The Pillars of Islam — Essence of Islam Vol. 2

14 Sep, 2026 Essence of Islam 0

Essence of Islam Book Cover by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS)

Introduction

In this discourse from Essence of Islam (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, expounds upon The Pillars of Islam, presenting profound spiritual insights and scriptural verities.

Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 8: The Pillars of Islam
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: Belief in Kalimah | Next: Salat Leads to God »

293 I have stressed it many times that you should not be satisfied merely with that you are Muslims and profess that: 104

Those who have studied the Holy Qur’an know well that God Almighty is not pleased merely with words. The Holy Qur’an sets out the annals of the Jews that they were in the beginning bestowed great bounties by God Almighty, but when the time came that they were satisfied with only verbal professions and their hearts became full of deceit, dishonesty and evil thoughts, God Almighty imposed diverse types of torments upon them, so much so that some of them were designated apes and swine.
This happened despite the fact that they had the Torah and the Psalms and they professed to believe in them and acknowledged all Prophets. But God was not pleased with them because all their professions were mere words and they had nothing in their hearts…. Reflect on the meaning of the credo 105 . By affirming this by his tongue and confirming it with his heart a person proclaims that he has no God beside Allah.

105 Ibid. He who declares that ‘There is none worthy of worship beside Allah’ will enter paradise. People have misunderstood this Hadith. They imagine that it is enough to repeat the credo verbally for a person to enter paradise. God Almighty is not concerned with words. He is concerned with hearts. This means that those who impress the true concept of the credo upon their hearts, so that the greatness of God Almighty is fully impressed on their minds, will go to heaven.
When a person truly believes in the credo, no one beside God can remain the object of his affection or worthy of his worship or his desired one. The spiritual station of the Abdal a Qutab and a Ghauth is none other than the sincerest belief in the Kalima: 106

…. This sublime credo excludes all deities beside Allah. It is, therefore, necessary to push out of one’s heart all personal and universal gods so that the heart is purified

for Allah alone. Some idols are manifest but some are subtle. For instance, to rely on material means beside Allah is also an idol, but a subtle one…. Those subtle idols that people carry about under their arms are difficult to throw out. Great philosophers and wise people cannot get rid of them. They are very fine insects which cannot be perceived except through the microscope of the great Grace of God. They inflict great harm on a person. Those idols are personal emotions which carry men a far distance in repudiation of the rights of their fellow beings and of God Almighty. Many who are called learned and erudite and Maulavis and who study the Ahadith cannot recognize these idols inside them, and worship them. To avoid these idols is possible only for a very brave man. Those who follow these idols cultivate rancour in their hearts, deny the rights of others, and imagine that they have captured a quarry. They lay undue stress upon material means and rely entirely upon them. Till these tendencies are removed altogether, the Unity of God cannot be established.
[Speeches to Jalsah Salana, 1906, pp. 1-5]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 293]

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Introduction