Chapter 11

The Prophets Were Sent to Help Man Become True Man

Bismillähir-Rahmänir-Rahïm. In the name of God, most Merciful, most Compassionate.

May all our praise and glory be to God alone. And may God’s praise and glory be true man (insän). May we all walk on the path of God’s grace. Ämïn

May we receive His benevolence. In this world and the next may we receive the wealth of the three worlds. In death and in life may we be liberated, attain Allah’s wealth of grace (rahmat), and so live our lives. Ämïn

Precious jeweled lights of my eyes, the here and the hereafter are aspects of our life. To understand both and live our lives, Allähu ta‘älä, the Singular Ruler, has instructed us in many different ways. He has taught us through His created beings, through trees, flowers, and leaves. He has made us understand through the numerous four-legged creatures. He has taught us through the birds, fish, reptiles, scorpions, jungle animals,
city-animals, grass, shrubs, and flowers.

Through them all, He makes us understand His limitless rahmat. He teaches us through water, fire, earth, air, sun, moon, clouds, lightning, thunder, rain, stars, planets, lights, and colors. These creations make us realize,“No one else can do this. The One who does all this is God!”

Believe only in Him—the One. He has established all these things as common wealth. He has created them to belong to man and animals. He has created grass, water, air, trees, plants, and fruits as our common wealth, belonging to all. However, only man lives in selfishness. Whatever man touches, he takes for his own. Whatever he sets foot on, he claims as his land, his country. Whatever he sees, he desires and gathers for himself. His every intention is for control and possession, for snatching another’s freedom or hurting another’s life. Man lives as one who hurts the lives of others. Whatever he sees, hears, smells, or tastes, he appropriates. He takes everything into his possession. Through millions of created beings, God tries to teach man to live in peace, equanimity, and tranquillity. But because of his self-interest, man does not realize this.

God teaches man through many different things, but his mind, darkness, cravings, and base desires have not left him. Man most exalted, has therefore, changed into man most degraded. For this condition, this state of being, God sent 124,000 prophets, saying, “Man does not learn from My creations; he does not realize the truth from these examples and explanations. Instead, he tries to control all living creatures and claim them for his own purposes. If he sees a creature, he takes it for himself. Whatever he sees, he appropriates. He plucks away the freedom of all lives. He plucks away the peace of all lives. He snatches away the tranquillity of all creatures. He takes on all the attachments of the world.

“Go to these sinful men and teach them this: My creations belong to all. All lives have freedom. My kingdom is to be peaceful for all. I created each being with rights, peace, and equanimity. Tell mankind, and make them attain clarity through everything I created— the sun, moon, stars, water, fire, air, earth, trees, grass, and shrubs. I created them so all lives can thrive in freedom. I created My kingdom for each life to live in peace, equanimity, and tranquillity.

“The world-kingdom, soul-kingdom, divine-kingdom, and hell kingdom— I assign mankind to these kingdoms according to way they live their lives. To the hell-kingdom, I apportion those of hell. Through their own sins and what they rear, they subject themselves to this. In the soul-kingdom, the achievers of soul-liberation dwell in liberty, with liberation in this world and the hereafter. They live in freedom.

“To an achiever of hell, all the pain returns from the lives he hurt, the lives he killed, the lives he ate, and the lives he subordinated. Everything he nurtured devours him now. Everything he hurt, hurts him now. Everything he looked at, looks at him here. Everything he relished, relishes and consumes him. Everything he sought devours him in the hell-kingdom. Make man realize this. Make man understand and live his life accordingly.”

This is what God told the prophets before he sent them down to earth. He revealed these principles, examples, and explanations and told the prophets to teach each individual in a way that he or she would understand. The prophets that were sent down in this manner numbered 124,000. Many divinely wise beings (qutbs), saints (auliyäs), messengers (ambiyäs), angels, and archangels were also sent down. Lights and sounds were sent down and made to resonate.

But man forgot it all; he hurt other lives and succumbed to selfishness. He sought things out for his own ends and changed into the worst of animals. So God sent each prophet to help man become true man, to help him become exalted, to help him understand his kingdom and his King.

He sent down the appropriate words and grace. He revealed the instructions of grace and their effulgences. Through the final Prophet (Sal.), God sent the 6,666 verses as well as the five and six ordained duties. He explained the history of each prophet and the teachings given to each; then he told the Prophet (Sal.), “Ya Muhammad, I am sending you as the final Prophet. Go and teach the people.”

According to this command, one of the five and six duties is the fast. God has to instruct us through the fast because we live our lives without awareness. Through studying the fast, may we realize its real meaning and purpose. We must find a way in which we, and others, can attain peace. These, among others, are some purposes of the fast.

My precious jeweled lights of my eyes, each of my children, whatever you do, go within it. Whatever you see, creep into it and look again. Distinguish wrong and right. Whatever you think, go within and reflect with wisdom, questioning, “What is wrong, what is right?” Whatever you intend, go within and perceive what is good and what is evil. When you understand with wisdom and realize, you will have resolute faith (ïmän), purity, and a pure life.

In this state, we should be resolute and extract each principle with understanding. We should know and adopt the right way to live our lives. When we walk and move one foot forward, placing it on the ground, the other foot lifts up automatically, does it not? If one foot slips, the other foot plants itself firmly on the ground, and our hands reach out to support the body, keeping it from falling, do they not? In the same way, inner patience, contentment, trust in God, and complete surrender to God (sabür, shakür, tawakkul, and al-hamdu lilläh), will
constantly intertwine and operate within us. In our conduct, wisdom and ïmän should prevail. When ïmän slips, it should be supported and caught by wisdom. When wisdom falters, it should be assisted and held by ïmän and belief. We should uphold this state in everything we do in life, saying the Bismin 1 before we proceed. If we say the Bismin and live our life in accord with it, we will never do what is unlawful (haräm), and we will never see hell. We will realize the straight way.

Ours should be a body of inner patience, contentment, trust in God, total surrender to God, wisdom, ïmän and trust. When we live with such a body, one foot must automatically lift up when the other meets the ground. Such is the intention. On the path of the soul we move forward saying, Lä iläha ill-Allähu—other than You there is nothing, only You are God. When the breath, feet, and ïmän move forward in this manner, hell will be far removed from us, sins will be burned away from us, and desires will try to run away from us. Allah, Allah’s messengers, prophets, angels, and archangels will surround and protect us.

With this guardianship we can go to our Father’s divine kingdom. If, in everything we do, we live in this way, the angels, archangels, prophets, and enlightened beings will surround us, and we will experience no danger. We will then walk in safety and protection.

Each child must think of this. Adhere to the straight way. Walk on it with ïmän, certainty, and trust, letting each breath and footstep synchronize with Lä iläha ill-Allähu. When you place your left foot forward, say, “Lä iläha,” and when you place your right foot forward, say, “Ill-Allähu.” Our breath and feet should move together. Belief, determination, and ïmän should surround and safeguard each step we take. This will be the protection in a resolute life. Our sins, birth-karma, arrogance, and maya will leave us. Each child, reflect on this and live! Ämïn.

As-salämu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullähi wa barakätuhu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessings of God be upon you.

My precious jeweled lights of my eyes, go now, and break the fasts that you intended in God’s name. Say the Bismin; say, “Bismillähir-Rahmänir-Rahïm— in the name of God, most Merciful, most Compassionate.” Intend God and say, “Al-hamdu lilläh— All praise is to God!”

Give Him your intentions, give Him the responsibility, and do your duties. Ämïn.

As-salämu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullähi wa barakätuhu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessings of God be upon you.

M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.)

Footnotes

1. Bismin: An abbreviated version of Bismillähir-Rahmänir-Rahïm—in the name of God, most Merciful, most Compassionate. To say it with true meaning is to acknowledge God as the Creator, Protector, and Sustainer of all lives. Then, realizing that He knows all, place all responsibility in His keeping, and live in peace.