Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 349
SuB-Footnote Number Three 349 that is contrary to His will and consider every honour that is against the will of the Benevolent God to be of absolutely no importance. Similarly, that light sometimes manifests itself in the garb of wisdom, sometimes in the form of lofty flights of their faculty of observation, sometimes in the marvellous displays of their faculty of performance, sometimes in the garb of meekness and compassion, and sometimes in the garb of harshness and jealousy. Sometimes it appears as generosity and selflessness, sometimes in the garb of bravery and steadfastness— sometimes in the garb of one virtue, while sometimes another. At times it manifests itself in the form of converse from the One True God, at times in the form of true visions and evident Signs. Meaning that, as the occasion demands, that light is made to surge up by the the Bestower of good things. The light is but one, and all these are its branches. He who sees only one branch and fixes his gaze on only one bough, remains lim- ited in his insight. This is why such a person is often deceived. But he who surveys all the branches of this blessed tree collectively and under- stands the nature of its diverse fruits and blossoms, beholds that light as clearly as a bright day, and the drawn swords of that glorious light smash all his conceits. Here people of certain dispositions may be perplexed as to how these excellences can be attained even by people who are neither Prophets nor Messengers. As I have already stated, this perplexity is a baseless misconception which grips the hearts of those who are not aware of the real truth about Islam. If, by virtue of their obedience, the followers of Prophets were not granted a share in their perfections, knowledge, and insights, then the door of [spiritual] inheritance would be totally closed, or would remain very narrow and constricted. For, it is contrary to the objective of [spiritual] inheritance that their followers should remain totally deprived of the bounties which the Messengers and the Prophets receive from the Source of all graces, and should fail to par- take of the sweet drought of enlightened faith and insight to which the holy ones have access, and be comforted merely with uninspiring and superficial talk. Such a suggestion would also entail a kind of miserliness