The Method of Attaining Comfort in Both Worlds | Hazrat Maulana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahib (Rehmattulah Aliah)

Book: What is the Reality of Tasawwuf

20. The Method of Attaining Comfort in Both Worlds

There is such a connection between the dunya (worldly life) and akhirat (Hereafter) that anyone who ruins his akhirat, has actually simultaneously ruined his dunya. He who displeases his Master, neither does he have peace at home in his native land nor does he have peace away from home.

The example of this is like a disobedient son. The father has no concern to look after his needs at home nor when he is away from home. But if he pleases his father, then the father gives him plenty of spending money and provisions so that his son may be at ease while away from home while at home he has even more concern for him to be comfortable and live at ease.

Similarly, he who pleases his Allah, then Allah Ta’ala gives him comfort and ease in this world (away from home) and in the akhirat also, which is already the abode of peace and comfort. This is the mere example of the love of a father, who is Makhlooq (creation). What then can be said about the love of the Khaaliq, Who is our Creator? We can never fathom the greatness of this. Therefore, understand that the slave who pleases his Master in this very world, is a very blessed individual. He attains a good life in this world as well as comfort in the hereafter. For this reason we must abandon being slaves to the nafs.
This nafs is our enemy, do not be enslaved by your enemy. If you obey your enemy you will regret it. However much sweets and candies the nafs shows you, then know that there is definitely some jamalgota1 also mixed with it. It will give you temporary enjoyment and then leave you in such a ‘burst’ of discomfort that no sweetness will remain.

In Ilaahabad, there was a doctor who told us his incident when he was in medical college. Some students had broken the lock on his cupboard and stole the food he had kept inside for breakfast. It was special food cooked in dhesi ghee 2 which his mother had prepared for him. He thought to himself that it was the mischief of the college students and this is the manner in which most college students behave. It is very rare that you will find a pious college student. That is because most of them are khalifas (deputies) of shaytaan. To some he gives ordinary khilafat (deputation) while others receive special khilafat.

Anyhow, that doctor decided to get even with them so one day he bought some gulabjaman 3 and laced each piece with a couple droplets of jamalgota. He then placed the gulabjaman in the cupboard and placed a small, weak pad-lock on it. Since the students were in the habit of stealing, they arrived on the scene and broke the lock and mischievously ate up all the gulabjaman. After an hour or so, they were overtaken by severe diarrhea. They would enter the toilet to relieve themselves and before they could come out, they would have to rush back again. It was such severe diarrhea that the principal had to immediately contact the health authorities to inform them that an epidemic had spread. It seemed as if students were going to die in the process. Little did the principal know that this was the suitable reward for their conniving action. The health officers came and quickly treated them with cholera injections, not knowing that they were all thieves. So anyway, after that, they all became well.

Similarly, to dream of peace and tranquillity in the disobedience of Allah is total foolishness. The one who dreams of attaining tranquillity in the disobedience of Allah Ta‘ala- there is no person more insane than him in the world. The past, the present and future of sin is nothing but restlessness. Those who are habituated to sinning, even when they are in the midst of sinning they are in constant fear of being seen. When their nafs plans to sin, even at that moment, they are inflamed in the fire of restlessness.

This flame of restlessness can be felt from the heat emanating from their foreheads. Their future also becomes ruined in fear of disgrace and in fear of revenge from those they have sinned against. So there are 3 time periods in a person’s life; past, present and future. By committing sins, all three periods of a person’s life is destroyed. It is as if he invites the wrath and anger of Allah Ta’ala in lieu of a few minutes of enjoyment, thereby destroying his entire life in the process.

One should also know that one is never satisfied through committing sin. Salty water does not quench the thirst, rather the more salt water is consumed, the more thirst is increased. In a like manner, committing sins only increases the desire to commit more sin. One sin will lead to committing another sin, as a result, to completely leave sinning becomes difficult, and he will eventually die in this pitiful condition of disobedience. What will his condition be at that time?

His dunya is also lost and he will have to suffer the consequences in the grave also. Therefore, if you want to attain the life of Jannah in this very world, if you want to attain a blissful life, then please Allah Ta’ala. I pose this question to you; what does the nafs want to gain from committing sins? All it wants is enjoyment. That is why I say that enjoyment is only in pleasing Allah and in taking His name.

1An extra-strength laxative which makes a person “get the runs”
in a matter of minutes.
2 Pure homemade butter.
3 A special type of sweet meat.

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