Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 196
196 planets moving in their respective orbits. The operation of human instincts under the moral teachings of Islam may be described as a state governed by reason in which the citizens, that is, the natural instincts of man, are kept in order by the moral teachings of Islam. Different Stages of Moral Qualities I now turn to the second question arising under the second object of religion, viz. , what are the different stages of moral qualities prescribed by Islam? The graduation of moral qualities is as indispensable to the moral development of man, as the graduation of courses of study is indispensable for the normal instruction of the human mind. If courses of instruction prescribed by our schools, colleges and universities were not divided into grades and classes, most students would be unable to derive any benefit from them. Many of them would not be able to decide how far they should proceed in a particular course of instruction and many would be discouraged at the outset, believing that it was impossi- ble to accomplish that which had been prescribed. The institution of classes and grades, therefore, is not only convenient for teachers and directors of studies, but is also of great benefit and encouragement to the students. The same is the case with moral instruction, or, for the matter of that, any kind of instruction which is meant for the universal benefit of mankind. It must be so graduated that people of varying attainments and ca- pacities should be able to take advantage of it. If the course is so regulated that only people of high attain- ments can take advantage of it, it will be of no benefit to people of average or low capacities and vice versa. If,