Reflections

Moreover, he regards even the greatest of creatures, such as the Arsh and the sun, as servants subjected to the same Creator as himself.

Consider also the following examples in order to compare the exaltedness of these two students and the spiritual expansion they undergo:

The Qur’an grants its students the following means of spiritual elevation and enrichment: in place of an ordinary prayer-bead consisting of ninety-nine beads, it places in their hands the whole of creation—as a vast prayer-bead upon which all the Names of Allah are manifested, with its individual beings serving as beads—and says: “Recite your awrād with this.”

Indeed, consider how devoted students of the Qur’an such as Shaykh Ghilānī, Ahmad al-Rifāī, and Abū al-Hasan al-Shādhilī recite their awrād. They supplicate Allah and hope that their prayers and dhikr will be accepted as though they had performed them as many times as there are atoms in the universe, drops in the seas, and breaths drawn by all living beings. In this way, they remember and glorify Allah.

Consider, then, the wondrous instruction of the Qur’an. See how the seemingly insignificant human being—who is troubled by the smallest misfortune and the slightest trial, and can be overcome even by a microscopic microbe—grows immensely in spirit through the Qur’an’s instruction. His spiritual faculties unfold to such a degree that, in the end, even all the beings in the vast universe seem too few for the recitation of his awrād. Although he regards even Paradise as too small to be the ultimate aim of his glorification and worship, he does not consider himself superior to the lowliest of Allah’s creatures. Thus he combines boundless dignity with boundless humility. From this, you may judge how degraded the students of philosophy are by comparison.

Indeed, the truths which the corrupt philosophies of Europe perceive wrongly, because of their narrow vision and their single eye fixed only upon this world, are seen clearly by the Qur’an. With one eye upon this world and the other upon the Hereafter, it unveils the realities of the unseen and beholds both realms. It points out the path to happiness in both worlds and says:

O human being! Your soul and all that has been placed at your disposal do not belong to you; they are trusts placed in your care. The Owner of those trusts is the Rahīm-i Karīm, Whose knowledge and power encompass all things. He wishes to purchase from you what He has entrusted to you, so that He may preserve it for you and prevent it from being lost. In return, He will grant you a great price.

You are like a soldier appointed to an important duty and entrusted with a charge. Work in His name and act on His behalf. He provides your sustenance and everything you need, and protects you against that which lies beyond your own strength.

The aim and fruit of your life is to manifest the Names and attributes of your Owner. When calamity strikes you, say:

اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّٓا اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ