Life Supreme — Page 54
LIFE SUPREME 57 not from strength to weakness which, unhappily, has happened only too often. Young Muslims and converts attach themselves to the faith with zeal and enthusiasm; but as the years slip by they also slip away. The aim of a Muslim should be to remain steadfast and progressive in faith throughout his life; never content to remain static but restless to reach new horizons. There are times, no doubt, when he feels that he is making no progress; but this may not really be true. However, these are times when he must be vigilent and tighten his grip on the rope of Allah. Dale Carnegie, who has written a number of books on personal development, notes that realisation of progress seems to come in periodical jerks and not gradually degree by degree. One seems to mark time for a while and then suddenly becomes conscious of having attained a higher stage of progress and understanding. This is very true in spiritual development. . The spiritual wayfarer is harassed constantly by satanic germs and the following six negative influences cause the commonest and most destructive forms of spiritual cancer. (1) Irritability (4) Jealousy (2) Laziness (5) Fear (3) Pride (6) Loved ones before God. IRRITABILITY 'A man in a passion rides a mad horse. ' (Benjamin Franklin). One of the greatest scourges of mankind is a fever of the brain known as irritability. Only those who have been cleansed by the. Holy Spirit are immune from this disease; and such persons are few and far between. . An ideal home is a haven of peace while a broken home is hell on earth. The man who is always irritable with his wife and children is a sick man who can not live at peace with others; but let him make a pledge to curb his irate tongue at home and in proportion to his progress will his relationship with humanity improve. . Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, the Promised Messiah and Holy. Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, has said that many are smooth in appearance but inwardly they are like ravening wolves. . There are those who are regarded as men of spiritual eminence; and, indeed, they appear to be so when surrounded by their