Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 253
Footnote Number Eleven 253 manner of those who became the recipients of God’s bounty and grace so that the hearts of seekers after truth might be comforted. This pur- pose is included in 1 َطاَرِص َنْيِذَّلا َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع [ s ir at alladh i na an‘amta ‘alai- him— the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your blessings]. The tenth objective of the Holy Quran is to explain the dispositions and practices of those who incurred God’s wrath or of those who went astray and fell into all sorts of innovations, so that seekers after truth may shun their ways. So this purpose is included in 2 ِبْوُضْغَمْلا ْمِهْيَلَع َو اَل َنْيِّلٓاَّضلا ِرْيَغ [ g hairil magh du bi ‘alaihim wala ddal l i n —Those who have not incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray]. These are the ten objectives that are set out in the Holy Quran and are the fundamental basis of all truths. All of these objectives are suc- cinctly expressed in S u rah al-F a ti h ah. The fifth beauty of S u rah al-F a ti h ah is that it comprises the most com- plete and perfect teaching which is essential for a seeker after truth and which constitutes a perfect code of conduct for making progress in near- ness and cognition [of God]. The beginning of progress towards near- ness is at the point of journey when the devotee, by accepting death for his ego and submitting to hardships and suffering, purely for the sake of Allah, discards all of those carnal desires which separate him from his Benevolent God and which turn his face away from God towards personal pleasures, emotions, habits, thoughts, inclinations, and cre- ated beings, and entangle him in their fears and hopes. The interme- diary stage of progress occurs when all of this suffering—whichever hardships were suffered in the beginning stage for the annihilation of the ego and all the pain that was endured in discarding engrained habits—appears as a reward, toil is perceived as joy, grief is felt as com- fort, and distress is appreciated as delight and cheerfulness. The highest stage of progress is when the devotee cultivates such union, love, and 1. S u rah al-F a ti h ah, 1:7 [Publisher] 2. S u rah al-F a ti h ah, 1:7 [Publisher]