Glorification Of God Book

Ch 34 — Crying in Remembrance of God

Glorification Of God Book — Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.

Contents (44 chapters)
  1. Foreword
  2. Ch 1 — The Majesty of God in the Vast Universe
  3. Ch 2 — The Consciousness in Human Nature of God's Existence
  4. Ch 3 — The Omnipotent God and Helpless Man
  5. Ch 4 — Glorification of God
  6. Ch 5 — Consciousness in Nature
  7. Ch 6 — Limitless Majesty of God
  8. Ch 7 — Relationship with God
  9. Ch 8 — Two Aspects of God-Realization
  10. Ch 9 — The Importance of the Fear of God
  11. Ch 10 — Loving God the Most
  12. Ch 11 — Love, Obedience
  13. Ch 12 — Love of God
  14. Ch 13 — Closeness to God
  15. Ch 14 — Two Levels of Realization (Maarifah)
  16. Ch 15 — Making God One's Supreme Concern
  17. Ch 16 — Submission to God
  18. Ch 17 — Acknowledgement of God
  19. Ch 18 — Cause of the Failure to Love God
  20. Ch 19 — Praise Be to God (Alhamdulillah)
  21. Ch 20 — The Source of the Love of God
  22. Ch 21 — The Price of the Love of God
  23. Ch 22 — Strong, Emotional Attachment to God
  24. Ch 23 — Real Love, Relative Love
  25. Ch 24 — Two Categories of Paradise
  26. Ch 25 — Intense Love of God
  27. Ch 26 — Strong Believer, Weak Believer
  28. Ch 27 — People Worth Envying
  29. Ch 28 — Sacred Narration
  30. Ch 29 — A Case of Exceptional Mercy
  31. Ch 30 — God in Our Hearts
  32. Ch 31 — The Remembrance of God
  33. Ch 32 — Two Lifestyles
  34. Ch 33 — The Power of Helplessness
  35. Ch 34 — Crying in Remembrance of God
  36. Ch 35 — The Spirit of Religion
  37. Ch 36 — God's Pleasure, Man's Pleasure
  38. Ch 37 — Initial Hamd (Praise), Ultimate Hamd
  39. Ch 38 — Thankfulness and Acknowledgement
  40. Ch 39 — The High Degree of the Divine Experience
  41. Ch 40 — The Feelings of Worship
  42. Ch 41 — The Experience of God
  43. Ch 42 — Seeking God's Pleasure
  44. Ch 43 — In the Company of God

Crying in Remembrance of God p. 76

Self-prostration (sajdah) is a moment of nearness between God and man. This experience of nearness to God is the greatest spiritual experience a man can have. p. 76

It happened once that the parents had to send their son to a distant place, where he had to stay for about 10 years without any further contact between them. Finally, a friend of the son came to meet the mother. He had a photograph of her son. When the mother saw this photograph, her eyes were full of tears. Why did this happen? The reason was that on seeing the photograph the mother remembered her son. After seeing the photograph an invisible contact was established between the mother and the son as so many memories were associated with it. p. 76

This example tells us what it is to weep in God’s remembrance. Such remembrance is the result of a contact at a psychological level between the Lord and His servant. When a human soul undergoes this experience of contact with God, then it is reflected in the form of tears. p. 76

This same reality has been expressed thus in chapter 19 of the Quran: “For when the revelations of the Merciful were recited to them, they fell down, prostrating themselves and weeping.” (19:58) At another place in chapter 96, the Quran has this to say: “Prostrate yourself and come closer to God.” (96:19) A true act of self-prostration is a moment of nearness between God and man. At that moment a spiritual contact is formed at an invisible level between God and man. This experience of contact is so intense that tears fall from the eyes of the servant. p. 77original + quote

In the life of this world this experience of nearness to God is the greatest spiritual experience a man can have. This state of nearness is not between two equals but rather is between two who are unequal. This is why at the time of contact, man undergoes the same experience as that of the mountain during the time of Prophet Moses, because in this kind of unequal contact, “When God manifested Himself on the mountain, He broke it into pieces.” (7:143). For a servant this experience is like the coming together of two extreme states, in one sense intense anguish, and in another sense, ultimate comfort. p. 77original + quote