Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 429
4 May 1908 429 and incapable of contentment; for, so long as even an atom’s weight of these issues exist, there is a risk and a lurking fear that they may at some point gain strength and wipe out good deeds. Until there is one kind of relationship established, a state capa- ble of contentment cannot exist. Remember the Pledge to Give Precedence to Faith over All Worldly Objects No one knows the time of death. The days have come when the plague, cholera, earthquakes, epidemics, famine, and many types of diseases are attacking mankind. Yet if this were not to occur, even then the sudden clutch of Allah Almighty occasion- ally seizes a person, rendering him totally helpless. Therefore, it is necessary to continually keep in view the pledge that you will give precedence to [your] faith above all worldly objects and present the noble example of your practical life accordingly. There is no guarantee of life. Look, several friends are parted from us every year and some foes have gone departed as well. Allah has conveyed some terrifying news [ahead], and He is Truthful in His word. Even greater fear arises from this. Those, too, are so very threatening. Diverse kinds of danger lurk all around. Plague is another name for death. In the lexicon plague means ‘death’. Does anyone know how the wrath of God Almighty will unleash itself ? May God protect us! It might be so severe as to be unbearable. It is a matter of principle, as I had also explained yester- day, that when Divine punishment or wrath dissipates—be it cholera, plague, an epidemic, or famine—people grow compla- cent, realizing that the adversity has passed. Then their hearts become hardened in this way. However, your duty should be to