Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 122
122 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad The Essence of Islam In response to the aforementioned, His Holiness, our Noble Leader, on whom be peace and blessings, said: “In truth, one should not settle for the outer shell and husk, nor can one be satisfied in doing so, for man naturally desires to move forward. The religion of Islam seeks to uplift man to attain the essence and spirit that he longs for by his inherent nature. The very name Islam grants pleasure to the soul. There is no other religion whose name fills the soul with such a degree of satisfaction. For example, what spirituality can we derive from the name Arya. The religion of Islam has been established to grant tranquillity, peace and satisfac- tion—all things for which the human soul hungers and thirsts—so that the one who hears this name can understand that an individual who believes in this reli- gion with heartfelt sincerity and acts upon its teachings, is a person who possesses spiritual insight of the Divine. However, if an individual expects that everything should happen all at once and that they can attain to the highest levels of divine insight instantly, then this will never happen. Everything in the world takes place in stages. One may observe that there is no form of knowledge or science which human beings do not attain slowly and gradually. It is imperative that one grows in stages. Do reflect! A farmer must wait after they plant a seed into the earth. First, he must bury his valuable grain into the earth, even though it is vulnerable to being plucked out by various animals, rotting in the earth, or being ruined in some other way. However, experience gives the farmer comfort that despite these possibilities, a time will come when the seeds that he entrusted to the land will sprout and the crop will bloom and flourish, and this dirt-covered seed will turn into provision. Patience Is Necessary for Reformation Now take a moment to reflect that material, physical nourishment, which a per- son can live without for a few days, requires six months to produce, even though a worldly life, which is sustained on physical sustenance, is not everlasting and will come to an end. How then can one attain spiritual provision, which is the nourishment for one’s spiritual life, a life that will never end and remain for all eternity, within a few days? Indeed Allah Almighty has the power to do whatever He pleases in an instant, and it is my belief that nothing is impossible for Him. However, the God which Islam has presented is not like the God (Parmeshwar) p. 108