The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 500
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF MY LIFE & BLESSINGS 499 Divine obligations and limits, and relentlessly run to the snare of car- nal desires. They were well pleased with their worldly possessions. They pursued the evil paths and followed misguided ways, rebelled, went astray, and ended up creating hostile disorder. Consequently, they fell from [the height of] their glory to the pit of disgrace. Hence, their era changed and their age passed, for Allah does not like the wrongdoers to inherit His land. Some of them turned like those who turned back from the religion of Islam, casting off the robe of the epitome of purity of the Best of Creation [Muhammad]. They would neither recognize Allah's boun- ties, nor be grateful to Him. Consequently, Allah became wroth with them and tore their kingdom to pieces and fragmented it into segments. He raised some people who extended their hands to their estates, divid- ing it among themselves. It was a time of total chaos and disintegration, and every ruler was confined to his limited territory to rule over. My ancestors were also among those who would rule their estate and were like ruling monarchs in their towns. Their subjects would take their matters to them for judgment, and they would judge as they deemed right, fearing none except Allah, and seeking neither any approval nor permission from anyone. Then my pious ancestors were taken into the mercy of Allah, but after them came descendants who neglected traditional virtues, and failed to observe them with due observance; instead, they indulged in evil innovations and rituals, deploring them not, while their hearts burned passionately for their worldly pursuits. The same current blew over all the leaders and chiefs of the Muslims in those days. They became unmindful of being submissive and humble to Allah and disobeyed the Quranic injunctions. When they would stand up for Prayer, they stood up lazily, and they would act pretentiously without sincerity. Thus, when God looked upon them He found them to be like soul- less bodies, and He saw them fallen greedily upon this world, averse to everything other than it. They would diligently follow their worldly pursuits but would remain heedless of their faith. They were stained