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 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism