My dearest brothers and sisters. This Excerpt has the following outline: 1. Source of the Excerpt: 2. Copy of the Excerpt - With Topic Headings: 3. Copy of the Same Excerpt - Without Topic Headings: Anbu - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen. 1. Source of the Excerpt: Excerpt from the book, "The Wisdom of Man", Chapter 1, A Benefit to All, Pages 14 through 16, By His Holiness M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.). The Fellowship Press. Copyright 1980, by the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, 5820 Overbrook Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131. 2. Copy of the Excerpt - With Topic Headings: (Continued from Sharing Number 65) Topic 1: The Water Carries the Weight of the Ship - My children, we should never say, "This is difficult, that is difficult," or "This is impossible." It is what we carry within us that is really heavy. When it rains and there are floods, You can see trees and boats floating away in the water. But when we try to lift a tree from the earth, it is very heavy. If we try to carry a tree ourselves, it is very heavy. Similarly, if we try to carry a ship, it is very heavy. But when the ship is on the water, is it heavy then? No, it is not heavy for the water. Once we put the ship in the water, what happens? We can load it with seventy times its own weight And still it is not too much weight for the water. Topic 2: God Must Carry the Weight of our Life - My very precious children, All the weights and heavy things that we have collected during our life Are like this. We try to carry them with us. We try to carry the earth, We try to carry the air, We carry our desires, And we carry our attachments And our love for our relations. These things are heavy because we are carrying them Against the gravity of the earth. But if we can let each breath carry the vibration of La ilaha, ill-Allahu - There is no God but God, and only God exists; If we can take all this weight and hand it over to that Hu, ill-Allahu, It is like handing over all those weights to the ship. Then you will have no weight. You will have no burdens to carry. Just as the water was able to support the ship, Allah will carry all your burdens. They are not heavy to Him, Just as the ship and its cargo are not heavy to the water. If you surrender to God in that state, There is no weight or burden for you at all; Allahu will carry all those burdens. Topic 3: We Must Give Our Burdens Entirely To God - But if you just give half to the water And you attempt to carry the other half, How can you bear that? How can you carry that? My precious children, please reflect on this. Only when you give the boat entirely to the water Can the water carry it. Then no matter what you may load on it, The water can still carry it. Like that, we must give our burdens entirely to God, And say, "La ilaha, There is no God but God, Ill-Allahu, Only You exist, O God." And that One who is the benevolence of all the universes, The Rahmatul-'alamin, Will carry all our burdens and all our weight. The more weight you give Him, the more He will carry. Topic 4: Live In The State Of Surrender To God, Then Worship Becomes Easy - If you reflect on this, you will realize That if we can live in this state of surrender to God, Then we will have no fear or difficulties whatsoever. Then it becomes very easy to worship God. The difficulty lies in trying to carry things away from the earth And in trying to surrender these burdens to Allah. There are always the blood attachments, race, and religions That pull us. We carry them with us, And that is what gives us this weight. But if we can take this weight and surrender it to God, Then worship becomes very easy, To reach God becomes easy, To speak to Him becomes easy, To receive His benevolence is easy, To merge with Him is easy, And to reach His kingdom is easy. We must think about this. My very precious children, Each one of you must think this over. We must reflect on each and every thing. 3. Copy of the Same Excerpt - Without Topic Headings: (Continued from Sharing Number 65) My children, we should never say, "This is difficult, that is difficult," or "This is impossible." It is what we carry within us that is really heavy. When it rains and there are floods, You can see trees and boats floating away in the water. But when we try to lift a tree from the earth, it is very heavy. If we try to carry a tree ourselves, it is very heavy. Similarly, if we try to carry a ship, it is very heavy. But when the ship is on the water, is it heavy then? No, it is not heavy for the water. Once we put the ship in the water, what happens? We can load it with seventy times its own weight And still it is not too much weight for the water. My very precious children, All the weights and heavy things that we have collected during our life Are like this. We try to carry them with us. We try to carry the earth, We try to carry the air, We carry our desires, And we carry our attachments And our love for our relations. These things are heavy because we are carrying them Against the gravity of the earth. But if we can let each breath carry the vibration of La ilaha, ill-Allahu - There is no God but God, and only God exists; If we can take all this weight and hand it over to that Hu, ill-Allahu, It is like handing over all those weights to the ship. Then you will have no weight. You will have no burdens to carry. Just as the water was able to support the ship, Allah will carry all your burdens. They are not heavy to Him, Just as the ship and its cargo are not heavy to the water. If you surrender to God in that state, There is no weight or burden for you at all; Allahu will carry all those burdens. But if you just give half to the water And you attempt to carry the other half, How can you bear that? How can you carry that? My precious children, please reflect on this. Only when you give the boat entirely to the water Can the water carry it. Then no matter what you may load on it, The water can still carry it. Like that, we must give our burdens entirely to God, And say, "La ilaha, There is no God but God, Ill-Allahu, Only You exist, O God." And that One who is the benevolence of all the universes, The Rahmatul-'alamin, Will carry all our burdens and all our weight. The more weight you give Him, the more He will carry. If you reflect on this, you will realize That if we can live in this state of surrender to God, Then we will have no fear or difficulties whatsoever. Then it becomes very easy to worship God. The difficulty lies in trying to carry things away from the earth And in trying to surrender these burdens to Allah. There are always the blood attachments, race, and religions That pull us. We carry them with us, And that is what gives us this weight. But if we can take this weight and surrender it to God, Then worship becomes very easy, To reach God becomes easy, To speak to Him becomes easy, To receive His benevolence is easy, To merge with Him is easy, And to reach His kingdom is easy. We must think about this. My very precious children, Each one of you must think this over. We must reflect on each and every thing. (Chapter 1, A Benefit to All, continues in next sharing)