Wisdom: To whom are you a slave to in this life?

O man, to whom are you a slave to in this life? Think of this with
your wisdom. You are a slave, but you do not know to whom.
Which master has brought you? Would it not be good to understand this?

You are a slave to the four hundred trillion, ten thousand occult
energies of the mind, the cells, viruses, magnetic forces, maya,
karma, arrogance, and bigotry, the egoism of the ‘I’ and ‘you’,
blood ties, attachments and desire for land, women, and gold.
These and countless more are tormenting demons and fatal diseases
that cause you the incessant pain of a living death.

You are not a slave to one master! When everyone and every-
thing is your taskmaster, how can you complete your duties assigned
by all of them? Impossible, is it not?

Select one master for all these forces. With faith, certitude,
and determination argue with Him and then take the case to the
court of justice. The head of that court will release you from your
bondage. He is God, Allah. The moment they see him, all those
who held you in bondage will run away and He will grant you
independence. The one who frees you is the One who created
you, the One who grants freedom to all.

Know Him and join Him, selflessly performing his duties and
service just as He does, in these four ways: service to God, service
to the laws of God’s justice, service to people, and service to the
world. To conduct yourself in this manner will grant you freedom
in all three worlds: the world of the souls, this earthly world, and
the world of the hereafter. This will constitute the triumph of
duty in true and complete freedom.



Muhaiyaddeen, M.R. Bawa. The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh. Philadelphia:Fellowship Press, 1981,2006