Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 70
Malf uza t - English translation of Urdu Volume 8 70 granted by Allah the Exalted. To dispel every type of shirk [associating partners with God], personal and universal, and to perform worship with genuine delight and gratefulness is not in one’s power. In order to achieve this, it is essential to follow the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It is writ- ten in the Holy Quran that if you want to become the beloved of God, then follow the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. These people do not realize that having the ability to do good deeds depends on Divine grace. Unless there is a special grace of Allah the Exalted, internal impurities cannot be removed. When a person adopts veracity and sincerity of the highest degree, a heavenly power descends for his sake. If man could do everything himself, there would be no need for supplications. God Almighty says I will show the way to the per- son who strives in My way. This is a subtle indication. A hadith states that you are all blind except the one given eyes by God. Moreover, you are all dead except the one given life by God. Look! God Almighty has said concerning the Jews that they are like donkeys loaded with books. What benefit can such knowledge bestow upon a person? Unless the heart is appropri- ately prepared, guidance and tranquillity do not descend [upon it]. Developing appositeness with Satan is easy, but it is difficult to develop with angels because this [endeavour] involves climb- ing up, while the other case involves falling down. Falling down is easy but climbing up is very difficult. This state can only be attained, when a person, having become truly purified, has love for the divine enter into him. However, if this matter were easy, why would the Auliy a ’, Abd a l, Ghauth, and Aqt a b 1 be so rare? They all appear to pray and fast like ordi- 1. Wal i (Friend), Ghauth (Saint), Qu t b (pl. Aq ta b —Guiding Star), and Abd a l (Substitutes, i. e. vicegerents appointed for carrying out the will of God Almighty) are various designations used for Auliy a ’ull a h. [Publisher]