Is There Blind Imitation in This Too?

You pray — yet your prayer is nothing but hollow movement, empty words devoid of humility and submission, without spirit and without light. You perform ḥajj — yet your pilgrimage is but a circumambulation of walls, not of the heart; a movement between pillars, not a striving between reason and soul. You perform acts of obedience — but they are mere habits, repeated without understanding, carried out without awareness.

You have become so accustomed to taqlīd that imitation itself has become your religion. You have shut the gates of thought until ignorance became your provision. You have slain your intellects until they lie lifeless — bodies without motion, minds without life.

Alas for you! A thousand times alas! You say, “Allāh is our Lord,” yet you do not know the meaning of rubūbiyyah (lordship). You repeat, “Lā ilāha illā Allāh,” yet you have never tasted the sweetness of tawḥīd. You utter it as a child repeats what is taught, as a parrot echoes what it hears — not as one who speaks from knowledge and conviction, nor as one who cries out in faith and certainty.

You were told: “You have eyes,” yet you closed them!
You were told: “You have ears,” yet you deafened them!
You were told: “You have minds,” yet you disabled them!

You were told: “The intellect is a tribulation,” and you believed it. You were told: “Thinking leads to misguidance,” and you accepted it. You were told: “The straight path is to follow people blindly,” and you obeyed! Thus, you made ignorance your knowledge, imitation your guidance, blindness your vision, and heedlessness your religion.

O heedless ones! The little child is more rightly guided than you, and sounder in understanding. He recognises his mother by pure instinct, and his love directs him to her. When he hungers, she nurses him; when he thirsts, she gives him drink; when he falls ill, she stays awake for him. Were the whole world to tell him, “This is not your mother,” he would not believe, nor would he imitate — rather, he would cling to her all the more, embrace her tighter, and find peace only in her nearness.

But you — you have disbelieved in your Lord, neglected His love, and turned away from His mercy, though His mercy envelops you morning and evening, and His blessings overflow upon you night and day.

He made for you the earth as a bed, the sky as a roof, the mountains as firm anchors, the rivers as flowing paths, and the springs as fountains. He subdued the winds, drove the clouds, sent down the rain, revived the dead earth, caused the crops to grow, brought forth fruits, adorned the world with flowers, made the sun radiant, the moon luminous, and the stars lanterns in the sky.

Then He granted you sight to see, hearing to listen, hearts to understand; bestowed on you intellects to distinguish between good and evil; planted within your nature the knowledge of His oneness; provided you with parents; blessed you with spouses; honoured you with children; and bound you together with the ties of kinship and affection.

He gave you a tongue to speak, a voice to express, laughter and tears, joy and sorrow — then guided you to prayer, making it a connection between you and Him, a gift from the treasures of His mercy.

And yet — you do not prostrate to Him! You do not thank Him! You do not sacrifice for His sake!

He loves you, yet you turn away. He draws near, yet you flee. He waits for your call, yet you stretch your hands towards those as weak as yourselves.

You say, “Lā ilāha illā Allāh,” but you do not understand its meaning! You repeat it like one distracted hums a tune, like one heedless sings a song — not as the sincere believer declares it, nor as the true knower proclaims it.

So know your worth! Abandon imitation! Open your eyes that you may see, your ears that you may hear, and your minds that you may think. Then — and only then — will the angels envy you, your name be raised in the highest assembly, your story be told before the Throne, and your remembrance be heard with yearning and honour.

Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI. Original post: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/7063