Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 54
54 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad The Lives of the Pious The pious, holy and righteous personages who have passed throughout history, spent their nights standing and in prostration until the sun would rise upon them. Do you believe that they possessed extraordinary physical strength? Were they well-built, strong, muscular wrestlers? Not at all. Know well that physical power and strength can never accomplish that which spiritual power and strength can. You must have observed many people who eat three or four times a day and con- sume many fine and nutritious foods like pilau rice, but what is the outcome? They remain asleep and go on snoring until the sun rises. They become so com- pletely overtaken by sleep and sloth that even to offer the Isha prayer becomes an arduous and incredibly difficult task, let alone Tahajjud. Do reflect, did the revered companions of the Holy Prophet, may Allah be pleased with all of them, prevail over the disbelievers because they were taken by a life of luxury, and exquisite food and drink? Of course not. It was foretold in earlier scriptures as well that they would stand in Prayer during the nights and fast often during the day. They would spend their nights in the remembrance of God and in contemplation. How else did they spend their lives? The following verses of the Holy Quran are a vivid illustration of the manner in which the com- panions spent their lives: وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُوْنَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ. . . يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوْا وَرَابِطُوْا 1 Meaning, tie your horses on the frontier so that the enemy of Allah and your enemy remain in fear of your preparation and readiness. O believers, be steadfast and strive to excel in steadfastness and be on your guard. The Meaning of 'Ribat' The word 'ribat' refers to those horses that are tied at the enemy frontier. Allah the Exalted instructs the companions to remain prepared to fight the enemy. The word 'ribat draws their attention towards the fact that they should remain fully prepared in all respects. The companions were given two responsibilities. Firstly, to fight their apparent enemies and secondly, a spiritual war. The lexicon states that 'ribat' also refers to a person's soul and heart. A subtle point to note is that only those horses can be brought into service that are schooled and trained. In al-Anfal, 8:61 Aal-e-Imran, 3:201