Lecture Lahore — Page 17
17 20 i. e. , I have prepared for the disbelievers—who do not love Me and are inclined towards the world—chains and collars and a fire that burns in their hearts. Their feet are chained by their love for the world; their indifference to God serves as a collar for their necks, which does not allow them to look upwards but keeps them prone towards the world, and their hearts are constantly burning with craving for the world. As for the righteous, they are, in this very life, given a drink tempered with camphor— k a f u r— which cools their worldly loves and desires. They are given a spring from which this drink flows, and they cause it to flow into a run- ning stream so that all who are thirsty may drink their fill of it. Once this spring has turned into a stream, and the power of faith has begun to grow, and Divine love has taken root in their hearts, the believers are then given an- other drink, this time tempered with ginger— zanjab i l. The camphorated drink they were given at first was only meant to cool the love of the world, and they now need a warming drink to set their hearts ablaze with Divine love. They need the second drink because the mere giving up of sin does not lead to perfection. The spring from which the drink flows is called salsab i l, which means 'Ask about the path that leads to God. ' 21 20 Al-Dahr, 76:18-19 [Publishers] 21 Al-Shams, 91:10-11 [Publishers]