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"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me."
A Hadith Qudsi says: Whatever you see, We created it for you, various fruits, many kinds of vegetables and different animals… Every bounty is for man and man is for Allah. Man has been created for God, for recognition and for serving (worshipping) and for loving, for recognizing God and for befriending God and for worshipping (serving) God. This is the aim.
This is the happiness of human beings. If man walks on this way, every good luck and happiness is for him. The path of knowing and serving God can make man benefit from a pious life. If he does not deviate from this right path, he tastes the sweetness of this path. But if he does not tread this path and goes after lusts and desires he gets nothing except misery, regrets and ill luck. His life becomes worse than that of an animal. Every animal’s life is better than his as he distanced himself from the aim of his life.
The aim of life is to see the bounties, to recognize the One Who provided these bounties and to befriend Him. So, open your eyes. Do not consider yourself away or apart from God. Do not imagine that you are independent and self-sufficient. Do not be in illusion that the burden of life is borne by you. Know that you have God; that you have a Creator and the One Who brings you and takes you away and Who protects you. Your life is being directed by God. Lest you associate yourself with God. The life of man is sweet only when he understands that God is there; that the Lord Creator of the universe is his helper and protector that He is his life’s Director.
His reliance must by on Only One God. Woe unto man who distances himself from God and imagines that he himself is bearing the burden of his life and that he must manage his affairs himself. At that time, many doubts and superstitions and aspirations and sorrows overtake him. How then can he taste the sweetness of life? A man’s life is tasteful only when he sees and knows that every bounty is only from God, if he praises and glorifies only God, be he on his own dining table or on that of anyone else.
Reflection of his radiance, wherever you see
In some of the villages they cultivate paddy. You can see as if there is a divine dinner-cloth of several square yards area, which provides good rice to His servants. How much pleased is a monotheist believing in Only One God looking at this grand gift for millions of His servants. Likewise are the growing of wheat and barely and other food grains in every season.
Meaning: I am very much pleased with the universe as the universe is pleased with Him. I love the entire universe because the entire universe is from Him.
Take up some earth and kiss it and put is on your eyes as it is a divine bounty. How much water God Almighty has provided for His servants. A true Faithful person drinks this water with happiness and thankfulness. To suck (drink it slowly) it is recommended, that is, to drink a glass of water in several phases slowly – two or three phases and to say: Al hamdu lillaah (Thanks to God) every time.
Truth and reality about bread is also known. A believing (believer) person eats every piece of it with a profound feeling of gratefulness and happiness. This is the life of a man. If man lives like this and, especially, follows the recommended hints while eating and drinking, it also ensures his health and safety. If you do so you will not fall ill. Insure yourself in this way: Until you are hungry, do not eat anything and stop eating before you are fully gratified, that is, eat two or three morsels less. Similarly it is mentioned in the manners of eating: The morsel must be little in size. Secondly, do not make haste in eating and chew the morsel well.
The longer food is in mouth and the more it is chewed the better for digestion. Firstly, the food is in mouth. The more saliva mixes with food the better for its turning into strength of body through digestion. Make no haste. Sit respectfully and with discipline on the ground on the dinner spread of God Almighty without any show of pride or arrogance as it is seen in modern manners, as they eat standing. God’s bounty is very great. If something is placed on bread, lift it up. Bread is respected do not cut it with a knife. Kiss it.
Consider God’s bounty precious. It is undesirable to cut. If man follows these manners of discipline and eats food with a feeling of profound gratitude towards Allah, it is better both for his this worldly life and also for his eternal life in the Hereafter. Both his body and his soul will be restful. But if there is not attention and gratitude, he is like a four footed animal, like a cow,
"…and eat as the beasts eat…
How does a donkey eat? Same is the manner of these people on their dining tables. Only belly – nothing else! Woe unto them if there is extravagance also. They hurl down morsels after morsels chewing less. Then they vomit – sour taste. It is due to deteriorating of food (undigested) in stomach. His body suffers. His head turns giddy. He does not understand things for some days.
By the way, the remedy of such condition of stomach is, according to Avicenna, not to eat anything for a period and to eat fragrant things like pear, sweetbrier.
Man’s prosperity is in knowing Almighty Allah
If man walks on the path of humanity he fully tastes the sweetness of life. The path of humanity, the aim of man’s pure life is that he must be serene and sincere towards his Lord. He should be pleased and happy with his Lord, he should not have any bad opinion in the matter of his Lord’s decisions and decreases. The path of man’s success and welfare is such knowledge. See God along with every existing thing and realize that you and everyone and everything is subject to Him: Meaning; O the One Who is the creator of everything. Humble earth became strong with Your Power. The entire universe is under Your Sight. We exist because of You and You exist by Yourself.
Look at your own self fifty years back. What were you a hundred years ago? Say: A handful of dust in wilderness. Is it not true? These dusts, by and by, became rice or gram or bean or wheat. Father and mother devoured it. Particles gathered and, finally, man was born. After all, who brought them? Whose powerful hand collected these particles from forest then brought them from fathers back to mother’s womb? What a wonderful construction? O the intelligent man! Tell justly. Did you yourself made these changes from beginning to end? What is happening constantly at every instant in your body…Who brings about all these functions? Then what has God held up from you? What defect you have? Look at your teeth. When you came out of your mother’s womb your stomach had no strength to digest any solid food. What food for you lighter than milk and that too from the breasts of your mother! That too is such an astonishing manner where by it does not pour out of breasts despite a number of holes! Who made all these provisions?
Water carrier recognized God through his water skin
Once a water carrier brought water to the late Hakim Bashi, the great. You know, in olden days, there were no water taps. A water carrier, with his water bag made of leather, came to the late Hakim. The latter asked the former, "O gentleman! How did you recognize God?" The water carrier replied, "Through this watering which is on my shoulder." They asked, "How?"
The water carrier replied, "This bag has not more than one hole, the only one from which water goes in it and comes out of it. I tie up this mouth firmly, after tightly wringing it up. Yet some water seeps out of it. But when I look at my own body, I see that there are several outlets both up and down in it. My belly is full of water and food and air. Yet nothing ever seeps out of it!" Say: Allah is the best Creator – Glory to Him.
Female breast is full of milk. Yet no drop comes of it though there are several holes in it. Why? It is so, so that the breast may be useful for the baby. Whenever it wants to suckle, it sucks the breast and gets milk. When it does not, the holes close up. The milk never spills out, nor is it stifled!
