RELIGION

RELIGION (The Beaming Soul)
Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif

Someone asked the sun: “To which religion do you belong?” He kept quiet and went on smiling. The question was repeated and the sun said: “Look me straight in the eyes as you put your question”. The man said: “We can’t look straight at you. You are too bright”. The sun said: “Now why don’t you try to guess yourself what my religion could be”. The questioner immediately realized that the sun was a follower of Islam. He is mentioned in the Holy Quran. But there and then it occurred to him that the unbelievers  have also been mentioned in the Holy Quran and Satan as well. He was sorely puzzled. He pondered about what the religion of the sun could after
all be? He was deep in thought when he heard a voice speak: “Silly man! The religion of the sun is nothing but light and radiance. This religion has been bestowed on him by nature, nay by the Creator Himself. The sun, the moon and the stars, all follow their own religion. Their separate orbits constitute their religion. It is the religion of perpetual rotation that they have to follow. They are above the divisions of Islam and unbelief. They make no distinction and serve everyone alike. They have nothing to do with colour and race. They are unconcerned with divine reward or chastisement”.

He said to himself. How strange it is that everyone follows a religion of his own and yet there is only a single Creator. How astonishing! It can’t be so. He thought about it at length and concluded: Allah is Omnipotent. He is Supreme Creator. Why didn’t He bump off the Satan on the very first day. With Satan exterminated, there would have been none of these vexations _______ these delusions of every design, these sects which bisect, these temples belonging to different epochs, these separate prostrations, these disguises in various guises. There is one Adam only and so many different men. There is one God only and he blesses different people in
different ways. It is a peculiar predicament. First of all we talk of religion and note that there are several religions. But what is religion itself if all these religions are true? And if they are false what about religion itself?
Look at what has taken place in the world in the name of religion. Look at what has been done by using religion as a pretext. How many things have been sacrificed in order to safeguard religion. And in the end man discovers that he is unable to hold on to it.
Even an unbeliever follows a religion of his own. He remains as faithful to his irreligiousness as the believer to the religion of his own choice.
The infidel considers himself to be a man of faith. He is faithful to his unbelief. On the other hand, the faithful at times comes to regard some of his irreligious habits and traits as part of his faith. He merely dons the garb of religion while his actions _______ come, let us not talk of his actions. Let us discuss something else. But how can we forgo discussing his actions? Why should we talk of something else? Religion does not let a sin go unpunished. But it never drives the sinner away from its fold. How strange it is that while religion goes on, evil also persists. It won’t make any difference if an evil person embraces a worthy religion. He will remain an evil person. But much more strange is the fact that a good man who decides to follow no religion at all, is considered wicked. The totalitarian nature of religion stems from the fact that its code of punishment is cast-iron and irreversible. Anyone who does not believe in religion must be
consigned to hell, to everlasting flames. The mode of punishment, of admonition, is fixed. And for him who believes in religion a path has been marked out but he cannot proceed on it unless Allah comes to his assistance; and the favours of Allah are bestowed on the lucky ones only. Today’s man wishes to turn his back on religion. Why? In what way has religion wronged him? The very existence of religion forces him to repent of his sins.
He makes money dishonestly and defends his iniquity by saying that it is no longer possible to make an honest living. He who sticks to honesty will earn very little, so little in fact as to be of no account. And when he brings his unlawful wages home he recalls that a day is bound to come when each man will be held accountable for his actions and earnings. While he gives a wide berth to religions notions, religion calls out from deep within him: “Watch out! There is no escape. I belong to your conscience, to your blood, to your nature. Headless man, you simply can’t get away. Stop and ponder. Return to the orphan what belongs to him. Look out!
Don’t feed your children on fire. Your dishonest earnings are like a fire for your progeny. Have your innocent children harmed you in any way? Take pity on the sinless. Don’t feed them these mouthfuls of chastisement. The money received as bribery is a torture for you and your offspring. Give up all this. Be sensible, you dunce”. But how can a dunce be reasonable! What can religion do when things have come to such a pass?
Religion has been instrumental in bringing about vast changes in life. The rich man has found religion greatly to his liking. He revels in the blessings of Allah the Glorious, hoards money and hoards it by the millions. He gives thanks to Allah but is content to render thanks in words only. Lip-service is the only thing he is capable of. He does not portion out his wealth. He wants the poor to resign themselves to the will of Allah. According to him the riches of the poor should be measured by their degree of resignation only. He preaches patience and steadfastness to the poor and never reaches for his purse for charity’s sake. He prays for the sick, never bothers to provide medicine for them, and keeps getting himself admitted to and discharges from high class, exclusive hospitals. His body gives off a pleasant smell. His dress is drenched in perfumes and his heart wrenched by worries. He knows very well that what he regards as religion is not religion. It is only a cloak for religion. He knows that true religion has nothing to do with cloaks and masks.
Nowadays religion is much talked about. In fact, there are “discussions” going on concerning it. The meaning of religion is being actively debated on the TV in the hope of arriving at a concensus. But all those who preach are at loggerheads with each other. Perhaps they are all speaking the truth. All of them truthful? How can all of them be truthful? Some of them must be telling the truth, others must be lying. How can it be possible? Among those who belong to the same religion some speak the truth while others indulge in falsehood _______ well, are they liars, one and all? May Allah forbid it! May Allah deliver us from the evil of our egos. Why should we lie? After all, we have to die one day and what scenes shall we witness after we are dead? For someone who believes that Allah is merciful; who is sure that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself mercy personified, will show clemency to us, the moments of dying and life after death abound in blessings. But who is going to believe it. Who can make the religion-mongers see reason?
Is the mercy of Allah not more immense than His wrath? Isn’t the Holy Prophet (PBUH) mercy both for this world and the one to come? The existence after death is charged with the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) mercifulness.
What does the concept of mercy denote if not the deliverance of an individual from the consequences of his actions? Is Allah not capable of forgiving? Would those who believed in religion and those who spurned it ever come together in hell? If this comes to pass the infidels will mock the believers by saying: “To what deliverance did you invite us back on earth?” Very well. Let it be. What is the use of having an argument over this issue? What is going to happen will happen? Go  on  doing  what  you  are  already doing? Only do everything in religion’s name.
We are not talking about a particular religion. We are talking of religion in general. If the inner being of a man is not attuned to truth, joining a truthful religion will pay him no dividends.
If you do not share the good things of life with someone, what is the use of sharing your knowledge with him? Do tell us about the knowledge by virtue of which you have become so rich and your neighbour is as poor as ever, although both of you work in the same office and receive identical pay.
There should be no more polemics concerning religion. Come, let us agree at least on this point that in future there should be no debates and seminars on religion. Religion is not something you talk about. It should be practised. That is the whole truth. Now who will start practising it? Who is going to reply to this question?
In the beginning when some infidel approached the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in order to embrace Islam he made him recite the Kalima and he became a Muslim. As simple as that.
If he asked: “What shall I do now?” He was told to do what other Muslims were doing. If a jihad was in the offing he was to get himself ready for it. If it was a time of peace he was to earn an honest living, work hard and worship. Certainly no one was told to read books and deliver lectures.

Nowadays the libraries are glutted with books on religion and the heart of man is empty. Religion is not knowledge but action and the concept reaches its zenith in the person of the Universal Man, that is, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself, of indisputable preeminence, whose life was a combination of utmost plainness and extreme poverty and became thereby the acme of sublimity. Here is a guideline to make you understand what religion is all about. Suppose you are dying of thirst and there is only a single cup of water available. Pass the cup to your equally thirsty brother even if it means a certain death for you.
Religion in action was a different matter altogether and knowledge is no match for it. Where is the man whose action bears witness to his knowledge? If knowledge and action don’t correspond to each other and act in unison, religion comes to naught. It becomes non-religion. Therefore it is better to show what you can do and not speechify about how much you know. This is the basis of religion. The light of the sun is his religion.