THE FLASHES

The Twenty-Sixth Flash

Moreover, īmān showed me, with the certainty of ilm al-yaqīn, that what had appeared, through the gaze of heedlessness, to be the sole fruit of the tree of my life—my own corpse—was not in reality a corpse at all. Rather, it revealed that my soul, endowed with eternity and destined for everlasting happiness, would leave its aged nest behind and journey among the stars.

Likewise, īmān showed me that my bones in the grave, together with the earth from which I had originated, were not worthless remains to be trampled underfoot. Rather, through the mystery of īmān, I came to see that this earth was in reality a gateway to mercy and an antechamber of Paradise.

Through the light of the Qur’an, īmān also showed me that the world and all its creatures—which, through the gaze of heedlessness, had seemed to sink into the darknesses of non-existence—were in reality Divine letters and pages displaying Divine adornments. Through their passing, they had fulfilled their duties, disclosed their meanings, and left their fruits behind. Thus īmān revealed to me, with the certainty of ilm al-yaqīn, the true nature of the world.

Moreover, through the light of the Qur’an, īmān showed me that the grave, which had stood before me with its mouth wide open, was not a pit leading to nothingness, but a gate opening onto a world of light. And it showed me with complete conviction that the road beyond it led not to non-existence, but to true existence, to the world of light and eternal happiness. Thus īmān became both a remedy and a balm for my sufferings.

Furthermore, īmān places in the hands of the human being's limited will a document of authority by which, instead of relying upon his own meagre capacity—a will endowed with only a limited power of choice—he may rely upon infinite power and boundless mercy in the face of countless enemies and darknesses. Thus īmān itself becomes a document of authority entrusted to the human will.

And although this human weapon, the limited will, is in itself feeble, weak, and deficient, through the mystery of īmān, when employed for the sake of Allah and in His way, it can attain a Paradise so vast that it extends over a distance of five hundred years. It is like a soldier who employs his limited strength on behalf of the state and thereby accomplishes tasks far beyond his own capacity.

Finally, īmān takes the reins of free will from the hands of the body—which can reach neither into the past nor into the future—and places them in the hands of the heart and soul. For the sphere of life of the heart and soul, unlike that of the body, is not confined to the present, but extends across many years of the past and future. Thus free will expands beyond its narrow limits and acquires an all-embracing scope.

Through the strength of īmān, it can therefore descend into the deepest valleys of the past to dispel the darkness of sorrow and ascend to the highest mountains of the future to banish the fears that dwell there.

O my brothers and sisters who, like me, bear the burden of old age! Since, alhamdulillah, we believe in Allah, and since īmān contains such luminous, joyful, healing, and consoling treasures, and since our old age draws us ever closer to this treasury, it does not befit us to complain of growing old. Rather, we should offer a thousand thanks for an old age accompanied by īmān.

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