Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 279
27 December 1905 279 The Need for Patience and Perseverance in the Activities of the Faith Remember well that this is not the law and canon of Allah the Exalted. Every development here is gradual, and the pleasure of God Almighty cannot be attained just by us saying that we are Muslims or believers. Therefore, He has said: 1 َبِسَحَا ُساَّنلا ْنَا اْۤوُكَرْتُّي ْنَا اْۤوُلْوُقَّي اَّنَمٰا َو ْمُه اَل َنْوُنَتْفُي َبِسَحَا ُساَّنلا ْنَا اْۤوُكَرْتُّي ْنَا اْۤوُلْوُقَّي اَّنَمٰا َو ْمُه اَل َنْوُنَتْفُي That is, do these people think that Allah the Exalted should become pleased with them and they shall be left alone merely by their saying, ‘We believe’ and that they shall not be tested? It is against the practice of Allah that someone should be made a saint instantly by the blow of a breath. If this had been His practice, then the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would have done the same and made his devoted Companions saints by simply blowing his breath on them. He would not have had them sacrifice their lives by putting them to the test, and God Almighty would not have said about them: 2 ْمُهْنِم ْنَّم ىٰضَق ٗهَبْحَن َو ْمُهْنِم ْنَّم ُرِظَتْنَّي١ۖٞ َو اَم اْوُلَّدَب اًلْيِدْبَت ْمُهْنِم ْنَّم ىٰضَق ٗهَبْحَن َو ْمُهْنِم ْنَّم ُرِظَتْنَّي١ۖٞ َو اَم اْوُلَّدَب اًلْيِدْبَت Thus, when the world cannot be attained without hardships and hard work, strangely ignorant is the one who deems religion akin to ripened fruit just waiting to be plucked. It is indeed true 1. S u rah al-‘Ankab u t, 29:3 [Publisher] 2. There are some of them who have fulfilled their vow, and some who still wait, and they have not changed their condition in the least ( S u rah al-A h z a b, 33:24). [Publisher]