dissatisfaction. One continuously seeks
to improve and top the last form of
enjoyment. The noble Prophet a said,
“If the son of Adam had a valley of
gold, he would long for yet another
and nothing can satiate his hunger
other than the dirt when he dies and
is buried” (Muslim).
If you see meaning in everything that
you experience in life, then nothing
becomes pointless. You end up
seeing the purpose in enjoyment and
in suffering instead of making the
enjoyment the purpose. This is true
specifically with Islam.
Allah has created us to recognize and
worship Him. When we can link the
entire creation to His over-arching
capability and creative capacity, then
we can see purpose and meaning in
Introduction of Islam in the Indian
Subcontinent
continued from page 19
everything. Allah has set endless symbols
throughout His creation which He
calls His ayat (signs). They are meant to
reconnect us to Allah and cause us to
reflect on our purpose. Rain, sunshine,
Fall and Spring, all of these seemingly
mundane symbols can be very profound
if we understand the meaning
behind them. Life without meaning
and purpose is an unsolvable mystery.
Islam simplifies the puzzle and teaches
us how to make each piece fit without
force.
The prophets and their pious followers
were able to endure the most intense
hardships with this understanding.
In the Makkan era, when the noble
Sahaba l were enduring prolonged
persecution, they asked the Prophet a
why he did not supplicate for divine
intervention and support against
the enemies of Islam. He told them,
“Among those people before you, a
man would be seized and held in a
pit dug for him in the ground and he
would be sawed into two halves from
his head, and his flesh torn away from
his bones with an iron comb; but, in
spite of this, he would not wean away
from his faith” (Bukhari).
Understanding life’s ultimate meaning
empowers us to put our everyday
affairs into perspective. If we lose our
job, lose a loved one, whatever it may
be, when we equip ourselves with this
understanding, we will be able to cope
with life and make sense of its twists
and turns. However, when we make
the symbols themselves the purpose
of life, we look past the meaning and
even the smallest problems we face
can cause us great stress and depression.
May Allah enable us to reflect on
His ayat to understand our purpose
and increase us in our faith and deeds.
Is There Meaning to Life
continued from page 17
Historical records are full of Hadrat
Ajmeri’s karamat (miracles performed
by the auliya of Allah), some of which
have become controversial in recent
times. The facts, however, cannot be
ignored. Hadrat Ajmeri single-handedly
breathed life into a population
that was desperate for his help. He
spent on the poor, widowed, and
orphans. He spoke the truth in the face
of the barbarians and tyrants of his
time without regard for his safety. This
much cannot be disputed.
It is evident from the life of Shaykh
al Islam Mu‘eenuddin Chishti and his
disciples that to preach Islam effectively,
we must join ourselves with
the pious, righteous, and god-fearing.
We must recognize the value of their
attention. We must appreciate their
gatherings. We must plead with them
to share with us the gift of the love
of Allah, the gift handed down from
non-other than the noblest, the most
perfect of Allah’s creation, our Master
Sayyiduna Rasulullah a to the blessed
companions.
Even today, when Qiyama seems to be
just around the corner, Allah, through
his divine and infinite mercy, has
provided us with the opportunity to
benefit from the pious, the knowledgeable,
the upholders of the truth. The
past century has produced Masha’ikh
of great caliber. Giants such as Shaykh
al-Islam Husain Ahmad Madani
(1879-1957), Hakeem ul Umma Molana
Ashraf Ali Thanawi (1863-1943), and
our very own our beloved Hadrat
Shaykh ul Hadith Molana Zakariyya
(1898-1982) (Allah illuminate their
resting places) have shown us that even
in these materialistic and dark times,
it is still possible to obtain the love of
Allah and His ma‘rifa. Only after we illuminate
our hearts will Allah’s ma‘rifa
that we will be able to fulfill aspirations
for serving our deen.
We ask Allah to show us the straight
path, the path of those whom He has
blessed, the Prophets, the Siddiqun (the
veracious ones like Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
g), the martyrs, and the righteous.
30 July – August 2021 | AL-MADINAH