Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 291
9 August 1905 291 true prosperity and comfort. The life of the world passes in one way or another: بش ِ ونتر ذگتش و بش ومسر ذگتش , meaning that, the times of ease and sorrow both pass on. However, religion is such a thing that by treading upon it, a person can please God Almighty. Know that Allah the Exalted is not pleased with a person, nor can anyone attain His nearness unless he treads the straight path. That can happen only when the Being and attributes of Allah the Exalted are recognised, and he acts upon the ways and directions that are in accordance with His will and pur- pose. Since this is essential, a person should prioritise religion over the world, and this is not a difficult matter at all. Look! A man becomes prepared to put his life in danger to earn a little money, which is the lowest of worldly desires. So, when one thinks of pleasing Allah the Exalted and wants to win His pleasure, why would this be difficult? People are deprived of [embracing] the true religion mainly because of their national identity. A person makes his connec- tion with kith and kin, friends, and fellow members of his peo- ple so strong that he does not want to let them go. Given this situation, this door of salvation cannot open for him. This is a kind of impotence and weakness, but it takes martyrs and cou- rageous men to not let such relationships hinder them in the least and advance toward God Almighty. Some weak-natured people think that the purpose is to worship God Almighty and it makes little difference what religion you have, but they fail to realise that no religion other than Islam is free from errors in belief and practice among all religions present today. The true and living God—turning to whom man gets genuine comfort and illumination, and estab- lishing a connection with whom man can be saved from his sin- ful life— cannot be found except through Islam. This is the first step for every type of spiritual advancement,