The Lost Glory

Nabeel is an MBA student at one of the top universities in Asia. He dreams of becoming the next great business tycoon of the continent. Gifted with extraordinary intellect, he shines as the star of his batch. The Dean and professors are deeply impressed by him, while his peers, consumed by jealousy, conspire behind his back.

One day, Nabeel makes a grave mistake-one that could easily land him in serious trouble. His classmates seize this opportunity with both hands, twisting his error into a campaign of false propaganda. They even involve authorities outside the university to pressure the administration. Bound by the weight of external influence, the university reluctantly decides to terminate Nabeel, though their hearts are against it.

Nabeel is shattered into a million pieces. This degree was meant to be the first milestone on a lifelong journey toward his dreams. Now, his twenty years of planning collapse before they even cross the first year. What a tragedy to befall a young man aflame with vision and passion.

After a long struggle with mental anguish, Nabeel slowly regains some strength of spirit. At that vulnerable stage, Satan whispers to him: "You have been betrayed, crushed, and wronged. Your ego lies in ruins. The only way to mend this wounded pride is to regain it-by becoming the greatest superstar in history. Work madly and obsessively toward this goal. Let nothing, absolutely nothing, stand in your way. That is the only path to reclaim your lost glory."

Nabeel is not home. His mother quietly places a book on his bedside table without telling him. When he returns, his mind still stormed with thoughts, his eyes fall upon the book before he sleeps. It is Sahih Bukhari, the most authentic collection of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He opens it for the first time, and the very first words seize his attention:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or to marry a woman, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."

Nabeel's heart lingers on these words. If deeds are judged solely by intentions, he thinks, then what is the point of chasing stardom when every milestone along the way will spring only from the ego? What will be the reward for such a pursuit? Absolutely nothing.

For the first time in his life, the Prophet's saying makes him reflect deeply on Islam. But soon, Satan returns and whispers again: "Those students ruined your career, your respect, your reputation. Your stardom will be your revenge. If you abandon this goal, they will win. Do you really want to become the loser?"

Nabeel prays sincerely, seeking guidance from Allah, and goes to sleep with hope in his heart. That night, he dreams. A saint-Wasif Ali Wasif-appears before him and says, "I am a servant of God, sent to teach you the secrets of this servitude. Are you willing to listen?"

In the dream, Nabeel replies, "Yes." Wasif says, "Those students who wronged you did so to turn you into an egomaniac. Their true aim was to make you lose your virtue and wear the forbidden robe of grandeur that belongs only to your Creator. If you chase stardom, your enemies will triumph. But if you embrace humility, simplicity, and sweetness, it will be the greatest slap upon their faces-for it means you have defeated them. That is your real victory. Now, choose your path."

Suddenly, the saint disappears, and the dream ends. When Nabeel wakes, his eyes are wet with tears. He feels that God has answered his prayer-and given him a new purpose: to become the kind of human worthy of being called a human.

He recalls the dialogue between God and the angels at the dawn of creation:

"Why would You create a being that will shed blood and spread corruption on earth while we glorify You?" God replied, "You do not know what I know."

God knew there would be souls who would justify His decision-humans who would conquer their lower selves and prove His wisdom right, making the angels bow in awe at their light.

But how can a creature as weak, flawed, and wayward as man achieve something as impossible as conquering the nafs-the lower self? It seems like a beautiful fantasy, an ideal fit for books, not life.

Here, the wisdom of Imam Bukhari (RHT) shines like a sun. The compiler of Sahih Bukhari chose, as the very first saying of the Prophet (PBUH), the essence of the entire spiritual journey:

"The reward of deeds depends upon intentions."

This single hadith begins and ends the path of purification. It is the first and final lesson of spirituality. The more the presence of God in a deed, the higher its value. The less of Him there is, the lower it falls.

No wonder the Prophet (PBUH) said that if his companions were to give even an iota of wealth in God's path, it would outweigh mountains of gold given by others. Why? Because we cannot match the purity of their intentions. We have not conquered the self as they did.

God does not see the figure of the transaction-He sees the soul behind it. He looks at the human within the act, the heart within that human, and the purity beneath that motive. It is said that Sufism (Tasawuf) is nothing but the rectification of intention.

But how does one purify intention? The words of my teacher, Dr. Azhar Waheed, echo in my mind:

"Purity of intention is the negation of one's personal gain and temperament."

No finer definition of sincerity could exist. For countless people perform countless deeds in the name of God, claiming they are for Him-yet, deep within, countless traces of self-interest and temperament reside. Their actions reflect themselves more than their faith.

The tragedy is that most of them are unaware of these traps. The nafs weaves webs so fine that, as the Qur'an says, "Satan beautifies their deeds for them" until they are convinced they act for a higher cause.

In all matters of religion, God is the most lenient examiner one can imagine - except in one thing alone. The great discoverer of mysteries, Imam al-Ghazali, writes in his final work Minhaj al-'Abidin that if a deed were divided into a hundred parts and ninety-nine were for God while one was for someone else, God - being full of dignity, honor, and absolute self-sufficiency - would not accept it for Himself. Ironically, the fact that He still includes the name of such a person among the forgiven is an act of sheer magnanimity, not an act of justice.

The truth is that one must travel beyond his human self to transcend the lower self. This inner journey cannot be taught in workshops or books. It can only unfold under the direct supervision of a guide-one who has himself walked this road under another master. Yet even this guidance bears no fruit unless the seeker is blessed with Divine Love-the intense experience we discussed in the earlier two essays.

My mother's brother, the late Sufi saint and lover drowned in Divine ecstasy, Dr. Shahid Awais, once said, "I was reading Iqbal's poetry during Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) in Makkah - and that was a sign of Iqbal's acceptance in the Kingdom of God." One might wonder: from a purely literary perspective, there were poets more skillful than Iqbal; then why was he bestowed with such an honor? Because his verses were not mere works of literature - they were pearls born of sincerity of intent. Such acceptance is not the applause of this world but an ovation from beyond time and space. The book is printed here, but the clapping is heard in the heavens. The pen may be mortal, but the author becomes eternal.

Sincerity of intent is like a fragrance that emanates from the soul of the sincere. It enters through the senses and reaches the deepest fabric of another human spirit. When you read an essay by Wasif Ali Wasif, it is not merely a literary masterpiece - it ignites the Divine spark within you, compelling you to rethink the script of your life: how you once wrote it, and how you must now rewrite it. This is not just literary artistry; it is the cry of a wounded saint whose heart bleeds at the dimming of faith's candle. The words are on paper, but the pain is in the heart. The wounds belong to the people, yet the ache resides in the saint.

According to Wasif, the Tariqah - the path - is Shariah immersed in love. Let me illustrate the difference between the two. From the perspective of Shariah, every azaan (call to prayer) is the same. Yet once, a single call delayed the rising of the sun - the azaan of Hazrat Bilal (RZA). Why? Because the sincerity of his intent was unmatched, born from his exalted station in Tariqah. It reminds us of the prophetic saying: "Die before you die." When the lower self perishes and only the Divine self remains within a human being, even his call to prayer holds the power to alter the rhythm of day and night.

One might wonder - is there a connection between happiness and sincerity of intent? A person devoid of inner purity relies on fleeting pleasures for a momentary thrill. He is happy only as long as the sources of his highs remain intact; once they fade, misery returns. That is not happiness - it is merely an escape from sorrow. In contrast, a person of pure intention attains a joy that depends on no external impulse, for his soul draws directly from its true source. His heart is already nourished - with no cords attached. This is real happiness, the kind the modern world has long forgotten.

Our real enemies are not those who destroy our plans and ambitions-plans that were seldom pure to begin with. Our true adversaries are the serpents within and without, against whom the lifelong battle begins in youth and ends only in the grave.

If, by the grace of God, we conquer these two foes, we have achieved the greatest victory of all-the one the Prophet (PBUH) spoke of when he told his companions after a war:

"We have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad." When asked what the greater jihad was, he said, "It is the struggle against one's lower self."

So, if our cruel, painful, and devastating experiences do not corrupt our virtue, if they do not make us abandon goodness, compromise our principles, or weaken our resolve-then we have already triumphed over those who wronged us.

If, instead of hatred, resentment, and bitterness, our hearts still burn with love-for God, for His beloved, for His creation-and if we trust His wisdom in all that we endured, then that is the transformation worthy of greatness.

For then, God Himself and His beloved will bear witness to our worth. The garb of greatness will no longer be a disguise-it will be the reflection of a purified soul, attuned to the secrets of the Divine.

That unveiling of truth, that light of realization, that nearness to the Beloved-that is the success defined by God Himself.

And if you have attained it- that is regaining the lost glory.