Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 79
79 Abraham as , with his righteousness, Moses as , with his sacrifices, Jesus as , with his humility and meekness, and Muhammad sa , with his perfection and excellence, could not dispense with such acts of worship and were not content with the heart’s worship alone, people who are engaged in wordly pursuits from morning till night and have no thought to spare for God, may dispense with them and confine themselves to the mere inward re- membrance of God? The idea that external worship is a mere matter of form and is of no real benefit is the outcome of laziness. It is encouraged only to drown the voice of conscience. It is a cloak under which people seek to hide their lack of faith. The second mode of worship prescribed by Islam is Dhikr , or the remembrance of God. S al a t , which must be performed in a certain manner and subject to certain conditions, is confined to special periods of time. But as the body needs water or moisture at brief intervals, and begins to feel dry and tired without it, the soul also stands in constant need of spiritual refreshment, for it is apt to be starved when man is engaged in material pursuits. Islam has, therefore, taught that man should, from time to time, in the midst of his pursuits and pre- occupations, recall and reflect over the different attrib- utes of God, so that his whole attention should not be engrossed in worldly affairs, and the remembrance and the love of God should continue constantly to refresh his soul like a running fountain. The benefits of Dhikr are similar to those of S al a t. The third mode of worship prescribed by Islam is fasting. This mode of worship is also common to almost