Book of Healing - Healing Through Knowledge - Wisdom of Giryah-u Zari
Wisdom of Giryah-u Zari
Tags: Giryah-u Zari, Callousness of the Heart
1. It is said in a noble Hadith: "Oh! and indeed there is a lump of flesh in the body. When it is good, the whole body is good, and when it is bad, the whole body is bad. Oh! and it is the heart" (Bukhari, I, 44). The purpose of this sacred teaching and guidance of the Prophet is that, every mu'min should duly strive, day and night, to protect his heart from all defects and diseases. This arduous striving is possible only in accordance with the principles of Islam, among which, giryah-u zari has central importance.
2. Giryah-u zari is the hidden and priceless treasure of hundreds of beauties of the perfection of humanity and characteristics of certitude, while the wise Qur'an itself, in connection with the praise-worthy manners and qualities of the Prophets, may peace be upon them, praises it with the radiance of the pleasure of God. The verse in which it is praised is: "These (Prophets) are the ones on whom God bestowed favours, from among the Prophets of the seed of Adam and of those whom We carried with Nuh and of the seed of Ibrahim and Israel and of those whom We guided and chose; when the verses of the Beneficent God were recited to them, they fell down prostrating and weeping" (19:58). This is the most exalted place of sacred tears, i.e. the pure eyes of the Prophets and awliya'.
3. Study verses (17:107-109): "Say believe in it (the Qur'an) or believe not; surely those who are given the knowledge before it, fall down on their faces, prostrating when it is recited to them. And they say: Glory be to our Lord! most surely the promise of our Lord was to be fulfilled. And they fall down on their faces weeping, and it adds to their humility". According to this verse, giryah-u zari appears at the peak of knowledge, that is, profound knowledge is necessary in order to do giryah-u zari.
4. A Prophetic Tradition is mentioned in the Da`a'im, (I, 343): "There is no drop dearer to God than a drop of blood (shed) in the way of God, or a tear drop (shed) in the depth of the night for fear of God".
5. To understand how all the good qualities and virtues of piety and pure-heartedness can be centred in the state of giryah-u zari, study the following diagram:
6. Pride is an extremely fatal disease from an ethical and spiritual point of view, and precautionary measures against it and its prevention are possible only through the tenderness of the heart, humility and giryah-u zari. Callousness of the heart is also an extremely dangerous disease which, if not cured in time, becomes extremely difficult to cure in the future. In short, there is healing for many spiritual diseases in giryah-u zari.
7. When a child is born from the womb of the mother, Divine law instantly teaches him to weep, in which great wisdoms are hidden. Although initially the allusions and meaning of a baby's cry are limited, their circle gradually expands as his needs and requirements increase. From this example you can certainly estimate that the spiritual vastness of the giryah-u zari of a believing mu'min is equal to that of the universe. For the prospering population and progress of the personal world requires the vastness of the entire world (24:55; 39:10).
8. In connection with this, what does it mean when a baby cries? It means:
- I am hungry, give me milk.
- I feel hot.
- I feel cold.
- Give me water.
- Put me to sleep.
- I am feeling ill.
- Undo my clothes so that I may move my hands and feet.
- I need light.
- Put me in the cradle and rock me to sleep.
- Where is my mother? Call her.
- My bed is not comfortable.
- I am scared.
- Feed me.
- I have pain in my stomach. etc., etc.
9. As you know it is the world-illumining sun which rarifies the dense water of the surface of the ocean and elevates it in the form of vapours and clouds, and then causes it to rain torrentially. Similarly, it is the miracle of the light of ardent love which casts its rays on the ocean of the existence of the true lover and rarifies it, moves the clouds of zeal and enthusiasm and causes the rain of mercy to fall with thunder and lightning, every drop of which is more precious and priceless than the unique pearl. For, this drop of tear is as dear to God as the drop of the blood of a martyr, and the main reason for this endearment is that almost all diseases are cured by such tears.
10. In those verses of the noble Qur'an, in which God has sworn, and in the verses subsequent to them certain great secrets of spirituality are implied, as in verse (91:1-10): "... Then He inspired it (soul) its impiety and its piety; indeed succeeded he who purified it, and indeed failed he who buried it" (91:8-10).
11. An extremely important question may be posed here for the sake of reflection and comprehension: How does God, the Knowing, the Seeing, give the form of inspiration to, both the impiety and piety of a person? Does this not affect human free will? The detailed answer to this question is given in the holy Hadith: "There is none among you but is put in charge of a companion for himself from among jinns and a companion for himself from among the angels. They (the companions) said: You too, O the Messenger of God? He (the Prophet) said: I too, but God helped me against him and he accepted Islam, so he does not command me except to do good" (Mishkat, I, 42).
12. It is a fact that everything of the universe has been made subservient to man (45:13) and so are these two guardians. This is in the sense that man either contaminates or purifies the mirror of his heart by his optional words and deeds and they always observe the condition of his heart. If there is the dust of evil in one's heart, the personal devil causes insinuation or disturbing thoughts (waswasah). If the mirror of the heart is cleansed and pure, the personal angel starts to speak of hope, certitude, knowledge and guidance. Therefore, there is a dire need of giryah-u zari again and again, so that the devil may be disappointed and the angel may get an opportunity to help (ta'yid).
20 Dhu'l-Qa'dah 1408
5 July, 1988.
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