Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 279
APPE N DI X to B AR Ā H Ī N-E-A H M ADIY YA — PART F IV E 279 a requisite for the relationship with God. 1 ٭ In other words, weaning one’s heart away from frivolous activities amounts to attaching one’s heart to God, because man has been created for eternal worship, and the love of God is by nature imbued in his heart. This is why his soul has an eternal relationship with God, as is evident from the verse: 2 ُتْسَلَا ْمُكِّبَرِب اْوُلاَق ىٰلَب The relationship that man establishes with God Almighty by coming under the shade of ق �یم�ی� � ر [ Ra hi miyyat— Mercifulness] through the medium of worship—the first stage of which is that, having attained 1. ٭ The reason why weaning away from vain relationships leads to a relation- ship with God Almighty is that in these same verses God Almighty has used the word َ اَفْلَح [ afla h a —‘succeeded’] to promise that whoever does something in order to seek God will find God to the extent of his labour and striving and to that extent will have a relationship with Him. So whoever shuns vain deeds for the sake of a relationship with Him is able to enjoy that bit of relationship with God as promised in the word َ اَفْلَح [ afla h a —‘succeeded’]. This is because what he has done is nothing very heavy, he has merely cut off the light con- nection he had with that frivolous deed. Bear in mind that since the word َ اَفْلَح [ afla h a —succeeded] is found in the first verse which is: ْدَق َحَلْفَا َنْوُنِمْؤُمْلا َنْيِذَّلا ْمُه ْيِف ْمِهِتاَلَص َنْوُعِشٰخ [Surely, success does come to the believers, who are humble in their Prayers ( S u rah al-Mu’min u n, 23:2–3). ] the same word is associated by way of a promise with all the subsequent vers- es. Thus the verses: [ S u rah al-Mu’min u n, 23:4 َو َنْيِذَّلا ْمُه ِنَع ِوْغَّللا َنْوُضِرْعُم— [ That is, ‘those who turn away from that which is vain’ means, ‘Verily, believers have succeeded who turn away from that which is vain. ’ At each stage of de- velopment of faith, the word ح ل اف [ Ifl ah —‘success’] has a distinctive meaning, holding out the promise of a special relation with God. (Author) 2. ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They say, ‘Yes, we do bear witness’ ( S u rah al-A‘r a f, 7:173). [Publisher]