Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 290
B AR Ā H Ī N-E-A H M ADIY YA — PART F IV E 290 Shunning it, therefore, is a matter of ordinary decency and no great excellence. But man’s full spiritual beauty lies in treading upon all the finer ways of taqw a. 1 ٭ The finer ways of taqw a are the graceful features and lovely curves of spiritual beauty. It is obvious that to abide by the trusts that one owes to God and by the pledges of faith2 ٭ to the best of one’s ability, and to utilize all one’s organs and faculties from head to toe—of which the physically obvious are the eyes, ears, hands, feet, and the other organs; as well as the inner capacities such as the heart and other facul- ties and morals—appropriately at their proper occasion, to safeguard them from the unlawful, and to be wary against their secret assaults, while at the same time fulfilling one’s obligations towards God’s crea- tion—this is the path on which depends all one’s spiritual beauty. God Almighty in the Holy Quran has labelled taqw a as raiment. Lib a sut-taqw a [‘Raiment of righteousness’] is an expression of the Holy Quran, and this is an indication that spiritual beauty and adorn- ment are indeed born out of taqw a. And taqw a means that man should abide by all of God’s trusts and pledges of faith, as well as all one’s trust and pledges towards God’s creatures to the best of one’s capability, 1. ٭ For faith, the stage of humility is like a seed. And then by shunning vain pursuits, the faith sprouts its soft greenery. And then by giving one’s wealth as Zak a t the tree of faith grows branches which give it a certain degree of strength. And then when one fights the carnal desires, these branches grow stronger. And when one fulfils all the aspects of one’s trusts and pledges, the tree of faith develops a strong and sturdy trunk. And then when it comes to yielding fruit, it receives another bounty without which the tree can grow nei- ther fruit nor flowers. This is the power that in the sixth stage of the spiritual being is called Khalq-e- A khar [‘Another Creation’]. It is at this stage that the fruit and flowers of human excellence start to manifest themselves, and its spiritual branches are not only perfected but also bring fruit. (Author) 2. ٭ The pledges of faith are the pledges which a person makes at the time of pledging bai‘at and accepting faith, for instance, that he will not kill, will not steal, will not give false testimony, will not associate partners with God and will die professing Islam and obedience to the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. (Author)