A Wake-up Call: Reminder

A Dervish was sitting calmly near the River Tigris. While, he was busy sewing his cloak, he was interrupted by a question of a passerby,who coincidently belonged to the same country as that of the Saint. The person asked, “What you perceive, you have achieved?”.

Dervish’s response was so captivating.  He was holding a needle at that time, which he dropped into the river in ‘response’ to the question. Then he commanded the river “bring back my needle”.

The curious passerby was enthralled to see a school of fish, suddenly appeared on the surface of the river water, each carrying in its spout a needle made up of gold.

“This is the least that I gained after forgoing the worldly treasure.”, replied Dervish to his Countryman. This Dervish was a very famous Saint, Ebrahim Bin Udham who left his throne for the sake of Allah’s love. Few incidents altered the course of his life.

One of the most inspiring for me was the one in which Hazrat Ebrahim Bin Udham’s conscience was shaken when a person in the royal court without permission entered suddenly ignoring all royal courtesies and decorum. Nobody from Nobles, Ministers, Guards or Slaves dared to stop him as if they were awe-stricken from his sight.

The man came up to the throne and Ebrahim inquired in amazement about his identity and the purpose of coming in the Royal Court. The man replied, “I want to stay in this Inn for a little while. Ebrahim curtly told him that it was not an Inn it was his Royal Court and Palace. The man then asked, “Who was living before him there?”.Ebrahim replied,” My father.”

Then the man asked,” before his father who stayed there”.Ebrahim told that his grandfather. After inquiring about so many ancestors, the man then asked,” Who would stay after you?” Ebrahim said,” My filiation”.

Thus the man explained why he called the palace as Inn by admonishing Ebrahim in these words. “You should be cautious about the place where so many men came and left but none of them have stayed permanently. So isn’t that an Inn? then what else. ”

After saying that he left but Ebrahim was perturbed as that incident proved to be a catalyst in transforming the King of Balkh into a Saint. The lives of Saints give the lesson of humanity.

Besides this, they cautioned people that power/authority, wealth, physical strength and beauty are temporary privileges and happiness endowed by the Almighty so they should not forget the real purpose of their life.

Moreover, it is an inevitable reality that the worldly life span is short, uncertain and unpredictable. Therefore, the loved ones of the God, engage themselves in earning good deeds.

They abstain from indulging in luxuries. They, most of the time, chasten themselves by hardships of life and become cognizant more of their shortcomings and weaknesses.

They have pure hearts that love people, setting aside all prejudices and ignoring all religious, sectarian, class and race-based differences. The austerity of their lifestyle is surprising for many.

The above-mentioned incident not only encompasses the old times when great Saint like Ebrahim who was the King but it also encompasses the current time in which conscience is in deep slumber.

It is the harbinger for everyone as all have to vacate this impermanent abode. So one should not transgress for the sake of worldly pleasures. The people occupying influential, authoritative appointments and designations like our Head of the State, Ministers, Ruling Elite, the higher to lower echelons of bureaucracy, Military Officers and Generals, Feudal Lords, Industrialists, Businessmen or Services Owners must learn a lesson from it, and that they should remain upright in their dealings as sooner or later they will also be replaced like their predecessors.

hey should be considerate for the country as the proverb goes “as you sow so you will reap”. The cycle of Karma never stops.

We have the examples of our powerful Military Dictators and elected heads of the State who were pretty certain to rule for a life long and what happened to them was evident by all. Presently two are ailing and living in exile whereas, others are facing litigations and punishments but still have a lust for power.

Alexander, the Great couldn’t achieve what he wanted, his desire to conquer the world didn’t fulfill.According to some Historians, he died at an early age,of 32 years only. As a matter of fact,Death keeps no calendar, irrespective of the age, moment or phase of life the person currently in.

The global pandemic COVID-19 outbreak has a horrific impact on the world. It had shown that humans despite many technological and medical developments are helpless.

Before the Coronavirus outbreak, some were busy at work, some were rigorously putting efforts to start a new business to excel in their life. Leaders of the world were planning to start new ventures. Businesses to school, in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, are in a standstill position. Thousands of people are dying in a day.

On 3^rd April, 1,169 people reported dead in United States only due to this contagious disease. This virus has infected governments ministers and top brass of many state machinery.

Almighty shows to the modern world that it is still incapable and weak. This occurrence of the invisible is an awakening call for our conscience to finding our purpose of existence and to alert our ways of living. This isolation provides the opportunity to connect with Allah, The Almighty and to seek His forgiveness and mercy.

The lives of the friends of Allah are evidence that shows us why they prefer a simple life over these luxuries and how one could attain the contentment of heart. They were seen reluctant to take any position from royal courts.

Generally, they kept a distance from kings, ministers, and the nobles. As being closer to these worldly powerful people gives birth to worldly desires.

The contentment of the heart can only be attained by the submission and acceptance of the possession one holds. Calm and peaceful life can be attained by performing the obligatory duties, wholeheartedly.

In a nutshell, this global pandemic has shown how uncertain, unpredictable our lives are and that we have to return to Him willingly or unwillingly on the call when it will be made as He created this world with his command,

Allah has stated in the Quran: “Then He rose over towards the heaven when it was smoke and said unto it and unto the earth “Come (into being), willingly or unwillingly.” They both said: “We come willingly”(41:11, Al-Quran). This outbreak has shaken our conscience, it serves as a reminder from the Almighty that reminds us to recall the actual purpose of our existence.W