Life of Ahmad — Page 62
EARLY LIFE as 62 Also the following verse from the work of Farrukh Qadiani saddens my heart: Hence I wish I could spend the rest of my days in some solitary corner, drawing myself away from the company of men and busying myself with the remembrance of God. Perchance I may succeed in making up for lost time, and may be able to make amends for all my past: There is no stability in this world. All life is transient. Islam does not permit monasticism or asceticism. But it does prescribe fasting as a means to the attainment of spiritual eminence. A short time before his father’s death, Ahmad as was in a dream advised by an angelic presence to keep certain fasts in accordance with the usage of the Prophets of God to enable him to receive Divine blessings: so he resolved to observe these fasts secretly. He occupied in these days the upper room on the east of the well situated in the house and he arranged to have his meals brought to him in that room, where, by previous arrangement, he would secretly invite some poor children and orphans and would distribute his food amongst them. After two or three weeks he decided gradually to reduce his food, and managed subsequently to live on a small piece of bread which he took only once in 24 hours. In this