APPEARANCE AND REALITY

give a single thought to the long and infinitely complex development of the entire universe which made it possible for such things to come into existence. The man who has his eyes open to the truth thinks in quite a different way, when the same set of eatables is set before him. He is intensely aware at all times that these are the products of nature’s ‘factory.’ He reflects upon how cows and buffaloes eat grass and then convert it into milk. He thinks of how the tree takes in water and nutrients from the soil and then converts them into flowers and fruit. When he ponders upon how such ‘factories’ could come into existence, the system of the entire universe begins to unfold itself before him. He considers how it was only after this limitless universe had evolved for millions and millions of years that the system of the present world could be established. The present world, vast and varied as it may seem, accord with it in every detail. This is so that the tree can yield fruit and the cow can give milk. When he thinks of all these, he experiences a strange kind of thrill, and a sense of wonder and awe. Now, when he drinks milk, or puts a piece of fruit into his mouth, he feels that it is a unique blessing from God. It is obvious that eating, as a normal human activity, is not the same for the ‘blind’ as it is for the ‘seeing’. Neither can the consequences be the same for both, as is suggested by the analogy the Quran gives us of the man who eats stones and the man who eats fruits. Just as the effects of eating can never be the same for these two men, so can the consequences never be similar for one who eats ‘blindly’ and one who eats ‘with his eyes open’. In the Hereafter, that which we receive shall be in direct proportion to what we have discerned behind the veil of appearances. Those who have never torn that veil aside can expect to receive nothing. o In the Hereafter , that which we receive shall be in direct proportion to what we have discerned behind the veil of appearences. Those who have never torn that veil aside can expect to receive nothing. USA Centre for Peace and Spirituality 2665 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020 kkaleemuddin@gmail.com