Fountain of Christianity — Page 58
58 in the same way, when the spring of Divine love gushes forth in a man’s heart, he naturally wants to win God’s pleasure as far as possible. Thus greater love leads to even greater Istighf a r. This is why those who are perfect in their love for God are constantly seeking Allah’s forgive- ness, and the surest sign of a sinless person is that he occupies himself in Istighf a r far more than other people. The true meaning of Istighf a r is to pray to God that He may remove the possibility of any transgression or error which a person might commit due to the weakness of hu- man nature, and that He may cover his faults and not allow them to be exposed. The meaning of Istighf a r also extends to the common people, and, in their case, it means: to pray to God that He may protect the supplicant from evil conse- quences and poisonous influences of his transgressions and misdeeds, both in this world and the hereafter. The source of true salvation, therefore, is personal love for God, which, in turn, draws His love through man’s humility, supplication and constant Istighf a r. When a per- son carries his love to perfection and the fire of love consumes his carnal passions, then, all at once, a flame of God’s love—which He has for his servant—falls upon his heart and cleanses him of the dirt of his mundane exis- tence. He then acquires the complexion of holiness of God, Who is H ayy i and Qayy u m , and partakes of all Di- vine attributes by way of reflection ( zill ). He then becomes a manifestation of Divine glory, and all that is hidden in God’s eternal treasure is disclosed to the world through him. Since God—Who created this world—is not