The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 82
82 Essence of Islam-III the threshold of God, like the angel Gabriel, and is granted permanent nearness of the Lord of Honour, as God Almighty has said: وَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ 0 72 That is: 'The perfect believers are those who are ever present before God and themselves guard their prayers. ' At that stage a believer deems his prayer essential for nurturing his spiritual life without which he cannot sur- vive. This stage cannot be achieved without the spirit which descends from God Almighty upon a believer. When a believer discards his life for the sake of God Al- mighty he deserves to be given a new life. All this shows that according to sane reason, these are the six stages which have to be traversed by a believer who seeks the perfection of his spiritual being, and even cur- sory reflection would show that a believer must pass through six conditions during the course of his spiritual journey. The reason for this is that until a person suc- ceeds in establishing a perfect relationship with God, his imperfect ego loves five vicious conditions, and the dis- carding of the love of each condition requires a motive which should enable him to overcome that love so that a new love may take its place. The first condition which a person loves is one of heed- lessness in which he is at a distance from God Almighty. His ego is in a sort of disbelief, and he is drawn towards arrogance and hard-heartedness and does not at all par- take of humility and meekness and lowliness. He loves this condition and regards it as the best for himself. 72 Al-Mu'minūn, 23:10 [Publisher]