The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 264
264. Essence of Islam II [Brāhīn-e-Aḥmadiyya, Part V, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, vol. 21, pp. 33-34]. How to Establish Relationship with God. The means, which the Holy Qur'ān has taught us of establishing a spiritual and perfect relationship with God, is Islām and the prayer set out in the Surah Fatihah. This means that one must first devote one's life to the cause of. God, and then should be occupied with the prayer that the Muslims have been taught in Surah Fatihah. This is the essence of Islām. This is the only means of reaching. God and drinking of the water of true salvation. This is the only means which the law of nature has appointed for man's higher progress and his meeting with God. Only those find God who enter into the spiritual fire, which is the essence of Islām, and occupy themselves with the supplication taught in the Surah Fātiḥah. Islām is the burning fire which, by consuming our lower life and by burning up our false deities, offers the sacrifice of our lives and properties and honour before our Holy God. . We drink the water of a new life from this spring and all our spiritual faculties establish a relationship with God. . Like lightning, a fire emerges from inside us and another fire descends upon us from above and by their meeting all our passions and the love of anything beside God are consumed and we become dead to our previous life. This condition is called Islām by the Holy Qur'an. Through. Islām our passions suffer a death and through prayer we are revived again. For this second life revelation is necessary. Arrival at this stage is called meeting with. God, that is to say, beholding God. Arriving at this stage a person establishes a relationship with God as if he sees. Him with his eyes. He is bestowed strength and all his senses and inner faculties are illumined and the attraction