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Chapter VI: Love, Longing, Contentment

Balaram Baur was a great learned man. He used to enjoy the world in exchange of religion. Asaf was a man who was spend-thrift. His sins were confined within his bodily organs. God forgave him. God revealed to Hazrat Solaiman: How long will your maternal cousin Asaf disobey Me? I am having patience about him. By My glory, if any punishment comes to him,,I will inflict such punishment on his companions as will be examplary for his successors. Solaiman communicated this to Asaf. He got upon a sand-hill raising up his hands towards heaven and said; O God, my Lord, you are you and I am I. If you do not accept my repentance, how can I make repentance to you? If you do not protect me, how can I save myself? I surely return to you. God then revealed to him: O Asaf, you have spoken the truth: You are you and I am I. If you like it, I will accept your repentance. The words of God had such a tremendous influence on Asaf that he at once repented and engaged himself in divine worship.

Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 293

So God makes delay for some persons and makes haste with respect to some. This occurs according to the fate written before. In the Quran, there are descriptions of three kinds -(1) His existence and purity, (2) His attributes and names (3) and His wonderful creations and His treatment towards the people. These three descriptions are found in chapter Ikhlas. Hence the Prophet termed this chapter as being one third of the Quran. Hazrat Ibn Masud said: Take light from the Quran search for its undiscovered things and gain knowledge of the predecessors and successors therein. What he said is true. Every subject of the Quran if not thought long can not be known. Almost all the secret things of the Quran are covered in stories and news.

MEANING OF CONTENTMENT WITH THE DECREE OF GOD

Know, O readers, that to remain content with the Decree of God is the result of love. This is the highest spiritual stage of near ones. Its real nature is secret to many people except to one who God gives knowledge of religion.

Source: Imam Al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Islamic Sciences)
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