Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 409
3 May 1908 409 than eating fire or facing death. The degree to which a man’s knowledge of the power and authority of God increases, and the degree to which he becomes convinced that the punish- ment of disobeying Him is severe, it is to that same degree that he will eschew sin, disobedience, and insubordination. Look, some people bring a death upon themselves long before their actual death. Who are the Akhyar, Abdal and Aqtab [titles for saintly people]? What extra things are there within them that set them apart? It is this same certainty of conviction! Certain and definitive knowledge compels one, necessarily and naturally, to do something. Conjectural knowl- edge with regard to God cannot suffice. Uncertainty cannot be of any benefit. It is only certainty of conviction that has effect. Certainty of knowledge about the attributes of God has greater impact than even fearsome lightening. It is only the impact of this certainty that makes such people [the Akhyar, Abdal and Aqtab ] yield and surrender. Remember! The greater one’s con- viction, the greater the likelihood he eschews sin. There are many who appear to be avoiding sins or making such claims, but their case is like a boil filled with pus: it appears shiny and its shine and lustre seems to be even greater than the rest of the body, but its core is filled with pus and foul mat- ter. Surely, the signs of being protected against sins must needs accompany their claims also. Light, sunshine, and warmth testify to the fact that the sun is shining. With regard to a person who says that the sun is shining during the night, when the signs of the sun are not evident, would anyone consider such an individual’s statement to be trustworthy? Absolutely not—never! Thus, the same is the condition of those people who claim that they believe in Allah while they show no effect of this belief—in other words, the total aversion to sin—and the effects of this belief in the