The Greatness of God
When God’s glory is extolled, the earth and the heavens reverberate with the praises of God. One who is so blessed as to sing the glories of God receives inspiration from the angels.
Everyone has a great fund of stories about his greatness, but no one has a similar fund of stories describing the greatness of God. Articles are published in our journals which are entirely devoted to extolling the glory and greatness of our leaders, describing how their shining personalities have dazzled every corner of the globe with their radiance. There will be no mention in such articles of God’s wonders, yet they will all end with this short sentence: “All praise is due to God.” This short sentence will appear out of place when seen in the totality of the speeches and articles. When entire articles and speeches are devoted to man’s greatness, does it mean anything to say that ‘All praise is due to God?’ Such conclusions are just a part of a formality; they are not genuinely meant. After man’s virtues have been so extolled, this little phrase serves no better purpose than to fill in a blank. It does not express any great love of God. If someone from another religion were to make a speech or write an article on his beloved personality, he would most likely end his speech with some such phrase from his religious traditions, while a Muslim would choose one from his religious scriptures. Outwardly, these conclusions differ, one being Islamic, the other non-Islamic, yet these different concluding phrases are no doubt the same when looked at from the perspective of the psychology behind it. In reality, there is no difference between the two.
Those who are proud of their activities, regarding them as achievements, will soon learn that in the eyes of God, their activities are as valueless as the travels of an ant in a pile of mud. This earth is not a manifestation (jalwa gah) of the charisma of their akabirs (senior religious personalities whom they held in great reverence). It is the manifestation of God’s grandeur. Whenever anyone extols the greatness of someone other than God on this earth, he tells the biggest lie that anyone can tell.
Whenever hymns are sung to the glory of a human being, both the extoller and the listener are cursed by all the things of this earth and the heavens. On the other hand, when God’s glory is extolled, the earth and the heavens reverberate with the praises of God. Eulogies of human beings are uttered by false tongues and heard by false ears. However, one who is so blessed as to sing the glories of God receives inspiration from the angels.
When the greatness of a human being enchants someone, he goes on extolling his virtues unceasingly. However, on the other hand, when the greatness of God touches one, he is left speechless. It is because words expressing the greatness of man are written on the best of paper and are read out at glittering functions, whereas the expression of the greatness of God is stirred up in the hearts of the faithful, and these find expression only in moments of solitude. The difference between those who live in the glories of man and those who live in the glories of God is the same as the difference between man and God.
