The Religion of God/A few experiences of loving souls
An experience of an eternally (favoured) soul
I was passing a jungle in the United States one evening when I saw that a man was bowed down in front of a tree and pleading. I passed the same spot an hour later and saw that he was in the same position. I went close to him and stopped. He felt my presence, raised his head and said “why did you disturb me.” I said to him that I too was searching for God, but how can you find God in a tree? I said that it would be better if he adopted a religion and tried to find God in this way.
He said: “I do not know the original languages of the Bible, the Qur’an and the other celestial books and I am not satisfied with their translations and due to the many contradictions and differences in them it cannot be believed that any one God has sent these books. In one book it states that “Jesus is my Son” whereas in another book it is stated that “ I do not have a Son.” I have lost a lot of time and many years of my life in their study. I have now adopted another approach. I thought that this tree is so beautiful and this means that God loves it and may be I will find a connection with God through it.”
This (man) was some eternal loving soul that was trying to find God according to his own understanding. Can such people who are considered “disabled” go to hell? (spiritually- Sincere seekers of God but who have not found God through their chosen approach).
They, like Qutmeer are exalted. (a dog who was favoured by God, exalted and given status and who will go to paradise).
An experience of Miss Catherine of Arizona“I was taught the Qalb meditation by Angela (a friend) who said that if within seven days I felt the Name of God Allah vibrate in my heart that I should consider myself favoured and accepted by God, otherwise my life was useless. When after seven days of effort I did not feel the Qalb meditation, I agonizingly cried one night and pleaded (with God.) That same night the meditation of the Name of God Allah started to vibrate inside me and has since continued now for three years.” Catherine does not believe in growing old she is keen on staying healthy. Similarly she does not believe in religion but believes in the Love of God. She states that due to this meditation the Love of God in her heart is increasing and that this is enough for her.
I was in the mountains of Sehwan at the time. I would sometimes go to the tomb of the Saint Laal Shabaz. A man was sitting in the courtyard outside the tomb and there were many people of the Hindu faith gathered around him in affection. I asked “who is this gentleman?” They said that he was a Guru of the Hindus, that he is enlightened and through him our requests reach the Saint Laal Sai and our requests are fulfilled. Many Muslims too respected him.
I was passing a hill one day when I saw the same man bowed down in front of a small statue that he had placed in front of him and he was chanting. I met him at the tomb the next day. I told him that I did not understand why an enlightened person like him would worship a statue made of clay. He said that he did not believe the statue to be any God but it was his belief, which was found in the books (of Muslims too) that God made man in his own image. For this reason he would make many images and worship them in the hope that one might resemble God. He said to me “you are enlightened too, tell me what does God look like? Which statue resembles the face of God? So as I can bring that image into my heart.”
I was about sixteen or seventeen years old when one day I went to the tomb of the Saint Baba Gohar Ali Shah (one of my ancestors.) I was reciting a Holy verse when a tall man with the appearance of a sage came in front of me and said “you are chewing on peas without reason.” He was Saintly in appearance due to which I remained silent but I thought in my heart that he was some Satan who was stopping me from my recitation.
A long time passed. When my Qalb meditation started I was about thirty five years old. I used to verbally recite the Holy verse as I had been told. I would then be silent so as my heart could recite it. I would then hear the verse from my heart. One day I was joyfully preoccupied with this practice when the same man came in the same appearance and said “ now, you are ‘reciting’ Holy Scripture.” He read this poem:
“A cure is not found until a medicine goes into the stomach Nothing is achieved until the Scripture of God descends into the heart Verbal affirmation every person does, heart recitation do but a few heart affirmation is done by lovers, what would our verbalizing friends know.”
After I had finished my prayers in the Mosque of Data Darbar I saw that an elderly man was tidying the shoes of people who came to the Mosque for prayers. As I was in the last row I noticed that this man had not said his prayers and he was only tidying shoes. As I was leaving I said to him “as you did not say your prayers what will you gain by tidying shoes?” He said “I have not prayed my entire life and what hope of salvation can I now have from praying.”
He further said that he hoped that amongst all these people, there would at least be one friend of God. Further that the Friend of God or God would be happy with his deed. I said to him that there was no deed greater than prayer and he replied that there was no greater thing than the friend (God) but only if one can make him happy (achieve his favour).
One day, three years later when my spiritual seclusion ended, I travelled (spiritually) to a gathering of the Prophets and saw that the same man was sitting at the feet of the beloved. I then remembered this poem: