A Letter to a Dear One — Page 25
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan 25 punishment of each sin and in an exact way and indeed to an adequate reward of virtues—if He so pleases, He can reward as much as He pleases. One Who Grants Prayers It is an attribute of Allah to listen to one who calls unto Him. He accepts the prayers of His servants. This Divine attribute, like others, has always been prevalent. Although, the manifestation of this attribute is the most powerful and effective means of strengthening the relationship between the Creator and His servants, it is a shame that today only a formal belief remains of this attribute of Allah in majority of the Muslims. The Holy Qur’ ā n has claimed this attribute to be a proof of existence of God; G YPÂS± ö Z H ÜI²M¼G † G y H x£G“Gc ZGdI~ R ®GμM´H¿M ö Z H ÌÃI¨H û ãR›G} [27: 63], how can you deny the existence of a God when you submit to Him in anxiety and call upon His mercy and He takes mercy on your desperation and helplessness and removes your problem? Allah does not lay the condition of belief and good deeds with the call of a distressed person. When a person is truly distressed and bows to the Almighty with total humility and seeks His mercy with a yielding heart, then He certainly shows mercy and listens to the call of the person. In such a situation, He does not consider the everyday insolence and rebellion of that person. Indeed, for His obedient and humble servants, who maintain a real relationship with Him, seek His pleasure and consider everything insignificant when compared to His pleasure, His treatment is most kind. A most unique relationship is established between Him and such people. Although the world does see the signs and results of such a relationship, it is only truly understood by these people themselves. These people may not hold any apparent significance but in Allah’s eyes they are the chosen ones. Allah the Exalted has a separate and distinct way of dealing with each person with compassion, affection and love. Just as an elder said: O You who keep each person’s secret separately— Your dealing of each beggar is so distinct.