Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 102
102 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad أُجِيبُ كُلَّ دُعَائِكَ I will accept your every prayer. However, I am well aware that the word 'every' (kulla) refers to those prayers which if accepted, cause no harm. On the contrary, where Allah the Almighty desires improvement and reform, rejecting a prayer is also a form of acceptance. At times, a person is unsuccessful in achieving the result of their prayer. One surmises that God Almighty has rejected their supplication, even though He has actually accepted the person's entreaty and acceptance is manifested in the form of a disapproval. In the specific case at hand, behind the apparent veil, in reality, the real advantage and benefit lies in the supplicant's prayer being rejected. Since man is short-sighted and lacks foresight, giving importance to outward appearance, it is advisable that when he prays to Allah the Exalted and does not receive a result that seems apparently beneficial to his own preconceived notion, he should not think ill of God and conclude that his prayer has been rejected. God Almighty hears the prayer of every supplicant. The ادْعُوْنِ اسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer. mystery y and secret is that the greatest good and benefit for the supplicant lies in their prayer being refused. This is the principle of prayer. In the acceptance of prayer, Allah the Exalted is not subject to our thoughts and desires. One may observe how dear a mother holds her child. She desires that no harm should come to her child. But if a child should cry and insist upon the absurd idea that they be handed a sharp dagger or a bright and glowing piece of coal, would the mother, despite her true love and compassion, ever approve of her child taking hold of a flaming piece of coal and subsequently burning their hand, or cutting their hand on the sharp blade of a dagger? Of course not. The underlying principle in the acceptance of prayer can be understood in light of this example. I am myself experienced in this regard. Where a detrimental aspect exists in a certain prayer, it is not accepted in the least. One can easily understand that our knowledge is not definitive and without its faults. There are many things we do with great pleasure, considering them to be blessed, and in our own view we consider their outcomes to be blessed as well, but ultimately they turn into a 1 al-Mu'min, 40:61