Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 157
157 advancement. He wants man to reach, and what stage of per- fection a man can attain to by following His commandments. How Almighty God can be seen in this very world, is then stated in the Holy Quran. Thus it says : ^ &** J**U IHJ ^j ^ ^ ^ ). ixa );*> U3 O ; &> )) LmJ. " Who wishes that he should see in this world the God who is the true Lord and the Creator, should do the deeds of virtue which are free from every sort of corruption and in worshipping his Lord he should not be guilty of any shirk. " The first portion of this verse requires a man to do ^ ^ J>* i. e , deeds of virtue which are free from impurity and every contamin- ation, by which are meant deeds which are neither done that they may be seen of others nor do they generate vanity in the heart of a man that he is the doer of such great and excellent deedSj nor are they incomplete or defective, nor do they savor of aught, but sincere personal love entertained towards God and are saturated with true faithfulness and perseverance. The second portion of the verse requires a man to abstain from shirk i e. , setting up with God such false deities as the sun, the moon, the stars of heaven, the physical forces of nature, the elements or anything else that is upon earth or the heavens, or setting too high a value upon the physical means and placing so much reliance on them as to consider them actually effective without any reservation like God himself, or giving an importance to one's own resources and efforts, for this too is a sort of shirk. On the other hand, when a man has done everything that lies in his power and exercised his abilities to his best, he should still be conscious of his utter weakness and ignorance, and ascribe every- thing to the mighty power and deep knowledge of God and not to his own power or learning. Our soul should constantly be in a state of perfect submission and prostration at the Divine thershold, and thus draw His favours and blessings, Unless we make our