Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 70
Malfuzat - English translation of Urdu Volume 7 70 Nevertheless, remember that this prayer is not the name of meaningless chatter. On the contrary, it is something that fills the heart with the fear of God Almighty, and the soul of the supplicant flows like water and falls upon the Divine threshold, seeking strength, power, and forgiveness for its weaknesses and errors from the Mighty and All-Powerful God. This is a condi- tion that, in other words, can be called death. When this condi- tion avails, know for sure that the door of acceptance is opened, and extraordinary strength, grace, and steadfastness are given to safeguard against evils and persevere upon the doing of vir- tuous deeds. This is indeed the most powerful method. People of this Age have Denied the Effects of Prayer Nevertheless, the great difficulty is that people are simply una- ware of the true essence and nature of prayer, which is why many people in this age have denied it insofar as they do not experience its effects. And another reason for denial is that they say what is meant to happen is bound to happen, so what is the need for prayer? But I know very well that this is just an excuse because they have no experience of prayer 1 and have no knowl- edge about its effects, so they say such things. Otherwise, if they indeed have such trust in God, why do they go for treatment when they become ill? When they become afflicted with dan- gerous diseases, they run to the doctor. Verily I say that these are the very ones who seek treatment most of all. Syed Ahmad Khan was also a denier of prayer, but when he could not pass urine, he called a doctor from Delhi; he did not think his ability to pass urine would be restored automatically. Given that He is the very God whose kingdom encompasses 1. Al- H akam, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 2, 3, dated 10 January 1905