The Importance of a Good Ending
Address of Huzoor Wala Shan Pir Sahib (14 February 1985)
Speech No 4
فنِعۡمَ الۡمَوۡلٰی وَ نِعۡمَ النَّصِیۡرُ
رَبِِّ اشۡرَحۡ لِیۡ صَدۡرِیۡ وَیَسِّرۡ لِیۡۤ اَمۡرِیۡ وَ احۡلُلۡ عُقۡدَۃً مِّنۡ لِّسَانِیۡ یَفۡقَہُوۡاقَوۡلِیۡ
َللّٰهُمَّصَلِعَلٰی سَیّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اٰلِ سَیِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اَصْحَابِہٖ وَعَلٰی اَذْوَاجِہٖ اَجْمَعِیْنَ وَبَارِکْ وَسَلِمْ وَصَلِ عَلَیْہٖ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All praise is for Allah.
Countless thanks be to Allah Almighty, the Master of all sovereignty, who once again granted us the opportunity and ability to gather here for His pleasure, in His remembrance, and in His love. Millions and billions of blessings and salutations be upon the Leader of the Prophets, the Beloved of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him), through whose mediation this grace has been bestowed upon us.
Respected listeners! It is mentioned in the Hadith that you should continue to pray for the renewal of your faith (Iman). In another Hadith, it is stated that some people continue performing good deeds, yet in the end they commit such an act that leads them to Hell. And there are others who spend their lives committing bad deeds, but at the final moment they perform a good act and thus enter Paradise.
The meaning of this Hadith is that guarding one’s thoughts is essential. If one’s thoughts remain pure, there is success in this world; but if thoughts become corrupt, faith can turn into disbelief. Therefore, one must strive to ensure that the end of one’s deeds is good. Along with effort, a person must continuously pray in the court of Allah that He protects them from an evil end.
From the history of the great spiritual masters, we learn that many people dedicate their lives to serving the creation for the pleasure of Allah. However, after some time, a thought may arise in their hearts: “Perhaps we made a mistake. We invited hardship upon ourselves. We distanced ourselves from relatives and turned away from worldly pleasures.” The mere arrival of such thoughts can destroy the reward of their sacrifices. Why? Because it implies that a person has given preference to the world over the love of God, and this attitude can lead to disbelief.
Remember! No matter how much a person worships, the ego (nafs) and Satan walk alongside him, constantly trying to mislead him. The moment a person listens to them, he goes astray. The Holy Qur’an states that such people’s deeds are rendered worthless, and on the Day of Judgment they will carry no weight.
“All is well that ends well.” Even in other cultures it is said, “The end is good if it finishes well.” What truly matters is a good conclusion. Therefore, one should always remain mindful of one’s sins.
Another important point to understand is this: if a person believes that by abandoning the path of God he will achieve success in the world, he is completely mistaken. The dervishes, through experience, have explained that whoever turns away from God and directs his hopes toward the world ultimately faces humiliation. Allah’s honor demands that a servant should place hope in Him alone, not in worldly means.
The well-being of every human lies in the firm belief that Allah is fully aware of every condition and that everything is within His power. But when a person attempts to make himself his own god, he commits ظلم (injustice) against himself. Nothing happens outside the will and command of Allah.
Look at the marketplace of the world: some people conduct business worth billions, while others clean the filth of bathrooms. Do the latter strive any less? In fact, their effort may be even greater. This is simply the wisdom of the Master of all sovereignty, and life must be lived according to that divine wisdom.
O attendees of this gathering! That is why sacred litanies (Awrad) are recited — so that Allah may grant us a good ending, keep us alive in His servitude, cause us to die in His servitude, and raise us on the Day of Judgment in His servitude. With this intention, one should recite the sacred litanies and be willing to sacrifice worldly needs and engagements for the sake of such a blessed gathering. In this way, a person’s actions become acts of worship, and his life becomes valuable.
With this intention, let us begin:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Awrad-e-Naziriyah Sharif were recited, and supplication was made.