Song of praise

The game of politics and the expertise of media anchors is in full swing. If you listen to them, you will hear two extremes – either milk and honey or starvation with millions ready to commit suicide.

One bit of good news (yes, it sounds good) is that the PM has forecast that he will clear all national debts from the revenue of the gold from Reko Diq in Balochistan. Mr Prime Minister, I’m sorry to say that I don’t think you will even be able to clear the fine of six billion dollars from that source. Those who cheated the nation are still enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. It pays in this country to take the nation for a ride, knowing full well that you will get away with it.

On a different note, here is a beautiful song of praise to Almighty Allah, taken from ‘Bostan’ by Shaikh Saadi (translation by Dr Khawaja Hameed Yazdani and published by Sang-e-Meel Publishers, Lahore.) “In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most gracious. I start with the name of Allah who is the creator, the wise, who gave us the art of speaking. He is such a gracious creator, who forgives our faults, who is our provider and who accepts our repentance...Powerful, arrogant rulers bow before Him in submission. He does not punish immediately those who are arrogant and the boasters, but gives them respite to correct themselves.

“He is most kind. On the other hand, if a son is disrespectful to his father, the father becomes furious. But if the Almighty is angry at your wrongdoing and you repent and behave, He forgives you. And if your relative is not friendly to you, you snub him and chase him away. And if a soldier leaves his duty, the ruler ignores him and no further provisions are made for him. But the Almighty never ignores a person, even if he is a wrongdoer. The Almighty is aware of all the wrongdoings of a person, but still He ignores these acts and provides for him.

“This world is like a wide tablecloth for food and all benefit from it, irrespective of their acts. If you are impatient or get angry at your servants, then you will not be able to get away from His anger and chastisement. The Almighty is free from anger and stubbornness. He is free from all human beings and from the angels who worship Him all the time. All living beings are obedient to Him, including human beings, animals, insects, ants, flies, fish, birds, etc, every one of them. His magnanimity is so great that even birds, ants, animals, etc. get food to their satisfaction.

“He is most kind, most powerful and He knows what you have in your mind and heart and what you are planning to do. Nothing is hidden from Him. All grandeur and greatness belong to Him. He is most powerful, most kind, most merciful. He can make you a king or he can make you slave to a king. Nothing is beyond His power. He is most powerful and can make anybody kind hearted or cruel and arrogant.

He is the one who turned fire into a beautiful garden for Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and throws others (ie the pharaoh and his soldiers) from water (of the Nile) into fire. [This is in reference to Hazrat Musa (as) and his followers who crossed the Nile but the pharaoh and his army drownedin it].

If He can turn fire into a garden, it shows a great favour but if he drowns the pharaoh and his whole army, it is a manifestation of His power. He is the one who overlooks the wrongdoings of the people and showers His infinite blessings upon them. If He gets angry, even the angels near Him become deaf and dumb. And if He shows His graciousness, even Satan expects to benefit from it

“Seeing His kindness and graciousness, even the rich and mighty become subservient and forget all their haughtiness. He is most kind to the poor and the helpless and listens to their requests. He knows all secrets, past, present and future. He is the guardian of all on earth and in the skies and will be the Judge on the day of resurrection.

“Nobody is careless about His worship and nobody can raise a finger in disobedience. He loves the pious, the ones who obey His edicts and He is the one who looks after unborn babies in the womb. He is the one who controls the movement of the sun and the moon. And He provides us with water (lakes, oceans rains). He creates precious stones inside ordinary rocks. He creates pearls inside shells. And He has knowledge of the tiniest grain on earth.”

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com