FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE

FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE There is a tree beside my house. I call it the 'Spiritual Tree'. I derive spiritual inspiration from it. A tree is an evergrowing being that was initially a seed possessing the potential of becoming a full-grown tree. A seed takes food from the universe around it and then grows into a tree. The same is true with spirituality, the desire for which is intrinsic to, and an integral part of, the very nature of every human being. To realize this spirituality, man must derive spiritual food from the universe around him. A tree converts carbon-dioxide into oxygen; a spiritual person is one who can take positive lessons from negative situations. From this perspective, a tree is an embodiment of a spiritual personality. —Maulana Wahiduddin Khan CALLING UPON GOD WITH HIS GREATEST NAME T HE following teaching of the Prophet calls for an understanding of what is meant by calling upon God with His greatest name, which in Arabic is referred to as Ism-e-Azam. One of the Companions of the Prophet reported that once the Prophet of Islam heard someone saying: “O God, I beseech You. All praise is for You. You are the object of worship, You have no partner. You have done great favours to man. You have created the Earth and the heavens without any model. Greatness and honour are Yours.” On hearing this, the Prophet of Islam said: “You have called God with Ism-e-Azam. When He is called out in this way, He will certainly answer your call; and when He is asked for anything in this way, He grants it.” (Musnad Ahmad) Generally, people think Ism-e-Azam refers to a special name of God’s. From the above Hadith we can understand that it is not one particular name. There are many names of God which reflect various divine attributes. This shows that Ism-e-Azam cannot be a particular name. Had it been a specific name, the above prayer of the Prophet’s Companion would have also referred to that name. But there are several names of God in this prayer. In spite of this clear indication, considering Ism-