Book of Healing - Healing Through Knowledge - Service to Mankind

Service to Mankind

1. There is not a single injunction in the teachings of the wise Qur'an and the noble Hadith, which does not directly or indirectly shed light on some aspect of service to people and the rights of the servants of God. A clear example of this is that, all the injunctions of religion are gathered in two supreme commands or universals, which leave out none of them, namely, the rights of God (huququ'llah) and the rights of His servants (huququ'l-`ibad). Further, not only the rights of the servants of God, but the very rights of God, are also ordained so that by fulfilling them, mankind may accrue innumerable benefits both in this world and the next, since God is free from and above any kind of benefit and profit.

2. It is said in a noble Hadith: "People are God's household, and the most beloved to God is the one who helps His household and makes them happy. And to walk with a Muslim brother in order to fulfil his need is dearer to God than the i`tikaf (consecutive `ibadat) of two months in the holy Ka`bah." (Da`a'im, II, 320). For additional references see: Majma`u'l-bahrayn, p. 70).

3. The comprehensiveness of the above-mentioned Hadith of the holy Prophet can by no means be duly praised and described. Nonetheless, according to the proverb "Musk is that which speaks of itself by its fragrance, not that which the perfumer describes" the way the Prophet, with his perfect, consummate, beautiful and majestic knowledge and wisdom, has given the example of the relation between the Almighty God and His humble creature, has dazzled the eyes of the particular intellect by its soul-nourishing and kind light and its radiance of knowledge and gnosis. Glory be to God! Here the status and respect of man appears at the extreme height and elevation. By God! We need to reflect repeatedly on this unique and bright teaching of the holy Prophet, so that we may properly understand the hidden secret that, behind the veil, God loves His creation. For those who are the household in this example, are at the level of being loved by God. However, those fortunate ones who serve others can progress farther in being loved by God and in His friendship.

4. The condition of service in this luminous teaching is that it should benefit others and make them happy. In this respect, the holy Prophet has alluded to great and far-reaching services concerning religion and the world. An example of a small service is when a Muslim goes with another Muslim brother to fulfil his need, God raises it to a higher level than of `ibadat and i`tikaf and loves it. From this you can truly estimate the importance and benefit of the sincere service of people.

5. In the glorious Qur'an, the sweet fruit of good deed (ihsan) is mentioned time and again, and it is said: "And God loves those who do good deeds (5:93)". And certainly service to people, as already mentioned, is the greatest good deed. Thus the service of people is the good deed, whose greatest, unprecedented and everlasting reward is the friendship and love of God.

6. In this vast and unbounded field of service of mankind, those who surpass and excel others are the Prophets and awliya'. On the one hand, they are the chiefs of the community and on the other, their servants, as it is said in the Prophetic Hadith: "Sayyidu'l-qawmi khadimuhum (The chief of the community is its servant)" (Majma`u'l-bahrayn, p. 41). This clearly shows that it is only the Prophet and the perfect wali who can, in the real sense, serve the community universally, and then following their footsteps, other servants according to their status.

7. The following wisdom-filled universal principle is also mentioned in the Prophetic Hadith: "Kullu ma`rufin sadaqah (Every good deed is a charity)" (Bukhari, VIII, 30; Da`a'im, II, 320). Thus to serve one's country, community and humanity is a good deed, and hence a great charity. If the benefit of a service continues forever, then God willing, it will be a perpetual charity, and such services can be called "al-baqiyatu's-salihat (ever-abiding good works, 18:46)". Thus, it is evident that if the service is unpretentious and sincere, it is everything. Therefore, God loves every sincere and true servant and His friendship and love is the greatest bounty of religion and spirituality. In fact, it is the soul of all bounties.

8. Q: Who is most loved and chosen by God, the Exalted? A: The one who serves His household most, namely, His creatures. Q: Will a person who is loved most by God not be cured from all internal, spiritual and intellectual diseases? A: Why not? Definitely, such a person will attain the sound heart (qalb-i salim, 26:89). For, since God is the Holy, He first purifies from spiritual diseases and sins, the one whom He wants to befriend and love and then He loves him.

9. God, the Lord of the Worlds, grants all good manners and praiseworthy qualities to those sincere servants whose service He accepts, so that He may befriend and love them. These include goodness (7:196), beneficence (3:134), piety (3:76), patience (3:146), reliance on God (3:159), justice (5:42), purity (9:108), obedience and love (3:31), perfect faith and Divine love (= ardent love, 2:165), zeal for external and internal jihad (61:4), love for the holy Prophet (3:31, 9:24), repentance and pure-heartedness (2:222) and many more qualities, with which the Friends of God are adorned, as mentioned in the Hadith: "When God loves a servant, then Jibra'il is ordered to love him and he loves him, then all those who are in the heavens and the earth, love him" (Muslim, IV, 2030).

10. It is also mentioned in a noble Hadith: "When God will raise a mu'min from his grave, he will come out in a state in which there will be a luminous figure (a subtle entity=mithalun hasan) with him. When the mu'min will pass through those difficulties, he will tell him: Do not be afraid! You will never be harmed. Thus he will continue to set his mind at rest and give him glad tidings until he will bring him to God, the Exalted. God will take from him an easy account and will command him to go to Paradise. The mu'min will then ask him: Who are you? May God have mercy on you! You not only promised me, but also fulfilled it and turned my fear into peace. He will say: I am a creature, which my Lord created from the (collective) happiness which you used to give to mu'mins (from your services and good deeds). So today I make you happy". (Da`a'im, II, 320-21).

11. In Kafi (III, 296) regarding the "service of a mu'min", there is a Prophetic Hadith transmitted by Mawlana `Ali, which says: "A Muslim who serves a Muslim community, God will grant him as many servants in Paradise as he had served (in this world)".

12. Efficacious medicines alone are not sufficient in connection with physical cure, but nourishment rich in vitamins is also essential. Similarly, in this book on "Healing through Knowledge", we have to sincerely endeavour to provide some nutritious foods of knowledge and gnosis in the light of the Qur'an and the Hadith, as well as logic and tradition and in the light of some spiritual experiences and knowledge. "And I have no success except by God." (11:88).

Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai
Karachi,
18 Sha'banu'l-Mu'azzam 1408
6 April, 1988.

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