Way of The Seekers — Page 69
69 THE watch was kept for his personal safety. At his residence too proper security arrangements were maintained. A critic might ask whether he considered that his own security had priority over the security of others. But he would be missing the point; for what the Holy Prophet (on him be peace) did was just right and necessary because on his life depended the life of the entire world. Without him, Islam could not have been established. Therefore, for some to rest and keep good health becomes a positive virtue and its contrary a sin. Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani in one of his books says: There is a time when I do not eat until God is pleased to say: Abdul Qadir, get up and eat for My sake, or wear these robes to please Me. It is men like him who would do even their daily chores only when God wants them to; of course, not for their own sake but for the sake of God, for whatever they do, they do it to please Him. Thus there are sins and sins. They constitute a vast ascending or descending order. Their quality changes with the change of the person. Mystics put it like this. They say that the virtues of the sinners are the sins of the innocent. Major Vices Now I shall give an outline of the major vices. 1. Personal vices. They directly affect the individual concerned. 2. Vices that affect not only the person concerned but other persons as well. 3. National or group vices. They are vices considered in the context of the condition or quality of a group or nation. 4. Vices relating to God. Comparatively speaking, virtues too are of four kinds: 1. Personal virtues which affect the person concerned. 2. Virtues which also influence others besides the person concerned.