God: Just a Call Away
By Maulana
Wahiduddin Khan
Feb 29, 2012
I once went on a
condolence visit to two young people, a sister and a brother, whose father had
died, leaving them alone in their flat in New Delhi. Naturally, both of these
young people were very sad. One of the visitors, who was a family friend, spoke
some words of solace. He said: "Don't worry, i am just a call away."
Suddenly a thought
came to my mind. God Almighty is also just a call away from every man and
woman. There is a relevant verse in the Quran: "When anyone asks you about
Me, say that I am near. I respond to the call of one who calls, whenever he
calls to Me." (2:186)
The Creator created
man in such a way that there is no distance between the two: both are very near
to each other. It is possible for man to contact God Almighty at any moment,
from wherever he may be. This concept gives every man and woman unshakable
confidence. It gives every man and woman a source of help in every situation.
If you have a mobile
phone in your pocket when you leave home, you will confidently believe that you
are not far away from your family. You can make instant contact with your
family from anywhere in the world. The same holds true for the man-God
relationship.
I am a great believer
in God. I can recall many instances when I have found myself in a state of
helplessness. Then I prayed and asked God for His help and, invariably, I
realised that God Almighty was with me. He solved my problem, and turned around
the situation in my favour.
This belief gives me
conviction and determination. In my experience, everyone is in need of such a
source of conviction. In our daily lives, we frequently face situations where
we feel that, with our limited resources, we cannot cope with them. We need,
therefore, to believe in a supernatural source of help.
This belief energises
our minds. It gives us new courage to continue with the task in hand. This
belief plays a great role in our lives in that it adds immeasurable hope to our
struggle. It makes us able to tap our hidden energy.
Life is full of
disadvantages. Frequently, we come face-to-face with unfamiliar situations. Dealing
with them takes thought and planning and, at that time, we need some pointers
to a future line of action. In such a situation, belief in God serves as a
lighthouse. We are like the captain of an ocean-going vessel, who finds himself
in a state of loneliness and isolation. Then he spots a lighthouse on the
coastline. Its light gives him new hope, and he decides to follow the path it
illuminates. The result is that he is successful in reaching his destination.
Indeed, life is like
sailing across a great ocean. We need to believe that there is someone on the
coast who can give us help when we are at our most helpless. This is the role
of God in the life of every man and woman. One's success is 50% struggle and
50% hope. It is a source of great hope for everyone that God is with us. There
is no distance between man and God. He is just a call away from us.
I am in my late 80s
and can say that my life has been full of challenges, full of problems, and the
only thing that has saved me from succumbing in any situation is my belief in
God.
Source: The Times of India