
should be nourished, but there are unlimited opportunities of advancement resulting from one’s current
efforts of endeavour and manhood. And yet, even in this interpretation, there may arise a doubt that,
inspite of strenuous attempts, mans fails to achieve certain goals. Let us try to analyse the causes of
these failures and disappointments.

Inspite of One’s destined poverty, suffering and frustration from the sins of a previous birth; there is a
hope of achieving happiness. A strong swimmer, crossing a river against the current, may find it
necessary to take an indirect course and ultimately reach the opposite bank, but if he was to be
discouraged, accepting defeat, then quite obviously, he would never reach his destination. Similarly, man
has to struggle and fight.

Amongst some of the human evils, there are a certain imperceptible evils, which do not permit a man to
overcome his poverty. It is important that a man should endeavour to find those evils and fight them, and
once they are overcome, then the man will definitely be able to see himself in a happy state.
By keeping a generous heart, there come an upliftment in one’s destiny. Generosity does not mean that
one’s wealth should be squandered, or that one should renounce the world. It so happens that wherever
there are occasions to render normal assistance to one’s fellowmen, one should do this with such
sincerity that even an ordinary gesture goes a long way in giving a relief to a sufferer, and this reacts very
favourably in brightening one’s fate. This is obviously due to the other person’s silent blessing from the
heart. On the contrary, a narrow-minded miser, sacrificing the happiness of his fellowman to protect his
own selfish interests, leads himself to life of evil and all his efforts to achieve happiness is fruitless.

It is also a natural law that if a country fails to protect its people’s peace and security, and continues to
torture them, then sooner or later, the country is bound to suffer a downfall. The administration,
conscious of country’s welfare, always receives the blessings of its people and it can look forward to its
own peace and prosperity. This is also true of a family.

In the economical world, similarly, there are natural al ws of business ethics, governing the honest
relationship between the big suppliers and their commission-agents, between the buyers and sellers.
Even if one’s dishonest means are not detected, these unethical practises do not escape the observation
Of Divine Justice, which ultimately must prevail and bring its retribution ethics to the sinners.

The Path Of Success:

God crated this universe, and its efficient administration. He has laid down certain definite laws of truth
and morality. To achieve happiness and success in life, one must obey these laws, and although the liars
and sinners may seem to succeed in the beginning, it is obvious that all that wealth and money amassed
through falsehoods and intrigue, must ultimately vanish from their hands. Wealth collected through evil
means can lead to evil results only; either through diseases, follies (misguided Judgements), and other
evils leading to the deadlier habits of drinking, gambling and adultery – the satanic evils draining man’s
money, health and prestige. Especially when one lives upon money made through unfair means, and eats
food brought of this dirty money, all these bring him sinful thoughts, and lead him to vices, destroying his
entire life. These developments are all within the operation of Divine Laws. A righteous person may
never become rich, but his good deeds always inspire his heart with joy and peace adding to his health
and span of life, because the span of life depends upon the number of breaths and not on years. It is a
man’s natural right to take a certain number of breaths during his lifetime, and this fact determines the
span of life. Now a sinner is never at ease and his breathing runs at a faster rate, reducing his life span,
whilst in a peaceful state, the breath rhythm follows a calm, regular pattern increasing the years of life
span. Mowlana Murtaza Ali in his Kalam says:

“Umarome – to barkat hove,

jo nekkaro tum amal,
Bure-amal ke barkatsethi,
umarome hove khalal.”
Paraphrase: Good and moral deeds add to the years of one’s life, whilst the evil deeds have a tendency
to disturb the span of life.

Now let us see what the rule in utilising the nature’s powers towards the achievement of success:

At the commencement of a new venture, if it is deemed necessary, then there is no objection in

consulting a person who is in your confidence, but it is never advisable to disseminate the thoughts (of
your heart) everywhere. This diffusion of your ideas reduces the chances of their success.

If you feel a sincere inner conviction that your cherished ideas for the proposed venture are going to
succeed, then let these deeply cherished ideas be given an immediate effect, and embark upon your
planned work courageously without further feelings of doubt. This promises your venture with much
greater possibilities of success. But inspite of your self-confidence, you continue to doubt and delay
over the project. Then the chances are that success may not crown your efforts, because the feelings of
doubt reduce the efficiency of human energy and the benefit is not derived from the Natural Laws of
Success.

During the actual operations of any work, fill your heart with pleasant and peaceful thoughts, avoiding all
“strain and stress.” A tranquil state of mind ensures success, whilst under the condition of “strain, “heart”
loses the “shelter” of the Over-self, that is, the communication between these two is broken and
generally failure is the result.

Let all your desires for success is within logical limits. Whenever one is seized with an unlimited desire or
ambition, then there are signs of failure and defeat. We see instances of such overpowering desires in
some people, who often fail to adopt their personal lives to the altered conditions of their business, and
continue to live at luxurious and ostentatious levels and continue to suffer further economic losses. We
see commercial firms of long standing. This is because, they always carry out their operations within the
limits. This law of working within limits applies to all fields – business, food, sleep, exercise, or the
domestic expenses. By keeping within the limits, one becomes happy.

In conclusion, an energetic person, by embarking upon a pre-meditated plan with a sense of fortitude
and courage, can transform his lot into a happy one. But to accept destiny with passive attitude is a
mistake. Man’s destiny is shaped daily in accordance with life’s constant thoughts and deeds, because
“Man is the architect of his own destiny.”
 9 - Who is the creator of unhappiness?
Practically all men in this world suffer from one or another kind of unhappiness, resulting either from
poverty, disease, childlessness, family-problems or even the separation from their dear ones. One can
rarely say that one is not unhappy or that one is perfectly happy. Let us therefore, examine what is
happiness or unhappiness?

No king, who is just and merciful, would think of torturing his people. Similarly, a kind person would
never imagine of causing unhappiness to his family. How then God, who is always just and merciful and
who loves and takes care of all his creatures more than a worldly father, could have created
unhappiness in His Creation?
(Hence, basically man is the cause of his own unhappiness. Let us see what are the main categories of
human sufferings)

Ill-Health and Disease: A person in good health feels physically happy, but if suddenly he becomes ill,
his happiness is transformed into suffering, for which Nature cannot be blamed. The person has created
his own disease, by breaking the laws of health. These types of physical tortures, therefore, are the
results of one’s own actions i.e. they are self-willed.

Financial Difficulties: If a person lives beyond his means, that is, he spends more than what he earns,
leading him to debts, and the resulting economical difficulties, then obviously this is not a natural
calamity, but something originating from the person’s own faults.

Mental Sufferings: Same truths apply to one’s mental sufferings, for a person’s mental tortures are the
result of what the person has “believed” in his mind to be true. Let us take an instance of a simple
occurrence. Imagine a pregnant woman talking joyfully to her husband in the happy anticipation of her
child’s birth. The arrival of the child marks the occasion with happy festivities, and then suddenly the
child is taken away, with the resulting great sorrow of the parents. Their joys and sorrows were
basically the state of their minds. What was the source of all these? The child, who was NOT there
before its birth, and has again vanished, like the lightning, after its death. Why so much happiness and
sadness? Neither ecstasy of the birth, nor the calamities of death were from Nature – they all emanated
from the Mind.

The above instances should lead us to correct interpretation and conclusions of human tragedies.

“Wish for the thing that happens”

“To a man who looks with such eyes upon the world, it is not a prison but a garden. A
marvellous garden – the garden of the lord. I shall invite my heirs to feast their eyes on the
miraculous beauty of the earth – rivers and lakes to slake the earth’s eternal thirst, hills like the
tents of a great encampment; forests like an army with banners; wide open spaces, dawns and
sunset, the indomitable arch of the sky.”
All these great gifts are free given to the man with open eyes, open hands and open heart. But
the eyes must be clear, the hands and heart must be strong. I would impress upon my heirs the
absolute need to be healthy. If they neglect their body, they will be at odds with the universe.”
(H. R. H. Aga khan III in “My Philosophy Of Happiness”)

These words of Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah clearly explain the fact that if man is to achieve
happiness in abundance, then he must live in obedience to the Laws of Nature and must be inspired to
retrace his footsteps to Nature.

The Shining Stars

We cannot all be great but we can always’ attach ourselves to something that is great.
Harry Emerson Fosdick.

***

To see a man do a good deed is to forget all his faults.

H. H. Hart.

***

Approve not of him who commends all you say.

Franklin.

***

No man can justly censure or condemn another, because indeed no man truly knows another.
Sir T. Browne.

***

There is no surer tie between friends than when they are united in their objects and wishes.
Cicero.

***

When an archer misses the mark he turns and looks for fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull’s eye is
never the fault of the target. To improve your aims improve yourself.
Forbes Magazine.

***

The causes of events are always more interesting than the events themselves.
 Cicero.
***

All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance.

Edward Gibson.
***
 10 - “Love”
Love is the soul of the Universe. Without love, the entire communication within the society would cease.
Love is known by different expressions.

Affection, Attachment, Devotion, and so on.

There are two types of love:

• Divine Love (Love of God) (Ishke-e-Haquiki).

• Temporal love (the Love of the World) (Ishke-e-Mijazi).

The Temporal Love has an element of selfishness, whilst Divine Love is selfless and has pure sentiments,
and until man’s inner vision has not awakened to this reality, there will continue to exist more or less
degree of selfish love in such blood-relation as those of parents-children, husband-wife, brother-sister
friends etc. Even the slightest element of selfishness makes love transformed into temporal love, and yet
inspite of being utilised for selfish motives, it still continues to give sweetness and ecstasy to life. Hence,
all processes, states or things that give us joy and happiness and to which we are attracted are due to
Love.

The creation and the existence of the Universe are due to Love. Love establishes unity at all levels of
human society – the family, the community and the nation. Love helps to achieve world’s happiness and
glory. Love inspires loyalty between the King and his people, between the master and servant, between
the teacher and the student and above all between parent and the child. Dedication to religions’ laws
and the adoptions of noble qualities come through Love, which also helps one to give up the vices. Love
helps to face difficult tasks and one’s successes, triumphs come only through Love. The self-same
emotions of love are important in Ibadat (Meditation) for by generating patience, Love helps us to
concentrate on our Dhikr (Zikr). Love breaks the Ego, the separate feelings of “You – and I” between
the Mursheed and Mureed and God being very manifestation of Love, the lover through the power of
Love achieves Union with his Beloved master (God).

Farhad fell in love with Shirin, and by the power of his love, he moved a mountain and finally he
sacrificed his life. Shashi – Punuh too died on the altar of love. Majnu lost himself in Laila’s Love. All
these are well-known examples of power of love in which the lover sacrificed their lives for the sake of
their sweethearts’ Love.

In nature too, we find the examples of the Power of this Love, both amongst human beings and animals
who are dominated and controlled during the moments of love and forget themselves. Now if an animal
has no intellect, is so deeply affected by Love, how much more would love affect man, who is so richly
gifted with knowledge. When Love enters a man’s heart, it forces man’s intellect and knowledge to
withdraw. Love indeed is some supremely wonderful force.
Love – divine or physical – springs from the heart. Love in itself is of Divine origin, sacred and ecstatic,
but when man employs (abuses) the power of love or worldly matters and sensual happiness, then
because of natural law and process. Love is generated but Love being of Divine Characteristic can not
exist in its contact with the baser elements of the world. And soon after its manifestation, Love
disappears or vanishes after bestowing momentary happiness to the person who has generated this type
of Love, and then the person feels frustration and disillusionment for the very objects that he once loved
so dearly. These types of attractions are observed in for delicious foods, or the melodious music or even
sleep. All these enjoyed in excess or beyond the normal limits of enjoyment begin ultimately to give us
boredom, rather than real pleasure. Similarly, the pleasures of sexual union become transitory and the
after-effects revolting and bitter. Thus, wherever Love degenerates to the sexual level, it becomes
impure and selfish and is termed “Ishk-e-Mijazi” (Sensual Love)

The law of chemical affinity is well known whereby one element is attracted to another identical element.
Similarly, love is of divine origin and is always orientated to God. But when love is directed to the
worldly lusts and sensual pleasures, it cannot attach itself to matter (which is negative to love) and
withdraws itself from these objects. And it is for this reason that the happiest phenomenon or the finest
thing of the world can now bestow their joys only momentarily. Love is eternal, whilst all the objects of
the world are mortal. The Scriptures of all religions advice against worldly attachments. When the
person or objects of our days are lost from us, we feel this separation bitterly intolerable and our lives
are plunged into the gloom of disappointments.

Love continues to nourish life with sweetness through the physical ingredients of speech (words) touch,
forms (of beauty), smell and taste, but if pure love were to generate into these elements, then their
sweetness would be unique. In pure sacred love, there is the highest experience of the miracle of
ecstatic sweetness and joy.

The supreme bliss of worldly happiness is given by one’s life-companion, a sweetheart. Inspite of all the
luxuries of life – the gardens, the palaces, cars, wealth and status – all seem dull and meaningless without
the companionship of the beloved. But even in this happiness, which is supposed to be the highest, there
are natural barriers, which mar one’s state of bliss. There might arise some misunderstanding or even
some form of disease may rob away the bliss and the beauty of love life. But even if these natural
calamities do not befall, old age is inevitable and ultimately death too must come with its separation of
lovers. Old age reduces the physical vigour and the beauty fades, whilst death is the final separation.

Let us now suppose that one may be gifted with such a beloved, in the attainment of whose love there
have been no calamities neither misunderstanding, nor disease, nor beauty fading into old age, and let us
even for a moment suppose that in this blissful, heavenly love, even death and separations have been
conquered. That is we have the eternal companionship of such a beloved, who is forever in her supreme
beauty, perfect loyalty and who is inseparably close to us – then how lovely and wonderful is our
Destiny? Who can bestow such everlasting and wonderful bliss, but our own Over-self!

All those who aspire to such heavenly, perpetual bliss should eternally learn to love their Over-self.
Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah, in this context, has made Holy Farmans: “Prophet
Mohammed (A. S), Pir Shamsh, Mowlana Rumi – all who have reached the supreme state, were
the lovers of their souls, the companions of their Over-self, hence they achieved such high
stations in their lives.”

The Over-self is the ray of God in Man. A mirror will reflect the moon’s light, equal in form and
brilliance to the moon itself and no difference between the object and the reflection will be visible. If
some more mirrors are placed, there will be as many reflections of the moon as there are the mirrors,
but each of the mirrors having the image of the moon, cannot claim to be moon itself. The moon is one,
similarly, God in the Universe is ONE and His Over-self ray or atom resides in man’s heart.

All those who aspire to be near God, should try to be nearer to their own Souls, and to approach
nearer to one’s over-self is to attain one’s own origin, the source. All the exterior objects or instruments
of happiness, which we so delightfully claim to be our own, are in reality not our own, independent
possessions. In our mental illusions, we have taken them for granted as the true sources of happiness,
for if they were truly of own possessions, then they would not be departed from us. This is evidenced by
the fact that because they are not permanently attached to us at the moment of death, the luxuries of the
world and all the materials of external happiness desert us. Even this physical tenement, for the comforts
and happiness of which, we have toiled ceaselessly day and night, is detached from us after a temporary
companionship. But what remains, and what we can count as our own is the Over-self, and in all the
moments of our existence in life’s pits and pinnacles – it is the Over-self that remains as our own true
beloved, which is verily from God, and it is our true creative soul. Prophet Mohammed (A.S.) says in
his Hadithi:

“Man Araf Nafs Hu Fakad Araf Ra’bhu” that is, one who has recognised his own self, has verily
recognised God.

Now let us see the true relationship between Nur (Divine Light), the Over-self and Love.

Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans that love is Light (Nur) and is
closely attached to the Over-self.

The Nur, the Over-self and Love are so closely attached to one another that it would not be far from
truth to say that they form an entity. Ma’rifat is the recognition of God, and after attaining the knowledge
of Ma’rifat, there is nothing more to know, and after achieving the status of Ma’rifat, there is nothing
more to achieve, for such uniqueness and unlimited happiness are the characteristics of our Over-self,
that reaching there means the Attainment of the ultimate goal of life. The Over-self is our Beloved. It is
our sweetheart which has been detached from us, i.e. we have lost the awareness of its presence (self-
consciousness), and to feel the torments of this separation, and to feel intense yearning of Love for the
Over-self is indeed Love Divine, and when we feel love for any Worldly object or person, it should be
remembered that this attraction or sweetness is not due to the material elements, but it is the Over-self,
intently permeating the thing or the person that causes the attraction. But we are not aware of this
“essence” and taking all creations at their face value, degrade our consciousness by believing the matter
to be the source of happiness. A flower-like innocent child’s beauty and purity inspire instinctive
affection and we feel like kissing the child’s face, but when the soul leaves the child, we with our own
hands bury it. The attraction we had for the child was not for its body but for its soul. This is also true of
the affection between husband-wife, who have extremely intimate relation, but after death, all the
physical or bodily relations are severed because of inactive sense of suffering and fear due to the dead
body. The children for the dead bodies of their parents experience the same feelings.

Now try to bring the above phenomena under logical thinking. The husband and wife have been close
companions and have had the most intimate moments of love. After death, one’s life-companion has the
same figure and the same limbs, and yet without the presence of the soul, the same body becomes a
symbol, not of love or affection, but of fear and revulsion, and the dead body is kept no more in the
house and is given a burial. This thinking should lead us to understand that all the sweetness, affection
and attraction in the beloved originated from the Over-self and once the Over-self escaped from the
human body, its charm, beauty and sweetness – all the source of happiness too vanishes with its
disappearance. This proves that it is the Over-self, which is the very incarnation of Love, and this love is
so beautiful and so ecstatic, that even if a single ray of its Light were to grace a blessed heart, than it
would abolish from the Man’s heart all the conceptions of Heaven, death and hell, that is, all the joys of
the creation to his vision would seem insignificant. Pir Saheb, in this context has said: “If one were to
experience even for a moment the spark of love (or the flame), this is sufficient to destroy in a
second the (illusion) of heaven and hell, (i.e. the person is liberated from the illuminations of
these barriers).”

The tenderness of the flowers and their tantalising fragrance and loveliness are also from the underlying
Universal Spirit, and when one is enflamed and awakened by the yearning to embrace this eternally true
beloved (the Over-self), and when one is inspired with the burning love and the anticipation and
eagerness for the Over-self, then such a person does not find it difficult to surrender his evil habits for
the sake of Ibadat (Meditation) or to submit his dues or to obey the Divine Commands, and even a
submission to the most vigorous commands become easy, and in this state even if he is tempted with the
million joys of the Paradise and the Huras (fairies), they all will seem dull and insignificant to his heart.
Pir Saheb expresses this idea beautifully when he says that you might be offered the joys of a million
paradise and a million huras, but if you desire love, greater and superior than all these, then pray your
true Beloved (the Over-self) to be with you.

And not only this, but if you have to sacrifice your life to please and win the Beloved (God), even than
you should surrender your life willingly.

In the path leading the heart back into the folds of its Beloved (Over-self), i.e. when the heart begins to
interiorises itself to its origin, the Over-self, it begins to experience the vivid manifestations of Nature’s
Glory, and it achieves certain powers and climbs certain stations. Pir Saddardin Saheb has given some
references in this respect in his famous classic, “The Girbhavali,” and before I explain these (within
certain limits), let me first discuss as how to generate Love, which is found in every human heart.

When any matter undergoes a friction, it is activated and its “elemental” or “nuclear” power is
generated. When a tool (like a knife) is rubbed against a sharpening wheel, the sparks of fire are seen
flying. Similarly, when milk or curd is shaken vigorously, butter, which is really the milk’s essential
substance, becomes visible. The same applies to the human heart. As a discharged battery is recharged,
similarly our heart that is presently in a discharged state, needs to be recharged. All the human activities
of the world are carried out by the power of the heart. Mountain climbing or weight lifting is also
attempted basically by the power of the heart. Let us suppose a person is carrying some load on a
street, and suddenly, he comes to hear some bad news. His heart is so deeply shaken by this, that
virtually all his physical strength disappears, so much so that it is difficult for him even to take a single
step forward. Hence, any change in the condition of the heart is immediately reflected in man’s activity.
Writing, reading, singing listening, walking or running – in fact all kinds of human actions or the
operations are carried out with the assistance from the heart. Similarly. The action of moving towards
the higher spiritual direction of God is also achieved through the heart, and Love, which is instrumental in
harmonising our SELF with God, is generated in the heart. Pir Mursheed has explained this idea
logically in his Ginan: “Love is neither grown in a garden, nor is it sold in a market. It springs in
the heart, and there it eats the heart away.” Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made
Holy Farmans: “In your heart there is fuel (a dynamite), and unless you ignite it, there shall not be
an explosion (the revelation of Nur)”

In accordance with these Holy Farmans, the heart should be ignited with the help of Ibadat (Meditation)
and once the ignition, it will generate that Love Divine, whose sweetness and radiance of its wonderful
ecstasy will permeate every single cell of our body and in every process of the body and in every limb in
breathing, blood, flesh, bones and the skin. Pir Saheb has described this psychic experience in the Ginan
in the following words: The emotion of Love is very sweet, and one who attempts to taste its
nectar, if he becomes absorbed in its ecstatic depths, then indeed his heart will spontaneously
give a testimony to its sweetness.”

A bride-groom, yearning to meet his beloved in complete privacy, has the delightful experience of the
quickening of the heart-throbs, similarly, when Divine Love begins to generate in the Lover’s heart
during a state of deep contemplation, he feels supremely happy and a million-fold ecstatic pulsation to
throb in his Heart, but as his concentration in meditation continues to go deeper and deeper generation
of the in-dwelling love (intrinsically of his love) begins to intensify. At this stage, the un-foldment of the
heart-lotus takes place and blooms into the perfect fragrance. All the age-long folds and wrinkles of his
life disappear. This moment is that of fascination full of sweetness, limitlessly ecstatic, and above all the
moment of supreme happiness, the equal of which the person has never experienced in his life, nor has
he ever felt it, nor imagined such is its wonder. In short, it is the spiritual springtime of his life. Hazrat
Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah giving a glimpse of this happiness has made Holy Farmans: “Verily,
it is only the heart which understands the tastes of true fruits of the Life Divinely Ultimate and
that of the Divine Bliss.” And not finding the expression adequate to describe this supreme Bliss,
Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah in describing the glimpse into the in-describable happiness,
stopped with these deeply subtle and mysterious words.

A person experiencing the taste of Love during the Ibadat (Meditation) even if he is blessed with a
single experience of the power of love, then, although the time of Ibadat has ended, the effect of the
ecstasy continues to reside in his heart and his heart continues to throb in loving Pulsation. Thus his
heart, like the overflowing ocean of nectar, becomes blissfully happy. To a person who has reached this
station in life and being absorbed in love, the world to him is always happy and delightful, and every
day, such a soul, immersed in the ocean of love, continues to be pulled more and more to God.
Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans: “Prophet Moses was walking on a road
(i.e. to God). From far, he saw Light (i.e. he had illumination of the Divine Light). As Prophet
Moses tried to get closer and closer to that Light, it began to move farther and farther away
from him. Thus he ran after that Light for seven years, and finally achieved Light, and thus
Moses reached the state of Prophet-hood.”

The ecstasy of Divine Love is indeed unique and most tantalising. A person takes a birth on this earth,
but if he has not generated this sacred Love in his heart, then indeed, inspite of his having lived his life,
he would be considered not to have lived at all. Only that person is said to be alive and to have lived a
happy life, if he has had in his heart the love for God. Pir Mursheed explains this idea in the following
manner: “Only those who have died under the spell of Love are said to have lived truly. Let
therefore our deeds be pure and godly. Only then Master shall help us to cross this world.”

A person who has attained such a blissful state will feel affected neither by pinnacles of happiness, nor
by the pits of suffering, nor does he fear death, nor the tortures of hell nor does he nourishes the desires
for the heavenly pleasures.

If we really want to make the best use of the God-given gift of knowledge. If we want to liberate our
Over-self from the cage of flesh and bones, in which it has been a prisoner for ages and if we wish to
make it happy and free, then instead of sacrificing our precious life running after the illusionary and
transitory pleasures, let us endeavour to dedicate our life in the pursuit of self-realisation of the eternal
stream of Divine Joy, which verily exists in our Heart. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has
made the following Holy Farmans in this respect: “What you have to attain is in your hands.”

A person who feels the deep need and regard for God, will indeed be graced with the Enlightenment of
His Deedar (Illumination), but if one just continues nearly to talk, his innumerable lives are just lost in the
cycles of births and deaths, without even having the glimpse of God. It is only through the deep
ceaseless yearnings of “Ishk-e-Haquiki” (Divine Light) that one is able to embrace God. Whatever is
there, is the manifestation of Love. There is no happiness, higher and more satisfying than the Divine
Love.

The Great Teacher Pir Saddardin Saheb has expressed this conception beautifully:

“Only the (Devotees) lovers know

The ecstasy (the nectar) of Love.
No one can know or realise its sweetness.
The ignorant do not know it
For indeed there is nothing but Love.”
That is, only those know the supremacy of love in life who have tasted the Nectar of the Divine ecstasy
of love; but the hearts of those who have not been graced by Divine Love, do not realise its significance.
Pir Shamsh-Tabriz sings the same in the following Ginan-e-Shariff: “What higher praises can be sung
of the Divine Ecstasy? I cannot say further (my lips become sealed) about the meaning of this
Bliss.”

Love forms the wings of the soul. Love is the Essence of religion. Love is our true Over-self. Love is the
Manifest Form of God, it is God’s living incarnation.
 11 - The Shari’a (The Divine Law) & The Tariqah (The
Spritual Path)
We shall now discuss the Four Dimensions of our Religion.

The success of any work depends upon the power of concentration. The surface of disturbed water
does not distinctively reflect the rays of the moon, similarly, a human heart, devoid of its inner tranquillity
is incapable of reflecting the Divine Light. In its present state, the human heart is far removed spiritually
from God (i.e. from its Centre), because the varied radiation's of the world’s Maya (Illusion) overpower
the heart and bring about the dissipation of its powers. But that heart, which can create the dynamic
faith in God’s Omnipresence, (receive the Divine Grace) by having all its sins destroyed. The heart, thus
lightened of the burden of sins, feels ecstatically exhaled and is blessed by Hazer Imam in intensity, equal
to the dynamics of his faith. It is essential therefore to recognise the Imam of the Age, and unless one
comes to recognise with unwavering spiritual conviction, the Manifest Form of the Divine Light, it is
difficult to derive the real blessings. The sincere dedication to Ibadat (Meditation) is achieved through
the recognition of the Imam of the Age, and this self-dedication leads to the un-foldment of innermost
core of the heart, with the revelation of Divine Beauty. Many of us can just stand on the outer dimension
of religion – the Shari’ah, but very few reach the inner dimension of Tariqah, and indeed it is very rare
that a person achieves the Haqiqah. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made the following
Holy Farman:

“If man understands the true significance of the Haqiqah (Truth), then he immediately enters the inner
dimension of the Ma’rifah.” The significance of his Holy Farman is clear that one who has reached the
centre of Haqiqah, immediately enters that spiritual dimension – the Ma’rifah – the extinction in to the
Divine (Al-Fana).

All the religious deeds performed through or by the physical agencies of the body, mind or money, for
instance: the observation of the prayers, the submission of the dues, the recital of the Ginans, the
delivery of or listening to the Sermons – all these duties are part of The Shari’ah, which when in this life
are considered to be as the Foundation of Religion. The soul or the over-self cannot uplift itself if these
duties are not fulfilled thoroughly. But some people of limited (religious) knowledge or experiences
believe that the fulfilment of these religious duties is more than enough for the spiritual upliftment. What,
in reality to be known – the Truth, is something entirely different, something unique. On a certain
occasion during Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah’s Holy visit to Zanzibar, when only the
Missionaries were present in the Holy Huzur Pur Noor of the Khudawind, Mowlana Hazer Imam
ordered the Missionaries, just like a teacher testing his pupils, to deliver a Waez on a Ma’rifat theme.
The chief missionary present then delivered the Sermon for about 10 Minutes each, and you can imagine
that in holy presence of the Hazer Imam, what efforts could have been made to make their Sermons
most effective? At the conclusion of their Sermons, Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah
expressing his opinion said that the Sermon were all on Shari’ah. This illustrates the fact that without a
personal experience, it is impossible either to have knowledge of the Ma’rifat or to deliver Wa’ez on
such themes.
Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farman: “Sufi is on a stage of the Tariqah,
after which he has to reach onto the stage of Haqiqah.” There are many books on the subjects of
spiritualism: the publication of Swami Vivekanand, as well as those of Swami Ramtirth – the books like
“Anawar Kaviya, “Chandarkant” etc, which are on Sufism, but the truths regarding the dimensions of
Haqiqah have been revealed only to those spiritually – inspired souls, who have, with their true inner
conviction recognised the Holy Divine Light (Nur) in its incarnate manifest form in this material world.

Amongst such souls are Pir Shamsh Tabriz, Pir Saddardin, Pir Hassan Kabbirdin, and the great Pirs,
who under Hazer Imam’s guidance received the spiritual training and were fortunate to reach the stage
of Haqikat. In the Holy Ginans of these Pirs, we come across the expressions of spiritual Truth and we
shall have the opportunity to read them further on this Treatise.

The four paths leading to God.

Shari’ah – The relationship in the outer Dimension with God is that of a slave to his Master.
Tariqah – The relationship in the second Dimension with God is that of a Son to his father.
Haqiqah – The relationship in the Third Dimension with God is that of a lover to his Beloved
Ma’rifah – The Ma’rifati stage is the extinction in the Divine (Al-Fana).

Shari’ah is like travelling to God or progressing to God “on Foot” i.e. the speed is that of a pedestrian.
Tariqah progress to God is like travelling by car. Haqiqah progress to God seems like travelling by air.
Ma’rifah is Wasl-e-Haq i.e. to merge into the reality of Allah’s Nur.

Shari’ah
Whatever religious duties, a believer in Shari’ah performs, are basically with a desire to derive
happiness of this world, and be assured of the joys of the Paradise in the life hereafter.

Tariqah
Whatever religious deeds, a believer in Tariqah performs, are basically inspired by a yearning to be near
God. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans: “As a child, separated from
its loving Mother, cries to be reunited with its mother, similarly, the heart of a devotee (Momin) should
be eager to embrace God.” At another place, He has said again “As a thirsty man in a forest wanders in
search of water, so too a Momin is forever in search of God.” This state of heart is that of the Tariqah .
Let us try to understand this state clearly.

A son, working in his father’s firm with the other employees, inspite of his harder work, neither expects
nor does he receive any salary. This is because he feels himself to be part of the family. The result is that
ultimately he becomes the heir to his father’s estate. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has
employed a similar analogy when He says, “You should have an attitude of love and affection to God.
For instance, you have two sons. The first son has somewhat less affection for you and demands a
thousand rupees from you when you are on your death-bed; whilst the second son continues to nurse
you when you are dying, but without asking for anything. Between these two sons, which son will be
dearer to you? You too should enter into meditation (Ibadat) with love and Devotion.”

It is on the fulfilment of the duties of the Shari’ah, the formal duties of religion, that one are able to enter
the Tariqah. Then the Momin’s heart (Inner Consciousness) is inspired with such thoughts as: Who am
I? Who is my Creator? Where was I before birth? Where am I now? And, where shall I go after death?
Why have I come upon the Earth? Why am I a prisoner in this cage of flesh and bones? Where is my
own true homeland? And how will it be? And when shall I reach there? And as a result of these
yearnings, the Momin’s heart becomes sad, and then he needs the help of Kamil-e-Mursheed (the
Imam), because it is impossible to travel on this Path without the assistance of a Guide, as Pir Saddardin
Saheb has said in his Ginan-e-Shariff: “That path is very dangerous, and it is impossible to traverse
without a Guide. But if the Guide is there, then one indeed achieves Eternity.”

Thus, the human heart, saddened and detached, feels the spontaneous disappearance of the world’s
(Maya – Illusion) jealousies and attractions. Now, the Momin has a single yearning to embrace God,
and his consciousness begins to concentrate on God’s Zikr (Dhikr). As the months pass by, his power
of concentration intensifies, and at that time, his Nature becomes Pure and Angelic. Whilst, he is in this
state, by the Grace of God, he undergoes a psychic experience of the Astral Projection. One day he
suddenly feels the emergence of his astral body from its physical counterpart and feels it going at
tremendous speed up in the space. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made the following
Holy Farmans in this context: “One who can discriminate between evil and good is a true human
being. The one who flies like a bird, and makes certain destination, reaches there. If he cannot at
first fly more, he should try to fly a little, and gradually, he shall fly like a falcon and shall fly
perfectly”. Think seriously over these ideas. In these words, the significance is not of the birth at all.

When, the Momin undergoes this wonderfully happy experience of the astral projection, he at first feels
greatly surprised because he finds himself in such an ecstatic state that is beyond his imagination. In
comparison to his joyful experience, even the prosperity of the world’s entire kingdom is insignificant,
and that person forgets even the world’s greatest pleasures. Pir Saddardin Saheb has explained this
point in his Ginan-e-Shariff: “One who has attached his heart in love to his Master, God, from his
heart disappears this world (and its joys), indeed: O Master, my heart is bound to you in Love”.

To achieve the high destiny, the Tariqah, the two following factors are essential:

Perfect satisfaction:
One should experience a complete sense of satisfaction in one’s heart, which the Momin should be able
to pray to God in utter sincerity. “O God, you have given me everything. Now, but for your love, I
desire nothing.” When God is convinced of the true transformation, then our “dual hearts” (i.e. the dual
loves and devotions) are forged or fused into one,

At present our consciouness:

Which is dissipated and diffused, needs to be fused and trained to concentrate on God’s Zikr (Dhikr).
When our consciousness achieves this focus on to the Dhikr, the Over-self then will, by Divine Grace,
be privileged to emerge from the physical tenement, and at that time, inspite of a dark night the Over-
self will see a brilliant, full-moon night, with the moon shining in its perfect beauty at its zenith. The Over-
self, being attracted by the moon, will fly towards its light. The length of time the Over-self will be able
to project itself outside the body will depend entirely upon the intensity of consciousness (i.e. in Ibadat)
and the fusion with Zikr, and then the over-self will be able to re-interiors (i.e. re-enter) the body. A
word of warning here. After the interiorisation, a person would naturally feel like repeating this psychic
experience, but if he shall enter the meditation solely with a desire to achieve the astral projection, then
he shall not undergo this experience. It is a natural law that he should not have in his heart a sense of
impatience to reach this state again. Once again the heart becomes free of all desires, only then he will
be able to achieve a projection. This is the state of an Angel.

When the Momin achieves these transformation in his passage through these various spiritual
dimensions, he begins to comprehend the mystery of the spiritual Farmans of Mowlana Hazer Imam,
and this understanding intensifies his faith. But even after reaching this stage, there is much to be done,
because in this state there is no complete freedom, and yet blessed is the soul, which has reached up-to
these limits, after which it is not difficult to be nearer and still nearer to God. A person without a capital
finds it extremely difficult to become rich, but a poor person with some capital can utilise this sum to be
still richer. Similarly, the soul that has climbed the levels of the Tariqah finds it easier to be nearer God.

We shall now study some of the verses from Pir Saddardin Shaheb’s Ginan to see his experiences in the
passage through the great stage of the Tariqah .

“All the feelings “I” melt from heart,

When one falls in love with the Beloved,
The eyes turn into ceaseless streams of tears;
And everyday for the lover becomes a sleepless vigilance
If he were a bird, he would fly and receive the Deedar of the Beloved’s Face
Indeed, I am lost in ecstasy in company of my Beloved,
And embrace my Beloved warmly,
If I had the powers of a bird, I shall at once fly to my Beloved,
For the spiritual joys of Life Beyond,
My over-self has sacrificed all the Joys –
The Millions of Ecstasies of this world.
“My beloved’s arrows of love have pierced my heart and have coloured it with love;
In the sorrows of my Beloved’s separation, I wander madly.
Renouncing the company of the society and
The family I have drifted away from the world,
and yet (in my loneliness) my Beloved has
Not come to inquire my state.
“The heart which feels the bitterness
(Of separation)
Can never have the sleep of calm tranquillity,
And all the worldly love and worries are gone
 (From the heart)
And day and night his eyes shed the tears of blood.
If I were to be ‘wedded’ to my Beloved, now,
Then, in my heart I shall lay the mat.
There shall I meet Him in the bonds
of Nur (Light)
Then I shall cling to Him forever,
and shall never hold any one’s hands.”

The Momin, who has reached this spiritual dimension feels annihilation of all the passions of his Lower
Self.1 Whose characteristics are the “Tamas” (inertia or dullness) and “rajas” (activity or restlessness).
This is then the climax of the dimension of Tariqah .

1
In the Hindu philosophy, the supreme God is conceived as one, universal power (SAKTI) and is hailed as the
Divine Mother, whose creative power has its substance; the three GUNAS of SATTVA (balance or wisdom) RAJAS
(activity or restlessness) and TAMAS (inertia or Dullness) and it constitutes the vast and variegated world of
objects.

SHOON SHA MATEY?

Pushtak shaa maatey chey,

dekhaav maatey nahin,
Laxmi daan maatey chey,
Shangarva maatey nahin.
Sattya aacharva maatey chey,
Kaheva maatey nahin.
Zindgee jiv-va maatey chey,
Vedfee deva maatey nahin.
Aabroo takavi rakhva maatey chey,
Lilam maatey nahin.
Gharial samaye maatey chey,
Shobha maatey nahin.
 12 - The Haqiqah (Truth) And The Ma’raifah (The
Illuminative Knowledge)
The formal prayer helps to purify the heart to a certain degree. When the self has passed through and
completed the phase of Shariah, it begins to experience the joyful dreams, in which it visualises
(astrally), as if it is travelling high up in space to the luminous planets like the moon, the sun and the stars.
Similarly, in his dreams, he is often graced by the visits from the Prophets and other Holy Persons. After
the Over-self has perfected the Shariah, it enters the dimension of the Tariqah, the state that has been
discussed previously. We shall now explore the Dimensions of the Haqiqah.

The Over-self in its passage through the Tariqah feels that its all of its achievements and acquirements
are due to some Hidden Power operating invisibly, that is, all the Blessings are through the Divine
Grace. If these feelings are analysed, then the Over-self comes to realise that it is neither the perpetual
owner of its possessions, nor does it feel secure or independent in the employment of their pleasures.
The basic reason for this attitude is that in some small or large measure, the Over-self has the
consciousness, that as if it is separate from God. But God to this soul, who has attained such a level,
nearer to Him, and shows infinite affection, hence, the soul’s concentration and attention begins to
intensify and are directed to Divinity. When this inner consciousness reaches a certain level of intensity, it
achieves detachment and purity. And Mind, being the reflection of the Over-self. On becoming pure,
generates Light, that is – God (Beloved) through certain of its decorative aspects – like the lightening,
the moon, the Sun and the stars – without revealing true Divinity, appear to the Momin in the form of
Light, and draws the Over-self still nearer.

As one’s concentration intensifies onto the Dhikr (Zikr), certain transformation begins to take place in
the organic movements of the body. Firstly, the breath is filtered and purified, and will become rarefied.
As this pure breath fills up the lungs, we feel as if our ears have numb i.e. we feel something akin to
deafness. This experience may be compared to the mental state of a diver, who becomes deaf to all
exterior sounds, and feels a soft murmur of natural sound in his ears. This is our experience in the early
phases of meditation, and when the lungs are filled with pure Nurani (spiritual) breath, the Over-self,
which has been a prisoner of ages of this world’s illusionary (Maya) webs, is liberated and lifts up like a
ship beginning to float with the rising waters of a high tide. But if in these moments, the Over-self
continues to concentrate its inner vision onto the Dhikr (Zikr) only, ignoring all these psychic changes,
then the Over-self begins to undergo to a higher, spiritual experience – the un-foldment of the inner-
most recess of the Heart – it is the revelation and un-foldment of the “FLOWER OF THE HEART,”
whose petals had remained folded for so long (and now they begin to spread ecstatic fragrance through
the entire BEING). Pir Shamsh has described this experience in the following words: “My Beloved
Master (God) has planted a fragrant garden into my heart (i.e. the presence of the Over-self),
and five petals (of my heart – solar plexus, i.e. the five virtues of Truth, Tolerance, Forgivence,
Faith, Contemplation) have bloomed into fifty, and on every blossom there is the beauty of a
garden, where blows perpetually the breeze and where eternally there showers the Light Divine.”
This is such a moment of joyous destiny, when the Over-self, separated for the countless ages from its
Beloved (God) and withered and enfolded, now meets its Beloved in the springtime of Life and the
Garden of Heart unfolds and blooms (into a million fragrances). Pir Saddardin Saheb describes this
supreme experience in His Ginan-e-Shariff: “The Beloved Master has awakened His Momin by
unfolding the Flower of His Heart, where He (the Master) has enkindled the Flame Divine.”

In these moments, there awakens in the Heart a deep feeling of conviction that a joyful event of meeting
the Beloved, who had been lost (for ages) is approaching nearer, and this emotion makes the heart so
overflowing with joy that it’s folds (wrinkles) vanish and the entire Being vibrates with the sweetness of
Supreme Ecstasy. Pir Saddardin describing his passage through this state of experience writes:

“My Beloved Master has come from the West,

And for whom I have Eternal Hopes;
The Night (of the soul) is gone,
And the sun is shining,
The springtime of my Life has come,
Which has transformed the Season of my life,
Into a Period of harvests;
Oh! My Dear brothers! Wake up and watch
For the times to come are critical
And there is no moment to delay.”

Let us now study the power of concentration and consciousness through certain physical phenomenon.
A flame shaking in the air does not pierce through the metal, but a continuous steady flame will pierce
and cut the metal. Similarly, the power of concentration does not focus on to the Dhikr and does not
create the required results, until it stops vibrating with the thought waves. But when the power of
concentration steadies onto the Dhikr, then are pierced the secrets (Spiracle) of the Over-self, and then
there begins the experience of Nature’s invisible mysteries. Pir Shamsh has described these in His
Ginan-e-Shariff: “By reciting the Name of the Beloved (Isme Azzam), I experienced the emotional
excitement (of light) which gave my Heart the vibration of reality. Oh! My Brothers! What are
the virtues of Love? I shall reveal the Hidden Mysteries of Love to you. As the Power of Reality
strikes the Heart, the emotionally excited Heart experiences explosion (as if a bolt of lightning
has struck the heart), and then the true taste of Reality is experienced. Oh! What an ecstatic
experience with the Beloved, which is beyond revelation and beyond mind and yet He (Momin) is
stuck within his heart by his desires. What a vast esoteric pleasure this experience is? I have no
praise worthy in my humble heart to express it!”

When the spiracle of the Over-self is pierced, there flows from it the stream of Love (Aab-e-Haya),
which on mingling with the circulating blood of the Heart, spreads through the entire Being, creating a
limitless effect of joyous exhalation. Pir Saddardin Saheb, describing this state speaks: “That Guru
(Master) whom I shall call the True Master, He is eternally residing in the Heart (the in-dwelling
Over-self). If He were to manifest Himself, then each and every atom will feel His ecstatic
Powers. No power can ever destroy the Ego in man except the Divine Love. We have referred
previously to the Holy Farmans of Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah that “Love is Nur,
and it is associated with the Over-self.”

When the Over-self enters into this state, the power of Love is so intense that the Over-self does not
have the strength to hold and absorb this Love. Pir Shamsh describing this state says in his Ginan-e-
Shariff: “When there is a fusion of two lovers, there flows a stream of unbroken, emotional love,
and they get intoxicated with this wine of Love. In this excitement of Love, the two lovers are
indescribable, and madly egoistic, which are the signs of their eternal destiny.”

Under the influence of Love, the Ego now begins to dissolve and surrenders to the Over-self. And the
same power of Love takes the Ego back to the Over-self, and thus brings to an end the1 transitory
mental existence of the Ego, and with its annihilation dawns the Spiritual life, Hazrat Mowlana Sultan
Mohammed Shah, describing this spiritual state says in this Holy Farmans: “One can not evaluate
between the spiritual life of a young man and an old man.”

In the opening phrases of this spiritual life, the Beloved (God) reveals Himself to the Over-self through
certain illuminative signs, for which Pir Saddardin has said in his Ginan-e-Shariff: “Who can realise the
state of a Momin who has been revealed the illuminating glow of the Divine Light”.

In the illumination of this Divine Nur (Light), there is any ocean of varied coloured rays, as described by
Pir Saddardin. “The illumination like the Moon, which seems to be filled with greed tranquil
Light, and in these sparkle the limitless waters of the Nectar; and one who has seen these i.e.
have had Deedar (Illumination) of the Master (Imam), is liberated from the torturous cycles of
the Four Ages.”

This then is the Reality of the Deedar. This is the true meaning of the Deedar, and when the Over-self is
blessed with such Deedar, the experience lends it to the self-realisation the Over-self itself is one of the
most powerful and ecstatic Relation of life and that it is in perpetual communication with the all-
pervading Divinity. The soul that has reached this state never gets even a dream of unhappiness, and
then it comes to realise that its all sufferings were due to its illusions, and its all desires to achieve
happiness were like the misguided notions of the Sun itself hoping to beg some light from a mall Lamp.

The Great Sufi Omar sings in his Rubayat:

“I sent my soul through the invisible,

Some letter of that after-life to spell:
By and by my soul returned to me,
And answered i myself am heaven and hell.”

1
In other words, the Creative Force of the Over-self that had created and sustained the Ego for a certain cosmic
period, has now drawn back into itself again.
When the soul reaches this limit, it instinctively feels attuned to the blessings, which strengthen his heart
and make it unshakeable. In this state, the Over-self has a perpetual yearning of Love, hence in this
Psychic State, the Divine Vision of the Beloved (God) seems to be very tantalising i.e. the Beloved
seems to torment with the hopes of the Deedar that seem continually on the point of fulfilment, but which
alas never materialises. Then the lover’s heart continues to feel these torments of separation. Describing
the state of experiences Pir Saddardin Saheb writes as follows: “The life of a spiritual lover is of an
intensely emotional nature. In that path, the Beloved draws him nearer and sometimes He repels
him: rarely, does Reality absorb him.

In these moments of strain and stress sometimes he weeps, sometimes he smiles. In emotional
exhaustion, he sometimes sleeps at the Master’s feet, when he becomes conscious of this Spiritual
Reality, and comprehends the value of Self-Realisation, and when he sees in the mirror of his
heart, he sees no other than Reality, (Real-Self).

I have eternally dedicated my life to my Beloved, who alas, has forgotten me completely; and in
the pangs of separation, I weep day and night, and yearn that one-day my Beloved shall return to
me. And when that fateful day of reunion with my Beloved shall come, then in that moment all
the agonies from my heart shall dissolve and I shall feel limitless ecstasies of Love. Oh! My
Beloved, Oh my Master! I beg you to return to me. And if I meet my Beloved, I shall meet him in
the companionship (HARMONY) of Nur, and forsaking all other, I shall prepare for Him an
eternal abode in my Heart.”

(The reader should note that the Pir Saheb has been inspired with those verses in that mental state,
which can be described as the pure intonation, resulting from high degree of Divine Love. The following
lines also indicate the same emotionally excited state)

Oh! My kind friends. Look at my body – how weak it has become from the tortures of separation.
Because, since my heart has felt the Love of my Beloved, I have pined away in the memory of my
Beloved, (i.e. I have constantly prayed and yearned and wept that my Beloved may not be
separated from me.)”

Thus in this manner, the Overself continues to be attracted in the Ocean of Love, towards its Beloved
(God). As the worldly lovers ceaselessly crave for each other, so does the Overself yearn for God, -
but intensity of that attraction is infinite, limitless and beyond measure. This attraction remains throughout
the devotee’s life, and when that life comes to an end, then the soul which is the creation and reflection
of the infinite, merges into and unites with God. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made
Holy Farmans in this respect: “Whilst you are alive (whilst you are in the body), the waters of the
Divine Ocean shall not come into your hands, but on the detachment of the soul from the body, it
shall unite with God”.

This is the state of Wasl-e-Haq, which Sayyad Mohammed Shah describes as; (In that ultimate state of
Ibadat) there comes that ecstatic moment when mind unites with mind. It is in this state that the mind
withdraws itself into the Overself, where it enjoys a supreme position and has the joys at its command.
In this state, the Overself has fused into the ultimate and has achieved its origin. Thus, it is only through
losing one’s Overself into God that one unravels the mystery and one sees and shows God eveywhere.
Thus, it is though this process (of Ibadat) that the disiple (Momin) meets and unites with His Master.

Similarly, Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali has said in his sacred KALAMS: “Leave aside the thoughts
of the duality of you and I. See everywhere the “oneness” (the Unity) of creation, nothing is
dual. With this understanding you should be “FanaH” – reunited with your Beloved (God), for
verily see that there is nothing but Oneness between you and God”.

This is the climax of the true stage of Haqiqah, but to describe the state of Ma’rifah, there are no words
to utter or write. Pir Saddardin Saheb describes this state in the following words:

“Oh my friends, I have no expression to describe the Beauty of the Beloved. It is only his Deedar which
can reveal His true Identity, for He is beyond all languages and words. He is the Nameless. I found this
undescribeable, Nameless Beloved alluring and enchanting, for verily I say that I have seen Him with my
own eyes”.

Prayer of our holy Prophet Muhammad.

“O Lord! Grant to me the love of Thee; grant that I love those that love Thee; grant that I may
do the deeds that win Thy love; make Thy love dearer to me than self, family or wealth.”
 13 - The Barriers In The Path Of Shariah And Tariqah
We have studied in the earlier chapters the four dimensions of Religion. We shall now try to study some
of the barriers and difficulties in developing through these dimensions.

The four dimensions of Religion – the Shar'ia, the Tariqah, the Haqiqah and the Ma’rifah – have been
linked by nature in such continuos harmonious chain that when a person perfects Shariah according to
its natural laws, then he spontaneously enters into Tariqah whose fulfilment leads him into Haqiqah and
ultimately in Ma’rifah, where the Over-self merges into God. Pir Mursheed explains this (psychic
evolution) in his Ginan-e-Shariff: “As soon as we perfect the Shariah, we achieve Tariqah, and if in
our Over-self we reach the understanding of Reality (in our heart is imprinted Haqiqah), then we
merge into Ma’rifah the ultimate Illuminative Knowledge”.

Now, when we observe our own state, it becomes quite obvious to us that inspite of our obedience to
the laws of the Shar'ia, the observation of the prayers, the submission of the “the Malle-Vajibat,” the
giving of alms – very few amongst us – the bravest amongst us evolve onto the stage of Tariqah . This
should make us think seriously of the causes of our stagnation.

The observation of the prayers:

A prayer is a Dialogue with God and this if dialogue is not being carried out with, as much concentration
of the mind and love in heart as it should be, then the heart and mind seem to wonder in the worldly
thoughts. With what love and the concentration should the prayers be observed has been explained in
the following Holy Farman: “If you say your prayers with love and tenderness – a thousand times
greater than the softness and sweetness, you show to your beloved, then verily you shall receive
the results from these prayers a thousand fold.” It is obvious therefore that if one enters into
meditation with an unstable mind, one cannot derive the desired benefit.

Alms and charity:

This type of religious deeds creates these barriers: firstly, people practising this expect rewards from
God, and such an expectation nullifies the effects of a possible reward. There is also a sense of pride on
the part of the donor, and this feeling too tends to minimise the positive reaction of generous deeds. In
all cases, the generous person must generate noble feelings and he should feel that whatever he is doing
is purely out of love for God. This approach will brighten his charitable and religious deeds, and make
them more meaningful.

Service to humanity:
It is essential for every human being to do something good for his fellowmen. The rich should do through
wealth, the wise through knowledge, and the strong through their physical strength, and if one is
incapable of doing any of these deeds, then one should try to lighten the hearts of the suffering humanity
through some words of consolation.
Thus, a person deciding his life for the sake of others becomes the recipient of a very high status – i.e.
he becomes very happy. But one who does not embrace this supreme virtue and moves in the opposite
direction i.e. for his selfish purposes, he harms others and shall fail to receive the rewards of the religious
deeds.

A person who aims to obtain the benefit or the blessings of religious deeds should take that sacred path,
to which he should cling to the last moment of his life. In this connection, we shall show some simple or
easy laws. Every night before retiring, try to talk with infinite love for at least 5 minutes with God. During
this dialogue, try to create the consciousness of God in your heart, as if God is present in front of your
eyes and that you are speaking to Him with all the tenderness, sweetness and affection. The theme of
this dialogue should be love between you and God. Thus, this sacred practise will take a seed into the
soul, which ultimately results into a fruitful tree; that is, it takes us nearer to God.

To abolish the passions of the five senses, and to create the four noble Virtues of Truth, Patience,
Tolerance and Mercy is the duty of every being.

If a person completely into his life absorbs any one of these Virtues, then the rest of the three Virtues
are spontaneously generated into his heart and thus becoming the recipient of all the four virtues, the
person becomes liberated from the vices. The person of these virtues is now privileged to enter the
Tariqah (Path).

The necessity of submitting “malle-vajibat”:

To strengthen the link of Love with God, it is absolutely essential to submit religious dues (To the Imam
of the Age). One cannot emphasise adequately the supreme importance of this, because, the submission
of the dues creates Love, and through Love the Over-self, passing through Tariqah and Haqiqah enters
into Ma'rifah.

The causes delaying the process on Tariqah:

A person’s status in life – the high, the middle or the lower depends upon his thinking. There is no
power greater than knowledge to make one’s thinking superior. Sayyed Gulamali Shah has said in his
Ginan that a human being has physical body and a little knowledge, but without knowledge, man is a
beast. Similarly, Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali, in his Kalam Mubarak has commended us in the
following manner. “The importance of knowledge is such that it is above or higher than any other
activity, because one who has illumined his heart with knowledge has indeed recognised or
realised his creator. But its supreme importance is in facing the reckoning at the moment of
death, when mother, father, brothers will all withdraw and neither wife nor children shall come
near.”

Many people believe superficially in the existence of God, and lacking in the Knowledge of God’s
Omni-presence, they do not have the trust in the all-pervading existence of God. If they sincerely
believe that God is everywhere, then obviously knowing that God sees them, they would neither nourish
evil thoughts nor do bad deeds. If a man truly believes in God’s Omni-presence, then they would resist
from committing sins. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made the following Holy Farman in
this respect:

“No one dare do bad deeds in the presence of one’s parents, similarly, Momin will not do evil
deeds knowing that God sees him. The Momin knows that God is able to see him, then how can
he commit sins in the presence of his Creator? He will obviously do good deeds and refrain from
the bad ones.”

To create the feelings of God’s all-pervading existence and His Divine presence. One should seriously
read and think over such spiritual wisdom as the Holy Farmans of Hazrat Mowlana Shah Karim al-
Hussaini Hazer Imam, Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah, Mathnavi Mowlana Rumi, and the
Holy Ginans of Pir Shamas Pir Saddardin and Pir Hassan Kabirdin.

The Holy Farmans of our Imams and the Holy Ginans of our Great Pirs are always being read (in
Jamatkhanas), but very few of us try to think seriously of the deep philosophy, underlying these
expressions. Imam Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has said that Pir Saddardin, Mowlana Rumi and
Pir Shamash had deep study of Philosophy, and if you read the philosophical works, then you shall be
like them.

We fail to understand God’s Omni-presence because of our ignorance or illusions, (maya), therefore we
should try to approach reality through Knowledge.

Hazrat Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans: “You want everything to be manifest
and clear. You do not attempt to see the hidden truths, but when you try to explore the hidden
Divine Mysteries, only then you shall reach the goal.” Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali has said the
following: “All that is manifest and unmanifest and all that is audible and inaudible, there is no
void for Reality fills everything you should recognise this deep truth.”

A person lacking in knowledge of Divine mysteries is confused in creating Communication with God,
and this confusion and difficulties can be overcome through knowledge. Some people receiving the
training in meditation and through their pure (Angelic) nature receive the benefit (Deedar) in Ibadat by
the Grace of Mowlana Hazer Imam, but lacking in the knowledge of Ilm-e-Ruhani (the knowledge of
Divine mysteries) lose this advantage because according to natural law, the result of one’s struggles
depends upon one’s feelings. When the self receives certain signs in the Ibadat. It is essential that this is
received with certain definite feelings, and if through ignorance, this is not done, then the benefit is lost,
as Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali has said that; if a foolish person suddenly receives a gem, he might lose
it immediately.

There are exceptions to this rule. A person may be of ordinary, common intelligence, but if he is highly
cultured, and if he is virtuous, as well as, has deep faith (Iman) in Mowlana Hazar Imam, then by his
blessings, he will progress in the path of Ibadat (Meditation). That is, he shall achieve wisdom born of
his experiences in Ibadat; the wisdom that cannot be derived from books, onto such a privileged soul
descends the Divine Grace. And in some mysterious way, the heart is enlightened with the essential
spiritual knowledge, which enables the Momin to advance in his spiritual practise. This is supported by
the following Holy Verse from Mowlana Ali’s Kalam: “The one who receives the Divine Grace is
self-enlightened, and this self-Enlightenment becomes as his wisdom, his guide and his master
and leads him on to Truth.”1 Further, in praise of wisdom, Mowlana Murtaza Ali says: “Wisdom in
its status can be compared to ocean, which is unfathomable and limitless. It is very deep and
mysteries, (mysterious?) and there are myriad’s of creations in its depths. But one who dives
deep and loses himself (Fanah) into its fathomless depths, that man verily is his own master and
it is he who ultimately brings up the pearls”.2

Knowledge too is like a Vision. An ignorant person moving on this path is confused and struggles for the
true path. In the praise of Knowledge, Pir Satgur Nur Saheb writes in the Holy Ginan-e-Shariff: “Every
man has two eyes, but knowledge is the Third Eye, whilst Religion Seven Eyes. Oh, my brothers!
Think over this fact. But Wisdom has million eyes, the VISION, whose dimensions are beyond
measure. One who recognises the spiritual essence (of life), the essence of all essences, is indeed
a true philosopher of the Three Worlds, and with his limitless eyes, his inner Vision moves and
sees everything.”

(Thus against the background of above facts) we can say that there are two controlling Psychic Centres
in Man: one is the Heart, which is pure and sacred, and the second is Mind, whose structure is partly
material, and which helps through our senses to comprehend the exterior material world but to which
our senses remain enslaved. Thus greater the attraction towards the possession of the material things
(Maya), greater becomes the gap between the Mind and the Heart, and this as Hazrat Mowlana Sultan
Mohammed Shah has said in his Holy Farmans: “How long will you remain dual-hearted?”
Purify your Mind and let it be unified with the Heart!

In the manner, that through ignorance, one loses the fruits achieved in the Tariqah (true path), similarly,
the mind which remains attached for long to the sensual pleasures, will find it difficult to enter the higher
dimension of Tariqah, that is, one will find it impossible for his MIND to be closer to or in
communication with the Heart.

The giving up of the world’s sensual attachments (Maya) does not mean that a person should remain
poor, renounces the world, the family and the worldly achievements, or that the body should be made to
suffer physical tortures. These, on the contrary may lead the soul to lower births. In all the creation, God
is Omnipresent, hence, it is not necessary to renounce the world to go to search God in the forests.

1
That is, in higher dimensions of Ibadat, the INNER LIGHT guides the Momin in Truth

2
Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali, speaking of Wisdom compares its dimensions to ocean, which is so deep, vast and
mysterious that its true dimensions and depths nor its treasures are within the comprehension of man. Wisdom, too
has no boundaries or frontiers and no man can know everything within a single lifetime, but one who delves deep
into its mysteries and becomes a part of it and is absorbed into it. Verily, he is the real master of his destiny and
achieves the self-enlightenment, which are the precious pearls of life
Further, the world’s renunciation does not permit one to attain one’s legitimate ambitions and desires.
This contention is supported by Mowlana Murtaza Ali’s words: “If you leave the world, you shall
still be dependent upon the world and remain obliged to it.” One does reach a degree of spiritual
enlightenment expected to be gained by the sacrifice of this world, but this achievement is not equal in
intensity to that one which a person attains by living in this world, and by his endeavours to face the
supreme test of the world’s attractions – the tests that would strengthen and intensify his will power.
Moreover there are no barriers to the enjoyment of anything if a person uses it within the limits of
Natural Laws, and with due regard to the consciousness of God’s Existence and the feelings of love;
nor can he be considered a defaulter or a delinquent. There are no feelings of egoism and pride in the
heart of those that are conscious of God’s presence in everything, even in the tiniest atoms, and
therefore are immune to the emotional disturbances resulting from the ups and downs of life.

History proves that many of the ancient prophets were the rulers of large kingdoms, but were not
affected by the illusions of their worldly power in terms of having pride or greed. This proves that the
possession of world’s wealth or luxuries is not barriers for those who want to be near God. But it is the
intoxication of one’s false pride, born out of ignorance, which frustrates one’s progress to Reality. Thus,
the person who does not have the erroneous illusions of worldly wealth and if he can see with his
spiritual inner vision, the presence of God in everything, then he immediately deserves the right to enter
the Tariqah.
 14 - The Barriers In The Path Of Haqiqah
We have studied about the four basic dimensions of our Religion, and how a human being evolves
through the dimensions of Shariah, and then onwards to Tariqah . We shall now try to study the causes
that bar the human personality from evolving into the third dimension of Haqiqah.

The third Dimension of Haqiqah is the Dimension of Love, the Love Divine – Love for God, Love for
truth and until the moment the Heart does not feel the tenderness of this Love Divine, there shall be no
concentration in meditation (Ibadat), and until one achieves absolute focus, the spiracle of the Over-self
is not raptured, and without which this rapture the stream of the Ecstatic Nectar does not flow, that is,
the Nur is not revealed. In the praise of meditation and Love, Pir Saddardin Saheb, in his holy Ginan-e-
Shariff, says: “Let us plant the seeds of Love, and water them with the waters of wisdom, and if
thou shalt cultivate these with thy power of concentration, the result will be the emergence
(unfoldment) of the fruits of Noor.”

There are many people who practise Meditation (Ibadat), but being unaware of its method and
technique, do not follow definite rules. Before entering into Meditation, the first step is to “catch-hold”
of one’s Heart. We will give an example to illustrate this point. How deep is the yearning of our heart
when we see our beloved? What is the emotional state of our heart when we behold an innocent
beautiful child? There aspire a flow of love in our heart and yearn for an embrace. The supreme love felt
or generated in these moments “holds the heart,” that is, all the stray feelings and consciousness are
unified at one’s one centre,” the Heart. If Ibadat is practised with this state of Heart, then one
immediately achieves results.

The second important point is that one should practise Meditation by endeavouring to keep mind
(Concentration) as near as possible to the “Centre” i.e. the Heart. But one does not succeed in his
attempts to search his Beloved (God) whilst permitting the concentration to shift or waver away from
the “Heart.” Then, the “Dhikr” vanishes from the attention and one begins to feel Ibadat as a boredom
and a burden. Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali has explained this principle in the following words: “until
one’s mind or concentration is diffused or dispersed through one’s body i.e. until one in not mentally
calm. One continues to be restless, but as soon as one’s consciousness becomes unified with the Heart
(the Over-self). And if its (the Heart’s) radiation’s are focused in the Peshani (the Centre of the
forehead – The Third Eye”)1, then according to the Holy Farmans of Mowlana Hazer Imam, the
“Dhikr” (Noor) will manifest immediately.”

For example, when we try to remember our beloved, in the first instance, his or her personality appears
in our imagination, and becomes directly visible when he or she is present physically with us. Similarly,
Dhikr, which we are now able to visualise in our imagination only, will become directly manifests, as
soon as our concentration becomes steady.

1
of: “THE THIRD EYE” by T. LOBSANG RAMPA, Library Edition, Illustrated, London: SECKER & WARBURG,
1956, CH: Seven
How to achieve success in Ibadat?
Success in Meditation depends basically on the power of Concentration. Those who cannot advance in
the practise of Meditation should realise that the main cause of their failure is the lack of concentration.
There are many ways of attaining concentration, but before we discuss these, it is primarily important
that to achieve success in any work, a dominating unwavering desire is essential. If one has absolute
desire and enthusiasm, then any attempted effort will be crowned with success. To achieve
concentration during meditation, before commencing practise, try to relax completely. We experience
this type of relaxation just before we are beginning to go into sleep. We feel our limbs relaxing and the
thought becoming still and we immediately fall asleep. Similarly, during the practise of meditation,
relaxation will bring about the stillness of thoughts, and when this state is reached, one should remain
awake and enter into meditation.

Another solution is to bring the Dhikr (Ism-E-Azam) next to the “Centre” (i.e. as if it is attached to the
Heart) and recite it mentally with deepest tenderness, patience and calm concentration. This method
would be clear if you know that when we are talking with someone in confidence, we go nearest to him
and whisper with extra caution and concentration. This method will make the way for the “Mind” to
return to “Heart” and the “Dhikr” will come into the focus with greater definition. Emphasising this point,
Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans: “In your Heart there is a stock-
pile of fuel, and until you ignite it with a match, how will you generate Light?”

This, in terms of the experiences of meditation means that when the purified breath (of love) stimulates
the Heart (by a friction over it). There comes a moment of revelation of Nur, but if the match is not
properly struck against matchbox, then it does not enkindle, similarly if “Dhikr” is not done with
concentration, then one does not reach the ecstatic state.

In final attempts, if all the above solutions fail to create concentration, then the “Dhikr” should be done
by pronouncing it inaudibly (i.e. in very soft whisper). After some days when sufficient practise has been
achieved, the “Dhikr” would gradually shift from the “Tongue” to the “Larynx” (Voice Box), and after
some day’s practise, it will appear and echo in the “Heart”. The analogy of this practise is that when a
student is found below average of a certain standard, he is demoted to study into a lower form, and is
made to begin with simpler lessons. But in whatever spiritual state we are. And if we find that we cannot
advance on account of certain reasons, then the foremost and most beneficial solution is to do “Dhikr”
as much as possible. Because it is the sacred name of Allah – and the recitation of this “holy word” is
one of the noblest duties of religion and as Pir Saddardin Saheb has said in holy Ginan-e-Shariff: “The
recitation of God’s name destroys egoism and it also conquers the fears of the Karmic Rhythm of
the Three Cycles of Time;2 its constant remembrance leads a person of a lower status be up-lifted
to a nobler status.” And again: By constant remembrance of the Name, one embraces the ‘Nature
of the Name,’ the idea of the ‘I’ vanishes and it merges into the Over-self, which permeates and
2
“The Karmic Rhythm of the Three Cycles of Time” – This literal expression can be interpreted to mean that man,
having been born into this three-dimensional world, is bound by Time, the three dimensions of Time, Past, Present
and Future, and their respective Karmic Rhythms i.e. the present life is the reaction of the past deeds, and the present
deeds become the seeds of the future life or the next birth
holds your Being and whose Creative Energy fills the minutes atom to the mightiest Universe (or
in other sense, from microcosm).3

Thus the constant remembrance of the “Name” (Ism-e-Azam) leads to the removal of the veils of Sin,
the characteristics of Tamas and Rajas are destroyed and the qualities of Sativa 4 predominate the Mind.
Further remembrance of the “Name” calms the disturbed mind, and this concentration generates love for
God, the Divine Love which breaks asunder the barriers of the ego – thought of “I” and “You” – and
with the disappearance of these separative tendencies, the Over-self merges into God – that Highest
stage Fanah Fihhah, which is the supreme Dimension of Ma’rifah.

3
That is, all the false and illusionary layers and sections of our personality melt and merge into the Central Point, the
innermost living core of our being.

4
These indicate the threefold nature of the mind, the highest, the mean and the lowest degree. One shall cultivate the
disposition of the highest degree and reject the other two. The possession of true ideas by the soul is declared to be
an indication of SATTVA. Ignorance betokens TAMAS. Passion of love and hatred signify RAJAS.
 15 - Ibadat— Meditation
Ibadat is an exercise of the soul. Life’s fundamental objective and duty is Ibadat, and is the finest path,
the supreme duty leading the Over-self to the Union with God. But to be successful any vocation, it is
essential that a particular work be practised according of its scientific technique. The vocation may be
an industry requiring varied experimentation, and a sacrifice of time and money. It may also entail
considerable enterprise absolute tolerance and concentration, and thus as the experimenter continues
with his experiments, he would achieve greater and greater efficiency and finally reaches the fruition
when his experiments are perfected. In the similar manner through the meditative process, one attains
Spiritual Perfection, the Vasl-E-Haq (the Union with God). Before experimenting with or venturing into
this extremely delicate process. It is especially essential to have Mursheed-e-Kamil, the Spiritual Leader
a Perfect Guide. And also to learn these Meditative Practises. It is absolutely necessary to have
immense courage, endless patience and pure heart. Because, the over-self, which is the prisoner in the
cage of blood, flesh and bones, and it is indeed an extraordinary transformation for the Self to be
liberated from its prison and to attain its source i.e. to be merged into the Nur.

It is a natural law that the human destiny is moulded by the concepts and ideas (and Emotions)
nourished by the Mind. A proverb says that “where there is a will there is a way.” Pir Mursheed
explains this idea by the following analogy. “Satgur says that there is a vast difference between the
caterpillar and the wasp. The wasp takes the caterpillar into a sheltered place and stings it
constantly, and if the caterpillar bears these stings, then it emerges as a perfect insect with
wings.”1

All thoughts are emanations of the red transcendent self, the Over-self. It is the thought movement
(receiving its support and sanctions from the Creative force of the Over-self) in man that is really
responsible for the transformation of life. Man’s wondering through the cycles of birth and death are
caused by his thoughts absorbed, imprisoned or enmeshed in the Karmic Illusion (Maya) of this world.2

1
Biologically, this metamorphosis takes place as follows: The life history of a tropical insect is divided into four
stages: the egg, the larva, the pupa and the image (or the perfect insect). From the egg hatches out a larva, which
constitutes the feeding stage. As the larva (caterpillar) grows, it moults its skin several times, and which when fully
grown, changes into a dormant pupa sheltered in various ways. Within the skin of the pupa, there is a considerable
breakdown and re-organisation of structure i.e. a complete re-construction of the traces of the larva takes place and
finally, there emerges from the pupae (pupa) skin, which cracks open, a perfect insect (an image), whose wings soon
unfold and expand. This change from larva to image is an example of metamorphosis. But Pir Saheb has used the
explanation given above in accordance with the understanding of those times.

2
Pir Saddardin’s Ginan: “MayaNO BANDHHIO JIWADO, BHAMIYO PAR GHER JAI” – Bound by the Maya, the
spirit goes on wandering to home (i.e. birth after birth) i.e. from one re-incarnation to another.

On the detachment from the Over-self, the atom of vital energy; like the earth separates from the blazing parent sun-
mass, becomes the personal Ego, reaching the mind, it is transformed from Cosmic Consciousness into restricted
entity of the thinking consciousness, and passing out through the five sensory organs, becomes associated to and
bound with the external world. Thus, the Ego loses itself utterly in the biochemical and material life, forgetting its
divine birth-place, (become enmeshed in Maya)
Even whilst sitting in meditation, some persons’ minds continue to remain engaged in the world’s
thought—vibration and it is this fact, the attachment of the thoughts to the world’s attractions, which
make this life an Ocean of endless births and deaths. The human heart could recapture its pristine purity
and be detached only if the carnal illusions of the material quest are banished from its innermost recess,
and then it has no more to wander through the ocean of endless re-incarnations. But it is extremely
difficult in the primary phases of Ibadat (Meditation) to make the heart detached from the attractions of
the world because it is in these instinctive characteristics of the human mind that when it is attracted to a
certain thing, the mind remains attached to it, unless it finds something better and happier. Thus when the
meditator enters into Ibadat under this mental state, his mind continues to wrestle between the world
and the Ibadat and thus psychological struggle does not permit him to derive pleasures and feeling
disinterested, gets bored with the Ibadat and thinks it is a burden.

Before the commencement of Ibadat, it is essential, therefore, to train the mind to concentrate on the
Dhikr. The mind wavers, basically because of its attachments to the world. If the concentration
continues to fluctuate, it is best to beseech God, as if He is intimately present near you. “Oh God! You
are Merciful and Gracious! My mind continues to waver. Oh God! Bestow your peace on it. A prayer
in these words will certainly still the mind but if it shows signs of giving way, try to bring it under control
and steady it with Dhikr – thus such efforts from time to time will make the mind firm. As the mind
attains concentration, the filtered breath begins to accumulate into the lungs. But the meditator will not
be aware of this, as he is absorbed in the Dhikr. When a person dives into the sea, his sense of hearing
becomes detached from the external world (of sounds). In the same way, the meditator absorbed in
Ibadat becomes immune to all the sounds of the external world. Thus, within man’s being, there takes
place fusion of Concentration, Breath and Dhikr, and because Dhikr is a form of love or is one of the
expressions of Divine Love (because it is basically the Name Allah), through Dhikr, the characteristics
of Love begin to permeate the Breath, by the Power of Dhikr. Love and Breath begin to mingle,
whereby the Breath begins to be purer (full of Love) and sweeter. The following lines of Ginan-e-Shariff
explain this:

“One who is the Beloved of God, his breath is true and genuine, and his Inner Vision is focused on to
the Dhikr and he communicates with the Divine Over-self. In his Destiny comes Divine Love, breaking
asunder the dark veils of ignorance (due to flesh).”

The effect of meditation is felt in two ways and in two places. Ibadat generates sweetness in the heart
from where it begins to permeate into the blood. Blood circulating through the blood vessels spreads the
effect of power of Love through the entire body, and each and every cell begins to experience the
sweetness of Love. And at that moment, the evil characteristics, mental discord and bitterness are
transformed into goodness, harmony and sweetness. Describing this spiritual condition, Pir Mursheed in
the Holy Ginan-e-Shariff, says: “The bitter oceans shall be transformed into the waters of sweetness.
Verily, my master (God) shows such wonders.” (During Ibadat, a miraculous transformation takes
place, whereby the negative thoughts of bitterness are transformed into sweetness and ecstasy that is,
with one’s approach to Eternity, one begins to experience true happiness).
The second characteristic effect in Ibadat experience is that of the illumination (Nur) or the spiritual
enlightenment. In the earlier stages, one begins to behold the flashes like the spark of the lightening. If
the meditator continues to remain steady in his concentration, than he might have the illumination like
those of the Moon and the Sun, but whose lights are far more attractive and magnetising than the sun
and the moon of our solar system and they appear and vanish in the form of flashes Pir Mursheed in the
Ginan-e-Shariff describes this experience in the following words:

“What spiritual Experiences or Vision do you behold (during the meditation) on the Bhamar Gufa
(Peshani)3. There you see the vibrant, radiantly brilliant flames and one experiences the Divine Nur.”

The revelation of this divine radiance is clearer during the early morning prayers (i.e. the time of Nur).
Even by ordinary attempts, one may experience the flashes of lightening, but what the meditator does
not experience is the effect of love latent in these flashes of radiance. The brief psychic experience can
be compared to that when one passes his hand rapidly through the flames, but without burning, in the
same way, the radiance in Ibadat comes as a transient flash, and hence, the meditator does not feel the
effect of Love underlying this radiant current.

We have seen earlier that if during one of the moments of Ibadat, the meditator has the spiritual
experience of the fountain of love flowing from the heart, this can be considered a supreme experience,
but in the second phase of meditation, this spiritual experience be considered of a slightly inferior quality.
It is a natural law that to acquire anything of the Invisible World, it is necessary to remember it again and
again to create its presence of existence in the consciousness, and if the person continues to concentrate
upon it, the thing begins to approach closer and closer, that is, it will finally materialise. This is clearly
understood by the exercises used by the students in the memorisation of their lessons, which manifest in
their consciousness, and are not easily forgotten. In our former Daily Prayer, Pir Saddardin Saheb has
arranged for us to say PUNJ PATI five times. If it is not said five times, but only two or three times, and
thus if the prayer is shortened, then its effectiveness is reduced.

There are no Holy Farmans to shorten the Punj Pati, hence, it must be said five times. Similarly, there
are 101 beads in the Rosary (Tasbir), and have the same purpose of helping us to remember of the
Holy Names (of God), and create its consciousness in our Mind.

Hazrat Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah has made the Holy Farman: “The object you have to achieve
is in your hands.”

If we have desire to derive immediate benefits in the Ibadat (Meditation), then we have to generate
sincere yearning in the heart. In the achievement of that goal, the external appearances pretentious
ostentation’s or limitations are not necessary, but one needs to produce in heart, love and anticipations,
for which Pir Mursheed says: “The beloved is found by Perfect Love. But without Love, He (God)
3
BHAMAR GUFA (Peshani) – literally their Inner Vision within the forehead physically and spiritually, the most
exalted or the supremely elevated place in the Universe, hence it is the supremely uplifted centre in man, for man,
the MICROCOSM is an epitome of the Universe, the MACROCOSM.
would drift further away. Like the Lotus which is of and in the water, although the water never
touches it.”

It is the heart, which really does the meditation and these meditative practises are in reality done in the
heart. Thus, when the meditator practises meditation by creating a gulf between his “heart” (the seat of
the Over-self) and the meditation (the Dhikr), than his thoughts—concentration drift away into the veils
of forgetfulness. And thus the gap between the two grows still wider, and the LINK between the two is
broken. Keeping it very close to the “heart” should do the Dhikr of the Ism-E-Azam and this would
help to steady the concentration.

Those, who do Ibadat (meditation) by concentrating on the Imam’s face, have to generate God’s Nur
within their consciousness. When “Heart” (the Over-self) and Peshani (Mind) become infused, only then
it is considered that the Ibadat has been done in accordance with the Imam’s Guidance. When “mind”
links up with the “heart” there begins a psychic, mysterious process in the “heart” to generate Nur, for
which Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Aly has said:

“Until the “Spirit” permeates the entire body, the body will continue to be restless, but soon as the Mind
and the Heart are united, then one begins to concentrate on the Dhikr, which we have been directed to
follow.”

“Thus when concentration begins to intensify into the INNER Vision (Peshani), God’s Nur will manifest
from the veils surrounding the meditator, like the Moon, emerging from the clouds, and shining forth it its
brilliance. This is such an ecstatic moment, that it is impossible to describe its glory. Pir Saddardin
Saheb describes this state in the following words:

“The one who has been struck by the radiance of the Nur,
Oh Verily! How can we know his state.”

The “heart entering into this psychic state, as we have seen earlier, instead of experiencing “light” and
“love” from two different “sources,” now begins to experience from a unified source and Love that used
to influence the “heart” only, now begins to Manifest as a living reality, and Love and Light become one.
In this moment of supreme joy and high spiritual destiny, the “lotus of the heart” repressed and withered
by the world, bitterness and evils, reaches a fresh level of re-un-foldment, its wrinkles vanish and the
protracted poverty of the heart comes to an end.

Hazrat Mowlana Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah has made Holy Farmans, as with what heart one
should enter into the meditation? You should enter into meditation with a heart, a thousand times loving
and tender than the love tenderness and sweetness shown to your beloved.” If you enter into Meditation
with this state, it will generate Love and once if this is done, then you will never feel like giving up the
Ibadat.

When fragrant flowers are spread onto a bed sheet, their scent makes the bed sheet fragrant, similarly,
the heart that constantly does the Dhikr, can but generate the sweet effects of love.
In the Holy Ginans of our Pir Mursheed, it is mentioned that if the Dhikr is done spontaneously, only
then one attains the Deedar of God, whilst our present Dhikr is set in “process” only when we start its
utterance i.e. it is Not Spontaneous. It should be said in clarification that the Dhikr is spontaneous, i.e. it
is a continues process, but we have no consciousness of its operation. It is essential in Ibadat, therefore,
to unify our Consciousness with the Dhikr, and this “Link Up” should be to that degree that the self-
consciousness should be absorbed completely in “Dhikr” and should be fused into the natural,
spontaneous Dhikr. One, who has reached this spiritual station, has not to recite the Dhikr mechanically,
because his consciousness is perpetually and insolubly linked to the Dhikr, which permeates each and
every fibber of his being. Describing this state, Pir Saheb says: “From each and every cell of my
body, there echoes forth the name of My Beloved, when the evil forces begin to hide (in fear). In
that moment when my INNER Vision reached its most exalted Psychic Dimension, (the CLIMAX)
and when from its “Centre” the radiation’s emanated (in all directions), I lost all Self
Consciousness.”

Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah describing the same spiritual state in his Holy Farman says:
“You should love God in the manner Mansur Loved him, that when he was exalted, even the blood-
drops from his body echoed forth “Ana’l Haqq”.

(We can retrace the unfoldment of the SPONTANEOUS Dhikr ‘Ajampya Jamp’ through the following
spiritual evolution)

In the first statge, the meditator begins to enter into Ibadat (Meditation) by reciting the Ism-E-Azam
with his tongue and as he advances in this path, the Dhikr comes to his larynx (the vioce box) and there
the process continues. Subsequently, the Dhikr gradually descends into the “heart” and when the
meditator reaches perfection, the Dhikr begins, to “link up” with that Dhikr which is operating as a
spontaneous process (Rhythm) in the innermost “Centres” of the heart (the Overself). And in that
moment of the fusion of consciousness and heart, -- the moment of sacred Nurani Deeedar, the moment
when the process of the Spontaneous Dhikr is realised, and the overself attains Self Realisation.

When the Momin’s Concentration is absorbed in Dhikr to that supreme limit, a degree that intense that
his Dhikr forever remains linked to i.e. natural spontaneous Dhikr of his INNER BEING (the Overself),
then this Psychic State is that of AJAMPYA JAMP i.e. continous, ceaseless, unbroken Dhikr like the
ocean-waves, which rise the ocean with the breeze, swing or vibrate rhythmetically and again vanish into
the ocean, but never are they separated from the ocean. Similarly, when concentration becomes `linked
with the ocean of natural Dhikr,1 – (i.e. Ego merges into the Overself) which means that like the
perpetual rhythmic motion of the ocean, the Perpetual Throb of the ISME-AZAM (AJAMPYA JAMP)
springs from the heart and again subsides into that heart. Pir Mursheed explains this in his Gnan-e-
Shariff: “Satgur says that the “name” of God should be recited with every breath, and the
1
This means that in initial stages, the Dhikr is mental i.e. it is done with the help of the MIND. Subsequently, it
becomes part of the rhythm of the “Heart”, the seat of Over-self where the SPONTANEOUS, INSTINCTIVE
(INTUITIVE) RYHTHM is immortally present. This harmony creates the Divine RHYTHM. Basically, the throbbing of
the heart is really the rhythm of the ISME-AZAM
beloved name should be in constant remembrance. Never for a momnet the beloved be
separated, but like the waves, one should remain merged into the ocean (of Reality)”.

When the meditator reaches this spiritual state, he is not conscious of the pure breath filling up his lungs.
But as a slit bound bond begins to rise and float with an incoming tide, similarly, the HEART stuck for
so long in the slimes of the world’s illusions, is liberated by the pure breath of love and the “heart”
projects onto supreme dimensions of Heaven.

Pir Hassan Kabirdin Saheb explains this experience in the following words: “The Chariot (the Heart)
armed by the power of the breath is the KING and can daily wake up (in Ibadat) and can journey
to the heavenly abodes and return.” “The world does not have that power to penetrate those
(supreme goals of Reality), but the heart can reach there.”

Today, we behold this mundane world in our consciousness, and until the world’s illusions are present in
our Ego, the Reality will not manifest, because the two aspects, the Illusion of the world and the Reality
of the Truth can never be present together at the same time in Mind. Mowlana Murtaza Ali has said that
you cannot keep two swords in the same sheath. Where there is Illusion, Reality cannot exist, and
where there is Reality, Illusion must disappear. Where Darkness (of ignorance) predominates, Light (of
Knowledge) cannot reach, and where knowledge reigns supreme, ignorance must vanish. How is it
possible therefore to balance these opposing forces of Reality and Illusion, Light and Darkness in the
same place at the same time? In the same way as it is impossible during Ibadat to harmonise the
yearning to embrace God with the attachment of the world. Therefore, the concentration during the
Ibadat should be so firm, so completely merged into the Ism-E-Azam that this world should disappear
from the memory, and then should remain only God’s sacred remembrance in the heart.

That person who is convinced that it is the world’s Illusiionary Maya which is responsible for his
countless births and rebirths on this earth, casting him into the pits of darkness, that person indeed
gradually reaches (the pinnacle of) self-realisation, and only then does he lose the (attachments) to the
false, transient sweetness of this world. This means that to that person, the world’s highest happiness
seems dull and insignificant, and then his heart becomes steadfast on God. A minute’s sincere deep
Ibadat by which such a steadfast heart is greater in value and in power than the years of Ibadat, (which
is not oriented to God).

A person who absolutely dedicated his heart to God may in the earlier stage feel a deep sense of
hopelessness, but God, who is his Beloved and who is so Holy and Omnipotent, never keeps him in that
frustrated state for long and He by His Power and Love, transforms Momin’s frustration into meaningful
visions and hopes. Let us see how this is achieved.

Matter is composed of fine elements, earth, water, air, fire and space. Man’s mind is attracted to the
sounds, smells, touch, tastes, fascinations and varied other charms, emanating from the various products
of this world. The underlying natures of these attractions are not visibly manifest for us, but
imperceptibly, we experience them and obviously their effects reach the “heart.” Now as the meditator
begins to approach God, closer and closer, the power of Ibadat dissolves the “materiality” of these
elements and their hidden natures become manifest (for the enjoyment of the meditator) and their
sweetness and charms bestow happiness and tastes far above those given by the worldly products.

Let us now study in detail how sound, touch, beauty, taste and smell and such similar charms of life are
experienced during Ibadat.

The Power of Speech (Sound, Words and Music):

During Ibadat (meditation) when the purified breath fills up the lungs (and thus affects the heart), the
“Over-self” is liberated and freed from its bonds. The vein and arteries in this meditative state become
taut, and in the same way as a highly tuned musical instrument would produce melodious music when the
fingers play upon its stings, similarly, the highly strung blood-vessels, enforced by the power of breath of
love produce spontaneous music, whose melodious sweetness is so wonderful, so miraculous that the
melody of this divine natural instrument is incomparably higher than the melody produced by a musical
instrument considered to be the world’s best. Pir Shamash has said “In the Over-self there eternally
rains the Nectar of Nur (Divine Light) and with this you (the Momins) should have the natural sport.
Natural sport. Your Surti (focus concentration) on the “Bol” should be like the fingers playing
perpetually on the strings of an instrument – this will produce the limitless Eternal Music and you shall
hear the echoes of “Sohang”. 2 (In this Manner) you shall conquer the Universe, (i.e. reach the Reality),
where shines the Sun. And if one is asked to sacrifice one’s head (the Ego) for this Divine Grace, one
should consider this sacrifice to be valueless for (far more painful) are the cycles of births and rebirths
the soul has to take on this Earth.”

The Sense of Touch:

When tow bodies come in contact, the hearts experience the emotion of joy, which is due to the fact
that the spirit permeates both the bodies. But if the hidden spirits itself were to become manifest, and
were to touch the Divine Over-self, then their ecstasy that would generate is beyond one’s imagination.
Pir Hassan Kabirdin describes this state in the following words:

“If the Hans Purush (i.e. the Over-self) were to manifest to us (Nurani Deedar) than our being is purified
of the elements of matter with which it is now blended, and attaining its true self-hood embraces the
Divine Over-self that moment of embrace and mingling is beyond the power of speech to describe.”
This means that the spiritual experience of that touch brings limitless happiness far above and beyond
anything of this world.

The Sense Of Beauty:

Body is basically composed of matter, yet because of the effect of the soul, the facial beauty (and the
physical beauty) attracts the world but if this Divine overself were to reveal himself to us, then how
supremely fascinating will it be? In the supreme moment of Self-Realisation and in its happiness so many
kings have forgotten their crowns and kingdoms and have sacrificed the luxurious comforts of their

2
“SOHANG” is the sound from the natural breath-rhythm. In the highest state, it echoes the name of God and refers
to AJAMPYA -JAMP the eternal recitation of Beloved Sacred Name.
palaces. Those who were guided towards the miraculous realm of Divine Love, they left behind all the
wealth and limitless glory which was at their feet. This is an evidence of supreme and immortal joy
hidden in the remembrance of our beloved (God). In the beauty of the over-self is the beauty of the
matchless, the joys of whose illumination is experienced by a meditator in Ibadat, and for which Pir
Mursheed explains in the following manner: “The Momin who has embraced the Deedar of his
Beloved, he experiences the Moon with its tranquil Divine Light, shining and shedding its
limitless nectar – Light; and for him vanish the sufferings of our epochs.”

The Sense Of Taste:

The sweetness we enjoy through the sense of taste is also characteristic of the spirit, which hidden in all
matter, feeds the whole world with its essence of sweetness. The meditator (meditativeness?) on
reaching the supreme level of contemplation experiences the unfoldment of the Over-self and the lotus of
the heart blooms in full fragrance. In this moment of the fountain of extreme sweetness begins to flow,
whose sweetness is beyond the sweetness of all the tastiest things of this world and which bestows great
happiness and ecstasy. Pir Mursheed describes this experience in the following words: “The Essence
of Love is extremely sweet and one who tastes, feels its sweetness permeating into his entire
being and indeed his heart gives him testimony of this spiritual experience.”

The Sense Of Smell:

In the path of God’s Love during Ibadat, when the meditaor’s lotus of the heart unfolds, there generate
such fragrance, which is beyond the sweetest flowers of perfumes of the world as testified by Pir.
Mursheed’s Ginan: “There unfolds the petals, and the lotus of the heart blooms forth in all its
glory whose fragrance reaches the heaven.”

Thus a Momin sacrificing the illusionary (illusive) happiness and attractions for the sake of God’s Love
and goes nearer and still nearer to God, then this psychic state God does not deny him worldly
happiness but bestows upon him the joys of the world, but in purer form, multiplied countless times
more supreme, more sweet, and through the experience of these joys, God brings him contentment. This
experience is based on the fact that God Himself is all joy and happiness and in His Path, there are no
possibilities of disappointment and frustration. Thus it is in these diverse ways that the Master’s Grace is
bestowed upon the Momin, who, sacrificing the illusionary joys of this temporal world, achieves the
heavenly ecstasies.

Another characteristic and the beauty of Ibadat are that it liberates the soul from the imprisonment of the
body and gives it freedom from re-births. How and when is this achieved is explained by Pir Mursheed
in the following Ginan: “Satgur says that all the people of this world know to die the false deaths,
but no one really achieves the true death. But the one who knows how to die by the Divine
Knowledge, for him there is no more deaths.”

This means that the deaths we die are false, for after each death is a re-birth and death, but one who
achieves the ultimate annihilation by the power of his Divine Understanding, for him there are no more
cycles of births and re-births.
Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali has also made the following Farman in His Kalam Mubarak: “Those who
know to die before their deaths, they indeed achieve Eternity in their deaths.”

Hazrat Imam Sultan Mohamed Shah has also made the following Holy Farmans: “If you habituate
your soul to perform the noble practise of Ibadat then gradually the characteristics of the
beastliness and baser instincts will disappear from the body and before death, your soul will
leave the body in angelic form.”

Now we shall discuss how man can experience death during this lifetime. This does not mean to commit
suicide, but as the spirit is separated from the body during the process of a natural death. Similarly,
during Ibadat the Astral Body can be separated from its physical counterpart. There is however a
difference in these two types of death, the spirit is reluctant to give up the body and because its
attachments are connected to the body, nevertheless the spirit is compelled to be detached from the
body. In this moment of death, the Ego (Jivatma’s) sufferings are equal to its attachments to the body
and the world; and the Ego is forcibly detached from its shell in a state of extreme dependence
(unwillingness) and dejection. But a momin’s heart, practised to concrete its focus on the Dhikr, does
not have the world’s attachments.

By the power of Ibadat, it has gathered (concentrated) all its life-current permeating the body into itself
(i.e. into the Over-self). The meditator (the Ibadati), thus by concentrating the life-current at the Over-
self, experiences the biological death and his body becomes cold.

Within the human heart, there is Akashik3 Segment, where two emotional characteristics become
manifest Fear4, Love5. In the natural biological death in the case of a dying person, this segment of the
heart generates fear, whilst in the case of death experienced during Ibadat; this action of the heart
generates Love. In the former case, the spirit leaves its body under duress, but the Ibadati absorbed in
his meditation, projects his “astral body” by his own free-will and proceeds towards its source or
centre. And indeed that spirit has understood the mysteries of life and death. Hazrat Mowlana Sultan

3
Akashik from “akash” literally sky space; hence it refers to pure consciousness, which is the real-hood of human
and resides in heart and not brain.

“The common notion that consciousness has its seat in the brain is but a relative truth. The brain is but the seat of
reflected consciousness, a reflection that has been derived from the true centre – The Heart.

Intellectual light is but borrowed light, like that of moon. Intellectual consciousness is secondary. Heart
consciousness is primary, and is the sun which imparts its own light to the moon of intellect.”
(“The Quest of the Over-self” by Paul Brunton. PhD. D. Rider & Co. London, 1961 Impression). AMEN.

4
The focus of the vision, which during contemplation is brought to bear upon, the sacred word from HAZER IMAM.
This, as the melodious music flows from the harmony of the sound and the chords and these two become inseparably
bound so should SURTI and the Dhikr be linked in Harmony.

5
SOHANG: The sound of the LIVING BREATH, i.e. the fine subtle sound of “SO-HANG” made during exh alation and
inhalation respectively. Esoterically, the heart, the Over-self Core perpetually sings the name of its Beloved – this is
clearly indicated in close link between the palpitation of the heart and the breathing system
Mohamed Shah has made the following Holy Farman to this effect: “A Momin in the moment of
death is like a brave lion, he has nothing to fear. His path is straight and smooth. When such a
Momin is dead, he has nothing to worry. The moment he leaves the world, he moves to his
destination comfortably.”

Pir Mursheed supports the same idea in his Ginan-e-Shariff: “There is no other exit or escape in
swimming (passing through this world). This (death) is the only escape (window) to salvation; and the
Momin who has experienced death, for him, there is no death and Messengers of Death are powerless
against such Momins.”

It is destined that this frail vessel of the human body shall sink one day in the ocean of life. Before that
moment arrives, it is essential to have the training to swim through the ocean of life during one’s lifetime,
so that with the doom of the vessel, the Over-self too may not be destroyed. All the industries,
knowledge, art, intellect, money or wealth and materials are with us during our lifetime only, but in the
moment of death, none of these worldly things come to our assistance. In that only one knowledge
supports us: The knowledge of God and our Love for Him. Mowlana Murtaza Ali has said: “All
knowledge shall vanish, only god’s realisation shall remain: listen, understand and remember
this fact for ever. This is the divine commandment.”

A man suffers and struggles to make his brief life span, 50-75 years, a happy one. To create a cultural
image of his public-life, he has to study thousands of words to achieve knowledge, but we show utter
disregard and apathy in meditating over God’s Sacred Name, which is the very incarnation of Love.
Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah has said: “On one side, there is all the wealth of the world
and on the other side, there is Ibadat – such is the tremendous weight of Ibadat. If you remain
absorbed in Ibadat, than God’s Nur will illuminate your life, and the hold of evil deeds on you
will be broken, but if you have not formed the habit to meditate, then your world and religion
shall both be ruined.

God has brought us into the human birth, giving us knowledge and intellect. Which instead of being used
for the satisfaction of hunger or other sensuous joys, should be dedicated to the generation of heroic
courage in the heart, and with the help of Dhikr as the “Zulficar Sword” the baser instincts be destroyed.
The chains of our age-old spiritual slavery are broken and all the weapons at our disposal utilised to
conquer that Divine Realm, which is our home and thus achieve freedom. Pir Ahmadshah in the Ginan-
e-Shariff in the following words describes this spiritual challenge: “Those who are heroic and perfect
in the path (of religion) they will never surrender their understanding or consciousness; he,
indeed is a brave hero who rides to the battlefield and conquers it.”

If a human being reaches an inner conviction in his heart, there is no power on earth, which can stop him
from advancing to God.

Blessed indeed is such a soul, and blessed indeed are the parents who gave birth to such a Holy Spirit
which triumphed over its lower self and by liberating itself from the slavery of its tagged physical
tenement attained its pristine glory and become free. Only such a person’s life is indeed real, the Life
which is Eternal, Infinite and Ecstatic.

Finally to conclude with references from the Holy Kalam-e-Pir and Holy Farmans:

Tame luni lejo lunwa kaj ke,

Ahonish jaggo re lol.

Tame amiras peeyo din ne raat,

Ke Nur Nurania re lol.

Mahen varaseh chhe amrut Nur ke,

Kudrati Kheljo re lol.

Janki surti lagi brahamand ke,

Amrut kheljo re lol.

Jeva tadeena Chhute taar ke,

Surti Bandhjo re lol.

Anhad vaaja vaaje saar ke,

Neet so-hung uthe re lol.

Janki Surti laagi aye brahamand ke,

Nur manhe kheljo re lol.

Brahamand Askho kerjo re haath ke,

Jaan ravi chamkar.

Seer aalethi jo Aave haath ke,

To bhi shongha janajo re lol.
Aeva fari fari janamo kahen dunia Mahen ke,
Fera shun faro re lol.

(Literal Translation into English)

My Momins, harvest for the sake of the harvest,

And remain constantly awake.

My Momins, drink day and night the Nectar (of Light),

For verily there is nothing but all light Divine,

Within (the Over-self) there (ceaselessly) rains the Nectar of Light,

And there you have natural sport (with your beloved).

One, whose inner vision is focussed onto His Beloved God,

He has a sport with the Nectar (from the Beloved’s Embraces).

O Momins, as there is harmony between the sound and the chord,

So should you bind your SURTI (INNER VISION) on to the (Dhikr).

There (within the Over-self) is heard the music of limitless instruments,

And there perpetually rises the sound of “SOHANG”

The one, whose SURTI is bound unto this Beloved God,

Plays with the Eternal Light.

And conquers the whole Universe (of Light),

Where there (as if) the Brilliance of millions of Suns.

(Such is my Beloved) that if He could be attained by sacrificing your head;

You should feel that you have got him easily.

So O my Momins! Why are you born again and again in this world,
And why forced through the cycles of birth.

A general explanation of the “Garbi” is as follows:

Pir Saheb in this “Garbi” exposes the reader to an experience of a sublimed plane but being aware of
the limitations of a written word. Pir Shamsh employs the techniques of symbolism and analogies to
transmit to his listeners. The Reality of the meaning of that experiences which is far beyond the
dimensions of human experience. It should also be noted that historically, our Pirs actually sung and
dramatised the Ginans and Garbis in a variety of situations and especially the visual communication to
create an impact on their audiences.

It is against the background of the above concepts that we shall now look at the quotation:

1. The “harvest” in this context I think is the “harvest of Divine Light” “the Nurani Deedar” of the
beloved, and for which the Momin (the devotees) must remain awake day and night. Deedar is
associated with the Inner Concentration, and the inner vision of the Momin must continuously be
aware of and searching the Beloved – the Quest on to the harvest, the attainment of Divine
Light.

2. “Ami-Ras” is a word, with multi layered meanings. In its Shariatic – exoteric dimension, it is one
of the high rituals of Ab-E-Safa, it can be considered as a source of light. In its esoteric
dimensions, Ami-Ras means the reaching or the Realm of Divine Light, where eternally there is
 nothing but all Nur. The reality of this interpretation is clearly demonstrated in the stanza that
follows.

3. The inner core of man is his Over-Self, where truly there is always light Divine and the natural
“sport” of life is the development and recognition of this heavenly source of Light in us. The
inner life of man is illuminated with this light.

4. This is another complex concept Pir Saheb says that the Momin, whose inner eyes are focussed
onto the Brahamand i.e. the Cosmos – the awareness of the Cosmos. There within the Over-
self, the Momin enjoys the flow of the Nectar, i.e. a deeply intense spiritual experience, which is
beyond all the worlds.

5. A very difficult stage in Ibadat is reached, where inner concentration is supremely necessary to
create a unity between the Momin’s inner focus (Surti) and his Bol or a Naksh. The sacred form
of the word. So the Surti and the Bol should blend in such a harmony that they should lose their
individual personal identities (i.e. give up the Ego-Self)

6. From a purely analogical or allegorical interpretation in the verse above, we have come to the
reality of the spiritual experience, where in from this blending between the Surti and the Bol the
eternal, limitless music from the heart. (Heart with its complex structure of nerves. Blood vessels
and valves Resembles a musical instrument. Which when in harmony with its Beloved, upholds
to reveal that its function in unison with the breathing system produces the eternal sound of
“Sohang” – this is the name of the Beloved, which the heart seems to echo forth eternally. This
then is the perfect music of the Over-self – see footnote 5.)

7. Now as the blending between the Surti and the Beloved intensifies as it deepens, the Momin
feels the sublime ecstasy of playing with and in the Light Divine.

8. And then, finally, one merges into and becomes part of the very Source of this Light. One
achieves the Ultimate Reality. Pir Saheb says that the brilliance and the glory of this source are
like that of millions of suns.

9. Such is my Beloved Master – God says Pir Saheb and so precious that if one has to sacrifice
one’s life to reach Him, one should feel that one has got Him cheaply. Of course the “sacrifice
of the Head” has a deeper meaning. That is the control of thoughts and finally the complete
destruction of mind, which comes between the Heart and the Beloved. The struggle between the
Head (Logic and Thought process) and the Heart (Emotions, Intuition, Love and its mysteries)
are beautifully and mysteriously concealed in these lines.

10. To conclude, the Pir Saheb appeals that if such are the mysteries of our Beloved, why do you
take births and re-births on this Earth and move in eternal cycles? (Note that the Ten afro
mentioned verses if carefully analysed, present Ten phases of man’s spiritual evolution and
 ascend to the climax – from the gathering of the spiritual harvest to the liberation from the cycles
of births and the Union with the Beloved).

Finally, the Holy Farmans of Hazrat Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah: “You dry (safe—direct) path is
on Seventh Heaven. When you shall reach there, then you shall enter the dry land (i.e. safe and
secure) and your heart shall feel the certitude of this experience.”

To die once during one’s lifetime is really a great fortune, but to die twice in one’s lifetime is still a great
fortune. But only the heroes can die thrice in their lives – and this too is necessary; whilst a person who
dies for the fourth time, for him again…indeed such (mysteries) are beyond description.
 16 - The Evolution Of Humanity
An appendix by Alwaez R. D. Shariff:

“Oh. I swear by the after-glow of the sunset, and by the night and all it enshrouded, and by the
moon when she is at the full, that ye shall journey from plane to plane.”
Holy Qur’an, 84 X 16.19.

Chapter 1 unfolded some of the ideas about “Consciousness,” and we saw that the gradually evolving
consciousness can lead the human mind to freedom from limitations. This section will take us still further
in our studies of self-consciousness, and we shall particularly follow an evolutionary approach to this
problem. Now this evolutionary approach to the problem of self-consciousness, which truly bestows
upon man a creative personality, requires for its understanding and better appreciation a brief review
here of the process of the evolution of life upon this planet.

Someone has said very beautifully that the Cosmic Energy slept in matter, dreamt in animals, and waked
in man. The expression precisely states the essence of evolution of life. But the first problem that we
have to face here is: How did life originate on this earth? This question is vitally essential to our study,
for a very important reason that these studies are primarily in reference to the human destiny, that is,
where we are going, and quite obviously we cannot answer this question, until we know the human
origin, or where we came from? A few amongst the readers may ask a further question: What shall we
become? Thus there are three distinct questions: The origin of life upon this planet, its evolution and
destiny upon this Earth, and finally its ultimate goal. Now what may become of us, is conditioned by
what we have been.

Before we embark upon the scientific solutions of these questions, let us ask what the Universal
Religions of the world have to say about this. Religions, all religions agree upon one simple answer to
the two questions of Human Origin and Human Destiny – We Came From God And We Return To
God. If we continued our search through orthodox religions, as what do they mean by: We Came From
God, we are told that God breathed the breath of life into an image He had made out of the dust of the
earth. But this does not satisfy scientific curiosity of modern generations. Further, it is quite possible to
believe that the story of man’s creation was a parable, as supported by many of the Qur’anic verses.
These stories had placed man in a central position, a unique position of the pinnacle of Creation, but the
discoveries of the 19th century concerning life by Lamarck and Darwin and other great naturalist’s finally
dethroned Man from this claim. At the same time, these scientists introduced us to the idea of universal
law in biology, by demonstrating that all plants and animals, including man himself, share many of the
biological fundamental similarities, and that the origin of human species is due to the general law of
evolution, which operates as automatically as gravity. Thus, the process of evolution, starting with dead
matter, at some point of time, passed into the realm of living organism. Life appeared in its simple form
on the universe. From the angle of an evolutionary approach to these studies, the appearance of life
itself, the development of life energy was in a way a first crisis in the path of evolution.
Let us leave aside the problem of the origin of life, in all likelihood connected with that of the origin of
proteins, and much more mysterious still, and let us only consider the evolutional point of view. It is
impossible, nowadays, to imagine how evolution began. Was there an initial cell? We do not know. It is
very unlikely that evolution had an extremely elementary point of departure from matter or non-living
things, -- the point, which is common to all-living beings, animals and vegetables. But from the very
beginning we observe a relationship, and yet at the same time, a profound difference existing between
“living” matter and matter that is, the line of demarcation between non-living matter and “living” matter is
very vague and indistinct. The question, therefore, arises: How was the chemical transition from one to
the other accomplished? Speaking honestly, it is impossible to conceive it, and yet the hypothesis of
sudden appearance of life or its spontaneous generation is nor satisfactory. Some kind of transition must
have taken place, but we do not know how?

It is hardly probable that we will ever discover the original being, or his slightly modified descendent
amongst the elementary organisms, which have perished through millions of centuries. They are hard to
classify as either plants or animals. Thus, we are actually confronted with a dilemma. We are forced to
the conclusion that, actually, it is totally impossible to account scientifically for the entire phenomenon
pertaining to Life, its development and progressive evolution. We are faced by a hiatus in our
knowledge. There is a gap between living and non-living matter which science has not been able to
bridge. Thus, we leave science of the future to bridge this gulf and look further, and if we cannot say for
certain that somebody put life into matter, we have to say that another matter became alive. This is,
long, long, millions of years ago, then, there came a point in the process of evolution when the gradually
changing combinations of chemical elements on the surface of the earth began to live and move and have
being, that is life appeared in its first simplest form. If we cannot conceive here the problem of the origin
of life, we can try and define life. We can say, at least, that it is a principle, which is irreducible to
matter. If found, at a certain evolutionary stage, surrounded by restrictive material environment which
limited its freedom of movement. Therefore, the life energy had to contend and fight against it. In this
struggle Life permeated or entered into matter and animated it.

The second earth crisis occurred countless millions of years later, when this life had evolved trough
many, many forms, from primitive protoplasmic unicellular organisms, through mollusc an, piscine,
reptilian, amphibian, and mammalian forms, until a creature has developed which by contact with its
environment had reached a precision of adjustment between its brain and its body which enabled it to
become conscious.

It must be noted here that the development of the life-energy from matter was a critical phase in the
evaluative transformation, similarly, the gradual evolution of an animal form into a human form, a form
capable of sheltering spirit, was another definite crisis. A very common question in many minds is to ask
for the missing “link” between the animal world and the purely human chain of evolution. I will call upon
a leading scientist in this connection: “In the history of living being, the word “link” is a dangerous word.
It can never be affirmed that a certain form is a real link. That sometimes, is possible. It is never sure in
any case it can be stated that no actually living form is the direct ancestor of another. Man does not
descend from the monkeys.” Further, he says, “Evolution is comprehensible only if we admit that it is
dominated by a finality, a precise and distant goal. If we do not accept the reality of this orienting pole,
not only are we forced to recognise that evolution is rigorously incompatible with our laws of matter, but
that the appearance of moral and spiritual ideas remain an absolute mystery.”1 That is if we accept the
principle of evolution, then we must recognise the fact, that on an average, evolution since the beginning
of the Universe has followed a definite creative direction, or even claim that there has been a conscious,
creative evolution, tending to develop a being endowed with consciousness, a conscience, -- a being
who is morally and spiritually, a perfect being. Of course, before the appearance of man, there were
innumerable transformations. Trials and experiments, but it seems quite self-evident that the intervention
of an Idea, a Will, a Supreme Intelligence seemed to be leading all these combined transformations
through an unbroken line to Man. Finally, several trials resulted in the Primates, and after a long and
series of unknown intermediary stages. In the Piltdown Man, often called only in a poetic sense, a
“Dawn Man”. He had only a very dim awareness of his own experiences of his own separateness from
the binding “cocoon” or shell of his material environment, and the idea of individuality was still hazy in his
mind. But here was a “human personality”, and it is through him alone evolution marches on.

Today, the evolution continues, no longer on the physical or biological plane, but on the spiritual and
moral plane. To believe that man’s present structure, mental as well as anatomical is the last word in
evolution, has no constructive attitude. The human today needs a Rumi to enkindle its heart with vision
and hope. Listen to these inspiring lines of the prophet:

First man appeared in the class of inorganic things,

Next he passed there from into that of plants.
For years he lived as one of the plants,
Remembering nought of his inorganic state so different,
And when he passed from vegetative to animal state,
He had no remembrance of his state as a plant,
Except the inclination he felt to the world of plants,
Especially at the time of spring and sweet flowers,
Like the inclination of infants towards their mothers
Which we know not the cause of their inclination to the breast,
Again the great creator, as you know,
Drew man out of the animal into the human state.
Thus man passed from one order of nature, to another.
Till he became wise and knowing and strong as he is now.
Of his first souls he has now no remembrance,
And he will be again changed from his present soul.

1
“Human Destiny” – Du Novy – Longmans