The Greatest Gift of All

As human beings born in an age of materialism, we grow up with a profit-and-loss mindset. We are willing to put in hard work if it yields something in return. Willingly or unwillingly, a child allows his sleep to be disturbed every early morning because his parents teach him that going to school leads to admission into a prestigious university afterward. When the child grows up, he leaves the comforts and blessings of his home to travel abroad alone because a good degree promises a bright future ahead.

Similarly, when we teach religion to children, we do not teach them the poetry of Rumi; rather, we simply tell them that good deeds in this life will lead them to Heaven, while neglecting them will lead to torment. We tell them about the joys of Paradise and the suffering of Hell. This is enough to make them act virtuously.

But, unfortunately, there is one thing we do not learn from our parents, society, education, media, movies, or music.

What is that one thing that is so precious that if we lose everything-literally everything-we have, in order to gain it alone, it is still entirely worth it, and we should have no regrets at all? There should be no second thoughts about it. We should be grateful if we acquire it even at the cost of losing everything else. No price paid is higher than what we attain in return. No deal is a failure if the outcome is gaining it. What is it?

It is guidance-Divine guidance-hidayah and tawfīq from God: to live for Him, with Him, according to Him, and towards Him. While its mechanism remains a secret, beyond any formula of cause and effect, one thing is common in every case: it is the pouring of Divine light into the chest, which transforms the states of the heart, the mind, and the soul. Outwardly, it is exactly the same person, but inwardly, a new being enters, bringing with it a renewed ethos of life. This can happen, in some cases, even in the spur of a moment, while in other cases, it may take many years.

When this happens, the nature of virtue is no longer transactional. We do not perform good deeds for perpetual pleasure, nor do we avoid evil out of fear of pain. Recall the eternal words of Ali ibn Abi Talib (RZA): "I do not worship God for Heaven or for the avoidance of Hell. I worship Him because He is worthy of being worshipped." The true and mature believer is inspired toward virtue solely for earning the pleasure of God and being counted among those beloved to the Messenger of God ﷺ. This sentiment, motivation, and incentive constitute the very essence and spirit of religion. Proximity to God and His Messenger ﷺ is the true reward, while Paradise is merely a fringe benefit.

However, the discussion does not end here. Many believers assume that just because their mindset has changed and, outwardly, they have begun following the do's and don'ts of the Sharīʿah, they do not need to strive for anything further. If the sole purpose is eternal salvation, this level of religiosity appears sufficient to enter Heaven. However, how can we ignore the famous narration in which Angel Jibrīl (AS) appeared in the form of a man dressed in spotless white garments and asked the Prophet ﷺ profound questions in order to teach religion to the blessed Companions? In one of those questions, Jibrīl (AS) said, "Tell me about excellence." The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Excellence is to worship Allah as though you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you."

When we study the lives of the great Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, we observe two distinguishing traits. First, they always aspired toward excellence in religion and never settled for mediocrity. Second, in their pursuit of excellence, they endured hardships of the highest order that a human being can imagine, yet never felt sorrow over their losses, because they knew with absolute clarity of thought and conviction of heart that what they ultimately gained was infinitely more precious than what they had lost. After embracing the path of God, they never looked back even once. Their transformation was permanent.

One cannot help but recall the famous incident reported from Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RZA). He entered upon the Prophet ﷺ and saw that he was lying on a simple mat made of palm fibers. When the Prophet ﷺ rose, Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RZA) saw the marks of the mat on his blessed side. There was nothing else in the room except a few basic items. Seeing this, he began to weep and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the kings of Persia and Rome live in luxury and comfort, while you-being the Messenger of Allah-live in this condition?" The Prophet ﷺ replied: "Are you not pleased, O ʿUmar, that for them is this world, and for us is the Hereafter?"

This mindset is what the Prophet ﷺ expressed in the words: "My faqr (renunciation of worldly pleasures) is my pride." He did not say that, "My victory in the Battle of Badr is my pride." He did not say, "My position as the head of state in Madinah is my pride." He did not say, "My conquest of Makkah is my pride." He did not say, "My number of followers is my pride." He did not say, "My prestige in Arabia is my pride." His pride lay precisely in that quality through which God Himself elevated him.

Today, this spiritual, mystical, moral, ethical, and experiential dimension of religion is missing from the lives of Muslims across the world, as a result of which they fail to present a compelling example for others to follow. It is indeed remarkable that, despite the adverse image generated daily by the actions of Muslims, Islam continues to be one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. One wonders: had Muslims truly embodied Islam, how widespread its influence might have been today.

There are levels of guidance. Many believers are satisfied with the mere performance of rituals such as prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage because they have been taught from the very beginning that these constitute the pillars of faith. This is a serious misconception. These acts become pillars of religion only when they cease to be mere rituals and transform into profound acts of spiritual elevation, which is possible only when one attains the level of excellence described above. Our prayers, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage are not at all comparable to those of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, let alone those of the Prophet ﷺ himself.

For example, the Prophet ﷺ said that prayer is the ascension (miʿrāj) of the true believer. Our prayer is far from being an experience of ascension; it is merely a formality fulfilled, a box ticked. What does this imply? It means that we have not yet attained the level of true belief. Similarly, our fasting is merely an avoidance of food, drink, and lust for a limited number of hours, whereas Allah says that "Fasting is for Me, and I Myself am its reward." We do not experience that level of proximity to Him while fasting. Why? Because we have not yet reached that level of faith.

What are the consequences of this void in this world? Muslims, on a global level, do not experience the fruits of faith that Islam once promised and manifested fourteen centuries ago. There is no promise from God that partial faith, partial compliance, partial righteousness, and partial devotion will yield the same results in this life. On the contrary, the Qur'an clearly states:

"Enter into Islam completely." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:208)

The generation of Muslims that fulfilled this criterion achieved success in ways that we can only dream of. It is no wonder that Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal said:

"Recreate within yourself the spirit of Badr; then you will witness that from the heavens, angels can still descend in ranks upon ranks to aid you."

Although Iqbal refers to the Battle of Badr, where divine help came in the form of angels, his deeper message is that divine assistance is not confined to the past-it is contingent upon inner state, sincerity, and spiritual readiness. Muslims can only reclaim their lost honor if the spirit of Badr is reignited within them.

The youth are becoming increasingly inclined toward atheism and secularism. Why? Because, across the world, they see Muslims being defeated on all fronts, at every level, which creates the illusion that religion belongs to a bygone age and bears no practical relevance in 2026. This reminds us of the profound words attributed to a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ while addressing the later generation (tābiʿīn): "We conquered our nafs before we conquered the land." Thus, the blessed Companions fought more battles within themselves than they fought against any external enemy.

Rather than the development of organizations, the creation of advanced technologies, or the launching of massive movements, the first prerequisite for revival is victory over one's own self, regardless of sect or school of thought. If those who aspire for an Islamic revival overlook this fundamental truth, all their efforts will prove fruitless, for God does not change His established way. That is what Iqbal realized when he said:

"If you remain faithful to Muhammad ﷺ, then We are yours; what is this world to you- the Tablet and the Pen themselves are yours."

The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah says: "My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary acts until I love him. And when I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely grant him."

If we wish to determine whether we are people of God or people of this world, there is a simple test. Suppose we are given two choices, and we can select only one:

• We are granted the dominion of everything that exists in this world.
• We are given the honor of serving the Messenger of God ﷺ

If we wish to examine our consciousness of tawḥīd (Oneness of God), the mirror is this saying of the Prophet ﷺ: "Know that if all people were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with something, they would not harm you except with what Allah has already written against you."

Some critics of spirituality argue that if the Book is sufficient, then why is purification necessary? The Qur'an is indeed an ocean of knowledge, wisdom, and gnosis (maʿrifah). Potentially, it is sufficient to guide us. However, the nature of divine revelation is such that it unveils itself to the recipient in proportion to his inner purity. A common person understands only the literal meaning of the text, whereas a gnostic (ʿārif) unlocks its deeper dimensions-layers of meaning reserved for those who truly draw near to God. That is why a novice cannot comprehend from which verse Ibn al-ʿArabī (RHT) derived his concept of Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Existence).

The path of Muhammad ﷺ begins with a transformation of perspective-intellectual purification-but this is only the first step in a long ascent toward enlightenment. The subsequent stages involve the process of tazkiyah al-nafs-spiritual purification-which was one of the core responsibilities entrusted to the Prophet ﷺ by God, as mentioned in the Qur'an.

This process is not devoid of pain, hurdles, obstacles, or difficulty, because the conditioning that human beings undergo from birth to adulthood-especially in our age-renders them increasingly resistant to Divine Light (nūr) and increasingly burdened with layers of darkness and spiritual disease. Removing these veils between man and God requires time, struggle, patience, gratitude, unwavering trust in Divine wisdom, and the cultivation of deep insight without which true guidance cannot be attained.

Dr. Tahir Hameed Tanoli explains that just as different saints walk in the footsteps of different prophets, various spiritual lineages (silsilahs) address the diverse needs of seekers. The lineage that rectifies action follows the way of Mūsā (AS). That which rectifies thought follows the way of Ibrāhīm (AS). That which refines emotion follows the way of ʿĪsā (AS). The lineage of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (RHT) integrates the rectification of thought, action, and emotion-reflecting the comprehensive path of the final Prophet ﷺ. Love for him is incomplete without love for his Ahl al-Bayt-his family and descendants.

But why would one choose to undertake this journey in the first place?

Due to the overwhelming influence of modern Western ideas, the concept of "freedom" has acquired misleading connotations. Most people interpret it as the freedom to indulge in desires without restraint. However, there exists another kind of freedom-one that every Muslim should aspire to attain: the freedom to walk the path of the chosen ones of God without fear or pressure. This is the freedom that liberates a person from the chains of society and from the tyranny of the ego. It is emancipation from both the inner and outer devil. That is why Iqbal said:

"That single prostration which you consider a fall- it is what frees a man from a thousand prostrations."

The world is filled with the beauty and grace of God's creation. There are countless blessings, treasures, and manifestations of splendor-many visible, others hidden beneath discovery. There is no scarcity of wonder on this earth, especially within the human being himself, if only he reflects.

However, is there anything that surpasses all of this?

Yes.

Guidance is the greatest gift of all.

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