The Trial of Life and the Power of the Remembrance of Allah

Discourse of His Eminence Pir Sahib, may Allah have mercy on him,

delivered on 6th September1986,

Discourse # 56

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

فَنِعۡمَ الۡمَوۡلٰی وَ نِعۡمَ النَّصِیۡرُ

رَبِِّ اشۡرَحۡ لِیۡ صَدۡرِیۡ وَیَسِّرۡ لِیۡۤ اَمۡرِیۡ وَ احۡلُلۡ عُقۡدَۃً مِّنۡ لِّسَانِیۡ یَفۡقَہُوۡاقَوۡلِیۡ

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِ عَلٰی سَیّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اٰلِ سَیِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اَصْحَابِہٖ وَعَلٰی اَذْوَاجِہٖ اَجْمَعِیْنَ وَبَارِکْ وَسَلِمْ وَصَلِ عَلَیْہٖ

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ

The Almighty Allah be praised that the Master of All Sovereignty once again granted us today the opportunity to gather in His remembrance and pleasure. Millions and billions of blessings and salutations upon the Leader of the Prophets, the Beloved of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, peace and blessings be upon him, through whom this grace has been granted.

تَبٰرَكَ الَّذِيْ بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ ۡ وَهُوَ عَلٰي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرُۨ۝ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيٰوةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

( آیت نمبر 1 تا 2 : سورۃ الملک)

Translation:

Blessed is the One who created life and death, and He has power over all things. He is the one who created death and life so that He may test which of you performs the best deeds.

Chapter Al-Mulk, Verse: 1-2

Allah Almighty created human beings for His worship, and for that very purpose created the entire universe, so that humans might benefit from all of it. For this, He granted them hands, feet, and intellect. Yet He placed one condition: make use of Allah’s blessings as you wish, but do not forget Allah Almighty Himself. Do not forget the One who has given you all these gifts. Therefore, remain obedient to His law, for that is where your prosperity and well-being lie. If you obey this command of Allah, then in return He will grant you a reward far greater than all that He has given you in this world —a reward so exalted that no mind can comprehend it. The wealth and riches of this world are only temporary, while the true and lasting treasure is that of the hereafter. But if you forget Allah Almighty amid these very blessings and disobey His command, then remember well: these blessings will become a source of torment for you instead of comfort. Everything is in the hand of Almighty Power. He is watching what you do. He gives you time, so you may earn reward or punishment through your own actions, and no cause for complaint remains. This worldly life is your trial, and everything in it that attracts the heart, draws you, and distracts you from the remembrance of Allah is deception and a test. If you succeed in this trial, then both worlds will be yours; but if you fail, you will lose both.

Therefore, for a person understanding this command of God that worldly life is a trial, it is necessary to obey God’s command at every step and to live according to it so that the help and support of Allah Almighty will remain with him. He will live free from anxiety and care, and attain the treasures of God in the hereafter. But in truth, despite utmost effort, a human being is defeated by Satan and the lower self; thus, slipping again and again, he strays from his appointed straight path and fails. These are two such afflictions that, despite every effort, can still lead one astray. Yet, God has also shown the way to be saved from them. For Allah Almighty did not create human beings only to leave them helpless before these enemies. Rather, He has given them mighty weapons, which, when used properly, utterly vanquish both enemies. Thus, a person proceeds steadfastly on the straight path and, triumphant, reaches his destined goal. And that weapon is the remembrance of God Almighty. When a person remembers God Almighty, the bones of Satan are broken; he cries out and flees. In this way, the lower self is subdued, and spiritual longing drowns all worldly desires.

This is why Allah Almighty has repeatedly commanded human beings not to neglect the remembrance of Him so that they may succeed in this trial and attain the treasure He has kept for them. In a sacred Hadith Qudsi, Allah says, “O my servant! If you come to me with sins as great as the whole earth, I will come to you with forgiveness as great as the earth, provided you have not associated any partner with me.” This blessed Hadith deserves profound reflection. Shirk does not refer merely to believing someone other than Allah to be God. Such unfortunate people are very few, and nowadays perhaps none. But when the time comes to remember Allah, to obey His command, or when divine love is before one, a person may fall into a subtle shirk, deceived by the self and Satan; he prefers worldly attachments or comfort over the remembrance of Allah. He sets aside the command of Allah and gives precedence to the dictates of the world. This hidden shirk becomes the cause of a person’s ruin. Being subtle and concealed, and due to a lack of understanding, a person fails to recognize it, falls prey to it, thereby hastening his own destruction. Thus, it is essential to guard oneself against such shirk.

Honored listeners! In short, the point is that this recitation of the Sacred Awrād, this program of the remembrance of Allah, is in reality a struggle and battle with the lower self and with Satan. Those who participate become soldiers of Allah Almighty, purified from shirk and sins, and they attain the aspirations of both religion and the world. But those who remain heedless fall prey to Satan and the lower self, become distant from Allah, and their worldly life becomes filled with grief, anxiety, and distress, and the disgrace of the hereafter immediately becomes their destined lot. Therefore, by the favor and grace of Allah Almighty, and of the benefit He has bestowed through His remembrance, one should never absent oneself from it under any circumstances. While remaining engaged in this sacred practice, one should keep this thought always in mind: we are the humble servants of Allah Almighty. Standing before Him as supplicants, saying, O Allah! We are weak and without understanding. Our enemies are powerful and cunning. So, through the blessing of Your sacred names, grant us Your help. Keep us firm upon Your path, grant us success in this trial, and fill our lives with the aspirations, successes, and joys of both religion and this world. Protect us from the sorrows, worries, and shame of that Day. And as long as we live, keep us before Your Divine Court as humble petitioners, and never deprive us of such wealth.

Now, let us begin.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

In the blessed name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

The Awrād-e-Naẓīriyyah Sharīf were recited, and supplication was offered.