Mahzarnama (The Memorandum) — Page 62
62 Mahzarnama steadfastness of the rich. They have perfect trust in their Lord in times of hardship with a cheerful heart and complete certainty. They are given to sacrifice and the service of people is their habit. Even if the whole world were to become members of their family, they would feel no constraint. They are grateful to God Almighty, Who covers up their shortcomings on every occasion. They are taken into the protection of the Divine before an unbearable calamity descends upon them, for God is their Guardian in all circumstances, as He has said: 6 Others are left to worldly trials and the extraordinary treatment that is accorded to these people is not accorded to anyone else. This characteristic of theirs can also be proved very soon by keeping company with them. Another bounty is the personal love of God on which the perfect followers of the Holy Quran are established. Love of God so saturates their whole being that it becomes the be all and end all of their life. A wonderful love of the Divine surges up in their hearts and an extraordinary affection and eagerness take possession of them, which cut them off altogether from all others and the fire of Divine love is so lit up in them that on special occasions it becomes palpably perceptible to those who keep company with them. It becomes impossible for them to keep it hidden as it is impossible even for a worldly lover to hide his love for his beloved from his companions and associates. The love that penetrates their talk, and their looks, and their eyes, and their appearance, and their nature, and is manifested in their very hair, cannot be kept secret. Whatever they might do some sign of it is betrayed. The greatest sign of their sincerity is that they prefer their Beloved to everything else, and if they experience any hardships they view them as bounties on account of their excess of love, and torment becomes for them a sweet drink. No 6 He safeguards the righteous (7:197).