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The universe seems to be divided by proximity and distance, while in fact, there is neither proximity nor distance here; everything is encapsulated in a dot and that dot is thought. As one does not understand thought, the angle of proximity and distance forms in one's mind, and one assumes certain things to be close and others as distant. Some consider the images present in their thought as close, while others consider them distant – only one amongst a million pays attention to where these images are formed.
Whatever exists in this universe is on the inside. Thought arises from within us and becomes apparent on the internal screen. When a thought arrives, the sense of hearing, sight, feeling, understanding, speaking, and silence are activated. If there are no thoughts, mankind moves into a zone where one’s existence or non-existence is not felt. Ponder! If the thought arises inside us, and the images are also formed inside, then what are proximity and distance?
Two patterns of senses have been mentioned in the Holy Scriptures and the last Heavenly Book, The Holy Quran. While one is of daytime, the other is of the night. It is due to day and night that the space of things expands or remains in their true state, within a thought. Due to the expansion of space, an angle forms between the images such that, distance begins to dominate them and they appear to be distant from each other. When the images remain in their true space within a thought, the difference between close and distant cease to exist.
The Creator of night and day states,
“A token unto them is night. We strip it of the day, and lo! They are in darkness.” (Quran, 36:37)
The meaning of day is to reveal. It is a sense in which the space of hearing, sight, understanding, and feeling expand. On the contrary, the space of the senses of the night is equivalent to the subconscious. When the senses of daytime shed off, those unaware of the senses of night are inundated by darkness. They name this darkness night, even though this darkness is also light.
Visualise
Sit in a dark and noiseless room. Your stomach must be empty, and your breath light and slow. Set an alarm for five minutes, sit with closed eyes, and observe a red rosebud. When observation is established, observe that the bud is blossoming into a flower. When the space expands, the time that is needed to cover it will automatically expand. The flower that is before us is no different to the bud – its space was shrunk within the closed bud. This example is also true for the time and space of day and night.
The world of the night is extensive in comparison to that of the day. Distance is subdued for the enlightened people in the space of the night, and hence, while being in this world, in unaccountable units of time, they observe multiple worlds, walk around, eat and drink, meet people, and undertake journeys. How does this happen? And in his journey, why does distance not become a hindrance? The answer to this is that distance is not in the universe, it is in the mind. Enlightened people subdue the distances in their mind and observe all the worlds in the universe as a singular point.
Distance is an illusion and to break this, one needs the senses of the night just like one does in the world of sleep. In the world of sleep, a person with features similar to the person (who is asleep) wakes up in a different attire, and the speed of that person’s senses is a thousand times faster than normal. That person leads a better and more fulfilled life in the world of sleep than in the world of wakefulness, however, when they wake up, they ignore their abilities and allow the speed of the physical body to dominate them. When they are awake, they say, “Whatever I saw was a dream, and whatever I heard was a story.”
In this way, rejecting the abilities of the senses of the night, one accepts illusory phenomena and accepts senses that show them distance despite there being no distance.
The Quran is a Holy book free of doubt* in which the universal formulae have been stated. When one reads it with contemplation, their mind arrives at a point where all illusion is negated. The Lord of all realms, God Almighty states,
“Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Predestination. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of power is! The Night of power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees. (The night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.” (Quran, 97:1-5)
The revelation of the Holy Quran was in the month of Ramadan when one observes fasting. Fasting diverts our attention from the external senses and draws the mind to focus on those senses that exist within us and are a means to subdue space. Fasting is a programme that assists us in entering the senses of the night and is also a programme of negation, in which, for a certain period, things that are considered legitimate, do not remain legitimate. Control over hunger and thirst, being mindful in conversations, refraining from backbiting, ensuring a legitimate means of sustenance, offering Zakat (Charity and donations)m sleeping less, and trying to free one’s self from the grip of materiality while focusing on God throughout the 24 hours of the day. Through this practice, the inner senses are awakened, and the eye that can see the subconscious while in wakefulness, is activated.
Lailat-ul-Qadar (The Night of Power) is a superior space of the senses, which is greater than the time and space of a thousand months. There are 30 days and 30 nights in a month, and 30,000 days and 30,000 nights in a thousand months, that is, the speed of the senses on Lailat-ul-Qadar accelerates by 60,000 times. On the blessed night of Lailat-ul-Qadar, one shakes hands with the angels and the Archangel Gabriel (PBUH), and the blessed ones witness Tajalli (one of the highest stages of Divine Light). God says,
“Fasting is for Me, and I am its reward.”
God Almighty has stated that Lailat-ul-Qadar is all peace until the rising of the dawn. It is noteworthy that when a creature manifests in a form and shape, its space opens up, that is, it moves away from its true state and expands. Therefore, the verse that states, سلٰم ھی حتٰی مطلع الفجر has its affinity with both the senses of the day and night. While one remains in the senses of the night, they are protected. By fasting, humans gain the comprehension of the senses of the night and become aware of the reality of the expansion and contraction of space, and proximity and distance.
Congratulations to all those who through the blessings of God Almighty, witness the Lailat-ul-Qadar. Keep us in your prayers. Thank you.
May God protect you..
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DIN AZEEMI
Articles of 'MESSAGE OF THE DAY' from Qalandar Shaoor Monthly
