Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 231
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 231 example and spent a good part of his nights in supplication to the Divine, without Whose grace and mercy nothing could possibly be achieved. Yet that was not all. His horizon was not limited to the Community. His lord and master, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, was in the words of the Holy Quran: 'A mercy for the universe' (21:108). His father, the Promised Messiah, was a perfect reflection of the Holy Prophet; the prophecy set out in the announcement of 20 February 1886, concerning his own coming into being, described him as a sign of Divine mercy. His beneficence, therefore, comprehended the whole of mankind. He was keenly interested in promoting the true welfare of all Muslims wherever they might be, as they were the Ummat of his lord and master, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, however much mistaken they might be in some of their beliefs and doctrines; he was also keenly interested in promoting the true welfare of all his fellow countrymen, of whatever caste or creed, a. nd in promoting the true welfare of all his fellow human beings. Whenever any opportunity arose for service in any of these spheres he put himself in the forefront to render such service as was open to him, and he was capable of performing. He had, however, to be mindful of proper gradation in all these spheres and had to give effect to the necessary priorities. The primary field of his activities was religion, but his definition of religion was as comprehen- sive as was Islam itself. In his estimation, as in the estimation of all true Muslims, religion was not confined to repeating the credo, participating in the five daily Prayer services, observing the fast of Ramadhan, paying the Zakat and per- forming the Pilgrimage to the House of Allah. He did all this with complete devotion and sincerity and in a perfect spirit of obedience to the divine command, but he realized that all this was machinery for the generation of the true spirit of wor- ship of the Lord and the service of His creatures. He was firmly grounded in all his beliefs and doctrines. He believed most sincerely in the Unity of God and in all His holy attributes; he believed in God's angels and had a clear