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In religion the world is
condemned and described as flesh. Also, all the
people of truth and sainthood deplore the world
and regard it as evil and foul. Whereas you show
it to be the means for the manifestations of all
Divine perfections and speak of it like a lover.
The world has three
facets:
The
first facet is concerned with the Names
of Almighty God. It shows their
inscriptions and functions as mirrors to
them. This facet is the collection of
the innumerable ‘letters’ of the
Eternally Besought-of-All. Therefore it
is extremely beautiful and worthy of
love, not of dislike.
The
second facet of the world is related to
the Hereafter. It is the field to sow
for the Hereafter, the tillage of
Paradise. It is the flower-bed of Divine
Mercy. Like the first one, this facet
too, is beautiful, and worthy of love,
not condemnation.
The
third facet is a veil of heedlessness
and a plaything which concerns the
fancies and desires of man. This facet
is ugly because it is mortal, painful
and deceptive. It is this facet of the
world which the Traditions condemn and
the people of truth dislike.
The Wise Quran praises the
creation and attaches importance to it on account of
its first two facets. The Companions sought after
these two facets, as have the other saints.
Four groups of people condemn the
world and deplore it
The first group are
those having knowledge of God. Since the
world builds a barrier before the
knowledge, love and worship of Almighty
God, they condemn the world.
The second group are
those who aim solely at the life of the
Hereafter. Either because worldly affairs
and occupations prevent them from striving
for the Hereafter seriously or because
their firm belief and conviction show them
the world to be very ugly in comparison
with the beauties and perfections of
Paradise, they abhor the world. Just as a
man, however handsome, is ugly when
compared with the Prophet
Joseph, upon him be peace, so too, all the
beauties and charms of the world mean
nothing in comparison with the beauties of
Paradise.
The third group condemn
the world because they are unable to ‘conquer’
it. This condemnations arises from the love
of the world, not from dislike of it.
The fourth group
condemn the world because when they seize
something of the world, it slips out of
their grasp. They become angry and in order
to console themselves, say: the world is
ugly. This kind of condemnation, too, arises
from love of the world. Whereas the
agreeable condemnation is that which comes
from the love of the Hereafter and knowledge
of God.
For the sake of the Master of the
Messengers, may Almighty God include us among the
first two groups. Amen.
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