ammarcool
21-02-07, 07:06 AM
Science and Man
A Lecture by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmed (db)
Down Load PDF (http://www.tasawwuf.org/writings/sermons/khutbat_sixv1.pdf)
And of everything We have created pairs so that you may receive instruction [51:49]
The Foundation of Science
This blessed verse seems to be the cornerstone and foundation of all science. Not only humans, but birds and animals have also been created in pairs. However, the meaning of this verse is much deeper than this.
All Creation is in Pairs
Upon serious reflection, it becomes evident that everything in creation has been created in pairs with the purpose of reproduction. The sky and the earth are a pair, where the sky sends rain that is absorbed by the earth and this yields offspring in the form of vegetation and crops.
After a long period of research, botanists now recognize pairs in plants, where a spore from one plant travels through the air and fertilizes another to yield new plants and vegetation. Likewise darkness and light, cold and warmth in weather patterns are all examples of pairs within creation. This world consists of matter, and scientists have also theorized about the co-existence of anti-matter and matter. Hence, matter and anti-matter becomes a pair.
Matter consists of atoms that in turn are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and electrons are charged particles whereas neutrons do not carry a charge. Hence, once again we find a pair consisting of charged versus non-charged particles. Likewise, reactions in the world of chemistry are based on the interaction of positive and negative ions that forms compounds and mixtures. These ions are pairs just like the pairs within the atom. The resulting compounds and mixtures are either basic or acidic, two states on the Ph scale also coming in pairs.
An Appeal to Muslim Students of Science
Muslim students of knowledge everywhere should conduct their research keeping this blessed verse in the forefront and they will open doors to new scientific discoveries. Not long ago, communication and computations would take days and months. But today, the computer has revolutionized the world and the same work that would previously take days now takes minutes. Technology is changing very rapidly in today's world.
Computer languages are based upon a system of bits and bytes where whole languages are composed of zeroes and ones. The bits and bytes are likewise a system of pairs like everything mentioned above; hence providing more evidence that all that is within creation is in pairs.
True and False Beings
When we analyze the human being in the context of this verse, we find that it also reveals a system of pairs where the human is also a sum of two parts. These two parts are the outer shell which is the body, and the spirit (ruh) that is within. The body is a false being and merely a shell for the true self, the ruh.
The body and ruh are two separate life forces in coexistence and therefore have different needs. The body is created from the earth and therefore receives sustenance from whatever comes from the earth. For example, the food that nourishes the body grows from the earth as does the cotton from which clothes are made.
Consequently the ruh's origin is the Throne of Allah and therefore its nourishment is the constant flow of blessing and mercy that descend from the Throne. Included in this is all benefit from righteous deeds because these righteous deeds also emanate from the Pleasure of Allah u. Although in coexistence as a pair, the body and ruh have drastically different needs.
Just as going without food for days would weaken and starve the body, the same holds true for the ruh if one foregoes righteousness for even a few days and falls into evil ways. The pleasure of the body is different from the pleasure of the ruh. The body takes different pleasures in different foods such as roast meat and vegetables. Likewise, the ruh savors each and every act of righteousness. Crying in the middle of the night to Allah has its own special flavor as does telling the truth and reading the Holy Quran. These are all degrees apart from the delicious taste of a well done steak that the body may enjoy.
The righteous in search of Allah derive the same, if not more pleasure, from reading every verse of the Holy Quran that the body may derive from each scoop of ice cream. Righteous acts give new life to the ruh and the person inside awakes.
And when they hear His Signs rehearsed find their faith strengthened [8:2]
Two Faces
Man is a hypocrite who shows two opposite faces, one to society and another to Allah u. He goes through life with these two faces, one that the open eye sees and another that is only seen when the eye is closed. Furthermore one face is shown through pride and arrogance and yet another is shown through humility.
The Missing Pleasure of Recitation
The People of Allah derive pleasure whenever they read or listen to the Holy Quran, but unfortunately, the majority of the common Muslims do not derive such pleasure, because they have not worked hard to rectify their inner being. They may be physically standing in prayer, but in their thought, they are at work or in the marketplace. Physically, they might be reading the Holy Quran, but in thought, they are occupied with other people or events. One can never derive pleasure from or unlock the treasures of worship and recitation with such heedlessness.
Very Strange Events
It is very unfortunate that at times an imam will make a mistake while leading prayer and hence make a prostration of correction (sajda sahu). Even more horrific is that the imam will then turn around and address the entire congregation asking how many cycles (rakats) were completed and no one from the entire congregation can answer him. This is the sad state of Muslim worship today that everyone is heedless in their worship, which is actually the only reason for existence.
When I prostrated upon the earth it cried out,
O You who prostrate only for show!
You have ruined even me!
When I prostrated upon the earth it cried out,
Oh you of false heart filled with idols,
What value can your bowing possibly have?
Prostrations that would make the earth shake,
Are what pulpits today ache for.
Faces that would shine with marks of prostration,
Where have they gone?
Hearts that would tremble in fear of Allah u? Where have they gone?
The gatherings have dispersed,
Those seeking You have left.
The cries of the night and dawn are no more,
Find them with a lamp in daylight you will not.
Indeed, today life and priorities have changed as things other than Allah seem more important to people. Muslims can never savor the delicious taste of worship when their hearts are devoted to a thousand other things rather than being solely devoted to Allah u.
The Cause of Muslims' Disgrace and its Cure
The spectacular examples of Imam Ghazali or Imam Razi are no longer in sight because the Muslim Ummah has become derailed from its true purpose. Muslims have ignored their ruh and inner being that should be the real target of their striving and rectifying efforts. In its place, they have erroneously focused their efforts on their outer person. Today, Muslims are in disgrace in all corners of the world solely because they have forgotten to rectify their inner person and have instead become preoccupied with false attractions.
A once proud nation awed by the world,
We have sadly forgotten those times.
Remember the feats of non-believers we clearly do,
To us our own history is faded memory.
Our faces in the mirror we clearly see,
But ignorant to our hearts' darkness we remain.
Pursuing this worldly life so feverishly
Muslims have forgotten they have to die.
The Name of Allahs rings in masajid still
But the fervor of times past at which hearts would shake
Remains not the fervor of today.
The devoted of Allah who would worship all night seem to have all gone. When such magnanimous people raised their hands in supplication, Allah would grant their every wish and change entire destinies in the wink of an eye. Alas today, Muslims are estranged from the pleasures of awaking for tahajjud and crying in the night.
Tahajjud or A Hundred Dollars
In the last third of the night, an angel calls out on behalf of the Lord of the Worlds, “Is there anyone with a need that I may fulfill?” Unfortunately, those most in need are sound asleep at this blessed time when Allah opens the doors of mercy.
Most have become so sadly wretched that if someone were to tell them that they would receive one hundred dollars if they were to wake up at three o'clock in the morning then those people would barely sleep a wink. Allah says that He will grant the request of anyone who awakes and supplicates to Him at that precious hour. But sadly the majority of the Muslims today hold a hundred dollar bill in higher regard and esteem than they do Allah and the Day of Judgment.
No just estimate do they make of Allah [6:91]
Adrift at sea with no shore in sight
Nothing but emptiness wherever we turn.
The Dua of Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi
In an effort to conquer Jerusalem and crush the Muslims in a single blow, the Crusaders unleashed all their forces on the Muslims who at that time were led by Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi (May the mercy of Allah be upon him). A fully armed convoy also set sail from Europe to add to the Crusader military might already assembling in and around the Holy Land.
Hadrat Salahuddin Ayubi became apprehensive when he heard of this convoy because his forces were lesser in both number and munitions. At night, he entered Bait ul-Maqdis and spent the entire night in prayer, weeping in front of Allah for protection against the oncoming onslaught.
After praying Fajr the next morning, Hadrat Salahuddin exited the mosque and saw an elderly and venerable gentleman passing him by. The Muslim general approached and greeted this man, asking him for his dua for victory against an overwhelming enemy. The elderly gentleman was a wise shaykh who smiled and said, “Salahuddin Ayubi, the tears you shed during the night have drowned the Crusader convoy!”
Indeed, the next day, news reached the Muslims that the convoy that had recently departed from Europe had sunk in a storm at sea.
There used to be times when Muslims would raise their hands in supplication at night and Allah would change the geography of the world based on their sincerity. Today the curse of delicious foods keeps Muslims sound asleep and hence, oblivious of the infinite pleasures of worshipping Allah during the night.
Hadrat Qutbuddin's Funeral Prayer
Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (May the mercy of Allah be upon him) rests in his mausoleum outside Delhi. An amazing story from his lifetime serves as an eye-opening lesson for those who constantly make the excuse of being too busy.
There was a huge commotion upon his death because he had been so popular and people subsequently gathered from far and wide for his funeral prayer stretching as far as the eye could see. Before the funeral prayer, a man stepped forward to address the crowd, claiming that Hadrat Qutbuddin had appointed him to convey his last wishes to the people. The crowd fell silent as this man addressed them.
Hadrat Qutbuddin had left instructions that only someone who fulfilled the following four qualifications should lead his funeral prayer.
· Someone who never missed the first takbir of any prayer throughout his life.
· Someone who never missed tahajjud in his life.
· Someone who never looked toward a non-related female (non-mahram) with evil intention.
· Someone so committed that he never even missed the four sunnah preceding the Asr prayer.
A deathly silence fell over the assembly as everyone bowed their heads since no one could possibly satisfy these prerequisites and step forward to lead the prayer. After a few moments of this eerie silence, someone stepped forward from the crowd sobbing loudly. He lifted the shroud from Hadrat Qutbuddin's noble corpse and said, “Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, you yourself have gone but have put me to shame.” This man then turned to the crowd and calling upon Allah as his witness admitted to fulfilling all the qualifications called for by Hadrat Qutbuddin. The amazed crowd then recognized that the man was none other than their king, Shamshuddin Damsh.
If rulers and statesmen can find time for worship in their busy schedules, then surely people today can do the same and not use their lifestyles as an excuse. May Allah grant everyone the ability to live a righteous life.
© 2001 - 2005 Tasawwuf.org
A Lecture by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmed (db)
Down Load PDF (http://www.tasawwuf.org/writings/sermons/khutbat_sixv1.pdf)
And of everything We have created pairs so that you may receive instruction [51:49]
The Foundation of Science
This blessed verse seems to be the cornerstone and foundation of all science. Not only humans, but birds and animals have also been created in pairs. However, the meaning of this verse is much deeper than this.
All Creation is in Pairs
Upon serious reflection, it becomes evident that everything in creation has been created in pairs with the purpose of reproduction. The sky and the earth are a pair, where the sky sends rain that is absorbed by the earth and this yields offspring in the form of vegetation and crops.
After a long period of research, botanists now recognize pairs in plants, where a spore from one plant travels through the air and fertilizes another to yield new plants and vegetation. Likewise darkness and light, cold and warmth in weather patterns are all examples of pairs within creation. This world consists of matter, and scientists have also theorized about the co-existence of anti-matter and matter. Hence, matter and anti-matter becomes a pair.
Matter consists of atoms that in turn are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and electrons are charged particles whereas neutrons do not carry a charge. Hence, once again we find a pair consisting of charged versus non-charged particles. Likewise, reactions in the world of chemistry are based on the interaction of positive and negative ions that forms compounds and mixtures. These ions are pairs just like the pairs within the atom. The resulting compounds and mixtures are either basic or acidic, two states on the Ph scale also coming in pairs.
An Appeal to Muslim Students of Science
Muslim students of knowledge everywhere should conduct their research keeping this blessed verse in the forefront and they will open doors to new scientific discoveries. Not long ago, communication and computations would take days and months. But today, the computer has revolutionized the world and the same work that would previously take days now takes minutes. Technology is changing very rapidly in today's world.
Computer languages are based upon a system of bits and bytes where whole languages are composed of zeroes and ones. The bits and bytes are likewise a system of pairs like everything mentioned above; hence providing more evidence that all that is within creation is in pairs.
True and False Beings
When we analyze the human being in the context of this verse, we find that it also reveals a system of pairs where the human is also a sum of two parts. These two parts are the outer shell which is the body, and the spirit (ruh) that is within. The body is a false being and merely a shell for the true self, the ruh.
The body and ruh are two separate life forces in coexistence and therefore have different needs. The body is created from the earth and therefore receives sustenance from whatever comes from the earth. For example, the food that nourishes the body grows from the earth as does the cotton from which clothes are made.
Consequently the ruh's origin is the Throne of Allah and therefore its nourishment is the constant flow of blessing and mercy that descend from the Throne. Included in this is all benefit from righteous deeds because these righteous deeds also emanate from the Pleasure of Allah u. Although in coexistence as a pair, the body and ruh have drastically different needs.
Just as going without food for days would weaken and starve the body, the same holds true for the ruh if one foregoes righteousness for even a few days and falls into evil ways. The pleasure of the body is different from the pleasure of the ruh. The body takes different pleasures in different foods such as roast meat and vegetables. Likewise, the ruh savors each and every act of righteousness. Crying in the middle of the night to Allah has its own special flavor as does telling the truth and reading the Holy Quran. These are all degrees apart from the delicious taste of a well done steak that the body may enjoy.
The righteous in search of Allah derive the same, if not more pleasure, from reading every verse of the Holy Quran that the body may derive from each scoop of ice cream. Righteous acts give new life to the ruh and the person inside awakes.
And when they hear His Signs rehearsed find their faith strengthened [8:2]
Two Faces
Man is a hypocrite who shows two opposite faces, one to society and another to Allah u. He goes through life with these two faces, one that the open eye sees and another that is only seen when the eye is closed. Furthermore one face is shown through pride and arrogance and yet another is shown through humility.
The Missing Pleasure of Recitation
The People of Allah derive pleasure whenever they read or listen to the Holy Quran, but unfortunately, the majority of the common Muslims do not derive such pleasure, because they have not worked hard to rectify their inner being. They may be physically standing in prayer, but in their thought, they are at work or in the marketplace. Physically, they might be reading the Holy Quran, but in thought, they are occupied with other people or events. One can never derive pleasure from or unlock the treasures of worship and recitation with such heedlessness.
Very Strange Events
It is very unfortunate that at times an imam will make a mistake while leading prayer and hence make a prostration of correction (sajda sahu). Even more horrific is that the imam will then turn around and address the entire congregation asking how many cycles (rakats) were completed and no one from the entire congregation can answer him. This is the sad state of Muslim worship today that everyone is heedless in their worship, which is actually the only reason for existence.
When I prostrated upon the earth it cried out,
O You who prostrate only for show!
You have ruined even me!
When I prostrated upon the earth it cried out,
Oh you of false heart filled with idols,
What value can your bowing possibly have?
Prostrations that would make the earth shake,
Are what pulpits today ache for.
Faces that would shine with marks of prostration,
Where have they gone?
Hearts that would tremble in fear of Allah u? Where have they gone?
The gatherings have dispersed,
Those seeking You have left.
The cries of the night and dawn are no more,
Find them with a lamp in daylight you will not.
Indeed, today life and priorities have changed as things other than Allah seem more important to people. Muslims can never savor the delicious taste of worship when their hearts are devoted to a thousand other things rather than being solely devoted to Allah u.
The Cause of Muslims' Disgrace and its Cure
The spectacular examples of Imam Ghazali or Imam Razi are no longer in sight because the Muslim Ummah has become derailed from its true purpose. Muslims have ignored their ruh and inner being that should be the real target of their striving and rectifying efforts. In its place, they have erroneously focused their efforts on their outer person. Today, Muslims are in disgrace in all corners of the world solely because they have forgotten to rectify their inner person and have instead become preoccupied with false attractions.
A once proud nation awed by the world,
We have sadly forgotten those times.
Remember the feats of non-believers we clearly do,
To us our own history is faded memory.
Our faces in the mirror we clearly see,
But ignorant to our hearts' darkness we remain.
Pursuing this worldly life so feverishly
Muslims have forgotten they have to die.
The Name of Allahs rings in masajid still
But the fervor of times past at which hearts would shake
Remains not the fervor of today.
The devoted of Allah who would worship all night seem to have all gone. When such magnanimous people raised their hands in supplication, Allah would grant their every wish and change entire destinies in the wink of an eye. Alas today, Muslims are estranged from the pleasures of awaking for tahajjud and crying in the night.
Tahajjud or A Hundred Dollars
In the last third of the night, an angel calls out on behalf of the Lord of the Worlds, “Is there anyone with a need that I may fulfill?” Unfortunately, those most in need are sound asleep at this blessed time when Allah opens the doors of mercy.
Most have become so sadly wretched that if someone were to tell them that they would receive one hundred dollars if they were to wake up at three o'clock in the morning then those people would barely sleep a wink. Allah says that He will grant the request of anyone who awakes and supplicates to Him at that precious hour. But sadly the majority of the Muslims today hold a hundred dollar bill in higher regard and esteem than they do Allah and the Day of Judgment.
No just estimate do they make of Allah [6:91]
Adrift at sea with no shore in sight
Nothing but emptiness wherever we turn.
The Dua of Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi
In an effort to conquer Jerusalem and crush the Muslims in a single blow, the Crusaders unleashed all their forces on the Muslims who at that time were led by Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi (May the mercy of Allah be upon him). A fully armed convoy also set sail from Europe to add to the Crusader military might already assembling in and around the Holy Land.
Hadrat Salahuddin Ayubi became apprehensive when he heard of this convoy because his forces were lesser in both number and munitions. At night, he entered Bait ul-Maqdis and spent the entire night in prayer, weeping in front of Allah for protection against the oncoming onslaught.
After praying Fajr the next morning, Hadrat Salahuddin exited the mosque and saw an elderly and venerable gentleman passing him by. The Muslim general approached and greeted this man, asking him for his dua for victory against an overwhelming enemy. The elderly gentleman was a wise shaykh who smiled and said, “Salahuddin Ayubi, the tears you shed during the night have drowned the Crusader convoy!”
Indeed, the next day, news reached the Muslims that the convoy that had recently departed from Europe had sunk in a storm at sea.
There used to be times when Muslims would raise their hands in supplication at night and Allah would change the geography of the world based on their sincerity. Today the curse of delicious foods keeps Muslims sound asleep and hence, oblivious of the infinite pleasures of worshipping Allah during the night.
Hadrat Qutbuddin's Funeral Prayer
Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (May the mercy of Allah be upon him) rests in his mausoleum outside Delhi. An amazing story from his lifetime serves as an eye-opening lesson for those who constantly make the excuse of being too busy.
There was a huge commotion upon his death because he had been so popular and people subsequently gathered from far and wide for his funeral prayer stretching as far as the eye could see. Before the funeral prayer, a man stepped forward to address the crowd, claiming that Hadrat Qutbuddin had appointed him to convey his last wishes to the people. The crowd fell silent as this man addressed them.
Hadrat Qutbuddin had left instructions that only someone who fulfilled the following four qualifications should lead his funeral prayer.
· Someone who never missed the first takbir of any prayer throughout his life.
· Someone who never missed tahajjud in his life.
· Someone who never looked toward a non-related female (non-mahram) with evil intention.
· Someone so committed that he never even missed the four sunnah preceding the Asr prayer.
A deathly silence fell over the assembly as everyone bowed their heads since no one could possibly satisfy these prerequisites and step forward to lead the prayer. After a few moments of this eerie silence, someone stepped forward from the crowd sobbing loudly. He lifted the shroud from Hadrat Qutbuddin's noble corpse and said, “Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, you yourself have gone but have put me to shame.” This man then turned to the crowd and calling upon Allah as his witness admitted to fulfilling all the qualifications called for by Hadrat Qutbuddin. The amazed crowd then recognized that the man was none other than their king, Shamshuddin Damsh.
If rulers and statesmen can find time for worship in their busy schedules, then surely people today can do the same and not use their lifestyles as an excuse. May Allah grant everyone the ability to live a righteous life.
© 2001 - 2005 Tasawwuf.org