Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 61
61 companions, only then will one’s claim of being a follower and believer be honest and true. Instil firmly in your mind that until Allah the Exalted begins to dwell in you, and the signs of God become manifest in your person, you will be subjected to the influence of Satanic rule. Satan invites you to falsehood, injustice, passion, murder, far-fetched hopes, ostentation and arrogance. In contrast, Allah Almighty calls on you to adopt sub- lime morals, to show patience, to be absorbed and annihilated in Him, to demon- strate sincerity and faith, and He calls you to prosperity. A person is subjected to the influence of both forces. Ultimately, he who is blessed with a pure nature and possesses the seed of goodness, even in the face of thousands of Satanic tempta- tions and inner passions, hastens towards none other than Allah the Exalted, due to the blessing of the inherent faculty of righteousness, goodness, and purity that lies within him; and it is in God alone that such a one finds pleasure, comfort and satisfaction. The Signs of Faith However, everything is accompanied by signs. Until a thing possesses the signs that are characteristic of it, it cannot be considered genuine. One may observe the manner in which a physician is able to identify various medicines. If viola odorata, cassia fistula and turpeth did not possess the characteristics that have been established in them, after a long period of experience, a physician would throw them away like rubbish. This is also the case with the signs of faith. Allah the Exalted has alluded to them in His Book repeatedly. It is true that when faith enters a person, the greatness of Allah Almighty, i. e. His glory, holiness, greatness, power, and more than anything else, the true essence of ُ اہلل َ ّ ٓ اِلٰہ َ اِل َ ل (There is none worthy of worship except Allah) enters him as well. This is to such an extent that Allah the Exalted begins to dwell in him; a death overtakes one’s satanic life; one’s inclination towards sin dies. It is at this time that a new life begins—a spiritual life. In fact, one could say that the first day of one’s heavenly birth is when death overtakes a person’s satanic life to usher in the beginning of the spiritual life, like the birth of a child. The Perfect God of Islam Allah the Exalted has alluded to this very birth in Surah al-Fatihah, where He p. 55