Saintliness Is Innate And Intrinsic
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
7 July 2023
Kalaam Mein Hota Hai Andaaz-O-Asar
Gar Shayar Apne Hunar Se Ho Bekhabar
Raghupati Sahay ' Firaq ' Gorakhpuri
(The
creation stands out / If the poet is oblivious of his creativity)
There once
lived a man so godly that even the angels rejoiced at the sight of him. But, in
spite of his great holiness, he had no notion that he was holy. He just went
about his humdrum tasks diffusing goodness the way flowers unselfconsciously
diffuse their fragrance and street-lamps their glow.
His
holiness lay in this that he forgot each person's past and looked at them as
they were now, and he looked beyond each person's appearance to the very centre
of their being where they were innocent and blameless and too ignorant to know
what they were doing. Thus he loved and forgave everyone he met-and he saw
nothing extraordinary in this for, it was the result of his way of looking at
people.
One day an
angel said to him, " I've been sent to you by god. Ask for anything you
wish and it'll be given to you. Would you wish to have the gift of
healing?" "No", said the man. " I'd rather god did the
healing himself."
"Would
you want to bring sinners back to the path of righteousness?" "No", he said," it's not for
me to touch human hearts. That's the work of angels." "Would you like
to be such a model of virtue that people will be drawn to imitate
you?" "No", said the
saint, " for that would make me the centre of attention."
"What
do you wish for?" asked the angel. "The grace of god," was the
man's reply. " Having that, I've got all I desire." " No, you must ask for some
miracle," said the angel, " or one will be forced on you." " Well, then I shall ask for this: Let
good be done through me without my being aware of it."
So, it was
decreed that the holy man's shadow would be endowed with healing properties
whenever it fell behind him. So, everywhere his shadow fell-provided he had his
back to it-the sickness were healed, the land became fertile, fountains sprang
to life and colour returned to the faces of those who were weighed down by
life's sorrow.
But the
saint knew nothing of this because the attention of people was so centred on
the shadow that they forgot the man and so his wish that good be done through
him and he was forgotten was abundantly fulfilled.
Saintliness
is not an acquired quality. It's innate and in-built. One is born with it. And
when a trait is so intrinsic and bound up with your consciousness, you're never
aware of its existence. Because, the moment you get conscious of your goodness,
you change and become affected. Yehudi Menuhin, the greatest violinist the
world has ever seen, told his biographer Elvin Griffith that if people thought
that he was great, it was because he was never aware of his so-called greatness.
The awareness of one's positive quality dilutes its effect. So, be like a
saint, oblivious to your goodness, if you've any.
There's a
phenomenon in Behavioural Psychology, ' Weighed down by one's own genius and
expectations.' Like conscious saintliness, constant awareness of one's own
(extraordinary) capabilities can also go against an individual. Readers perhaps
know that the great Mohammad Rafi had ustaad like Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit
Jeewan Lal Mattoo, Firoze Nizami and also Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. All his masters
knew that Rafi was a genius who didn't require much training. But they never
praised and elevated him to the seventh heavens lest he should become aware of
his genius and lose his focus. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan would tell Rafi, 'Aapko Abhi
Aur Seekhna Hai (!) despite knowing that he didn't require to learn
anything. It was Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's way of not letting Rafi become aware of
his greatness and exceptional skills as a singer. "Meri 'Azmat' Ka
Danka Bajte Hi/ Meri Taraqqi Ki Raah Tham Gayee" (Ravish Siddiqi): The
moment my 'greatness' became obvious/ My progress stopped. This must never
happen to a person who's endowed with special qualities.
----
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/saintliness-innate-intrinsic/d/130155
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