Life Supreme — Page 112
LIFE SUPREME 115. O thou weak of faith. Beware of these hidden idols;. Guard well thy heart,. And keep it always. Out of their reach. 22. Life is a battle but the fruits of victory are always sweet. Man has to conquer all kinds of temptations, lures of the world, negligence, carelessness and a host of imperfections. Final victory sometimes seems far away-almost out of reach; but God has promised success to those who persevere and this matter has been explained by Hazrat. Khalifatul Masih II in the following encouraging words: "Islam rescues man from despair and tells him that he can, in spite of his errors and mistakes, attain to the purity of mind and conduct which is the highest goal of man. It thus encourages him to make constant efforts towards virtue and purity and enables him ultimately to arrive at this goal. دو. Worship of God is the best of habits; and all habits can be cultivated. A cultivated habit is soon executed with the aid of little or no mental attention under the direction and guardianship of second nature. The student typist in the early stages of training slowly finds and taps the letters with concentrated attention and even then makes numerous mistakes; but continued practice increases his speed and decreases his mistakes until eventually his fingers speed over the keyboard tapping out one hundred and twenty words a minute in a state of mental relaxation and with no apparent attention to the movement of his fingers. The subconscious has taken command. . Habits of worship can also respond to natural impulses after a period of proper attention. The person who strives to be patient and is diligent in practice will, after due course of time, display patience automatically under the most exasperating tests because this virtue of virtues has become ingrained in his very nature. In like manner all virtues can be developed if given the necessary earnest attention; and as the virtuous life and the Islamic life are synonymous, it behoves every Muslim to fulfil the object of his creation by worshipping God through the cultivation of all virtues. . Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without effort, and the law holds good in matters of faith. God helps those who help themselves