Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 194
BarĀhĪn-e-a H madiyya — Part Four 194 who ask are granted, and only those who seek, find. Those who embark upon any enterprise, relying on their own skill, intellect, or strength instead of relying on God Almighty, do not give any reverence to the Omnipotent Being who encompasses the entire universe with His all-sustaining power. Their faith is like a dry branch that is no longer connected to its verdant and blooming tree and which has become so dry that it cannot draw anything from the freshness, blossoms, or fruits of its tree. It has only an outward physical connection, which can snap at the slightest stir of the wind or by someone’s shaking it. Such is the faith of the sophists who do not rely on the support of the Sustainer of the universe and do not acknowledge their dependence upon the Source of all grace, whose name is Allah, for all situations and circum- stances. Consequently, such people are as distanced from true Tau hi d as darkness is from light. They have absolutely no understanding that placing oneself under the mighty power of the All-Powerful God, truly believing oneself to be insignificant and worthless, is the ultimate point of servitude and the highest stage of [believing in] Tau hi d, from which the spring of total annihilation gushes forth, and one is delivered entirely from one’s self and volition, and affirms with a sincere heart that God is the Ultimate Controller. No weight need be given here to the argument of the sophists who say, ‘What is the need for seeking God’s assistance before start- ing anything, since God has already endowed our natures with [the appropriate] capabilities, and in the presence of these capabilities, it is a superfluous act to beg Him for the same capabilities again. ’ My response is that no doubt it is true that God Almighty has equipped us with some limited capabilities to perform certain tasks, but we are not thereby freed from the governance of the Sustainer of the universe. He has not separated Himself from us, nor has He desired to exclude us from His support, nor has He willed that we should be deprived of His limitless beneficence. Whatever He has bestowed upon us is a limited matter and that which is begged of Him is without limit. Moreover,