Chapter II: Patience and Gratefulness
toys move stays behind the screen outside the view of the boy who sees that the toys dance, stand and sit. The wise man understands that the toys are only plays of the real man behind the screen. Similar is the case with the people of the world who are like toys before the wise or before those who are beloved qf God. They can see the thin thread that is conjoined to men of the work and that is not visible to the naked eye.
Then the threads have been placed in the hands of their angels who move the heaven and the angels receive orders from the Almighty. God says: There is provision for you in the sky and what you have been given promise. God says: He created the seven heavens and the earth like them and He sends affairs between them that you may know that God is Powerful over all things and that His knowledge encompasses everything - 65 : 12 Q. Hazrat Ibn Abbas says of the wise men among whom He sends down orders as mentioned on the above verse. He also said: If I disclose what I know of this verse, you will throw stones at m&!
Now the meaning of gratefulness is that it makes His plan perfected by the actions of men. He who is grateful to God by doing good works is dear to God. The angels are most dear to Him as there is order in them. Among them there is an angel named Israfil who is dearest to God and through whom God corrected the prophets. In this world, the prophets are dearest to God, through whom God showed the right path to men. Of all the Prophets, the Prophet Muhammad has been given the highest rank as through him Islam was made perfect and as he is the seal of the prophets. Next to the Prophets are the learned men who are the heirs of the Prophets as they are themselves pious and they showed the people the paths of piety and truth. Next is the rank of the just rulers as they keep themselves busy in doing good and justice to the people. Except those, all the people are shepherds.
MODES OF EXPRESSING GRATEFULNESS: Gratefulness is expressed for gifts. It is impossible to recount the number of gifts of God on man. God says: If you count the gifts of God, you won't be able to count them - 16 : 18Q. We shall now describe the modes of expression of gratefulness.
Know, O dear readers, that every good, taste, fortune or every desired thing is called gift but true gift is fortune in the next world and without this gift of other things is misnomer. The
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worldly gift which does not help the hereafter cannot be called gift.