Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 131
131 pretence, and this is what it means to restore one’s human nature. Islam Is A Religion of Nature What is Islam? The very name that Allah Almighty has given the religion of Islam is ‘the nature made by Allah’ ( fitratullah). It is Islam alone that is the religion of nature. However, when does this reality become apparent? It becomes apparent when an individual remains in holy company with patience and steadfastness. There are countless blessings in steadfastness. Just observe the honey bee and how it is able to produce an exquisite and beneficial substance like honey when it remains engaged in its work with persistence and effort. In the same manner, an individual who continues to search for God with determination ultimately finds Him. Not only does such an individual find God, it is my belief that they are able to see Him. Vast amounts of time and money must be spent for the acquisition of secular knowledge and this sheds light on the law that is applicable for the acqui- sition of spiritual knowledge. Our religion, which ought to be seen as the start- ing point for spiritual knowledge, is to first believe in the existence of God and then to develop an understanding of His attributes—such understanding which elevates one to a level of certainty. It is then that a person will develop insight into the being of Allah Almighty and His perfect attributes, and their soul will call out from within with absolute content that they have found God. When an individual develops such faith in the existence of Allah Almighty that they reach a level of certainty and feel that they have seen God, and when they attain an understanding of His attributes, such an individual develops a disgust for sin. Even though previously the dispositions of such people would lean towards sin, when the aforementioned becomes the case, they naturally shun sin with abhor- rence, and this is what we call repentance. The concept that after one develops perfect faith in Allah Almighty one begins to abhor sin is an idea that can be easily understood. For example, there is arse- nic and other poisons, or certain poisonous animals. Why do humans fear these things? The only reason is because experience demonstrates that these poisons, in a certain degree, take a man to death. We observe many who have consumed poison and then died, and it is for this very reason that one’s disposition cannot be inclined in this direction, and in fact, one flees from such things. Now when this is the case, why do people commit a multitude of sins? Even if someone finds