Admonitions to Those Who Have Pledged the Allegiance of Bai‘at — Essence of Islam Vol. 4
Introduction
In this discourse from Essence of Islam (Volume 4), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, expounds upon Admonitions to Those Who Have Pledged the Allegiance of Bai‘at, presenting profound spiritual insights and scriptural verities.
Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 4)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 5: Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama’at, and Instructions
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: Purpose of the System of Bai‘at | Next: Spread of the Jama‘at »
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O my friends, who have entered into the covenant of Bai‘at with me, may God enable us all to do that which pleases Him. Today you are small in number and are treated with contempt. You are passing through a time of trial. In accordance with the eternal law of God, efforts will be made that you should stumble. You will be persecuted in every way and you will have to hear all sorts of disagreeable things. Everyone who hurts you by word or deed will imagine that he is helping Islam and you will have to pass through some heavenly trials so that you may be tried in every way. Therefore, listen carefully that your way to victory and supremacy will not be through dry logic or returning abuse for abuse, for if you adopt these ways, your hearts will become hardened and you will be left with nothing but words, which God Almighty hates and looks upon with aversion. So do not behave in a manner whereby you would become subject to two curses, the curse of God and the curse of man. Remember well that if the curse of man is not accompanied by the curse of God Almighty, it amounts to
142 Dear ones! No way can be opened without sincerity and truth;
A pure drop is needed so that a pearl may be born. [Publisher] Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions nothing. If God does not wish to destroy us, we cannot be destroyed by anyone; but if He should become our enemy, no one can afford us shelter. How shall we please God Almighty and how shall we win His support? He has repeatedly given me the answer to this question: it can only be done through righteousness. So my dear brethren! make every effort that you may become righteous. Without action, everything is vain and without sincerity no action is acceptable. Righteousness means that, avoiding all these harmful ways, you should march forward towards God Almighty, and be mindful of the subtlest paths of piety. First, cultivate humility, straightforwardness and sincerity, and become truly meek and submissive and lowly, for every seed of good and ill first sprouts in the heart. If your heart is empty of evil, your tongue will also be empty of evil and so will be your eyes and all your limbs. Every light and darkness takes birth initially in the heart and gradually envelops the whole body. So keep your hearts under constant scrutiny. Just as an eater of betel leaves constantly rotates the leaves and snips off their rotten parts and throws them away, in the same way, you should keep rotating before your mind’s eye the secret thoughts and habits and passions and hidden capacities of your hearts, and whenever you encounter a rotten thought or habit or capacity, snip it off and throw it out lest it should pollute your whole heart and you may then be cut off. Having done that, strive, and supplicate to God Almighty for strength and courage, that your limbs and all your faculties may become the means for the manifestation of pure intentions and thoughts and passions and your heart’s desires, so that your good actions may attain perfection. For that which springs up in the heart and remains confined to the heart will not lead you to any worthy status. Establish the greatness of God Almighty in your hearts and keep His Glory before you eyes. Remember that there are approximately five hundred commandments in the Holy Qur’an. God has prepared a spiritual banquet for you with reference to your every limb, faculty, form, age, every stage of your intelligence, your nature, your effort in His path, and your individual and collective conditions. Accept the invitation to this banquet with gratitude and eat of all the dishes that have been prepared for you and derive benefit from all. I tell you truly that he who evades a single one of these commandments will be accountable on the Day of Judgement. If you seek salvation, adopt the ways of the humble and carry the yoke of the Holy Qur’an with meekness. The wicked will be ruined and the rebellious will be hurled into hell. But he who bends his neck humbly will be saved from death. Do not worship God Almighty on the condition of worldly benefits, for there is a pitfall in the way of such thinking. Worship Him in the conviction that it is an obligation which you owe to your Creator. Worship of God should become your very life, and the purpose of your good deeds should be that the true Beloved Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions and the true Benefactor may be pleased with you, for anything less is a stumbling block. God is a great wealth. To find Him you should be ready to encounter misfortune. He is a great purpose. To achieve it, be ready to lay down your lives. Dear ones! do not slight the commandments of God Almighty. Let not the poison of current philosophy affect you. Submit to His commandments like a child. Be constant in Prayer, be constant in Prayer, for Prayer is the key to all good fortune. Do not stand up in Prayer as if you are performing a ceremony. As you make Wudu’ [physical ablution] in preparation for Prayer, so perform an inner ablution whereby you should wash out from your mind and body all thoughts beside that of Allah. Then stand up in Prayer after both these purifying ablutions, and supplicate intensively in the course of your Prayer and make crying and weeping your habit so that you may be shown mercy. Be truthful, be truthful, for He is observing the condition of your hearts. Can man deceive Him? Can cunning devices be of any avail against Him? Greatly unfortunate is the person who carries his disobedience to a degree as if there was no God. Such a one is destroyed quickly and God Almighty cares not at all for him. Dear ones! the bare logic of this world is a Satan and the hollow philosophy of this world is an Iblis [Satan
personified] who reduces the light of faith and renders a person unduly daring, and carries him to nearatheism. Safeguard yourselves against Satan and develop a heart which is poor and meek. Obey the commandments without whys or wherefores, as a child obeys its mother. The teachings of the Holy Qur’an are designed to carry you to the highest stage of righteousness. Lend ear to them and conform yourselves with them. Unlike the Bible, the Holy Qur’an does not teach that you should not look at a woman—or others who can arouse the lustful passions like women—with a lustful eye. The object of Islam’s perfect teaching is that you should not look needlessly at a woman who is not related to you, either with lust or without lust. You should shut your eyes so that you may not stumble and the purity of your heart may not be affected. Remember well this commandment of your Lord and safeguard yourselves against the adultery of the eyes and be fearful of the wrath of the One Whose wrath can destroy in an instant. The Holy Qur’an also prescribes that you should safeguard your ears against listening to any discourse concerning women outside the prohibited degree and also against every discourse that is otherwise improper. It is not necessary for me to admonish you not to commit murder for no one except a wholly wicked person advances towards murder. But I do admonish you that you should not insist upon injustice and thus slay the truth. Accept the truth even if it should proceed from a child. If you find your opponent uttering the truth then immediately give up your dry logic. AdPropagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions here to the truth and bear true witness. God the Glorious, says: 143That is: Shun the abomination of idols and shun all words of falsehood, because falsehood is no less than an idol. That which turns you away from the Qiblah of truth is an idol in your path. Bear true witness even if it should be against your fathers or brothers or friends. Let no enmity prevent you from doing justice. Give up all miserliness, rancour, jealousy, ill-will and coldness and be united. There are two main commandments of the Holy Qur’an: One is to acknowledge the Unity of God and to render love and obedience to Him, hallowed be His name; the second is sympathy with your brethren and with the whole of mankind.
[Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 3, pp. 546-550]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 244]
The members of my Jama‘at, whether they are present here or whether they are in their own places, should listen carefully to this admonition. The purpose of their joining the Movement and establishing with me a relationship like that of a disciple is that they should achieve a high degree of piety and righteousness. No wrongdoing or mischief should ever come near them. They should offer the five daily Prayers regularly and with congregation, and should not lie nor hurt anyone by their tongues. They should not be guilty of any kind
of vice and should not let even a thought of mischief, wrongdoing or transgression pass through their minds. They should shun every type of sin, offence, undesirable speech and action, as well as all egoistic passions and unruly behaviour. They should become purehearted, harmless and meek servants of God Almighty, and no poisonous germ should flourish in their beings. They should be sincerely loyal and obedient to the British Government, under which their properties, lives and honour are secure. Sympathy for the entire mankind should be their motto and they should fear God Almighty. They should safeguard their tongues, their hands and their thoughts against every kind of impious and disorderly behaviour and against dishonesty. They should establish the five daily Prayers with utmost regularity. They should refrain from every kind of wrong, transgression, embezzlement, bribery, encroachment of other people’s rights and undue partiality. They should not participate in evil company. If it should be proved that one who frequents their company does not obey God’s commandments, or is not loyal to the benevolent government, or is not mindful of people’s rights, or is cruel or mischievous or of a loose character, or is seeking to deceive the servants of God Almighty by continuing in the habit of abusing, or making false allegations against the person with whom they have entered into a covenant of Bai‘at, it will be their duty to remove such evil from among them and to keep away from such a dangerous person. Do not contrive to harm the followers of any religion or the Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions members of any caste or group. Be true well-wishers of everyone, and take care that no mischievous or vicious person, or disorderly one or ill-behaved one should ever be of your company, or should dwell among you; for such a one will, sooner or later, cause you to stumble. These are matters and conditions that I have been urging from the beginning and it is the duty of every member of my Jama‘at to act upon all these admonitions. Let there be no impurity or mockery or derision in your meetings. Walk upon the earth with pure hearts and pure tempers and pure thoughts. Remember! Not every evil is worth fighting, so cultivate the habit of forgiveness, and practice toleration and forbearance. Do not attack anyone improperly and keep your passions under complete control. If you take part in a discussion or exchange views on a religious topic, express yourself gently and be courteous. If anyone misbehaves towards you, withdraw from such company quickly with the greeting of peace. If you are persecuted or reviled, be mindful that you should not meet stupidity with stupidity, for otherwise, you will be accounted in the same category as your opponents. God Almighty desires that you should become a Jama‘at that should set an example of goodness and truthfulness for the whole world. Therefore, hasten to exclude everyone from your company who sets an example of mischief and provocation. He who cannot dwell among us in meekness and piety, and is not gentle in his speech and righteous in his conduct, should promptly leave us, for God does not desire that such a one should dwell among us. He will surely die in misery, for he did not adopt the way of goodness. Be alert, therefore, and be truly good-hearted and gentle and righteous. You will be known by your regular attendance at Prayer and by your high moral qualities. He who has the seed of evil embedded in him will not be able to conform to this admonition. Your hearts should be free of deceit, your hands should be free from transgression and your eyes should be free from impurity. There should be nothing inside you except truth and sympathy for mankind. I trust that my friends who dwell with me in Qadian will set a high example in respect of all their faculties. I do not desire that there should ever be anyone in our pious Jama‘at whose character is suspect or to whose behaviour any exception might be taken, or who should be inclined towards disorderliness or suffer from any other kind of impiety. If we hear any complaint against anyone that he deliberately disregards the obligations due to God Almighty, or sits among people who indulge in mockery or indecency, or is guilty of any kind of misconduct, he will be immediately excluded from the Jama‘at and will no longer be able to remain with us and our friends…. The fact is that the field which is cultivated with much labour and is ripened also contains some weeds that have to be cut down and burnt. Such is the law of nature, and our Jama‘at is no exception. I know that those who have joined my Jama‘at with all Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions sincerity have been bestowed hearts by God Almighty which instinctively hate evil and love goodness, and I do hope that they will set a good example for the people.
[Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, vol. 3, pp. 46-49]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 249]
The world is a passing panorama. If a person does not exert himself fully to carry out a good deed at its proper time, he cannot thereafter recover the lost time. I am aware that I have lived the greater part of my life, and it appears from Divine revelations and also from my own estimation that only a small part of it remains. Therefore, whoever helps me in the attainment of my objectives according to my aspirations and during my lifetime and in my presence will, I trust, be with me on the Day of Judgement also. And I do not perceive that he who spends money in such important matters will suffer any loss in his wealth because of this spending. Indeed his wealth would be blessed. Therefore, trusting in God Almighty, you should act with full sincerity and eagerness and courage, for this is the time of fruitful service. Thereafter a time will come when spending a mountain of gold in this cause will not equal in merit the spending of one paisa now. This is the blessed time in which he who has been sent by God and whose advent had been awaited by the nations through centuries is present among you, and every day God is granting fresh revelations which are full of fresh glad tidings. It has been made clear throughout by God Almighty that only he alone will be considered as having truly and definitely joined this Jama‘at who spends his property, which he holds dear, in this cause…. Do not imagine that you gain your wealth by your own efforts, it is instead bestowed upon you by God Almighty, nor should you ever imagine that by spending a portion of your wealth or by serving in some other way, you put God Almighty or the one He has sent under any obligation. In fact, it is He Who puts you under obligations by calling you to serve Him. I tell you truly that if all of you should desert me and should hold back from service and help, He will create another people who will render Him the needed services. Be sure that all this is from heaven and your service is for your own good, so let no pride enter your heart, nor should you imagine that you are helping financially or otherwise. I tell you again and again that God is in no need of your service, and it is His grace upon you that He provides you with the opportunity to serve. A few days ago, I received a revelation in Gurdaspur, in which God says: i.e., I alone am the Accomplisher of every task, so take Me alone as the Accomplisher, and do not consider others to be helping your cause in any way.
[Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, vol. 3, pp. 496-499]
When I received this revelation, my heart trembled with the realization that my Jama‘at had not yet arrived at a stage where God Almighty should have even mentioned them. I have no greater anxiety than Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions that I should die and leave this Jama‘at in such a state of inadequacy and imperfection. I know for certain that miserliness and faith cannot coexist in a heart…I will not remain long among you and the time is coming when you will not see me anymore. Many will wish that they had performed some valuable service in my presence. Now is the time to provide against such a possibility. Just as previous Prophets and Messengersas did not dwell forever among their followers, I too shall not remain among you, so value the time you have. Even if you perform such service for which you have to sell all your immovable property, it would be disrespectful of you to imagine that you have performed any service. You are not aware how Divine Mercy is eager in support of this faith, and how His angels are descending upon the hearts. Every matter of reason and understanding that arises in your hearts is not from yourselves but from God. Wonderful light and knowledge is descending from heaven. I admonish you repeatedly to serve to the utmost limit of your capacities, but let not a thought pass through your minds that you have done something. If you ever think so, you will be ruined. All such thoughts are disrespectful. A disrespectful one is ruined much quicker than anyone else.
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 253]
Let me make it clear that to affirm the covenant of Bai‘at with the tongue alone amounts to nothing unless it is practiced with full resolve. He who acts fully on my teachings enters that house of mine, concerning which there is a promise in Divine revelation: It means that I shall safeguard everyone who is within the walls of your house. This should not be taken to mean only such people as dwell in my house made of bricks. Rather it refers to all those who follow me completely and dwell in my spiritual house. To follow me, it is necessary for them to believe that they have a Mighty, Self-Existing and All-Creating God, Whose attributes are eternal, everlasting and unchangeable. He has no father and no son. He is much above being put upon the cross and being killed. He is such that despite being far, He is near; and despite being near, He is far. Despite being One, His manifestations are diverse. For a man who brings about a change in himself, He becomes a new God and deals with him with a new manifestation. Thus, a person experiences a change in God according to the change in himself. Yet no change takes place in God, for He is eternally Unchangeable and Most Perfect, but when a person moves towards goodness, God manifests Himself to him in a new way. At the time of every improved condition that manifests itself in a person, God’s manifestation of Power also reveals itself in an improved manner. He manifests His might in an extraordinary way only when an extraordinary change takes place in a person. This is at the root of all extraordinary happenings and miracles. This is the God our Jama‘at has to believe in. Believe in Him and prePropagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions fer Him to your own souls and to your comforts and all your relationships; and show practical sincerity, courage and loyalty in His cause. People of the world do not prefer Him to their resources and their kith and kin, but you must prefer Him above everything else so that you might be recorded in heaven as belonging to His Jama‘at.
[Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 19, pp. 10-14]
To display signs of His mercy is the eternal way of God, but you can participate of it only when nothing separates you from Him, your will is subordinate to His will, your desire is identified with His desire, and your head lies prostrate at His threshold at all times and in all conditions—whether of success or failure— so that He may do whatever He wills. If you do so, then God, Who has hidden His countenance for a long time, will manifest Himself in you. Is there anyone among you who is prepared to act in this way so as to seek His pleasure and not to be disquieted by His decrees? When you encounter misfortune, you should step forth even more eagerly, for this is the only means of your progress. Try with all your might to spread His Unity on earth, have mercy on His creatures, do not wrong them by your tongue or your hand or by any other means and strive to promote their welfare. Entertain no pride against anyone, even if he were your subordinate, and revile not anyone, even if he should revile you. Become meek and tolerant and well-intentioned, and sympathetic to God’s creatures so that you may be accepted. There are many who show meekness, but they are wolves inside. There are many who appear clean but are serpents within. You, therefore, cannot be accepted by Him unless you are the same inside and out. Being great, have mercy on the lowly and do not look down upon them. Possessing knowledge, admonish the ignorant ones and do not humiliate them by selfconceit. Being wealthy, serve the poor and behave not arrogantly towards them.
Dread the ways of ruin and always be fearful of God. Adopt the ways of righteousness and worship no creature and cut asunder from everything to turn to your Lord. Turn your hearts away from the world and become wholly His, and live for Him alone and, for His sake, hate every impiety and sin, for He is Holy. Let every morning bear witness that you have spent the night in righteousness, and let every evening bear witness that you have spent the day in His fear. Be not afraid of the curses of the world, for they are apt to disappear like smoke and cannot turn day into night. But be fearful of God’s curse which descends from heaven and upon whomsoever it falls it consumes him in both worlds. You cannot save yourselves with hypocrisy, for the eye of the God you believe in penetrates you through and through; can you then deceive Him? Become straightforward, clean, pure and truthful. If even a particle of darkness is left in you, it will dispel all your light. And if you have any portion of arrogance, or hypocrisy, or selflove, or sloth, you are not something worthy of accepPropagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions tance. Do not deceive yourselves with your few accomplishments, and do not imagine that you have done all that was required of you, for God desires a complete revolution in your beings and He demands from you a death whereafter He should revive you. Hasten to make peace with one another and forgive your brethren their sins, for he who is not inclined to make peace with his brother is wicked and will be cut off because he is the cause of dissension. Part with your ego in every way and do away with mutual grievances. Being in the right, show humility like the one who is in the wrong, so that you may be forgiven. Discard the obesity of your ego, for a fat one cannot enter through the door to which you have been called. How unfortunate is the one who does not believe in that which has come from the mouth of God and which I have set forth. If you desire that God should be pleased with you in heaven, be to each other like brothers born of the same mother. The more venerable among you is he who forgives his brother more, and unfortunate is the one who is obstinate and does not forgive. Such a one has no part in me. Be very fearful of God’s curse for He is Holy and Jealous. An evildoer cannot attain nearness to God, nor an arrogant one, nor a wrongdoer, nor a dishonest one, nor one who is not jealous for the sake of His name, nor those who fall upon the world like dogs and ants and vultures and find their whole comfort in the world. Every impure eye is far from Him, every impure heart is unaware of Him. He who is afire for His sake will be delivered from the fire; he who weeps for His sake will laugh; and he who cuts asunder from the world for His sake will find Him. Become the friends of God with a true heart and full sincerity and complete eagerness, so that He should become your friend. Have mercy on your subordinates and your wives and your less fortunate brethren so that you may have mercy from heaven. Become truly His so that He should become yours. The world is full of calamities, one of which is the plague. Hold fast to God with sincerity so that He should safeguard you against all calamities. No calamity overtakes the earth until there is a command from heaven, and no misfortune is repelled until mercy descends from heaven. Wisdom demands that you should take hold of the root and not of the branch. You are not prohibited from having recourse to the necessary means and appropriate remedies, but you are forbidden to rely upon them. In the end, only that will come about which will be decreed by God. Complete trust in God, if one has the strength for it, is greater than anything else. An essential teaching for you is that you should not abandon the Holy Qur’an like something forsaken, for therein is your life. Those who honour the Qur’an will be honoured in heaven. Those who prefer the Qur’an to every Hadith and every other saying will receive preference in heaven. For mankind, there is no book on the face of the earth except the Qur’an, and for all children of Adam, there is no Messenger and Intercessor but Muhammad, the Chosen Onesa. Endeavour Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions to cultivate true love for that Prophetsa of dignity and majesty, and do not give anyone else any kind of preference over him, so that in heaven you may be counted as those who have attained salvation.
Remember that salvation is not something that will only be manifested after death, for true salvation is that which exhibits its light in this very world. Who is it that attains salvation? It is only he who believes that God is true, that Muhammadsa is the Intercessor between God and all His creatures and that there is no Messenger equal to him in rank under heaven, nor is there any book equal in status to the Holy Qur’an. God did not desire immortality for anyone, but this Chosen Prophetsa lives forever.
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 255]
I repeat that you should not be content with having made the covenant of Bai‘at as a matter of form, for that amounts to nothing. God looks at your hearts and will deal with you accordingly. Look, I hereby discharge my obligation of conveying my message by warning you that sin is a poison, so do not swallow that poison. Disobedience of God is a filthy death, so safeguard yourselves against it. Supplicate that you might be granted strength. He who at the time of supplication does not believe that God has the power to do everything—except that which might be contrary to His promise—is not one of my Jama‘at. He who does not give up lying and deceit is not one of my Jama‘at. He who is caught up all the time in worldly attractions and does not lift his eye to look at the hereafter, is not one of my Jama‘at. He who does not in truth prefer the faith to the world is not one of my Jama‘at. He who does not shun every vice and every evil deed, i.e., liquor, gambling, evil looks, deceit, bribery and every misappropriation, is not of my Jama‘at. He who does not take it upon himself to perform the five daily Prayers is not one of my Jama‘at. He who is not constant in supplication and does not remember God with humility is not one of my Jama‘at. He who does not discard the company of an evil one who influences him towards vice is not one of my Jama‘at. He who does not honour his parents and does not obey them in all matters that are not contrary to the Qur’an, and is careless in serving them diligently, is not of my Jama‘at. He who does not treat his wife and her relatives with gentleness and benevolence is not one of my Jama‘at. He who refrains from doing even the least bit of good to his neighbour is not of my Jama‘at. He who does not desire to forgive an offender and entertains rancour is not one of my Jama‘at. Every husband who deceives his wife, and every wife who deceives her husband, is not of my Jama‘at. He who breaks the covenant of Bai‘at in any respect is not one of my Jama‘at. He who does not truly believe in me as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi is not one of my Jama‘at. He who is not willing to obey me in all good matters is not one of my Jama‘at. He who consorts with my opponents and endorses what they say, is not of my Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions Jama‘at. Every adulterer, disobedient one, winebibber, murderer, thief, gambler, deceiver, bribe-taker, usurper, tyrant, liar, forger and their companion, and everyone who calumniates his brothers or sisters and does not repent of his vices and does not abstain from joining evil company is not of my Jama‘at. All these are poisons. You cannot swallow poison and survive; light and darkness cannot exist together. Everyone who has a crooked disposition and is not straightforward with God can never achieve the blessing that is bestowed on the pure-hearted. How fortunate are those who cleanse their hearts and purify their hearts of every impurity and take a pledge of faithfulness to their God, for they will never be destroyed. It is not possible that God should humiliate them, for they are God’s and God is theirs. They will be safeguarded at the time of every calamity. Foolish is the enemy who moves against them, for they are in the lap of God and enjoy His support.
[Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 19, pp. 18-21]
Who is it that truly believes in God? Only those who are such as we have just described. Similarly, he who pursues a fearless sinner, vicious and evil-minded, is foolish, for such a one will destroy himself in due course. Ever since God has created the heaven and the earth, it has never happened that He should have ruined or destroyed or obliterated the good. On the contrary, he has always shown wonders on their behalf and will also show them now. God is very Faithful and, for the faithful, He manifests wondrous works. The world desires to devour them and every enemy grinds his teeth at them, but He Who is their friend, delivers them from every place of danger and bestows victory upon them in every field. How fortunate is the person who never lets go the mantle of God. We have believed in Him and we have recognized Him. The God of the whole world is He Who has sent down His revelation to me, Who has shown mighty signs in my support and Who has sent me as the Promised Messiah for this age. There is no God beside Him, neither in heaven nor in earth. He who does not believe in Him is bereft of all good fortune and is caught in humiliation. I have received God’s revelation which is as bright as the sun. I have seen that He is the God of the world and that there is none other. How Mighty and Self-Supporting is the God Whom we have found. How great are the powers of Him Whom we witnessed. The truth is that nothing is beyond Him except that which is contrary to His books and His promise. Therefore, when you pray, do not be like the ignorant ones who pretend to follow nature and have devised a natural law which does not bear the seal of God’s Book. They are the rejected ones whose prayers will not be accepted. They are blind and not seeing. They are dead, not alive. They present to God their self-devised law and presume to limit His limitless powers and deem Him weak. So He will treat them according to their condition. But when you stand up in prayer, you should have full faith that your God has power to do all that He wills. Then your prayer will be accepted and you will exPropagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions perience the wonders of God’s power that I have experienced. My testimony is based on actual experiences and it is not a tale.
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 261]
If you become God’s then be sure that God is yours. You will be asleep and God Almighty will keep awake for you. You will be unmindful of the enemy and God will watch him and will frustrate his designs. You still do not know the extent of God’s powers. Had you known it, not a single day would you have grieved after the world. Does he who owns a treasure weep and cry and become sorrowful unto death by losing a paisa? Had you been aware of the treasure, that at every time of need God will do the needful, you would not have been so restless after the world. God is a lovely treasure, value Him accordingly. He is your Helper at every step; without Him you are nothing, nor do your resources and your devices amount to anything. Do not follow other people for they have become wholly reliant upon the means….I do not forbid you to employ means within moderation, but I do forbid you to become slaves of means like other people and to forget the God Who provides the means. Had you possessed the eye, you would have seen that God is everything and all else is nothing. You can neither stretch forth your hand nor hold it back, but under His command. A [spiritually] dead one might laugh at this, if he had truly died, it would have been better for him than this laughter. Beware! Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of other people thinking that they have progressed far in the world. Lend ear and realize that these people are totally unaware and heedless of God Who calls you to Himself. What is their god? Only a helpless human being! They are, therefore, languishing in ignorance. I do not forbid you the pursuit of worldly vocations and trade, but I forbid you to follow those whose world is their all. Continue to supplicate God for strength and ability in all your endeavours whether they are worldly or relate to the faith. Your supplications should not be confined to your lips, but you must believe truly that every blessing descends from heaven. You will become righteous only when you become such that whenever you are in need or are faced with some problem, you shut your door and fall down at the threshold of the Divine with your difficulty and supplicate to Him so that He may resolve it by His Grace. You will then be helped by the Holy Spirit and a hidden path will be opened for you. Have mercy on your souls and do not follow those who have cut asunder altogether from God and depend wholly upon means, so much so that they do not even seek strength from Allah by saying Insha’Allah.144 May God open your eyes so that you should realize that He is the crossbeam of all your plans. If the cross-beam should fall, can the rafters continue to support the roof? Indeed not, they would suddenly fall and might even cause loss of life. In the same way, your plans cannot sucPropagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions ceed without the help of God. If you will not supplicate Him for help, and will not make it your rule to seek strength from Him, you will achieve no success and will die in sorrow. Do not wonder why other people seem to succeed, while they are not even aware of the existence of God Who is your Perfect and Mighty Lord. It is because they have been subjected to the trial of the world on account of their abandoning God. He sometimes tries a person, who abandons Him and seeks the attractions and the joys and pleasures of the world and runs after its riches, by opening the doors of the world to him. Such a one is wholly deprived of faith. In the end, he dies with his mind devoted wholly to the world and is cast into eternal hell. Sometimes, such a person is tried by being deprived of the world also. But this latter kind of trial is not as fearful as the former, for the one who is subjected to the former becomes more arrogant. In any case, both these paths earn the wrath of God. The fountainhead of true prosperity is God. How can these people attain true prosperity when they are unaware of the EverLiving and Self-Supporting God and are heedless of Him and turn away from Him? Blessed is he who understands this mystery and ruined is the one who does not. You should similarly not follow the philosophers of this world, nor look upon them with honour, for they only pursue follies. The true philosophy is that which God has taught you in His Word. Those who are in love with the secular philosophy are in ruin and truly successful are those who have sought true knowledge and true philosophy in God’s Book. Why do you follow the paths of foolishness? Will you teach God that which He does not know? Will you run after the blind so that they should guide you? O foolish ones, how will he, who is himself sightless, guide you? True philosophy is acquired through the Holy Spirit which you have been promised. Through it you will be carried to the pure knowledge to which others have no access. You will obtain such knowledge if you sincerely seek it. You will then find that it is the knowledge which freshens and revives the heart and guides you to the pinnacle of certainty. He who feeds upon carrion cannot bring you pure food. He who is sightless cannot show you the path. All pure wisdom descends from heaven; then what is it that you are seeking from the earthly ones? Those whose souls ascend to heaven are the true heirs of wisdom. He who is not satisfied himself cannot bestow satisfaction upon you, but the purity of heart is the primary condition. Sincerity and purity are the pre-requisite, after which everything will be bestowed upon you.
[Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 19, pp. 22-24]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 265]
Now you should reflect and decide in your own minds that, having made the covenant of Bai‘at with me and having accepted me as the Promised Messiah, and as the Arbiter and Judge, if your heart feels constrained or anguished over any decision or action of mine, you should be concerned about the sincerity of your faith. No good can be expected from faith that is full of Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions doubts and suspicions. If you have accepted truly that the Promised Messiah is in fact the Arbiter, then submit completely to his command and look upon his decisions with respect so that you may be counted among those who honour the word of the Holy Prophetsa and esteem it highly. Sufficient is the evidence of the Holy Prophetsa. He assures you that the Promised Messiah will be your Imam and Arbiter and Judge. If this is not enough to satisfy you, how then will you be satisfied?
[Malfuzat, vol. 3, pp. 73-74]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 268]
Be it known to all sincere ones who have entered into the covenant of Bai‘at with me, that the purpose of the covenant is that the love of the world should grow cold and the love of God and of the Holy Prophetsa should fill the heart, and the soul should be so weaned away from the world that the journey to the hereafter should not appear disagreeable. But for the achievement of this purpose it is necessary to stay in my company and to spend some time of your life in this way, so that, if God should so will, by witnessing some sure sign all weakness and indifference may be removed and perfect faith may be generated, resulting in eagerness, enthusiasm and passionate love. You should always keep this in mind and supplicate that God Almighty should make this possible. Until such an opportunity arises, advantage should be taken of such meetings off and on, for to enter into the covenant of Bai‘at and not to be eager to seek opportunities for meeting would reduce the covenant to a mere ceremony which would be devoid of all blessings.
[Asmani Faislah, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 4, p. 351]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 269]
The human heart is like Hajr-e-Aswad [the Black Stone] and a man’s bosom is like Baitullah [the House of Allah]. The thoughts of that which is beside Allah are the idols installed in the ka‘bah of his heart. The idols of the Holy city of Mecca were obliterated when our Holy Prophetsa, accompanied by ten thousand saints, arrived at Mecca and Mecca surrendered….To defeat and obliterate the idols that are beside Allah, it is necessary that they should be invaded in the same manner….A Jihad is needed for clearing this house of its idols and I teach you the way of this Jihad, and assure you that if you follow it you will succeed in breaking those idols. This way is not devised by me. God has appointed me to disclose it to you. What is that way? It is that you should follow me and obey me. This is not a new call. To clear Mecca of idols, the Holy Prophetsa also announced: 145 In the same way, if you will follow me you will be able to break the idols that are inside you and you will be able to purify your bosoms which are filled with idols of many kinds. No hard disciplines are needed for the purification of the self. The Companions of the Holy Prophetsa did not subject themselves to any hard
145 Say, ‘If you love Allah, follow me; then will Allah love you.—AlImran, 3:32 [Publisher] Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama‘at, and Instructions disciplines nor to any purposeless repetition of formulas. What they possessed was something very different: they were wholly committed to obedience of the Holy Prophetsa. The light that was in him passed through the duct of obedience and fell upon the hearts of his Companionsra and wiped out all thoughts of everything beside Allah. Their bosoms were filled with light in place of darkness. Remember well that the same is the situation today. You cannot be purified until the light which comes through the Divine duct falls upon your hearts. The human bosom is the place of descent of Divine light; that is why it is called the House of Allah. The grand design is that the idols that fill it should be broken and Allah alone should dwell in it.
[Malfuzat, vol. 1, pp. 187-188]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 4, p. 270]
Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 4)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 5: Propagation, Establishment of a Holy Jama’at, and Instructions
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