Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 67
67 U ا lَِّ ۡﻳ َﻦ ُﻫ ۡﻢ َﻋ ۡﻦ َﺻ َﻼ ِﺗ pِۡ َﺳ ﺎ ُﻫ ۡﻮ َن َﻓ َﻮ ۡﻳ ٌﻞ ِّﻟ ۡﻠ ُﻤ َﺼ ِّﻠ َۡني U “ So, woe to those who pray b ut are unmindful of their prayers. ” (Holy Qur’an , Ch. 107: V. 5 - 6) This proves that Sal ā t could be a source of a curse for some people. You should not be content over the observance of Sal ā t, fasting, Zakat , or Hajj. Rather, you should continue to measure how much energy you gain from them. Then, I mentioned that spiritual strength results in the development of passion in a person and he tries to inculcate the same moral values in others that he has developed within himself. D evelop a passion for t abligh with in yourself. If you fail to do so, then yo ur [spiritual] death is fated. When there is an outbreak of cholera, it first attacks your neighbors. If you are not careful, then you cannot escape it. Then, there is the plague and the same will follow with that. Likewise, if you are not focused on t abligh of religion and you do not try to correct this , then the spiritual malady which your neighbor is afflicted with, will spread to you. Therefore, say your Sal ā t and continue to ponder over whether it is having any effect. Thereafter, strive to nurture the same in others. If you fail to do that , then those who have already fallen victim to spiritual death will one day cause you to fall prey to t heir disease. You should develop a habit of advising and preaching to others so that they may fall prey to you instead. At the end, I pray that God Almighty enable you to discharge your duties, make you a true believer and a true Musli m , so that you become the most valuable person for yourself, for your family, for your country, and above all, for Islam Ahmadiyyat. ( Misbah , Dec ember 1950)