Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 210
210 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (Thee alone do we implore for help) has been stated here to correspond with divine providence (rububiyyat). Just as a garden cannot grow and flourish without water, in the same way, if one is deprived of the water of God's grace, we too cannot flourish and grow. A tree conducts water through xylem vessels and openings that extend from their roots. Botany tells us that the branches of a tree pull water upwards and possess a capacity to absorb. Similarly, servitude to God also possesses an absorbing capacity, which draws in and sucks the grace of God. Guide us in the) اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ the Gracious) corresponds with الرحمن ,Hence right path); that is to say that if we were not blessed with God's graciousness (rah- maniyyat), and if God had not bestowed these strengths and faculties upon us, how could we have derived benefit from this divine grace?¹ Guidance is Received by the Graciousness of God الرَّحْمنِ Guide us in the right path) corresponds with) اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ,Therefore (the Gracious) because it is no one's right to receive guidance; rather, it is only through the graciousness (rahmaniyyat) of God that this grace can be attained. Moving on, (The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings) corresponds with 1 (the Merciful) because one who offers this prayer incessantly derives grace from the fountain of divine mercy (rahimiyyat). In doing so, a person expresses: 'O God, Who accepts prayers through His special favour, show us the way of the Messengers, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous; who occupied themselves in prayer and spiritual struggles and were rewarded with a diverse multitude of insights, verities, visions and revelations; and who attained to the pinnacle of divine understanding through continuous prayer, humility and good deeds. Divine mercy (rahimiyyat) comprises the quality of compensating for loss. It has been narrated in a Hadith that if it were not for divine grace, salvation could not be attained. Similarly, we learn from the Hadith that Hazrat Ayeshah, may Allah be pleased with her, asked the Holy Prophet: 'Your holiness! Is this so in your case as well?' The Holy Prophetsa affectionately placed his hand over her head and said: 'Indeed. ' The foolish and ignorant from among the Christians have levelled allegations in this regard due to their lack of understanding and flawed knowledge. They do not comprehend that this was an expression of the Prophet's perfect servitude to God, and was a means of absorbing divine providence. I have Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 33, dated 10 September 1901, pp. 1-2 1