BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY

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

Contents (51 chapters)

1. Foreword
2. TAWHEED:Oneness of God
3. WHO ARE ANGELS?
4. WHO ARE THE PROPHETS?
5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD
6. LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD
7. THE TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHET
8. QURAN: Word of God
9. HADITH: Traditions of Prophet Muhammad
10. ISLAM: Submission to God
11. IMAN: Belief in God
12. THE TRIAL OF MAN
13. CREATION PLAN OF GOD
14. ACTIONS DEPEND UPON INTENTION
15. CONCEPT OF HEREAFTER
16. PARADISE AND HELL
17. RABBANIYAT: Islamic Spirituality
18. TAQWA: God-Consciousness
19. SHUKR: Gratitude to God
20. ZIKR: Remembrance of God
21. SALAT: Prayer Instills Modesty in a Worshipper
22. SAWM: Fasting Teaches Restraint
23. ZAKAT: The Law of Almsgiving
24. CHARITY: Well-Wishing of Others
25. HAJJ: Piligrimage to Makkah
26. THE SIMPLE PRINCIPLE OF MORALITY
27. SABR (PATIENCE): The Superior Solution
28. SPEAKING THE TRUTH
29. FULFILLING PROMISES
30. THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEANLINESS
31. TOLERANCE LEADS TO RESPECTING DIFFERENCES
32. JIHAD IN ISLAM
33. AVOIDANCE OF CLASH
34. AT THE TIME OF DIFFERENCES
35. A GOOD NEIGHBOUR IS A GOOD HUMAN BEING
36. A BELIEVER’S DUTIES TOWARD HUMANITY
37. SERVING HUMANITY
38. ISLAM AND HUMAN EQUALITY
39. HUMAN BROTHERHOOD
40. GOD-ORIENTED LIFE
41. PRAYER: Expression of Heartfelt Attachment to God
42. PRAYERS REFRESH THE FAITH OF THE BELIEVER
43. MORNINGS AND EVENINGS IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER
44. TAWASSUM: Spiritual Nourishment From Everyday Events
45. HOW SHOULD ONE LIVE IN THE FAMILY?
46. BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY
47. DIVINE WAY: MOVE WITHIN YOUR SPHERE
48. THE PURPOSE OF WEALTH
49. LOSS AND GAIN
50. CONCEPT OF SALVATION
51. CONCLUSION

BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY

Living in a state of servitude to God, one inevitably becomes drawn to simplicity. Then, one devotes oneself totally to the achievement of higher purposes in life.

A believer is one who has found God. One who has found God naturally starts appreciating sublime realities. He rises above appearances and takes a keen interest in the world of meaning. Such a person as a matter of temperament becomes one who loves simplicity. He believes in “simple living and high thinking.”

Those who acquire a taste for what is real, lose interest in external, material things. Such people start relishing simplicity. Material things lose their attraction for them. Their souls derive peace from the things of nature. Unnatural or artificial things have no appeal for them. They feel that they are obstacle to their spiritual journey.

Simplicity is a believer’s strength. It is a support to him. By embracing simplicity, a believer is able to save himself from wasting his time in irrelevant things. He saves himself from being embroiled in unnecessary matters. And in this way, he is able to devote himself totally to the achievement of higher purposes.

Simplicity is a believer’s food. Simplicity becomes an adornment of his modesty. In an atmosphere of simplicity, his personality is better nourished. Simplicity is a believer’s beauty. For a believer simplicity is life. If a believer ever finds himself in a world of artificial attractions, he feels as if he is shut up in some prison.

A believer regards himself as God’s servant in the most absolute sense. This enables him to live tranquilly in his state of servitude. The temperament of one who willingly lives in his state of servitude will inevitably become drawn to simplicity, because any other style of living which is not marked by simplicity will be at variance with his character and he will not be able to countenance such a situation.