Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 186
186 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad maintain its life, someone furnished all these necessary means. Or perhaps at a time, when this creation could have been prey to a multitude of afflictions, some- one had mercy on it and protected it. Further still, someone could be worthy of praise if, for example, they saved from being wasted the effort of one who works and bestows the rights in full of those who labour. Although, apparently, fulfill- ing the rights of a labourer is nothing more than just recompense, such a person can be deemed a benefactor who also fulfils the rights of others in full. These are the noble attributes which make someone deserving of praise and admiration. Now if you are to reflect on this, you will see that in the truest sense, all of these praiseworthy qualities are due to Allah the Exalted alone, Who is the Possessor of these attributes to the highest level of perfection. No one else truly possesses these qualities. Firstly, observe God’s attribute of creation and providence. One could think that these attributes are to be found in mothers, fathers and other benefactors as well. However, if an individual reflects more deeply, they will come to know that a mother, father and other benefactors have certain aims and motives that move them to show favour. The proof of this, for example, is that if a healthy, beautiful and energetic baby is born, parents express joy, and if the baby is a boy, their joy is even greater; they rejoice and celebrate. However, if a girl is born, the home becomes a place of mourning as it were, and the day of the baby’s birth becomes a day of sorrow; parents feel that they cannot even show their faces in shame. Often, certain foolish people will even kill their daughters through vari- ous contrivances or they will show less care in their upbringing. Then, if the child is born crippled, blind, or with some other disability, parents wish that the child would die, and on many occasions, unsurprisingly, they will even kill them with their own hands, considering the child to be a burden. I have read that the Greeks would intentionally kill such children; in fact, it was a royal mandate that any baby who was born handicapped, disabled or blind, etc. , be put to death immedi- ately. This manifestly demonstrates that although humans do possess the nature to care and support, their thoughts are adulterated with personal and selfish mo- tives. However, Allah the Exalted has no selfish motive whatsoever in giving life to and nurturing His vast creation (which is so innumerable as is beyond one’s ability to fathom, and difficult for the tongue to articulate, and which fills the heaven and earth). Unlike parents, God does not desire service and provision in return; in fact, He has given life to His creation due to the demands inherent in