In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. 1. By Al-'Asr (the time). 2. Verily! Man is in loss, 3. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and advise one another to patience. Have you ever thought why Allah has sworn by time? We always swear by those which / who are worthy, endeared, important and excelled. We swear by God and God says: “By time”. The answer to this lies within the chapter of time (Surat-ul-Asr). Firstly, it is stated that man is in vain (loss), man annihilates with the lapse of time. But, before the loss or vanity there is presence of concept of life, and the people who gave due respect to the importance of time and took fullest advantage of time, in other words, followed the faith, did good deeds, preached and practiced patience and turned to truth, are the winners and achieved immortality in the realm of time. Those who did not treat time tenderly, gained nothing but vanity. When young, I studied a line “Time proclaims to be the King”. Now, it is crystal clear that time rules over this material world. We mortals are flowing unidirectionally in the infiniteness of time. We are trapped in time, with no escape. But, what really time is? Is it absolute? Is it imaginary? Or is it some thing else? Some scientists believe that time is the distance between two well-defined events and the prototype or the first event is Big Bang. Time is thought to have kicked-off with Big Bang. Here the question arises: “What was before Big Bang? Did time exist before Big Bang?” Hinduism is the only religion in which there exists a mythology about cosmos, which to some extent, is in line with modern astrological hypothesis. This, I think, is quite amazing. As per Hindu mythology, cosmic cycle is composed of a day and a night. This cycle is dream of Brahma. The duration of that day and night is 2.46 billion years. When Brahma awakes and dream shatters, cosmos comes to an end, and Brahma changes side and sleeps again and dreams of cosmos again and cosmos takes birth for yet another time. Today’s science believes that there may have been a universe before Big Bang. Or, there may have been many big bangs before the Big Bang and many universes may have been evolved or created and destroyed. In other words, there is no start and no end. The process of creation and destruction is continuous since trillions of years. Our earth is too young. Its age is thought to be about 5 billion years only. The galaxy, which our solar system lies in, is about 20 billion years old. Since its birth, our sun has completed three revolutions around the Milky Way. Our Milky Way is about one million light years long and is in process of expanding. There are millions and millions of galaxies like this in the universe. This is the symbol of Big Bang and starting point of time. Now, the question arises: “Up to what extent would this universe keep on expanding? Whether or not this expanding universe start contracting some day?” Our place is smaller than a grain of sand in the vast and expanding universe, but we are trying to make sense of all this. We found out America, explored India and landed on moon. In the same way, Shall we be able to understand the vastness of cosmos? In this regard, Einstein like many of his contemporaries provided some authentic answers in shape of his theory of relativity in 1915. The equation, E = mc2 connotes that time is related to the speed of light and the fastest possible speed is that of light. All other speeds are relative. But matter just cannot travel with speed of light. In order to attain speed of light, matter has to convert to energy. Therefore we are compelled to remain chained within frame of time and space. Even then, our notion, our capacity to gain knowledge, our thought and our imagination can travel with enormous speed and can come in conflict with space and time- limited material existence. Existence and notion---or the psychological relationship will start wrangling. As a result man may get perplexed or may centripete himself in the whirlpool of amazement or he may go nuts. Scientists do not accept the speed of thought, or we should say scientists of classical mechanics don’t accept, to be more precise. This includes big names of Capler, Galileo, Newton etc and even Einstein was big supporter of classical theory. As per classical theory, universe follows a set of logical and regular laws, as Einstein, once had said: “God does not play dice.” Quite astonishing is the fact that Einstein was awarded Nobel prize for his extraordinary work on Quantum mechanics. But what is quantum mechanics? Suppose, I perform some job every day. My energy will definitely deplete during working from morning to evening. This means, my mass will reduce, but, due to food I take in, my energy is restored and hence my mass doesn’t lower. Analogous to this, just have a look at an atom. A negatively charged electron orbits round the nucleus. Proton carries positive charge. Electron generates energy due to motion and as per classical mechanics; electron should lose its energy due to its continuous movement. So, the electron should get exhausted and move spirally toward nucleus and the atom should destroy in just 10-6 seconds. Astonishingly, nothing like this happens. How does electron get refueled? Quantum mechanics provides the answer. Because quantum mechanics does not offer the only and absolute prediction to any observation, but, provides many possible solutions. Or, both A and B can be explanations to a particular problem. In this way, quantum mechanics introduces an indispensable element of uncertainty and skepticism. Now, electron does not destroy because electron manifests wave nature unlike its particle nature, in quantum mechanics. It means the electron can be any where at any time in its orbit. The orbit itself is redefined in quantum mechanics as “the area surrounding the nucleus in which probability of finding an electron is maximum”. Let me give you an other example. Every existence is obstructed to some extent by gravity. The speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per second. It should get slowed down as it is deviated and hindered due to gravitational pull of extra-heavy material objects. Unlike this, the speed of light remains stubborn as universal constant. What we call Present, is also dependant upon speed of light. While looking at me, you are looking at a man of some nano seconds ago, because light took some time in terms of nano seconds from you to reach me. In the same way, the sun, which we look at now, is the sun of 8 minutes and 20 seconds ago, as light takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach from sun to earth. There exist some stars, the light from which takes hundreds of years to reach us. This means, when we look up in the sky, we look into past. We might be seeing a star that may have been destroyed, but its image has just enchanted our eyes. In the same way, we can see the past of earth, if we travel faster than the image of earth. In this regard, quite interesting is the imagination that we can see the marriage ceremony of our fathers being held. But, this is just not possible. Time is an arcane which is latent in the speed of light. Every thing takes birth, lapses and annihilates. All this is a function of time, a function of extents bounded by matter. This means two existences are latent within matter, first is time, second is energy. We tried to obtain energy by breaking matter. Atoms of Uranium element are broken to prepare an atomic bomb. Do you know that just 0.1% of mass converts into energy when an atomic bomb is exploded? So, some kilos are sufficient to reduce Nagasaki and Hiroshima to rubble. Suppose my mass is 90 kg. If all of that is converted to energy then: E = m c2 ; E = 90 x (3x106)2 = 8.1x1014 Joules energy will be realized. But we can do more than enough with just 0.1% mass-energy conversion. Shah Latif says: Translation: If the trifle of my state I reveal, The beasts would dumb-found, The mountains would pulverize, The forests would catch fire, Barrenness would ravage the fertile land. What is that reality, which Bhitaee has talked about? That has the power to destroy the mountains, incinerate trees and silent the roaring animals. This is energy, which is latently flowing in matter and trapped in traveling time. Every thing that is trapped in time is restless and in state of uneasiness. Because the state of continuously lapsing is related to time, there is no place to take rest for a while, there is no satisfaction. Translation: I am consumed, I am burnt, I struggle, I writhe, I seek, Thirst of beloved is within me, doesn’t quench by drinking, If I go to ocean, it would not be sufficient even for one gulp! Where does this much uneasiness come from? This uneasiness is property of material being, flux of time, because every atom of plurality is restless for reunification, fusion with the unity, the oneness, but it’s not possible. Because it is not inherent property of matter, it cannot remain but without mutation. Due to this fusion, merger and ecstasy are temporary, because every moment has its own truth. Every moment is new. Yesterday’s truth can be today’s lie and today’s love can be tomorrow’s hate. The longing to have beloved in arms arises immensely, but after the lovemaking is complete, it looks, as if nothing has been gained, every thing appears to be imperfect and deficient. The yearning to imbibe beloved in existence takes enormity, but beloved goes away correspondingly, and distances of time can render us empty of love of the beloved. But the emotions of love will rekindle with the same immense fervor. But where is the beloved? Perhaps the beloved has been changed, because time has changed (in terms of passing by). Ultimately, the beloved is sought after within. Translation: Where to move camel, light is all around. Entire universe is within. Only beloved is everywhere, none else. Entire cosmos is one existence. Rano (beloved) is inside. There is no need to look for him out side, but how to find him out? Sufis are of the view that there is “I”, ego and “self” in the material world, or in other words, there is duality. This means the ultimate reality lies within, but is heavily covered. To expose it, one has to obliterate him, relinquish his ego or “I-ness” and adopt humility and humbleness. In other words he will have to bid adieu to material characteristics inasmuch that the curtains of space and time are no more. Only then intuition (Kashf) is attained and the beloved (God) flows inside with full stream, “Anal Haq” or “I am God” is chanted out unconsciously. If analyzed scientifically, it is not possible that the thought or psyche can fly beyond the limits of space and time and man remains staid. Certainly, he will go mad. That’s why mad, mentally abnormal people in Sindh are often considered as saint, God-gifted and ones with Godly cogitation. From Sufi standpoint, our existence basically lies in thought. Energy bounded in body is a thought and is such a power that cannot be analyzed materially. Sachal Saeen says: Translation: I am a notion, Can be found by notion. Question arises: “What is Ishq (love)?” What is its value in the material world? You might have observed that if some one falls in love head over heels, then his logic, knowledge, profit and loss and every thing that is property of matter, eradicates. Let me give you an example. Once a pauper and a princess were in love. When the king came to know, he sent for the pauper and placed two cages in front of him. The king told him that one of the cages contained lion and the other had princess in it. The poor man was asked to open the gate of one of the cages, if lion came out the poor lover was to be torn in pieces. And if the princess came out, the king was to handover her to him. The pauper could go unhurt if he opted to remove the princess from the screen of his mind. The pauper didn’t bother to think for a moment and opened the gate of one of the cages. The story ends here. But the food for thought is that the pauper’s knowledge, logic, thinking of profit and loss and above all love for sweet life, all were set aside. The love gave him such an unimaginable power that he didn’t care for life. This means the love is above than and is irrelevant to terrestrial logic. While infant, every one is feeble and ignorant. The material world empowers him and gives him knowledge. But love (Ishq) doesn’t need either of them. Love is the ultimate destination. You may be well aware that knowledge starts with amazement and wonder, but the end to it is the amazement too. This last amazement is of Irfan (the ultimate knowledge), which has got sensitivity, solitude, shock and restlessness. This means, we can say that the love is the absolute reality and is out of the bounds of time and space. The essence of love is present in this material world, it is a spark that kindles to know ones own self. For knowing one’s self, Sufis say that God was a hidden treasure of ultimate beauty and in order to making himself discernible, He manifested Himself in the cosmos. Today, your capacity, your praise, your beauty and attractive words of love uttered to you, exhilarate you. Now we draw following conclusions: q In love, knowledge is of no use. Not only this but knowledge and love contradict each other. q Love is myopic, means no one else should see the beloved. q In love, the process of lovemaking should be free from limits of space and time, or the time should stop and every thing should come to a standstill. Shah Latif says: Translation: Lover should not remove his arm and dawn should not appear, Away and hidden from people, only my lover and me be here. In above couplet, there is a very strong desire of stopping the time, bringing the time to a standstill, because if the time passes the lover would depart, the invaluable moments of lovemaking would perish. Translation: O beloved! If for a moment, if our eyes do quiver, Means, for entire life, we did not see each other. (Shah Kareem) Beloved should not part for even less than fraction of a second, but, this is not possible in this time and space circumscribed universe. This is only possible when time comes to a real standstill and nothing but all become eternal. Let’s go back to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Speed of light is the ultimate speed and if something travels with such speed the time would stop. But it will be energy only and there would be no matter. For this Encyclopedia of Britannica states: “Time can be described only in the language of material phenomenon” P.652 This connotes that there is no concept of time without matter. But, matter is also has its own time. Time of Mars is different from terrestrial time, there are some planets that have a day equivalent to 100 years, or at the same time there are planets with a diurnal and nocturnal cycle equal to few hours. There is no trough and crest in cosmos, no center, no boundary. The distance between two events is time and indefinite events may have taken place in cosmos at the same time from varying facets. What is time? Is the time an illusion? Does man only feel it in his environment? Let’s ponder. Suppose science facilitates us to travel with speed of light. What would happen then? The time would come to a standstill. We will not grow old even for a moment. If we travel for one year with speed of light and land at earth again, the time of solar system would have passed so much that the sun would have destroyed, earth would have been no more, there would only be blankness. If there be no earth, nothing to land at, then we would become cosmic gypsies. Translation: In the blankness, I’ll be reduced to roaming only, My darling! Sometimes it occurs to me, My life, if passed, under the shelter of your tender long hair, Could have become beautiful and much much better . (Sahir Ludhyanwee) The concept of elixir (Aab-e-Hayat) is also analogous to this. Though it is a scientific impossibility, but is possible principally. Shah Lateef has two perceptions. Firstly, that of material world which is fraught with complications, disorders, contradictions, happiness and dismay and changes. Translation: Sometimes they close even windows, sometimes doors are wide open, Sometimes I come and don’t find, sometimes received with open arms, Sometimes I yearn for a sweet call, sometimes secrets are shared with me, Such vacillation is the attitude of my beloved. Because there is irresolution in the tempo of time and every thing has to pass off. The “terrestrial beloved” who is diversified form of God, is only an ingredient. The importance and beauty of that ingredient can be estimated from this verse: This means, the beloved has only spread her long serpentine hair over her shoulders. Due to this, the elephants desire to copy her waddling gait. Hinddoos (Fast red colored insects, which come out in rainy season) dip into abyss of surprise when they look at lips of the beloved. Lightening storms roar with thunder and thump just to have a look at the beloved. But in material world, if someone longs to keep the beloved along, then he must die with the beloved simultaneously. Or: Translation: My beloved and me must live for equal days. Space and time-restricted creatures are to achieve nothing but nothing, just like grains of sand slip out of fist, none becomes of nobody, Translation: Leela! By asking he (Chanesar ,the liege) don’t show-off your self, The beloved (the God) doesn’t belong to any one, neither you nor me, What I did see, is crying of endeared ones at His doorsteps. If you want to meet your beloved, then you must be eager to scarify your life and vanish into nothingness, Translation: If you died yesterday, then you met the beloved on that day, I have not heard any way, that an alive one has done this. After meeting the beloved there is no desire, but desire is related to time. Suppose something didn’t happen on a particular day, then it is going to happen next day. It is obvious that the desire of the next day would remain alive. It is desired that time should pass so that some particular things could take could happen and journey could continue. But, if there is no desire, then why should the time keep on ticking? Translation: Once the beloved is met, Then all days of week are alike. Why does time elapse? Everything should come to a standstill. Translation: Eyes in the eyes or beloved, an honor for slaughtered in love , Says latif, he would take his entire skin off and won’t reserve, Even death does he deserve, but eyes in the eyes won’t part. When continuously connected to beloved, the journey from diversity to unity goes on to completion, then life and death are the same. Living in this temporal world, Lateef analyzes truth, ponders vigilantly over love (Ishq) and looks for remedy for wounds and says: Translation: They asked me a lot about origin of love, They told me repeatedly the treatment of this illness, At last they recited the verse "By time", Only then I understood what was it. Lateef searched desperately for remedy for smearing wounds of soul in love and reason, in mysteries, in piety also the ways out were let known to him, but when the phrase “Wal-Asr” or “by time” was uttered to him, only then he got it. He comprehended the root of the arcane. Then there was no serenity, no tranquility, when “swearing by time” was let known, then he visualized. As soon as the cat of time was let out of the bag, restlessness took over. Life is in space and time, without any essence. Every moment has its own truth. Truth is not absolute, if any, then in nothingness. Our existence is the most complex and supreme form of the matter. In the same way, our conscience is the most complex and supreme form of energy. Question arises: “Did matter incept energy or energy bring forth matter?” As per theory Of black holes, every material existence annihilates and is absorbed by a black hole and nothing is reflected back, only darkness nothing but darkness emerges. The density of the black hole becomes thousands of tons per cubic inch. What will be the form of energy in that? Translation: Whole story ends in one point. (baba buly shah) Hazrat Ali (A.S) has said: “The entire knowledge of universe is in holy Quran. The knowledge of Quran is in Bismillah, the knowledge of Bismillah is in B and I am the point beneath the B” Translation: If contracted, becomes a point, if expands forms Quran, The explanation of this “universe of knowledge” is impossible. Entire universe would be contracted in one point. The scientists are hitherto unable to say any thing with authority about distinguished forms of matter and energy in black holes. The known part is that the speed of light determines distinguished form of energy that could prevail out of the bounds of space and time. Is this energy God? Then why God is trapped in material existence? Lateef has two clear concepts; one is of intelligence, knowledge and intuition and second is that of material world. Man of material world amasses wealth, is greedy, jealous and hence remains deprived, Translation: The people perished as deprived but not as achievers, Like a sparrow that picked a pinch out of pounds, There were just bubbles in the valley of world. Or Qazi Qadan’s this couplet, Translation: If the frog had bothered to look at the lily, Then verily, it won’t have eaten mud in abyss. Latif has said a lot about people likes above,Translation: People who are arrogant through and through, My heart thinks too, not shares the feelings with them. Or, Translation: May those live long who do not think positively, May they witness my love and me extensively, And invariably, die because of having seen this. Or, Translation: People with smearing souls and affected internals, What treatment proposals, should I offer to them? Lateef says that scholarly and learned man breaks the shackles and comes out of the rotten romance of maya (matter) and absorbs himself in course of energy. He does not feel exhilaration, his standards of pain and gain are transformed. Lateef believes in only one aide, supporter and comrade, that is, the beloved. Translation: Make me alive, by talking to me about my beloved, To instantly rebuild broken pillars of castle of heart. In fact, as intelligence and intellect grow, the romance out of material world grows thinner and the recognition of the existence becomes inevitably latent in love. In other words, knowledge is the highway toward Lord and Lord is love. Love is the Godly gesture in the material world or an attribute of Allah. Look at this poem of Lateef, Translation: People desire wealth, but for beloved only I always long, Entire universe I can set aside for my beloved, for song, Though not along, but beloved’s name does appease me. He has not even seen the beloved, just has thought of him. Despite this, he is willing to scarify every thing he has over the beloved. Unknown and ignorant people won’t care, but for knowledgeable and scholarly, time is the real puzzle. But, what is the real mystery of universe? Where do we come from and where are we heading to? Is there any life somewhere else? If it is, then in what form? Cosmos is like infinite ocean. We are standing on the shore with just our toes wet. We have to explore the deep. Age of modern science is just two centuries. Shah Lateef had dipped deep in the whirlpool of time and space and had attained the ultimate knowledge. Due to this he could realize the depth of pain, Translation: Sharp spear, did they pass through the fish, Not to kill, but for prolonged pain to bear. After stepping into realm of intellect, what is life in ultimate knowledge? Translation: Wry wrangled distorted mountain lines, Tattered shaped leaves –my heart’s signs, No body aligns; it’s useless to cry out. Our conclusions from this paper are: q Matter is trapped in time and space. Time is relative to material existence and is an imagination. Man is an amalgam of matter and energy. Due to this, his material structure, structure of body and energy gave birth to his intelligence. q Energy without matter can survive only in speed of light and then there is no probability of change in time. q The emotion of love, prevailing within limits of space and time, is victim of acuteness. Because knowledge, intellect and progressive mindedness are all material relative and love is not function of any of these, but is independent of all these. q Progressiveness is the philosophy of material world and is a variable of time. When time stops, nothingness starts. q There is a desire to stop time in Lateef’s poetry 250 years ago. While modern science authenticates the idea to stops the time. q Shah has two methods; one is of material world and getting pleasure through romanticism, the second is of yog and exploration. q Shah’s concept of God is of unity and He is extended in cosmos in diversity. Every bit yearns to be absorbed back in unity and this is the very inception of Ishq (love). q The refuge of love in life is the manifestation of existence. The flux of intellect, the wisdom of knowledge are the causes of pain. q Life is the name of continuous struggle but does not care for the outcome. Helping books: · Cosmos; Carl Saigon, translated by Mansoor Saeed, Fiction House, Lahore. · A Brief History of Time; Steven Hawking, translated by Nazir Mahmood, Rohtas Books, Lahore. · Holy Quran; Translated by Moulvi Abdullah Yousuf Ali. · The New Encyclopedia of Britannica; 15th edition, 1988. · Shah Jo Risalo; Banhoon Khan Sheikh, Shah Latif chair, University of Karachi. · Shah Jo Risala; alias Ganje Latif, Muhammad Yaqoob Agha v 1,2&3 · Personal discussions; Aftab Ahmed Memon, Engineer British Petroleum, Rukhman Gul Palaree, Lecturer Karachi University, · Some philosophical and scientific web sites were also consulted. Dr. Ghafoor Memon Assistant Professor , Karachi UniversityKarachi. Residence: A-2673 Gulshan-Hadeed Phase 2 Karachi. Telephone No. Homes -021-4712578 Mobile-0333-2323516 Email- gmemon2000@yahoo.com ·
