Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 39
39 to completion the propagation of the message of the Holy Prophet sa. For this reason, my heart throbs with pain so that Allah the Exalted bestows upon our community the favours that were conferred upon the companions; and so that my community develops within themselves the truth, loyalty, sincerity and obedience that was the hallmark of the companions. May this community fear no one but God; may they be righteous, because the love of God embraces the righteous. Allah the Exalted states: 1 َ ْن ی ِ اَنَّ اهللَ مَعَ الْمُتَّق Allah is with the righteous. 2 Since Allah the Exalted accompanies the righteous, even an enemy is struck by awe in the face of a righteous person. However, it must be borne in mind that true righteousness can never be attained until one benefits from the company of the truthful and holy men of God, and until one annihilates themselves completely in obedience to the chosen ones of God. It is for this very reason that Allah the Exalted states: 3 َ ْن ی مَعَ الصّٰدِقِ اهللَ وَ كُوْنُوْا اتَّقُوا ْن َ ٰامَنُوا ی ِ الَّذ ُّـهَا ی ٰۤـاَ ی Meaning, O ye who believe! Be righteous, remain in the company of the truthful and gain strength from their company. This clearly demonstrates that the deeper reality of faith is revealed only after one becomes righteous. The true essence of fear of Allah cannot be grasped until one benefits from the holy company of a man who is himself lost in God. It ought to be remembered also that to merely remain in the company of such a person is not the least beneficial and effective either. In reality, to remain in the company of the truthful is an indication of the fact that one must obey them. As such, in another instance, Allah the Exalted states: 4 ْ الْاَمْرِ مِنْكُم الرَّسُوْلَ وَ اُولِي اهللَ وَ اَطِيْعُوا اَطِيْعُوا ْن َ ٰامَنُوْۤا ی ِ الَّذ ُّـهَا ی ٰۤـاَ ی In other words, obey Allah and His Messenger, and obey your rulers. Obedience is a quality, which if practiced wholeheartedly, bestows a spiritual radiance to the heart and illuminates the soul, granting it a pleasure. Spiritual exercises are not 1 al-Baqarah, 2:195 2 Al-Hakam , vol. 4, no. 46, dated 24 December 1900, pp. 1-3 3 at-Tawbah, 9:119 4 an-Nisa, 4:60 p. 34