Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 212
Malf uza t - English translation of Urdu Volume 8 212 in the clutches of the ego. Second are those people who are called ٌ مُقْتَصِد ٌ مُقْتَصِد [ muqta s idun ]; that is, people of the middle group, whom the self sometimes subdues and sometimes they subdue the self and who have come out of the first state. However, the third group is composed of those people who have attained complete freedom from the clutches of the ego, and they are called ٌۢقِباَس ِتٰرْيَخْلاِب ٌۢقِباَس ِتٰرْيَخْلاِب [ s a biqum bil-khair a t ]; meaning, those who excel in doing good. They become wholly devoted to God alone. They develop intellectual and practical faculties [to think and act]. Such people are beneficial and of help for the service of religion. Keeping this rule in mind, Allah the Exalted issued the order for ‘some’ because everyone could not be readied for this pur- pose. Moreover, this is the law of nature of Allah the Exalted that there should be some people who engage in commerce, agriculture, or employment, and there should also be people who go to spread the religion so that the nation is safeguarded against pitfalls going forward. Remember that when a nation moves toward destruction, ignorance develops in it first, and they forget the religion taught to them. After ignorance develops, there comes the affliction and calamity that no piety remains among the peo- ple, and sin, iniquity, and every kind of wickedness begin to take hold. Finally, the wrath of Allah the Exalted destroys this nation, because fear of Allah and compassion originate from knowledge, as Allah the Exalted Himself says: 1 اَمَّنِا ىَشْخَي َهّٰللا ْنِم ِهِداَبِع اُؤٰٓمَلُعْلا اَمَّنِا ىَشْخَي َهّٰللا ْنِم ِهِداَبِع اُؤٰٓمَلُعْلا That is, only those people who possess knowledge fear Allah the Exalted. One comes to learn from this clearly, that genuine 1. S u rah F at ir, 35:29 [Publisher]