Way of The Seekers — Page 68
68 THE knowledge, will be enough to transform him into a virtuous person; for how can we treat that which we do not know? It is knowledge of a disease alone which can help facilitate its treatment. I shall now briefly discuss the foregoing three points of treatment. First, something about our knowledge of right and wrong. I have come across quite a lot of people who have the capacity to be good, but are ignorant of right and wrong. For instance, many men and women ask the following questions: 1. Are we rebellious and wantonly vicious? 2. Are we oppressors? 3. Do we misappropriate what belongs to others? 4. Do we tell lies? 5. Are we adulterous? If not, then can you point out any other sin which we may have committed? What they mean is that if they do not commit these five sins, they do not commit any sin. These are described as the five sins under the Law. Their purpose seems to be to urge that there are no sins besides these sins. The fact is that there are hundreds of sins constituting a long succession. It is not possible to discuss them all, considering the limited time at our disposal. Also there are sins that are beyond human ken. The Holy Prophet (on whom be peace) was the one and only human being who had knowledge of all sin. There have been others who were vouchsafed this knowledge to a certain degree. But none was given nor can possibly be given the kind of knowledge possessed by the Holy Prophet (on him be peace and blessings). Once in a dream I found myself telling a friend that neglect of physical exercise too was a sin. Now we do not call it a sin in normal life. But supposing there is a person on whose life depends the security of a million other lives. It would be sinful on his part not to take good care of himself. Who could be braver than the Holy Prophet (on him be peace) yet regular