Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 458
Malf uza t - English translation of Urdu Volume 8 458 if someone abuses a person to his face, the person should be patient and keep quiet. The Severity of the Prophets In their ignorance, some people think that the Prophets are sometimes harsh. They cannot understand that their harshness is of a different nature. There is no malice in it, and they do not do it to satisfy their own ego. There is no personal interest at play in their minds, but they do it for the honour of Allah the Exalted and the person’s own reformation. Look! Sometimes a mother even strikes the child and strikes hard. A person seeing this might say how brutally she beats the child, but he is unfamiliar with her to judge her com- passion. If he had known about the mother’s love and compas- sion, he would not have had such a thought. Is it not true that if the child has even the slightest pain, the mother stays awake all night and takes care of the child. Who else can compete with this kindness and compassion? The harshness of a Prophet is of this nature. There is a pain and an anguish in his heart for the reformation of God’s creation. He desires that they may be saved from God’s punishment. If he is harsh to one of his servants, he also gets up at night and prays for him. In short, the harshness of parents and an affectionate teacher is not harshness; it is mercy and compassion. Similarly, the severity of a just king is not severity. People raise objections out of ignorance and raise a clamour. A just king always wants the good and well-being of his subjects. I will say again and again that God Almighty does not like