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Journey of the Unseen World Ayatullah Sayyed Mohammad Hassan Najafi Quchani Chapter 3 The bell peeled "Come towards the best deed'. This was a sign that it was time to depart for the next station. We picked up our respective packs and luggage and started. We reached a bisection and to our great dismay saw the Darkies, who were approaching us like black smoke. I asked a Duly Officer present if there was any way to avoid their company. He replied "These are only the laces of your own base and beastly selves (traits) like injustice, pride, desire, anger etc. Hence, of you had not separated from them in you earthly life, how can you separate them from your own selves now. But they are of different kinds and all are not bad. Some are purely black, some are mixed black and white and some white and bright. And they are named accordingly e.g. Ammara (inciter to evil), "Lawwama" (Helper towards repentance), Mutmainna (contented with God). If any of you have the white Mutmainna for your companion, then he is a companion worth having. He is useful, beneficial and sometimes better and more sublime then even angels. Mutmainna (Contentment) was in fact God's gift to you but you wasted it by your ungratefulness and carnal desires. You will now reap whatever you have sown in your earthly material life. Then you were free to sow whatever you wished, but now you have no choice but to reap accordingly, whether good or bad. As God has said, "Do you (cause the seeds to) grow or are we the growers?" No sooner was this said, then the Darkies reached us and each of us had his particular companion alongside as we went forward. But our group had somewhat separated, some were left behind with their Darkies and some were travelling besides me. I myself had my Darky by my side until we reached a mountain. The path here was very narrow and difficult. On one side of the mountain was a deep moat, but it was difficult terrain to cross. An idea occurred to me that I should go to the summit because extremely warm air from the moat was suffocating me. Suddenly my satanic twin come near and said, 'You are correct in thinking of going to the top. Not only is the air from the moat so extremely warm and humid, there are also poisonous animals there. And also from the top you'll be able to look down around you on all sides. On the earth I had been in the habit of speaking loudly in order to impose my authority on others and also I always had the ambition to reach higher and sublime levels, so I liked the idea and decided to reach the top. But there was no direct path to the summit, so I walked along the mountain wall, and even then it was difficult going. A couple of times I slipped. Once I stumbled and almost fell down in the moat but lust saved myself by catching hold of a thorny bush, badly injuring my hands and feel in the process. Further down the road, I again fell: my nose hit the ground, broke and started bleeding profusely,(l) I remarked, 'It is very trouble some to reach the top- It might have been better to have travelled through the moat." The accursed being laughed and said, "He who is proud in the world, God will break his back, and he who tries to be higher than others, God will rub his nose in dust (that is, lower him" I really wonder at you, that you have read all this, but have never acted accordingly. "Taste it, you were (thought yourself to be) Respected and Elite". (The author has hinted that whoever is proud and arrogant in the word, God will punish him in the Hereafter in such a way as break his pride and turn it to dust. Abu Jahl used to say "I am the Respected and Elite on the day of Judgement, he and others like him will be addressed 'O Respected and Elite, taste the punishment".) I kept walking as he talked, bearing the hardships, one after another. At last I came out of the plateau, through which there had been no visible path, though with inured body and feelings. Now when I turned back, I saw that my companions who had been just behind me, were stumbling and falling down into the deep and dark moat. They were crying in pain and anguish and their Darkies were laughing wickedly and gleefully. Finally. we reached a road where the going was much easier. There were no new problems here except that I was extremely thirsty. My Darky again tried a couple of time to trap me by his deceiving and captivating arguments but I did not pay heed. At times, I must admit., I felt like giving in but still I resisted. When he realised that I just would not give in, he himself fell back. (If one practices denying his self and desires. after a while he will no longer be troubled by desires and whims. If one practices denying his-self and his desires, after a while he will no longer be troubled by desires and whims, But alertness and vigilance will have to be a constant practice.) After quite some time, I reached a garden. The path itself passed through its centre. I spotted a pond, with people sitting around it, eating from trays full of fruits. As soon as they saw me, they stood up respectfully, greeted me and asked me to join there asked, "Who are you and why are these fruits here?" They replied, "Each of us had been fasting when we died. This is the Iftari sent by the Benevolent, Merciful Allah for our supper. We believe that you too can partake of it. Admitted that you were not fasting at the time of your death but you have often played host to people who were lasting and arranged their Iftari so you have a right to these fruits." I sat down with them and ate a little. It quenched my thirst and healed my heart and body. They required about my travel and I replied "Thank God it's past. And my sorrows and troubles have disappeared now that I have met you. But I had to leave my friends and companions behind as they were entrapped by their Darkies. My Darky too tried his level best but I did not tall for him. Now he has himself taken back. I hope he never catches up with me again". They laughed and replied "Its not so. In this garden they can only use their weapons of deception and lying but when we will proceed from here they are sure to reach us through a short cut and will literally tight to destroy us' I asked, We don't have any weapons how will we win?" They replied, "If in the world you denied yourself and went against your desires, and so prepared your defence, then these defensive weapons will, God willing, have reached the battle field in advance. As Quran says In Sura-e-AnfaI1 verse 60, "Make preparation for them (the enemy) from whatever possible, strength, well-bred horses (cavalry) in order to frighten with fl your enemies and the enemies of God," I said, "I always thought that this verse referred to making preparations tar Holy War." They replied, "The laws of Qur'an are universally applicable and not restricted to the earth, Otherwise the Qur'an would be faulty and lacking. But it is not so because it is a divine gift and has been revealed unto the last of the Prophets." |