In the early days, flour was milled
using stone wheels. Flour was then sifted to remove the little stone chips of
the millstone and other impurities that got into flour.
The sieve or sifter was used to
separate the good from the bad, the wanted commodity from the unwanted
commodity: The good flour was, in this way, separated from the stone or dirt
particles. The good flour passed through the sieve and settled in a dish or
container. The stone particles or dirt particles remained behind in the sieve.
…Today’s flour goes through modern
milling equipment, which removes impurities almost entirely. However,
considering the initial methods used to sift flour and separate it, the
following analogy came to mind.
People like us are engaged in the
khidmat of Deen: We give Bayaans, teach in Madrasahs, write books, etc. – and others benefit.
They settle in the obedience of Allah
Ta’ala and they settle in a life that is in conformity with the Sunnah - like
how the good flour settles, having fallen through a sieve. They establish their
Deen and occupy themselves in good and their end result is, Insha-Allah,
Jannah.
And we sometimes just remain in the sieve – like the stone particles or
impurities. Despite our knowledge and Khidmat of Deen, our A’maal are so weak.
…There is negligence and there is laziness. Sometimes there is no Salaah, no
effort to abstain from sins, etc., despite being blessed with a great amount of
knowledge of Deen and even propagating the same.
Nafs and shaytaan trap us in sins like Takabbur, Riyaa, Ujub, casting
lustful gazes, backbiting, etc. and like that sieve holds the unwanted
particles back, we are kept back from any progress, spiritually.
However, Allah Ta’ala, in His
Infinite Kindness, has given the human being the capacity of changing from bad
to good, from being sinful to becoming righteous and pious. …If we repent for
our shortcomings, and improve in our A’maal, then we too will not be held back
by the sieve of sins, the sieve of nafs and shaytaan. We will be able to move
through the sieve, out of that grip of nafs and shaytaan, and settle in the
obedience and pleasure of Allah Ta’ala.
This becomes easy for the one who establishes a relationship with a
Shaykh-e-Kaamil. …Even if a person is an Aalim or the person is involved in some service
of Deen, he should not remain independent of the guidance and expertise of a
Shaykh – because knowledge is not sufficient on this path. The person should
humble himself and submit himself to the process of Islaah and Tazkiyyah.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the
Taufeeq. Aameen.
